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

Chapter 133 Yuan Shao's Group in Adversity
While Yuan Shu was fighting the allied forces in Liang, Yuan Shao, who controlled Ji, Qing, You, and Bing in the north, also led his army back to reinforce the region.

Under the guidance of strategists such as Ju Shou, Tian Feng, and Xu You, they began to plan to lure Cheng Yu to the allied forces that were targeting him, defeat them one by one, gradually gain the upper hand, and eventually recover lost territory.

When chaos erupted in the four states, the allied forces ravaged the land, and a million Black Mountain bandits swept across like locusts, the great enterprise was burned like wildfire and was about to collapse.

Yuan Shao, the man who turned the tide, has returned. The advisors were almost moved to tears. Their wise and mighty lord, a paragon of virtue for the world, had finally rallied once again.

To be honest, lately I've been hearing from time to time about the brilliant policies that Yuan Gonglu has implemented in the south, and how renowned he has become among scholars.

Considering their lord's recent indecisiveness, everyone almost suspected that the two Yuan brothers had switched identities.

Because in the past, it was always their own lord, Yuan Shao, who would occasionally take brilliant measures to spread the word throughout the world and set an example for scholars.

This caused the officials under Yuan Gonglu in the south to feel extremely envious of their lord's occasional blunders, as they were Yuan family officials in the north.

When did they, the northerners, start envying the southerners?

Fortunately, just when their great cause was about to collapse, their wise and familiar lord returned!
He brought back a message with him.

On the main hall of the palace in Ye City, Yuan Shao strode in with the air of a dragon and the gait of a tiger, laughing loudly.

His gaze swept over the assembled officials, yet he couldn't suppress the urge to speak.

"Do you know? Yuan Shu has declared himself emperor!"

"It's hilarious! In this critical moment, even if he were to usurp the throne in the south, he would still save his brother from danger. He truly is my good younger brother."

Seeing the surprised and shocked expressions on the faces of his ministers, Yuan Shao smiled and circulated the intelligence among them.

Ju Shou was overjoyed upon seeing it and stepped forward to bow in greeting.

"Congratulations to our lord!"
Yuan Gonglu defied the imperial decree in the south, not only refusing to hand over the imperial seal, but even going so far as to declare himself emperor and make outrageous statements about ruling the country.

Such a foolish move forced Cao Cao to lead Sun Qing, the chief of the Black Mountain bandits, and the Left Wise King of the Xiongnu south to prepare a coalition army of 130,000 to destroy him in Liang.

This is precisely the opportunity for our army to switch from defense to offense and turn defeat into victory. My lord, you should make a swift decision and not hesitate any longer.

It should be noted that although Zhang Yan claimed to have a million Black Mountain bandits, that number included the elderly, women, and children. He recruited anyone who could be a Black Mountain bandit to create a million-strong force that swept across the land like locusts, all to bolster his reputation.

It was clearly impossible for these elderly, women, and children to follow Sun Qing on his arduous journey south to the Liang Kingdom's battlefield.

Therefore, even if Sun Qing did not bring 100,000 soldiers to Liang, he definitely brought 100,000 able-bodied men who could wield weapons.

How many of the million Black Mountain bandits could possibly be a hundred thousand able-bodied men?

The departure of these 100,000 people significantly alleviated the pressure on their precarious situation.

It can only be said that Yuan Gonglu is still the same Yuan Gonglu. He is indeed a good brother of his lord, but he has become muddle-headed and confused at the critical moment.

Upon hearing this news, the officials in the north secretly rejoiced, just like their lord Yuan Shao.

On the one hand, I also feel "sympathy" for the officials under Yuan Shu in the south. It's a pity that your lord has become confused again after only two days of being wise.

I just hope your lord is safe and sound amidst the encirclement of 130,000 allied troops, and can hold out for a little longer. Ideally, he'd be so foolish as to declare himself emperor, drawing all the world's attention away and allowing them to peacefully resolve their internal troubles without any future problems.

Sure enough, as soon as Ju Shou stepped down, Xu You immediately stepped forward to offer his advice.

"My lord, Cao Cao has sent Cheng Yu to lead four armies to create chaos. Although the momentum is great, it seems that we are in grave danger."

But would these internal troubles disappear without Cheng Yu's intervention?
No! Internal troubles have always existed, but we are all blinded by the power of the Han Dynasty, which has conquered four provinces and monopolized three parts of the world. We think it is a trivial problem that will be eliminated sooner or later.

It is precisely because of our previous underestimation that we have suffered this calamity today.

Shen Pei also chimed in, "What Ziyuan said is also what we all feel."

This civil unrest in the four states is both a disaster and a blessing in disguise.

Tian Feng nodded and said:

"As the saying goes, misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise. It seems that you all think the same way."

It seems that we all think alike. This time, Cheng Yu has ignited the fire of internal strife in the four states, which seems to be spreading like wildfire and is extremely powerful.

In fact, if we can seize this opportunity to eliminate them one by one, all internal troubles and hidden worries will be gone, and the four prefectures of Ji, Qing, You, and Bing will be as impregnable as an iron barrel under our lord's rule.

Therefore, all the ministers exclaimed, "Excellent!"

The entire court bowed in unison, saying, "Please, my lord, heed the advice of Duke Ju, seize this opportunity, turn defense into offense, and reverse defeat into victory."

At this moment, even Yuan Shao was somewhat moved to tears, as if his ministers had seen his wise and powerful self return, and the long-lost scene of his wise men gathering under his command to plan for a great cause had also returned.

When did the struggle to start a business begin, when all the ministers worked together with one heart and mind, and when did the relationship between the emperor and his ministers become so harmonious?
Is it when his family business is growing bigger and bigger; or when his forces are deeply entrenched; or when he is about to swallow up Ji, Qing, You and Bing, and control one-third of the world, with no other lord able to resist him, and the great power is in his hands?
It's unclear when it started, but the ministers each had their own agendas, each representing their own interests, and each always had their own reasons.

He could no longer discern whether their seemingly reasonable strategies were truly for the greater good or for their own personal gain.

Now, with the great cause on the verge of collapse, Cheng Yu arrives with the chaos of four states, like a wildfire threatening to burn the interests of everyone present to ashes.

These wise men of the time were once again of one mind with their lord, and the ministers were united with unprecedented sincerity!
They are determined to wipe out these four states' internal troubles that are trying to overturn the table and undermine everyone's interests!
When things are going well, he is indecisive and resourceful; when things are going badly, he is wise and capable. Is it really just because of Yuan Benchu ​​that he changed?

This is because when they have the advantage, everyone is vying for "kills" and "scores," hoping to get the biggest slice of the pie after victory.

Since we can win no matter which strategy we use, why not let our lord adopt our own plan?
However, when people are poor and in dire straits, two situations may arise: one is that everyone attacks and blames each other, shirks responsibility, and even wants to surrender.

The other option is for everyone to hold onto hope, unite as one as ever before, overcome difficulties together, and achieve final victory.

What triggered these two different tendencies was whether Yuan Shao, as his lord, was either utterly defeated or brilliantly wise, giving everyone unprecedented encouragement and confidence.

This time, Yuan Shao returned decisively in a time of crisis, bringing news that the Black Mountain bandits and the Xiongnu had divided their forces and marched south to attack Yuan Shu, giving them a chance to catch their breath.

This clearly gave the officials encouragement and confidence, successfully triggering unity and concerted efforts to overcome the difficulties.

(End of this chapter)