Tiger Guards

Chapter 405 Rolling in the Mud
Qin Yilu rode back to Xudu at full speed and waited at the General's residence until sunset.

As the sun set, Lü Bu returned from the palace, accompanied by a convoy of over a hundred elite guards and imperial guards, ensuring his safety.

Inside the West Pavilion, Lü Bu poured himself a drink and listened to Qin Yilu's story.

Lu Bu frowned deeply: "Yi Lu, what do you think Yuan Si means by this?"

He was deeply puzzled and said to Qin Yilu, who was equally confused, "I was worried that he would send troops without authorization and join forces with Sun Ce to harass Cao Cao. Although I also hate Cao Cao, he raised troops to defend the country against the rebels, so his safety should be guaranteed. Otherwise, if the country is in trouble in the future, people from all directions will surely stand by and do nothing."

Qin Yilu immediately replied, "General, not only the Grand Marshal, but even Sun Quan might withdraw his troops at the Grand Marshal's request. Now, there is no grain in the wilderness of Chen State, and Cao Cao's army of more than 30,000 has entered the territory. They will inevitably fight with Sun Quan, just like the story of Qiao Mao and Liu Dai in the past."

Lu Bu's gaze sharpened: "So, the armies are running out of food, and disaster is imminent?"

Qin Yilu nodded slightly, his expression serious: "The Grand Marshal was considering this matter, which is why he intends to withdraw. With the Grand Marshal's wisdom, he knows that two tigers cannot share one mountain, so why would he contend with the General?"

Having said that, Qin Yilu lowered his head and handed over the final decision to Lü Bu.

Only when the troops are well-fed can they maintain a stable morale and discuss together how to protect the country and quell the rebellion.

If they are starving, their armies will be no less ruthless and violent than Yuan Shu's when they rebel.

The war to protect the country and punish the rebels has reached a critical point. If we encircle and annihilate Yuan Shu in Chen County, then we can pacify Yuan Shu's troops in the various counties of Jianghuai by issuing a proclamation.

If the various armies had fought each other over food supplies before defeating Yuan Shu, the last vestiges of glory of the Han Dynasty would have crumbled, and his prestige as a great general would have been completely lost, making him seem like a monkey wearing a crown.

As the situation continues to deteriorate, it's possible that Yuan Shao, who is not currently involved in the war, will also formally rebel or install the Prince of Pingyuan as emperor.

The current Prince of Pingyuan is very old and is Emperor Huan's younger brother.

Lu Bu pondered for a moment, then asked, "If Yuan Si withdraws his troops to rescue Guanzhong, how will he deal with Sun Ce? Will he appoint Sun Ce as the governor of Qingzhou as agreed?"

Lu Bu was naturally pleased to see Sun Ce go to Qingzhou.

Qingzhou was relatively far from him, but close to Yuan Shao's heartland.

After Sun Ce seized the south bank of the Yellow River, how could he possibly abandon the prime land of Pingyuan on the north bank?

The states of Pingyuan and Jinan alone were enough to make Sun Ce fight to the death with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

Pingyuan and Jinan originally belonged to Qingzhou. By acquiring Pingyuan, Sun Ce could reach Yuan Shao's heart and make contact with Gongsun Zan; while by seizing Jinan, he could put a knife to Cao Cao's waist.

After pondering for a moment and drawing on the information he had gathered over this period, Qin Yilu said, “General, based on my understanding of Sun Ce, even if he intends to withdraw his troops, he values ​​his reputation even more. Without defeating Yuan Shu, Sun Ce will not easily retreat.”

Only by defeating Yuan Shu's main force head-on on the battlefield can Sun Ce's past infamy and injustices be completely cleared.

Qin Yilu was also unsure of the extent of Zhao Ji's influence on Sun Ce, and could only make a rough prediction.

Lü Bu wanted to both decisively defeat Yuan Shu and establish new prestige for himself and the court; he also hoped that the convergence of the various armies would create a balance of power through their interdependence. Under such a balance, Lü Bu, with his better relations with the emperor and high officials, could naturally force the other armies to make concessions.

For example, sending key figures to Korea as hostages would make everything else much easier.

Zhao Ji's withdrawal now leaves Lü Bu feeling powerless, as if his lifeline has been cut off.

Zhao Ji gave the pretext of returning to Guanzhong to rescue it. Uninformed people might believe this and even speculate that Yuan Shao had instigated the Lu Shui Hu rebellion.

Zhao Ji's internal excuse was to avoid a fight between the two tigers. The two sides met several times, but the meetings never ended pleasantly.

To avoid a larger conflict, Zhao Ji made a great sacrifice by giving up the merits and fame that were about to be obtained.

However, Lü Bu judged Zhao Ji by his own standards, believing that Zhao Ji was using a feigned retreat to advance, attempting to gain greater command authority, with the ultimate goal of defeating Yuan Shu and then finding a pretext to beat up Cao Cao.

Lu Bu would be happy to see Cao Cao lose an arm or a leg; but if he killed Cao Cao, he would have to face Yuan Shao sooner, which would be no good.

His troubles were exactly what Zhao Ji wanted to see.

After a moment's thought, Lü Bu said, "I will discuss this matter with Gongtai and Jicai early tomorrow morning. Yilu, go back and rest for now, and go to Ruyang to see Yuan Si tomorrow."

"Here."

Qin Yilu bowed deeply with his hands clasped, took two steps back and then stopped. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Since Wen Yuan was assigned to the Grand Marshal, he has had many interactions with the Grand Marshal and they are exceptionally close."

"Yilu need not concern himself with Wen Yuan's affairs anymore. After this battle, Yilu can govern the people and lead the army to guard a region."

Lu Bu responded, and Qin Yilu bowed again before leaving.

After he left, Lü Bu picked up a cup of wine, intending to drink it himself, but stopped, squinted, and then suddenly tilted his head back and slurped it down in one gulp. Afterwards, he chuckled coldly a few times, got up, and went up the steps to the west pavilion.

Regardless of whether Zhao Ji's move was a strategic retreat, if he wanted to leave, then he should leave. Even without Zhao Ji, he could still defeat Yuan Shu.

Even Cao Cao, without Zhao Ji and Sun Ce, could have been defeated by Yuan Shu and beaten again without much impact.

Lu Bu had considerable experience with hunger, and he knew very well that when food was scarce, people had no morals, laws, or bottom lines; they were all like ferocious beasts.

At that point, it would be foolish to discuss or argue about protecting the country, honoring the emperor, or punishing the rebels.

Only when people are well-fed and able to survive can they talk about political stances. Based on his understanding of Zhao Ji, this expedition to the Central Plains to avenge the King of Chen and to uphold the righteousness of all allies was just propaganda. The rescue of Liu Bei and Xuzhou was also propaganda, meant to deceive ordinary scholars and officials.

Ultimately, Zhao Ji's plan was simply to bring people to eat the grain from the Central Plains, and it would be even better if he could plunder some more people on his way back.

With the heavy rains now, the autumn harvest is on the verge of failure, and Zhao Ji will definitely have to withdraw his troops if they can't get any autumn food.

This shrewd thief would never do a losing business; if he were in his shoes, he would have done the same.

If it weren't for the current flood, given Zhao Ji's thick skin, he wouldn't have been driven away even if you tried. If you pressed him too hard, he would have stayed and eaten the grain from the Central Plains.

In Lü Bu's eyes, Zhao Ji was utterly despicable.

Despite his contempt for Zhao Ji, Lü Bu still trusted Zhao Ji's stance, at least Zhao Ji wouldn't suddenly send troops to attack him.

This is something that Sun Ce, Cao Cao, and Liu Bei could not match. Zhao Ji could even hand over high-ranking officials and the emperor to him, so how could he possibly listen to these people's instigation and send troops to seize them again?

Only figures like Sun Ce, Cao Cao, and Liu Bei still harbored illusions, believing there was a possibility of a sudden attack.

Even if the emperor and high-ranking officials were tied together, in Zhao Ji's eyes, they might not be as important as 100,000 shi of rice and wheat.

On the other hand, Zhao Ji released Sun Yi, who was being held hostage in the army, because he did not believe that his younger brother Sun Yi could threaten Sun Ce.

Since we can't exert any real coercion, we might as well be magnanimous and let Sun Ce go.

After Sun Yi delivered the message, Sun Ce led over a hundred horsemen to see Zhao Ji under cover of night.

Zhao Ji also traveled ten miles outside the camp and met Sun Ce at a roadside outpost.

As the campfire burned, Zhao Ji spread out the map he had brought and pointed towards Xuzhou, saying, "The Si River has swelled, and Liu Xun and Chen Guo's troops have defected and joined forces with Zang Ba, Chang Ba, and Guan Yu's armies, forming a combined force of no less than 50,000. Zhang Xun's troops, stationed on both banks of the Si River, were flooded and suffered a major defeat before even engaging in battle. They have already retreated to Shouchun in Huainan."

Sun Ce listened attentively, pondering the development trend in Xuzhou, and said in a deep voice: "If that's the case, after Liu Xuande joins Liu Xun's various armies and rallies Chen Yuanlong, my brother will also turn against us on the battlefield. In this way, the 100,000-strong army in Xuzhou will be formed and will go up the Huai River to attack Shouchun?"

If he were in his place, he would definitely unite with various armies to seize Shouchun. Huainan is empty, while Shouchun has a large amount of wealth, population, and last reserves of grain.

Capturing the wealth of Shouchun can serve as military funds and stabilize the army; the various hostages within Shouchun can be quickly taken over from Yuan Shu's former troops.

Liu Bei's side was definitely in a position of protecting the country and opposing Yuan Shu, so Liu Bei's persuasion to surrender was not much different from that of Lü Bu and Zhao Ji's persuasion to surrender to Yuan Shu's former subordinates. These people would definitely be inclined to Liu Bei, who was holding relatives and hostages.

If Liu Bei had captured Shouchun and quickly annexed Yuan Shu's former troops, thus establishing such a merit, he would have immediately become a model and example for the imperial clans.

Liu Bei was a student of the Lu School, which made him more recognized by traditional scholars than Lü Bu and Zhao Ji.

Sun Ce dared not imagine what would happen if Liu Bei brought his 100,000 ragtag troops to Chen. With people crowding everywhere, a chaotic battle would break out, and who knows what the outcome would be.

If Sun Ce couldn't seize the wealth and hostages in Shouchun, he would lose all interest in conquering Huainan.

Whether Liu Bei comes to Chen or goes to Huainan, it will become the biggest uncontrollable factor and variable.

As Xuzhou is a close neighbor of Qingzhou, the two sides had a conflict last year, and Sun Ce felt a strong sense of crisis.

As a warlord from outside the imperial family, he instinctively felt wary of and disliked Liu Bei, a powerful figure who rose to prominence overnight.

They were afraid that Liu Bei would repeat the miraculous experiences of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Guangwu.

Seeing that Sun Ce was very sensible, Zhao Ji breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Now Cao Cao's main force will come along the Honggou Canal, and Jibei, Dongping and Jiyin will be undefended. This is Sun Hou's opportunity. Quickly march back to Mount Tai, recapture Jinan, and then calmly divide your forces to pacify Qi and Jiaodong."

Sun Ce also had concerns: "What about the siege of Chen County?"

"I'll surround them."

Zhao Ji smiled as he spoke: "Guan Hai's four troops will remain, using the tactic of increasing the number of cooking fires to disguise Sun Hou's army. I will lead my troops into Chen County, and the General will come to replace me. After about five days, once we have investigated Liu Xuande's actions, if things are not going well, I will withdraw to Xizhou. From now on, I will be in the west, and Sun Hou in the east. With our prime years, we will fight again in the future to determine the fate of the world."

These words were so blunt that they struck a chord with Sun Ce.

Having said that, Sun Ce stopped pretending to be a loyal and meritorious official and nodded, but expressed his concerns: "Without the merit of defeating Yuan Shu, I'm afraid it will be difficult to gain the respect and respect of the officials and people of Qingzhou."

"That's simple, just take Chen County."

Zhao Ji smiled and said, "If Yuan Shu knew that Liu Xun had turned against his own side and Zhang Xun had fled in defeat, why would he be trapped in Chen? Sun Hou has surrounded three sides but is missing one. You and I can set up an ambush halfway and let Yuan Shu return to Shouchun."

Let Yuan Shu go back and cause trouble for Liu Bei, so that everyone has time to develop.

Liu Bei grew too fast. After absorbing Liu Xun, Chen Guobing, and Sun Ben, he became another Yuan Shu who could break the deadlock.

Holding back Liu Bei was not only a consensus among Zhao Ji and Sun Ce, but would soon become a consensus among Cao Cao, Lü Bu, and Liu Ai, the governor of Yangzhou.

As long as they cannot expand rapidly, Liu Xun and Sun Ben, who are temporarily cooperating with Liu Bei, will naturally break away from Liu Bei if they see that their future is limited and they cannot make any profits in the short term.

Parting and reunion are the norm.

(End of this chapter)