Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 123 There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests.

Let's say,

Yuan Shao personally led a large army, full of murderous intent, straight towards Ye City.

Although the Black Mountain Army was brave, they were nothing more than a group of ruthless bandits.

Faced with the bloodthirsty Yuan Shao and his ferocious generals and soldiers, they were no match for him.

Yuan Shao swiftly recaptured Ye City like a whirlwind sweeping away fallen leaves.

And during this process, he also received an unexpected surprise from Tao Sheng.

Tao Sheng was originally a county official in Neihuang County. After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he joined the uprising.

However, his influence was not great, so he joined the Black Mountain Army and became a member of the Black Mountain Army, calling himself "General Who Pacifies Han".

After the chaos in Ye City, Yuan Shao and the families of his soldiers, who should have become important bargaining chips for the Black Mountain Army, were actually personally protected by Tao Sheng, a Black Mountain bandit, and sent to Chiqiu.

After learning that their families were safe and sound, Yuan Jun and his men finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As for Tao Sheng, Yuan Shao generously appointed him as "General of Jianyi".

And so, Tao Sheng, a handsome young man, went from being a bandit in the Black Mountain to becoming a general in Yuan Shao's regular army.

It should be noted that Zhang Yan, the commander-in-chief of the Black Mountain Army, was only a "General in Charge of Pacifying the Troops," while Tao Sheng became his equal after just one betrayal.

It has to be said that if you want to get promoted quickly, you still have to switch jobs!

Although the family members were saved, they still had to swallow their anger!
Moreover, the Black Mountain Army is always causing trouble behind our backs, which is not a long-term solution.

Therefore, Yuan Shao gathered his troops and vowed to fight the Black Mountain Army to the death, and the two sides engaged in many battles.

Yuan Shao's four generals, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Zhang He, and Gao Lan, known as the Four Pillars of Hebei, each led their troops in a great battle against the various leaders of the Black Mountain Army.

By mid-September,
They have successively defeated Black Mountain Army leaders such as Yu Du, Qing Niu Jiao, Huang Long, Li Damu, and Yu Di Gen, beheading tens of thousands.

After clipping many of Zhang Yan's wings
Yuan Shao finally turned his attention to Zhang Yan, the culprit who had almost caused the destruction of many officials and soldiers in the Yuan clan!
Zhang Yan, however, showed no fear in the face of Yuan Shao.
He personally led over 30,000 elite infantrymen and several thousand cavalrymen to confront Yuan Shao head-on.

The two armies clashed, and the battle was so fierce that it was difficult to determine a clear winner.

Upon hearing that Ye City had fallen and that Yuan Shao was engaged in a fierce battle with the Black Mountain Army, Gongsun Zan of Youzhou seized the opportunity to lead his army to recover lost territory and completely drive Yuan Shao's forces out of Youzhou.

But Gongsun Zan was already terrified of Yuan Shao.

Although he had the opportunity this time, he dared not invade Ji Province again. Instead, he sent someone to Yuan Shao, intending to stop the war and make peace.

It's truly lamentable that Gongsun Zan, once a powerful and valiant figure, has become such a coward.

At the same time, one has to admire Liu Bei's accurate judgment of people.

Historically, with the help of Lü Bu, Yuan Shao quickly defeated Zhang Yan.

Historical records state that Bu often rode a fine horse named Chi Tu, which was capable of galloping across city walls and trenches. He, along with his valiant generals Cheng Lian and Wei Yue, and several dozen cavalrymen, charged into the Yan army's ranks, sometimes three or four times a day, beheading all of them. After more than ten days of continuous fighting, they finally defeated the Yan army.

But now, Lü Bu is far away in Yanzhou. Although Yuan Shao is furious and his soldiers are eager for revenge, they are unable to take down Zhang Yan, this tough nut to crack, for the time being.

Just as Yuan Shao was having a headache over Zhang Yan, news from Cao Cao arrived.

Holding the intelligence, Xu You walked briskly into the central command tent.

"My lord, news has come from Yanzhou that, except for Taishan Commandery, Jibei Kingdom, Shanyang Commandery, and the area surrounding Juancheng, the rest of Yanzhou has fallen!" Xu You reported. "Furthermore, Cao Cao's attack on Xuzhou was thwarted by Tao Qian at Tancheng. Later, Liu Bei's reinforcements arrived, and Cao Cao had no choice but to withdraw his troops from Xuzhou."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao first showed joy, then feigned regret and sighed, "Alas... Mengde is, after all, my brother. Seeing him like this, my heart aches greatly..."

"Come on, you can't even stop smirking, what are you pretending for!" the strategists thought to themselves.

“That Lu Bu is really good at causing trouble,” Guo Tu said first. “Of the eight counties in Yan Province, Cao Cao has already lost four, and the remaining four are constantly in rebellion. Cao Cao must be regretting it to the core.” Tian Feng stared at the map, his expression solemn: “Although Lu Bu is brave, his foundation is not stable. If Cao Cao returns, the outcome is still uncertain.”

“Yuan Hao, you are mistaken,” Shen Pei interjected, stroking his goatee. “The gentry of Yanzhou hate Cao Cao to the bone. Lü Bu’s entry into Yanzhou at this time is exactly what the people want.” He deliberately emphasized the word “the people” and his gaze swept intentionally or unintentionally toward Ju Shou.

Ju Shou was carefully reviewing the intelligence report when he looked up and said, "Cao Cao is quite popular in Yanzhou, and the people have suffered from war for a long time. Even if Lü Bu gains cities, if he does not treat the people well, he will ultimately be nothing more than water without a source."

Someone else said, "Lord Ju is wrong. The foundation of our great Han Dynasty lies in the powerful and influential families, both large and small. What great contribution can ordinary people make besides farming?"

Everyone present came from prominent families and deeply agreed with this statement.

However, Ju Shou always felt that Cao Cao's alternative approach of taking the common people's route was not entirely unreasonable.

For a moment, the atmosphere inside the tent became somewhat cold.

Yuan Shao coughed lightly: "Ziyuan, what are your thoughts?"

Xu You was leaning against a tent pillar, munching on dried meat.

During this period, news from Yanzhou and Xuzhou came in like snowflakes, keeping him so busy that he didn't even have time to drink water, let alone eat properly.

Upon hearing Yuan Shao's question, Xu You swallowed the dried meat in his mouth and replied, "Judging from the current situation, if Cao Cao has no other plans, he will probably be suppressed by Lü Bu for a long time."

Yuan Shao sensed the hidden meaning in Xu You's words and pressed further, "Are you saying that Cao Cao has other plans?"

“Cao Yan, Cao Zi’an, is even more ruthless than Cao Cao, and his vision is far-reaching. His previous feigned participation in Cao Cao’s expedition to Xuzhou must have had a hidden purpose.” Xu You’s words made everyone fall into deep thought.

"If that's really the case, why was Lü Bu still able to invade Yan Province? And why were those powerful families able to successfully rebel?" someone asked.

At this moment, Tian Feng slowly said, "If Cao Cao was indeed prepared in advance, then Lü Bu and the rebellious noble families and gentry of Yanzhou are in danger..."

"They're trying to trap the dog by closing the door!" Everyone suddenly realized.

Yuan Shao frowned and asked, "But if we do that, won't the hard-won economy and livelihood of Yanzhou be destroyed in an instant?"

"No!" Xu You shook his head and said, "Of the eight commanderies in Yanzhou, Cao Cao actually only controlled Dongjun, Juancheng north of Jiyin Commandery, and Jibei Kingdom. Only in these few places did he implement Cao Cao's new policies and the land reclamation policy."

The other regions were not under Cao Cao's control to begin with, and their economy and people's livelihoods had not developed much. Even if they were in chaos, it would not cause Cao Cao any major losses.

And it is precisely these regions controlled by Cao Cao that have not yet fallen to the enemy!

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao's smile vanished. He realized that Cao Cao's expedition to Xuzhou might indeed be a trap!

"It seems that Cao Cao has grand ambitions!" Yuan Shao's eyes showed a solemn expression.

"I'm afraid Lü Bu, Zhang Miao, and other people in the counties of Yan Province who don't submit to him are all Cao Cao's targets!" Xu You said bluntly.

"So we're just going to sit here and watch Cao Cao succeed?" Yuan Shao asked, unwilling to give up.

Xu You said, "It won't be a matter of a day or two for Cao Cao and Lü Bu to decide a winner. Lü Bu can at least delay him for a year or two."

"If we can quickly defeat the Black Mountain Army and Gongsun Zan, how can Cao Cao, who only controls one province, possibly contend with our lord?"

Ju Shou also stepped forward and advised, "That's right! Cao Cao has been held back by Lü Bu. What we should do now is to strengthen our own power as soon as possible!"

Tian Feng suggested, "Lu Bu may eventually fail, but we can't let him fail too quickly."

The lord can secretly support Lü Bu with provisions and weapons, while also rallying more people to resist Cao Cao, thus maintaining the balance of power in the struggle between Lü Bu and Cao Cao.

At the same time, we can also proactively send people to make contact with Tao Qian..."

"Excellent!" Yuan Shao ordered, "The matters concerning Cao Cao, Lü Bu, and Tao Qian are to be handled by you two, Ziyuan and Yuanhao."

"Your subordinates obey!" Xu You and Tian Feng replied in unison.

(End of this chapter)