Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 174 The master of courting death is about to stir up trouble again.

In 196, the emperor moved the capital to Xuchang and changed the era name to Jian'an.

From this point on, Cao Cao entered the phase of "using the emperor to command the disobedient," and the situation in the world became increasingly turbulent and unpredictable.

After returning to Chenliu, Cao Yan lived there in seclusion and never went to Xuchang again, nor did he attend the morning court.

As a result, many ministers secretly reported Cao Yan, but all these impeachments went unanswered and disappeared without a trace.

Grand Commandant Yang Biao, having weathered the storms of the court over the years, felt physically and mentally exhausted and was now old and frail.

Therefore, citing his advanced age, declining health, and inability to shoulder great responsibilities, he requested to resign and retire to the countryside.

The emperor, mindful of his hard work and great achievements, tried his best to retain him and eventually appointed him as Grand Master of Ceremonies, in charge of ancestral temple rituals and cultural education.

In recent days, Yang Biao, who has distanced himself from the court intrigues, has had more free time.

During this free time, he traveled throughout Dongjun and Chenliujun.

He wanted to see for himself and investigate carefully what made these two counties so prosperous and stable.

After nearly half a month of covert investigations, Yang Biao made many discoveries and gained many insights.

But what shocked him the most was the young man he had once feared, Cao Yan!
"Cao Yan is outstanding in both civil administration and military affairs. But he has one major hidden danger—he only cares about the people and does not respect the imperial authority!"

This discovery left Yang Biao with mixed feelings of joy and worry.

The good news is that the Han Dynasty has acquired such a talented individual, and he values ​​the people highly. If he holds a high position, the people will surely benefit immensely.

The worry is that it's hard to say whether the Great Han will still exist in the future.

After much deliberation

Yang Biao decided to go to Chenliu the next day to visit Cao Yan and find out his thoughts.

Cao Yan's residence—no, it should now be called the Rear General's Mansion.

In the study,
Guo Jia is sharing with Cao Yan the news that the Eagle Guard has gathered from various places recently.

"Zhi Cai sent a message saying that Sun Ce has led his troops south and may break away from Yuan Shu's control."

Secondly, although Yuan Shao accepted the positions of Minister of Works and Grand General, he refused to pay tribute, so we must keep a close eye on Yuan Shao's movements.

Cao Yan nodded slightly, thinking to himself, "Judging by the time, Sun Ce has indeed broken away from Yuan Shu. In that case, the day when Yuan Shu declares himself emperor is probably not far off."

Seeing Cao Yan deep in thought, Guo Jia poured himself a bowl of tea. Looking at the murky tea, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "Alas! It's rare for me to come to your residence, yet you haven't prepared any good wine... What flavor is this tea?"

After saying that, Guo Jia poured the tea into his mouth in one gulp.

Cao Yan seemed not to hear Guo Jia's mutterings. He raised his head and suddenly said, "Fengxiao, I think Sun Ce may have used the Imperial Seal to exchange for his freedom."

"Pfft!" Guo Jia was shocked upon hearing this, and the tea he had just drunk suddenly sprayed towards Cao Yan.

Fortunately, Cao Yan reacted quickly, dodging the tea with a sidestep.

Guo Jia, oblivious to his own lapse in composure, asked in surprise, "Why are you so certain that Sun Ce will hand over the Imperial Seal?"

"Just a guess," Cao Yan said calmly.

"..."

Although Guo Jia heard Cao Yan say it was just a guess, upon careful consideration, he realized that it was highly likely.

Yuan Shu had long coveted the imperial seal. He kept a close eye on Sun Ce, partly because he admired his talent, and partly because he wanted the imperial seal in Sun Ce's possession.

Who was Yuan Shu?

That ambition had reached its limit, and it had even openly revealed its intention to replace the Han dynasty!
If he were to obtain the imperial seal, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Guo Jia looked at Cao Yan, his brows furrowed, and said, "In that case, we need to make preparations in advance."

When the topic of Yuan Shu's impending declaration of himself as emperor came up, Cao Yan suddenly recalled Xun Yu's strategy of "driving a tiger to devour a wolf" used to deal with Yuan Shu in history.

Cao Yan then said, "If Yuan Shu dares to declare himself emperor, it will surely provoke all the warlords in the land to rise up against him. I remember that Liu Bei, the governor of Xuzhou, claims to be a member of the Han imperial family. We might as well make use of that."

Guo Jia's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands in approval: "This plan is brilliant! Let Liu Bei and Yuan Shu of Xuzhou fight each other first, and when they are both exhausted, we can reap the benefits."

But would Liu Bei truly obey the emperor's edict and attack Yuan Shu?

"Yes!" Cao Yan said with great certainty. "Currently, Liu Bei and Yuan Shu are in a stalemate. If the imperial court orders Liu Bei to attack Yuan Shu, Liu Bei will certainly not miss this opportunity."

Moreover, Liu Bei knew that his only advantage was his status as a member of the Han imperial family.

If he disobeys the emperor's orders, his status will be greatly diminished.

Historically, Liu Bei gained fame and recognition by associating with the emperor and acquiring the title of "Imperial Uncle." This gradually earned him the approval of some scholars and ultimately led to him finding his true strategist.

Cao Yan's fear of Liu Bei far exceeded that of others.

After all, the saying "Who among the heroes of the world can rival Cao Cao and Liu Bei!" is deeply ingrained in people's minds.

Moreover, the only country in history that truly had the opportunity to conquer Wei was Shu Han, which dominated Jing and Yi provinces.

Therefore, although Liu Bei was a wise ruler, Cao Yan had no choice but to take drastic measures against him in order to end the chaos as soon as possible.

Seeing that Cao Yan had fallen silent again, Guo Jia wanted to take another sip of tea.

But remembering her earlier loss of composure, she held back.

Fortunately, Cao Yan did not ponder for too long. He looked into Guo Jia's eyes and said, "Fengxiao, send more Eagle Guards to investigate Yuan Shu's movements. Once there are signs that he is about to declare himself emperor, we will immediately implement the plan of driving a tiger to devour a wolf. At the same time, we should prepare to launch an expedition to Xuzhou and Yuzhou!"

“No problem, we’ll keep our eyes on Yuan Shu at all times,” Guo Jia replied.

"You still need to find an opportunity to tell our eldest brother, Zhicai, Wenruo, and others about our deductions. They may be able to fill in the gaps in our plan," Cao Yan added.

"I will head to Xuchang tomorrow and inform my lord of the entire plan," Guo Jia nodded in reply.

Although Guo Jia's tone was very calm, as if he were agreeing to a trivial matter.

But Cao Yan knew that this was precisely the time when Guo Jia was most serious.

……

Now, after Yuan Shu had recuperated for a period of time, his ambition began to swell.

He first targeted Liu Bei of Xuzhou, who was accused of "betrayal," taking Guangling County first, and then setting his sights on Xiapi and Xiaopei.

Liu Bei was unwilling to sit idly by and wait for his death, so he mustered his troops and went into battle to meet Yuan Shu.

The two sides clashed fiercely on the battlefield, fighting to a standstill.

Neither side could gain the upper hand, and Liu Bei and Yuan Shu eventually reached a stalemate in the Xuyi and Huaiyin areas.

Guo Jia met with Cao Cao and told him in full the conclusions he and Cao Yan had reached after their discussion.

Cao Cao knew that Yuan Shu was ambitious and that if he was allowed to grow powerful in Xuzhou, he would become a major threat to him.

If Yuan Shu were to actually declare himself emperor, it would undoubtedly be a heavy blow to the Han dynasty, the emperor, and his own authority.

In order to deal with Yuan Shu, Cao Cao submitted a memorial to Emperor Xian, listing Liu Bei's military achievements.

Therefore, the imperial court sent someone to Xuzhou to appoint Liu Bei as General Who Guards the East and Marquis of Yicheng.

At this time, Liu Bei and Yuan Shu had been locked in a stalemate for more than a month.

Just when he thought the situation was gradually stabilizing, bad news came from the rear—Lu Bu took advantage of Liu Bei's absence on a campaign and the lack of support in the rear to launch a surprise attack on Xiapi!
In Xiapi, Cao Bao, who had a conflict with Zhang Fei, seized the opportunity to defect and, in coordination with Lü Bu, opened up the city.

Although Zhang Fei was brave, he was powerless to turn the tide and ultimately retreated, fleeing from Xiapi.

Lü Bu easily occupied Xiapi, the capital of Xuzhou.

They also captured and held Liu Bei's wife and children hostage.

They brazenly seized Xuzhou and proclaimed themselves the governor of Xuzhou!
(End of this chapter)