I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 310 "A Proclamation to the Governor of Yu Province on Behalf of Yuan Shao"

Just as Liu Bei was pondering this, a messenger from Yuan Shao suddenly came to find him, saying that Yuan Shao had invited him.

Since Liu Bei arrived in Ji Province, he has been treated with courtesy by Yuan Shao.

Not only did they provide Liu Bei with money and clothing, but they also replenished his troops, restoring Liu Bei's army to several thousand men.

Apart from Liu Miao, Liu Bei did not believe that anyone in the world would be so friendly to him for no reason.

Moreover, even Liu Miao's actions were aimed at supporting Liu Bei and restoring the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, Liu Bei had long suspected that Yuan Shao might make some demands on him in the future.

And that day arrived as promised.

"Xuande, let's see how well this proclamation is written?"

Liu Bei was not the only person in Yuan Shao's main hall.

Shen Pei, Guo Tu, Pang Ji, and Chen Lin were already a distinguished group of talents.

What Yuan Shao is showing Liu Bei now is an article written by Chen Lin—

"A Proclamation to the Governor of Yu Province on Behalf of Yuan Shao!"
The entire text is fluent and elegant, a truly excellent piece of writing!

The phrase "It is said that a wise ruler plans for danger to control change, and a loyal minister worries about the difficulty of establishing power" thus obscures the righteous cause of Yuan Shao's attack on Cao Cao.

The following text launches a comprehensive attack on Cao Cao! Judging from this proclamation alone, Cao Cao is utterly wicked! Even if Zhao Gao or Dong Zhuo were here, they wouldn't be as bad as a single toe of Cao Cao!

Even though Cao Cao had the merit of fighting against Dong Zhuo, Chen Lin wrote that he was "foolish, frivolous, and short-sighted, advancing and retreating easily, suffering heavy losses and defeats, and repeatedly losing his troops and soldiers," saying that Cao Cao lacked strategy and caused the allied forces to suffer heavy losses...

It must be said that Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were once close friends.

If he weren't a close friend, how could Yuan Shao have written so much about Cao Cao, and how could he have so accurately targeted Cao Cao's most vulnerable and sensitive points?
At least, Liu Bei felt that if he were Cao Cao in his place, he would absolutely not be able to withstand such vicious insults in this proclamation!
However, these were not the things that Liu Bei valued.

Rather, it's the very first sentence of this manifesto—

"The Left General shall serve as the Governor of Yuzhou and the Prefect of the Commandery and Kingdom!"
Although Yuan Shao ordered Chen Lin to write this proclamation, Chen Lin actually used Liu Bei's voice to complete the opening of the proclamation!
After the incident involving the imperial edict in the belt, Liu Bei became a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty and a trusted member of the Han imperial family.

Yuan Shao's true purpose was to borrow Liu Bei's blood-stained edict from the emperor as a moral imperative!
After Liu Bei finished reading it, Yuan Shao asked with concern, "What does Xuande think of this proclamation?"

Liu Bei knew that Yuan Shao wanted to use him as a pawn!

While seemingly asking about the quality of the proclamation, he was actually asking whether he agreed to issue it in Liu Bei's name to call on the world to rebel against Cao Cao.

Liu Bei read the proclamation again and finally presented it with both hands: "Kong Zhang's (Chen Lin's) writing is exquisite, every word is a gem, and the composition is brilliant and excellent!"

"Cao Cao, as a traitor to the Han Dynasty, should rightfully issue this proclamation to summon heroes from all over the world to punish him!"

Although Liu Bei knew that Yuan Shao was using him as a pawn.

But he was also willing to become the sharp blade that Yuan Shao used to stab Cao Cao!
As long as it can restore the Han Dynasty, Liu Bei is willing to pay any price!
"Hahaha! Good!"

Chen Lin was naturally overjoyed to hear Liu Bei praise his writing!

"but--"

The word "however" brought Chen Lin's laughter to an abrupt halt.

Liu Bei pointed to the latter half of the article: "Kong Zhang, you have made a mistake here."

Chen Lin went forward to check and discovered that it was a passage he had made up about Liu Miao.

Liu Miao is now clearly Cao Cao's ally, so since the campaign is against Cao Cao, Liu Miao will definitely be dragged into it and insulted as well.

Moreover, given the prior agreement at Langya and the subsequent defeat at Hedong, the generals and soldiers of Yuan Shao had a very poor impression of Liu Miao, hence these words were added.

Liu Bei earnestly said to Chen Lin, "When General Wei Dong Cheng received the imperial edict, he not only contacted us, but also discussed with Zhongshan the possibility of providing external support!"

"Therefore, Zhongshan should also be considered a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty! How can he be referred to as a 'traitor to the Han' in a proclamation?"

"Moreover, when the emperor and his ministers were trapped in Luoyang, it was Zhongshan who sent Lu Zijing to the capital with a reward to settle the court. Did the officials in Hebei not hear about this?"

“When I was in Xuchang, I often heard the emperor reminisce about Zhongshan, calling him ‘Imperial Uncle,’ and saying that if Liu Biaoqi had been by his side, the court would not have declined to such an extent! Therefore, Kong Zhang really should not have slandered Zhongshan!”

Chen Lin retorted, "But Liu Miao repeatedly used force in Langya, Guanzhong, and Hedong! He aided and abetted the tyrant! Is this something a loyal subject of the Han dynasty should do?"

Liu Bei rebuked Chen Lin: "Even so, Zhongshan only made the minor mistake of meeting the wrong person and being misled by Cao Cao. How can he be considered a traitor to Han as Kong Zhang wrote in his proclamation?"

"you!"

"Kong Zhang!"

Chen Lin wanted to argue with Liu Bei, but Yuan Shao stopped him.

Yuan Shao's complexion was ruddy, and his smile remained as warm and inviting as ever.

“Xuande is right.”

"Liu Zhongshan is, after all, a descendant of the Prince of Langya and the current emperor's uncle. We cannot condemn him as a traitor to the Han Dynasty because of this... After all, Cao Mengde is cunning and adept at bewitching people. Liu Zhongshan must have been deceived by him, right?"

Chen Lin wanted to argue his point, but he saw Yuan Shao shake his head at him.

The importance of the Central Plains undoubtedly surpasses that of Jingzhou and Yangzhou.

The most urgent task now is to defeat Cao Cao, seize the Central Plains, and welcome back the emperor.

Is it unacceptable to temporarily remove Liu Miao from the proclamation in order to win over Liu Bei and the emperor's righteous cause?
And does the fact that Liu Miao isn't mentioned in the proclamation mean Yuan Shao will refrain from attacking him in the future? How naive!

A little verbal sparring is best left alone; there's no need to dwell on it.

After understanding Yuan Shao's meaning, Chen Lin could only accept it helplessly.

"Here!"

By removing Liu Miao's part from the proclamation, a formal "Proclamation to Yu Province on Behalf of Yuan Shao" was thus created!

Yuan Shao ordered his men to distribute this proclamation to various prefectures and counties in the Central Plains, and at the same time, he officially began to formulate a war plan against Cao Cao!
"Lord Yuan, this battle should be decided quickly!"

Unexpectedly—

Shen Pei and Guo Tu.

These two men, one from the Hebei faction and the other from an outside faction, were both close confidants of Yuan Shao, and they actually reached an agreement on the issue of attacking Hebei!
Quick victory!

Don't let anything delay your defeat of Cao Cao!

Even if Liu Miao has already seized Hedong, let him stay there!
As long as they can take over the Central Plains, they can easily send a large army to Nanyang. The two men do not believe that Liu Miao can stay in Hedong peacefully without fear of having his retreat cut off!
Instead, Ju Shou, who had previously devised strategies for Yuan Shao, stepped forward and refuted the plans of the two men.

"To quell chaos and punish tyranny is called a righteous army; to rely on numbers and strength is called an arrogant army. A righteous army is invincible, while an arrogant army will be destroyed first. Cao Cao welcomed the Emperor to Xuchang and established his palace there, and now he is raising an army south, which violates righteousness. Moreover, the strategy for victory does not depend on strength. Cao Cao's laws are effective and his soldiers are well-trained, unlike those of Gongsun Zan and others. Now, he is abandoning the strategy of ensuring peace and raising an army without a just cause. I am truly worried for Yuan Shao!"

"Instead of launching a large-scale military campaign, we should advance to Liyang, gradually establish a presence in Henan, build more ships, repair and maintain our weapons, and at the same time dispatch elite cavalry to raid their borders, keeping them restless while we take advantage of their ease! If we do this, we can exhaust Cao Cao's army in three years and ensure the destruction of Cao Cao, without having to rush into a decisive battle."

Ju Shou argued that even with Liu Bei and that proclamation, the emperor was ultimately in Cao Cao's hands.

Cao Cao's contributions and actions cannot be erased by Chen Lin's few words.

Rather than a quick victory, it would be better to let Yuan Shao lead his army to Liyang and harass Cao Cao by exhausting his troops. In this way, it would take no more than three years to defeat Cao Cao and take over the Central Plains!

Ju Shou's strategy wasn't too bad.

However, the "three-year" time limit sounded particularly harsh to Yuan Shao, making it difficult for him to accept.

Guo Tu, seeing Yuan Shao's resistance to Ju Shou's strategy, stepped forward and said, "King Wu of Zhou's campaign against King Zhou of Shang was not unjust! Moreover, how can sending troops to attack the Cao family be considered unjust? Furthermore, Your Excellency's troops are elite and brave, and the generals and soldiers are all eager to fight. If you do not seize the opportunity to make a decision on this great undertaking soon, it would be truly inappropriate. To not seize what Heaven has bestowed upon us will incur Heaven's condemnation. This is why Yue became a hegemon and Wu perished! The supervisor's approach should be to adhere to stability and prudence, not to make expedient decisions based on the situation!"

When Ju Shou saw that Yuan Shao had not helped him, he immediately guessed that Yuan Shao probably did not like his plan. He sighed and stopped arguing with Guo Tu.

Back home, Ju Shou told his friend Tian Feng about the matter, and Tian Feng immediately became angry: "How did Lord Yuan become like this?"

"Last time, we were about to launch an attack on the Central Plains, but we suddenly abandoned the plan halfway through, wasting countless resources! Now we want to conquer the world in one battle, which is completely illogical! How can such childish games achieve anything great?"

As the Prefect of Ji Province, Tian Feng was also aware of the current situation in Ji Province.

Although Hebei was rich, years of warfare had left Yuan Shao's treasury empty.

Especially since they had just quelled Gongsun Zan and seized Youzhou a few months ago, and the people's strength had not yet recovered, how could they mobilize a large number of troops for combat again at this time?

Tian Feng personally went to see Yuan Shao and argued with him based on reason.

"Cao Cao is a master strategist, unpredictable in his tactics. Though his forces are few, they should not be underestimated! General, you have the fortifications of mountains and rivers, and the entire army of Hebei. Externally, unite with heroes and powerful figures; internally, cultivate agriculture to prepare for war. Then, select elite troops, divide them into surprise attacks, and strike at Henan. If the enemy reinforces the right flank, I will attack their left; if they reinforce the left, I will attack their right. This will keep the enemy constantly on the move, preventing the people from focusing on their livelihoods. We will not be exhausted yet, but the enemy will be weary. In less than three years, we can defeat them without even sitting down!"

Tian Feng adopted Ju Shou's strategy, while further refining it.

"Lord Yuan, you are now abandoning your strategic plans and trying to decide the outcome through a single war. If you fail to achieve your goal, it will be too late for regrets! I hope that you will act prudently and not act rashly!"

At first, Yuan Shao was able to speak well with Tian Feng.

But when Tian Feng saw that Yuan Shao refused to advance slowly, his already stubborn temper erupted once again!
"Lord Yuan!"

Where has the steady and composed Mr. Yuan gone, who was not in a hurry for quick gains and losses?

Tian Feng held his cane and kept tapping the ground, tears streaming down his face!
"If Lord Yuan insists on doing this, then Hebei will be in an uproar in the future, and I'm afraid we won't be blamed!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao's expression changed drastically!
"Yuan Hao, are you threatening me?"

"This is not a threat! It's just that if Lord Yuan doesn't wake up, this is something that will happen sooner or later!"

Tian Feng was not only Yuan Shao's Prefect of Ji Province.

At the same time, he was also the leader of all the scholars in Hebei!

His words carried great weight, and even Yuan Shao dared not take them lightly.

But it was precisely because of this that Yuan Shao became increasingly disappointed.

"Yuan Hao, how did things turn out like this between us?"

"Now that things have come to this, Yuan Hao should calmly reflect on this on his own."

Tian Feng looked at Yuan Shao in disbelief: "Lord Yuan, you want to put me under house arrest?"

"Once I defeat Cao Cao and seize the Central Plains... I will explain to Yuan Hao then!"

Yuan Shao's composure gradually disappeared, replaced by a kind of madness as if he were about to fight to the death!

"Now, my only wish is to quickly defeat Cao Cao!"

"If anyone tries to stop me, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

(End of this chapter)