I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 168 The mantis stalks the cicada and the oriole follows behind
The power and majesty of the Huai River were not only related to Yuan Shu and Liu Miao.

When Cao Cao, who had just been promoted to Minister of Works, General of Chariots and Cavalry, and in charge of all government affairs, heard that Yuan Shu had breached the Huai River to flood Liu Miao downstream, he was immediately shocked and exclaimed, "How could such a thing happen?"

Cao Cao then slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "It's a pity Zhongshan knows nothing about military affairs! Why didn't he stay in Jiangdong? What was he doing running off to Guangling? Sigh..."

Although it was a sigh, no matter how you listened to it, you could hear a hint of schadenfreude in Cao Cao's words.

The Liu Miao of today is no longer the Liu Miao who only had an imperial edict, no soldiers under his command, and could only rely on Lu Kang's reputation to stir up trouble in Yangzhou.

Liu Miao is now the Governor of Yangzhou, holding sway over Jiangdong and commanding a powerful army. He is now qualified to be ranked alongside figures like Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, and Lü Bu! Marquis of Wu! General of the Flying Cavalry!

Although Cao Cao and Liu Miao share the same goal of defeating Yuan Shu, this does not prevent Cao Cao from being delighted by Liu Miao's defeat!
"It's a pity that Zhongshan's plans have all come to naught; Guangling has nothing to do with him now! I wonder if Yuan Shu will be able to win a great victory in this battle, or even go further and directly advance into Xuzhou?"

Cao Cao was already eager to fight, and ordered Xiahou Dun to lead his army to Chen, ready to advance eastward at any time to save the people of Xuzhou from "fire and water"!
But what followed was not news of Liu Miao's crushing defeat, but rather that Yuan Shu had seized Guangling...

"What? Yuan Shu has been defeated again?"

Cao Cao asked the scouts returning from the south in disbelief, "Didn't he breach the Huai River? How could he still be defeated?"

"I heard that Liu Miao retreated to the high ground around Dongyang before the flood arrived, and ordered Zhou Yu and Sun Ce to attack Huainan from the south. I heard that they have already captured Lujiang County!"

"what!"

Cao Cao was dumbfounded.

He knew Yuan Shu was a useless person.

I never imagined that Yuan Shu could be so useless!

How could they manage to cause such a huge commotion and still be defeated by Liu Miao?
"wrong……"

Cao Cao suddenly realized something and quickly asked for a map of Huainan.

Now that Liu Miao has defeated Yuan Shu in Dongyang, it means that Liu Miao can go against the tide and head directly to Yuan Shu's stronghold, Shouchun!

At the same time, since Lujiang has also fallen into Liu Miao's hands, Liu Miao can attack Yuan Shu from the south!

Cao Cao had never encountered Liu Miao's fighting style before.

Just because he hadn't seen it doesn't mean Cao Cao didn't know about it.

The fact that Liu Miao was able to pacify Jiangdong in such a short time fully demonstrates the swiftness and power of his invasions.

Now that they are being attacked from both sides, this is a golden opportunity for Liu Miao. How could Liu Miao possibly miss it?
"broken!"

Cao Cao realized this instantly!
If Liu Miao were to truly eliminate Yuan Shu, wouldn't that mean Liu Miao would be able to take over Huainan and completely occupy Yangzhou?
The thought of a powerful neighbor rising up beside him made Cao Cao restless!
"Let Yuan Rang immediately lead his troops south! Seize Shouchun!"

All my previous covetousness for Xuzhou has vanished completely!

Cao Cao could only pray that Yuan Shu could hold out longer and that he could capture Shouchun before Liu Miao.

------

After Liu Miao left Dongyang City, he encountered nothing but defeated soldiers of Yuan Shao's army along the way.

"Get out of the way! I don't have time to capture you now!"

Liu Miao ordered Jiang Qin to lead the warships ahead to clear the passage.

"If we can catch up with Yuan Shu, then this battle will have been worthwhile!"

The navy quickly sailed upstream along the Huai River. Even when the flags of some generals and captains appeared, Liu Miao paid no attention to them and said that they could go wherever they wanted!
In Liu Miao's heart now, there is only Yuan Shu!
Yuan Shu, who was in Yinling, was not entirely preoccupied with the war.

Every word in Liu Miao's "ten-thousand-word letter" felt like a knife cutting into Yuan Shu's flesh, causing Yuan Shu to be depressed in recent days, and even choking up while eating.

Yuan Shu had never experienced such symptoms before. In just a few days, he lost a lot of weight, causing his already thin body to completely sink in, making him look like a skeleton wearing the emperor's robes!
"I regret it so much! I regret it so much!"

Yuan Shu had the word "regret" on his lips all the time.

Yuan Shu no longer cared about war or politics.

In the past few days, Yuan Shu has completely given up and begun to reminisce about the first half of his life.

One moment I was thinking how wonderful it would have been if we could have discovered that maid's son sooner and driven him away.

He thought to himself that he shouldn't have let Dong Zhuo into Luoyang back then, which made him completely lose the initiative.

One moment I was thinking, what a sight it would be if the allied forces of the feudal lords could have chased them all the way to Guanzhong and Chang'an.

One moment I'm thinking, if Sun Jian hadn't attacked Jingzhou back then, but instead had attacked Yanzhou, would the Central Plains be entirely in our hands by now...?

Although Yuan Shu would occasionally mention these things, he didn't find them particularly memorable.

But Liu Miao's long letter of ten thousand words was all too clear! He even wrote about what Yuan Shu could have achieved if he hadn't made these mistakes.

Or like Yi Yin and Huo Guang, they left their mark on history.

Or like Liang Ji and Dong Zhuo, they wielded immense power in the court.

But ironically, things have turned out this way: defeated by Cao Cao, trapped in the Huai River region...

I often dream that I should be the supreme being! A saint! But when I open my eyes, I am weak and listless... How can ordinary people understand such a difference?

Yuan Shu was so muddle-headed that he didn't even hear the scout's report: "What did you say?"

"Your Majesty! Generals Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui suffered a crushing defeat at Dongyang! Both have been beheaded by Liu Miao! Now Liu Miao is pursuing the routed troops toward Yinling!"

Yuan Shu was startled from behind, and suddenly realized what was happening!

"Liu Miao! It's Liu Miao again?"

Yuan Shu was hysterical, yet he refused to leave.

It wasn't until Chief Clerk Yang Hong, Registrar Yan Xiang, and Han Yin clung to Yuan Shu's legs and wept that Yuan Shu finally took a step.

But after taking only two steps, Yuan Shu hesitated again: "Now that we have suffered a great defeat, even if I leave, where can I go? Am I to return to Shouchun and wait to die?"

Yan Xiang, Han Yin, and others remained silent.

Chief Secretary Yang Hong gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty still has a way out!"

Which way?

"Yuan Shao!"

Normally, Yuan Shu resented it most when someone mentioned Yuan Shao in his presence. Now that Yang Hong mentioned it to his face, it was clear that he was prepared to remonstrate to the death!
Yang Hong hugged Yuan Shu's leg and rested his head on Yuan Shu's boot: "Your Majesty! Now, the only one in the whole world who can save Your Majesty is Yuan Shao!"

"Although you and Yuan Shao are brothers fighting, you are still blood relatives! You are much closer than outsiders!"

"Now, Liu Miao, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Lü Bu are all acting on the orders of the Emperor of Han and want to kill you! But even these people are wary of Yuan Shao's reputation!"

"As long as you are willing to relinquish the imperial title to Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao will surely protect you and ensure your peaceful life for the rest of your days!"

"I know Your Majesty is strong-willed, but only in this way can you survive in this world!"

After saying this, Yang Hong immediately exposed his neck.

"I know Your Majesty has always despised Yuan Shao. But I want nothing more than for Your Majesty to live."

"If Your Majesty is angry, then please cut off my head!"

"After I am cut off, please do not wash your clothes. Let my blood remind Your Majesty of the preciousness of life!"

Yang Hong's words once again brought tears to the eyes of those around him!

Yuan Shu's son-in-law Huang Yi, cousin Yuan Yin, and son Yuan Yao all rose to the ground, weeping and pleading with Yuan Shu: "Your Majesty, please seek protection from Yuan Shao!"

Yuan Shu stared at his loved ones around him, his eyes also filled with tears.

"Everyone says that I, Yuan Shu, am nothing but a man with a reputation but no virtue. Why do you still stay by my side until now?"

Yan Xiang said, "Even if His Majesty has made mistakes, he has always been the best to those around him. How can we abandon His Majesty at this time?"

"We have not given up yet, so Your Majesty should not underestimate yourselves and should act as soon as possible!"

Only then did Yuan Shu gradually shake off the influence of Liu Miao's letters.

"What you all say is very true!"

Yuan Shu finally stopped wallowing in self-pity, and also abandoned the luxurious imperial procession. He rode his warhorse back to Shouchun with his entourage, and immediately wrote a letter to Yuan Shao in Hebei.

"The Han dynasty has long lost its empire. The emperor has been in power, and the government is concentrated in the family. Heroes vie for power, dividing the territory. This is no different from the seven kingdoms at the end of the Zhou dynasty, where the strongest eventually conquered the rest. Moreover, the Yuan family has been appointed king, and auspicious omens have been revealed. Now you possess four provinces and a million households. In terms of strength, no one can compare to you, and in terms of virtue, no one can match you. Cao Cao wants to support the weak and rescue the dying, but how can he prolong the dying and save the already destroyed?"

Although Yuan Shu still did not apologize to Yuan Shao, this was the most submissive thing he could say.

Yuan Shu's letter was swiftly delivered by scouts to Hebei or Qingzhou, where Yuan Shao's eldest son, Yuan Tan, was located, without the slightest delay.

Cao Cao had already personally led his army to Chen and was rushing to Xia Cai.

This place is only separated from Shouchun by a river.

Once they cross the Huai River, Shouchun and Yuan Shu will both be Cao Cao's possessions!
Especially after Cao Cao learned that Liu Miao's army was still in Yinling and had not pursued them to Shouchun, Cao Cao was once again in high spirits!
"Zhongshan, I'm sorry! I'll keep this Huainan Gu for you!"

Once Cao Cao controls Huainan, it will effectively block Liu Miao's northward route and also sever Liu Miao's connection with Liu Bei, who is stationed in Xiaopei!
Now that Cao Cao has the emperor in his hands and is using him to command the other lords, he is certain that as long as he takes Shouchun and Huainan first, Liu Miao will not dare to start a war with him at this time and seize Huainan by force!

At that time, Liu Miao's lifeline will be in Cao Cao's hands, and Cao Cao can manipulate Liu Miao however he wants.

"Hahahahahaha!"

Cao Cao stood on the banks of the Huai River and laughed loudly, feeling extremely pleased with himself!
Cao Cao's laughter abruptly stopped when a scout from Hebei arrived at his side, followed by Cao Cao's astonishment.

"What does Yuan Shu mean? What do you mean by telling me to spare Yuan Shu's life? Doesn't he know that Yuan Shu has already declared himself emperor and is a traitor to the Han dynasty?"

Cao Cao's eyes were bloodshot.

"Giving such a person a way out, even letting him go to Hebei... what exactly does Yuan Shao want to do? Is he still the same Yuan Shao who stood with Guli Zhi to restore the Han Dynasty?"

(End of this chapter)