Yuan Xi and Lu Lingqi were sitting in front of the window of the small building. The scenery outside was beautiful, but he had no intention of enjoying it.
He wrote a letter home the day before and had it delivered to Jicheng to inquire about Zhen Mi's recent situation. After writing it, he was very hesitant because even if the letter was delivered to Zhen Mi, he could not do much.
But after thinking it over again and again, Yuan Xi still sent the letter. After all, it was somewhat of a comfort to Zhen Mi.
Now he is extremely anxious. He obviously wants to rush back to Youzhou, but Heishan needs him to take charge of the overall situation. Only when the Heishan issue is completely resolved can he go back with peace of mind.
And before that, Zhao Yun and herself had a marriage coming up.
Zhao Yun is still waiting for his brother to arrive, not to mention that, the marriage of Yuan Xi and Lu Lingqi is also a problem.
Although Yuan Xi was not marrying a legal wife this time, in order to give face to Lu Bu, the etiquette procedures were deliberately blurred. The etiquette was only slightly lower than that for the legal wife, so the process was extremely complicated.
This delay meant that he had been staying in Yecheng for nearly half a month, which made Yuan Xi even more restless.
Fortunately, Yuan Shang has not been able to enter the Black Mountain so far, and he heard that Yang Feng has also appeared. He wanted to kill Yuan Shang by surprise, but was stopped by Wen Chou and several generals, and returned empty-handed.
According to a letter from Tian Yu who was present at the time, Yang Feng is much slower and less powerful than at his peak. It is very likely that he suffered serious injuries in several life-and-death battles with Yuan Xi, and has not recovered yet.
Yuan Xi wrote back immediately, telling Tian Yu, Gao Shun and others that if they had the chance, they must capture or kill Yang Feng, and take her life while she was sick. If they waited until Yang Feng fully recovered, the threat to them would be too great!
While Yuan Xi was solving the problem of Zang Hong in Dongwuyang, Yuan Shao had already issued an order for Gao Lan to lead his troops to Heishan. After being conferred the title, Zhang He returned to Yecheng and was currently repairing his troops.
But in Yuan Xi's opinion, Yuan Shao's actions were still a little slow. It was unknown what kind of backup plan Cao Cao had arranged in Heishan through the Han court. The longer the time dragged on, the more likely it was that something would change.
It would take at least half a month to complete the six ceremonies. In this time, it would be possible to make two round trips from Yecheng to the central pass of Heishan on light cavalry and simple equipment!
Thinking of this, he suddenly stood up and said to Lu Lingqi, "We can't wait any longer. The Black Mountain incident must be resolved as soon as possible."
"I'm going to meet Benchu Gong."
Soon, Yuan Xi arrived at Yuan Shao's residence. He met Yuan Shao and said, "The Black Mountain incident has been delayed for too long."
"Now transfer Zhang He and Gao Lan's troops there, and I will have the Youzhou army go south to cooperate. The Black Mountain army will definitely not be able to resist."
"Now I will take out the Emperor's edict to give the Black Mountain Army a way out. The best outcome is to let them serve Yuan, but if they are stubborn and unyielding, they must be eliminated as soon as possible!"
"Otherwise, Cao Cao is likely to interfere. We can see from the incident in Puyang that Cao Cao is extremely decisive in his actions. If we delay any further, he will surely overtake us!"
Tian Feng went to Dongwuyang. Now the only advisers left by Yuan Shao were Xun Chen and Shen Pei. After a few discussions, they unexpectedly unanimously supported Yuan Xi's point of view.
Needless to say, Shen Pei originally supported Yuan Shang, and it would also be beneficial to Yuan Shang to deal with the Black Mountain Army as soon as possible.
But Yuan Xi was a little confused about Xun Chen. Due to various concerns, Yuan Xi did not recruit Xun Chen at the beginning. On the one hand, he himself was not strong enough, and on the other hand, he suspected that Xun Chen might still have connections with other people in the Xun family.
On the surface, Xun Chen was Yuan Shang's man, but in Beixin City that day, it was obvious that he had an affair with Yuan Tan, so when Yuan Xi spoke this time, he was also paying attention to Xun Chen's expression, trying to see something.
But Xun Chen concealed it very well. He just raised a few questions about military supplies and had nothing else to say.
In the end, it was Shen Pei who said to Yuan Xi: "If we take Black Mountain, how will Master Xianyi station his troops?"
This involves the issue of territory division. Yuan Xi said without hesitation: "I want the section from the North Pass to the Central Pass."
"As for the section from the Central Pass to the Southern Pass, it will be under the jurisdiction of Jizhou."
"And if I want to go south to Hanoi, Yuan can give me the right to pass at any time."
"Similarly, if the Jizhou army goes north from the section where I am stationed, I will not stop them."
Shen Pei said with a smile: "Since we are both from the Yuan family, why is Master Xianyi so obsessed with stationing troops?"
Yuan Xi said calmly: "The southern gate of Youzhou leads directly to Black Mountain. If we neglect our defenses and the enemy attacks Youzhou, Youzhou will be in chaos."
"It's not that I don't trust the Jizhou army, but the Southern Xiongnu have not distinguished between friend and foe. If they invade from the Black Mountain Passage, I need a buffer zone."
"Besides, isn't our Yuan family's next plan to occupy the Hetao Plain in Bingzhou?"
"If the Yuan family controls the southern pass of Heishan, they will be only a few hundred miles away from Henei where the emperor's palace is located. If something unexpected happens, they can enter Sili at any time. This is a key step in Jizhou's expansion."
After hearing this, Shen Pei showed admiration on his face. He stopped talking and looked at Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shao was still not used to it. It was the first time he had so few advisers around him, but it was also the first time they reached a consensus so quickly. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Okay."
"Zhengnan, you go to Black Mountain with Xianyi. When you meet Xianfu, tell him that Xianyi is the main person in charge of this matter. After all, he is the emperor's envoy this time."
After hearing this, Shen Pei bowed his head and said, "I will obey your command."
Yuan Xi was delighted, and then he heard Yuan Shao say, "I know Xianyi lost a general at the hands of the Black Mountain Army, but the dead are gone. Don't act on impulse, or you will ruin the Yuan family's plans."
Yuan Xi's expression remained unchanged, and he said, "I respect the envoy's order."
Yuan Shao saw that Yuan Xi looked reluctant and sighed, "I'm afraid that Xian Yi can only get married after he returns victorious."
Yuan Xi said softly, "The six ceremonies have not yet been completed. We are going to stay here anyway. Maybe we can deal with the Black Mountain Army and then rush back to Yecheng. The time is just right."
He understood that Yuan Shao was using the marriage to warn him not to act rashly, and this marriage not only referred to Yuan Xi's, but also Zhao Yun's.
After hearing this, Yuan Shao stopped talking and waved his hand, saying, "Okay, you go and organize your troops, and get the money and food from the Jizhou treasury. Tomorrow I will let Zhang He lead the army and set out with you."
Yuan Xi bowed his head, saluted, and walked out.
Xun Chen saw Yuan Xi leave and said to Yuan Shao with a smile: "Master Xianyi has been very organized in the past two years. He has been mobilizing troops to fight, and it seems that there is no delay in the middle."
"Looking at his behavior, it seems like he has seen an opportunity and is afraid of missing out on an important opportunity."
After hearing this, Yuan Shao also had some doubts in his heart. Why was Yuan Xi so anxious?
Moreover, he had clearly been adopted and had no relationship with the head of the Yuan family anymore, so why was he still so bothered to plan for the Yuan family?
Did Yuan Xi see something that his own advisers could not see?
Yuan Shao thought of the rumor that Yuan Xi had a special person named Yinhu under his command who was good at stargazing, and wondered if there really was such a master who could reveal the secret of his future fortune to him?
Yuan Xi returned to his mansion and said to Zhao Yun, "I will leave for Black Mountain tomorrow."
"Zilong's brother hasn't arrived in Yecheng yet?"
Zhao Yun said: "According to the time, they should be on their way."
After hearing this, Yuan Xi said, "Zilong, stay and get married first. I will lead the troops there."
Zhao Yun immediately replied: "My lord, you are willing to delay your marriage. How can I stay in Yecheng?"
"Besides, if I don't go with you, I'm afraid the generals in Youzhou will think that I have changed my mind after accepting the emperor's appointment. This is not good for the morale of the Youzhou army."
"So, I have to follow you, sir."
After hearing this, Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Okay!"
"This time, we and the Jizhou Army have almost put all our high-end combat power into it. If we can't defeat the Black Mountain Army again, it will be a shame!"
Zhao Yun went out of the palace to organize his troops and collect supplies and money, while Yuan Xi sent an urgent letter to Guo Jia, Yan Rou and others at the central pass of Heishan, ordering them to advance southwards from the central pass immediately.
He sealed the secret letter and had just sent the spy away when Lu Lingqi, who had been eavesdropping behind him, jumped out, grabbed Yuan Xi's sleeve with one hand, and put her other hand around Yuan Xi's neck, and said viciously, "What? You want to run away tomorrow?"
"You dare to abandon me, now I'll let you taste my power!"
Yuan Xi felt two soft lumps pressed tightly against his back, and he was overjoyed. He begged for mercy, "How could I not take you with me!"
"No, you have to cover up a little and dress up as my guard."
"Also, you must pay attention to safety. If anything goes wrong, I'm afraid that Wen Hou will chop me to pieces."
After hearing this, Lu Lingqi let go of her hand with satisfaction and said, "You still have some conscience."
"With your mediocre skills, I'm afraid you'll need my protection on the battlefield."
Khan Yuan Xi, although this is the truth, it is too hurtful to say it so bluntly!
The lights in Yecheng were on all night long, and soldiers were lined up to prepare for battle. The people in the city knew that another war was about to break out.
But they don't have much to worry about. Apart from the turmoil in Yecheng that year, the current war locations are far away from Yecheng and have no impact on their lives at all.
Of course, it is best to fight a war on someone else's territory, the farther away the better. Otherwise, even if you are defending a city, the impact on your life will be enormous.
A few days later, when Zhang Yan learned that Jizhou had sent troops again and the Youzhou army was approaching southward, he could no longer sit still.
Because the Montenegrin army is almost at its limit.
He quickly found Zhong Yao, who was sent to Heishan on behalf of the emperor, and said with a stern face: "Minister Zhong, the emperor said he would mediate, but the Yuan family's offensive has not slowed down and has become much more fierce!"
"Now not only Jizhou has sent more troops, but even Youzhou has taken action!"
"This is completely different from what Minister Zhong said!"
Zhong Yao also had a gloomy expression and said angrily: "This Yuan family has ulterior motives and clearly disobeys the emperor's order!"
"Especially Yuan Xi. The emperor was deceived by him. What he is doing now is simply destroying the bridge after crossing the river!"
"If I return to Huaicheng, I will definitely report him severely!"
Zhang Yan said: "That's all for the future. How can we get through this difficult time right now?"
Zhong Yao was embarrassed. "That fierce tiger Yuan insisted in front of the emperor that the Black Mountain Army killed his general and demanded an explanation from the Black Mountain Army."
"If the General doesn't solve this problem, he will have an excuse to keep fighting."
Zhang Yan was annoyed when he heard this: "I had no idea what happened back then. It was all done by Captain Yang's sworn brother Yang Chou!"
"What do you want me to do now?"
Zhong Yao said, "That fierce tiger is determined that Yang Feng is the mastermind behind this. If you don't hand him over, the fierce tiger will not let it go."
Zhang Yan heard this and shook her head, "No, she has a very high position in the Taiping Dao and cannot be touched."
Zhong Yao asked sinisterly, "Why can't we move?"
"Is the Taiping Dao hers, or does it belong to Envoy Cao?"
Zhang Yan was suddenly stunned.