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

Chapter 189 Zhuge Liang's Overt Scheme, His Supernatural Abilities Shock Xu You (4th Update)
Xu You was insightful and keenly perceived the subtle changes in the relationship between Yuan Xi and Liu Bei.

Zhuge Liang was equally adept at praising people, especially with the line, "Without Mr. Xu, the General could not have conquered Hebei; without Mr. Xu, the General could not have won the Battle of Guandu," which made Xu You stroke his beard with pride.

However, Xu You immediately realized that he was showing his joy, so he composed himself, suppressed his smugness, and continued to deduce with a cold smile: "Although Yuan Tan is brave and resourceful, he lacks strategy. Such a meticulous plan is beyond Yuan Tan's capabilities. Therefore, Yuan Chen and Xiahou Bo are definitely not Yuan Tan's subordinates, but rather the Left General's men. The Left General first captured me at Cangting Ferry, then lured me to Zhengding, and next, I'm afraid, he will send me to Ye City."

Seeing Zhuge Liang smile without answering, Xu You analyzed with even greater certainty: "Let me speculate. If General Zuo wants to establish himself in Hebei, he can only do so by leveraging the Grand General's power; however, General Zuo does not want the Grand General to remain in power for long, so he needs to find a way to weaken him. This weakening of power must avoid excessive conflict with the Grand General, and also make the Grand General appreciate General Zuo's integrity. To achieve this, General Zuo can only incite the Grand General's three sons to fight for power, and given General Zuo's current reputation in Hebei, he will be a target for Yuan Tan and others to win over. Furthermore, the Grand General might even follow the example of Tao Qian after completely losing control of Hebei, entrusting his youngest son to General Zuo. In this way, General Zuo can both avoid betraying his reputation for integrity and take over Hebei! Such a brilliant scheme is truly astonishing!"

At this point, Xu You's eyes gleamed with arrogance: "I can help the General seize Hebei, and I can also help Cao Cao win Guandu. I can also make General Zuo's plans come to naught. If you send me to Ye City, isn't General Zuo afraid of dying without a burial place?"

"Hahahaha—" Zhuge Liang laughed heartily, holding his fan, and bowed to Xu You again, his tone even more humble: "My clumsy plan could not hide from you, Mr. Xu. I admire you!"

Xu You snorted coldly, found a place to sit down, and turned his head to ask, "Is there any wine?"

Zhuge Liang beckoned outside, and soon a servant brought wine. Zhuge Liang then personally poured wine for Xu You and said slowly, "I have heard that Yuan Shu once listed the three major crimes of He Yong and He Boqiu, famous scholars from Nanyang, at a banquet for scholars."

“He said that Wang Demi was a wise and virtuous man of great insight, yet He Boqiu distanced himself from him, which was the first sin; Xu Ziyuan was a violent and licentious man of impure character and behavior, yet He Boqiu was close to him, which was the second sin; Guo Tu and Jia Xu were poor and had no extra property, yet He Boqiu rode a fat horse, wore a light and warm fur robe, and paraded around the city in a splendid manner, which was the third sin.”

Glancing at Xu You's expression, Zhuge Liang continued, "Tao Qiu Hong, a renowned scholar from Pingyuan, argued that while Wang Demi is indeed a great sage, he falls short in saving the world and helping the people; Xu Ziyuan, though of questionable character, is willing to risk his life to help his friends in times of crisis. Therefore, He Boqiu prioritizes Wang Demi when recommending talented individuals, but relies on Xu Ziyuan to help those in distress. He also said that He Boqiu's enemies have amassed enormous wealth, owning over a hundred fine horses. If He Boqiu were to be forced to drive thin oxen and horses, exhausted and stumbling along the road, it would be tantamount to opening his chest and offering a sharp weapon to his enemy to harm him."

Zhuge Liang spoke calmly and leisurely, discussing the elegance and refinement of famous scholars, and then, through the words of the scholar Tao Qiuhong, praised Xu You once again.

Xu Youwei was slightly surprised: "You're not even twenty yet, and you know such secrets about famous scholars?"

Zhuge Liang chuckled: "When I was farming in Nanyang, I had nothing to do, so I liked to collect anecdotes about famous people. I hope Mr. Xu will forgive my ignorance."

Xu You chuckled, downed another cup, and exhaled a hearty breath. His tone was playful: "You're using Tao Qiuhong's words to talk about me. Whom do you want me to help in times of trouble? It seems that the one in trouble right now is the General, not the Left General. Besides, I'm an old friend of the General, but I have no connection with the Left General."

"No!" Zhuge Liang poured Xu You another cup of wine: "General Zuo only wants Mr. Xu to go and save Mr. Xu's wife and children from danger."

Xu You's expression changed drastically, and he stood up in astonishment: "What did you say?"

Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan: "After the Battle of Guandu, General, you considered killing the families of those who defected, including Mr. Xu, Zhang He, and Gao Lan. Upon hearing this, General Zuo privately advised you, 'A benevolent ruler does not punish one's parents, nor does he punish one's wife and children.' Although you did not fully heed General Zuo's advice, you only imprisoned Mr. Xu and the families of Zhang He and Gao Lan, without killing them." Zhuge Liang's words struck Xu You's heart like a boulder, causing a turmoil of emotions to surge within him.

Xu You lost his ambition in life not only because his grand aspirations could not be realized, but also because he had no family to care for and no descendants.

However, Zhuge Liang told Xu You: "Your child is only imprisoned. Whether you want to go to Ye City to rescue your child is up to you."

a long time.

Xu You sat down again, his gaze towards Zhuge Liang no longer arrogant as before, but solemn: "You used humility to seduce my mind, making me reveal your plans; then you used my family as bait, making me willingly enter Ye. Even if I see through your scheme, to save my wife and children, I have no choice but to follow your plan. Zhuge Liang of Langya has the talent of Guan Zhong and Yue Yi, his reputation is well-deserved!"

Zhuge Liang cupped his hands in greeting: "It is not that I am deliberately deceiving you, but rather that Mr. Xu is a renowned sage, and I have no choice but to be cautious."

Taking a deep breath, Xu You asked again, "Just now you said that General Zuo advised the General to spare our wives and children after the Battle of Guandu. Did you foresee this day back then?"

Zhuge Liang shook his head slightly, his tone as humble as ever: "Mr. Xu, you flatter me. I am neither a god nor a ghost, how could I possibly predict the future? I am merely cautious in my actions, always thinking ahead and having a backup plan."

Staring into Zhuge Liang's calm and collected eyes and listening to his unhurried tone, Xu You suddenly felt a sense of oppression, as if he were facing a mountain, a mountain that was heavy and immovable, and could only be looked up to.

"When will General Zuo return to Zhending?" Xu You asked again in a low voice.

Without hesitation, Zhuge Liang said, "These next few days are enough for Mr. Xu to rest in Zhengding for a while and think about how to deal with the difficulties caused by Shen Pei and the others. I estimate that Cao Cao will definitely tell Shen Pei this news when he sees that Mr. Xu has returned to Hebei."

Xu You sneered: "Cao Cao has always been cold-hearted and ungrateful. Although I helped him win the Battle of Guandu, if I lose my usefulness, Cao Cao will definitely treat me as a pawn to be discarded."

After a pause, Xu You's tone became more arrogant: "So be it. Anyway, I'm just using Cao Cao as a pawn. It's just a relationship of mutual exploitation. Whoever can gain the most benefits will have to rely on their own abilities."

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(End of this chapter)