The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 110 Liu Bei has also gone astray; Yuan Xi was tricked and crippled (1st update)
Yuan Xi failed to learn the courage of Yuan Shao who drew his sword and asked Dong Zhuo, "My sword is not without its weaknesses." Instead, he learned Yuan Shao's philosophy of "being cautious about one's own life when undertaking great tasks, and forgetting righteousness when faced with petty gains."

If Yuan Xi had any courage or wisdom, he would have understood Liu Bei's intention in deliberately letting Yan Rou gather troops in Ji County, instead of being anxious and only knowing how to complain.

Han Heng stood in the hall, his face full of sorrow.

In terms of handling government affairs and managing finances, Han Heng was competent as the Prefect; however, in terms of military strategy and tactics, that was beyond his comprehension.

However, Han Heng was self-aware enough that he didn't understand military strategy and tactics; he just needed to know who did.

Therefore, Han Heng often advised Yuan Xi to treat Ju Shou kindly, but Yuan Xi was as stubborn as an ox. Even when Ju Shou was ill, he only sneered and said, "He thinks he can get me to visit him just by pretending to be sick? Who does Ju Shou think he is?"

Whenever Han Heng saw Yuan Xi like this, he had the urge to give up.

Just as he was about to persuade Yuan Xi to visit Ju Shou again, a minor official suddenly entered and reported: "My lord, the Left General has arrived!"

Yuan Xi's breathing tightened, and he immediately pretended to be ill and refused to see anyone.

Han Heng quickly stopped him, saying, "My lord, please wait! Now that General Zuo is here, it's a good opportunity to get to the bottom of this!"

Yuan Xi hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and agreed to Han Heng's suggestion.

Not long after.

Liu Bei entered, followed by Zhuge Liang.

Upon seeing Yuan Xi, Liu Bei greeted him warmly, while Zhuge Liang exchanged greetings with Han Heng and then pulled Han Heng aside for a whispered conversation.

"General Zuo, what brings you here today?" Yuan Xi, unable to resist Liu Bei's "enthusiasm," went straight to the point.

Liu Bei cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "I have come specifically to invite Governor Yuan to accompany me to Ji County to punish the disloyal minister."

Yuan Xi's pupils contracted.

Should we go to Ji County together?

I'm mad?
Yuan Xi was already afraid of Yan Rou and others gathering troops, so how could he dare to go to Ji County to confront Yan Rou and others!

"General Zuo, please forgive my bluntness!" Yuan Xi took a deep breath and carefully chose his words: "Yan Rou has always been highly respected. Back when Gongsun Zan was in charge, he was able to gather tens of thousands of Han and Hu people. Now his prestige is even greater than before. I think the matter of launching a campaign against him needs to be carefully considered!"

Liu Bei scoffed, “Prestige? You mean that after the Wuhuan people helped Yan Rou defeat Gongsun Bogui, Yan Rou allowed the Wuhuan people to graze their livestock in the six commanderies, and also allowed them to disregard the law and bully the Han people in those commanderies? You have authority over the Han people and trust in the Wuhuan people, so you really do have ‘prestige’!”

Yuan Xi was speechless.

When Liu Bei elevated the campaign against Yan Rou to a matter of national and ethnic righteousness, any argument Yuan Xi made would lose its luster.

After all, what Liu Bei said was true!

Yan Rou, the Guangyang Prefect and Wuhuan Sima who was on friendly terms with the Wuhuan, had always been intimidating the Han people and benevolent to the Wuhuan. Rather than saying that Yan Rou was a Han person, it would be more accurate to say that Yan Rou had been a slave to the Wuhuan for so long that he could no longer stand up.

If we compare this to Ma Fang, a Ming general who was also captured and enslaved by the Tatars but was highly valued by Altan Khan, he fought against hundreds of enemies, sustaining dozens of wounds, yet he defeated many with few troops, achieving great victories, capturing dozens of chieftains, and beheading countless others. His prestige shook the border regions, making him the foremost general of his time. Yan Rou wasn't even worthy of carrying Ma Fang's shoes.

Yuan Xi's tone weakened: "Yan Rou can gather a large number of troops and has the assistance of Xianyu Fu of Dai Commandery and Wang Song of Yuyang. My troops and General Zuo's troops combined are less than five thousand men, making it extremely difficult to win."

Liu Bei laughed loudly: "Governor Yuan is overthinking it. The strength of an army lies not in its size, but in the skill of its commanders. Yan Rou and his men have many soldiers but unclear division of responsibilities, arrogant generals and inconsistent orders. What is there to fear?"

Seeing Yuan Xi still hesitant, Liu Bei continued, "When I was in Liyang, the General and I discussed our three sons, saying, 'Our eldest son, Tan, is brave and resourceful; our second son, Xi, is intelligent and strategic; and our third son, Shang, is magnanimous and broad-minded. They are all outstanding sons of the Yuan family, which is very gratifying.' Why does Governor Yuan feign ignorance before me? Could it be that some villain is spreading rumors to sow discord?"

Liu Bei's words were well said.

Originally, the statement was biased: "The eldest son, Tan, is righteous and prone to killing; the second son, Xi, is weak and incompetent; the third son, Shang, has the appearance of a hero." However, Liu Bei changed it to show that Yuan Shao did not favor any of his sons.

The underlying meaning of Liu Bei's words was: Yuan Shao felt that all three of his sons were excellent and did not know which one to choose as his heir.

Although Yuan Xi always followed Yuan Shang's lead, it did not mean that Yuan Xi had no ambition for the position of heir.

Seeing the change in Yuan Xi's expression, Liu Bei added fuel to the fire: "After Gongsun Zan died, the General could have led his troops to pacify the six commanderies, but instead he ordered Governor Yuan to oversee Youzhou. Does Governor Yuan know why?"

Yuan Xi's breathing quickened, clearly intrigued by Liu Bei's words: "What did the General say?"

Liu Bei, mimicking Yuan Shao's mannerisms and speech, said, "The General said, 'Your eldest son, Tan, has already demonstrated courage and resourcefulness by defeating Tian Kai in the north and attacking Kong Rong in the east, displaying his military prowess along the coast; your third son, Shang, has already shown the qualities of a hero by respecting the virtuous and wise; only your second son, Xi, has yet to have the opportunity to prove himself. Therefore, I have appointed Xi as the governor of Youzhou to observe his abilities. It is not that the General is incapable of leading troops to pacify the six commanderies, but rather that he hopes Governor Yuan will pacify them. Now is the perfect time to pacify the six commanderies, and success will please the General. Is Governor Yuan truly unwilling?'"

Subsequently.

Liu Bei lowered his voice again: "Xin Ping's son, Xin Zhe, is a clerk under the General. This time, he came to Zhuo County with me as the Cavalry Commandant, but in reality, he was there to secretly observe Governor Yuan's abilities."

Yuan Xi was startled.

Yuan Xi also knew Xin Ping's son, Xin Zhe, and was puzzled as to why Xin Zhe had come to Zhuo County with Liu Bei.

Upon hearing Liu Bei's words, Yuan Xi felt a chill run down his spine: if what Liu Bei said was true...
Subconsciously, Yuan Xi thought of Ju Shou, who had been suddenly sent to Zhuo County, and asked, "Could it be that Ju Shou came to Zhuo County also because the General sent him to observe my abilities?"

Liu Bei shook his head: "That's not it. I can't say the reasons directly, but Governor Yuan should know better than I do."

Yuan Xi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Yuan Xi understood Liu Bei's meaning: Xin Zhe was secretly sent by Yuan Shao to Zhuo County to observe Yuan Xi's abilities, while Ju Shou had simply angered Yuan Shao and was thrown into Zhuo County by Yuan Shao under some pretext.

Thinking of Yuan Shao's "high expectations," Yuan Xi's face lit up with excitement. He continued Liu Bei's words, saying, "To be honest, General Zuo, there were indeed some villains who slandered me. I am truly ashamed that I failed to see through their slander and instead suspected you!"

Liu Bei did not expose the matter, but laughed loudly and said, "Governor Yuan, let's not bring up the unpleasant things of the past. Governor Yuan and I both serve the General, so we should be in the same boat. If it is inconvenient for Governor Yuan to go to Ji County with me, you can send Generals Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan to lead troops to accompany me."

Yuan Xi was intrigued by this suggestion. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Yan Rou is merely a minor prefect of Guangyang. If I were to go with him, it would only embolden him. Instead, let Generals Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan accompany General Zuo. I will prepare wine and meat in Zhuo County to reward the troops and await General Zuo's victorious return!"

　I'm posting this chapter early to ask for monthly votes. If I can get 1000 votes this month (I'm still 345 short), I'll strive to update 50,000 chapters a day. I'm getting old; I can only write one chapter in two hours now. I used to be able to update 10 times, but not anymore, so I'll try my best to update 5 times a day.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)