Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 537 Yuan Shao Takes the Bait
Yuan Tan sneered and said, "Xu Huang is a man of great courage and strategy. He wants to occupy Taihang Mountain alone and even seize Yanmen. This shows that he is obsessed with money and has great ambitions."

"Well, my son is right. Go on."

Yuan Tan had just made a great contribution, and Yuan Shao was very happy. He liked his eldest son very much and thought everything Yuan Tan said was very reasonable.

Yuan Tan was also in high spirits. In this hall, in front of many advisers, he began to talk freely.

"As you have just said, the Baibo Army is extremely powerful, unlike ordinary bandits. I am afraid that they are not much inferior to our Jizhou troops. This man has such strength and ambition. Isn't it tantamount to seeking the skin of a tiger to cooperate with him? Yanmen has nearly 400,000 people, rich in money and food, and has a strong Yin County horse farm. The main roads between Ji and Bing all pass through the Taihang Mountains. These two places are occupied by him. He recruited soldiers in Yanmen and then plotted to take over the entire Bingzhou. He ordered his generals to guard the various passages in the Taihang Mountains. Our army cannot rescue us even if we want to. It is really impossible to get there."

After he finished speaking, he found that Yuan Shao was already covered in cold sweat.

"Oh my, if my son hadn't reminded me, I would have almost fallen for Xu Huang's trick."

Then, he looked at Yuan Tan with great satisfaction and said: "My son has such insight. He will help me to share more worries in the future."

Yuan Tan was extremely happy, while Guo Tu breathed a sigh of relief. He quietly turned his head and secretly gave a thumbs up to Xin Ping who was standing in a corner outside the hall. Xin Ping also had a proud look on his face, put his hands behind his back, turned around and walked away.

This scene was seen by Feng Ji.

"Humph, I never thought the eldest son would have such a strategy, it turns out that Xin Ping taught him this on the spur of the moment. But this is troublesome, the eldest son's words made the lord so happy, I'm afraid he will be so arrogant this time, and the third son will be left behind. It's a pity that Shen Pei is not here, otherwise he could have helped me."

Just then, another voice was heard from outside the door.

"My lord, the third young master is asking for an audience outside the palace."

Yuan Shao was holding Yuan Tan's hand and saying some compliments to him. When he heard this, he was a little surprised.

"Oh? Xianfu is here too? Come on, let him in and listen to his opinion on this matter."

Now Yuan Tan and others became anxious.

Yuan Shang walked into the hall. He looked like a young boy, two or three inches shorter than Yuan Tan, and his face looked a little more childish. However, his appearance was more handsome, and the arrogance in his eyes was even stronger than that of Yuan Tan.

"My son greets his father and his elder brother."

Yuan Shao narrowed his eyes happily: "Why is my son here?"

Yuan Shang said respectfully, "I heard that father and the other gentlemen have been arguing for a long time over a letter from Xu Huang. Now that the sun is scorching, I think father must be thirsty, so I prepared some iced sour plum soup to cool you down."

After saying this, he waved his hand outside the hall, and a group of maids filed in, each holding a jade bowl in their hands.

"My son really understands the principles of filial piety and brotherhood. I am very pleased that you are so thoughtful. Come, since Xianfu has such good intentions, please enjoy it."

Feng Ji said quickly: "Thank you for the soup, Third Young Master. Third Young Master is smart and filial. How could Liu He have such an outstanding son? Only a top talent like you can have such a bloodline."

Yuan Shao laughed and clapped his hands in joy after hearing these words. Guo Tu and others could hear the hidden meaning behind his words, but they could not refute him, which would have dampened Yuan Shao's mood.

Yuan Shao picked up the sour plum soup, drank it all in one gulp, and immediately felt refreshed all over.

"Xianfu, come here and sit next to your father."

Yuan Shang said respectfully, "I dare not. I am still studying and have not held any position in Jizhou Prefecture or the army. How dare I attend my father's meeting?"

"Well, why not? Your father is worried about this matter, so why not say a few words as well, just as a test of what you have learned today."

Yuan Shang bowed and said, "If that is the case, I have overstepped my authority."

He looked around at everyone and saw Yuan Tan's expression of anger but not words, as if he wanted to eat him alive. He just smiled. "I think what you gentlemen and my elder brother said is reasonable. However, I dare to say that many of your comments only see one side of the story and fail to see the whole picture."

As soon as he said this, everyone was shocked.

"Third brother, how dare you! You gentlemen are all great talents of the time and your father's right-hand men. How can you be so rude and not apologize?"

Yuan Tan rebuked him bluntly.

Feng Ji smiled and said, "It's okay, I believe that the Third Young Master has no intention of insulting us."

Yuan Shao also said: "Your words are indeed a bit presumptuous. Let me first listen to what you have to say. If what you say is not true, then I will deal with it together."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tan felt secretly delighted.

"Third brother, third brother, you are so eager to be in the limelight. Shen Pei is not here, and Feng Ji is in the hall all the time. No one will teach you. I want to see what you can say. If you anger father, you will suffer the consequences."

Yuan Shang said calmly, "Xu Huang is indeed quite capable. Once he is under our command, he will surely become a sharp weapon against Liu He. And what my eldest brother said is also true. This man is very ambitious. If we don't use him well and let him backfire, there will naturally be a big mess."

Yuan Shao nodded slightly: "Well, this is exactly where I am conflicted and hesitant."

"In fact, father, there is no need to worry. This matter is very easy to solve."

Yuan Shao was very surprised when he heard this: "Oh? What's my son's brilliant plan?"

Yuan Shang held up three fingers. "First, my father controls Jizhou, and now Qingzhou is just around the corner. Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan in Youzhou have been fighting each other for a long time, and sooner or later both will suffer losses. When the time comes, it will not be difficult for me to march north to occupy Youzhou. With Xu Huang's help, we can capture Bingzhou. Then, of the thirteen states in the world, my father will occupy four. Then, we can march south and attack the Sili area. It will be easy. A mere Yanmen County is just a drop in the bucket. It is not a big deal. Moreover, my father was very powerful at that time. Even if he wanted to seize the whole world, it would not be an empty talk. What dare Xu Huang do anything?"

"Well said!" Yuan Shao was overjoyed and became happier the more he listened.

Yuan Shang continued, "Secondly, this matter was raised by Xu Huang. Father can send someone to Taihang Mountain to discuss it. Yanmen County can be given to him. However, the two sides of Huguan Mountain Road and the two mountain roads leading to Taiyuan County must be stationed by our Jizhou troops. Once we occupy several strategic locations and connect Ji and Bing, the things that elder brother is worried about will no longer exist."

"Third, after father recruits the Baibo Army, he can order them to attack Yanmen County first. After they capture it, they can station there on their own. Then our army will advance from Taihang Mountain and order them to march south from Yanmen. The two armies will attack Taiyuan County. This will test Xu Huang's actual combat power and make him forge a great grudge with Liu He, thus eliminating his chance to be a fence-sitter in the future. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone."

"Great plan, great plan. The Third Young Master's words have made me think more than reading ten years of books. I congratulate my lord. Congratulations to my lord!"

Feng Ji knelt down on the spot and kowtowed repeatedly to Yuan Shao.

Yuan Tan, Guo Tu and others looked very ugly.

"I still think it's inappropriate. Xu Huang is so powerful, why doesn't he surrender to Liu He? When our army joined forces with the Black Mountain Army to capture Taiyuan, it was this man who cooperated with Liu He, causing the lord's plan to fail. Now there is no guarantee that it is not a false surrender."

Guo Tu's words made Yuan Shao, who was originally very happy, look frozen again.

"Sir, what you said makes sense, but it also makes no sense," Yuan Shang said.

Guo Tu looked at him puzzledly: "How is it unreasonable?"

"I just read Xu Huang's letter. He has clearly stated that Liu He and he have a grudge of killing his brother and slaying his master. The reason why they joined forces to deal with Zhang Yan was just to prevent Zhang Yan from becoming a threat to them. As the saying goes, if the skin is gone, the hair will not stay. Xu Huang's move shows his strategic vision. Liu He is now so powerful that it is not an exaggeration to call him the number one prince in the world. Even if Xu Huang goes to join him, he may not be valued, let alone dominate Yanmen County. Xu Huang said it well. Liu He is stubborn and talented, but he is not his master. Although he is a bandit, he has such insights. If he can be used by my father, wouldn't it be like adding wings to a tiger? Why did I refuse him when he took the initiative to join me?"

"This..." Guo Tu was speechless after hearing what Yuan Shang said.

"Hahahaha, good. I, Yuan Shao, have a son like this. He will definitely be better than Liu He. Pass the order down. Do as Xianfu said. Also, hold a banquet in the mansion tonight. I want to celebrate my son's success in advance!"

Yuan Shao was extremely happy, and everyone had their own emotions. No one failed to notice that Yuan Shang pinched the cuff of his sleeve, revealing another roll of silk that seemed to be made of the same material as the letter.

(End of this chapter)