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

Chapter 292 Shen Pei's plan to eliminate his offspring, and Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang who were persuaded (4th update)
Jiang Qi was taken aback: "General Meng, why do you want to surrender to Cao Cao? Why not follow the example of Guo Tu and Xin Ping and join Liu Bei?"

A glint flashed in Meng Dai's eyes, and he said decisively, "Since the Battle of Guandu, the fate of the world has been decided. Cao Cao is the strongest in the world! Although Liu Bei has risen to power in the north, his foundation is weak, and he occupies sparsely populated and harsh lands. He will eventually be destroyed by Cao Cao. If you join Liu Bei, how can you later join Cao Cao?"

Jiang Qi's Adam's apple bobbed, his worry deepening: "But if we surrender to Cao Cao, we'll inevitably be pushed to the front lines to block Liu Bei in order to show our loyalty. Liu Bei is no benevolent man either; to be his enemy would be tantamount to courting death."

"Not at all!" Meng Dai's lips curled into a sly smile. "The timing is crucial in surrendering to Cao Cao! Think about it carefully: why did Cao Cao release the wounded soldiers and provide them with food and drink? And why did he send Zhang He and Gao Lan to persuade them to surrender at the city walls? It's all because of his infamous massacre of soldiers at Guandu. At this moment, he urgently needs to win back the hearts of the people and rally the soldiers of Ye City! Whoever surrenders first will surely be treated with great courtesy by Cao Cao. This is a golden opportunity for the two of us!"

After a slight pause, Meng Dai continued, "As for directly confronting Liu Bei, there's no need to worry. If those who surrender first are all sent to their deaths by Cao Cao, how can those who surrender later feel at ease? Besides, you may not know this, but Cao Cao has never trusted surrendered generals. He always appoints members of his clan as main generals and surrendered generals as deputies. It may seem like a humiliation, but in reality, as long as we behave ourselves, we will be safe. Even if we are truly sent to resist Liu Bei..." Meng Dai lowered his voice, speaking meaningfully, "With a large army at our disposal, we can also defect to Liu Bei! Liu Bei is weak; when he sees us bringing troops to surrender, why wouldn't he gladly accept us?"

"General Meng's foresight is admirable!" Jiang Qi's voice was deep and firm: "In that case, we should not delay. What should we do? Should we send someone down the city wall tonight to deliver the surrender document?"

"That's unacceptable!" Meng Dai's sly smile deepened. "Such a momentous matter requires sincerity. Besides, Cao Cao is inherently suspicious; a letter of surrender is far less effective than a face-to-face appeal. Furthermore, if our plans are not kept secret, we will both be beheaded as a warning to others!"

Meng Dai lowered his voice, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Tonight is my turn to guard the west gate. You select your trusted guards to secretly escort my wife and children to the west gate! At midnight tonight, I will open the west gate, lower the drawbridge, and head straight to Cao Cao's camp to meet him!"

Jiang Qi's heart skipped a beat, then he nodded emphatically: "It's all up to the General!"

Meanwhile, Shen Pei and Feng Ji remained at the General's Mansion.

Shen Pei was very dissatisfied with the discussion just now, and he was also blaming Yuan Shang for gathering a group of people to discuss the matter, otherwise he would not have been attacked by Guo Tu in person.

Suppressing his inner discontent, Shen Pei, with a stern expression, bowed to Yuan Shang and asserted: "General, Guo Tu and Xin Ping have gone to Zhuo County to seek reinforcements, and there is absolutely no chance of them returning!"

Feng Ji coldly echoed, "Zheng Nan is absolutely right! Guo Tu has long been in secret communication with Liu Bei, and his bringing Xin Ping along this time clearly indicates his intention to emulate Zhang He and Gao Lan in surrendering to Liu!!"

Yuan Shang hesitated, "These two have always supported Yuan Tan, and now they are going to seek help on Yuan Tan's orders. How could they defect? ​​Are you overthinking this?"

Feng Ji sneered: "Guo Tu is arrogant and narrow-minded. Yuan Tan has long distanced himself from him, and he has long harbored resentment. Today, he actually proposed in public to support Liu Bei as the leader, without Yuan Tan knowing anything beforehand! This shows his treacherous intentions. He took Xin Ping away, which also shows his intention to bestow favors on Xin Ping's son, who is under Liu Bei's command!"

Shen Pei's worry deepened: "What I fear even more is that after the two surrender to Liu Bei, they might persuade him to collude with Cao Cao and divide Hebei. At that time, Ye City will be attacked from both sides and will be in imminent danger!"

Yuan Shang's expression changed upon hearing this: "Then... what should we do?"

Shen Pei shouted sternly, "When it's time to act, act decisively! Immediately dispatch your personal cavalry to intercept and kill them. If you see Guo Tu or Xin Ping, don't ask any questions, just kill them without hesitation!"

Yuan Shang hesitated: "If the two can really bring reinforcements, it can relieve the urgent crisis in Ye City. If we kill the two, Ye City will have no reinforcements."

Shen Pei urgently advised, "General, you once cut off Liu Bei's retreat, and the enmity is now established. How could Liu Bei genuinely come to our aid? Even if he does come, he will surely sit on the sidelines and watch the two tigers fight, waiting for our army and Cao Cao to be exhausted before plotting to reap the benefits! At that time, we might still be able to serve you, but you, General, will only be able to live in seclusion in a separate courtyard! General, you must not harbor any illusions!" Seeing that Yuan Shang was still hesitant, Shen Pei offered another contingency plan: "If things don't go well, I will defend Ye City to the death to cover your retreat, General. You can then retreat to Hejian. Yuan Chunqing's army is stationed in Hejian, which can serve as a base. General, you can then go to Bohai to welcome back Lord Yuan. With Lord Yuan's prestige, Liu Bei will not dare to obstruct you. After you return the seal of office, Lord Yuan will be grateful for our loyalty in defending Ye City and will surely join forces with Liu Bei to relieve the siege. General, you can endure this temporary predicament and perhaps even make a comeback!"

Seeing that Shen Pei had planned everything perfectly, Yuan Shang's doubts gradually disappeared. His eyes hardened, and he said, "I will immediately send Ma Yan with troops to pursue and kill them! I will definitely take their heads!"

Among the people of Ye City, Shen Pei was the one most afraid of the city falling.

The Shen family's fortunes were all tied to the Wei army; if Ye City fell, the Shen family would be finished.

Furthermore, both of Shen Pei's sons had died at the hands of Cao Cao, making Shen Pei an irreconcilable enemy of Cao Cao.

Guo Tu wasn't wrong to criticize. Shen Pei was willing to gamble the lives of the entire city's soldiers and civilians on victory or defeat. Only by winning could Shen Pei protect his family business.

If they lose, even if they flee elsewhere, they will only be wandering scholars, just like Guo Tu and other scholars from Yingchuan, a group of rootless duckweed.

Therefore.

Shen Pei only started planning for Yuan Shang's future after discovering that Yuan Shang was unwilling to fight to the death. His intention was simple and clear: even if Yuan Shang's desperate plan failed, he could still survive and have a chance to make a comeback.

For Yuan Shang, if he could survive even if he failed in a major undertaking, then that major undertaking was worth the risk.

After persuading Yuan Shang, Shen Pei left the General's Mansion and went to see Yuan Tan alone, hoping to convince Yuan Tan to carry out the "do-or-die" plan together.

Upon hearing the purpose of the visit, Yuan Tan couldn't help but sneer: "It was in this very Ye City that you and Feng Ji tried to trap me at the post station, and now you want me to help you succeed? On what grounds? If Ye City falls, I can still retreat to Qingzhou. Qingzhou has rugged terrain and is far from Xuchang; even if Cao Cao personally led an expedition, it would be difficult to win. Besides, I haven't cut off Liu Bei's return route, and I can even form an alliance with him. Why should I risk my life here with you?"

Shen Pei earnestly advised, "General of Chariots and Cavalry, do you really think that if Ye City falls, you can still return to Qingzhou? What you can think of, how could Cao Cao not think of?"

Upon being pointed at by Shen Pei, Yuan Tan's face turned cold, and he gripped the hilt of his sword with his right hand, seemingly ready to draw his blade at the slightest provocation.

Undeterred by the situation, Shen Pei proposed again: "If things go wrong, General of Chariots and Cavalry, you may lead your troops to retreat first, while I will cover your retreat in Ye City. In this way, even if you are defeated, you can still take some troops with you, which is better than abandoning more than 10,000 troops and fleeing back to Qingzhou alone. Although Qingzhou is rugged, if you have no troops, a local strongman can take your life, and may even use your head to claim credit from Cao Cao."

"General, please reconsider!"

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(End of this chapter)