Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 113 You believed that Yuan Shu had told a colossal lie.

"If I were to do this now, what should I do? Can you, Gongda, teach me?"

When Cao Cao asked the question, Xun You followed the opportunity to speak, clearly having already made up his mind while thinking.

"My lord, the best course of action now is simply to rob Peter to pay Paul."

Currently, Yuan Shao is being held back by Zhongde's four armies, and his main force has all returned to reinforce, so he cannot extricate himself for the time being.

Now, we can transfer 30,000 troops from Cao Ren's forces, who are stationed in the north, and divide 10,000 of them into 10,000 to be led by Cao Chun to reinforce Liang.

If Yanzhou were to draw upon Mao Jie's garrison troops, they could also muster five thousand men.

In Luoyang, doesn't the lord often feel that Yang Feng, Dong Cheng, and others are in the way?
Dong Cheng is the emperor's brother-in-law and a close confidant. If we were to harm him now, something unexpected might happen.

However, the emperor could issue an edict ordering Yang Feng to lead his 5,000 troops to aid the Liang Kingdom, so that Liu Bei could join forces with Lü Bu to resist Yuan Shao in Yuzhou.

The emperor, knowing that this was an act of aiding Liu Bei and Lü Bu, would surely comply.

This would both counter Yuan Shu and, more importantly, eliminate the emperor's support.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao frowned. "Yang Feng? I have never gotten along with this man. If I send him out now, what if he directly surrenders to Yuan Shao and joins the rebels? Wouldn't that just create obstacles for us?"

Xun You smiled upon hearing this, "My lord, you may appoint Xu Huang, who was originally a general under Yang Feng and is now a close minister of the emperor, as the commander-in-chief of this expedition, and give him full authority over the war affairs of Liang."

Xu Gongming was a loyal and righteous man. After being won over by the emperor, he was determined to support the Han Dynasty and would wholeheartedly assist Liu Bei in fighting against Yuan Shu to protect the Liang Kingdom.

He was once Yang Feng's top general, knew Yang Feng's character well, and was loved by Yang Feng's troops. With him in charge, Yang Feng would never be able to rebel.

With his command to reinforce these 20,000 men, and combined with Jian Yong's 8,000 troops in Liang, totaling approximately 30,000 men, they could garrison Liang and defend the city.

Xun You originally intended to say that with 30,000 men defending the city, Yuan Shu's 70,000 men would be no threat.

But thinking of Yuan Shu's recent victories, he paused slightly before changing his words.

"Well, I think it should be able to last for a while."

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the lord can order Yue Jin, who has retreated from Yingchuan to Chenliu, to lead 30,000 troops who have been fighting against Yuan's army in Yingchuan for a long time to attack Xuxian.

He felt deeply resentful when he withdrew from Xu County, feeling that he had failed his lord's expectations. Now, he thought he might be able to take advantage of Yuan Shu's absence to recapture Xu County, the gateway to Yanzhou.

The lord can also issue an imperial edict ordering Liu Biao of Jingzhou to send troops to Jiangxia to jointly punish the traitor Yuan.

As fellow members of the Han imperial family, Liu Bei has demonstrated his loyalty to the Han Dynasty through his actions.

In comparison, how could Liu Biao possibly still have the nerve to cherish his strength and turn a blind eye to Yuan Shu's usurpation of the Imperial Seal?
With these two armies, Liu Bei and Lü Bu could then launch an attack on Pei State.

Even if they cannot destroy Yuan Shu, they can keep him busy and preoccupied with his own survival, leaving him no opportunity to advance further.

Cao Cao nodded, but he still felt it wasn't enough.

“Yuan Gonglu has become a completely different person lately. Even I can’t see through him. His actions are often unpredictable, so we have to be careful.”

It's fine if it goes to Le Jin, Liu Biao, Liu Bei, and Lü Bu; they're just there to keep things in check. If it works out, great; if not, there's no real loss.

"Only Liang has sent 20,000 men to aid them, yet they are facing Yuan Shu's main force of 70,000. I find this inappropriate."

At this point, a cold glint appeared in Cao Cao's eyes.

"Judging from the current situation, the only place that can be used by us and where the army is at its strongest is in Zhongde's hands."

I intend to ask him to persuade Zhang Yan and the Xiongnu to lead a million Black Mountain bandits and a detachment of 30,000 Xiongnu cavalry to march south to the Liang Kingdom.

In any case, their purpose in this trip was only to plunder and leave, and they did not occupy any cities, so they could not delay Yuan Shao for long.

Since that's the case, let them grab the bigger prize while they hold off the two Yuan brothers for me."

"In that case, I fear the Liang Kingdom itself..."

Xun You hesitated, meeting Cao Cao's cold gaze, and ultimately said nothing more, instead sighing. "My lord's plan is brilliant. If it is so, it is not impossible that Yuan Shu's 70,000 main force can be wiped out in Liang."

However, there is one more person we must be wary of.

"But Yuan Shu's strategist, whom he referred to as Fengxiao?"
I have often heard Wenruo mention this person, saying that he has unfathomable schemes. I originally intended to ask him to take over after Zhicai's death and to advise me.

Who would have thought that things would come to this?

Cao Cao sighed, deeply regretful.

"Gongda, do you think that what Liu Ziyang said in his letter—that Fengxiao was Yuan Shu's strategist and the reason for his series of changes—is true and false?"

"It's half true and half false."

It was because of Liu Ziyang's letter, which stated with absolute certainty that everyone in Yuan's camp knew about this matter, and that the name of Military Advisor Fengxiao was known to everyone.

Moreover, Yuan Shu's change of heart must have its reasons. My lord, you and Yuan Shu have known each other since childhood.

In your opinion, could Yuan Shu, relying solely on himself, have made such a series of unpredictable and ingenious strategic decisions that led to his current predicament?

Cao Cao laughed upon hearing this, saying, "Those withered bones in the tomb are nothing more than squandering the family fortune by relying on the blessings of their ancestors."

If he were so capable, how could I have driven him out of Nanyang and forced him to flee to Huainan?

It's possible that they would have already used the Yuan family name to unify the south, divide the Han Dynasty, and even establish a separate regime along the Yangtze River.

"This is it."

Xun You nodded in agreement.

"Yuan Shu's transformation, and his current series of behaviors that are so different from the past, must have their reasons."

Zhi Cai and I discussed this point many times before his death, and we both believed that the intelligence we had so far was missing one person.

It must have been this person's appearance that led to Yuan Shu's transformative change. After all, it couldn't be true, as the rumors among the people of Jianghuai claimed, that Yuan Shu had received the Mandate of Heaven from the Imperial Seal, could it?

He chuckled softly and continued his explanation.

"Having ruled out unfounded theories like the Imperial Seal and the Mandate of Heaven, who exactly is the key figure who led to Yuan Shu's change of heart and the current state of affairs?"

Based on Liu Ziyang's intelligence, our spies' information, and previous intelligence, it all seems to point to one person: Guo Jia, Guo Fengxiao.

Of course, it's also possible that Liu Ziyang, all the spies sent to Yuan's camp, including us, were all deceived. Yuan Shu told a colossal lie to the whole world.

But there's a logical paradox here.

If this is a lie, then why would Yuan Shu tell this lie?

Based on the letters that Jiang Ziyi had previously stolen, it is clear that Yuan Shu already knew in advance that his lord intended to have Guo Fengxiao replace Xi Zhicai.

Regardless of whether Jiang Gan was deceived or whether the letter was forged, the content of the letter is true.

If Yuan Gonglu fabricated a letter, we cannot believe it.

Zhi Cai had previously trusted Jiang Gan so much in Yangdi that he fell into a trap and suffered a defeat.

One of the reasons is that every word in the letter is true, isn't it?

It was precisely because Yuan Gonglu knew in advance that the lord intended to invite Fengxiao to replace Zhicai that the letter stolen by Jiang Gan came into existence.

That's why he wanted to make a big fuss about this matter, so that everyone in the world would know that Guo Fengxiao was Yuan Shu's strategist.

What was his purpose in doing all this?

Wasn't his intention to sow doubt in your heart, my lord, and prevent you from recruiting Guo Fengxiao?

(End of this chapter)