Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 181 Yuan Shu Wants to Declare Himself Emperor? Let's Give Him Another Push

"Yuan Shu?!"

Cao Cao remained calm, but inwardly he was secretly pondering the debate among the top strategists in the tent.

Guo Jia stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "My lord, I have obtained definite information that Yuan Shu is secretly supplying Lü Bu with provisions and is trying his best to win him over. Given Yuan Shu's stinginess, it is unlikely that he is doing this because he admires Lü Bu."

Xun Yu, Xun You, and Cheng Yu showed slight surprise, doubt, and astonishment on their faces.

They were all unaware of this news, which allowed Guo Jia to fully rely on his exclusive intelligence and continue to show off.

Cao Yan was pondering how to resolve the situation of "one cannon killing three wise men" when Cao Cao suddenly turned to him and asked, "Zi'an, what is your opinion on this matter?"

Cao Yan was taken aback by the sudden question, and thought to himself, "Fengxiao has already said everything he needed to say, why is he asking me this?"

If it were any other time, Cao Yan might have actually said that.

But with the newcomer Xun You present today, Cao Yan, to save face for both himself and Cao Cao, stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Fengxiao is right."

"."

Xun Yu and Cheng Yu, who knew Cao Yan's character well, showed an expression that said, "Indeed, it's Cao Yan's style."

Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai turned their heads away in tacit agreement, as if to say, "I'm not very familiar with him."

Xun You stared wide-eyed at Cao Yan in disbelief.

He was filled with doubt. The Cao Yan who was rumored to be invincible and outstanding in both civil and military affairs was hard to reconcile with the Cao Yan in front of him who was yawning and slacking off.

No matter how hard Xun You tried, he could not reconcile these two images.

Seeing his nephew's outburst, Xun Yu coughed lightly as a reminder.

Xun You then came to his senses, realized his rudeness, and quickly composed himself.

Cao Cao's lips twitched slightly, still unwilling to give up, and he asked again, "You proposed the creation of the Three Secret Guards, and you also oversaw the compilation of the training manual. Can't you give me a better suggestion?"

“Good suggestion…” Cao Yan pondered for a moment and said, “Let’s take Wancheng first.”

After saying that, Cao Yan didn't offer any further explanation and simply sat down.

Upon hearing this, Xun Yu understood. Cao Yan's suggestion was the same as Guo Jia's, so the Three Secret Agents must have even more confidential information.

Thinking of this, Xun Yu could no longer hold back and turned to Guo Jia, asking, "Fengxiao, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me what secrets you have."

Seeing his old friend's impatience, especially Cheng Yu who was already rolling up his sleeves, Guo Jia was afraid that if he delayed any longer he would get beaten up. He quickly raised his hand to signal everyone to calm down and said, "I will first tell you all the secrets I know. As for whether you can understand the deeper meaning, that depends on your abilities."

"Speak quickly!" Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, Xi Zhicai, and even Xun You couldn't help but urge him on.

Guo Jia cleared his throat and slowly said, "Sun Ce used the Imperial Seal to exchange for his freedom and his father's former subordinates from Yuan Shu!"

"Yuan Shu obtained the Imperial Seal?!?" Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in shock.

Who is Yuan Shu? If he really gets the Imperial Seal, what will become of him?

“The Han dynasty is likely to face another upheaval!” Xun You’s face showed deep worry.

Ignoring the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, Guo Jia continued, "Lü Bu has married Cao Bao's daughter as his second wife, and has already become Cao Bao's son-in-law. As for the relationship between Liu Bei and Cao Bao, I'm sure you all know it very well."

"I see!" Xun Yu nodded slightly and said, "It seems that Liu Bei is in danger."

"Fengxiao, since you have such news, why didn't you say it sooner? Are you deliberately trying to make a fool of us?" Cheng Yu asked Guo Jia, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"I just received the news..." Guo Jia shrugged, expressing his helplessness.

Xi Zhicai also came to Guo Jia's rescue, saying, "Yuan Shu and Lü Bu are secretly colluding, and only Liu Bei is kept in the dark. If our army attacks Xuzhou now, it will definitely cause Lü Bu and Yuan Shu to abandon their plans and join forces to resist our army."

It would be better to leave them alone for now and let them do as they please; perhaps they'll give us a 'surprise'."

Xun Yu, Xun You, and Cheng Yu were all top strategists and naturally understood the reasoning behind it, so they stopped insisting on attacking Xuzhou. At this time, Xi Zhicai revealed another piece of news: "Qu Yi, together with Xianyu Fu, Liu Yu's son Liu He, and others, led an army of 100,000 and has besieged Gongsun Zan at Yijing Tower."

"Yuan Shao has already surrounded Gongsun Zan?!" Upon hearing this, not only Xun Yu and the others were astonished, but even Cao Cao couldn't help but sit up straight. He thought to himself, "Gongsun Zan is surrounded, but the Central Plains have not received any news. Fortunately, the Eagle Guard sent a message."

Yuan Shao has actually driven Gongsun Zan to the brink of defeat; the speed at which his strength has grown is truly astonishing.

Cheng Yu's expression was solemn as he said, "I never expected Yuan Shao's strength to have grown so formidable. The White Horse General, who once dominated the northern frontier, is about to be defeated so quickly."

"It was an expected outcome," Xun You said. "The Yuan family has produced four generations of high-ranking officials, and their disciples and former officials are all over the world."

Yuan Shao had many capable men under his command; the outcome of dealing with Gongsun Zan, who acted almost madly, was already predetermined.

Although I expected Gongsun Zan to lose, I didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

Once Yuan Shao defeats Gongsun Zan, he will be able to quickly take over the entire Youzhou region.

At that time, Yuan Shao, possessing the complete territory of two provinces, plus parts of Qing and Bing provinces, would undoubtedly become the most powerful warlord in the land.

After eliminating Gongsun Zan and unifying the north, what will Yuan Shao do next?

Everyone present was perfectly aware of this.

"After Yuan Shao unifies Hebei, the first person he'll want to take down will probably be me, Cao Mengde, haha!" Cao Cao said in a deliberately relaxed tone, making fun of himself, but no one could laugh.

At this moment, Xun You suddenly stood up, bowed, and said, "My lord, we all know what kind of person Yuan Shu is. Now that he has obtained the Imperial Seal, I'm afraid he might..."

Xun You only got halfway through his sentence before he could no longer continue.

Like Xun Yu, he was always loyal to the Han Dynasty and concerned about the emperor.

Now that he sees the Han dynasty about to suffer another heavy blow, he feels truly distressed.

Seeing that Xun You couldn't continue, Guo Jia simply continued for him: "Liu Bei claimed to be a descendant of the royal family and was appointed governor of Xuzhou by the emperor."

If the emperor issues an edict ordering Liu Bei to attack Yuan Shu, will he go or not?

"He's caught in a dilemma. If Liu Bei wants to protect his reputation, he has no choice but to go, even if everyone opposes him. This is a calculated move!" Cheng Yu concluded.

How can one enjoy the emperor's rewards without bearing the corresponding responsibilities?
Even Yuan Shao had to be careful, let alone Liu Bei, who came from a humble background of weaving mats and selling shoes.

If Yuan Shu dares to declare himself emperor, the emperor will issue an edict ordering Liu Bei to punish him. Even if Liu Bei doesn't want to go, he will have no choice.

So,

Yuan Shao in the north is currently at a critical juncture and cannot spare any resources, so he naturally cannot turn around and launch a surprise attack on Yanzhou.

Meanwhile, Yuan Shu and Lü Bu are about to fight against Liu Bei.

Then Cao Cao would have no more worries and could devote all his efforts to attacking Zhang Xiu and capturing Wancheng.

As for the reason for sending troops, is there any need for a reason to wipe out the remnants of Xiliang?

"But when will Yuan Shu declare himself emperor?" Cheng Yu asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

At this moment, the usually taciturn General finally spoke again:

"After learning that Sun Ce had marched south to Jiangdong, the Eagle Guards began to secretly spread the news that Yuan Shu was about to declare himself emperor, and they also compiled nursery rhymes and various auspicious omens."

It seems that it won't be long before Yuan Shu's true nature is revealed.

Upon hearing this, Xun Yu, Xun You, and the others were surprised and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration:

"This is a great plan!"

"But that's ruthless enough!"

(End of this chapter)