Goose Three Kingdoms

Chapter 525 Difficult Choices
Under the cover of night, the Youzhou army camped in the West Mountain.

The vast majority of lower-level officials and peripheral powerful people were still unaware of the situation, but a gloomy atmosphere permeated the entire camp.

Perhaps this was Tian Yu's personal illusion. When he returned from patrolling the camp, he saw Wang Ling holding a scroll and sighing.

Wang Ling came back to his senses, rolled up the scroll, and said to Tian Yu: "Our army was defeated in the battle of Liangxiang, and the general also suffered heavy losses. Now the general proposes that he command the soldiers of Youzhou and Jizhou, which may be the best way to deal with it at present. I also know what Guo Rang is worried about, but now that the relationship has been broken, if we let the black thief return, when he comes again, my Taiyuan clothes and hats will be a lesson for Youzhou, so we must pay attention to it."

Tian Yu just took off his helmet and put it on the edge of the table. He turned around to look at Wang Ling. It was too dark inside the tent to see Wang Ling's expression clearly. "Then we betrayed Lord Xuande, broke with the Grand Marshal, and lost so many men in vain. In the end, we have to rely on the Yuan family. What will we have left in the end?"

Tian Yu questioned, took off his sword, sat down by the fire, drew his sword and began to wipe the blade.

The dew was heavy at night, and after patrolling the camp, his armor felt even heavier, but his sword was more valuable.

Tian Yu's questioning left Wang Ling speechless for a long time.

As opinion leaders at the state and county level, they naturally knew that if they wanted to fight against Guanzhong, they could only burn their boats like Cao Cao did.

Only by carrying out similar "reforms", redistributing productivity, and implementing war mobilization at the grassroots level, can we use our strong national strength to confront Guanzhong.

A battle involving more than 10,000 people is overly dependent on the command of the main general, and a peerless warrior like Taishi Wengong has gathered and recruited a group of similar warriors around him. This team of warriors is best at killing generals and capturing flags.

So today's defeat is not a big surprise.

In order to offset this beheading of the main general, it is necessary to train new troops.

No matter how brave Taishi Wengong was, the most he could do was to break into a battle formation of tens of thousands of people; but once a full mobilization was carried out and hundreds of thousands of troops were engaged in a decisive battle, Taishi Wengong and his cavalry squad would be like a drop of ink in the waves and would soon be diluted.

The people of Youzhou were very resistant to this kind of "reform". Whether it was others against Guanzhong or they against Guanzhong, they did not want to carry out similar reforms.

Not only did they resist this reform, but they also resisted the Guanzhong laws after they were integrated into Guanzhong.

In the final analysis, the reforms of various parties were to emulate the production, distribution, and mobilization systems of Guanzhong, and the reforms were to emulate the laws of Guanzhong.

Therefore, the content of the meeting between Black Bear and Liu Bei this time is very likely to involve some institutional reforms in the Youzhou region.

Not wanting to be attacked passively, the people of Youzhou chose to take the initiative.

It's that simple, they just want to maintain their past way of life, but the black bear won't let them. As long as the parties that are against the black bear intervene in Youzhou, they will definitely carry out reforms and cleanse Youzhou, turning it from a powerful Youzhou into a new Youzhou.

Instead of that, it would be better to have a fight.

If they dare to draw their swords against the Grand Marshal, one more general won’t make a difference.

Tian Yu didn't say it explicitly, but his attitude was very clear.

Upon seeing this, Wang Ling also realized that it was useless to lobby Tian Yu alone, as Tian Yu was just a representative of the common interests of the Youzhou powerful.

Everyone opposed the Guanzhong system of the Grand Marshal, and also opposed a similar system of the General.

If Tian Yu agrees, but the majority of powerful people disagree, then Tian Yu's status will at best plummet, or at worst he will lose his life.

As a leader nominated by Youzhou's powerful men, Tian Yu knew very well the source of his power.

It was also night, inside Zhuo County.

Yuan Shang stayed overnight on the city wall. The north wind was blowing. He wore a cloak and stood on the city wall, looking at the campfires outside the city.

Hearing a series of sporadic footsteps, different from the orderly footsteps of patrolling officials, Yuan Shang turned his head and saw Li Fu appearing at the corner, bowing and extending his arms to invite him: "Please." As Yuan Shang's gaze was fixed, Lu Yu's figure appeared.

A dozen steps away, Lu Yu approached and bowed, "General, how are you?"

"It's been a while since we last met, but you've become more polite."

Yuan Shang turned around and leaned his right elbow on the guardrail: "I heard that when the Grand Marshal was conquering Guanzhong, he did not dare to stay overnight in the newly conquered city, but stayed overnight in the city tower so that he could dispatch the soldiers."

"Is there such a thing?"

Lu Yu asked, and seeing Yuan Shang's confident expression under the torchlight, Lu Yu smiled and said, "This shows that he is under attack from both inside and outside, and he dare not be careless for a moment. Just like the battle in Youzhou, it seems sudden, but it is actually a continuation of the battle in Jingzhou."

"The little military advisor continued."

"Haha, I am an idler in the mountains and countryside, and I am not worthy of being called a military advisor."

Lu Yu pointed to the scarf on his head and said, "The night wind is quite strong. Let's go inside and discuss this."

"Alright."

Yuan Shang agreed, turned around and said to Li Fu, "Serve the wine and food."

"Yes."

Li Fu turned and left. Yuan Shang followed Lu Yu a few steps behind and entered the city wall. The fire inside the city wall was brighter and warmer.

When Lu Zhi was serving as a military advisor to Yuan Shao, Yuan Shang had already met Lu Yu, and the two could be considered childhood friends.

After Lu Zhi's death, Lu Yu's two elder brothers also died in the Youzhou turmoil. Lu Yu then left Yecheng and returned to his hometown to mourn for Lu Zhi, manage the family business, and support his mother, sister-in-law, and nephew.

After the two of them settled down, Lu Yu said, "The Grand Marshal has a master beside him. If he only takes charge of the war in Jingzhou, he will inevitably be caught up in it. Once there is a change in the north, the Xianbei and Xiongnu will surely form an alliance because of his abuse of the Hu people."

Yuan Shang nodded slowly, "I have also concluded that Lu Boyan is not a short-sighted person and will not fight to the death with the Grand Marshal. If the northern troops arrive, he will retreat and harass them from time to time, making the northern troops tired of dealing with them. If Liu Xuande is unwilling to move at this time, I will also move. Looking at the behavior of the heroes of Youzhou today, if I lead a large army to attack Guanzhong in the future, and Liu Xuande refuses to follow, Youzhou will also follow me to march west. As for the Xiongnu, Xianbei and the like, I have never counted on them."

After reaching this consensus, Lu Yu asked: "The general is going all out to besiege Ji County. Is it possible to surround and kill the Grand Marshal?"

Thinking of the troubles that Taishi Wengong had caused him during this period, as well as the deaths of the Lu brothers, Yuan Shang replied: "I have two concerns. One is that the Grand Marshal escapes back to Guanzhong, and the other is that Taishi Wengong escapes back to Guanzhong. The Grand Marshal is weak, and with the combined strength of Youzhou and Jizhou, it will be difficult for him to break the siege, and he will surely die in battle. But if Taishi Wengong breaks the siege, no one in the world will be able to resist him. His return to Guanzhong will also be a big threat to us, perhaps even more than the Grand Marshal."

Yuan Shang thought for a moment and said, "The Grand Marshal is far-sighted and tolerant. But the Grand Historian Wengong is just a warrior who relies on brute force. Once he gains power, he will cause great harm."

Then Yuan Shang asked, "I am also wondering whether we should march the entire army to Ji County tomorrow."

Lu Yu said: "Looking at his troops, the Youzhou troops may be difficult to resist. He can break through the siege and return to Dai through Juyongkou. If he joins forces with Liu Xuande, the Youzhou troops may disintegrate and reorganize. In this way, the general will be passive."

Yuan Shang stared at Lu Yu in amazement. "Think carefully. If we lose this battle, I will be seriously injured. Not only will I be unable to check Cao Cao, but I will also find it difficult to check the Wuhuan in the three counties. If there are changes in the world in the future, I can only sit back and watch, unable to intervene."

This is the price Yuan Shang paid, and Lu Yu will also pay the price.

Lu Yu forced a smile and said, "The Grand Marshal has been in Youzhou for almost ten days. I have been lobbying the villagers in Zhuo County on his behalf, and the counties have not rebelled. I never thought that he did not send anyone to greet them, and the villagers are surprised. How can I persuade them to obey the Grand Marshal?"

Yuan Shang didn't believe this reason and just looked at Lu Yu: "Are there any other reasons?"

"My family has lived in Youzhou for generations, and we have shared honor and disgrace. How can I be spared?"

(End of this chapter)