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

Chapter 290 Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan have no good strategies, Guo Tu suggests seeking help from Liu Bei (2nd update)
Shen Pei's proposed plan was a desperate gamble.

They spread rumors that Cao Cao had massacred surrendered soldiers to eliminate any hope of escape for the defending troops, and ensured that the troops were well-fed and satiated at every meal so that their morale would not be swayed by the rumors about Cao Cao's army. When the treasury ran out of food a month later, and the defending troops had to go out of the city to resupply when the wheat was ripe, their morale and fighting spirit were at their peak.

At that time, a decisive battle with Cao Cao would allow them to fully utilize their superior military strength, emulating Xiang Yu's example of breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats.

From a tactical perspective, although Shen Pei's strategy was in line with the current morale and food situation in Ye City, Yuan Shang's temperament was most like his father Yuan Shao: he was cautious about his life when doing great things, but he was willing to risk his life for small gains.

Shen Pei's idea of ​​getting Yuan Shang to emulate Xiang Yu's decision to burn his boats and fight to the death was clearly oversimplified!

really!

Upon hearing Shen Pei's plan to harvest wheat in a month to supply the army, Yuan Shang immediately became suspicious: "What if Cao Cao also sends troops to seize the wheat, and our army is no match for Cao Cao?"

“In the past, Xiang Yu broke the cauldrons and sank the boats, and was still able to win against a large number of enemies; General, you have the spirit of a hero, and you are able to win against a small number of enemies.” Shen Pei avoided the real issue and instead praised Yuan Shang, even comparing him to Xiang Yu.

Yuan Shang was secretly pleased to hear this, but he didn't forget himself. He thought that praising someone to be on par with Xiang Yu was just something to listen to; to take it seriously would be a sign of a lack of self-awareness.

"Let us ask Yuan Tan and the others to discuss this further."

Before Yuan could accept Shen Pei's plan, he instead summoned a group of civil and military officials, including Yuan Tan, Guo Tu, Xin Ping, Meng Dai, Jiang Qi, Han Meng, Lü Kuang, Lü Xiang, Feng Ji, Yin Kai, Ju Hu, Liang Qi, Li Fu, Yin Kui, Chen Lin, Ma Yan, Zhang Yi, Guo Zhao, and Shen Rong, to discuss the matter.

These civil and military officials who once followed Yuan Shao, now either obeying Yuan Tan or Yuan Shang, are all trapped in Ye City.

In addition, they had Cao Cao as a common enemy. Despite having many grudges in the past, the civil and military officials could barely maintain a semblance of harmony.

Yuan Shang sat in the main seat, surveyed the civil and military officials, and said in a deep voice: "Cao Cao is treacherous, using divisive tactics to sow discord among our troops, and our army's provisions are insufficient for three months. Supervisor Shen advised me to emulate Xiang Yu's 'burning the boats' strategy: firstly, to spread the news that Cao Cao had massacred surrendered soldiers, thus extinguishing any hope among the soldiers; secondly, to ensure the troops had ample food at every meal, thus stabilizing morale. Then, taking advantage of the wheat harvest, we should mobilize the entire army to fight Cao Cao to the death and seize the new wheat! However, I still have a concern: what if Cao Cao also intends to seize the new wheat, and our army is no match for Cao Cao in the decisive battle outside the city? In that case, we will not be able to resupply and will be ambushed and annihilated, and Ye City will fall without a fight. Do any of you gentlemen have any good ideas?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire tent fell silent.

After a long silence, Xin Ping spoke first: "General's concerns are absolutely correct! Although Supervisor Shen's plan is valiant, Cao Cao's army is powerful, and there are no natural defenses outside the city. If our army goes out to fight in the open, it will be like throwing an egg against a rock. Therefore, the most urgent task is to hold the city. If we are short of food, we can be frugal and there is no need to risk going out of the city."

Upon hearing this, Shen Pei's face darkened, and he retorted, "How long can we hold out? The granaries are already fully stocked, and even with frugal spending, it won't last three months! Cao Cao has just acquired 50,000 shi of grain from Liyang, and can also harvest wheat to sustain himself. Even if we besiege Ye City for two years, we won't run out of food! When the city runs out of food, the army loses its will to fight, and the people are in danger of turning against us, what will you do then? Only by burning our boats and breaking our cauldrons can we survive! Our army knows that we will run out of food first, and Cao Cao will bury us alive later. We have no choice but to fight to the death!"

Feng Ji hurriedly chimed in: "Zheng Nan's words are absolutely right! I observe that the soldiers in the camp are filled with righteous indignation upon hearing of Cao Cao's massacre of surrendered soldiers. If we can take advantage of this momentum of shared hatred and launch a counterattack, even if Cao Cao's army is powerful, they will surely find it difficult to resist! General, you possess the spirit of a hero, how could you be inferior to Xiang Yu?"

Guo Tu sneered, "This strategy seems reckless, but it actually puts the General in a desperate situation with no food and no way out! How many overlords throughout history have there been? Rashly abandoning the strategic advantage of the fortified city to fight Cao Cao will lead to defeat, the fall of Ye City, and we will all be prisoners! The current plan is to send elite cavalry to either sneak out and harass Cao Cao's supply lines or contact the Left General for reinforcements, rather than risking a decisive battle." Shen Pei was even more displeased when Guo Tu mentioned Liu Bei: "Liu Bei is a wolf in sheep's clothing, forcibly occupying Shangdang, Changshan, and Zhongshan. How is his behavior any different from Cao Cao's? Asking Liu Bei for help is like asking a tiger for its skin! What are your intentions in offering this strategy?"

Guo Tu chuckled, "Shen Zhengnan, we are all in the same boat now. I didn't want to fight you, but you ask me what my intentions are? I don't like hearing that. Cao Cao wants to conquer Hebei, and we and General Zuo are in a similar situation. If we are defeated, General Zuo will be left to fend for himself. You are unwilling to ask General Zuo for help because of your own selfish interests. I would like to ask you, what are your intentions?"

Shen Pei's expression changed, and he rebuked, "If you hadn't lost Liyang and those 50,000 shi of grain, would Ye City have been short of food? Would Cao Cao have coveted the wheat fields outside Ye City?"

Guo Tu scoffed, turned and cupped his hands in greeting to Yuan Tan: "General of Chariots and Cavalry led us from Pingyuan to offer our full assistance, but in the end, we have done all this for nothing!"

Yuan Tan's face instantly darkened, and he coldly snorted, "Since Supervisor Shen dislikes us, then we may return to Pingyuan now."

Yuan Shang was greatly alarmed and quickly stood up to dissuade him, saying, "Gentlemen, please do not be angry. Since this is a discussion, we should only discuss official business and not personal grudges. Guo Congshi's suggestion to send elite cavalry to either sneak out and harass Cao Cao's supply lines or contact the Left General for reinforcements is also a good strategy, and it does not conflict with Shen Jianjun's plan. Why don't we follow Guo Congshi's plan first, and at the same time implement Shen Jianjun's plan? What do you all think?"

Shen Pei asked in a low voice, "What if Liu Bei is unwilling to send troops to help?"

Guo Tu said sarcastically, "Back then, when you sent troops to cut off General Zuo's return route, it was only natural that General Zuo was unwilling to come to the rescue because he was angry."

Feng Ji, disapproving of Guo Tu's mocking manner, retorted sarcastically, "Since Guo knows that the Left General is angry and unwilling to come to his aid, wasn't his request for help just now redundant?"

Guo Tu glanced at Feng Ji and said, "It's not unnecessary. If the Grand General and the General of Chariots and Cavalry are willing to serve the Left General as their master, the Left General will definitely come to their aid!"

Yuan Shang's expression changed drastically, and his tone turned somber: "I am the Grand General! Does Guo expect me, a dignified Grand General, to serve the Left General as my master? This is far too disrespectful."

Yuan Tan looked at Guo Tu with some surprise, wondering whose subordinate Guo Tu was. However, Yuan Tan did not speak, but listened quietly to what Guo Tu had to say next.

Guo Tu remained unfazed, cupped his hands to Yuan Shang, and said, “I have heard that a true man should be able to bend and stretch, and should not be concerned with temporary honor or disgrace. If the Grand General and the General of Chariots and Cavalry lose Ye City, they will only be able to flee north and rely on the Left General. At that time, they will not only be dependent on others and lose their dignity, but will also be ridiculed and looked down upon. If we can defeat Cao Cao, the Grand General can still hold Ye City, and the General of Chariots and Cavalry can return to Pingyuan. Would the Left General force the Grand General and the General of Chariots and Cavalry to abdicate?”

His gaze then fell on Feng Ji: "Feng Yuantu, you pride yourself on being a talented man. When you were persuading the General of Chariots and Cavalry, you kept saying that if one of you is gone, the other will be in danger. How come you don't understand this principle when you're with the Left General? What are your intentions?"

　Update 2 is here. I'm usually a bit late on weekends.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)