When Yuan Xi heard Liu He talk about Tian Chou and met him in Xu Wushan, he instantly became interested because Tian Chou had an extremely stubborn character and his experience was legendary.
At first, Tian Chou was attached to Liu Yu and became his assistant. He was sent as an envoy to Chang'an to meet the emperor.
Because the road from Youzhou to Chang'an was blocked and there were many battles, Tian Chou took twenty or thirty people on horseback from Juyongguan, went out of the border along Yinshan Mountain, and went directly to Shuofang County. They followed the small road and finally arrived in Chang'an, completing their mission.
The court was moved by his loyalty and first appointed Tian Chou as Cavalry Commandant, and later summoned him to the Three Dukes' Office, but Tian Chou refused both times.
Later, when Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan attacked, Tian Chou hurried back after learning about it. However, Liu Yu was killed by Gongsun Zan while he was still on the way.
After Tian Chou came back, he went to pay homage to Liu Yu's tomb and cried in a memorial, which angered Gongsun Zan and he was arrested.
Gongsun Zan brought Tian Chou in front of him to question him, but was left speechless by Tian Chou's rebuttal. Finally, after detaining him for a while, even Gongsun Zan's subordinates stood up to persuade him, and finally Gongsun Zan had to let Tian Chou go.
Afterwards, Tian Chou and his family lived in seclusion in Xuwu Mountain, where they farmed the land themselves. Gradually, his reputation spread, and people came to join him, with the number of households reaching several thousand.
In later generations, Tian Chou refused Yuan Shao's summons several times, and even refused to accept the general's seal. After Yuan Shao's death, Yuan Shang also came to summon him, but Tian Chou also refused.
However, he finally surrendered to Cao Cao, and it was the first time Cao Cao sent an envoy, and Tian Chou agreed!
"The Records of the Three Kingdoms·Wei Shu·Biography of Tian Chou": In the 12th year of Jian'an in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao went north to attack Wuhuan and ordered Tian Chou to lead his troops as guides, go up Xuwu Mountain, and exit Lulong.
With the help of Tian Chou, Cao Cao led his army out of Xuwu Mountain and Lulong, passed Bailang City and went to Liucheng, and unexpectedly defeated Chanyu Tadun.
This battle was the famous Battle of Bailang Mountain in later generations. It was the last time Guo Jia gave advice before his death. Led by Tian Chou, the battle ended with Zhang Liao defeating and killing Chanyu Tadun.
Later, Tian Chou served as a clerk in the Ministry of Works and Households under Cao Cao, and participated in the attack on Jingzhou. He made great contributions, but he repeatedly refused rewards and was determined not to be granted a title of nobility. In the eyes of people at that time, he was an extremely peculiar person.
To be honest, Yuan Xi didn't have much expectations for Tian Chou, because he had an awkward personality, valued friendship, and didn't seem to be keen on fame and fortune. Moreover, his civil and military achievements in later generations were actually far inferior to those of Tian Yu and others.
Moreover, Yuan Xi could not understand why Tian Chou was so resistant to the Yuan family, but hit it off with Cao Cao.
So Yuan Xi, with the attitude of giving it a try, asked Liu He to find a way to contact Tian Chou to see what he was up to.
The worst case scenario is that Tian Chou had already become Cao Cao's hidden chess piece. If this were the case, Yuan Xi would naturally not sit idly by.
Seeing Yuan Xi asking this question, Liu He thought for a moment and said, "I have conveyed all the words of the young master about his conscription. As expected, he refused."
After hearing this, Yuan Xi thought to himself that it was just as he expected. Since the other party had no intention of becoming an official, and he didn't have much time to waste on this, he just put it aside for the time being.
Liu He added: "But when he asked about Gongsun Zan, I told him what happened in Yijing City, and Tian Chou was touched."
"He said that as a subordinate of his late father, he was unable to avenge his father, but it was the young master who fulfilled his wish and saved He's life. In comparison, he felt very ashamed."
"I see from his words that his opinion of you has changed a lot. Do you want to persuade him again?"
Yuan Xi thought that Youbeiping County where Xu Wushan was located was an important land node connecting Liaoxi Wuhuan, and it was not far from Yongnu in Yuyang County, so he could try to fight for it.
However, this was just Yuan Xi's way of leaving a way out, because his goal was to build a huge fleet that could transport troops from the sea. In this way, the importance of Lulong Pass was greatly reduced.
Thinking of this, he said, "In that case, please follow me to the three cities of Piaoyuyi, Quanzhou, and Yongnu to arrange the affairs in the city, and then return to the port and go to Xuwushan by sea."
Liu He listened and said, "The sea route is indeed much more convenient than the land route. You have made a foresight in planning the sea vessels in advance. In the future, the coastal cities that are difficult to reach in Youzhou will be no problem for you."
Yuan Xi thought to himself that it was indeed so. Although the three cities of Piaoyuyi were in Tianjin in later generations, and Xu Wushan was in Tangshan, although the two were close in distance, the terrain in this world was extremely complex and difficult to travel.
However, there is no such problem if traveling by sea. The coastal landforms at that time were different from those in later times, and the coastline had not yet been fully expanded. As long as there were ports on both sides, it would only take one or two days to reach the destination.
Liu He thought for a moment and said, "There is one more thing."
"Xian Yu Fu is now in the north of Yuyang County. When he heard that Tian Yu had surrendered to you, he sent someone to find me, saying that he wanted to meet Tian Yu."
After hearing this, Yuan Xi asked, "Xian Yu Fu?"
"This person can be used. He and Yan Rou are both extremely important figures to Youzhou. Brother Liu, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Liu He heard this and laughed, "I thought Tian Chou is the most famous person at present, and you would pay more attention to him."
Yuan Xi waved his hand and said, "To me, celebrities are far inferior to counselors and generals, and celebrities have strange tempers, so it is difficult to please them."
"Besides, Youzhou is such a large territory, and what I'm in urgent need of now is someone who can lead troops to fight."
"Xian Yufu has no problem meeting Tian Yu. Brother Liu asked someone to reply and tell him that I want to meet him too."
After hearing this, Liu He immediately agreed.
Yuan Xi thought that these forces in Youzhou each had their own demands and conflicts. As long as he negotiated with each party individually and took advantage of the suspicion between them, he should be able to subdue them.
But how to win their loyalty afterwards becomes a big problem. You can't indulge them too much, which will make them arrogant, nor can you suppress them too much, which will make them alienated from you.
Every military general and strategist has his own independent ideas. If the lord loses his moral integrity, his subordinates will betray him and become disloyal, just like Chen Gong left Cao Cao and Sun Ce left Yuan Shu.
For Yuan Xi now, pacifying and appeasing the Wuhuan and Xianbei forces in Youzhou is the guarantee for him to gain a foothold in Youzhou and focus on the world. Otherwise, Youzhou will have fires in its backyard from time to time, so how can he fight for hegemony over the world?
But what Yuan Xi didn't know was that in Hunu City, north of Yuyang County, Yan Rou, Xianyu Fu, and the envoys of Chanyu Tadun were sitting together, discussing Yuan Xi's return to Youzhou with serious expressions.
Yan Rou was the first to speak up: "Now the three of us are all in a difficult situation. The Yuan family is powerful, and our best choice right now is to surrender and rely on them."
"Lord Chanyu Tatun should agree with this, right?"
After hearing this, the Wuhuan envoy sent by Chanyu Tatun voiced his agreement. He had just returned from Yecheng and expressed Tatun's intention of marriage to the Yuan family.
Xian Yu Fu said: "Sima Yan is right. If we each have our own thoughts, I'm afraid we will be eaten up by the Yuan family's vicious tiger, leaving nothing behind."
Yan Rou said, "I, the Sima, was nominated by everyone in private. If I am not legitimate, don't mention it, so as not to arouse suspicion."
"If we want to be recognized, we have to ask the Yuan family to submit a petition to the emperor. That's the right way."
Xian Yufu said, "The problem we are facing now is who to rely on."
"Is it Yuan Xi, the current governor of Youzhou, or Yuan Shang, who is actually in charge of Jizhou?"
The Chanyu Tatun envoy said without hesitation: "Of course it is Yuan Shang, the legitimate son of Yuan Benchu!"
"Now he has become the next head of the Yuan family, and he has promised me that he will promote the marriage between the eldest daughter of the Yuan family and Lord Shanyu Tadun!"
When Yan Rou and Xian Yu Fu heard this, they became more active.
If you, Chanyu Tadun, become Yuan Shao's son-in-law, what do you have to do with us?
If this goes on, you, Tadun, a pure Wuhuan, will be able to suppress us, but what about the Han and Xianbei people?
No, we have to find a way to ruin this matter!
The temporary tripartite alliance seemed harmonious on the surface, but they all had their own ulterior motives in private.
Yan Rou said, "I heard that Yuan Shang and Youzhou Governor Yuan Xi have a bad relationship. If Shanyu Tadun works for Yuan Shang, will it offend Yuan Xi?"
The Tatun envoy was surprised and asked, "Why did Sima Yan say that?"
"Yuan Xi is now a side branch, so he naturally has to obey the main branch Yuan Shang. With one main branch and one deputy branch, we are of course dependent on the main branch."
"Although Yuan Xi is the governor of Youzhou, he only controls two counties. How can he compare to Yuan Shang who controls Jizhou?"
Xian Yufu said, "That's wrong. The emperor is far away. How can Jizhou control the affairs of Youzhou?"
"You know, we are in Youzhou and are nominally under the jurisdiction of Yuan Xi!"
Envoy Taton shook his head and said, "Although what you two said makes sense, I think the three of us are sitting here just to discuss how to turn the tables."
"Why do you two keep saying that you want to join Yuan Xi?"
"The best way for us to make friends with distant countries and attack nearby ones is to rely on Yuan Shang and use his reputation to overwhelm Yuan Xi, so that the three of us can gain the greatest benefits in Youzhou?"
Yan Rou and Xian Yu Fu thought to themselves that this man was really hard to fool. The key point was that the envoy did not understand one thing.
The idea is good, but once the truth is revealed, can the three parties withstand the revenge of the fierce tiger of the Yuan family?
The headquarters of your Wuhuan tribe is far away in Liucheng, Liaoxi. Yuan Xi may be out of reach, but we are in Yuyang County. The cavalry under Yuan Xi can rush to Fox Slave at any time within a few days!
When the time comes, you'll just run away and we'll be here to protect you?
Even if your base camp is really attacked, you can run to Gongsun Du in Liaodong or outside the Great Wall and still live a prosperous life, but where can we go?
Yan Rou and Xian Yu Fu couldn't help but look at each other, and they both understood what the other was thinking.
Unlike Chanyu Tatun who was bent on establishing his own territory and becoming a regional overlord, Yan Rou and Xianyu Fu were still inclined towards the Central Plains, and they had no way out.
Yan Rou was originally a Han Chinese. After being captured by the Wuhuan and Xianbei, he was trusted by the Wuhuan and Xianbei because of his ability to please everyone. He established his own power and proclaimed himself the Sima of Wuhuan.
But deep down, he still retains the Han people's idea of being granted titles of nobility and appointed as generals. This is a cultural heritage that cannot be easily erased.
Not to mention Xianyu Fu, he was also a Han Chinese, and a local nobleman with a long-standing reputation.
These two people must have nothing better to do than to consider the issue from the perspective of Chanyu Tadun!
Moreover, the two knew that the relationship between Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi was not good, and if they stood on the wrong side, it would be difficult to turn back.
Thinking of this, Yan Rou said, "Sir Chanyu Tatun is a man of extraordinary talent, and he will surely be able to revive the Wuhuan."
"But please don't lose sight of your ambitions, my Lord."
"Some things may not be digested after eating. Although the marriage with the Yuan family can be a help to you, it may also bring disaster."