I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 287 The Art of War: The Way of Deception and Reality!
Isn't this moment just like that moment back then?

Yuan Shao is steadily moving towards ending the chaotic era, following in the footsteps of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu.

When Liu Xiu pacified the country, the two largest forces in the south were Liu Yong, the King of Liang who controlled the Central Plains, and Gongsun Shu, who occupied Bashu, declared himself emperor in Shu, and established the Chengjia state.

However, as it turned out, after Liu Xiu pacified Liu Yong, Gongsun Shu, despite his immense power and even his twelve-year reign over Bashu, was eventually pacified by Liu Xiu.

The truly difficult battle was always the one fought in the Central Plains!
Once the Central Plains are pacified, the whole country will be pacified!

Guo Tu is now here on Yuan Shao's orders to win over the Southern Xiongnu in order to ensure victory in the war against Cao Cao!

Liu Qubei looked Guo Tu up and down, and his expression gradually softened.

Moreover, considering the attitude of Chanyu Huchuquan just now, Liu Qubei guessed the general idea.

Yuan Shao must have offered the Southern Xiongnu an offer they couldn't refuse!

If I'm not mistaken, this condition is probably...

"Once this is accomplished, the Southern Xiongnu royal court can be moved to Hedong!"

These are Yuan Shao's conditions!

Meiji County, although located inside the Great Wall, is still quite barren.

If Yuan Shao could defeat Cao Cao, he would have occupied the entire northern lands; and after gaining control of the north, giving the Southern Xiongnu a small piece of land to live on seemed like a very worthwhile deal for Yuan Shao!

Liu Qubei grinned as he recalled the prosperous Central Plains he had seen when he escorted Cai Yan south.

"With Lord Yuan being so generous, how could we possibly refuse?"

"Whenever Lord Yuan commands us to send troops, we will send troops without hesitation!"

In order to get a piece of meat from Yuan Shao's hands, Liu Qubei immediately transformed from a ferocious wolf into a docile dog.

Guo Tu's words, however, caught Liu Qubei somewhat off guard—

"Right now!"

"Now?"

Liu Qubei looked at Guo Tu with a puzzled expression: "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"A soldier never tires of deceit."

"Cao Cao would never have imagined that Yuan Shao would be in such a hurry to head south, just a few months after he had finished his campaign against Gongsun Zan."

"If the Right Wise King's cavalry suddenly appears in Guanzhong, it will surely frighten Cao Cao. If he then transfers his troops to Guanzhong, the Central Plains will inevitably be left vulnerable!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Hu Chuquan and Liu Qubei immediately regretted their decision!
"Is Lord Yuan trying to use us as bait?"

I thought I was a surprise force, sneaking in from the flank to take advantage of the standoff between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao! And now you're telling me I was just bait to lure Cao Cao into Guanzhong?

Being used as bait not only means not getting any meat, but you might also get bitten by someone else first. This is hardly something the Xiongnu people, who follow the principle of "bullying the weak and fearing the strong," would be willing to do.
Guo Tu seemed to have anticipated that the other party would go back on their word, and immediately smiled slightly.

"Guanzhong is not only home to the cavalry of the Chanyu and the Right Wise King."

"Yuan Gong's eldest son, Yuan Tan, and his nephew, Gao Gan, are all currently in Bingzhou."

"At that time, they will send troops together to seize Guanzhong!"

"In addition, Yuan Gong also contacted Ma Teng and Han Sui of Liangzhou to attack Guanzhong together."

"With such arrangements, do the Chanyu and the Right Wise King still fear being at a disadvantage?"

Hu Chuquan and Liu Qubei were both surprised when they heard Guo Tu's words.

Southern Xiongnu cavalry!
Soldiers of Bingzhou!
And foreign players such as Ma Teng and Han Sui!

With such a force, there must be at least 50,000!
The purpose of these 50,000 troops was merely to feign an attack on the flank?

In fact, none of these troops were Yuan Shao's elite Hebei troops!
Yuan Shao's arrogance and immense power instilled deep fear in both Huchuquan and Liu Qubei.

Guo Tu, however, was not satisfied and continued to laugh, saying, "In addition, Zhang Yang, the governor of Hanoi, will also harass Cao Cao who is about to send troops to Hanoi."

"In that case, Cao Cao will be in a complete mess! The Chanyu and the Left Wise King will have even less to worry about losing troops!"

There is actually a back-up plan!

Hu Chuquan and Liu Qubei had long known of Yuan Shao's reputation, but they never expected that Yuan Shao would be able to do this!
"Lord Yuan's power is even more astonishing than that of the Emperor of Han!"

Hu Chuquan and Liu Qubei dared not make any more demands, and became even more respectful to Yuan Shao, which pleased Guo Tu greatly.

Guo Tu then headed towards Jinyang, where Yuan Tan was already waiting.

"how?"

"Everything is ready!"

Guo Tu focused all his attention on Yuan Tan at this time.

"Young Master, this may be the last chance."

"what chance?"

"Give Lord Yuan the opportunity to make up his mind and establish an heir!"

Yuan Tan was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly shook his head with a self-deprecating smile and said, "I am leading this army, but it is only a flanking force. What opportunities could I possibly have?"

"Young Master is foolish!"

Seeing that Yuan Tan still hadn't realized what was happening, Guo Tu stamped his foot in frustration.

"The art of war emphasizes the combination of deception and reality!"

“Right now, the young master’s army may indeed be a bluff… but what if the young master could sweep through the battlefield, conquer Guanzhong in one fell swoop, and even reach the gates of Xuchang?” “Young master!”

Guo Tu said earnestly, "Opportunities are earned, not given away!"

“The eldest son is destined to become the supreme ruler! How can he be expected to follow the rules and regulations step by step?”

Yuan Tan suddenly realized!

Yes!

The art of war is about the ever-changing interplay of reality and illusion; there are no fixed rules.

Back then, Huo Qubing only led a detachment to attack, yet he was able to lead 800 cavalrymen deep into the desert, twice achieving the greatest merit in the entire army and being awarded the title of Champion!
Wasn't Huo Qubing's attack a feint, a diversionary tactic?

But at that time, who in the world could overshadow the champion's brilliance? And who would say that Huo Qubing's contributions were insufficient?

Opportunities don't fall from the sky; they are earned!
If Yuan Shao and Cao Cao had not rebelled against Dong Zhuo back then, but had only feared Dong Zhuo's military power, would they still be the powerful warlords they are today?
Yuan Tan also felt ashamed: "I actually failed to understand this point, and I am ashamed of Gongze's teachings."

Guo Tu dared not take credit for it.

"The eldest son is exceptionally talented and is a true offspring of the Yuan family."

"But the eldest son always considers himself the elder brother and is unwilling to compete or fight with the third son. On the contrary, the third son has been full of fighting spirit many times, which makes Lord Yuan like the third son more and more, thinking that the third son is more like himself."

"What the eldest son needs to do now is to prove to Lord Yuan that he is the one who is most like him!"

"Once the Central Plains are pacified and Cao Cao is defeated, the eldest son will probably never have another opportunity to lead troops to conquer a region like this! That's why I said that this battle is the young master's only hope!"

"As long as we can advance straight ahead and reach Xuchang before Princess Yuan can, the position of heir apparent will be rightfully ours!"

Yuan Tan's heart skipped a beat!

However, Yuan Tan still had doubts—

"According to Gongze's strategy, after capturing Guanzhong, they should then travel through Wuguan Pass from Nanyang to Xuchang?"

"Not bad!"

"Guanzhong is now in my grasp, so I have nothing to worry about."

"But Nanyang was given to Cao Cao by Liu Miao after all. And it's close to Xiangyang, so wouldn't Liu Miao send troops to interfere?"

Unlike other people in Hebei.

Yuan Tan had truly witnessed the prosperity of Jing and Yang provinces, and also the strength of the generals under Liu Miao.

Last time in Langya, Liu Miao demonstrated the terrifying mobilization capabilities of his system.

Therefore, Yuan Tan had nothing to fear about Cao Cao; however, he always felt a certain awe towards Liu Miao, who had once defeated and captured him alive, and worried that Liu Miao might cause trouble.

Guo Tu stared helplessly at Yuan Tan.

Why did Yuan Tan not inherit Yuan Shao's greatest strength, but instead inherit Yuan Shao's indecisiveness?

In fact, another way to describe indecisiveness is to be thorough and consider all aspects.

The reason for hesitation is that one thinks too deeply and too much, always feeling that moving one thing will affect the whole situation, thus delaying the decision and ultimately missing the opportunity.

This is the reason why they are good at planning but indecisive.

Guo Tu had no choice but to continue offering his advice—

"A man like Liu Miao, though capable, has already alienated himself from the world because of his actions."

"The Three Chiefs, the Equal Distribution of Land, and the oath he made on the high platform in Xiangyang destined him to be able to only make trouble in his own little plot of land, and not to make the world submit to him."

"It's not just the powerful families in Ji and Bing provinces who dislike him; even the powerful families in Guanzhong and the Central Plains dislike him as well."

"If he really dares to go north, he will surely encounter resistance from many people. Perhaps when Liu Miao arrives, the people will instead voluntarily side with the eldest son, thus boosting his power!"

Cut yourself off from the world!

This is Guo Tu's evaluation of Liu Miao.

The reason Liu Miao was able to complete the reforms in Jiangdong was because the countless refugees who went to Jiangdong provided him with support.

The capture of Jingzhou was entirely due to the advantage of naval power and the presence of Liu Biao, a "traitor."

Therefore, in Guo Tu's eyes, Liu Miao's success today is mostly due to his cleverness.

Liu Miao couldn't possibly be so lucky every time.

Especially as they ventured further into the Central Plains and northwards, the power of these aristocratic families became increasingly entrenched.

Liu Miao's previous actions and policies had already destined him to be irreconcilably opposed to powerful and influential families.

If Liu Miao dared to lead his troops north, it would only provoke the local powerful families and clans, causing them to turn to Yuan Shao instead.

After all, although falling into Yuan Shao's hands might mean losing a lot of benefits... the complex relationships among the powerful families mean they probably won't be too ruthless. After all, they can still be friends!
But falling into Liu Miao's hands would be worse than death!

That's right! It's worse than death!
Liu Miao actually dared to make noble lords farm the land! To make scholars do manual labor! What is this if not a fate worse than death?
Based on this, Guo Tu did not believe that Liu Miao's military expedition was a bad thing for Yuan Tan.

Who knows, the powerful clans who originally intended to feign restraint and put up a fight might all surrender to Yuan Tan and welcome the royal army once Liu Miao arrives!
"and……"

Guo Tu laughed and said, "Even if Liu Miao could provide support, how much could he possibly provide?"

"With the elite troops of Bingzhou, the Xiongnu cavalry, and the Xiliang iron cavalry under Ma Teng and Han Sui under your command, how could you possibly be afraid of not being able to defeat him on the vast plains?"

Yuan Tan was finally relieved after hearing this.

"In that case, we should press on with our momentum and march straight to Xuchang!"

(End of this chapter)