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

"Brother, this tastes wrong!"

Sun Guan suddenly put down his bowl and said to Zang Ba. Zang Ba and his brothers had originally planned to get together at the end of the year for a banquet to strengthen their bonds, but upon hearing this, his face darkened.

"Is your tongue damaged? This is this year's wheat."

Zang Ba ultimately adopted Wang Xiang's plan, but he was cautious. He decided to test it on a small scale a few times first, and only proceed with large-scale transactions if there were no problems.

"Changxi, tell me, does this taste different from the grains from Xuzhou?" Zang Ba turned his head and asked the other person.

Chang Xi paused for a moment, then said, "I think that, between wheat from Hebei and wheat from Xuzhou, steamed wheat tastes the best."

Zang Ba rolled his eyes and ignored Chang Xi.

Sun Guan waved his hand and said, "Boss, that's not what I meant. I mean, I've been thinking about it. Before we even exchanged any information, that kid named Wang Xiang came to us and said he had a way to buy grain."

"And then the grain actually arrived, and nothing happened. Especially afterwards, Cao Cao suddenly sent an envoy, for some inexplicable reason, inviting us to join forces to attack Liu Bei. Didn't he know we were mortal enemies?"

"you mean……"

"This is a trap?!" Yin Li, who was standing to the side, stopped talking and shouted loudly.

Sun Guan nodded and explained, "You see, if Liu Bei wanted to deal with us, he wouldn't have made such a big move. He could have just brought his army up and surrounded us, and we would have surrendered in less than ten days."

Zang Ba thought about it and agreed. Given the current situation, Liu Bei could easily reclaim Langya Commandery by military force; there was no need for such elaborate schemes. The previous food shortage, viewed calmly, was simply a shortage of goods resulting from normal trade. Now that some grain had been brought in, the crisis, at least superficially, didn't seem so alarming anymore.

"So this Wang Xiang is nothing more than a clumsy spy, nothing special, is he?" Zang Ba poured himself another glass of wine.

"That's not right! Think about it, if Liu Bei wanted to pressure us with grain, why would he send Wang Xiang to help us buy grain? Someone who sabotaged Liu Bei's plans like this wasn't punished by him, but is still alive and well. What does that mean?"

Zang Ba's jaw dropped: "He's ostensibly Liu Bei's man, but actually Cao Cao's spy?!"

"Very likely! This could be a multi-pronged scheme." Sun Guan blurted out, then suddenly felt thirsty and reached for the wine Zang Ba had just poured. Zang Ba snatched it away: "Drink your own!"

Seeing that his attempt to freeload a drink had failed, Sun Guan had no choice but to continue, "First, Liu Bei bought grain everywhere, which led to our food shortage. Then, Cao Cao got the news and took the opportunity to send Wang Xiang to do business with us, secretly leaving evidence of our transactions with Cao Cao."

"Then he sent envoys to try to win us over. If we agreed, everything would be fine and our army would become Cao Cao's pawns. If we didn't agree, he would release the evidence and make us lose face in Xuzhou, so we could never stay here again."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room gaped, speechless. It should be said that Sun Guan had a very rich imagination; he even managed to make sense of this.

"Isn't that a bit too subjective?" Zang Ba also felt that the matter was not that complicated. It was probably just that Wang Xiang made a bad suggestion and happened to run into Cao Cao's envoy. In fact, there was no connection between the two; it was just a coincidence.

Sun Guan chuckled and said, "This is simple. We'll just bring Wang Xiang over and ask him. If there's no problem, we'll treat him well for a few days and then send him back; if it is indeed him, then we'll do whatever we need to do."

Zang Ba's talent as a leader began to shine at this moment. He frowned and said, "This method is theoretically feasible, but what if this kid has poor mental fortitude and runs away? Then even if he really has nothing to do with Cao Cao, he will become connected to him."

Sun Guan sighed; he hadn't actually thought about that question.

"Okay, I'll have my son write an invitation to invite him to a gathering in Kaiyang. When he arrives, we can subtly ask him about it. How about that? If even that doesn't get him to come, then he must be hiding something."

Sun Guan's eyes lit up, and he nodded in praise, "It has to be Big Brother, he's really amazing, he thought of everything so thoroughly."

The remaining people, including Chang Xi and Yin Li, also nodded in agreement.

--------

Wang Xiang's days have been agonizingly short lately, because he still hasn't completed his mission, so his investment in Xuzhou is naturally impossible to realize.

Misfortunes never come singly. Zang Ai's letter also arrived in Wang Xiang's hands by a messenger on horseback.

Upon seeing the letter, Wang Xiang knew there was likely a conspiracy. Zang Ai had already begun to get involved in politics, and his father, who valued his eldest son highly, had been quite strict with him. It wasn't time for a vacation yet, so why was he suddenly being invited to a gathering?

Besides, we just met in December, it's impossible for him to go crazy after not seeing me for just a few days.

This is most likely a trap, and Wang Xiang won't be so reckless as to test the waters.

Moreover, I can't stay in Linyi anymore; Linyi is too close to Yang.

Not long ago, he was the epitome of filial piety, full of ambition to rise above others and become the spiritual leader of all noble families. Now, however, he has become a pariah, unwanted by anyone.

The situation has really taken a sharp turn for the worse.

Left with no other choice, Wang Xiang packed his belongings and prepared to flee elsewhere. He also wrote a reply to Zang Ai, explaining that he was "too busy with family matters to visit in person, and that we could only meet another time," hoping to stall for a few more days.

Wang Xiang, accompanied by his cousin Wang Kang, followed closely, taking in the scenery near the family compound, as if trying to memorize it all. With bloodshot eyes, he gave his cousin an apologetic smile: "From now on, the burdens of the family will fall to you. The cultivation of the family's talents, the supervision of income and expenditure—all these trivial matters will depend on you."

Wang Kang bowed deeply and said, "I will do my best to live up to my brother's expectations."

Wang Xiang sighed deeply and murmured:

"It seems I have no choice but to leave Linyi, to leave the final resting place of my ancestors. Back then, Wu Zixu fled to the state of Wu to avenge his father and brother, where he was highly valued by King Helü of Wu. He eventually defeated the powerful state of Chu in the west and successfully avenged his family. But no matter what, he could never return to his hometown; even his body was buried in Wu when he died. Do you think I must be filled with unspeakable sorrow at this moment? Do you think I must have unspeakable regrets?"

Wang Xiang turned to look at Wang Kang, his face streaked with tears, and said in a trembling voice, "No, what I truly cannot bear is the thought of dying without a proper burial!"