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

Chapter 258 Yuan Tan Rejects Guo Tu's Plan, Zhuge Liang Observes the Overall Situation in Zhuo County (5th Update)
Although Guo Tu's plan was feasible, it was extremely unpleasant to Yuan Tan's ears.

The flickering candlelight inside the tent illuminated Yuan Tan's uncertain expression.

After a long silence, Yuan Tan suddenly sneered: "How can my eldest daughter of the Yuan family marry Cao Cao's illegitimate son? Is Guo's plan to desecrate the prestige of my family, which has held high office for four generations, by the lowly eunuch Cao Cao?"

Guo Tu was taken aback and quickly cupped his hands, saying, "Young Master Tan has misunderstood. This is a trick; it's not a genuine marriage alliance with Cao Cao."

“Deception won’t work!” Yuan Tan snorted coldly and said, “After Cao Ang died, Cao Cao’s principal wife, Lady Ding, left him. Cao Cao then promoted his concubine, Lady Bian, to the position of principal wife. Lady Bian has four sons, all of whom are older than Cao Cao and have no wives. If Cao Cao is truly sincere in cooperating, he should choose one of Lady Bian’s four sons, instead of using a maid’s son to appease me.”

Yuan Tan's words were resounding, and everyone in the tent fell silent for a moment.

Cold sweat beaded on Guo Tu's forehead, but he forced himself to remain calm and said, "Young Master Tan, Cao Cao's actions may not necessarily be a sign of disrespect, but perhaps just a test. If you are unwilling to form a marriage alliance, you can always seek other solutions..."

"Testing me?" Before the words were finished, Yuan Tan's sneer deepened. "What is Cao Cao? Does he think he's worthy of testing me?"

Slamming his hand on the table, Yuan Tan's gaze swept over the crowd like a knife. "I am a descendant of four generations of high-ranking officials. By right and wrong, I should be the heir of the Yuan family. How can I lower myself to feign compliance with a lowly eunuch? This matter need not be discussed any further!"

Seeing Guo Tu's humiliation, Xin Ping swallowed his carefully prepared plan and gently advised, "Young Master Tan, please calm down! Although Cao Cao comes from humble origins, his army is now strong and powerful, and he holds the emperor hostage to command the other lords. If we rashly refuse, he may become enraged and join forces with Yuan Shang or Liu Bei. In that case, our army will be attacked from both sides, which would be very dangerous."

A cold glint flashed in Yuan Tan's eyes, and he said sharply, "Xin Zhongzhi, are you teaching me how to fear Cao Cao?"

Xin Ping's face turned pale, and he quickly lowered his head: "This subordinate dares not!"

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Hua Yan quickly tried to smooth things over: "Young Master Tan, both Guo and Xin are thinking of the bigger picture, but their words were inappropriate. How about this, we will not ally with Cao Cao for the time being, but we will not break off relations either. We will withdraw our troops back to Qingzhou first, and then observe how the situation changes, what do you think?"

Yuan Tan remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded slowly: "Very well, as you say. Issue the order: the entire army shall break camp and return to Qingzhou immediately!"

Guo Tu and Xin Ping exchanged a glance, both seeing the worry in each other's eyes, but dared not say anything more at this moment.

After leaving Yuan Tan's tent, Guo Tu's tone became more resentful: "Right now, internal strife is about to break out in Hebei, and it's the perfect time for everyone to show their true colors. Even Yuan Shang is willing to feign compliance with Cao Cao, but Young Master Tan stubbornly insists on upholding the Yuan family's reputation. Success is everything; if Young Master Tan succeeds, great scholars will defend him; if he fails, even children can mock him. I never imagined that even after sincerely offering my advice and even scheming against General Zuo, I still couldn't gain Yuan Tan's trust."

It's true that Guo Tu had a friendship with Liu Bei, but since he chose to attach himself to Yuan Tan, Guo Tu wouldn't let personal relationships with Liu Bei interfere with his official duties. He just didn't expect Yuan Tan to refuse to use the plan for the sake of his reputation.

Xin Ping sighed, "We are newcomers after all, and Young Master Tan is not the same as the General." Seemingly feeling that he could not find a more suitable reason for Yuan Tan, Xin Ping couldn't help but sigh and remain silent.

That night, Yuan's army quietly withdrew from their camp.

Scouts had already reported Yuan Tan's movements to Cao Cao.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao stroked his beard and laughed: "Yuan Xiansi is indeed proud and unyielding, he has some of the spirit of Yuan Shao in his youth!"

Cao Ren frowned and said, "Minister Cao, since Yuan Tan refuses to cooperate, why not take advantage of his retreat and send troops to pursue and annihilate him in one fell swoop, then march into Qingzhou?" Cao Cao shook his head, saying meaningfully, "No need. With Yuan Tan gone, the situation in Hebei will only become more chaotic. Let them fight amongst themselves, and I can simply reap the benefits! If we annihilate Yuan Tan, it will be like removing an obstacle for Liu Bei. He has a geographical advantage in Hebei and has cultivated his reputation for over a year. If Qingzhou is without Yuan Tan, Liu Bei can easily subdue it with a single proclamation. And my troops are mostly in Yanzhou and Henan, too far away to reach him."

Cao Ren asked doubtfully, "But if Yuan Tan returns to Qingzhou, reorganizes his troops, and joins forces with Yuan Shang and Liu Bei, wouldn't it be even more difficult to deal with him?"

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and laughed, "Zixiao, you're overthinking it. Yuan Tan is stubborn and self-willed. Although he has some cleverness, he's not capable of great things. Even if he joins forces with Yuan Shang, he'll still try to nibble away at Yuan Shang. As for Liu Bei, ha, I've created such a good opportunity for him, why would he pretend to be stupid and lie low? Even if Yuan Tan wants to join forces with Liu Bei, Liu Bei won't give him that chance!"

Although Cao Ren was still puzzled, he didn't delve into it further and instead asked, "So, are we going back to Puyang now?"

"No! Go to Hanoi!" Cao Cao's eyes were burning with determination; he had already made up his mind.

On the other side, Tao Jing, the son of Tao Sheng, who had rushed to Zhuo County, knelt directly in front of Zhuge Liang and cried, "Strategist, please remember my father's past respect for you and save his life!"

Zhuge Liang frowned and gestured for Tao Jing to stand up: "What happened?"

Tao Jing hurriedly said, "Recently, rumors have been circulating that the Grand General intends to step down and hand over the position to the Left General. My father is certain that Young Master Shang will not let this go easily. Moreover, seeing that Young Master Shang suddenly led troops to Lu Nu, my father sensed that something unexpected had happened. He asked me to take my mother out of the city and come directly to Zhuo County to find the military advisor. I have never seen my father so anxious, so I wanted to persuade him to leave with me. But my father said that he is the Chancellor of Zhongshan and cannot leave his post without permission. Furthermore, the Grand General has shown my father great favor and cannot abandon him. He only told me to come to Zhuo County as soon as possible."

"As expected, Yuan Shang has taken this step." Zhuge Liang's expression gradually turned serious.

The rumors that suddenly emerged in Hebei had already reached Zhuge Liang's ears.

There must be a reason for such unusual behavior. With Zhuge Liang's wisdom, he could naturally guess the source and purpose of the rumors, and he also anticipated what Yuan Shang would do next.

"Rest assured, you can rest in Zhuo County and take good care of your mother. As for your father, since he is unwilling to leave Zhongshan, he must have a way to save his life, so you don't need to worry about him," Zhuge Liang comforted him gently, and sent someone to settle Tao Jing.

Zhuge Liang had learned a great deal about Tao Sheng when he was in Zhen Ding.

Don't be fooled by Tao Sheng's seemingly amiable demeanor; it's just that he's become more restrained after settling down and establishing a career.

Before this, Tao Sheng was a junior commander under Yu Du, the leader of the Black Mountain tribe. He was a ruthless man who dared to betray Yu Du and protect Yuan Shao's family after Yu Du captured Ye City.

Such people don't usually show their ruthlessness, but when they find themselves with no way out, they will unleash a ruthlessness ten or even a hundred times greater than usual.

"Tao Sheng desires wealth and power, how could I, Liang, be stingy?" Zhuge Liang lightly waved his feather fan, already having made up his mind, and then ordered his trusted confidants: "Quickly invite General Zhao into the mansion for a meeting!"

　Chapter 5 is here! Please vote with your monthly tickets. Zhuge Liang is back from his vacation.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)