Chapter 35: Testing each other

Yuan Xi had a headache. Qu Yi could really stir up trouble!

Although he usually told Qu Yi to change his surname to hide his identity, Qu Yi was stubborn and inflexible, only changing Qu to Qu, a change in name only. The pronunciation was still the same.

Moreover, this fake name was obviously meant to be an insult, right?

Qu Ru Mu, Qu Ru Mu (Go to your mother), was it very funny?

Forget it, anyway, Yuan Tan's mother was not Yuan Xi's mother. Both of their mothers were long dead.

The three Yuan brothers all had different mothers. Yuan Tan was born to Yuan Shao's first wife. Later, after his first wife passed away, Yuan Shao married Lady Liu, who had imperial lineage, as his second wife, and she gave birth to Yuan Shang.

Yuan Xi, sandwiched in between, only knew that his mother was very likely not the first wife.

With this, things became very clear.

Yuan Tan, the eldest son, was born of the legitimate wife.

Yuan Xi, the second son, was suspected of being born of a concubine.

Yuan Shang, the third son, was also born of the legitimate wife and had the background of the Liu family, who had imperial lineage.

Therefore, Yuan Shao liked Yuan Shang not only because of his appearance but also because of his bloodline.

In the future, whether Yuan Shao supported the Han Dynasty or replaced it, he could build a bridge to the Han Dynasty through Yuan Shang. This was the reason why he wanted to make Yuan Shang his successor.

Yuan Shao's subordinates were therefore divided into two factions, one supporting Yuan Tan and the other supporting Yuan Shang.

As for Yuan Xi, there was no need to mention him. His current situation was the same as Yuan Shao's before he was adopted.

Therefore, Youzhou was bound to be his base for raising troops and developing in the future. No one could take it away.

However, he could not fall out with Yuan Tan in front of him for the time being, because the two of them had a common goal at the moment.

Of course, if it still came to the point where the three brothers turned against each other, Yuan Xi would definitely not mind being ruthless, because in this world, the only person you could rely on in the end was yourself.

Thinking of this, Yuan Xi thought to himself that it was a good thing that Qu Yi's throat had also been cut, resulting in a hoarse voice, so he was not recognized.

He gave Qu Yi a look and said, "This General Qu is a subordinate I recruited. He has lived in Liangzhou for a long time and is not good at etiquette. I apologize for making you laugh."

Qu Yi understood and turned his horse around, retreating behind Yuan Xi.

Yuan Tan nodded, not taking it to heart, and invited Xun Chen and Gao Lan to meet Yuan Xi.

When Yuan Xi saw Xun Chen, his heart skipped a beat. Why was this person here?

Yuan Xi was very concerned about everything related to Cao Cao. As Xun Yu's elder brother, why would Xun Chen come to Beixin City at this time?

Was this Yuan Shao's intention?

And Gao Lan, one of the Four Pillars of Hebei, was Yuan Shao bringing these two people over with Yuan Tan to intimidate him, was Yuan Shao determined not to let him manage Beixin City?

Seeing Yuan Xi's expression, Yuan Tan comforted him, "Don't panic, Second Brother. Father is also worried about something happening to you, so he asked me to come and ask about the inside story of the two battles against the Southern Xiongnu and the White Horse Volunteers."

Seeing that Yuan Tan had brought the matter out into the open, Yuan Xi immediately said, "There is nothing to hide. There are hundreds of pairs of eyes watching. We can talk about it as we walk later."

He then pulled Zhao Yun forward and introduced him to the crowd, "This is Zhao Zilong of Changshan. He is a great general I recently acquired. He abandoned Gongsun Zan and came to join me. He is upright and extremely talented."

The crowd was stunned. A great general?

They had never heard of this name before?

Gao Lan felt a little unhappy when he heard the words "great general". Their Four Pillars of Hebei had accumulated many military exploits, so it was fine for them to be called great generals, but how could an unknown nobody dare to call himself a great general?

Seeing that Zhao Yun's expression was neither humble nor arrogant and that he greeted everyone one by one, he thought to himself, "How can a surrendered general be so arrogant?"

Moreover, Gongsun Zan had already been driven back to Youzhou, so what famous generals did he have under his command? What was he pretending to be?

Thinking of this, he rode forward and looked down at Zhao Yun.

As a result, Gao Lan found that, even though they were both on horseback, the other party was still a little taller than him?

He couldn't help but feel a little bored and said, "Since he is the Second Young Master Yuan's great general, I must ask for some advice when I have time, so that I can see what abilities he has that make him so appreciated by the Second Young Master Yuan."

Zhao Yun's eyes flashed with a cold light when he heard this and said, "I am ready to be taught at any time."

At this time, Qu Yi spoke up from behind, "Brother Zhao is really rude. This General Gao is one of the Four Pillars of Hebei. His martial prowess is comparable to that of Yan Liang and Wen Chou."

"You will be defeated before you can even block one move. Your death is a small matter, but what will happen if you lose the Second Young Master Yuan's face?"

"Furthermore, if you are lucky enough to win by half a move, where will the First Young Master Yuan's face be placed?"

Yuan Xi felt helpless in his heart, thinking that he really deserved to be Qu Yi, who was stirring up trouble again. It seemed that the resentment he had after being hacked by the axemen back then was difficult to eliminate.

However, Qu Yi's disruption gave Yuan Xi a space to breathe and think.

Despite Yuan Tan's polite words when they met, he brought thousands of soldiers with him, which was a threat in itself. His words also borrowed Yuan Shao's name, obviously wanting to suppress him and gain an advantage in the conversation.

Gao Lan would definitely not find trouble with Zhao Yun for no reason. He was probably instructed to give him a show of force.

If he could not deal with it properly, Yuan Tan's actions would be much smoother.

From the moment they met, the confrontation had already begun!

As expected, Gao Lan's face became a little strained after being provoked by Qu Yi's words, and he sneered, "I have been running rampant in the northern lands for more than ten years. Can I be afraid of a young man?"

Xun Chen coughed, and Yuan Tan smiled when he saw this, "There will be plenty of free time in the next few days. Are we just going to stand here and talk?"

Yuan Xi smiled when he heard this, "It's my fault. I have prepared wine and dishes in the mansion. Please, Big Brother, go into the city first."

After saying that, he turned his horse around and entered the city first.

From beginning to end, Yuan Xi did not mention how to arrange the thousands of soldiers Yuan Tan brought.

Yuan Tan hesitated. He looked at Xun Chen, who was sitting on his horse, not knowing what he was thinking.

Seeing this, Yuan Tan gritted his teeth and said to Gao Lan, "You take twenty personal soldiers into the city with you, and the others will set up camp outside the city!"

Yuan Xi, who was in front, nodded secretly when he heard Yuan Tan's words, thinking that his elder brother was not an ordinary person either.

In another two years, Yuan Tan would be appointed by Yuan Shao as the Inspector of Qingzhou and defeat Tian Kai and Kong Rong on his own, indicating that he was quite capable.

Judging from Gao Lan's current appearance, he had probably secretly defected to Yuan Tan. It seemed that Yuan Tan was also very good at buying people's hearts.

Only Xun Chen, whose expression could not be seen, Yuan Xi had not been able to tell which side he was on.

Xun Chen was also a member of the Xun family. Was it possible that he had defected to Cao Cao?

The three of them were like three questions, and the most troublesome thing was that Yuan Xi did not know if these three people were in the same group.

At this time, Yuan Xi extremely hoped that there was an outstanding strategist by his side to help him come up with ideas.

After sending away Dong Zhao, who could not be seen in the light, he only had Qu Yi, an angry middle-aged man, and Zhao Yun, who had extremely high moral requirements, by his side. Neither of them was suitable for engaging in conspiracies and tricks.

Zhuge Liang was thirteen years old at this time, and Pang Tong was fourteen years old. He didn't know which corner he was in, reading books with snot running down his nose.

Zhou Yu was nineteen years old and had already joined Sun Ce.

Cao Cao had many capable people under his command, but unfortunately, it seemed that he had nothing to do with Yuan Xi now.

Yuan Shao had a large number of strategists under his command, who fought and fought in order to stand in line, but none of them showed goodwill to him.

Yuan Xi felt that he was like being in a treasure mountain, but he could not find a strategist who truly belonged to him.

After thinking about it, it was still safest to fleece his father's wool. Why not try to find out what Xun Chen's attitude was?

Everyone had their own thoughts, and they went all the way to the City Lord's Mansion.

At this time, Xun Chen, who was riding on his horse, looked at both sides of the road while Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi were talking.

As the horses' hooves clattered, the expression on his face slowly changed.

The situation in this Beixin City seemed to be much better than he had imagined?