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

Chapter 276 Guo Jia Offers a Strategy of Befriending Distant Friend and Attacking Nearby Friend; Yuan Shi Becomes a Meal (3rd Update)
"Jia, go see my lord, and remember to pay me back for the wine." Guo Jia left in a hurry, leaving Xiahou Yuan empty-handed.

"I only drank a few sips of your wine, and you still want me to pay for it?" With a sigh, Xiahou Yuan turned to his warhorse and vigorously brushed its mane.

Guo Jia hurriedly arrived at the main hall, first reporting to Cao Cao about admonishing Xiahou Yuan, and then informing Cao Cao of the information he had obtained from Xiahou Yuan and his own speculations.

He added, “At first, I thought the rumors circulating in Hebei that Yuan Shao intended to abdicate in favor of Liu Bei were merely a tactic employed by Yuan Shang to vie for the position of heir. Yuan Shao has always doted on his youngest son, and even if he knew about this, he would most likely have tacitly approved of it. However, upon closer examination, while Yuan Shao may indeed have been encouraging Yuan Shang's ambition, it is more likely that he had already lost control of the situation. If this is indeed the case, besides Yan Liang and Wen Chou, there are probably many more of Yuan Shao's former subordinates who have already secretly defected to Liu Bei’s side!”

Taking a deep breath, Guo Jia's tone became even more solemn: "If my guess is correct, then Yuan Shang is very likely to have been defeated before he even reached Huguan City!"

Cao Cao was startled and quickly turned to look at the map. He then traced on the map: "Liu Bei has already recruited the Black Mountain people in Changshan. Zhongshan is adjacent to Zhuoxian and Changshan. If Yuan Shang is defeated, from Youzhou down, Zhongshan, Changshan and Shangdang will all be under Liu Bei's control."

Guo Jia then pointed to Yanmen, Taiyuan, and Xihe, saying, "Gao Gan has been deposed, Yuan Shang cannot enter Huguan, and Yuan Tan is far away in Qingzhou. The land west of Changshan will also fall into Liu Bei's hands. Although Bingzhou is vast and sparsely populated, as long as Liu Bei controls Bingzhou, he can re-enter Hedong! Although Yuan Shang still controls most of Jizhou, he is already surrounded by enemies on three sides. Your strategy against Liu Bei must be changed, my lord."

Cao Cao stared at the map, his brows furrowed: "Fengxiao, does this mean you will temporarily cease hostilities with Liu Bei?"

Guo Jia nodded: "My lord, the current situation between you and Liu Bei is just like the confrontation between Qin and Qi in the past. Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan are trapped in Ji and Qing provinces, barely surviving, but ultimately they cannot escape destruction. On the other hand, Liu Bei has You and Bing provinces, and is dominating Hedong, his power is growing stronger. If we rashly launch an attack now, not only will it be a costly and fruitless expedition, but we may also end up benefiting the two Yuans. If we force Liu Bei to form an alliance with the two Yuans, or if Sun Quan and Liu Biao take advantage of the situation, then the situation will be very dangerous! In the past, Fan Sui advised the King of Qin to befriend distant states while attacking nearby ones. Every inch gained is an inch for the king, and every foot gained is a foot for the king. The current situation is the same!"

"In my opinion, it would be best to send an envoy with imperial credentials to Zhuo County, ceding Changshan and Zhongshan counties to Bing Province, and bestowing upon Liu Bei the title of Military Governor of You and Bing Provinces, to recognize his merit in defending the borders. Liu Bei has always prided himself on benevolence and virtue; without the title of Yuan Shao, he will certainly not dare to start a war lightly. After he receives the title, you can feign an alliance with Yuan Shang to attack Yuan Tan. When Yuan Tan is defeated, he will surely agree to the marriage proposal. At that time, you can take advantage of the situation to seize Qing Province, and from the advantage of Pingyuan, directly attack Wei County. Yuan Tan is cunning; seeing you attack Yuan Shang, he will surely take the opportunity to gather Yuan Shang's defeated troops and enter Bohai, Anping, and other places, thus preventing Liu Bei from taking advantage of the situation. As long as Wei County is in our hands, not only will our supply lines be unobstructed, but we can also deprive Liu Bei of the natural barrier of the Yellow River. After that, the outcome will depend entirely on your strategy!"

These words were spoken in a clear and logical manner, unfolding the strategic plan layer by layer, demonstrating both foresight and composure.

Cao Cao did not respond immediately, but paced back and forth in front of the map, deep in thought.

After fighting for so long, Yuan Shao, this behemoth, has finally gone from being a person on the table to being food on the plate. How he is eaten is no longer up to Yuan Shao. Only Cao Cao and Liu Bei can share Yuan Shao with them.

Although Liu Bei's rise in the north gave Cao Cao another major enemy, Cao Cao had already considered this when he allowed Liu Bei to enter Hebei.

In the past, Yuan was strong and Cao was weak, and the weak had no right to influence the situation; now that Yuan is weak and Cao is strong, the strong can set the rules of the game.

a long time.

Cao Cao stopped and instructed, "Quickly write down the current situation and countermeasures in writing, and send it by fast horse to Xuchang for Wenruo, Gongda, and Wenhe to discuss together."

Cao Cao would consult with Xun Yu on any major strategic matters. Xun You and Jia Xu also had a deep understanding of the general situation of the world. Cao Cao was more confident when the three of them discussed the matter together.

After a pause, Cao Cao added, "Zhuge Liang under Liu Bei, although young, is mature and skilled in strategic planning, no less than Wenruo. Remember not to underestimate him."

Guo Jia obeyed the order without hesitation. In just two short years, Liu Bei went from being penniless and dependent on others to becoming a powerful figure in the north, and Zhuge Liang's contributions were indispensable!

The next few days.

Cao Cao intensified his espionage efforts in the north.

When news of Yuan Shang's escape back to Ye City arrived, both Cao Cao and Guo Jia looked grave. Although they had guessed that Yuan Shang would be defeated, they did not expect him to be defeated so quickly!
Especially when he saw the intelligence report that "Yuan Shang's 8,000 troops have all defected," Guo Jia breathed a long sigh of relief: "Zhuge Liang is more ruthless than I imagined! With all 8,000 troops defecting, Yuan Shang was still able to escape back to Ye City safely."

Cao Cao frowned, his tone unfriendly: "This country bumpkin is afraid that after capturing Yuan Shang, I will take advantage of the situation and deliberately let Yuan Shang go to prevent me from advancing north." Cao Cao also took a deep breath and said, "It seems that Zhuge Liang is also unwilling to confront me head-on at this time. Youzhou is a harsh and cold place, and its food and population cannot support a large-scale war. This is my opportunity to seize Qingzhou and Wei Commandery!"

Two days later, Xun Yu's reply arrived, containing only one simple sentence: "My lord, you may proceed with your plans without hesitation; I will take care of the provisions."

Cao Cao laughed upon receiving the letter: "Having Wenruo is like Emperor Gaozu having Xiao He!"

After receiving Xun Yu's affirmation, Cao Cao's confidence increased greatly, and he decided to adopt Guo Jia's strategy of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones, intending to make peace with Liu Bei again.

It is said that the world is a place where unity will eventually lead to division, and division will eventually lead to unity. The same applies to the relationship between different forces. There are no absolute friends or absolute enemies, only absolute interests.

Previously, he drove Yuan Shang and others to fight against Liu Bei because of self-interest; now, he wants to use the strategy of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones, also because of self-interest.

In this ongoing struggle for interests, whoever can see through the other party's intentions first and adjust their strategies in time will have the last laugh.

Those who cannot recognize the deception and cannot adjust their strategies in time will only become easy prey.

the other side.

Having turned 8,000 Changshan soldiers against their will and deliberately let Yuan Shang go, Zhao Yun, after ordering his generals to lead their troops and the Black Mountain people back to Changshan, led dozens of white-horse cavalry to Huguan City.

On the day of his arrival, Liu Bei also happened to be returning from Hedong.

Upon learning that Zhuge Liang had completely thwarted Yuan Shang's conspiracy and that the states of Zhongshan and Changshan were now under Zhuge Liang's control, Liu Bei was both surprised and delighted: "I didn't expect that before Shi Yuan and I had even made any progress, the strategist had already stabilized the situation in the rear. With the strategist in charge of the rear, I have nothing to worry about!"

　The third update is here.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)