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

Chapter 257 Cao Cao Wants to Form a Marriage Alliance with Yuan Tan, Guo Tu Offers a Plan to Ambush the Opportunist (4th Update)
Yuan Tan was both ashamed and angry.

They fought a series of victories, forcing Zang Ba to retreat into hiding, and then he was captured alive after taking a nap.

How did you end up here?

Yuan Tan did not resist further, and suppressed his anger as he questioned him.

Zhang Liao scoffed, then dragged Yuan Tan up and tied him up: "Not only am I here, but Cao Sikong is here too. Tell your men to step aside; Cao Sikong isn't here to fight you."

Yuan Tan was so angry that he blurted out: "You've come to raid our camp, and you're telling me you're not here to fight?"
In his anger, Yuan Tan was even more astonished and puzzled: Why is Cao Cao here too?

With Yuan Tan captured, the Yuan soldiers in the camp were hesitant to act rashly, and Cao Cao promptly sent a messenger to inform them that the night was not for fighting, but to discuss important matters with Yuan Tan.

This explanation also surprised Yuan Tan's civil and military officials: If you want to discuss important matters, then discuss them properly. How can you discuss things by first coming to raid our camp and capturing Yuan Tan?

Cao Cao ignored what Yuan Tan's civil and military officials thought and directly brought Yuan Tan to his horse.

Cao Cao dismounted, his demeanor and tone softening: "Yuan Xiansi, back in Luoyang, you were friends with Zixiu. For Zixiu's sake, I will not kill you. Men, untie him."

Yuan Tan was confused.

what's the situation?
You captured me, and now you're trying to get close to me?

Yuan Tan stared at Cao Cao suspiciously, then reaffirmed his tone: "If you want to kill, then kill. Why bother with this pretense?"

"Haha—" Cao Cao laughed loudly: "If I really wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have ordered you to be captured alive. I'm just very curious, since I would rather give the position of Grand General to Liu Bei than to you, are you really my own son?"

Yuan Tan's expression changed, and his tone turned cold: "That's nothing but Yuan Shang's divisive tactic. He's been unsuccessful in battle, suffering defeat after defeat, and has been driven back to Ye City. So he's trying to use this despicable trick to sow discord between me and General Zuo. Hmph! Childish tricks, how could they fool me?"

Cao Cao clapped his hands and praised, "In terms of cunning, you are indeed a bit better than Yuan Shang. It was unwise of Yuan Shao not to make you his heir."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Yuan Tan asked impatiently.

Cao Cao disregarded Yuan Tan's rudeness and took out Yuan Shang's document from his bosom, handing it to Yuan Tan: "Take a look for yourself."

Yuan Tan took the document with a puzzled look, and when he saw the contents and the words "Yuan Shang" at the end, his expression changed drastically: "This is impossible!"

“Nothing is impossible.” Cao Cao scoffed, then said meaningfully, “Yuan Xiansi, let’s not beat around the bush. I’ve come here with sincerity, so don’t play dumb with me. You know perfectly well why Liu Bei came to Hebei. You want to use Liu Bei to fight for the heir, but Liu Bei also wants to use you to gain power in Hebei. However, Liu Bei is too meticulous in his actions and adept at cultivating his reputation, so many people in Hebei believe that Liu Bei is genuinely fighting for Yuan Shao.”

Seeing Yuan Tan's constantly changing expression, Cao Cao continued, "Benchu ​​and I share the same idea, both wanting to use Liu Bei to eliminate internal and external troubles. Unfortunately, you and Benchu ​​are both too arrogant. You think you can control Liu Bei, but you don't realize that it is Liu Bei who is controlling you. Now Benchu's spirit has been broken, and his favorite son has been beaten by me so badly that he dares not leave Ye City. There are not many roads he can travel."

Cao Cao's tone hardened, and his gaze sharpened: "Yuan Shao only has three paths to take. Either surrender to me and accept a nominal position as one of the Three Dukes, or flee to Liaodong to rise again, or follow the example of Tao Qian and cede the throne to Liu Bei. Yuan Shao is unwilling to be subordinate to me, so he will never surrender to me; Liaodong is bitterly cold, and the war is unpredictable, so Yuan Shao does not have the courage or energy to start all over again; therefore, Yuan Shao can only preserve his face and the Yuan family bloodline by ceding the throne to Liu Bei."

Yuan Tan gripped the document in his hand, his anger and suspicion intertwined, and he still stared at Cao Cao with hostility: "Since the General has made his decision, I, as his son, should obey. If you have nothing else, you may leave."

Cao Cao stared intently at Yuan Tan, then sighed, "Yuan Xiansi, why keep people at arm's length? I've said it before, you and Zixiu were friends. Now that Zixiu is gone, I truly don't want to see you suffer the same fate. I want to save you." Yuan Tan was taken aback, then sneered, "You led your troops to raid my camp and capture me, yet you say you want to save me? Don't be so frivolous."

"You've been attacking Xuzhou for days, and I'll just raid your camp once. That'll settle the matter of the attack." Cao Cao's skin was thicker than Yuan Tan had imagined. He directly downplayed the raid, and then said, "Of course, you don't have to trust me. I'm not asking you to reply immediately. I can promise you that if you're willing, your daughter can marry my son, and we can become husband and wife."

Yuan Tan's face darkened: "My daughter is only four years old."

Cao Cao replied without hesitation: "My son Cao Zheng is only four years old. Since it is a marriage alliance, why should we care about their age? It is not too late to marry them after they come of age."

Seeing Cao Cao's smiling face, Yuan Tan was unsure what to do.

Seeing this, Cao Cao said again, "You don't need to answer right away. If you change your mind, just send someone to deliver a letter to me."

Immediately, Cao Cao mounted his horse and ordered his generals and soldiers to leave.

Seeing Cao Cao lead his troops away, Hua Yan, Guo Tu, Xin Ping, and others approached to inquire.

"We'll discuss the return of the account later!"

Yuan Tan returned to the main tent with a gloomy face and showed everyone the document about Yuan Shangwen that Cao Cao had left behind, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Upon seeing the contents of the document, Guo Tu and Xin Ping could not hide their astonishment: Our guesses were actually true?

Hua Yan was so shocked that he broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly advised, "Young Master Tan, we cannot linger here any longer. We must return to Qingzhou as soon as possible!"

As Yuan Tan's biggest investor, Hua Yan had staked almost all his savings on the deal, thinking he was guaranteed to win. However, Yuan Shang unexpectedly resorted to underhanded tactics.

"After we return, will we fight Yuan Shang or Liu Bei?" Yuan Tan stared coldly at Hua Yan.

Withdrawing troops is easy, but devising a strategy for the return journey is extremely difficult. Yuan Tan must figure out how he will face Yuan Shang and Liu Bei in the future.

Hua Yan was speechless.

Hua Yan excels at flattery and sycophancy; as for devising strategies, he can only come up with a few simple and common tactics.

Seeing that Hua Yan remained silent, Yuan Tan's gaze then swept over Guo Tu and Xin Ping: "Guo and Xin, you are both great men of Yingchuan. Do you have any good strategies to teach me?"

After some thought, Guo Tu offered a plan: "Qingzhou is small in territory, has few soldiers, little food, and is isolated. Whether Liu Bei or Yuan Shang attacks, it will be difficult to resist in the long run. In my opinion, it would be better to feign a marriage alliance with Cao Cao and invite him to attack Yuan Shang and Liu Bei together. Yuan Shang wants to become a general and control Hebei, so he must prevent Liu Bei from returning to Youzhou. I predict that the two sides will definitely clash."

"Cao Cao is always cunning, and he's particularly pleased with the internal strife in Hebei. I predict he'll station his troops in Hanoi, hoping to reap the benefits while Liu Bei and Yuan Shang are weakened by their conflict and seize Ye City. At that time, General, you can lead your army westward, and all the territory north of Ye City can be taken. If Liu Bei and Yuan Shang are defeated by Cao Cao, their scattered troops can be incorporated to resist him. Cao Cao, exhausted from his long journey and lacking supplies, will surely retreat. Then, all the land north of Zhao will fall to you, and you'll be able to rival Cao Cao. If you don't follow this plan, I fear you'll fail."

　4th update, please vote with monthly tickets!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)