Three Kingdoms: The Peerless Strategist of Wei

Chapter 83 Want to bet on both sides? Then I'll make sure you lose everything!

Zhongshan, Wuji County. Zhen Family Manor, on the eastern outskirts of the county.

Eight hundred Yuan soldiers were currently stationed outside the manor. Inside the main hall.

Zhang He explained his purpose to Zhen Yao.

"General Zhang, Young Master Yuan actually wants to marry my younger sister?" Zhen Yao blurted out in surprise, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes. "That's right." Zhang He nodded slightly, but said, "However, I must remind Young Master Zhen that you should now address the Third Young Master as your lord." Zhen Yao was taken aback, then quickly smiled and said, "Yes, yes, these four prefectures of Hebei already belong to the Third Young Master, so I should indeed address him as my lord." "I have come here on the orders of my lord to escort Miss Zhen back to the city for her wedding."

"Furthermore, Ye City is in dire need of supplies. My lord hopes that the Zhen family can provide supplies to help you defend Ye City and repel Cao Cao."

Zhang He revealed the true purpose. Zhen Yao suddenly realized, and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

"So, it turns out Yuan Shang was after the grain supplies of my Zhen family. He wanted to marry my younger sister and form a marriage alliance with my Zhen family. He certainly had a good plan—"

Zhen Yao pretended to drink tea, but did not express his opinion.

Zhang He saw through his thoughts and said, "As long as our lord holds Ye City, he can hold the four provinces of Hebei. In the future, we can regroup and march south, and we will still have a chance to unify the world."

Changing the subject, he said with a smile, "At that time, our lord might change the dynasty and ascend the throne, and Miss Zhen will surely become the empress. The Zhen family will also become a powerful maternal relative, a fortune that many people can only dream of."

Zhen Yao's heart skipped a beat, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"If Cao Cao becomes emperor, Cao Pi will only be his second son, at most a king, and my younger sister will be a princess at most." "If Yuan Shang gains the throne, my younger sister will become empress, and our Zhen family will go from merchants to royalty!" "If we had a choice, the latter would naturally be better." "However, even if Yuan Shang gets our Zhen family's supplies, can he really defeat Cao Cao? After all, Cao Cao has the strategist Gu Cheng as his advisor; even Yuan Shao is no match for him..."

Zhen Yao weighed the pros and cons.

After pondering for a long time, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"I am deeply honored that my lord has chosen to marry my younger sister!" "General Zhang, please tell my lord that I have agreed to this marriage. You may take fifty bushels of grain back to Ye City as a dowry from my Zhen family in advance."

Five hundred thousand bushels of grain and fodder!

Upon hearing this number, Zhang He was overjoyed and felt a great sense of relief.

Just as he was about to speak, Zhen Yao hesitated and said, "My younger sister has recently caught a cold and I'm afraid she can't go to Yecheng to get married right away. Why don't you take the provisions back first, General Zhang, and I'll personally take her there once she's recovered?"

"This..." Zhang He's expression turned troubled.

Yuan Shang had instructed him not only to bring back the provisions, but also to bring Zhen Bi back with him; only then would the mission be considered complete. If Zhen Bi didn't go, how could he explain himself to Yuan Shang?

"Very well, the lord's marriage alliance with the Zhen family is for the sake of supplies. I will take the supplies back first, and the lord will not blame me for not doing things well." Zhang He thought for a few moments and then nodded happily.

Immediately, Zhen Yao issued an order for his servants to take 500,000 jin of grain from the granary to Zhang He so that he could take it back to Yecheng.

Zhang He happily went to move the grain, while Zhen Yao was just heading to the inner palace to see his younger sister. "Absurd! Utterly absurd!"

"How could you agree to two marriages for me at the same time? Do you even care about my reputation?!" In her boudoir, Zhen Bi's pretty face was flushed as she lashed out at Zhen Yao.

"Little sister, don't be angry. I'm doing this for the future of the Zhen family. I have no choice." "My idea is that we should agree to the marriage between our two families first, as a way to hedge our bets and leave ourselves a way out." "If Yuan Shang defends Ye City, you can go there to get married. If Yuan Shang loses, I will immediately send you to Xuchang to marry that Second Young Master Cao."

"In this way, our Zhen family will be invincible forever. No matter who rules Hebei, our Zhen family will remain wealthy and powerful." Zhen Yao said smugly, recounting his plan. "Enough!" Zhen Bi slammed his hand on the table and stood up, angrily rebuking, "First you forced me to marry Yuan Xi, and now you've kept it from me, agreeing to Cao Buhe's demands at the same time!" This scathing rebuke made Zhen Yao's face show a hint of shame.

In an instant, however, he became enraged and shouted, "Everything I do is for the future of the Zhen family. As a daughter of the Zhen family, you should be prepared to sacrifice everything for the Zhen family. As for your personal preferences and feelings, I don't care at all!"

"You—" Zhen Mi was speechless, tears welling in her eyes, yet she was helpless. Zhen Yao, having reprimanded his sister, snorted coldly and turned to leave. Suddenly, shouts of battle erupted from outside the manor.

It was like a battle that suddenly descended.

Zhen Yao's expression changed, and he shouted urgently, "What's going on? What happened outside the manor?" A servant stumbled in, crying out in panic, "Young Master, a group of Cao Cao's cavalry has suddenly attacked and is fighting General Zhang's men!"

"Cao Cao's cavalry?" Zhen Yao's face changed in shock. He exclaimed, "Cao Cao has only just crossed the Yellow River and hasn't even captured Ye City yet. How could he appear at my Zhen family's residence several counties away?"

Without thinking twice, he hurriedly rushed to the gate of the mansion.

The sadness and indignation on Zhen Bi's face were now replaced by shock.

She rushed outside, listening to the deafening sounds of battle echoing from outside the mansion. Her thoughts raced, and a sense of foreboding crept into her heart. Outside the mansion gates, blood flowed like a river.

Zhang Liao and Xu Chu led 700 Cao soldiers who suddenly attacked, catching Zhang's troops stationed outside completely off guard.

When Zhang He arrived at the scene, more than half of his men had been killed or wounded, and the army was on the verge of collapse. "What happened? This place is far from Ye City, several counties away from Cao Cao's army. How could Cao Cao's light cavalry appear here?" Zhang He was shocked and could not believe it.

Suddenly, he recognized a familiar figure among Cao Cao's army. Zhang Liao! It was the traitorous general who had surrendered to Cao Cao's army at the Battle of Baima, leading Cao Cao's light cavalry. "Zhang Liao, you dog!" Zhang He roared angrily, spurred his horse, and charged forward with his sword.

Zhang Liao, who was busy reaping heads, heard the shout and turned his horse around, just in time to see Zhang He charging towards him. "Why is Zhang He at the Zhen family's place?" Zhang Liao wondered, but before he could think about it, he spurred his horse and brandished his sword to meet him.

With a metallic clang, the two large swords clashed in mid-air.

Zhang He gritted his teeth and cursed, "Zhang Liao, you traitor! I'll take your dog's life today!" "Zhang He, Yuan Shao is dead! Why are you still blindly loyal to Yuan Shang? Surrender to Cao Cao!" Zhang Liao urged him sharply. Zhang He was immediately enraged, roaring as he deflected Zhang Liao's longsword and attacked again with a swift backhand strike. "Stubborn to the end, then don't blame me!" Zhang Liao, also enraged, unleashed a furious attack with his sword, imbued with all his might.

The two fierce generals clashed. They managed to fight to a draw, but Yuan's army under Zhang He's command was not so lucky.

Cao Cao's elite cavalry charged left and right, scattering the seven hundred Yuan soldiers and causing them to collapse in disarray. Moreover, Cao Cao's army included the formidable Xu Chu. Wielding his elephant-trunk blade, he sliced ​​through Yuan soldiers like vegetables, killing over twenty in the blink of an eye. Zhang He and his two cavalrymen passed by, glancing around to their horror at finding few of their own soldiers remaining—either fleeing or killed. "I never expected such an unexpected turn of events. If I continue fighting, I'll surely lose my life here!" Cowardly, they forced Zhang Liao back with a few powerful strikes, then turned and fled.

Just as he was fleeing past the gates of the Zhen family mansion, Zhen Yao rode out on horseback, sword in hand. The bloody scene before him terrified him.

Immediately afterward, he saw Zhang's troops passing by and hurriedly shouted, "General Zhang, what's going on?" "Cao's army launched a sneak attack. I couldn't hold them off and had to flee. You should also run for your life!" Zhang He didn't stop and hurriedly left.

Zhen Yao was startled again. Before he could react, Cao Cao's cavalry surged towards the Zhen family manor. Zhen Yao was so shocked that his sword slipped from his hand. Without thinking, he followed Zhang He and fled. With their master gone, the Zhen family servants naturally scattered in all directions.

Zhang Liao brandished his sword and shouted, "Find the Zhen family's granary, burn it to the ground, leave not a single grain of rice behind!"

Xu Chu then shouted, "Gu family guards, listen up! Take all the Zhen family's money and treasures back to the young master, not a single coin is to be left behind!"

Two groups of people, each with their own agenda, swarmed into the Zhen family manor.

The inner courtyard of the Zhen Family Manor.

"Miss, something terrible has happened! Cao Cao's army has broken in! They're going to burn all our food supplies and loot all our money!" The maid rushed in in a panic. "What?"

Zhen Mi's face changed color, and she hurriedly asked, "What is General Zhang doing? What is my elder brother doing?" "General Zhang was defeated by General Cao and has already fled. When the young master saw that the situation was not good, he also fled!" the maid said in a sobbing voice.

Zhen Bi swayed, took a half step back, and looked astonished.

After a moment of stunned silence, she finally realized what was happening and gave a self-deprecating bitter smile: "In the face of danger, you abandoned your own family and your own sister and ran away alone. Zhen Yao, you really are a good older brother!"

Just as she was feeling dejected, a squad of Gu family guards rushed in.

Xu Chu charged ahead, brandishing his sword and shouting, "Take everything of value away!" The Zhen family servants scrambled and fled in all directions, none daring to stop them. The Gu family guards, meanwhile, ransacked each room.

Enraged, Zhen Bi burst through the door, shouting, "Who ordered you to dare treat my Zhen family like this!" No one dared to stop him, but suddenly such a forceful voice rang out—a woman's voice. Xu Chu's eyes lit up, and he turned to look. A figure of unparalleled beauty came into view.

"The Zhen family has such a beauty; let's snatch her back and give our young master another wife—" Xu Chu's eyes darted around a few times before he demanded, "Who are you, so arrogant!" "My name is Zhen Bi, the second young lady of the Zhen family!" Zhen Bi announced her name and demanded, "And who are you? I don't think you're one of Cao Cao's generals?" Xu Chu said proudly, "An honest man doesn't do things in secret. I am Xu Chu, the guard of Gucheng in Xu County. Today, I'm here on my young master's orders to raid your Zhen family's property!"

Gucheng, Xuxian!

Zhen Bi's face paled, and she exclaimed in surprise, "The Gu Cheng you're talking about, is he the strategist Gu Liheng behind Cao Cao?" "You little girl, you do have some knowledge, you even know my young master's name," Xu Chu nodded approvingly. His words were tantamount to acknowledging Zhen Bi's guess. Zhen Bi gasped, swayed, and took two steps back.

Gu Cheng, that cunning and ruthless strategist who could wipe out Yuan Shao's 100,000-strong army in the blink of an eye, was a terrifying figure almost legendary.

This person actually wants to raid the Zhen family!

"Why? My Zhen family has no grudge against Gu Cheng, so why is he treating us like this?" Zhen Biqiang asked, his voice trembling as he steadied himself.

Xu Chu sneered, "Your Zhen family colluded with powerful figures in Xudu to steal my Gu family's salt business in Chong and Yu prefectures. My young master only confiscated your property and didn't exterminate your entire clan; that's already showing mercy!"

Zhen Mi suddenly realized something and shivered violently.

"Zhen Yao, Zhen Yao, you are truly foolish! You want to befriend Cao Bu, but you even dare to try and use Cao Bu's influence to steal business from Gu Cheng. Don't you know his methods?!"

Cold sweat beaded on Zhen Bi's back as she cursed Zhen Yao inwardly. "Fire! The granary is on fire!" a maidservant beside her shouted, pointing to the east side of the manor. Zhen Bi looked up and her face paled; she gasped in shock.

All that could be seen was a raging fire in the direction of the granary, illuminating half the sky. It was clear that the hundreds of thousands of tons of grain stored by the Zhen family had all been set on fire.

Zhen Bi was shocked and hurriedly asked, "Your young master only stole our money, why did he also burn our grain?" Xu Chu coldly replied, "It wasn't my young master who burned your grain, but Cao Cao's men." Zhen Bi was stunned, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Fine, I'll tell you all at once." Xu Chu waved his hand and said, "My young master had already foreseen that Yuan Shang wanted to rely on your Zhen family's grain supplies to help him defend Ye City. So he suggested to Cao Cao that he send light cavalry to launch a surprise attack on my Zhen family, just to burn your grain supplies and completely cut off Yuan Shang's food supply!"

Zhen Bi swayed, her beautiful face paled in shock, and a deep sense of horror appeared in her eyes.

"He even foresaw Yuan Shang's attempt to extort grain from my Zhen family. Is this the wisdom of a strategist? How can there be such a terrifying person in this world..."

She muttered to herself, lost in a daze.

Xu Chu, too lazy to waste any more words, shouted, "Guards, bring this Miss Zhen into the carriage and take her back to the young master."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Bi suddenly awoke, and her beautiful face changed again.

She took three steps back, exclaiming in surprise, "Gu Cheng has already burned the Zhen family's grain and robbed the Zhen family of their wealth. He has achieved his goal, so why does he still need to kidnap me?"

"My young master didn't instruct me to kidnap you, so don't blame him." Xu Chu chuckled. "I just thought Miss Zhen was so beautiful and that she and my young master were a perfect match, so I decided to take it upon myself to bring you back to surprise him."

"You, you, you—" Zhen Mi was both shocked and angry, her pretty face flushed red, not knowing what to do.

Xu Chu's smile vanished, and he said in a deep voice, "Miss Zhen, I'm showing you some respect because you might become the young master's wife in the future. You'd better be sensible and not force me to take action, or don't blame me for being rude!"

Zhen Bi felt ashamed and indignant, but there was nothing he could do.

Given the current situation, she had no choice but to obediently follow Xu Chu south. Zhen Bi bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, then angrily flung her sleeve and walked over. Xu Chu was pleased and laughed, "Miss Zhen is quite sensible. Come on, let's see Miss Zhen to her carriage. We won't be negligent!"

With heavy steps, Zhen Mi left the Zhen family residence and boarded the carriage. Zhang Liao and Xu Chu met up, exchanged a glance, and burst into laughter. The seven hundred horses set off, laden with cartloads of the Zhen family's wealth, heading south. Zhen Bi looked back; the Zhen family residence was already engulfed in flames and thick smoke.