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

Chapter 253 A tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs; the tragic Yuan Shao is betrayed by his wife and abandoned by his son (5th update)
Yuan Shao was a very arrogant person.

He would rather give way to Liu Bei than bow down to his former subordinate Cao Cao.

Such people are most averse to anyone stepping on their heads.

Even though Lady Liu was the principal wife, she had no right to spy on Yuan Shao.

This is simply rebellion against Tiangang!

However, Liu, who was reprimanded by Yuan Shao, did not show her usual submissiveness. Instead, Yuan Shao directly provoked her anger and dissatisfaction: "You would rather give up the throne to an outsider than to Shang'er. How can you blame me now?"

Seeing that Liu Shi not only failed to repent but also angrily rebuked him, Yuan Shao was so angry that his face turned red. He pointed at Liu Shi and angrily scolded, "Woman's views! Utterly pedantic!"

Liu snorted coldly: "Although I am a woman and my thinking is old-fashioned, I know that I should seek a better future for my son and I will not side with outsiders."

Enraged by Liu's sarcastic retort, Yuan Shao wanted to whip someone.

Taking a deep breath, Yuan Shao suppressed his anger and said, "Xianfu lacks the talent of a great general. If we continue to let Xianfu fight Cao Cao, he will surely be defeated. Cao Cao is extremely cruel and ruthless. If he defeats Xianfu, Xianfu will certainly not survive, and his wife and children will also be in danger. Liu Bei has the spirit of a hero, and is also benevolent and loyal. As long as I treat Liu Bei sincerely, and Xianfu does not fight against Liu Bei, Liu Bei will surely protect Xianfu and his wife and children when he gains power. This is a foolproof plan. How can you not understand this?"

Despite Yuan Shao's earnest explanations, Lady Liu paid no heed and continued to sneer, "I just don't understand. How can you, General, boost the morale of others while diminishing Xianfu's prestige? Xianfu is still young. In a few years, when Cao Cao grows old, how will he be a match for Xianfu? Cao Cao's talented son died in Wancheng, and Lady Bian is just a courtesan. What ability can her son possibly have? It's not that I don't understand, it's that you, General, don't understand!"

Retorted by Liu's fallacious reasoning, Yuan Shao was speechless for a moment, feeling as if he were talking to a brick wall.

Yuan Shang was younger than Cao Cao, so he could just wait until Cao Cao died of old age. This sounds reasonable, but the key question is whether Yuan Shang could actually wait until Cao Cao died of old age.
Just as Yuan Shao was about to continue reprimanding Liu, he suddenly heard a commotion outside the mansion.

Just as they were about to send someone to investigate, Yuan Shang, already dressed in armor and helmet, entered the mansion first.

"Xianfu, when did you arrive in Lunu? Why didn't you inform me beforehand?" Yuan Shao frowned, puzzled as to why Yuan Shang had suddenly come to Lunu.

Yuan Shang frowned as he looked at Liu Shi kneeling on the ground: "Father, why are you making Mother kneel?"

When Liu saw Yuan Shang arrive, she felt reassured and covered her face with tears, recounting her grievances.

Upon hearing that Liu Bei had been punished by Yuan Shao for leaking secrets, and that Yuan Shao was not testing Liu Bei but genuinely intended to abdicate in favor of him, Yuan Shang was furious: "Father, I was still hesitant before I came. If you were only pretending to abdicate in favor of Liu Bei to test whether he had any ulterior motives, I would have reasoned with you carefully. But now it seems that I misjudged your weakness. You are indeed no longer worthy of being the Grand General, and I no longer need to hesitate."

Hearing Yuan Shang's tone, Yuan Shao sensed something was wrong and scolded, "Xianfu, why aren't you resisting Cao Cao? What are you doing here in Lu Nu?"

"Heh, resist Cao Cao? Resist Cao Cao for Liu Bei?" Yuan Shang's tone turned cold. He stepped forward to help Liu Shi up, then reached out to Yuan Shao: "Father, hand over the seal of the Grand General to me."

Yuan Shao's expression changed drastically, and he stood up in astonishment: "Xianfu, do you know what you're saying? Do you think you can just take the seal of the Grand General as you please?"

“Father, I didn’t want to argue with you, but if you insist, I have no choice but to tell you the truth.” Yuan Shang handed Cao Cao’s reply to Yuan Shao and said, “Cao Cao has already promised me the position of Grand General. Whether you give me the seal or not, Father, it doesn’t change that fact. Giving me the seal will at least give my father and me some dignity. I don’t want to be branded as unfilial.”

Yuan Shao's eyes widened instantly. He snatched Cao Cao's reply, glanced at it quickly, then threw it to the ground, cursing, "You unfilial son! How dare you sue for peace with Cao Cao!"

Yuan Shang quietly picked up Cao Cao's reply and stuffed it back into his robes, saying, "Father, I know you've always looked down on Cao Cao, but you have to accept that he defeated you at the Battle of Guandu! A true man can bend and stretch. My current appeasement of Cao Cao is merely a temporary measure. Once I've eliminated the internal troubles and unified Hebei, I can fight Cao Cao again. Sometimes, Father, you really should learn from Cao Cao's forbearance. What does losing face matter as long as you can win?"

Seeing Yuan Shao's increasingly astonished expression, Yuan Shang raised his voice again: "Father, forget about Liu Bei! He can't return to Ji Province! I've already dispatched troops and Guo Yuan to Shangdang. Once we regain control of Shangdang, Liu Bei will be trapped in Hedong. After I receive the seal of the Grand General, I will personally go to Shangdang to capture Liu Bei. I will use Liu Bei's head to prove to you that I am the most suitable person to be the Grand General!"

Looking at the inexplicably confident Yuan Shang, Yuan Shao closed his eyes in anguish and sighed to the heavens.

Yuan Shao felt that his life had been a failure.

Although he was born into a family that had produced four generations of high-ranking officials, his mother was a maid. His father, Yuan Cheng, died shortly after his birth. Even though he was adopted by a member of the same clan and became the legitimate son, he was often ridiculed by Yuan Shu as being raised by a maid.

He was appointed magistrate of Puyang County at a young age, hoping to make great achievements, but then his mother died, and he had to go back to mourn.

After the mourning period ended, Yuan Shao was unable to take office for some reason, so he could only privately associate with partisans and chivalrous people, such as Zhang Miao, He Yong, Xu You, and Wu Ziqing, to raise his status.

He was fortunate enough to encounter the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the emperor lifted the ban on political parties, so he was recruited into He Jin's court and gradually became famous in Luoyang. In the end, he was selected as the Central Army Captain of the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden.

It sounds like Yuan Shao's official career is also going very well?
But compared to Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao was instantly utterly crushed.

When Yuan Shu was young, he liked to hunt and play with the sons of powerful and wealthy people. He did not study or learn etiquette. When he wanted to take up an official post, he pretended to study for a few months and was recommended as a filial and incorruptible official. Then he rose through the ranks and successively became Zhechong Xiaowei, Henan Yin, and Huben Zhonglang Jiang. Even after Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang, he had to recommend Yuan Shu as Hou Jiangjun.

Yuan Shao could only confront Dong Zhuo with his sword, demanding an explanation before fleeing Luoyang in a panic and being wanted by Dong Zhuo.

He finally rose to power in Ji Province, defeated Gongsun Zan, took control of four provinces in Hebei, and became a general. However, his ambitions were shattered by Cao Cao at the Battle of Guandu.

Winner takes all, loser for Kou.

Yuan Shao accepted his defeat in his career.

But Yuan Shao never expected that he would lose not only in his career, but also in his family.

His wife was spying on him, which led to widespread rumors about his resignation and handing over of power.

Now even his own son is going to fight him, just to seize the seal of the Grand General!

How cruel is Heaven!

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(End of this chapter)