Tiger Guards

Chapter 214: Three-Party Dilemma
Shanyang, Yanzhou, Dongmincheng.

The imperial envoy arrived and brought Lü Bu three golden seals and an imperial edict, including the titles of Governor of Yuzhou, General Zhendong, and Marquis of Meng.

Even Chen Gong was given an official position and was appointed as the prime minister of Chen State by the court.

Chen Wang Liu Chong transferred the prime minister Luo Jun, whom he had appointed, to the position of prime minister of Liang State, and appointed Zhang Liao as the governor of Runan County and Wei Yue as the governor of Yingchuan County.

He also appointed Xu Si, a native of Xiangyang, as prime minister of Pei State, and Wang Kai, a native of Dongjun, as prime minister of Lu State. These two men were originally Cao Cao's attendants and colleagues of Chen Gong. They followed Chen Gong to welcome Lü Bu into Yanzhou.

This time, under Zhao Ji's leadership, Lu Bu's control over Yuzhou was comprehensively strengthened, and Chen Gong's strength was also enhanced.

Now in Lu Bu's army, Lu Bu's own troops have only more than 2,000 people, and the rest of the troops are under the command of Chen Gong, Zhang Liao and others.

If we don't count the generals who were subordinate to Lu Bu, Chen Gong had no less than 5,000 Yanzhou soldiers under his command, which was more than Lu Bu.

Even if the troops of Zhang Liao and other generals were included, Lu Bu's total military strength could only barely surpass Chen Gong's.

Fighting a war cannot be judged simply by the number of troops, but the actual number of troops under one's control is a reflection of one's status.

Lu Bu was extremely delighted by the generous reward from the court this time.

However, due to drought and locust plagues, his entire army was in an even more difficult situation.

If it weren't for the fact that it was easier to starve to death if he left the large military group, his army would have collapsed long ago.

Therefore, the 200,000 dan of military rations and equipment promised by Yuan Shu really made Lu Bu excited.

Therefore, while welcoming the imperial envoy and accepting his official position, Lu Bu also gathered all the generals to discuss this difficult issue together.

If we agree to Yuan Shu's plan to launch a surprise attack on Xuzhou, the entire army will be able to immediately be relieved of their hardship and have enough food to eat.

Now not only the army is starving, but the families of the generals are also living a tight life.

If the army mutinied or collapsed due to hunger, they would not be able to eat, let alone their lives.

Lu Bu has very little room for choice. If he makes a wrong move, he will be destroyed immediately.

Should he unite with the other Liu brothers to attack Yuan and Cao, or unite with Yuan Shu to attack Liu Bei?

Since Yuan Shu began to mobilize troops at the end of May, Liu Bei also brought Guan Yu and joined forces with Chen Deng to Xuyi, confronting Yuan Shu on the south bank of the Huai River on the north bank.

Yuan Shu's offensive was unsuccessful and he became increasingly anxious, so he sent an envoy to urge Lu Bu to send troops.

Before this, Chen Gong had taken the initiative to discuss and request this grain from Yuan Shu; but at present, the grain has not been seen, which is why Lu Bu hesitated.

He was afraid that Yuan Shu would break his promise after he sent troops to attack Liu Bei; Yuan Shu was also worried that after giving food in advance, Lu Bu would be more confident to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between the two tigers, and might even have the arrogant idea of attacking Shouchun.

It would not be surprising for Lu Bu, who was full, to do anything strange.

In this atmosphere, as Chen Gong explained the positions of the court and various parties, Zhang Liao, who was stationed outside to eat, also understood.

If we listen to the court, we will have to turn around and attack Cao's army in Pei, Liang, Runan and Yingchuan.

If he listened to Yuan Shu, he would go against the court's arrangements, become enemies with Liu Bei, and from then on join forces with Yuan Shu.

As the third-ranked person in the army, Zhang Liao is not in a hurry to express his opinion.

Without waiting for Lü Bu to inquire, Chen Gong continued, "Yuan Shu and Liu Bei are currently stalemates in Xuyi and Huaiyin, refusing to engage in battle. In my opinion, there are two reasons for this. First, the weather is hot and unbearable. Second, Lü Hou has held his troops still, and Yuan Shu is hesitant to engage in a decisive battle. If Lü Hou obeys the imperial edict and marches to Yuzhou, Yuan Shu will undoubtedly engage Liu Bei."

Lü Bu's face suddenly dawned on him. "No wonder Liu Bei's messenger, knowing I was short of food, kept refusing to lend me the grain."

He said with a look of anger: "The court asked me to unite the Liu brothers to rectify the world, why is Liu Bei so stingy?"

He felt that he was being used by Liu Bei, and that Liu Bei did not pay him.

Does Liu Bei want to fight Yuan Shu now?

As his foothold in Xuzhou was not yet stable, Liu Bei certainly did not want to fight a decisive battle with Yuan Shu.

If Lu Bu was stuck between Liang and Pei, Yuan Shu would not dare to devote all his strength to attacking Xuzhou.

Even if only the news of Lu Bu's advance towards Shouchun reached the front line, with the precedent of Cao Cao's Yanzhou incident, Yuan Shu's armies would inevitably be shaken!
With such a reputation, Yuan Shu had to be wary.

If Yuan Shu could use food to lure Lu Bu to attack Xuzhou and repeat the Yanzhou story with Liu Bei, he would make a lot of money.

But the court had other plans. They wanted to use Yuzhou as a stage and let Lu Bu re-enact the story of Yanzhou.

Lu Bu didn't like being used by Liu Bei like this. The issue of withheld wages brought back many bad memories for him.

When it comes to asking for wages, Lu Bu has his own rich experience in dealing with it.

After his anger subsided, Lu Bu instantly had a more accurate positioning of himself. He only had one chance to attack.

Yuzhou, Xuzhou and the wealthy Huainan, as long as he succeeds in taking them, he will be able to gain a firm foothold and become the leader of the world.

After calming down, Lü Bu turned and asked, "If I abandon Shanyang and march towards the area between Ru and Ying, will Prince Chen support me? And how much food can Liu Bei provide?"

Chen Gong breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this. He wanted to persuade Lu Bu to save Zang Hong, but it was impossible.

But as long as they pursued Cao Cao and completely conquered Yuzhou, there was still some hope of rescuing Zang Hong. Chen Gong calmly explained, "Xuzhou has its own imperial envoys mediating. In my opinion, we can obtain 50,000 dan of rice and 3,000 Danyang soldiers."

Lu Bu narrowed his eyes and asked, "Danyang soldiers?"

"Yes, the imperial army has been completely wiped out, and after returning to Luoyang, we intend to organize and train a new army."

Chen Gong recalled the court envoy's remarks and added, "So the envoy will persuade Liu Bei and Liu Yao to recruit Danyang troops for the court. If Liu Bei complies, this first Danyang army will set out from Xiapi, escorting provisions for our army. When our army takes Yuzhou, the Danyang troops will accompany us to assist. After we pacify Ruying and connect Wanluo, the Danyang troops can then ascend Luo and defend the emperor."

Due to their different origins, the Danyang soldiers had their own unique style and characteristics, and Lu Bu had no intention of forcibly annexing them.

The Danyang soldiers only need to negotiate the price and there is no need to engage in any fighting.

If there is money to pay the soldiers, the Danyang soldiers will be very stable; if there is no money and no food, the Danyang soldiers will immediately disintegrate, flee, or defect.

To persuade Lü Bu to attack Yuzhou, Chen Gong shouted, "Liu Biao of Jingzhou has sent 5,000 troops with food and fodder to Luodu to repair the palace. If our army can capture Ruying and Nanyang, we can obtain Jingzhou's rice. From then on, with the support of Jingchu, we can hold our own against Yuan Shao. Cao Cao and his ilk are trapped in this small corner of Yanzhou, living in constant fear. Sending a small general will be enough to defeat them!"

These words were so powerful that all the generals present at the table were moved.

They have already made enemies with Cao's army. If the Liu family unites and they become the sharpest knife, there would be nothing wrong with that.

Although fighting is hard, it can also strengthen our strength and fill our stomachs.

It's better than now, which may collapse at any time.

If the army collapses or mutinis, their heads will be very valuable. After the mutinous soldiers chop off their heads, they can be taken to Cao Cao, Yuan Shu, or even Liu Bei in exchange for rewards, food, or official positions.

Xu Si, Wang Kai, Li Feng and other followers of Chen Gong were all present at the table, whispering to each other with those around them. Amid the buzz of discussion, people were nodding everywhere.

Lu Bu looked around and still felt reluctant to leave the wealth of Xuzhou.

Seeing Lü Bu's expression, Chen Gong said, "The imperial court will soon return to Luodu. From now on, no one in the world will be able to control states or counties. This time, the imperial court has united with the Liu family, and their target is Cao Cao. Why? Because they also control Yan and Yu."

Chen Gong bowed to Lü Bu and said, "Marquis Lü has obtained the two counties of Ru and Ying, and will be here to protect the imperial court. With your extraordinary merits, if you serve the emperor and help him eliminate the treacherous ministers from all directions, your name will be remembered for eternity. I hope you will understand this."

Lu Bu raised his hand to support himself, and was also thinking seriously. As a man from a border county, he naturally had a dream of becoming a general or a Sima.

As for whether to record the affairs of the Shangshu, it was not that important to Lu Bu.

He defeated Cao Cao, seized Yuzhou, and served as a defensive vassal for Luodu; then he entered the court as a general, leaving his name in history...

The path is very clear in front of us. Only by capturing Ruying can we obtain additional horses from Zhang Yang and Zhao Ji nearby.

As for the Xu and Huai factions, they retreated and let Yuan Shu and Liu Bei fight each other for a long time.

Anyway, Chen Gong was the prime minister of the State of Chen, and his men were in charge of the States of Pei and Lu. When Yuan Shu and Liu Bei were about to decide the winner, Chen Gong would go over to balance the power and suppress the stronger party. Wouldn't it be easy to stabilize the areas of Xu and Huai?
The flanks are stable, and Liu Biao is providing food behind them. Just as Chen Gong said, the real enemy should be Yuan Shao.

And Cao Cao is no longer qualified to be his enemy.

If you follow the correctly planned route, you can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Lü Bu could almost see a bright future, and immediately went to Zhang Liao: "Wenyuan, what do you think?"

"General, you shouldn't ask about gains and losses. I believe that obeying the emperor's orders is the duty of an official."

Zhang Liao bowed solemnly and said, "If I can get the help of Prince Chen, why should I fear Cao Cao?"

Anyway, Zhang Liao was unwilling to accept his defeat in the Battle of Yanzhou.

If there is food, it is still unclear who will win or lose.

If Cao Cao had not received the reinforcements and food provided by Yuan Shao, he would have been defeated long ago.

Zhang Liao still wanted to fight with Cao's army again. Lu Bu laughed when he heard this and went to look at Gao Shun, Wei Yue, Cheng Lian, Hao Meng and others, all of whom looked excited.

Even if there is no food at the moment, as long as they follow the right path, the Liu family will provide them with food under the imperial edict.

For example, Liu Bei and Zhao Ji remotely controlled the court and explicitly requested that food be delivered to Lu Bu, that three thousand Danyang soldiers be allocated, and that Yuzhou be opened up to provide Liu Bei with additional horses... In this situation, how much choice did Liu Bei have?

Yuan Shu was worried that Lu Bu would cause trouble in Yanzhou in Huainan, but wasn't Liu Bei afraid?
Just spend some money to get rid of Lu Bu, and then Liu Bei can roll up his sleeves and fight Yuan Shu.

Behind Liu Bei was his disciple Yuan Tan of Qingzhou, and behind Yuan Shu was Sun Ce, the son of a former official who led troops to attack the lands of Jiangdong, Wu and Yue.

When Lu Bu, the ferocious tiger that was almost driven mad by hunger, turned around to bite Cao Cao, Yuan Shu and Liu Bei would naturally go all out.

The deadlock that trapped the three parties was easily untied by Zhao Ji who was training troops in Jinyang.

Lu Bu's capture of Xuzhou would certainly make the development of the 'main line' consistent with Zhao Ji's understanding, making it easier for him to continue slacking off.

But my influence is growing, and I cannot avoid it. It is useless to avoid it.

The real enemies at present are Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. We must unite and mobilize all forces to besiege the Yuan-Cao group and curb their development, so as to buy time for our own development.

He was in no mood to challenge the complete versions of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

(End of this chapter)