The Three Kingdoms: My Wife is a Great and Good Teacher

In summary, Yuan Shao himself did not expect the envoy to come here, which expressed Yuan Shu's intention to join the alliance. The other party also told Yuan Shao about the possible actions and deployments of Dong Zhuo's army in the future.

Moreover, Yuan Shao revealed to Liu Zhaoqing a contract proposed by Yuan Shu. As long as Yuan Shao agreed, he could lead his troops to counterattack directly.

I saw two cups of cold tea not far away.

Judging from the fact that neither of them had time to take a sip of tea, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu's envoys must have been having a very pleasant conversation and did not even have the mind to drink a sip of water.

"What you mean is, Yuan Shu really intends to surrender to Governor Yuan?" Xun Yu asked.

Yuan Shao paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I still can't hide it from Wen Ruo."

"Yes, Gonglu sent someone to tell me that he wants to join the light and show his sincerity... But he is not joining me, but the alliance."

As he spoke, Yuan Shao took a piece of letter paper from the desk in front of him and handed it to Liu Zhaoqing.

It was a handwritten letter from Yuan Shu, in which he told Yuan Shao about the recent events in the Yuan family in the tone of a younger brother. Then, in Yuan Shu's own tone, he expressed his envy of Yuan Shao's freedom to rebel against Dong Zhuo. Finally, he directly explained the deployment of Dong Zhuo's army in Hulao Pass and other places.

"I didn't expect that Dong Zhuo was still dispatching troops to Hulao Pass." Yuan Shao said with a frown.

"But if there is a road to help, there shouldn't be any problem."

She relaxed her brows and smiled.

Liu Zhaoqing looked at Yuan Shao's current appearance and felt that he needed to strike her down.

"Sister Benchu, do you really think Yuan Shu will bow to you?"

Liu Zhaoqing asked: "Don't you think Sister Benchu ​​knows him?"

Xun Yu also nodded and said, "The deployment of Hulao Pass and the subsequent reinforcements of Dong Zhuo do not require secret intelligence. We can investigate it ourselves."

"Grandmaster Yuan, are you trusting Yuan Shu too much?"

Yuan Shao looked puzzled, but then slowly calmed down. After thinking for a moment, she said, "But this is our only chance to reconcile."

"He also knows it, so he uses it." Liu Zhaoqing said.

“Sister Benchu, don’t be fooled.”

Chapter 273: Zhu Jun's old soldier, a chance to defeat Dong 5.1K

Yuan Shao remained silent in response to Liu Zhaoqing's reminder.

"Sister Benchu, how do you think we are better off than Dong Zhuo now?" Liu Zhaoqing asked again.

"We are far superior to Dong Zhuo in terms of popular support, but..."

"In terms of strength, Dong Zhuo's elite troops and equipment are generally better than ours." Liu Zhaoqing said for her, "and because our vanguard troops were defeated by a trick, Dong Zhuo's army is no less morale than ours."

"Dong Zhuo also has the emperor's edict, and in his hands is the entire court. With just a wave of his hand, he can grant anyone from the three dukes, nine ministers, provincial governors, and prefects."

Liu Zhaoqing said this not to boost other people's morale or destroy his own prestige, but to remind Yuan Shao of something.

"No matter how you look at it, Dong Zhuo is the best choice for those who have no sense of justice, far better than the alliance."

"Especially since Dong Zhuo has already defeated us once." Xun Yu also echoed.

"That's right." Liu Zhaoqing nodded, then looked at Yuan Shao: "And Yuan Shu, do you think he is a man of great righteousness, willing to die for the Han Dynasty and the people?"

Yuan Shao: “…”

The candlelight in the tent shone on Yuan Shao's profile. She sat at the desk with her head down, not knowing what she was thinking. After a long while, she sighed.

"That's what Chen Lin, Xu You and the others said."

It seems that Yuan Shao understands this truth, so why is she still in such a state of joy?

Liu Zhaoqing was a little confused, while Xun Yu looked at Yuan Shao in thought for a moment and seemed to understand something.

"Is Governor Yuan worried about the safety of the Yuan family in Luoyang?" Xun Yu asked.

Yuan Shao did not hide it any more and nodded: "My uncle and elder brother are both in Luoyang, serving under Dong Zhuo."

"Although Dong Zhuo is still a disciple of the Yuan family in name, after sitting in such a position, Dong Zhuo will definitely not consider himself a member of the Yuan family anymore."

"Although my uncle is still one of the Three Dukes and my elder brother Yuan Ji also holds an important position, both of them are determined to preserve the prestige of the Yuan family."

"My uncle is the most paranoid. I think even if Dong Zhuo really usurps the throne, he will not leave the capital. Although my eldest brother is not like my uncle, he is also more honest and old-fashioned, and he listens to my uncle very much."

"If our anti-Dong alliance succeeds, at most my uncle and eldest brother will be fired, but their lives will not be in danger."

"But if they fail... Dong Zhuo's power will be overwhelming, and by then there will be no need to compromise with the Yuan family to stabilize the aristocracy and stabilize their own rule."

"And by then, the Yuan family will fall."

The reason why Yuan Shao was willing to reconcile with Yuan Shu was actually to save the Yuan family.

Only this reason would make the proud Yuan Shao willing to bow his head.

But after listening to her, Liu Zhaoqing acknowledged Yuan Shao's desire to value relatives, but he disagreed with her idea.

"Sister Benchu, do you think the current Yuan family in Luoyang is the Yuan family you want?" Liu Zhaoqing asked.

"Of course, after all, my uncle Yuan Wei is the head of the Yuan family." Yuan Shao replied.

"Then why did you leave Luoyang? Leave the Yuan family and embark on a completely different path from your uncle?" Liu Zhaoqing asked the key question.

Yuan Shao was silent again.

"Sister Benchu, the road to pursuing truth is lonely, but also lively. Looking to the future with like-minded people is what you want in your heart, isn't it?"

After Liu Zhaoqing finished speaking, he knew that Yuan Shao would not be able to answer immediately.

Then he continued, "I have also learned from Wen Ruo before. Although the conflict between Sister Benchu ​​and Yuan Shu is not irreconcilable, and there is no deep hatred, but his way is different from yours. Even if there is no deception, you accept him and trust him. Do you think you can get his understanding and true respect for you as his elder sister?"

"Moreover, the act of 'secretly investing' is nothing but a joke in my opinion." Liu Zhaoqing sneered.

"If you really want to rebel against Dong, even those princes who want to gain benefits will know it. At least the slogans should be shouted loudly."

"This kind of 'alliance' is either cheating or trying to hedge its bets."

At this point, if Yuan Shao still didn't understand, then Liu Zhaoqing would have to suspect that she was possessed by something and her intelligence had dropped significantly.

Apparently, Yuan Shao was still in good health. After a long silence, he sighed and finally nodded: "I understand."

Seeing Yuan Shao nod, Liu Zhaoqing felt relieved.

At this time, Xun Yu on the side came up with a good plan.

"I think that although Yuan Shu is not trustworthy, this may be a good opportunity for us to use our counter-espionage strategy."

"Counter-espionage plan?" Yuan Shao looked at Xun Yu.

Liu Zhaoqing immediately said, "Wen Ruo, please tell me quickly."

Originally, after talking with Cao Cao and Liu Bei, Liu Zhaoqing was a little worried about the current coalition forces. If there was a "counter-espionage plan" at this time, it would at least increase the chances of winning a little bit.

Xun Yu did not keep the secret and said bluntly: "Judging from the position Yuan Shu holds, he is still very important in Dong Zhuo's eyes, so he must have a lot of information that we cannot find out, or it is difficult to find out."

"Whether Yuan Shu is pretending to surrender or not, as long as we make good use of his connections and be careful not to be influenced by him, then using him to obtain useful intelligence is a good strategy with almost no cost."

This counter-espionage plan is actually very simple, but it is still a good strategy. It can not only stabilize Yuan Shu, but also gain some benefits without spending too much cost.

After hearing this, Yuan Shao nodded in agreement.

After that, Liu Zhaoqing told Yuan Shao that the key to opposing Dong Zhuo now was to not be disintegrated by Dong Zhuo from within, and then he returned to his camp with Xun Yu.

After they returned, Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao also sent soldiers back to report that no Dong Zhuo troops were found within ten miles of the allied forces' base.

"So it seems that this is really not Dong Zhuo's strategy, but Yuan Shu's own strategy?" Liu Zhaoqing said with a frown after sitting down.

Xun Yu paused for a moment and said, "It is indeed possible, but Yuan Shu is more arrogant than Yuan Shao. Seeing that Yuan Shao has become powerful, he will definitely not go against his usual behavior and join him."

"So it is very likely that this is just Yuan Shu's own strategy."

After thinking for a moment, Liu Zhaoqing nodded: "Anyway, we have already explained it to Yuan Shao."

Speaking of this, Liu Zhaoqing suddenly remembered that before he went to meet Yuan Shao, when he was drinking with Cao Cao, Cao Cao did not classify Yuan Shao as a "hero".

As one of the people who knew Yuan Shao best, Cao Cao should have noticed that Yuan Shao's mentality seemed to be slowly changing.

Now she actually wants to reconcile with Yuan Shu, which is something she would never dare to think of in the past when she was so proud.

Once people with great ambitions get used to compromising, they will get further and further away from their goals.

Liu Zhaoqing somewhat understood Cao Cao's feelings.

However, it was not his turn to worry about what Yuan Shao's future would be like.

After communicating with Xun Yu for a while, Liu Zhaoqing went to bed.

The next day, when Liu Zhaoqing was discussing the follow-up plans with Cao Cao, Yuan Shao and other princes, news came from the front, which made everyone pay attention.

"Leader, we have spies using eagles to see that there are a large number of troops heading towards Hulao Pass to the west!"

"A large amount? How much exactly?" Liu Zhaoqing asked.

"About 20,000 people."

"Twenty thousand?" Guangling prefect Zhang Chao was surprised.

"Didn't Dong Zhuo send troops to guard against the other two allied armies? Why was he able to withdraw 20,000 troops to Hulao Pass?"

This is not good news for the army in the middle.

"If we can recruit soldiers in the rear, so can Dong Zhuo. Moreover, Dong Zhuo controls the entire Sili, with wealth piled up like mountains. With heavy rewards, it will be easy for him to recruit a large number of soldiers." Cao Cao quickly figured out the reason.

"Then these soldiers have not been well trained." Shanyang prefect Yuan Yi said.

"But even if they are not well trained, there are still 20,000 troops, right? After the vanguard troops were wiped out and only a few thousand were left, there are less than 70,000 of us." Zhang Chao broke out in a cold sweat, "If that happens again, we'll be finished."

"What are you afraid of? Lu Bu doesn't have the gift of commanding an army. As long as we capture Lu Bu, even if there are 100,000 soldiers and horses at Hulao Pass, they will be nothing but pigs to be slaughtered." Gongsun Zan said with a raised eyebrow.

Among the princes, each had different personalities. Some were cautious and worried, like Zhang Chao and Tao Qian, while others were more radical, like Gongsun Zan and Cao Cao.

As the leader of the alliance, Liu Zhaoqing needs to mediate the discord among them and coordinate the smooth progress of the alliance.

"Although 20,000 newly recruited soldiers are a large number, they cannot play a decisive role." Liu Zhaoqing said at this time, looking at the soldier who was still kneeling on one knee on the ground in front of him.

"In addition to the soldiers and horses, have you seen any of Dong Zhuo's generals?"

This was a bit difficult for the soldiers, as they didn't know any of Dong Zhuo's generals, not to mention that the person below was just there to deliver a message.

So Liu Zhaoqing's question was not answered.

At the banquet that followed, the princes expressed their opinions. Some thought that they should launch an attack in advance before the reinforcements from Hulao Pass arrived, but some advocated retreating ten miles at a time, and some believed that at this time they should send a talented person who could disguise himself to go to Hulao Pass to find out the news.

These three opinions all have their merits, but they all have limitations.

If we launch the attack in advance, unless we can capture Hulao Pass in one day, Dong Zhuo's troops inside the pass will not have been pinned down by the other two routes, and if we fail to arrive in time, all our efforts will be wasted.

Retreating ten miles was tantamount to giving up the advantageous terrain, which was tantamount to giving up the chance of winning the battle.

It would be safest to send someone to Hulao Pass to gather information, but Hulao Pass had already increased its defenses a lot, and there were soldiers at the gate who were responsible for checking identities, making it difficult to sneak in.

After discussing with Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Liu Bei and others, Liu Zhaoqing decided to let the spies continue to gather information while starting to prepare troops to be ready to respond to possible attacks at any time.

This should have been the safest move, but after most of the princes left, Cao Cao privately expressed his disapproval.

"Meng De thinks we shouldn't do this?" Liu Zhaoqing asked puzzledly.

In addition to Cao Cao and Cao Ren who was by his side, those who stayed behind included Yuan Shao, Xun Yu and Liu Bei.

"I think there is nothing wrong with Zhao Qing's move." Yuan Shao expressed a different opinion.

"There is nothing wrong with it, but it is too safe." Cao Cao said, "Or to put it another way, it is not in line with Zhao Qing's style."

"Not my style?"

"Yes." Cao Cao looked at him and said, "Think about it, would you choose to move forward so steadily in the past?"

"Sister Benchu, Wen Ruo and Liu Bei can also recall it. They should understand what I am talking about."

Yuan Shao, Xun Yu, and Liu Zhaoqing himself immediately understood what Cao Cao meant.

Several people looked at Liu Zhaoqing, who said after a moment's silence, "Indeed, it may be because the anti-Dong movement is so important this time."

"No." Cao Cao shook his head.

"No matter how important it is, it can't be as important as you fighting against the Northern Hu in Changping? That battle concerns your life and death and your future."

"It's because you can't fully control this alliance, and you feel very uneasy."

Cao Cao had a sharp eye and immediately saw the reason why Liu Zhaoqing was so cautious.

Even Liu Bei nodded slightly at this time: "Although Zhao Qing is the leader of the alliance, he can actually mobilize very few resources. If... the more than 70,000 soldiers along the way were all Zhao Qing's own men, Zhao Qing would not be like this."