Tiger Guards

Chapter 343 Critical Survival

As February drew to a close, Yuan Shu failed to conquer Jiangdong, and Huainan suffered a severe famine.

With officials and commoners forced to catch fish, shrimp, crabs, and clams to stave off hunger, Yuan Shu was naturally unable to maintain his offensive.

Fortunately, he had a lot of experience in dealing with such a predicament. After the army was disbanded, they dispersed to find food to cope with the famine.

The officials and people under his rule could make do, but how could Yuan Shu and his civil and military officials endure such humiliation?
Because of Sun Ce, Danyang and Wu Commandery were completely lost, as well as a small part of Yuzhang. This means that even if Yuan Shu were willing to pay money, he would not be able to purchase grain and supplies from the Danyang and Wu Commandery regions.

In addition, the famine victims from Qiao and Pei last year emptied Pei's grain reserves ahead of schedule.

This caused the food crisis under Yuan Shu's command to not only break out ahead of schedule, but also affected Yuan Shu himself.

They thought that if they held on a little longer, they might be dragging Liu Yao down.

Liu Yao's good friend and key minister, Xu Shao of Runan, also passed away last year. After experiencing the Yuzhang turmoil, Liu Yao's power has become increasingly weak.

However, Sun Ce's departure from Jiangdong and subsequent rebellion forced his uncles Wu Jing, Sun Jing, and Zhu Zhi, who remained in Jiangdong, to raise troops to welcome and submit to Liu Yao, thus reviving Liu Yao's power.

The imperial court summoned Wang Lang, the governor of Kuaiji Commandery, to court, and Kuaiji Commandery also fully supported Liu Yao.

Therefore, Liu Yao survived and was not dragged down as Yuan Shu had predicted.

Originally, if Liu Yao had been defeated, Yuan Shu and the officials and people of Huainan could have eaten Liu Yao's corpse to survive the famine.

What could Yuan Shu do when the war situation did not develop as he wished?
Liu Bei was a tough nut to crack, and Chen Deng was equally stubborn; they had just fought a war last year, and Yuan Shu was unwilling to bow down and borrow grain from Liu Bei and Chen Deng.

There was also Hua Xin, the new governor of Yuzhang, a large prefecture. He was appointed in a time of crisis, and was elected governor by the people of Yuzhang and also received the approval of the imperial court.

Ke Huaxin was known for neglecting administrative affairs when he governed Yuzhang.

Hua Xin was lax about matters such as money, grain, and conscription, basically allowing the counties of Yuzhang to govern themselves.

Under these circumstances, the people of Yuzhang naturally supported Hua Xin.

Even if Hua Xin wanted to help you by recruiting soldiers or procuring supplies, she was powerless to do so.

After searching around, Yuan Shu had no choice but to borrow grain from the Prince of Chen.

Pei Xiang Shu Shao, who had voluntarily opened his granaries to distribute grain last year, also volunteered to go to Chen State to visit Prime Minister Luo Jun and request to borrow grain.

At this time, only half a month had passed since the riots in Xuchang, and Lü Bu had already led the officials and people to march towards Nanyang in a small, ant-like manner.

The refugees and displaced people of Ruying followed the army to migrate. Even the refugees from Liangpei and Huainan, upon hearing the news, headed west, attempting to seek refuge in Jingzhou with the imperial court and find food to fill their stomachs.

Even many of the old and new disaster victims from the State of Chen followed the migration.

After all, the chaos in the Central Plains was becoming increasingly apparent. Compared to the meager rations that the Chen Kingdom needed to make a living, it was better to trek to Jingzhou and risk one's life.

When Shu Shao and his dozen or so riders arrived at the capital of Chen, there were still many disaster victims who had traveled back and forth through Chen to gather outside Chen County to receive relief.

These disaster victims may rest for a while before continuing their journey.

The mass migration of disaster victims in the Central Plains made Shu Shao feel very uncomfortable, though he found it somewhat difficult to accept emotionally.

Upon entering the city, Shu Shao bathed and then paid homage to Luo Jun.

The Prime Minister's residence, in the back courtyard of his private residence.

Luo Jun sat in the main seat, flipping through the letters from He Kui, Yuan Huan, and others, his face troubled: "Bo Ying, it's not that I'm unwilling, but the country's grain reserves are insufficient. Now that the General is leading the troops to conquer Jingzhou, the country's grain reserves must be used for daily relief to disaster victims, as well as to support the army and prepare for war."

Shu Shao waved his hand as he listened: "General, as you lead your troops south to the land of Jingchu, the only ones who can threaten the State of Chen are Cao Mengde and my lord Yuan Gonglu. My lord Yuan Gonglu is upright and will always repay kindness. Having received the favor of the King of Chen, how could he possibly raise an army to rebel? Even if Cao Mengde personally leads his troops to invade, given my lord's character, in order to repay the King of Chen's kindness, he will surely gather his officers and soldiers to fight him."

Shu Shao spoke with threatening words, yet his tone was full of delight: "In this way, regardless of whether my lord wins or loses, Cao Mengde will have no power to invade. In this way, without the trouble of the Chen army and people, we can keep the enemy outside the country's gates. What a blessing!"

Luo Jun simply nodded slowly. In terms of personality, Yuan Shu was indeed this straightforward and righteous, with a strong sense of public duty. Sometimes, when making decisions, he was not entirely fixated on gains and losses, much like a chivalrous knight.

Therefore, by providing Yuan Shu with emergency supplies, Yuan Shu gained face. If Cao Cao were to actually send troops to seize Chen, Yuan Shu would certainly want to save face and would come to fight Cao Cao.

If this matter is handled well, Yuan Shu will continue to lend grain, and with a stable reputation, people will also lend grain.

Although Luo Jun agreed with Shu Shao's theory, he said with difficulty, "Bo Ying, have you not seen what happened to Liu Jingsheng of Jingzhou? Since the court moved to Xuchang, Liu Jingsheng has transported more than three million shi of grain. Even with the court's justice, it could not stop the general from taking the opportunity to attack and seize Jingchu."

"Our Chen state has no fewer than 50,000 armored soldiers, so why should we entrust the safety of the nation to the single thought of the Left General?"

Luo Jun said, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect: “It’s not that we don’t trust General Zuo’s character, but rather that we have learned from Liu Jingsheng’s example. There is much discussion in our country, and everyone feels that he was wronged and that it was not worth it. If I agree to this matter, what can I do if the people and officials in the country do not allow it? This is the sentiment of the people, and I cannot change it.”

Seeing this, Shu Shao did not press the matter: "May I ask King Chen? I wish to persuade King Chen in person."

"Let's stop here," Luo Jun advised. "If we stop here, then when Prince Chen and General Zuo serve as ministers in the same court in the future, we can meet again."

Seeing this, Shu Shao could only sigh, "Now that we have abandoned the State of Chen, who can help Huainan overcome this calamity?"

Luo Jun remained unmoved, which meant that Yuan Shu's attack on Jiangdong had failed.

If successful, the problem of military provisions will be solved immediately; even if it is not completely solved, and they continue to borrow provisions from the Chen state, they will then use the Luo Jun family and villagers as hostages.

Over the years, I've watched Yuan Shu being driven out of Nanyang, repeatedly vying with Cao Cao for control of Yan and Yu provinces, and only after his defeat did he flee to Huainan.

While Yuan Shu certainly had a righteous side, the damage he caused as he traveled to various places far outweighed any glimmer of brilliance in his character and style of conduct.

Luo Jun's words also make a lot of sense. Without food, Yuan Shu was no longer able to summon or mobilize his army, and the threat to the State of Chen was very low.

After dragging on for about half a year, Yuan Shu's influence greatly declined, and he was no match for the State of Chen.

Why would Chen Guo waste his precious grain to help Yuan Shu prolong his life?
If Yuan Shu survives this, he might have a good meal and then attack the State of Chen.

Just like now, Yuan Shao is using the military rations provided by Han Fu to plot against Ji Province; and the court and Lü Bu are using Liu Biao's rations to get through the difficult winter before turning back to fight Liu Biao.

Were Han Fu and Liu Biao wrong?

There's nothing wrong with that; one was an act of righteous alliance, and the other was an act of loyalty and valor by the imperial family.

The mistake was that the food supply was too abundant; Yuan Shao and Lü Bu should have been allowed to starve, just enough to keep them from dying.

How could Chen Guo make a similar mistake in the same situation?
Seeing Luo Jun's resolute attitude, Shu Shao had no choice but to leave Chen and ride back to Shouchun.

Chen County and Shouchun are not far apart; a messenger on horseback can easily reach them in two days.

For an envoy like Shu Shao, it took three days to arrive.

The food shortage crisis has affected Yuan Shu himself. Hundreds of his concubines have no choice but to pick unripe mulberries in the mulberry garden to eat, as they cannot wait for the mulberries to fully ripen.

During this critical time, Yuan Shu lived in the military camp and worked with his officers and soldiers to build a dam and catch fish on the Fei River outside the city.

Beside the Fei River dam, Yuan Shu, his clothes worn and tattered, sat under the shade of a tree with his sleeves rolled up and trousers undone: "The people of Chen despise me and refuse to believe me. Gentlemen, what should I do?"

When it came to the state of Chen, Yuan Huan remained silent. If he really messed things up in Chen, his family and fellow villagers would also suffer.

He could write to Chen to persuade them to borrow grain, but he wouldn't offer any advice at a time like this.

After Yuan Shu inquired, Yan Xiang and Yang Hong offered their suggestions.

Yuan Shu's cousin, He Kui, also spoke up, saying, "The generals under the King of Chen each possess strong armies, yet they are unable to achieve anything in this chaotic world and are all frustrated and unfulfilled. I have heard that after the King of Chen appointed Zhao Ji's second elder brother, Zhao Yuan, as Left General, the generals of Chen are even more dissatisfied."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu's eyes widened: "Who is Zhao Yuan? How dare he be appointed as Left General?"

He was the Left General of the Han Empire, while Zhao Yuan was the Left General of the Chen Kingdom; they were not of the same rank, but both were Left Generals.

He Kui continued calmly, “The entire state of Chen is now dependent on King Chen. Luo Jun comes from Jiangdong and is of humble origin. His reputation is insufficient to stabilize the state. In my opinion, Chen is currently heavily fortified and may already be planning to exterminate us. In such a critical situation, we must not be bound by any means.”

Yuan Shu nodded: "Yes, they refuse to lend us grain, intending to starve us. If I'm not mistaken, after their summer harvest, they will send troops down the Huai River to attack our army."

General Zhang Xun rose to his feet, cupped his hands in a furious voice, and declared, "My lord, we will fight to the death against him!"

Ji Ling also stood up and expressed his opinion, saying that if they delayed until three months later when Chen sent troops, they would be so hungry that they could not even wear armor. By then, the officers and soldiers would have collapsed, the soldiers would have no will to fight, and they would only have death as their only option.

Others also volunteered to join the fight and expressed their support.

The situation in the Central Plains was already quite clear: Lü Bu was leading the court to Nanyang to conquer Jingzhou, Zhang Yang was in Chenliu and Henan, and Cao Cao was in Jiyin and Jibei.

There was no powerful force left that could restrain Prince Chen, and Prince Chen had also witnessed the weakness and incompetence of the court.

If Prince Chen were to break free from the constraints imposed on him by the scholars and launch a military campaign specifically to attack Huainan, then Liu Yao would certainly send troops to join the fray.

Chen Deng from Guangling also came to join the fun; if things go wrong, we might all be doomed.

At times like this, all you can do is fight with all your might.

We can't delay any longer; the army still has the strength to take action.

If this drags on any longer, and Chen Wang, Liu Yao, Chen Deng, Liu Bei, and others form an alliance, then Huainan will be in danger.

As for Cao Cao, it will be people like Cao Cao who will kick someone when they're down!
(End of this chapter)