Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 97 Chen Gong's wishful thinking

In the central army tent, the candlelight flickered, and the light and shadow swayed slightly on the tent wall.

Yuan Shao sat in the main seat, Lu Bu and Chen Gong sat on either side, and Yan Liang accompanied Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao lifted the wine bowl with both hands, stood up, raised his glass to Lü Bu, and said, "I've long heard of Marquis Wen's heroic feat of slaying Dong Zhuo in Chang'an. I've longed to celebrate with you, General, and today I finally have my wish!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Bu casually put down the half-eaten leg of lamb in his hand, picked up the wine bowl, tilted his head back and took a big gulp of wine.

After wiping the wine stains from the corners of his mouth, he smiled with a hint of heroism and self-satisfaction, saying, "The thief Dong is but a dead soul under my halberd, not worth mentioning. But you, my lord, have been a minister for three generations, and your reputation is far-reaching. I have admired you for a long time!"

After exchanging some polite greetings with Lu Bu, Yuan Shao turned to Yan Liang and winked, indicating that he should accompany Lu Bu for a drink.

Then he turned to Chen Gong and asked, "The Black Mountain bandits are currently invading Yecheng. Does Mr. Gongtai have any good strategies for defeating them?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Gong gently stroked the rim of his wine bowl with his fingertips, narrowed his eyes, and slowly spoke, "Before we entered Ye County, we heard from refugees along the way that Ye City had been captured by the Black Mountain Army. Is this true?"

As soon as this matter was mentioned, Yuan Shao's face turned ashen in an instant.

He gritted his teeth and said, "The defending general is incompetent. He actually allowed the Black Mountain Army to break into the city, causing my family and I to fall into the hands of the bandits..."

After hearing this, Chen Gong already understood the difficult situation Yuan Shao was in.

After a moment's thought, he took the opportunity to say, "In this difficult and perilous time, if you can use our Wen Hou, we will do our utmost to help Yuan Gong subdue the Black Mountain Army and resolve this dilemma!"

After hearing this, Yuan Shao frowned slightly, and a hint of hesitation flashed across his face.

At this moment, Lü Bu suddenly stood up, knelt on one knee, and said, "I wish to be your foster father. From now on, I will serve you at your service and follow your lead."

As soon as these words came out, Yuan Shao's face turned pale from green, and he thought to himself: "Dong Zhuo's head is still pinned to the back of your horse, Lü Bu. Who would dare to take a big boy like you?!"

At this extremely awkward moment, the curtain was suddenly opened and Xu You hurried in.

He clutched the latest intelligence in his hand, his expression hurried, and he paid no attention to the situation inside the tent. He strode into the tent while shouting, "My Lord! My Lord! There's the latest news on Cao Cao... Hmm?"

Xu You was halfway through his words when he looked up and found that Yuan Shao, Lu Bu, Chen Gong and Yan Liang were staring at him.

He was stunned for a moment, then reacted and quickly bowed and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know the master was entertaining guests..."

Having said that, he was about to leave.

"Wait a minute!" Yuan Shao suddenly had an idea and called out to Xu You.

He pondered for a moment, looked at Lü Bu and Chen Gong, then at Xu You, and asked, "Ziyuan, what intelligence did you get from Cao Cao?"

Upon hearing this, Xu You subconsciously glanced at Lu Bu and Chen Gong.

Seeing this, Yuan Shao introduced them, saying, "This is Wen Hou Lü Fengxian, and the famous scholar Chen Gongtai from Yanzhou. They have both joined my army."

Xu You's eyes flashed with surprise, but he quickly recovered and said, "I have long heard of your great names. It is an honor to meet you today."

Lu Bu and Chen Gong also stood up and bowed in return.

Yuan Shao then asked, "Ziyuan, tell me quickly, what information have you gathered?"

Seeing that Yuan Shao did not shy away from mentioning Lu Bu and Chen Gong, Xu You secretly speculated in his heart: Chen Gong was a famous scholar in Yanzhou, maybe Yuan Shao wanted him to help with some advice?

Thinking of this, Xu You replied, "I just received news that Cao Cao's actions in Yanzhou have offended a group of nobles and gentry.

They secretly discussed and wanted to unite to deal with Cao Cao.

However, we have no one to lead the effort and no comprehensive plan, so we haven't taken any action yet."

After hearing this, Yuan Shao turned his gaze to Chen Gong and asked, "Mr. Gongtai, what is your opinion on this?" Chen Gong thought for a moment and said, "If you don't mind my humble opinion, please listen to what I have to say."

"please say."

"Since Cao Cao's defeat at Xingyang, he has served under you, my lord.

With the help of Ming Gong's prestige, he first occupied Dongjun and then took control of Yanzhou.

After defeating the Yellow Turban Army and General Yuan Gonglu, he gradually gained a foothold in Yanzhou.

Now General Gonglu has been defeated and fled to Huainan, Gongsun Zan has been dealt a head-on blow by Ming Gong, and their ally Tao Qian is just a man who maintains the status quo... The strength of the alliance headed by General Gonglu has been greatly reduced.

Looking around Cao Cao, there is no strong enemy that can restrain him.

As long as he eliminated Zhang Miao of Chenliu and Ying Shao of Taishan and completely controlled Yanzhou, he could go south to seize Yuzhou and go east to attack Xuzhou.

Even if you take over Hebei,

But if Cao Cao occupies the three states of Yan, Yu and Xu, given his demonstrated governance capabilities, he will become a serious concern for you within a few years!
Moreover, the Central Plains stands in the way of your southward march, and will surely become a stumbling block in your quest for hegemony!"

Yuan Shao listened to Chen Gong's analysis with a serious expression and fell into deep thought.

Xu You, standing aside, nodded slightly, thinking that Chen Gong did have some vision and strategy.

After a moment's contemplation, Yuan Shao asked, "What methods does Gongtai have to slow down Cao Cao's progress? We are allies with Cao Cao, but we shouldn't tear each other apart so easily."

"Just as Mr. Ziyuan's intelligence suggests, some aristocratic families in Yanzhou are dissatisfied with Cao Cao's new policies..." At this point, Chen Gong glanced at Lü Bu, who was drinking with Yan Liang, and continued, "Although I am not talented, I do have some connections in Yanzhou. I can take the lead and secretly unite them, so that we can create trouble for Cao Cao at any time.

Although Cao Cao surrendered to you, he did not recognize you as his master.

He is a man of great ambition, and is not on the same side as the aristocratic families. Ultimately, he is not of the same kind as you.

However, my lord, Lu Fengxian, is a subordinate of yours, and he admires you the most as a celebrity with status and prestige.

What Cao Cao can do, my lord can also do.

Therefore, my lord, please consider replacing Cao Mengde with my lord..."

Chen Gong's words were rather euphemistic, but the meaning behind them was quite terrifying.

He wanted to get Yuan Shao's permission to let Lu Bu seize Yanzhou and replace Cao Cao as Yuan Shao's "watchdog".

After hearing this, Yuan Shao couldn't help but feel suspicious.

Although Cao Cao was ambitious and not in agreement with him, at least he was still a reliable younger brother.

But Lu Bu is fickle and has very poor credibility. How can I dare to trust him easily?

Yuan Shao and Xu You looked at each other, and they seemed to be communicating something when their eyes met.

After a while, Yuan Shao said to Chen Gong, "I will carefully consider Mr. Gongtai's suggestion.

Now let’s not talk about business, let’s just talk about love.

Come on, Ziyuan!

Please have a good chat with Mr. Gongtai."

Xu You understood, raised his wine bowl and said to Chen Gong: "I have long heard that Gongtai is a man of unparalleled wisdom. I would like to ask for your advice!"

(End of this chapter)