He originally intended to surrender to Wei, so why did he end up restoring Han?

Although Yuan Tan has regrouped under Wang Xiu's encouragement, it will still take considerable effort to transform Qingzhou into a base capable of conquering the world.

However, Yuan Tan and Wang Xiu both believed that there was still plenty of time to settle things down and were not in a hurry to put anything into action immediately.

Under Wang Xiu's guidance, Yuan Tan gradually became familiar with management and developed his abilities.

Today, Yuan Tan seemed to have a premonition, as if he had forgotten something important, and he couldn't get into a working state.

"My lord seems a bit distracted today. Is something wrong?" Wang Xiu asked, watching as ink dripped continuously from Yuan Tan's brush, almost forming a small puddle.

Yuan Tan snapped out of his daze and put down his brush: "I'm sorry, Gongshu, I suddenly remembered what happened before and got a little caught up in it."

Wang Xiu assumed that Yuan Tan was recalling their previous conversation and didn't think much of it.

Just then, a servant ran in to report: "My lord, the envoy of the Governor of Xuzhou, Jian Yong, has arrived at the gate."

Yuan Tan then seemed to wake from a dream and remembered what the important matter was.

Wang Xiu could also see it, and could only sigh inwardly. It seemed that the Duke still had a lot to learn.

"Quickly, please invite Mr. Jian in." Yuan Tan didn't even have time to explain to Wang Xiu and hurriedly had his attendant bring the man in.

Yuan Tan was very welcoming of Jian Yong's arrival. Ever since Yuan Tan received the olive branch from Liu Bei, he had written to Guo Tu and Xin Ping, who supported him, to discuss the matter.

The two men naturally encouraged Yuan Tan and Liu Bei to engage in trade, and Guo Tu even tried to broker a secret alliance between them.

As Yuan Tan's patron, Liu Bei naturally stood on the same side as Yuan Tan. The more allies Yuan Tan had now, the greater his chances of seizing power. Although Guo Tu and Xin Ping both felt that allying with Liu Bei was entirely beneficial, only Wang Xiu put on the brakes.

He believed that this power struggle was an internal family matter and that outsiders should not be involved. Moreover, if Liu Bei was truly the kind and honest elder he appeared to be, that would be fine, but what if they brought him in and found him to be even more difficult to deal with than Wang Mang?

Yuan Tan was willing to listen to Wang Xiu's words, so he only intended to reach some trade cooperation with Jian Yong and then end the matter.

The atmosphere of the talks was excellent. Both parties needed a trading partner and were genuinely interested in doing business, so the talks progressed rapidly.

Jian Yong completed his task and immediately wrote a report for Liu Bei, which is the one that Lu Wan is holding now.

"I didn't expect Xianhe to succeed so quickly. It seems I'll have to give him more responsibilities when he returns," Liu Bei thought to himself, but then he saw Lu Wan frowning, seemingly lost in thought.

Liu Bei was secretly startled. Had Wen Yuan figured something out?

"Wen Yuan, have you figured it out? Or is there a problem with the peace talks?" Liu Bei asked anxiously.

Lu Wan snapped out of her daze, shook her head, and smiled, "No, Mr. Jian's negotiations went very well; we'll make a fortune! But why were they settled so quickly? Shouldn't it normally take several days?"

The business acumen that Liu Bei had cultivated since his youth began to alert him, and soon Liu Bei realized that something was wrong.

"Logically speaking, Yuan Tan wouldn't be in such a hurry to talk to us unless he's really short of money right now..." Liu Bei's voice gradually faded as he began to think more deeply.

"But as the eldest son of the Prisoner, if he needs supplies, he can just ask his father. Why does he need to do such a big business with me?"

According to Jian Yong's letter, Qingzhou immediately sent dozens of boats of grain to purchase Liu Bei's paper, and even sent a batch of mulberry bark in advance, fearing that Liu Bei would not be able to deliver the goods.

After listening to Liu Bei's words, Lu Wan began to think: "My lord, I'm afraid your nephew is a bit dishonest."

Lu Wan was certainly not a prophet; he was just drawing a target based on the arrow. Historically, when Yuan Tan saw that the position of crown prince was not secure, he directly attacked Ye City before his father was even naturally extinct.

It's clear from the beginning that he intended to reclaim his position through his own abilities, but he really chose the wrong target. He should have attacked Xuzhou first; who knows, he might have even managed to get the people of Xuzhou to help Cao Cao. If he had defeated someone his father couldn't, he would definitely have had more influence and appeal than Yuan Shang.

Of course, this was all Lu Wan's wild speculation. At that time, Xuzhou was following Zang Ba, which meant it had accepted Cao Cao's control, and its attitude towards Cao Cao had changed from firm opposition to non-violent non-cooperation. Even if Yuan Tan had arrived, it was uncertain whether he could have mobilized the people of Xuzhou.

Getting back to the point, Liu Bei was very curious about this argument. Yuan Shao was currently at the height of his power, so Yuan Tan must have lost his mind to want to cause trouble.

"Hey, my lord, look, Yuan Tan has been transferred out of Ye City and may not see Yuan Shao for several years. He probably won't get the position of Governor of Ji Province. It's impossible not to be anxious."

Liu Bei could only shake his head and laugh, "Alas, I never expected that Yuan Shao, who came from a family of four generations of high officials, would make such a foolish mistake. Deposing the eldest son in favor of the younger one is a path to disaster."

"What's the big deal? I know an official who was smart his whole life, but he got senile in his old age. Before he even died, he gave all his property to his son, and in the end, his son and daughter-in-law kicked him out of the house."

Liu Bei grunted and widened his eyes: "How can there be such an unfilial person? His father toiled for him his whole life, and he can't even take care of his father in his old age? If I catch such a person, I'll whip him to death!"

Lu Wan, who had only intended to joke with Liu Bei, saw that Liu Bei was truly angry and couldn't easily admit that it was just a joke, so she changed the subject:

"There's no need to get angry at such a despicable person, my lord. This is another opportunity!"

Liu Bei clicked his tongue after hearing this. "This is an opportunity? And we're getting involved in this kind of thing?"

Lu Wan then shared what he had just thought of: "My lord, we can first establish a good relationship with Yuan Tan and lay the foundation for cooperation. When Yuan Shao marches south, he will inevitably choose Yanzhou or Xuzhou as his target."

"If everything goes smoothly and we recapture the two commanderies of Langya and Taishan, then the northern border will be safe. Moreover, we will be Yuan Tan's secret ally, and Yuan Shao's first punch in the south will most likely fall on Cao Cao's head."

"According to the original plan, we should help Cao Cao at this time. Yuan Tan will definitely not contribute. Now the more territory Yuan Shao conquers, the more territory Yuan Shang will have in the future, and Yuan Tan will have even less hope."

As she spoke, Lu Wan chuckled and said, "When the time comes, we'll cooperate with Yuan Tan. When Yuan Shao makes a move, we'll pretend to attack Qingzhou. That way, Yuan Tan's army will have a reason to stay put, and Cao Cao will have one less enemy to deal with."