Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 567 Yuan Shang Enters the Mountain
Yuan Shang prepared the supplies, including more than a thousand carts. It had been sunny for several days and the snow had melted away. He and Wang Yan decided to set off that day to escort the supplies to the mountain.

"The two generals and I hit it off right away. Although it's only been a month since I last went up the mountain, I still miss you very much. Now that I can see you again, I'm really happy."

Yuan Shang had long regarded Xu Huang and Qian Zhao as his own people. He had tried his best to protect the Baibo Army in front of his father, and after that, the two of them repeatedly brought him honor. This time, they even destroyed the other two major strongholds. This made Yuan Shang regard the two of them as more important than anyone else.

"My general said that the Third Young Master is a handsome and elegant man. You are the best choice to be the lord of Jizhou in the future. If it were someone else, my Baibo Army would be the first to disobey."

Wang Yan's words really touched Yuan Shang's heart.

"Haha, well said. It's worth my efforts in cultivating you."

He was laughing without restraint at this moment, completely different from the humble and kind appearance he had in front of Yuan Shao.

The two men had just left the city gate when suddenly a voice called out to Yuan Shang.

"Third Master, where are you going?"

Yuan Shang turned his head and looked, then laughed: "It turned out to be Zhengnan. You were in Hejian, helping my father with his worries. Why did you come back to visit today?"

After that, he said to Wang Yan: "This is Shen Pei, Shen Zhengnan. He and Feng Ji are both my trusted ministers in Jizhou."

Afterwards, Wang Yan was introduced to Shen Pei.

Shen Pei rode over quickly and said, "A few months ago, my lord was defeated in Shangdang, so he ordered me to recruit new soldiers in Hejian. Now I have recruited 20,000 men and thousands of carts of food and grass. I came to inform my lord that I will send people to Yecheng after the spring."

"Oh? Zhengnan is indeed capable." Yuan Shang praised.

Shen Pei looked at the large convoy behind him and said, "It's freezing cold, where are you going, Third Young Master?"

"Oh, I made an agreement with Xu Huang of the Baibo Army a few days ago. If he can unify Taihang Mountain by himself, he will be my Jizhou ally. Jizhou will provide food, fodder and weapons for attacking Liu He next year. He has sent the heads of Zhang Niujiao and Zhang Yan a few days ago. My father is very happy and has ordered me to take full charge of this matter. So I will take advantage of the sunny days to go to the mountain."

"Oh? Does the lord really entrust such an important task to you?" Shen Pei was a little surprised.

Yuan Shang held his head high and said, "Of course. My father has praised me many times for the Baibo Army. Now, not only has he entrusted me with the task of forming an alliance with them, he has also allowed me to participate in the attack on Bingzhou next year. The Baibo Army can truly be regarded as my benefactors."

Shen Pei was also very pleased when he heard this: "The Lord has always loved you, but he regretted that you had never had the coming-of-age ceremony and could not participate in military affairs. Now you have a keen eye for talent and can seize this opportunity. It seems that when I am not around you, you have been diligent in learning. In this way, there is hope for Jizhou."

Hearing this, Yuan Shang became even more proud: "General Xu said that next year as long as he and I each lead our own troops, it will be no problem to take over Bingzhou. By then, it will take you two years to conquer Qing and You, but I can conquer Bingzhou in one fell swoop. I can't wait to see how unhappy your faces will be."

Shen Pei's expression suddenly froze: "Xu Huang said? Why, didn't you plan this yourself?"

Yuan Shang said indifferently: "Hey, what's the difference? To be honest, the reason why I took the opportunity of delivering iced sour plum soup to participate in the discussion and persuaded my father to cooperate with the Baibo Army was because of this clever plan and even the words I said..."

"Ahem... Third Young Master, it's getting late. This is a long story and I'm afraid it will take up too much time. Why don't we set off as soon as possible and have a good chat with Mr. Shen Pei when we come back?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shang looked up at the sun and slapped his head. “Oh, it’s been a long time since I last saw you, Zhengnan. I almost forgot about the important things we were talking about. You should stay in the city for a few more days. I will tell you more when I come back. Haha.”

"Hey, young master..." Shen Pei wanted to call Yuan Shang, but Wang Yan urged him again, and Yuan Shang ignored him, waved his whip, and continued on his way.

Shen Pei looked very worried. The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

"The Third Young Master usually doesn't have his own opinions, let alone his knowledge and strategies. He suddenly said something like that that day, shocking everyone. Now that I think about it, something is wrong. When he was about to tell me the details, why did Wang Yan stop him in a hurry? Is there something he cannot tell others?"

He pondered for a while, and suddenly his expression was shocked: "Xu Huang and Qian Zhao now have a hundred thousand strong troops in Taihang Mountain. How can they be satisfied with just a piece of Yanmen? The letter between him and the lord was fake. In fact, he secretly sent a letter to the third young master to support him as the lord of Jizhou in exchange for his good words in front of the lord. It is possible that even the third young master's lofty speech that day was taught by his letter. Yes, it must be so!"

The more he thought about it, the more panicked he became. "It seems that the Baibo Army has become the Third Young Master's ally, but in fact, they have made the Third Young Master their internal supporter in Jizhou, allowing them to take whatever they want from Jizhou. Next year, the Third Young Master will represent Jizhou and attack Bingzhou together with them. If they succeed, and he suddenly attacks, the Third Young Master will not be on guard against him at all. Wouldn't all the troops in Jizhou be wiped out, and Bingzhou will also become his possession?"

"No, I must report to the Lord immediately!"

Shen Pei figured this out and immediately ran towards the city gate.

However, after taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped again.

"No... If I can't convince the lord, I will inevitably be punished by the lord. If I can convince the lord, the third son will be blamed, and the first and second sons will take the opportunity to make trouble. When the third son competes for the lord's successor in the future, won't he have no chance of winning? No, I have to suppress this matter for the time being, and discuss it with him after the third son comes back. Humph, Xu Huang has this plan, if I can take advantage of it, then I can capture Bingzhou, kill the two of them, and swallow up their tribes, then my Jizhou will be powerful, and the third son's succession in the future will also be a natural thing."

He made up his mind, suppressed his fear, and walked into the city gate.

In the Taihang Mountains, the Baibo Army's camp had been rebuilt and expanded. Outside the camp gate, Xu Huang and Qian Zhao came out to greet them in person. Not long after, Yuan Shang slowly walked over.

"Two generals, it's been a long time."

As soon as Yuan Shang saw the two men, he rode his horse forward quickly.

The two men saluted him and said, "I haven't seen you for more than a month. You are becoming more heroic than ever. I think you are as heroic as Liu He in the past."

"Haha, well said, well said. Liu He is just a mere figure. What's the point? Sooner or later, he will die in our hands."

Yuan Shang laughed heartily. He looked up at the stronghold and said, "The two generals are becoming more and more powerful. This stronghold is much more majestic than before."

"It's a mountainous place, why bother praising it? You've come a long way and it's hard. We have prepared a welcoming banquet, please."

The two men personally led Yuan Shang into the village gate, where they saw a row of warriors standing on each side, each holding a horn. When the three men came over, dozens of horns were blown at the same time, with a loud and clear sound that reached the sky.

"Great, great! I didn't expect that there would be such a ceremonial procession in this mountain village."

This scene made Yuan Shang very happy.

However, he did not notice that Xu Huang and Qian Zhao, who were walking behind him, looked at each other, and then a smile of success appeared on their lips.

(End of this chapter)