Shi Sun Rui felt a stern and coughed softly. Huangfu Jianshou also realized that the court did not dare to go to war with Sun Ce at all. If someone really died, the court would not only not avenge them, but would hold them accountable.

They could see clearly along the way. As for the current situation, if the court could integrate the states, they might have the opportunity to fight with Sun Ce, but Liangzhou was not decided, Jizhou had not yet formed an alliance, and Bingzhou was also on the wall. The court could not defeat Sun Ce by Jizhou and Youzhou alone, and the court could not make this decision. As for a few years, there would be even more hope.

A sadness surged in Shi Sun Rui's heart. The court had already swept his dignity, and Sun Ce did not take the court seriously at all. This was simply a humiliation. He took a long sword from Huangfu Jianshou, stood with his sword across, brushed his fingers across the blade, and laughed silently. "I haven't killed anyone for many years, and I don't know how many times I can get the general. I overestimate myself. Please don't laugh." As he said that, he lifted up his clothes, tucked it between his belt, took half a step forward with his left leg, held the knife in both hands, and raised it high above his head. "Sun Rui, the Fufeng scholar, dare to ask the general for advice."

Sun Ce sneered: "That's true. You have great power. Killing is just a matter of just one sentence, so why do you need to do it yourself?"

Shi Sun Rui frowned. "Why did the general say this? I have no grudges and no grudges with you, Sun..."

"You have no grudges with my Sun family, but what about you with Yuan family? Others don't know, I know very well. You are Wang Yun's right-hand man, killing the Yuan family, and you have no blood on your hands. Don't you feel a little guilty?"

Shi Sun Rui's eyes twitched twice, took a deep breath, and slowly lowered his long sword. "The general is right. Rui has no regrets in his life, and the only thing he is uneasy is this. I have no choice but to die, but the others have nothing to do with this matter. I hope the general will be open to it."

Sun Ce smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll leave you for this matter and will not affect your official duties. What do you want to report to the court? You can write a detailed report. I'll send someone to Chang'an for 600 miles, faster than you." He paused and smiled and said, "Do you think I'm afraid of the court know?"

"It's really rare for the general to be honest." Shi Sun Rui returned the long sword to Huangfu Jianshou and turned around and walked forward. Huangfu Jianshou followed closely. Sun Ce sneered, looked back at Yang Biao, and bowed. "Mr. Yang, I have no intention of being harsh. But this Shi Sun Rui is one of the parties involved, and I have to ask him for justice. Please don't be too careful."

When Sun Ce mentioned the whole family of Yuan, Yang Biao's face disappeared. When Yuan was killed, he was also in Chang'an, but he was helpless and could only watch Yuan's blood flowing through the long street. At this time, Sun Ce used this matter to scold Shi Sun Rui, and he felt very uncomfortable. At this time, he heard that Shi Sun Rui was the person involved, and he was a little surprised. "He..."

"Let's talk to Mr. Yang in detail later."

Sun Ce knew that this was planned by Yuan Shao, Wang Yun and others, and Yang Biao was not clear about the inside story. Shi Sun Rui was a very low-key person. He and Wang Yun planned to kill Dong Zhuo together. However, when he was rewarded on merit, Wang Yun took all the credit on himself. Shi Sun Rui was like nothing, and many people didn't know that this matter was related to him. As for following Yuan Shao's intention, killing the Yuan family with Dong Zhuo's life was even more secret, and there were only a few people who knew the inside story. Even Li Ru could only guess that there was no definite evidence in his hand that proved that Shi Sun Rui was directly related to this, otherwise it would have been made public long ago. Sun Ce could only speculate based on his feelings and could not make a conclusion. Fortunately, Shi Sun Rui admitted it, which saved a lot of trouble.

Yang Biao and Sun Ce have been together for so long, and they know that Sun Ce is a person with a proper sense and have nothing to say.

Sun Ce took Sun Rui and others to the camp and took care of him. He restricted Shi Sun Rui's freedom but did not humiliate him. Strictly speaking, Shi Sun Rui was at most destined to be unsuccessful and did not have much direct responsibility. He was neither an advocate nor an executor, but he did not do his best when he was able to save people. Sun Ce kept him and asked for justice for Yuan's family was just an excuse. The real reason was that Shi Sun Rui knew about the army. He was one of the few important officials in the court who could control the army besides Huangfu Song. In terms of military ability, he was slightly better than Huang Wan.

Since such a person is sent to him, he naturally cannot be allowed to return to the court.

After being under house arrest, the negotiations continued. Sun Ce summoned Zhang Hong and asked him to take charge of the matter. Shi Sun Rui knew that his situation was not good and the court had no capital to bargain. After asking Sun Ce's request, he wrote a detailed report and sent it to Chang'an by Sun Ce.

When sending out Shi Sun Rui's report, Sun Ce wrote a letter to Jiang Gan.

The emperor received Yang Biao's report and Shi Sun Rui's report almost at the same time. When he learned that Yang Biao had lost confidence, he sold him 300 million yuan. Shi Sun Rui was discovered by Sun Ce and placed in house arrest in Taihu Lake. The emperor was anxious and immediately sent someone to summon Xun Yu and Liu Ye to discuss matters, and sent someone to summon Situ's clerk Liu Ba to attend the meeting. During the time when Shi Sun Rui was out, Liu Ba was fully presided over the Situ Mansion. He was already the nameless Situ. Together with Xun Yu and Liu Ye in the palace, he became the three young ministers whom the emperor relied on.

Faced with the two reports issued successively but received at the same time, Xun Yu and the other three were silent. It was not surprising that Sun Ce had the intention to be disobedient, but it was a big deal that Yang Biao and Shi Sun Rui had lost confidence in both Situs. If Yang Biao had clearly expressed his support for Sun Ce due to his identity issues, it would be difficult for him to gain the trust of the court again. He had to do so. The pessimism reflected in Shi Sun Rui's report made them even more shocked.

Time is endless, and there is not much time left for them.

But the choice is still difficult. Should we start a war with Sun Ce immediately or slow down? We declare war immediately. Sun Ce will not only refuse to pay taxes from the five states, but even Yang Biao's 300 million yuan may refuse to pay. If we slow down, we must make concessions to Sun Ce and make a judgment on the outcome of the Battle of Guandu, especially when we have to make a decision on Yuan Shao, otherwise Sun Ce will not give money. In this way, Yuan Tan's support may be disappointed.

Several people discussed and disagree, but their opinions were divided.

Xun Yu believed that it should be slowed down, and at least Yang Biao's 300 million yuan must be received first. These 300 million yuan can not only be exchanged for food, but also for weapons. The emperor commanded the army in person, and safety is crucial. If there is no well-equipped guard, how can we fight? Food can be found elsewhere, but weapons must be made in Nanyang. Ma Teng and Han Sui all had about a thousand cavalry equipped with Nanyang weapons. The emperor did not. How could the people of Xiliang believe that the court still had dignity?

Liu Ye thought he could not wait any longer. Sun Ce's unofficial intention was already obvious. He grabbed Yuan Shao and refused to let go of it. He was just an excuse to force the court and Yuan Tan to turn against each other. Instead of doing so, it would be better to use pardon Yuan Shao as bait and let Yuan Tan raise an army to attack Sun Ce and disrupt Sun Ce's steps. As long as the war continued, Sun Ce's plan to recuperate would fail, and at least it would be seriously affected. If Cao Cao was allowed to maintain pressure from Yizhou, force Zhou Yu to remain alert, and even frictions would occur from time to time, Sun Ce was attacked on both sides and would be difficult to last.

Xun Yu asked back, "Zi Yang, what if Yuan Tan refused to send troops to attack Sun Ce?"

"Then Zhang Ze raised an army to condemn Yuan Tan, and occupied Jizhou." Liu Ye did not show any weakness. "Yuan Tan was defeated by Sun Ce, and his prestige was not as good as Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao was newly destroyed, and the people of Jizhou were in panic. Yuan Tan was difficult to control Jizhou. Zhang Ze had Liu He and Liu Bei's support, and he used Gongsun Ce to fight to defeat Jizhou. With Jizhou in hand, Zhang Ze did not have to worry about food and fodder and could reach the Yellow River. Once he had the opportunity, the court sent Huangfu Taiwei out of Luoyang and could restore the old capital and regain the hearts of the world."

Xun Yu shook his head repeatedly. "Does Ziyang think Sun Ce will sit down and watch Yuan Tan lose the battle? Although Yuan Shao died at Sun Ce's hands, Yuan Tan had a close relationship with Sun Ce. Sun Ce was clear of the general situation and he would not sit down and watch Yuan Tan lose the battle, and Zhang took Jizhou all. Moreover, Gongsun Zan was unruly, which was ultimately a hidden danger. It was not easy for Zhang to take Jizhou. Once the stalemate was not over, Sun Ce would reap the profits, what would he do?"

Liu Ye was a little anxious and asked back, "According to the Lord's opinion, can you only retreat to Yizhou and guard yourself? Your Majesty's patrol to Chang'an is still a story to restore the previous dynasty. How to explain it when retreating to Yizhou? Emperor Gaozu of Han was the King of Han that day, and the soldiers of Guandong fled. How can you know that once Your Majesty leaves Chang'an, all the hearts of the world will be Sun Ce? Your Majesty, I am afraid that once Your Majesty enters Sanguan, the only one who still listens to the imperial orders is probably Yizhou."

Xun Yu sighed. "Ziyang, why did I say I want to retreat to Yizhou? Even if I retreat to Yizhou, Guanzhong will not open its doors. How could Sun Ce go straight in? I just..."

Seeing that Liu Ye was a little disobedient, the emperor quickly interrupted them. "Zichu, where is your opinion?"

Liu Ba bowed slightly. "Your Majesty, I think the two lords have little difference, and they are all fighting. Sun Ce is already a big trouble in the court, so it must be eliminated. The only difference is to start a war immediately or wait until the court pacified Liangzhou before going to war. As for Yuan Tan, as Secretary Ling said, he had limited control over Jizhou and was afraid that he would not be able to attack Sun Ce. He might not be able to defend Zhang Ze, so he didn't have to pay too much attention."

The emperor nodded and signaled Liu Ba to continue.

"I think that three-pronged approach can be taken. Then I send someone to negotiate with Sun Ce, discuss specific positions, and strive to reach an agreement. Even if it cannot be reached, I have to delay the time. I will first exchange Yang Biao's 300 million yuan for food and transport the weapons into Guanzhong. This is one of them; I send someone to negotiate with Yuan Tan, force him to submit, and first import a part of the food to Guanzhong, otherwise I will announce Yuan Shao's crimes and make Zhang Ze lead Youzhou troops to attack Jizhou. This is the second; I will enfeoff the daughter of the royal family.

, married the great heroes of Liangzhou and the leader of the Qiang tribe to stabilize Liangzhou, and allowed the strong to move to Guanzhong to make up for the insufficient population in Guanzhong. If they can decide Liangzhou without fighting, then the best is good. If they cannot, your Majesty will personally fight and eliminate the remnants. These are the third ones." Liu Ba thought for a while. "I roughly estimate that the difference will be seen within three months. After half a year, the army will be dispatched next autumn. The victory and defeat will be determined in one autumn and winter, and the will of heaven will be determined."

The emperor weighed the pros and cons, and said to Xun Yu and Liu Ye: "What do you think, please?"

Liu Ye bowed and accepted the order. "I will discuss it."

Xun Yu was silent for a long time and bowed slightly. "I commented on it."
Chapter completed!