amaotonovel Chapter 391 Surrender or Not? Will the Future Prince of Yan Still Appear?
Chapter 391 Surrender or Not? Will the Future Prince of Yan Still Appear?
Cao Cao was relatively generous in his efforts to persuade other warlords to surrender.
Ma Teng, Liu Cong, and Zhang Lu were all treated as high-ranking officials.
The latter two lived comfortably in Cao Wei, while Ma Teng was killed by his rebellious son.
At present, Cao Cao has also given Gongsun Du the position of one of the Nine Ministers.
The Grand Master of the Palace was arguably the most leisurely of the Nine Ministers.
It was in charge of the carriage system for the emperor and the officials in the capital.
If any items exceed the specifications or are too low in specifications, they need to be handled by the Imperial Stud.
When Gongsun Du heard the words "Grand Master of the Palace" from Man Chong, he was stunned and speechless for a long time.
The two brothers, Gongsun Gong and Gongsun Kang, who were standing to the side, were filled with rage.
To put it nicely, Cao Cao's decree was to send their fathers to Xuchang to live out their remaining years in peace.
To put it bluntly, it means forcing the Gongsun family to hand over Liaodong, but with a more dignified explanation.
Gongsun Kang almost roared:
“Your Excellency, as you probably know, my Gongsun family has been in this land of Liaodong for nearly two hundred years.”
"Having served the country on the border for many years, isn't it a bit too much for Minister Cao to order my father to relinquish his position as Governor of Liaodong with just a single transfer order?"
"Furthermore, I would like to ask Minister Cao, after my father went to Xuchang, is his life safe and secure?"
"Who will succeed my father as the governor of Liaodong?"
Man Chong smiled slightly, took out a map from his pocket, and handed it to the Gongsun family father and sons.
The father and his two sons opened the map with puzzled expressions, only to find that the Liaodong region on the map had been changed to the two huge characters "Liaozhou"!
"This……"
A storm raged in Gongsun Du's heart.
Why was the Gongsun family able to become like local emperors in Liaodong?
The main reason is that Liaodong has a vast territory, but its development level is not high, and it is located in a harsh and cold place.
For the Han dynasty court, it was like a chicken rib.
Instead of spending a lot of effort developing Liaodong, it would be better to hand it over to a strong and powerful local family-run government.
But... this was the thinking of the Han emperors when the Eastern Han Dynasty was not yet in decline.
Several years later, during the reign of Cao Rui in the original history, Gongsun Yuan dared to launch a rebellion in Liaodong and claimed to have "100,000 armored soldiers," which shows that the military strength in Liaodong was not weak.
This is like a piece of land forgotten by the various warlords of the Han Dynasty.
The North, the Central Plains, the South, and even Yizhou all experienced the baptism of wars and plagues of varying scales.
On the contrary, Liaodong, far from war and disease, did not suffer huge population losses.
The only crisis was when Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang fled to Liaodong, where their heads were cut off by Gongsun Kang and sent to Cao Cao.
Through years of accumulated strength, Liaodong, a previously harsh and cold land, has become the fourth kingdom outside of the Three Kingdoms!
Now, a historical choice lies before Su Yu.
To save trouble, should they let the Gongsun family continue to hide in Liaodong and accumulate strength? Or should they eliminate this hidden danger in one fell swoop?
Su Yu resolutely supported Cao Cao in taking over the entire Liaodong region and incorporating parts of the Wuhuan territory into Liaodong, renaming it Liaozhou!
"Minister Cao is far too disrespectful to my father and me!"
Gongsun Kang was furious.
Liaodong hasn't even surrendered yet, and Liaozhou has already been ceded to them?
Man Chong's demeanor suddenly changed; he turned his nose in the air and said disdainfully to Gongsun Du:
"Prefect Gongsun holds a high-ranking position among the Nine Ministers, which is a position of great power and influence."
"If Prefect Gongsun is so unwilling to give my lord face, then he might as well give up his position as one of the Nine Ministers and go to Xuchang to be a city gate captain!"
"How dare you, you scoundrel!?"
Enraged, Gongsun Gong and Gongsun Kang drew their swords and pointed them at Man Chong.
Gongsun Du also responded with a cold gaze.
Unfortunately, Man Chong remained unmoved.
You're kidding! If Gongsun Du dares to lay a finger on him, he'll not only be the city gate captain, but he'll also dig up the ancestral graves of the Gongsun family in Liaodong!
Cao Cao's camp truly possessed that kind of strength!
The saying "a weak nation has no diplomacy, and a strong nation is always right" perfectly describes Man Chong's situation.
After a long silence, Gongsun Du sighed and gestured for his two sons to put down their swords.
"Your Excellency, may I ask who Cao Sikong intends to appoint as the governor of Liaozhou?"
"Besides that, what should be done with my two sons?"
Seeing that Gongsun Du's tone had softened and his sharp aura had disappeared, Man Chong spoke in a kind manner:
"Prefect Gongsun, rest assured."
"The governor of Liaozhou must be a man of both virtue and talent."
"The people of Liaozhou will also be able to live a peaceful and prosperous life."
Gongsun Du frowned slightly.
Clearly, Man Chong is playing word games with him!
After talking for so long, he still wouldn't tell him who would be appointed as the governor of Liaozhou.
However, compared to the governor of Liaozhou, Gongsun Du was more concerned about the resettlement of his two sons.
So he repeated the question to Man Chong.
Man Chong smiled and said:
"Both of you young masters are outstanding individuals."
"I wonder if Prefect Gongsun has ever heard of the Ministry of Personnel?"
“Young Master Gong is well-suited to assist Lord Xun in handling government affairs at the Ministry of Personnel.”
“Young Master Kang is suitable to be in charge of security at the Minister’s residence.”
"Prefect Gongsun, don't underestimate the Ministry of Personnel."
"In my Cao camp, seniority and achievements are the most important factors for promotion."
"Any outstanding person who has worked in the Ministry of Personnel will at least enjoy the treatment of a high-ranking official when they get old!"
"You bastard!"
Gongsun Du listened, completely stunned.
Man Chong quietly added a sentence in her heart:
"The prerequisite is that they must have the opportunity to live to old age."
Gongsun Du pondered Man Chong's words for a moment.
At first glance, it seems that Cao Cao treated his two sons quite well.
They could all become high-ranking officials in the future!
What else could this be but valuing someone highly?!
But... Gongsun Du still harbored illusions.
The Gongsun family has been developing in Liaodong for nearly two hundred years and is deeply rooted in the region. They really don't want to hand over nearly two hundred years of accumulated wealth all at once.
"Your Excellency, may I, my father, and my sons discuss this matter?"
Man Chong cupped his hands and said:
"As it should be."
Afterwards, Gongsun Du's personal guards led Man Chong to his residence.
Gongsun Du and his two sons then engaged in a heated discussion.
Gongsun Du can be considered a neutral party.
Gongsun Kang was more radical, believing that the Gongsun family could not simply give up the efforts of generations!
Gongsun Gong, on the other hand, was inclined to surrender.
The reason is simple: Gongsun Kang had already been designated as Gongsun Du's successor.
If he surrendered to Cao Cao, he would lose his future status as the local emperor of Liaodong!
Gongsun Gong had already relinquished his right to inherit Liaodong and was more like a civil official.
Surrender to Cao Cao, and you'll have a chance to become one of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers in the future. Thinking about it carefully, it's actually not a bad idea.
"Brother! You were just standing by me, sharing the same hatred for the enemy. How come you're thinking of surrendering now?"
Gongsun Kang glared at Gongsun Gong, furious at his lack of ambition.
Gongsun Gong shook his head, ignoring his younger brother Gongsun Kang's words, and instead said to his father Gongsun Du:
“Father, Cao Cao’s power is far greater than that of Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shao in the past.”
"Currently, this person has already unified the north."
"If they are determined to bring my Liaodong into their territory, they have plenty of time to waste on Youzhou and my Liaodong."
"To make an enemy of them is truly unwise!"
Gongsun Du nodded.
He heard his old friend Xu Rong recount some of Dong Zhuo's past deeds in a letter.
Even the powerful Dong Zhuo is no match for Cao Cao now.
Is there really any chance of victory for this small corner of Liaodong?
.........