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

After Zhou Yu's earnest persuasion, Sun Quan agreed to let Xun You go to Baima Ford to supervise the battle, but he did not allow Zhou Yu to make things difficult for Xun You again because of the Fu Wan incident.

Zhou Yu, going along with the flow, said, "Not only should I not make things difficult for Xun You, but the General should also not make things difficult for Fu Wan. Before Liu Bei retreats, both I and the General should deliberately forget about this matter. In this way, we can prove Xun You's innocence and avoid giving Liu Bei a reason to march south because of Fu Wan's execution."

As long as Xun You can be taken away, Zhou Yu will take care of everything else.

Sun Quan no longer insisted, and subsequently appointed Xun You as the military advisor, who then accompanied Zhou Yu to Yanzhou.

Upon hearing this order, both Xun Yu and Xun You were startled.

"We underestimated Zhou Yu." Xun Yu's expression turned serious. It seemed that Zhou Yu had both fallen into and not fallen into the trap that Xun You had prepared for him, as if he was completely unaware of Xun You's conspiracy with Fu Wan.

“It’s alright.” Xun You smiled. “I have obtained the Emperor’s secret edict and also intend to go to Yanzhou.”

Xun Yu was slightly startled, suddenly feeling that he couldn't understand Xun You anymore, and his gaze towards Xun You became serious: "Gongda, what exactly are your plans?"

Xun Yu had doubts when Xun You used himself as bait, but Xun You was so confident that Xun Yu didn't think much of it. Now, Zhou Yu's response has shattered Xun You's previous plan. Xun You not only wasn't worried but seemed to have expected it, which made Xun Yu think more deeply.

"Naturally, it is to restore the Han Dynasty." Xun You replied without hesitation. Seeing Xun Yu's brows furrow even more, Xun You composed himself and asked, "In your eyes, which is more important, the Han Dynasty or Cao Cao?"

"This..." Xun You suddenly asked, catching Xun Yu off guard. An ominous feeling rose to his throat, and he hesitated to speak.

After a long silence, Xun Yu took a deep breath and said, "The Han dynasty is of utmost importance, Cao Cao is secondary."

“Your Excellency and I share the same thoughts.” Xun You revealed the second half of the plan: “I have prepared for both possibilities by offering myself as bait. If we can eliminate Zhou Yu and use Sun Quan to command the generals of Jiangdong, we can help Cao Cao re-enter Xuchang; if we cannot eliminate Zhou Yu, even if we sacrifice our lives, we will not be able to help Cao Cao return to Xuchang.”

"In this world today, the only ones who can be called heroes are Cao Cao and Liu Bei. If we cannot rely on Cao Cao's strength to restore the Han Dynasty, we can only rely on Liu Bei's strength. If Sun Quan were to take over the Han Dynasty, it would be a great crime for the Xun family."

"Therefore, when I met the emperor, the secret edict I requested was not to summon Cao Cao to come to the aid of the emperor, but to summon Liu Bei to come to the aid of the emperor."

At this point, Xun You smiled again: "Although Zhou Yu is resourceful, he doesn't know that summoning Cao Cao doesn't require a secret edict; only summoning Liu Bei does require one. If I don't go to Baima Ford, that's fine, but if I do go, Liu Bei can then obey the edict and head south. Given Liu Bei's character, he will surely treat the people of Yingchuan well in the future after receiving this favor from me."

Xun Yu was dumbfounded as Xun You slowly explained the whole plan.

Compared to Xun Yu, who followed Cao Cao while in Hebei, Xun You only returned from Jingzhou after Cao Cao welcomed the emperor to Xuchang. Between the Han Dynasty and Cao Cao, Xun You was more inclined towards the Han Dynasty.

Because Xun You was a low-key person and repeatedly offered Cao Cao ingenious plans, neither Cao Cao nor Xun Yu could accurately judge Xun You's stance.

This time, Xun You used himself as bait, first helping Cao Cao and then helping Liu Bei, thus deceiving Xun Yu, Fu Wan, Sun Quan, and Zhou Yu.

"If Liu Bei enters Xuchang, how could he possibly give up?" Xun Yu's lips trembled. "I assisted Cao Cao and even offered him a plan to command the disloyal by presenting him with the emperor's name. This is because I know that Cao Cao's background makes him unable to usurp the throne. He can only command the four directions by using the emperor's name. Even if the emperor hates Cao Cao, it is merely a struggle between the emperor and his subject. In this way, the Han dynasty can be preserved. But Liu Bei is different. His subject is strong while his ruler is weak, and he is also a member of the Liu clan. If Liu Bei enters Xuchang, he will surely usurp the throne."

Xun You sighed upon hearing this: "My lord, I also know that once Liu Bei enters Xuchang, he will surely replace the emperor; but compared to the emperor being replaced by Sun Quan, this world still belongs to the Han Dynasty. If you have a good plan to help Cao Cao re-enter Xuchang, I may abandon this plan."

Xun Yu was speechless.

If he had a good plan, Xun Yu would have used it directly and wouldn't have argued with Xun You about it.

Xun You sighed again: "Cao Cao has shown me great kindness, and if I could help him re-enter Xuchang, I would spare no effort. However, given the current situation, Cao Cao is blocked south of the Han River and cannot advance north, and the two of us are unable to eliminate Zhou Yu and hold Sun Quan hostage. The overall situation is no longer in Cao Cao's control. In that case, why not help Liu Bei quell the chaos as soon as possible?" Xun Yu closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

As Xun You said, if he could help Cao Cao, Xun Yu would spare no effort; but now Cao Cao was blocked south of the Han River by Zhuge Liang, and the plan to kill Zhou Yu had failed. Even if Xun Yu wanted to, he was powerless to do so.

Xun You said no more.

Xun Yu joined Cao Cao when he was at his weakest. He remained loyal to Cao Cao all these years. It was extremely difficult for Xun Yu to abandon Cao Cao and join Liu Bei instead.

Xun You would not abandon the plan just because Xun Yu hesitated.

Although they were uncle and nephew, Xun You always had his own independent code of conduct.

Just like Xun You who dared to assassinate Dong Zhuo without fear of death, he had both bold ideas and bold actions.

To lull Zhou Yu into a false sense of security, Xun You deliberately feigned illness in his residence.

Zhou Yu then brought more than a dozen famous doctors from Xuchang to diagnose Xun You's illness, and declared that if Xun You could not be cured, it would delay military operations, and all such doctors would be executed.

With both sides calculating their own moves, Xun You successfully left Xudu and arrived at the front line at Baimajin.

Zhou Yu then gave Han Da, who was at Baima Ford, a secret order: once Xun You arrived at Baima Ford, immediately send Xun You to Liu Bei to deliver a challenge, and regardless of the outcome, execute Xun You for the crime of "colluding with Liu Bei".

As for his solemn promise to Sun Quan that he would not make things difficult for Xun You, Zhou Yu had no intention of fulfilling it at all.

If you want to kill Xun You, you must do it as soon as possible; otherwise, something unexpected might happen.

Normally, Zhou Yu's decision was not wrong. He sent Xun You to deliver a challenge on the first day Xun You arrived at Baima Ford, and executed him immediately upon his return. The whole process would not have taken more than a day!
Even with Xun You's brilliant strategies, he couldn't stop Zhou Yu's swift and decisive actions.

However, this was exactly what Xun You wanted. Xun You was just worried about not having an excuse to see Liu Bei, and Zhou Yu's secret order gave Xun You a chance to get away.

In a small boat, Xun You crossed the Yellow River and once again set foot on the land of Hebei.

Upon learning that Xun You was the one who had come to issue the challenge, Liu Bei and Xu Shu were both taken aback.

Soon, Xu Shu made a guess, and his tone was also full of joy: "Xun You did not stay in Xudu, but suddenly came here to deliver a challenge. There must be something wrong in Xudu. My lord should treat him with great courtesy."

There must be a reason for this unusual event. Liu Bei understood the reason, so he personally led the civil and military officials of Liyang out of the main tent for ten miles to welcome Xun You.

Such a grand welcome startled Xun You, and beyond surprise, he was overjoyed.

The more grand Liu Bei's welcome was, the more advantageous it would be for Xun You's plan.

After exchanging pleasantries, Xun You, without allowing Liu Bei to dismiss his attendants, took out a secret edict from his robes and exclaimed, "The Emperor's secret edict is here!" (End of Chapter)