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

Chapter 177 The gloating civil and military officials, Yuan Shao wants to seize Liu Bei's military power (2nd update)
Yuan Shao, born into a noble family, always placed great importance on his appearance and demeanor.

Upon catching a glimpse of his haggard appearance in the mirror, caused by excessive indulgence, Yuan Shao felt disgusted and immediately decided to abstain from alcohol and sex.

However, the moment this thought arose, Yuan Shao's most beloved concubine coiled around him like a seductive snake, her eyes filled with affection, her voice soft and sweet: "General."

This gentle trap was so difficult that even a powerful figure like Lü Bu could not escape it, and Yuan Shao was no exception.

The concubine's alluring charm, with just a glance and a single word, easily shattered Yuan Shao's newly made resolve.

Gazing at his beautiful concubine's captivating charm, Yuan Shao abruptly slammed his wine cup to the ground and declared sternly, "From this day forward, I abstain from alcohol!"

A moment later, Yuan Shao finally managed to shake off his favorite concubine's entanglement, put on his outer robe, and entered the council hall to summon his trusted civil and military officials, including Yuan Shang and Guo Tu, to discuss the urgent military situation.

Upon learning of the fall of Cangtingjin and the execution of Gao Fan, the governor of Wei Commandery, Yuan Shang's face turned deathly pale.

Gao Fan's appointment as the Prefect of Wei Commandery was certainly due to Shen Pei's recommendation, but the key reason was that Gao Fan had already sworn allegiance to Yuan Shang.

It can be said that Gao Fan was also a trusted confidant promoted by Yuan Shang.

Now that Gao Fan has lost the crucial Cangting Ferry and has been killed by Cao Cao, Yuan Shang feels utterly humiliated.

Yuan Shang cursed inwardly: This fool has ruined me!
Yuan Shang felt no sorrow at Gao Fan's death, only anger at Gao Fan's foolish mistake that caused him to lose face.

Yuan Shang secretly observed Yuan Shao's expression and, seeing that he showed no sign of anger towards him, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Yuan Shao surveyed the crowd, his tone unfriendly: "Currently, Cangting Ferry has fallen, Dongwuyang is in dire straits, and Cao Cao is pushing his luck, wanting me to fulfill our agreement to fight a decisive battle at Dongwuyang in early April. What strategies do you all have to deal with this?"

Just as Yuan Shao was enjoying fine wine and beautiful women, Cao Cao came to spoil his fun, which annoyed him greatly.

Normally, his civil and military officials would offer some advice; but at this moment, most of them lowered their heads and remained silent.

Guo Tu and Xin Ping, in particular, put on a distressed look, as if they were worried and anxious about Feng Ji being besieged, but had no good solution.

In reality, the two were already overjoyed: the one who died was Shen Pei's confidant, and the one who was surrounded was the despised Feng Ji. At this time, it was already a restraint not to kick him while he was down, so why would they sincerely offer advice to save Feng Ji?

Given Feng Ji's petty nature, not only will there be no benefit to be gained, but it will also incur his resentment.

Meng Dai, Jiang Qi, and others were equally gloating.

Meng Dai and others had initially wanted to separate the trial and military power, but Feng Ji interfered and prevented it from happening. Now that they saw Feng Ji suffering, Meng Dai and others were naturally happy to stand by and watch.

The only one who wasn't secretly pleased was Tian Feng.

However, Tian Feng remained expressionless, neither criticizing Feng Ji nor trying to help him out.

It wasn't that Tian Feng neglected his public duties for personal reasons, but rather that he believed Yuan Shao should have firmly defended Ye City at that time.

As long as Feng Ji defends Dongwuyang strictly, Cao Cao will naturally retreat once his supplies run out.

Tian Feng was certain that Cao Cao's surprise attack on Cangtingjin was merely a punitive counterattack against the long-term harassment by Shen Pei and Feng Ji, and not a preparation for a full-scale conquest of Hebei.

It was only because Gao Fan was so incompetent that Cao Cao was able to easily succeed and flaunt his power in front of Yuan Shao. At this moment, the best strategy is to defend strictly and ignore Cao Cao's provocations.

Therefore, Tian Feng would not speak unless someone suggested sending troops to Dongwuyang.

Seeing everyone remain silent, Yuan Shao turned his gaze to Yuan Shang.

Yuan Shao knew that Yuan Shang had a close relationship with Shen Pei and Feng Ji, and he also wanted to hear Yuan Shang's opinions on this matter.

The moment Yuan Shang's eyes met Yuan Shao's, his heart tightened, and his mind raced as he considered a good plan.

Yuan Shang could not stand idly by while Shen Pei and Feng Ji were in trouble, but he was also eager to seize the opportunity to impress his father.

After a moment's thought, Yuan Shang stepped forward and said, "Cao Cao has insulted you greatly, General. If we do not fight, you will surely be ridiculed by him. I implore you, General, to immediately order the Left General of Changshan to dispatch Yan Liang and Wen Chou of Zhending and their troops to reinforce Dongwuyang. You, General, can personally lead the elite troops of Yecheng to join forces with Yan Liang and Wen Chou. Cao Cao has only brought a few thousand troops across the river. How dare he fight our army? In this way, the siege of Dongwuyang will be lifted immediately."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao stroked his beard and nodded, quite approving of Yuan Shang's advice: "My son is quite right! Yan Liang and Wen Chou are both warriors capable of taking on ten thousand men. Yan Liang even once killed the Wuhuan chieftain Afugan amidst a vast army. Now, their morale is high, and this is the perfect opportunity to avenge their defeat. I also intend to fight Cao Cao again. Since Cao Cao dares to rashly cross the river to seek battle, how can I let this opportunity slip by? Jiang Qi, listen to my order! Quickly take my troop mobilization document to Zhengding and order Yan Liang and Wen Chou to lead their troops to reinforce Dongwuyang!"

Just as Jiang Qi was about to accept the order, Tian Feng couldn't hold back any longer and hurriedly stepped forward to remonstrate: "General, you absolutely must not! Cao Cao's troops are well-trained and his generals are brave; Yan Liang and Wen Chou are no match for him! General, you are of noble birth; how can you personally venture into such a dangerous situation just to vent your anger? Knowing that Cao Cao only has a few thousand men crossing the river, why get entangled with him? If he crosses the river to attack, why don't you also cross the river to counterattack? You can order Shen Pei of Liyang to cross the river at the same time to attack Baima Ford. When Cao Cao hears this, he will certainly not dare to linger in Dongwuyang!"

In the past, Yuan Shao would have sternly refuted Tian Feng.

However, after months of indulging in the pleasures of the brothel, and now suddenly realizing the harm that wine and women had done to his health, Yuan Shao began to hesitate.

The journey from Yecheng to Dongwuyang was long and arduous, and the travelers were also vulnerable to ambushes by Cao Cao...

“That makes sense.” Yuan Shao pondered for a moment and, surprisingly, agreed with Tian Feng’s advice.

This reply surprised all the civil and military officials present: the General had actually adopted Tian Feng's suggestion?

Even Tian Feng himself found it hard to believe: the General was actually accepting advice so readily today?

Yuan Shang immediately became anxious.

Tian Feng's words not only left Feng Ji trapped and waiting for reinforcements, but also ordered Shen Pei to launch a hard attack on Baimajin. This was clearly an attempt to make a fool of Shen Pei and Feng Ji!
After glancing around, Yuan Shang stepped forward and whispered to Yuan Shao, "Father, Tian Feng has been associating with Liu Bei too closely lately! Moreover, Liu Bei's reputation is now too great; there's even a children's rhyme in Changshan praising him as 'Upright Official.' We must be wary. We haven't had a chance to weaken his military power before, but now is the perfect opportunity. If we don't take this step, how will I be able to restrain Liu Bei in the future?"

The word "Father" softened Yuan Shao's heart.

Subconsciously, Yuan Shao recalled that Yan Liang and Wen Chou had been under Liu Bei's command for several months, and their newly recruited and trained army had even defeated the combined forces of the Tu Ge and Wuhuan. Indeed, it was time to reclaim the command of these 10,000 new soldiers.

However, what Tian Feng had just said did indeed hit the nail on the head regarding Yuan Shao's concerns, causing Yuan Shao to hesitate.

Seeing this, Yuan Shang hurriedly volunteered again: "That Cao Cao is a despicable scoundrel, how could he be worthy of Father's command! I am willing to lead the troops to Dongwuyang in Father's stead and fight Cao Cao to the death!"

Yuan Shang wasn't actually confident in fighting Cao Cao, but if he didn't volunteer, he feared that Yuan Shao might actually adopt Tian Feng's plan and stay in Ye City.

If that's the case, Shen Pei and Feng Ji will definitely harbor resentment.

　The second update is here, posted together with the third. The plot connection between these two chapters wasn't written well at first, so it was revised before being posted together.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)