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

Chapter 282 Shen Peifeng and Ji discussed the principle of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold," and Yuan Shang decided to make peace (4th update)
Pang Tong's counterattack against the rumors continued to ferment. The rumor that Yuan Shang had "imprisoned his biological father" spread widely in Wei Commandery and to the surrounding counties. In addition, after Su You's troops returned to Ji Province, he spread rumors that "Liu Bei was forced into a dilemma by Yuan Shang" and "Zhong Yao sent an envoy to persuade him to surrender".

The people of Jizhou were in an uproar.

Cavalry Commandant Cui Yan was upright and incorruptible. He publicly advised Yuan Shang to prioritize the overall situation, return the General's Seal to Yuan Shao first, then make peace with Liu Bei, jointly attack Cao Cao, and restore the Han Dynasty.

However, Yuan Shang was already frustrated because the eight thousand Changshan soldiers had defected and fled back to Ye City in a panic. When he suddenly heard that Cui Yan wanted him to return the seal of the Grand General and to make peace with Liu Bei, he was furious.

Feng Ji then fanned the flames, accusing Cui Yan of having an affair with Liu Bei, claiming that "Cui Yan was a student of Zheng Xuan, and Zheng Xuan has now gone to Zhuo County. Cui Yan must be trying to curry favor with Liu Bei."

Yuan Shang was indeed furious and wanted to execute Cui Yan to prove his loyalty. Fortunately, Yin Kui and Chen Lin risked their lives to persuade him, which saved Cui Yan's life. Even so, Cui Yan was imprisoned by Yuan Shang.

For a time, the people of Jizhou who shared Cui Yan's thoughts were all silenced and dared not offer any further advice.

Yecheng.

Inside the General's Mansion.

With a snap, Yuan Shang threw the intelligence bamboo slip in his hand to the ground and shouted angrily, "Liu Bei, you treacherous dog, have insulted me too much!" He then turned to Shen Pei and Feng Ji and asked, "Now rumors are spreading all over Ji Province, and many officials, both civil and military, are disrespectful to me. Even that scoundrel Cui Yan dared to advise me to return the seal of the Grand General and make peace with Liu Bei. If this continues, what should we do?!"

Feng Ji stepped forward and said obsequiously, "General, please calm down. Cui Yan is nothing but a pedantic scholar who is ignorant of the times. Now that he is imprisoned, he will surely deter the villains. The most urgent task at present is to determine the future strategic direction and then plan for the future."

Yuan Shang stared wide-eyed: "How else do we need to be sure? Now that I have allied with Cao Cao, I can use Cao Cao to get rid of Liu Bei. I will send someone to contact Cao Cao later and ask him to send troops from Hanoi to march north along the Dan River and take Huguan City together! Liu Bei is growing stronger every day and has become a major threat to Cao Cao. I am sure that Cao Cao will not sit idly by and wait to reap the benefits."

Feng Ji observed Yuan Shang's expression for a while, carefully choosing his words, and said, "Huguan City is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If we attack the city from the north, we can only do so by breaching the mountain. With the General's forces, unless we send out all our troops, there is absolutely no possibility of breaking through the pass. However, if the General sends out all our troops, Ye City will not have enough troops left to defend it. At that time, not only will Yuan Tan and Zhuge Liang take the opportunity to attack, but Cao Cao may also take the opportunity to seize the city."

Yuan Shang was unconvinced and said, "I don't need to send out all my forces. To break through Huguan City, attacking from the south is the easiest way. I just need to cooperate with Cao Cao to prevent Liu Bei's reinforcements from reaching Huguan City!"

Seeing that Yuan Shang was thinking so naively, Feng Ji reminded him: "Even if Cao Cao takes Huguan City, he can't possibly go a thousand miles to cross Yanmen County and enter Dai County to attack Zhuo County where Liu Bei is located. If he takes Huguan City, Cao Cao can launch a two-pronged attack to directly take Ye City. At that time, the General will become a fish that Cao Cao can slaughter at any time."

Yuan Shang was taken aback for a moment, then said boldly, "Why go through a thousand miles of detour? I can promise Cao Cao that as long as we capture Huguan, I can help Cao Cao take Changshan and Zhongshan directly, and then join forces in Zhuojun to capture and kill Liu Bei in one fell swoop!"

Feng Ji's lips twitched, and he replied, "At that time, the general can take the opportunity to cut off Cao Cao's retreat and block Cao Cao's isolated army in Zhuojun. In this way, Hebei can be pacified and the world can be at peace."

Yuan Shang laughed: "I had the same idea as you, Commander!"

Feng Ji looked helplessly at Shen Pei, raising his eyes to indicate: Stop pretending to be mute, I really can't respond to that!

Shen Pei was also in a bind, and could only pretend to scold Feng Ji: "Feng Yuantu, how could you offer such a stupid plan to harm the Grand General? Cao Cao is skilled in military affairs, and he has many wise and resourceful men under his command. How could he be so foolish as to lead his army deep into enemy territory? If I were Cao Cao, I would definitely use the strategy of 'borrowing a path to conquer Guo,' and by capturing a city, I would enhance my prestige. At that time, Cao Cao's prestige would grow stronger, and how could the Grand General possibly resist Cao Cao?"

Seeing Shen Pei's feigned anger, Feng Ji could only pretend to be surprised: "It was my oversight!" Then he pretended to glare at him and asked, "This won't work, that won't work either, Shen Zhengnan, why don't you give me a good idea?" The two successfully used their argument to cover up the embarrassment of Yuan Shang being slapped in the face after his boastful words.

The current situation is different from when Liu Bei did not return to Huguan City.

Before Liu Bei returned to Huguan, Yuan Shang could have seized Huguan to prevent Liu Bei from retreating to Youzhou. In that case, Liu Bei, who was blocked, would have become easy prey for Yuan Shang and Cao Cao to divide up, and neither Cao Cao nor Yuan Shang would have had to venture deep into the other's territory alone.

But now that Liu Bei has returned to Huguan City, the situation has changed.

If they conspire with Cao Cao to attack Huguan City, Huguan City will have to be ceded to Cao Cao, and Cao Cao, who gains Huguan City, will then covet Ji Province.

If Yuan Shang were to cede Changshan again, Cao Cao, having acquired Changshan, would certainly not venture further into Zhongshan and Zhuojun. Instead, he would employ the strategy of "borrowing a path to destroy Guo," first taking Zhao, then heading south to seize Julu, and finally directly taking Weijun, thus connecting Henan, Shangdang, Changshan, Zhao, Julu, Weijun, and Yanzhou into one region. At that time, Cao Cao would then gradually devour the counties of Jizhou and Qingzhou, leaving Liu Bei with only Youzhou, who would then be left to wait for his demise.

Yuan Shang wanted Cao Cao to lead a lone army deep into Zhuojun to attack Liu Bei and then act as the fisherman, while Cao Cao also wanted to eliminate Yuan Shang, the fisherman, before attacking Liu Bei.

Thinking of this, Yuan Shang felt a wave of fear wash over him. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then looked at Shen Pei.

Shen Pei carefully considered his words and solemnly said, "In the current situation, Liu Bei is eyeing us covetously from the north, and Cao Cao is eyeing us covetously from the south. Whether we conspire with Liu Bei or Cao Cao, it is like asking a tiger for its skin. At this critical moment, General, you should put aside your past grievances with Young Master Tan and defend Qingji together."

Yuan Shang's expression changed drastically. He stood up and glared angrily: "Supervisor Shen, how can I forgive and forget Yuan Tan? Yuan Tan has always been cunning. How can he be trusted?"

Shen Pei continued, "In the past, we could not have completely forgiven each other. But now, General and Yuan Tan are like lips and teeth. I urge you to think carefully about the principle that if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold."

Yuan Shang's anger subsided slightly due to Shen Pei's advice, but the sinister look between his brows remained.

With his hands behind his back, Yuan Shang paced back and forth across the map in the hall, staring intently at the mark marking the border between Ji Province and Qing Province, his knuckles turning white from gripping it so tightly.

Feng Ji, observing the situation closely, seized the opportunity to add: "What Supervisor Shen said makes sense. Although Yuan Tan has a grudge against the General, Liu Bei now occupies Youzhou and is eyeing Ji, while Cao Cao has troops stationed in Hanoi, looking on with predatory intent. If the General continues to fight with Yuan Tan, it will only benefit outsiders. It would be better to put aside old grievances for now and work together to resist external enemies. It is not too late to discuss family matters after the situation has stabilized."

a long time.

Yuan Shang took a deep breath and said, "Even if I am willing to forgive and forget, how could Yuan Tan possibly agree?"

Seeing that Yuan Shang had changed his mind, Feng Ji immediately volunteered, saying, "I am willing to go to Pingyuan to persuade Yuan Tan!"

　Update 4 is here!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)