Tiger Guards

Chapter 354 Yuan Shu Establishes His Name
After Liu Yao's death, his former subordinates joined forces with Sun Ce's former subordinates and went to Yuzhang to rely on Hua Xin.

This time, Yuan Shu had no interest in taking the position of Governor of Yangzhou himself. Instead, he aimed to establish a new order in the southeast that belonged solely to him.

In early April, they held a sacrificial ceremony to Heaven and Earth on the outskirts of Shouchun and established the Zhongjia family.

He did not declare himself emperor, nor was he afraid to do so; perhaps he simply felt it was not the right time.

Establishing an era name without declaring himself emperor was also a form of testing the waters.

The term "Zhongjia Zhongshi" only has meaning when it is used in relation to "Bojia Boshi".

The Bo family, naturally, refers to the Liu family of the emperor. The Liu family is the eldest in the land, and the Yuan family's nobility is thus subordinate to the Liu family.

After adopting this strange reign title, Yuan Shu called himself "朕" (Zhen, meaning "I" or "I"), began to establish a court of ministers and officials, and also established an empress in the harem.

At the same time, he reorganized his army, attempting to launch a pincer attack on Xuzhou by both land and water.

After capturing Xuzhou, Yuan Shu's flank will be safe.

Meanwhile, in Pengcheng, Liu Bei was still lingering on his bed in the morning, playing with Gan's delicate wrist.

Liu Bei doesn't want to move now; if he goes out, he'll face a huge storm stirred up by Yuan Shu.

After breaking free, Lady Gan dressed herself and advised, "My husband should prioritize important matters; how can he indulge in the pleasures of women?"

"Important matters cannot be rushed."

Liu Bei found it rather boring and reached out to grab her, but Gan Shi was prepared and skillfully dodged him, even taking two steps back to create distance.

Seeing this, Liu Bei lay back helplessly: "After Yuan Shu murdered Prince Chen and Liu Yao, he will surely see me as a great threat. I can only deal with whatever moves he makes; it's impossible for me to join forces with Cao Mengde."

This is the bottom line of the faction's stance. Cao Cao cannot be used as an ally. With Cao Cao watching him, Zhang Yang cannot provide support either.

Within Xuzhou, Zang Ba and his group might even support Yuan Shu. The only ones who can be considered stable are Chang Ba and Zhao Fan. Chen Deng is also under great pressure and will most likely hold Guangling to tie down some of Yuan Shu's troops.

He could not surrender, nor could he abandon Xuzhou; all he could do was defend it to the death.

Fortunately, Yuan Shu also needs time to integrate the resources of Chen, Yuzhou, and Jiangdong. Right now, it's just a war of public opinion.

The real decisive battle can only begin in the autumn.

Based on his understanding of Yuan Shu, he knew that Yuan Shu would mobilize all available troops and pour them into Xuzhou in one fell swoop. Even if he couldn't capture the city, he would still consume all the grain outside Xuzhou and completely cripple Liu Bei's war potential.

Besides General Lü Bu, the only one who could save Xuzhou was Grand Marshal Zhao Ji.

Liu Bei has already submitted a memorial to the court and sent envoys to seek help.

The initiative was in the hands of Lü Bu and Zhao Ji, so no matter how anxious he was, how humble he was, or how many times he sent messengers, it was all in vain.

Instead of being anxious, it's better to enjoy this moment of tranquility.

Lady Gan remained silent. Upon hearing footsteps outside, she bowed to Liu Bei and left through the side door.

Before long, Shi Ren, who was on duty outside, spoke up: "My lord, General Yun Chang requests an audience."

After Sun Ce abandoned Pengcheng, Zhao Ji intervened, appointing Guan Yu as the Chancellor of Pengcheng and a Lieutenant General; Zhang Fei had previously held the position of Prefect of Taishan and was appointed as a Deputy General.

Liu Bei put on his outer robe and stepped out of his bedroom. He saw Guan Yu pacing back and forth outside the door and asked, "Why is Yun Chang so anxious?"

"I dare not be in a hurry."

Guan Yu bowed, and Liu Bei raised his hand without saying a word, leading Guan Yu to a seat in a side hall: "Have you come about Yuan Shu?"

"Yes, I have heard that Yuan Shu offered sacrifices to Heaven and Earth in the suburbs, established the Zhong clan, set up ancestral temples and officials, and presumptuously used the rites of the emperor."

Guan Yu recounted the information he had just received, and Liu Bei frowned: "Really?"

Even if it's fake, it won't be too far off.

Guan Yu said in a deep voice, his eyes fixed on Yuan Shu, “Yuan Shu’s rebellious behavior is obvious. The court has no reason to sit idly by or tolerate this! Please prepare the troops so that we can be ordered to punish the traitor in the future.”

Liu Bei was also invigorated; he truly hadn't expected Yuan Shu to dare to do such a thing.

If Yuan Shu continues to hold the title of General of the Left, both Lü Bu and Zhao Ji will tolerate him and will not bother to provoke him unless absolutely necessary.

Although Zhao Ji had made a new peace oath with the King of Chen, it was a defensive alliance. The King of Chen was assassinated and the country was destroyed. The state of Chen was finished. Where was there any room to fulfill the alliance?
As Liu Bei and Guan Yu were discussing, Jian Yong and Mi Zhu arrived together, looking uneasy.

The two men bowed, but Liu Bei felt something was amiss. Seeing the two men looking at each other with troubled expressions, Liu Bei said, "Speak, what is it?"

Mi Zhu cupped his hands and said, "My lord, a report has come from Liang that Yuan Shu has mobilized all the troops of Chen and sent General Zhang Xun to lead four routes—Qiao Rui, Chen Ji, Yue Jiu, and Li Feng—to come along the Bian River, intending to march straight towards Pengcheng."

"What else?"

This time it was Jian Yong's turn. Jian Yong replied: "Chen Yuanlong sent an urgent message. Yuan Shu appointed Liu Xun of Langya as general and led the armies of Lianghuai to assemble in Shouchun. He intends to travel along the Huai River and then up the Si River to join forces with Zhang Xun to attack Xuzhou from both sides."

Liu Bei clenched his fist, maintaining his composure: "Yuan Shu actually underestimates me so much?"

Jian Yong added, “Jiangdong has just surrendered, and Yuan Shu has appointed Sun Ben as general, who will lead the navy to cross the sea, circle around Guangling, and directly attack Donghai and Langya.”

Liu Bei had no objections now, as he had already suffered a major loss from having his base raided by Sun Quan's naval and land forces.

If a battle were to take place, troops would definitely need to be stationed in Langya and Donghai for defense. This means that Zang Ba and Chang Ba's groups could only assist in defending the coast and could not help him break through the enemy's defenses head-on.

We cannot rely on Chen Deng. Although we share the same ideals with Chen Deng, we cannot expect a friend like Chen Deng to risk his life for him with the clan's property.

Chen Deng's ability to withstand internal pressure and hold out in Guangling without surrendering willingly or unwillingly is already a testament to the friendship and bond they share.

This also means that Liu Bei can only use his own troops to fight against the two armies of Zhang Xun and Liu Xun.

After merging with and incorporating some of Sun Ce's scattered soldiers, Liu Bei's main force now numbers just over 20,000.

If Pengcheng and Xiapi are defended separately, Liu Xun and Zhang Xun can be blocked respectively, preventing the enemy from joining forces.

However, this would leave both battlefields at a disadvantage in terms of troop strength, leaving little room for maneuver in open field operations to defeat the enemy.

The side hall quieted down; what Liu Bei lacked most was a strategist to plan his strategy.

Liu Bei and Guan Yu could figure out how to fight without suffering losses, but they remained at the stage of brute force and plunder; they lacked experience in clever tactics.

At this moment, Liu Bei inexplicably missed Chen Qun.

Now it's Yuan Shu. After defeating Yuan Shu, who will be the next one?
Was it an alliance of Cao Cao and Sun Ce, or an alliance of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Sun Ce?

Guan Yu could only act as a strategist at the moment, advising Liu Bei: "Yuan Shu's troops are advancing swiftly downstream. Please send another messenger to request the Grand General and Grand Marshal to provide assistance."

Jian Yong also spoke up: "Since the assassination of the King of Chen and the fall of his kingdom, and the death of Liu Yao and the loss of his territory, two of the five major vassal states in the empire have been lost. Those with foresight in the court will surely urge the Grand General and the Grand Marshal to actively send troops to rescue them."

Mi Zhu simply bowed deeply with his hands clasped, expressing his urgency.

Liu Bei also got up, his previous composure completely gone, and paced back and forth.

After a moment, he looked at Jian Yong and said, "Send envoys to Cao Mengde and Sun Bofu immediately to draft documents explaining the advantages and disadvantages to them. If Xuzhou falls into the hands of rebels and traitors, they will be next. It's a matter of mutual dependence, and we can hardly escape it. I don't expect them to send troops to help us in the war; just don't disturb my peace. After the war, I will report their merits to the court."

Cao Cao was on the court's blacklist, and Sun Ce was also on the blacklist. On the surface, their representative was Yuan Shao.

Jian Yong bowed deeply and said, "Yes, sir."

He immediately turned and hurried away to select a suitable envoy and draft documents.

Liu Bei then said, "I am not worried about Liu Xun or Zhang Xun, but about Sun Ben."

Mi Zhu bowed again and said, "I will immediately organize a fleet to go to sea and explain to Sun Ben the great cause of the nation."

A cargo ship laden with valuables should be able to persuade Sun Ben to give it some leeway.

It wasn't that Sun Ben was particularly greedy, but rather that there was no benefit for him to voluntarily go ashore to fight.

In terms of vying for credit, can you outdo Zhang Xun and Liu Xun?
If you can't win in a direct confrontation, why risk going ashore to fight?

Why not find a place to moor the boat, tie down Liu Bei's follow-up troops, fish around, and then add icing on the cake after Zhang Xun and Liu Xun win the main battle?
For Sun Ben, if Liu Bei severely injured or crippled either Liu Xun or Zhang Xun, it would only be beneficial, not harmful.

Because of Sun Ce, Sun Ben had to prove his importance to Yuan Shu.

Sun Ben would only be in danger if Yuan Shu had a wealth of talented people under his command.

"Alright, I will write a letter and send it to Sun Ben along with the letter."

Liu Bei guessed what Mi Zhu wanted to do, and Guan Yu immediately went to grind ink for Liu Bei.

Not long after, Liu Bei wrote a sincere letter and handed it to Mi Zhu to handle.

Whether it will work or not depends on Sun Ben's own conscience and vision.

After Mi Zhu left, Guan Yu said, "Perhaps we can invite Sun Ce to go south."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei slowly nodded: "I also have such a plan, but it depends on Sun Ce's decision."

After Liu Yao died, his former subordinates and many of Sun Ce's friends and acquaintances withdrew from Jiangdong and went to join Hua Xin, the governor of Yuzhang Commandery.

Hua Xin was on the side of the imperial court, which meant that Sun Ce had transferred the family members and hostages of the officers to the imperial court.

Yuan Shao couldn't find Sun Ce's weakness, and the two sides couldn't trust each other, so Sun Ce must have been very uneasy.

As for Sun Ce's bad past, it can only be ignored at this moment.

After all, with Xuzhou gone, Sun Ce will definitely be the next target!

Sun Ce, even more so than most scholars and officials in Xuzhou, hoped that Liu Bei could defeat Yuan Shu and curb Yuan Shu's unprecedented expansion and rise.

If Yuan Shu were to defeat Liu Bei and acquire the regions of Xu, Huai, Wu, Yue, Ru, Ying, Liang, and Pei within six months, it would cause a huge upheaval in the hearts and minds of the people in the Central Plains.

When people rushed to join and attach themselves to Yuan Shu, it was either fate or destiny.

At that time, Yuan Shu, who established his own title but did not declare himself emperor, would naturally complete the final procedure.

Perhaps the reason he isn't proclaiming himself emperor now is because he wants to seize the emperor and then hold an abdication ceremony before declaring himself emperor.

(End of this chapter)