Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 162 Why has General Dian returned?
After reading the letter, Xun Yu let out a long sigh.

Although he always felt that there was something fishy about everything happening here, it was too late to say anything now that things had come to this.

Now that Guo Jia has been forced into this situation, whether Guo Fengxiao, who is in Gongsun Zan's camp, is Yuan Shu's strategist or not is no longer important. A cold glint appeared in his eyes as he said to Cao Cao:

"Gongsun Zan was at his wit's end, having exhausted all his tricks, and resorted to this desperate measure, which is really nothing to worry about."

Your Excellency is wise. In my opinion, regardless of whether Yuan Shu aids Gongsun Zan or not, he would not allow Guo Jia to leave.

Only by firmly holding Guo Jia in his grasp could he continuously obtain resources from Yuan Shu. If Guo Jia were returned, whether the aid supplies would still be available depended entirely on Yuan Shu's mood.

Cao Cao remained unmoved upon hearing this, but his gaze towards Xun Yu was full of meaning.

"According to Wenruo, we don't need to pay attention to this matter. Even if we provide Gongsun Zan with the food and supplies he wants, he would never actually kill Guo Fengxiao."

"Then am I just supposed to sit here and watch him join forces with Yuan Shu?"

"No! The more this is the case, the more we must force him to kill Guo Jia. Even if he doesn't, we will help him kill him!!"

Xun Yu's words were cold as ice, and he faced Cao Cao's piercing gaze with unwavering fearlessness.

When both sides had clearly decided to serve their respective masters, Guo Jia, who knew Guo Jia's talent well, was even more determined to kill him than Cao Cao.

"Only by killing Guo Fengxiao can Gongsun Zan be considered a good Gongsun Zan, and only then can he truly support the Han Dynasty and be of one mind with you, my lord."

In chaotic times, it's like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind. How can we tolerate those who play both sides, like snakes and rats, or those who sit on the fence?

Only then did Cao Cao become certain that Xun Yu was indeed of one mind with him. Overjoyed upon hearing this, he hurriedly asked:
"Wenruo, do you have a brilliant plan to teach me?"

"Guo Jia is alone and isolated in Gongsun Zan's camp. Cheng Yu is the chief military advisor of the four provinces of Ji, Qing, You and Bing. Even if Gongsun Zan is on guard, he has Xiongnu people in Heishan who can be used to get rid of Guo Jia. It will not be difficult."
As for the military supplies that Gongsun Zan wants, you should not only provide them, but provide them in greater quantities than Yuan Shu!

You must know that Yuan Gonglu is thousands of miles away, and even if he has mountains of money and grain, how can we transport them to Youzhou while we are separated from Lü Bu and Yuan Shao?

These supplies, ostensibly for support, were in reality a gesture of goodwill, meant to make Gongsun Zan understand that distant water cannot quench immediate thirst, and who truly could help him.

With this concern in mind, even if Gongsun Zan later discovers that Guo Jia's death was orchestrated by us, he would never dare to turn against you, my lord, and side with Yuan Shu.

Moreover, Yuan Shao is increasingly powerful, dominating four provinces in the north. The reason we are able to remain safe today is precisely because Gongsun Zan is holding him back in Youzhou.

In this day and age, the world absolutely cannot be without Gongsun Bogui. Otherwise, Yuan Gonglu in the south is already difficult to contain, and if Yuan Benchu ​​comes in the north, Your Excellency will be caught in the middle, attacked from both sides, and it will be difficult for you to last long.

Therefore, not only does Gongsun Zan need us, but we also cannot do without him. Providing him with more provisions and supplies will ensure that we can hold Yuan Shao off indefinitely; in doing so, you will certainly not lose out.”

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao's brow relaxed slightly, and he nodded, saying:
"What Wenruo said is very true. As for Guo Fengxiao's matter, let Zhongde handle it himself."

Even if he truly possessed unfathomable wisdom, being trapped deep within Gongsun Zan's camp with no one he could rely on, he was like a skilled cook without rice, helpless and frustrated.

"As for transporting supplies and provisions to Youzhou, although we are not as far south as Yuan Shao, thousands of miles away, the northern prefectures and counties are all isolated by Yuan Shao. If we want to send supplies to Youzhou, what should we do?"

Xun Yu had clearly anticipated this, and said with a smile:

"We can leave the pass and go to the northern grasslands!" Cao Cao was taken aback upon hearing this. Go to the grasslands?
"Your Excellency may not know this, but there is a suitable candidate in the court right now, none other than Liu Qubei, the Right Wise King of the Southern Xiongnu!"
The Southern Xiongnu lineage has always admired Han culture, and the Right Wise King Liu Qubei was especially loyal to the Han Dynasty!
Previously, on the way back to the east, upon hearing the emperor's edict, Right Wise King Liu Qubei disregarded everything and raised troops to come to the rescue, his heart for supporting the Han Dynasty was clear to heaven and earth.

Furthermore, the current Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu, Luanti Huchuquan, is using Cheng Yu as his military advisor to jointly attack Yuan Shao. Previously, the imperial court issued an edict ordering him to send troops south to attack Yuan Shu, which he obeyed without fail, demonstrating his loyalty.

Now that they are allies coming to our aid, all we need to do is send a large army to protect them; surely Luan Ti Huchuquan would not dare to offend the imperial court's majesty.

Cao Cao: "."

Was the Xiongnu Chanyu utterly loyal to the Han Dynasty?
Let alone Cao Cao, even Xun Yu himself probably didn't believe this, but the key point of this statement lies only in the last sentence.

[Send a large army to protect them!]

At present, the Southern Xiongnu have just lost their Left Wise King to Yuan Shu, and their Right Wise King is now directly in the hands of the court. Moreover, their Chanyu Huchuquan himself is deeply involved in Yuan Shao's battlefield and cannot extricate himself.

In this situation, if a large army is sent to the northern desert, is it to protect military supplies and provisions? Wouldn't it also be to take over the Southern Xiongnu as well?
As for a large army? Does Cao Cao have one now?

Despite suffering heavy losses in his battles against Yuan Shu in the south, he first gained the allegiance of 30,000 Xiliang troops under Duan Wei in Guanzhong. After defeating Li Jue and Guo Si, he recovered the Sanfu region, then subdued Duan Wei's followers, gathered scattered soldiers, and used the imperial court's orders to subjugate the various warlords in Guanzhong.

It can be said that Cao Cao at this time, because he has to guard against Yuan Shao in the north and resist Yuan Shu in the south, is not capable of sending out 100,000 troops to fight like Yuan Shu does.

But sending some people out to the grasslands to bully the Xiongnu would be a piece of cake.

It should be said that in today's world, even if the warlords are as weak and incompetent as Liu Zhang, or as remote as Ma Teng and Han Sui, they are hard to win against other warlords in civil wars, but when they go out to fight against foreign tribes, they are all like the mighty soldiers of the Han Dynasty.

After discussing and deliberating for a while, Cao Cao and Xun Yu had settled the matter of Gongsun Zan and Guo Jia. However, before they could continue to discuss the details, someone came to report that they had been in contact with someone.

Dian Wei is back!

"what!"

Both of them were shocked upon hearing this news!
Why would Dian Wei return at this time?
Wasn't he ordered to lead 30,000 troops with Yue Jin to attack Yingchuan and recover lost territory while Yuan Shu's main force was away?

Has Yingchuan already been captured so quickly?
But if that's really the case, why didn't Le Jin come back with him?
Cao Cao and Xun Yu exchanged a glance, and a bad thought arose in their hearts.

Xun Yu sighed and spoke first.

"My lord, I was just about to answer your question about why Sun Ce was the first adopted son."

Previously, General Dian launched a surprise attack on Yangdi, but was defeated by Xu Sheng in thirty rounds, suffering heavy losses.

Later, Yuan Shu adopted this son as his third adopted son and called him a tiger general of Jianghuai.

This is the latest military situation in Yingchuan that I wanted to report to you.

Cao Cao was also astonished, "This boy actually defeated Dian Wei in thirty rounds? How unjust is Heaven! How can such a peerless warrior be Yuan Gonglu's adopted son?"

Although he was annoyed by this matter, a minor defeat was obviously not enough to make Dian Wei, a general on the front line, return to the battlefield. His return now must mean that there has been another unexpected change in the Yingchuan battle.

(End of this chapter)