Guo Jia was on the verge of collapse.
For more than half a month, the team had been traveling from Ye City, and they were about to reach Beixin City, but he was in an extremely tired state.
It wasn't because of the walking; Yuan Xi had arranged a carriage for him, but officials visited him constantly every day, which meant Guo Jia didn't get much rest at all.
Guo Jia was full of doubts at first, but later he discovered that Yuan Xi had forcibly given him the official position of military advisor!
Guo Jia flew into a rage and found Yuan Xi, saying that he would never offer advice and telling him to give up on that idea.
As a result, Yuan Xi said with confidence: "Fengxiao, if you don't have an official position or salary, how will you support your wife and children?"
"In Ye City, your wife's food, clothing, and expenses all require money, don't they?"
"Can you bear to let them suffer from cold and hunger?"
Guo Jia became even more angry after hearing this and shouted, "Isn't it you who brought them here?"
Yuan Xi spread his hands, "But they were implicated by you."
"Who told you to offend my father?"
Offend my ass!
Guo Jia finally understood that the angry words he said casually when he left Ji Province could not have made Yuan Shao so resentful.
It was just Yuan Xi's excuse!
After Guo Jia was captured to Yuan Xi's mansion, Xin Ping and Guo Tu, who had been on good terms with him, also came to visit and privately revealed the inside story of the prisoner exchange in Dongwuyang.
He was actually used to offset Cao Cao's son!
Guo Jia couldn't understand it even more. What virtues and abilities did he have to be compared with Cao Cao's several biological sons?
However, every time he asked that hateful Yuan Xi, the other party would always smile and not answer, which made Guo Jia's teeth itch with hatred.
He discovered that not only was Yuan Xi thick-skinned, but his wife was also in the other party's hands, so he couldn't do anything about it!
Guo Jia was determined not to speak, but Yuan Xi only said that Guo Jia could do whatever he wanted, but the official position could not be refused, and the salary would be paid as usual.
Guo Jia thought to himself, is there such a good thing?
But as batches of officials came to him, Guo Jia gradually realized that what Yuan Xi wanted to do was not simple.
Charity schools and fields, encouraging agriculture, commerce, and industry?
When he heard that the charity schools also enrolled the children of farmers and craftsmen to learn to read, he couldn't hold back anymore. What did this Yuan family child want to do?
Not only Guo Jia, but also the accompanying officials were also discussing it privately. Amid such doubts, the team got closer and closer to Beixin City.
Through the carriage window, Guo Jia saw the team leave the valley, and the outline of Beixin City in the distance was faintly visible.
Suddenly, the team began to stir faintly, and someone began to shout in panic.
The soldiers guarding the periphery of the team began to take out weapons from the supply carts next to them and ran forward quickly. The people in the center of the team became even more flustered.
Guo Jia's heart also rose. He had learned about the situation in Beixin City before. Was it the Black Mountain bandits from the west, or Gongsun Zan's army from the north that had attacked?
Or was it the Southern Xiongnu from Bing Province, or even the Wuhuan and Xianbei from outside the Guan?
While waiting anxiously, the news finally came that it was not the enemy in front, but the people of Beixin City.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. No one wanted to travel a long distance only to be killed by the enemy for no reason.
Guo Jia's carriage followed the team up the hills, below which was the vast plain and Beixin City.
At the top of the hill, the team stopped again, and exclamations came.
Guo Jia poked his head out and asked the coachman, "What's wrong?"
The coachman stood on the shaft of the carriage and looked around, "People, so many people!"
Seeing this, Guo Jia also stood on the shaft of the carriage, straightened his body, and looked down.
What came into his eyes were people all over the mountains and plains.
Like ants in an anthill, they stretched densely from the gate of Beixin City all the way to the foot of the hill. Both sides of the road for several miles were filled with men, women, old and young, wearing different clothes, from the elderly to young children, all kinds of people were there.
Guo Jia's first reaction was, could this be a refugee?
But these people were all craning their necks and looking forward, obviously waiting for someone.
Seeing the team on the hillside, the people began to shout, "Is the young master back?"
At the front of the team, Yuan Xi rode forward, raised his hand, and shouted, "Everyone, I, Yuan Xi, am back!"
The crowd below the hillside roared and rushed over. Guo Jia thought to himself, could this be to seek revenge on Yuan Xi?
The scene he imagined did not happen. The crowd surrounded Yuan Xi, their faces full of smiles, and they waved and shouted, "The young master is back!"
Guo Jia originally thought that this was a special arrangement by Yuan Xi to create momentum and build his reputation, but he vaguely felt that it was not like that.
Yuan Xi jumped off his horse and smiled, "Why did you run so far? I'm going back to the city sooner or later, aren't I?"
The people all laughed, and someone said, "General Zhao returned to the city a few days ago and said that the young master would be rushing back soon. We didn't quite believe it."
"The young master is going to get married, shouldn't he stay for a year or so?"
"As a result, the soldier who entered the city first yesterday said that the young master was back, so we came to take a look. I didn't expect it to be true!"
Yuan Xi smiled, "What, do you not believe that I'm back, or do you not want me to come back?"
Everyone laughed again: "Of course we want you to!"
Someone shouted: "Is the young master married?"
"Is the bride very beautiful?"
Yuan Xi's face stiffened, "Some changes have occurred, and this marriage did not happen. We'll talk about it next time."
There were regretful voices in the crowd, and someone shouted: "Young master, don't worry, there are plenty of good families with daughters!"
His head was immediately hit by the person next to him, "Why are you bringing up things that shouldn't be brought up!"
Someone shouted: "Why is the young master in such a hurry to come back?"
"Are so many soldiers going to fight again?"
Yuan Xi shouted: "I'll just say one thing. The soldiers I brought this time are going to cultivate land outside Beixin City to protect us from the harassment of the Xiongnu and Black Mountain bandits!"
"In a few days, I will issue decrees so that everyone can understand!"
"I guarantee that I will never let everyone suffer. On the contrary, everyone's life will get better and better!"
The people roared, "We believe in the young master!"
Yuan Xi smiled, "Then let's go back to the city together, so as not to delay eating!"
Guo Jia saw the people of Beixin City laughing and making noise, and crowding around Yuan Xi to go to Beixin City, and thought to himself that Yuan Xi seemed to be very popular.
So many people came out, it didn't look like a deliberate act by the gentry to act and earn a reputation. Generally speaking, a gentry who is seeking fame and reputation can't buy so many people.
Guo Jia was a little curious. It seemed that there was a story in Beixin City that he didn't understand.
But there's no need to offer advice. I'll just bear it and see who can't bear it first!
A few days later, Yuan Xi found Qu Yi and arranged for the deployment of soldiers from the three cities, as well as new soldiers and generals. Now he has given Qu Yi the rank of Commandant, and he can also control the soldiers and horses of one city.
He had just sent Qu Yi away when the door was knocked loudly. Yuan Xi said, "Come in."
Then he saw Guo Jia's stinky face.
Guo Jia said head-on: "I heard that you killed several gentry in Beixin City before?"
Yuan Xi smiled after hearing this, "Fengxiao also heard about it?"
"These people deserved to die for hoarding food. It's fine to kill them."
Guo Jia said with disappointment, "How can you do this?"
"Even if you want to suppress the gentry, you can't be so obvious!"
"As a qualified lord, when the foundation is not stable, you should first buy people's hearts. When you have a certain foundation, you can let them fight internally, weaken and balance each other."
"Finally, when your power is established, you can rest assured to take action. Those who should be arrested should be arrested, and those who should be killed should be killed, so that you will not be backlashed."
"How can you do the last step in the first step?"
Yuan Xi suddenly laughed after hearing this: "Doesn't Fengxiao offering me advice count as offering me advice?"
"Bullshit!" Guo Jia said irritably: "I have learned a little about the situation these past few days and found that Beixin City is surrounded by enemies, but you don't have any allies!"
"The best soldiers attack with strategy. Do you really think you can fight tens of thousands of enemies with a few thousand soldiers?"
Yuan Xi smiled secretly in his heart. Some of the things he did were indeed not very particular, which made Guo Jia mentally unbalanced.
He smiled and said: "At that time, the city was about to be broken, and some people were still hoarding food. If I didn't do this, even I wouldn't be able to survive."
Guo Jia shook his head and said: "Even so, you can't do it yourself."
"This kind of thing should be done by subordinates. You can punish your subordinates afterwards. Aren't subordinates used to do this kind of dirty work?"
Yuan Xi thought of Cao Cao's story of borrowing a head when there was a shortage of food and said: "Since you are a lord, how can your hands be clean?"
"Besides, I'm not a good person."
"What the subordinates do is what I do."
Guo Jia was stunned for a while, muttered something, and turned away.
Yuan Xi didn't take it seriously either. Everyone has their own way of living. In this troubled world, if you want to stay out of it and not get your hands dirty, that's not his style.
If you do it, you do it. As a person from later generations, he doesn't have any moral burden.
Guo Jia was walking in the mansion, but a slight smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Regardless of whether Yuan Xi was pretending or not, the fact that he could say these words showed that he would at least not publicly take his subordinates to take the blame.
Guo Jia had been in Beixin City for the past few days. Although he said that the affairs in the city had nothing to do with him, as officials continued to visit, he roughly understood the situation in Beixin City and understood why Yuan Xi was so popular.
Living and sleeping with the soldiers and people, and taking the lead in defending the city, not just any lord can do it.
What Guo Jia admired even more was that Yuan Xi, who could do this kind of thing, obviously had great ambitions.
If the lord has no ambition, wouldn't it be a waste of talent and a waste of life to be a subordinate advisor?
A group of young ladies came towards him. When they saw Guo Jia, they quickly stood aside to make way.
Guo Jia saw that they were all lowering their heads and giggling at him, and remembered that these were all concubines raised by Yuan Xi in the mansion.
It is said that Yuan Tan took away four of the dozens of concubines, Xun Chen took away four, and now there are more than twenty left in the mansion.
Guo Jia also heard from Sun Li, the guard next to Yuan Xi, that Yuan Xi said that anyone who is willing to treat them well can take them home.
Guo Jia found that Yuan Xi was quite similar to him in this regard!
Looking at the young ladies laughing and Yan Yan, Guo Jia suddenly felt a little commotion in his heart.
He smiled and put on a look of a noble son and said to the young ladies: "Which of you is willing to be my concubine?"
Unexpectedly, the young ladies covered their mouths with their sleeves and giggled. One of the young ladies said: "Mr. Fengxiao, don't blame us. The young master has ordered that others can, but the master can't."
Guo Jia was angry, "Why can't I?"
The young lady smiled and said: "Because the young master said that the master only takes money but doesn't do anything, so he can't do anything."
Guo Jia watched the young ladies leave with laughter and giggles in disbelief, thinking that Yuan Xi was killing people and punishing their hearts!