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

Chapter 338 Facing north, he served the Wei Emperor; facing south, he paid homage to the Han Emperor!
Seeing Lü Bu's eager expression, Chen Gong gave him an annoyed look.

If I could easily break through the formation, why would I be talking to you so much?
"Your Majesty, please quell your wrath for now."

Gong Yizhi knew that today's retreat would prevent my king from killing Zhang Fei in battle and venting his hatred.

But right now we don't even know who this expert from Liu Bei's camp is, what his level is, or how capable he is.

It would have been unwise of me to rashly challenge someone to a magical duel.

"If a miscalculation occurs, the loss of face for the palace is a minor matter; if Your Majesty's great undertaking is ruined, it will be too late for regrets."

Lu Bu looked at Chen Gong with a rather strange expression. "But didn't you just say..."

"The palace's meaning is not that we can't fight, but that there's no need to."

We are now using the name of the King of Han to intimidate Yanzhou and easily seize several counties.

The Han King's army has already marched north from Xuzhou. If they attack Yanzhou, we will need to join forces with Liu Bei's troops to be able to resist.

At such a critical moment, why create more trouble and fight to the death with Liu Bei?

Lü Bu was also angered by this, and said to Chen Gong:

“What you say, sir, surely I know it.”
Before the battle began, Bu stood in front of the battle lines and shouted a message, intending to reminisce with that big-eared thief about their separation and discuss ways to resist the Han.

Who would have thought that he, for reasons unknown, harbored a deep-seated hatred, and without a word to me, charged with his entire army, his eyes red, to fight me to the death.

As Lü Bu spoke, he frowned and sighed.

"Afterwards, I thought about it again and again, and if I had to say where I offended him, it would probably only be that I was worried that he would be unable to control himself after suddenly taking up a high position, so I took over the management of Xuzhou on his behalf."

I never expected him to be such a hypocrite. Back in Xuzhou, I offered to return the city to him several times, but he refused, saying that Xuzhou should rightfully belong to me and that he had no complaints.

"I never imagined it was all a lie. Such a trivial matter, yet this big-eared scoundrel has held a grudge for so many years, and to this day he's still determined to fight me to the death."

Hearing Lü Bu's self-righteous and confident complaint, Chen Gong was speechless for a long time before finally stopping himself from speaking.

"Your Majesty has misunderstood Liu Xuande."

According to the latest intelligence gathered in Chenliu, the reason Liu Bei's army is so powerful despite its dire circumstances is not because of Xuzhou, but because it is all for the revenge against Che Zhou!

"Carriage armor?"
Who is this person?

Lu Bu looked completely bewildered; he felt as if he had seen a ghost.

He could understand if Liu Bei held a grudge over the capture of Xuzhou, but who was Che Zhou?

I don't even know who Che Zhou is. What kind of nonsense is this, that he came to seek revenge on me with a coffin in his arms?

Seeing that Lü Bu was puzzled, Chen Gong explained to him with a wry smile.

Because Chenliu and Dongjun are adjacent and nearby, and on the day Che Zhou died, Liu Bei summoned the three armies, publicly announced Che Zhou's death, and vowed to fight Yuan Shu to the death, in order to win over the hearts of the people.

Therefore, the relevant intelligence was not difficult to obtain. Chen Gong then hurriedly relayed the intelligence to Lü Bu, recounting everything that happened at the Hongmen Banquet that day.

When Lü Bu heard this, how could he not be terrified!

"Just two forged letters caused the army sent by the court to aid Yan to fight among themselves, and Che Zhou died before his mission was accomplished."
"Truly worthy of being called the most cunning strategist in the four hundred years since the founding of the Han Dynasty, the Han King's methods are indeed unfathomable and terrifying upon closer examination."

Chen Gong: "???"

I'm not saying this to be mean, but Fengxian, why is your quick wit so inconsistent?
When I explained to you how to repeat the process and how to betray someone, you were quick to apply what you learned to other situations; you were smarter than anyone else.

Why can't I think straight right now?
He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "Your Majesty, you have misunderstood."

The information Liu Bei gave in this intelligence report from Chenliu may deceive the world, but it cannot fool you and me.

Because the core of all his words is based on a universally acknowledged fact: that our army is the spear that the King of Han is using to attack Yanzhou, and the sword that is aimed straight at Luoyang!

But the people of the world don't know whether we are the King of Han's men or not. Don't the King and I know?

The King of Han's army is still chasing us, and the situation is urgent.

He probably hopes that the army sent by the imperial court can stand in front of us, fight and wear down our forces, and allow him to reap the benefits.

Why would they use any cunning means to cause the imperial reinforcements to fall into internal strife, making it easier for our army to fight all the way to Luoyang?

Moreover, if this plan was devised by the King of Han, the first person to be executed would undoubtedly be Liu Bei. Given the King of Han's cunning, how could he possibly allow Che Zhou to die while Liu Bei benefited from his scheme?

Lu Bu pretended to suddenly understand and nodded as if he deeply agreed.

"Sir, what you say is very true."

"Then, sir, what do you think I should do now?"

"In my opinion, this is not the plan of the King of Han, but rather the work of a master in Liu Bei's camp."

This would not only eliminate dissidents for Liu Bei, but also allow him to take control of Yanzhou and free it from the control of the imperial court.

Furthermore, the death of Che Zhou can be used to rally the hearts of the grieving soldiers, enabling them to fight to the death with a small force and recapture the lost prefectures.

But all of this is because he doesn't know that we were chased all the way here by the King of Han. He only thinks that Your Majesty is still under the King of Han's command and is about to launch a surprise attack on Luoyang, so he is determined to fight to the death.

This matter is easy to explain. For now, instead of fighting to the death with them, we should send the details of the situation and the letter regarding the peace and alliance to Liu Bei.

If we delay for a few days, and they see the Han army marching north from Xuzhou and entering Yanzhou to fight our army, everything will be self-evident.

At that time, if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold; whether they like it or not, they will have to join forces with our army to resist the King of Han.

However, if the Han army did not enter Yan, but instead went through Huanyuan Pass…

Lu Bu pondered for a long time, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and spoke up before Chen Gong could finish.

"If the Han army does not enter Yan, we can pretend to be at war with the King of Han in the rear, use peace as a pretext to form an alliance and defect, and take over all of Yan Province."

Chen Gong bowed with his hands clasped in respect!

"Take Yanzhou and then eye the Central Plains. Take advantage of the great battle between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao to swallow up the lands of the two capitals and the Sili region."

Facing north, he would present the emperor to Ye City and become a subject of the Wei emperor; facing south, he would pay homage to his adoptive father in Shouchun and pay tribute to the Han emperor!

When the Wei army marches south, it forms an alliance with the Han; when the Han army marches north, it forms a coalition with the Wei. This tripartite balance of power allows them to overcome immense pressure with minimal effort.

The strength of Han was equal to that of Wei, the prosperity of Wei was equal to that of Han, and Qi resided in the Central Plains, weighing the world!
If that's the case, then you can rule the world!

When Lü Bu heard of this plan, he was overjoyed, as if a long drought had been relieved by rain or the sun and stars had appeared in the dark sky. How could he not be amazed that it was a divine being?

He repeatedly moved between the Wei and Han dynasties, betraying his master back and forth between the north and south, dominating the world. Who else but me, Lü Bu, could rival him?

Such a grand vision, encompassing the entire land, was almost tailor-made for him; Lu Bu had never seen anything like it in his life!

"My parents gave me life, but Chen Gongtai truly understands me!"

He held Chen Gong's hand tightly, his gaze as if he were looking at a kindred spirit.

Chen Gong simply withdrew his hand, shook his head, and sighed.

"Your Majesty, please do not be too agitated. This plan is fraught with difficulties. Yuan Gonglu and Yuan Shao have different intentions, and their subordinates are full of wise men. They are not easily controlled by this plan. Otherwise, if it were really that simple, Cao Cao would have implemented this plan to deal with Yuan Shu long ago, and the current situation would not be so difficult."

The reason I offered this plan is that I have seen Your Majesty's profound understanding of the essence of things, which may be due to your extraordinary talent.

Others may not be able to devise this plan, but Your Majesty may not be.

Lü Bu, thinking he had succeeded, laughed loudly and said, "Excellent."

Chen Gong showed no joy on his face. If he hadn't been forced to this point and had no other choice, who would have thought of such a risky and treacherous scheme?

The first hurdle at hand is whether the King of Han will enter Yan.
It is likely that the Han camp is full of intelligent people, and it is only hoped that the letter of surrender left in Langya will allow them to understand its deeper meaning.

Otherwise, if the King of Han continues his pursuit, then there's no point in talking about the future. Just at this moment, it's still uncertain whether joining forces with Liu Bei can stop the King of Han's army.

Langya.

When the Han army arrived, Lü Bu's main force had already fled into Yan, leaving behind only a few wounded and disabled soldiers to present a letter of surrender to the King of Han.

In his letter of surrender, Chen Gong, on behalf of Lü Bu, expressed deep remorse for accidentally injuring the adopted son of the King of Han, and offered to offer the entire Xu Province to the King of Han as a sign of his repentance.

He also stated that the King of Qi had personally led the entire army of the state, acting on the edict of the King of Han, to march north and attack Yan, contributing his modest efforts to the King of Han's great cause of conquering Cao and welcoming the emperor.

We implore the Emperor of the Han Dynasty to have mercy on our ignorant king and spare his life.

In the main tent, after the contents of the surrender document were read aloud, everyone had different expressions.

Yuan Shu consulted the wise men and said:

"What advice do you gentlemen have for me regarding the campaigns against Cao and Lü?"

Pang Tong offered his advice:

"Liu Bei has already entered Yan Province by imperial decree and will soon be fighting with Lü Bu to fight for control of the province. They will settle old scores and settle new grudges!"

In this world, the situation is already divided. The only chance for the two of them to contend for supremacy is to fight for control of a province and then vie for control of the Central Plains. There is no possibility of reconciliation between them for their old and new grudges.

If our troops do not arrive, the two tigers will fight over a single piece of meat, and they will surely fight to the death.

If we attack Qi now, in order to preserve themselves, Liu and Lü will have no choice but to join forces to resist and seek a chance to survive.

Even with the combined strength of Liu Bei and Lü Bu, the teacher could not defeat him. However, this campaign against Qi has already consumed a lot of time. If the campaign continues to drag on in Yanzhou, it may give Cao Cao a chance to catch his breath.

If we attack Qi now, Liu Bei and Lü Bu will form an alliance, and Cao Cao will surely come to our aid to resist the might of our teacher.

However, if they attack Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Lü Bu will have no external worries for the time being. They will fight to the death to determine the winner, and only one of them will survive between the two tigers.

The victor also covets the Central Plains and the land of Sili, so he will not aid Cao, but will only watch him perish and devour his corpse.

Therefore, we should now attack Cao to eliminate this great threat.

As for Yanzhou, regardless of Liu Bei or Lü Bu, it is but a trivial matter. Once the Han army destroys Cao Cao and advances into the Central Plains, it can be easily conquered.

Yuan Shu smiled with satisfaction, "Shiyuan and I share similar views; he is my trusted advisor."

The ministers all praised the plan as brilliant, and the King of Han then appointed Lu Su as the governor of Xuzhou, in charge of governing Xuzhou, to ensure the people's well-being, implement new systems, and reform the old.

He then appointed his adopted son Zhang Liao as the commander-in-chief to continue guarding Xuzhou.

The rest of the people followed the King of Han into Huanyuan Pass!
The Han army took in all the surrendered soldiers of Xuzhou. After leaving some troops for Zhang Liao to guard Xuzhou, a total of 150,000 elite troops marched to Huanyuan Pass!
A vast and mighty expanse, with banners billowing in the sky!

Dark clouds loomed over the city, and a chilling murderous aura filled the sky!
If they were to join forces with Xiahou Dun, Lu Xun, and other troops at Huanyuan Pass, they would have a total of 210,000 troops, storming cities and fortresses and heading straight for Cao Cao!

Huanyuan Pass.

Meanwhile, Cao Cao arrived at Huanyuan Pass and looked out at the 60,000-strong army commanded by Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, and others.

Looking at the rows of Xiahou banners fluttering in the wind, he felt a pang of unease.

In particular, considering that in order not to sever the Cao family's nine generations, he had to exonerate the two men in the military intelligence he sent to Luoyang, saying that they were enduring hardship and plotting a rebellion.

But there was nothing he could do. Back then, the trend of surrendering to Yuan Shikai was so strong that many people across the country were in favor of him. In order to stabilize people's hearts and minds, he wanted to prevent every person he sent out from surrendering to Yuan Shikai.

With a splitting headache, he had no choice but to issue the decree to exterminate the entire clan of those who surrendered to Yuan.

But back then, how could I have imagined that not only Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Ba, but even close confidants like Cao Anmin and Xiahou Yuan would betray their loyalty and defect to Yuan?
Whenever he thought of this, Cao Cao felt his head throb even more. Was there really no one in the world who didn't understand Yuan Shao?

Is there anyone among my subordinates who can truly be trusted?
Fortunately, there really was one person in the city!
The thought of seeing this person soon brought Cao Cao a sense of comfort, and he no longer harbored resentment over the Xiahou brothers.

This man is none other than Guan Yu!
Even if everyone in the world is on Yuan's side, only Guan Yu would never be on Yuan's side and betray me!

So what if we lose Xiahou? As long as Guan Yu is in our hands, killing these two is as easy as warming a cup of wine.

"Prime Minister."

Before he could finish, a man with a face as red as a jujube hurriedly rode up and bowed to Cao Cao.

"Previously, Guan failed to stop General Xiahou Yuan in time, causing him to underestimate the enemy and advance recklessly into dangerous territory, falling into Yuan's trap and being forced to surrender to Yuan's camp."

Although Guan is guilty beyond redemption even if he were to die ten thousand times, we beg the Prime Minister to punish him.

As soon as Guan Yu said this, the words of those around Cao Cao who had been criticizing him, either because of Xiahou Yuan's affair or because they were jealous of Guan Yu, and who were planning to cause trouble, were immediately nipped in the bud.

What left these people speechless was their prime minister.

Cao Cao, in their minds, should have at least reprimanded Guan Yu for failing to come to Xiahou Yuan's aid and for letting Xiahou Yuan's troops fall into Yuan's camp.

He dismounted and personally went to greet Guan Yu, grasped his hand tightly, helped him up, and said, "Yun Chang!"

"What crime has Guan Yu committed?"
Xiahou Yuan voluntarily led his men out of the city, feigning to fall into the trap, but in reality, he was feigning surrender in order to infiltrate Yuan's camp and wait for the crucial moment to coordinate with us from within and deliver a fatal blow to Yuan Gonglu.

"Yun Chang, you're merely cooperating with this plan."

Cao Cao spoke solemnly and loudly about this secret plan, as if afraid that no one would know.

This was precisely the plan he devised over the years, after painstakingly studying Yuan Shu's conspiracy theories, to use Yuan Shu's own methods against him.

Learn from Yuan's long-term strategy to control him!
I, Cao Mengde, have doubts. Are you, Yuan Gonglu, truly selfless, trusting in your subordinates, and without any resentment towards your former generals?

In any case, in order to avoid the extermination of their own nine generations of relatives, the military report to the Luoyang court already contained this explanation. Why not kill two birds with one stone and use this to sow discord between the Xiahou brothers and Yuan Gonglu?

This caused Yuan Gonglu to harbor resentment and suspicion towards the Xiahou brothers, forcing him to monitor the Xiahou family members both inside and outside the household, and to control their lives and deaths.

Isn't this the best way to sow discord among people?

Upon hearing these words, Guan Yu looked at Cao Cao, who was speaking righteously and solemnly, as if it were the truth, and found it hard to believe.

Guan Yu: "???"

really?
Was Xiahou Yuan deliberately putting on an act when he ignored my advice and insisted on leading his troops to rescue Lü Bu that day?

Experiencing firsthand the intrigue and scheming of the battle between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, he suddenly felt that his elder brother was too simple and honest, and would never resort to such underhanded tactics.

(End of this chapter)