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

Sun Quan sent someone to summon Xun Yu and his nephew Xun You.

In order to gain Sun Quan's trust, these two not only offered him many suggestions, but also helped him stabilize Yuzhou and Yanzhou.

Zhang Zhao is currently in Wu Commandery, Zhou Yu in Chenliu, Gu Yong in Chen County, and Zhang Hong recently went to Shouchun. The two have become Sun Quan's most valued and trusted advisors.

Sun Quan, being young and fearless, and having become a general, inevitably became arrogant and complacent, even assigning Zhou Yu, Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong, and Gu Yong, who were least likely to betray him, to serve in distant regions.

This was a situation that Xun Yu and Xun You were happy to see.

Originally, Zhou Yu, Zhang Zhao, and Gu Yong were away, while Zhang Hong followed Sun Quan in Xudu. However, due to Cao Cao's sudden attack on Jingzhou, Xun Yu believed that Shouchun was a crucial place that could not be seized by either Cao Cao or Liu Bei. Therefore, it was necessary to send someone who was knowledgeable in both politics and military affairs to Shouchun.

Therefore, Xun Yu deliberately recommended Xun You.

If Sun Ce had been in Xuchang, Xun You might have actually gone to Shouchun; but Sun Quan was more scheming than Sun Ce, and worried that Xun You would secretly help Cao Cao, so he sent Zhang Hong to Shouchun instead.

Although Zhang Hong had warned Sun Quan, Sun Quan was confident that he could control the two men because he had troops at his disposal, the families of Cao Cao's civil and military generals were under his control, and Xun Yu and his nephew had not suffered much loss of interest.

"Although Cao Cao is besieged in Xiangyang, the natural barrier of the Han River makes it difficult for Zhuge Liang to break through the city. In my opinion, Zhuge Liang's aim is Xuchang rather than Xiangyang, and the General must be wary."

Xun Yu was the first to express his opinion. Seeing that Sun Quan was somewhat moved, he then said, "Luoyang is the old capital. Once it falls into Pang Tong's hands, not only will the people of Yan and Yu be in turmoil, but Xuchang and Chenliu will also face the enemy directly. Therefore, Luoyang must be saved. I urge the General to quickly mobilize elite troops to Luoyang and stop Pang Tong at all costs."

Sun Quan had already made this judgment, and seeing that Xun Yu also made the same assertion, his worries deepened. He hesitated and said, "At present, the troops on all sides are stretched thin. If I were to send my elite troops to Luoyang, I fear that Zhuge Liang of Nanyang would take the opportunity to march north. What should I do?"

The situation in Xuchang is now far more complex than it was when it was first acquired. Some are loyal to Cao Cao, some to Liu Bei, and some to Liu Xie.

Normally, Sun Quan could suppress those who refused to submit by relying on his large army.

However, if the elite troops were transferred to support Luoyang, Sun Quan was not sure if he could still deter those who refused to submit.

Seeing Sun Quan hesitate, Xun Yu gave Xun You a look.

The two men had only feigned allegiance to Sun Quan, so after learning that Cao Cao had advanced into Xiangyang, they were already plotting how to help Cao Cao return to Xuchang.

The transfer of Zhang Hong some time ago was just one part of the plan. Now that Pang Tong has gone south, it is a great opportunity to transfer Sun Quan's elite troops away from Xuchang.

Xun Yu gave Xun You a meaningful look, and Xun You immediately had a plan. He said, "This is not difficult. We can secretly reinforce Luoyang, while creating the illusion that we are gathering troops in Xuchang. Pang Tong and Zhuge Liang are in the north and south respectively, making communication difficult. By the time they learn that the General is reinforcing Luoyang, Pang Tong will have already been defeated."

Seeing that Sun Quan's expression still showed hesitation, Xun You emphasized, "General, Luoyang cannot be left unattended! I am willing to personally lead troops to Luoyang to assist you!"

really.

For someone like Sun Quan, retreating in order to advance is the best way to dispel his doubts.

The more Xun You insisted on taking command of the troops, the less likely Sun Quan would allow him to do so. However, after ruling out the possibility that Xun You might become too powerful and hold too much authority, Sun Quan was more inclined to approve of Xun You's strategies.

After much deliberation, Sun Quan decided to reinforce Luoyang and urgently dispatched Huang Gai with 5,000 elite troops to Luoyang.

After Huang Gai left, Sun Quan's core troops in Xuchang numbered less than three thousand, and his generals were limited to Zhou Tai, Xu Sheng, and Song Qian.

Such is the cruelty of vying for power in chaotic times; nothing ever unfolds exactly as expected. Ever since Sun Quan's surprise attack on Xuchang, he has already jumped from outside the cage to inside. Closing the door can prevent other ferocious beasts from tearing him apart, but at the same time, it makes it impossible to easily escape the cage.

As Huang Gai led five thousand elite troops from Jiangdong away to Luoyang, the hidden fangs of Xun Yu and his nephew Xun You gradually became apparent.

“Currently, Cao Cao’s generals and soldiers are all scattered in Yizhou and Jingzhou. Even if we drive Sun Quan away, we will only be doing the work for Liu Bei. Therefore, Sun Quan cannot leave Xuchang. We need to put Sun Quan under house arrest and then find a way to get Sun Quan’s generals and soldiers to fight against Liu Bei for Cao Cao.” Xun Yu said with a cold expression.

Originally a capable Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Xun Yu was strategizing for Cao Cao's great cause when Sun Quan launched a surprise attack, forcing Xun Yu to submit to Sun Quan's humility.

It's impossible to say that Xun Yu didn't harbor resentment, especially since he came from a prominent family and always looked down on military men like Sun Quan who rose through the ranks based on military achievements.

It was a disgrace for Xun Yu to be so obsequious to Sun Quan!

“Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong, and Gu Yong are easy to deal with, and generals like Han Dang, Huang Gai, and Cheng Pu won’t stand idly by while Sun Quan is in danger. The only one we need to be wary of is Zhou Yu in Chenliu,” Xun You interjected. “Although he is Sun Quan’s subordinate, he is like a brother to Sun Ce. Before his death, Sun Ce left the words, ‘For matters of foreign affairs, consult Zhou Yu.’ If we want to imprison Sun Quan and make his soldiers fight for him, we need to get rid of Zhou Yu first!”

Xun Yu deeply agreed.

Even if Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong, and Gu Yong were dissatisfied, they were helpless, while generals like Han Dang, Huang Gai, and Cheng Pu lacked their own opinions.

But Zhou Yu was different.

Zhou Yu was neither someone who would be at Xun Yu's beck and call, nor was he a general who commanded troops with a leader.

If Zhou Yu cannot be eliminated, he will surely turn around and join forces with Liu Bei, and then gamble the lives of the entire Xun clan with Sun Quan's.

Either Xun Yu kills Sun Quan, and Zhou Yu slaughters the entire Xun clan; or Xun Yu releases Sun Quan and saves his clan.

As for whether this will arouse Sun Quan's suspicion?

Once Xun Yu placed Sun Quan under house arrest, Sun Quan would lose his chance to contend for the Central Plains. Preserving Sun Quan's life would be Zhou Yu's last resort.

Since they're no longer qualified, suspicion naturally disappears.

Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong, and Gu Yong understood these principles but dared not actually join forces with Liu Bei. Han Dang, Huang Gai, Cheng Pu, and other generals had the courage but could not understand them.

Only Zhou Yu possessed such courage and skill.

Moreover, from the very beginning, Zhou Yu did not trust Xun Yu and Xun You. If Sun Quan had not silenced Zhou Yu with the saying "If you cannot decide on internal affairs, consult Zhang Gong," Xun Yu and Xun You would not have become Sun Quan's confidants.

"How do we get rid of Zhou Yu?" Xun Yu's eyes grew even colder.

Xun You smirked and said, “We can send Fu Wan into the palace to tell Empress Fu that Sun Quan has ordered Huang Gai and others to leave Xuchang. He can then claim that he can help His Majesty capture Sun Quan. Consort Sun will surely receive this news and secretly send a message to Zhou Yu. If Zhou Yu enters Xuchang alone, a single warrior can assassinate him. If Zhou Yu leads troops into Xuchang, we can go to Sun Quan and complain about our grievances. Even if Zhou Yu doesn’t die, he will definitely be abandoned by Sun Quan!”

Xun Yu was overjoyed: "Gongda's plan is brilliant! But Fu Wan may not cooperate with us."

Xun You's eyes were resolute: "I once attempted to assassinate Dong Zhuo and was imprisoned in Chang'an, but was later pardoned by His Majesty. It is perfectly reasonable for me to assist His Majesty in capturing Sun Quan; Consort Sun is domineering and arrogant in the harem, and even Empress Fu, as the Empress, has to kneel before Consort Sun. Fu Wan dares not speak out against her, and since I have taken the initiative to invite her, how could Fu Wan refuse?" (End of this chapter)