The burly man walking unsteadily before him, with his broad frame but somewhat thin body, was none other than Qu Yi, the famous general who had shaken the four provinces of You, Ji, Qing, and Bing a few years prior.
Gongsun Zan's White Horse righteous Cong, famed throughout the land, had been invincible and unmatched, yet his five thousand cavalrymen had been defeated by Qu Yi's two thousand sword-and-shield soldiers and crossbowmen.
As for why Qu Yi was suspected by Yuan Shao and ambushed by axe-wielding executioners, opinions varied.
Some said Qu Yi's achievements overshadowed his lord, others said he was arrogant and domineering, and still others said he participated in the Ye City Rebellion of the fourth year of Chuping, nearly causing the deaths of Yuan Shao's family members.
Regardless, Qu Yi, now sitting before Yuan Xi, no longer possessed his former imposing and valiant physique, but resembled a chronically ill patient.
Upon hearing Yuan Xi's words, a strange glint flashed in his eyes, and he slammed the wine pot heavily on the table, his expression turning unfriendly, "Aren't you afraid that one day I won't be able to resist doing something?"
"Do you know how much I want to chop up your old man right now?"
Yuan Xi smiled upon hearing this, "I don't care, as long as you can do it."
Qu Yi slammed the table again, "Although I no longer possess my former prowess, I am not someone to be bullied!"
"I might not be able to beat Yan Liang and Wen Chou now, but that young general outside the city with a smug look on his face, I can't beat him either?"
"You clearly think I'm no match for him!"
"Does he ride a white horse?"
"I've killed enough White Horse righteous Cong!"
Yuan Xi had a headache. He couldn't possibly say, 'If you're not convinced, go try it out, right?'
He feared that given Qu Yi's current state, he would die if he went to try.
Just as he didn't know how to get past this, another person came out from the back hall and said, "Dezhou (Qu Yi's courtesy name), are you arguing with the young master again?"
That person turned to Yuan Xi and said with a wry smile, "This time I have indeed lost the bet to the young master. How could a mere junior officer dare to agree to the young master's bet?"
"I can't quite figure it out."
Yuan Xi quickly stood up and bowed, "Greetings, Mr. Gongren."
Dong Zhao, courtesy name Gongren, was a native of Dingtao, Jiyin.
In his youth, he was recommended as a Filial and Incorrupt official, served with integrity, and later served as a military advisor under Yuan Shao, earning many military achievements. However, his younger brother, Dong Fang, was in Zhang Miao's army, and Yuan Shao, believing slanderous words, wanted to punish Dong Zhao. Dong Zhao used the excuse of going to see the Han Emperor and took the opportunity to leave Yuan Shao.
According to the normal development of history, Dong Zhao was retained by Zhang Yang in Henei halfway, and Zhang Yang sent the seal and ribbon back to the imperial court, and he was granted the official position of Cavalry Commandant.
But now, Dong Zhao's escape was intercepted by Yuan Xi.
Yuan Xi used both deception and force to intercept Dong Zhao on the road and brought him to Beixin City.
Dong Zhao was afraid that his whereabouts would be exposed, and was forced to temporarily become Yuan Xi's staff member.
In the three years since Yuan Xi's transmigration, he believed that the two most proud things he had done were saving Qu Yi and retaining Dong Zhao.
Even the matter of Dong Zhao ranked before Qu Yi!
Because Dong Zhao was the key figure who would assist Cao Cao in the future and welcome Emperor Xian of Han!
Dong Zhao calmly accepted Yuan Xi's bow. He had been forcibly kept here for almost a year, but Yuan Xi had always treated him with courtesy, so even if he had some anger in his heart, he couldn't express it.
Seeing Yuan Xi respectfully serving him tea, he said, "If I help you to make that unknown Zhao Zilong surrender, will you let me leave?"
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Whether this matter succeeds or not, I will let Mr. Gongren leave."
Dong Zhao was stunned, "Is this true?"
"It's true. I swear in my father's name."
Upon hearing this, Qu Yi, who was raising his head to drink, almost spat out a mouthful of wine, "You're selling out your father again?"
"Who doesn't know that you kid is simply a rebellious person."
Qu Yi was right. The two people that Yuan Xi secretly kept were both people that Yuan Shao wanted to kill quickly.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Xi instead sat up straight, bowed his head, and said, "My father is outwardly lenient but inwardly suspicious, good at planning but indecisive, and has let down the two of you. This junior can only apologize on behalf of his father."
Seeing Yuan Xi say this, Dong Zhao and Qu Yi didn't know what to say. Dong Zhao thought that he could finally go to see the Han Emperor, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
He said, "You are willing to let me go, why?"
Yuan Xi got up, closed the door of the room, came back and sat down, and said, "Only because I hope that after Mr. Gongren goes to the Han Emperor's side, if there is a need for someone to help, the first person he thinks of will be me."
This was Yuan Xi's real purpose.
Calculating the time, Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, was about to prepare to return east to Luoyang. He encountered various difficulties and obstacles along the way. The warlords fought endlessly to seize Emperor Xian, and Liu Xie's carriage traveled for nearly two years before reaching its destination.
Liu Xie had also sent letters for help. Lu Bu, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others had all received the letters, but in the end, only Cao Cao arrived and received the greatest benefits.
At that time, Cao Cao was still a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty.
There were many open and secret struggles in this process, but Dong Zhao stood on Cao Cao's side, providing advice and playing a key role in Cao Cao's welcoming of the Emperor.
Yuan Xi's idea was to put Cao Cao's chess piece next to Emperor Xian of Han in advance and turn it into his own.
Even if things didn't work out, he could still get a share of the pie.
This was an excellent opportunity to steal food from Cao Cao's mouth, and Dong Zhao was the most critical figure in it.
But Dong Zhao didn't know that the young man in front of him had read the script in advance. He was already pleasantly surprised to hear these words today, and he readily agreed.
He still asked the question in his heart just now, "Since the young master is interested in that Zhao Zilong, I will do my best to help, but I still don't understand why he would agree to your duel?"
Yuan Xi smiled, "Actually, it's very simple. I once heard rumors about Zhao Zilong that he greatly admired Wei Qing and Huo Qubing. Since this is the case, he should also be very disgusted with the Xiongnu looting and killing my Han people."
Dong Zhao nodded slightly upon hearing this and said, "This also makes sense. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the only way to win every battle. The young master's ability to understand the habits of an unknown junior officer is indeed extraordinary."
Yuan Xi was complacent in his heart.
"Yunbie Zhuan": After Yizhou was settled, there was a discussion at the time to divide and bestow the houses in Chengdu and the mulberry fields and gardens outside the city to the generals. Yun refuted it, saying: Huo Qubing believed that the Xiongnu had not been destroyed and there was no need for a home. The national thieves are not only the Xiongnu, so it is not possible to seek peace.
When Yuan Xi read this, he only felt that Zhao Yun's broad and far-reaching ambitions wanted to burst out through the back of the paper.
Zhao Yun was praised and praised by later generations. In addition to military affairs and loyalty, there were also things that were talked about, such as returning the fields and houses to win the hearts of the people, not accepting Zhao Fan's sister-in-law, and specializing in Wei instead of Wu, which shows that he was an extremely self-disciplined person with extremely high moral requirements.
Who wouldn't want such a character?
Therefore, Yuan Xi was determined to get Zhao Yun, but in terms of the difficulty of subduing him, Zhao Yun might be one of the most troublesome people in the Three Kingdoms.
Not to mention that Zhao Yun was likely to have grudges with the Jizhou gentry under Yuan Shao, so to make him betray his lord, there must be a very legitimate reason.
Fortunately, his current lord, Gongsun Zan, was much easier to deal with than Liu Bei.
Yuan Xi looked at Dong Zhao and Qu Yi in front of him. These two people, one civil and one military, were snatched by him from the tiger's mouth. Although they were now untouchable black households, they were extremely outstanding heroes in this chaotic world of the Three Kingdoms.
Now, Yuan Xi was about to use their power to have a heart-stirring duel with Zhao Yun!
(Postscript: Qu Yi's courtesy name is no longer available, so in order to facilitate the writing, a courtesy name was created based on his birthplace.)