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

Chapter 191 Yuan Shao: Cao Cao! Gonglu! You have betrayed me!

At that moment, Guo Tu sized up Xu You as he approached, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes, before he sneered and probed him.

"I wondered who it was. Wasn't this Xu Ziyuan from the story in Han Feizi about the farmer in Song who waited by a tree stump for a rabbit to run into it?"

What? You've suddenly returned? Is this a case of "the rabbit cannot be caught again"? You didn't get to see those Yellow Turban rebels, and now you want to laugh at us?

Faced with Guo Tu's probing, Xu You raised his chin and looked at him with disdain.

"I have a brilliant strategy in my mind; how dare such a petty person speak so rudely?"

Ignoring Guo Tu, he calmly met Yuan Shao's gaze from the main seat, confident in his overflowing talent and unafraid of anything else.

Such a powerful scene stunned Chunyu Qiong, who had come with him and followed behind. "Hey, strategist, didn't you say you were bringing me here to apologize?"

Why are you acting so accusatory now?

However, he didn't understand the intricacies of the situation. Since he was now in cahoots with Xu You, he didn't dare to say anything and just kept his head down, watching Xu You's expressions before acting.

In the main hall, Xu You, facing the suspicious gazes of the crowd and the scrutinizing gaze of Yuan Shao, slowly walked to the center, bowed respectfully, and said:

"Lord Ju was a renowned scholar from Hebei, highly respected throughout the land, and was the right-hand man and pillar of the lord."

"To now speak of his crimes is a malicious statement, a false claim of possessing troops, and he is an instigator of internal strife and division. I request that he be executed to appease the morale of those at the front."

The Xin brothers were furious when they heard this. They thought, "Xu You used to belong to the Hebei and Yingchuan factions, and you looked down on both of them. Everyone considers you neutral and won't bother with you."

So now you're completely siding with the Hebei faction, aren't you? You just seized power from Guo Tu last time, and now you're back threatening to kill us?

Simply arrogant!
“My lord, Xu You is all talk and no action. He is just a madman who has been in Bohai for a long time and is unaware of the inside story. Yet he dares to speak recklessly about the war in Youzhou.”

“Your words are all loyal and true, as the sun and moon can bear witness. On the other hand, Xu Ziyuan was ordered to oversee the Yellow Turban rebellion along the Bohai coast.”

"Having received no imperial edict, they have suddenly returned, bringing General Chunyu Qiong with them. Perhaps something has happened in Bohai; it's hard to say."

Yuan Shao was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. How come he didn't know that Xu Ziyuan was a staunch supporter of Ju Shou?
If others say a few bad things about Ju Shou, you threaten to kill them?
Yuan Shao ignored their argument, his gaze fixed on Xu You as he asked:

"I have my own decision regarding the matter of Lord Ju, which can be discussed later. But Ziyuan, why have you returned? Please tell me first."

Xu You nodded slightly, showing no shame whatsoever, but rather a proud expression of his achievements, and answered.

"I was ordered by my lord to set up an ambush in Bohai as planned, to await the Yellow Turbans."

As I expected, not long ago a force of over ten thousand Yellow Turbans, led by General Hai Gong, attacked Zhangwu.

Everything is within my plan. With General Chunyu Qiong temporarily holding off the offensive, General Zhang He and I will lead the main force to attack.

Besieged on both sides, how could the Yellow Turbans possibly survive?

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao nodded. If he followed Xu You's advice, he would have 20,000 men ambush 10,000 men, and the enemy would surely be defeated by a pincer attack.

So, it seems Xu You brought Chunyu Qiong here to receive a reward? Did he want to praise him in person?

Other strategists would never have done this, but Xu You grew up with him since childhood, didn't Yuan Shao know him well?

Xu Ziyuan just loves this kind of thing!
Despite feeling helpless, he had still made a contribution, which was a rare piece of good news in the current situation.

Thinking this, Yuan Shao forced a smile and was about to offer his praise.

"Excellent! Ziyuan helped me decisively defeat the Yellow Turbans. With Ziyuan here, the coast is safe."

However, before he could finish speaking, Xu You called out to him.

"Benchu, you'd never guess who I'll run into next!"

Yuan Shao: "???"

Xu You didn't seem to intend for him to guess, and directly answered his own question.

"Gongsun Zan!"

These words shocked everyone present.

Satisfied with the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, Xu You then began to tell the truth.

"Gongsun Zan led five thousand iron cavalry on a raid hundreds of miles away, abandoning the front line in Youzhou, and launched a surprise attack on us while we were encircling and surrounding the Yellow Turban Army!"

If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad. The key issue is that over a hundred elite cavalrymen have emerged from his ranks.

These elite troops were all heavily armored and their charge was unstoppable. Generals Zhang He and Chunyu Qiong fought desperately, but they could not stop them.

Faced with Gongsun Zan personally leading troops to attack, You had no choice but to defend the Zhangwu line with the two generals, holding Gongsun Zan in the coastal counties and preventing him from advancing an inch.

However, prolonged defense is easily lost. To be honest, my lord, I have come here to seek reinforcements.

Yuan Shao: "."

After listening for so long, I finally understand what's going on.

Good grief, you lost the battle, didn't you?
Xu Ziyuan, what's with you acting like I single-handedly blocked Gongsun Zan's attack and made a great contribution?

Seeing that Yuan Shao's face was full of anger after he understood what was going on, as if he was about to reprimand him,
Xu You preemptively scoffed.

"Benchu, don't you understand?"

Yuan Shao: "???"

What do I understand? I understand that you suffered a defeat, yet you come here to stir up trouble and spread rumors.

Seeing that the atmosphere had been set in time, and that Yuan Shao might really lose his temper and kill him if things continued to escalate, Xu You quickly spoke up to explain.

"Benchu, think about it!"

Under pressure from Ju Gong, why did Gongsun Zan dare to abandon the war on the front lines in Youzhou and instead send cavalry to attack Bohai?
Why did he attack at just the right moment after I had laid an ambush for the Yellow Turbans?
And why was he able to produce 108 sets of heavy armor and horse armor in the barren and cold land of Youzhou?

Do you remember what You said before he left? My lord, you must think carefully and be on guard!

You mean Yuan Shu?

"Exactly!
If it weren't for Yuan Gonglu's support, Gongsun Zan would have had no food to recruit soldiers, no money to send troops, and would have been short of troops and generals. How could he have dared to withdraw his main force from the front line?

If they weren't in cahoots with these Yellow Turban rebels, how could they have attacked so conveniently and broken my ambush?

If Yuan Gonglu hadn't brought the supplies from the rich lands of Huainan, where would Gongsun Zan have gotten the funds to build a heavy cavalry?
My lord! This is not the time for internal strife. Ju Gong and Chu Ju must not be acted upon lightly.

If Yuan Shulu fully supports Gongsun Zan, victory in this battle will be no easy feat. We must unite as one and not waste our time fighting amongst ourselves, blaming each other for our mistakes!

"Ha, Gonglu is afraid that I will unify the north before him."

Knowing that Gongsun Zan had allied with Yuan Shu, he knew that if he could not quickly defeat Gongsun Zan, he would be bogged down in the quagmire of the northern war.

Yuan Shao's eyes lit up, deeply agreeing with Xu You's words. "Ziyuan is absolutely right. Now is the time to work together and cooperate, not to criticize each other or fight amongst ourselves."

Seeing that Yuan Shao had made his judgment, Chunyu Qiong, who was obediently following behind Xu You, was stunned by his lowered head and pretended that no one had seen him.

No blaming each other? So, it seems like we just let the Bohai Sea issue slide like that?

Seeing this, Xu You, who appeared confident on the surface, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as Yuan Shao understood him, Xu You, having grown up together, also understood Yuan Shao.

He linked his defeat at Bohai with Ju Shou's setback in Youzhou, arguing that it wasn't due to their incompetence, but rather that Gongsun Zan had gained powerful allies!
The reason why Yuan Shao raised the threat of Gongsun Zan again was that he felt the urgency of the current predicament and the need to quickly eliminate Gongsun Zan. He immediately rallied his wisdom and focused his mind on how to defeat Gongsun Zan.

Guo Tu and the others, who were standing nearby, were not going to let You and Ju Shou get away with it so easily. Just as they were about to speak, Yuan Shao raised his hand to interrupt them.

"No need for further explanation, I already understand what Master Guo means."

I will personally lead another 20,000 troops to conquer Youzhou and oversee the battle at the front. There is no need to worry about Duke Ju and his self-importance with his troops.

As for the threats along the coast, they are but a minor ailment, yet they must still be guarded against.

As Yuan Shao spoke, his gaze fell upon Chunyu Qiong, who was following behind Xu You with his head down.

"Zhongjian, let's set aside the matter of Zhangwu's defeat for now. You should immediately mobilize 10,000 troops from the surrounding counties and kingdoms to aid Zhang He."

He must atone for his crimes by performing meritorious service and guarding the coastal frontline. Any further misconduct will result in punishment for both offenses!

Chunyu Qiong quickly bowed and replied, "Yes."

It was rare that Yuan Shao, after being reminded of the threat posed by Yuan Shu by Xu You, regained his sense of crisis and became wise and powerful again. The entire military force of Ji Province was quickly mobilized under his personal command.

However, when Yuan Shao led 20,000 men to reinforce Gongsun Zan, joining forces with Ju Shou's troops, bringing the total force of 100,000 to crush him, Gongsun Zan was not defeated as expected. Instead, he proved as stubborn and unyielding as a rock in a latrine.

Not to mention the heavily armored cavalry that returned to the front lines with Zhao Yun after having their fun in Bohai, soldiers were also continuously brought in from the rear, one wave after another.

Not to mention where Gongsun Zan got so much money and grain to recruit soldiers and start a war, his weapons and equipment seemed inexhaustible.

When defending the city, arrows and stones were thrown down as if they were free.

It wasn't until the spies in the army discovered that the heavy cavalry that had recently appeared in Gongsun Zan's camp was being led by Zhao Yun, and that there was also an additional Xiongnu cavalry unit led by the Right Wise King Qu Bei!
"What? Zhao Yun? Qu Bei?"

Upon hearing the names Zhao Yun and Qu Bei, Yuan Shao was so angry he almost cursed on the spot!

Unable to break through after a prolonged siege?

No wonder I couldn't break through after so long!
Everyone knows that Zhao Yun is Yuan Gonglu's fifth adopted son, and Qu Bei was the most loyal to the Luoyang court, protecting the emperor on his journey back to the east.

"Yuan Gonglu! Cao Mengde!"

A biological brother I grew up with, a good brother I've played with since childhood!

How dare you betray me like this? Do you really think my sword, Yuan Shao's sword, isn't sharp enough?

He was truly gritting his teeth now!
One group disguised themselves as the Yellow Turban Army, while the other even sent Huns, thinking that this would absolve them of any involvement and prove that it wasn't them who did it.

This is utterly self-deception, and utterly inhuman!

Good, good, he was desperately attacking Gongsun Zan here, but Yuan Shu and Cao Cao, the two most powerful warlords of the time, were secretly and continuously healing Gongsun Zan.

I knew that Youzhou was a harsh and cold border region, constantly facing raids and invasions from foreign tribes. Everyone there was martial and skilled in riding and archery.

Right now, Gongsun Zan has money, grain, weapons, and horses. In any case, Cao Cao and Yuan Shu keep sending him grain. To take it to the extreme, he might not even need to farm and just recruit soldiers to death!

With General Baima's reputation and influence in Youzhou, he mobilized the entire province's young men to fight him to the death.

Yuan Shao dared not think any further. Gongsun Zan was a madman; anyone who got involved with him was doomed.

Leaving aside the cost of defeating Gongsun Zan, who doesn't need to consider logistics and only cares about exhausting his troops, even if we win, what we'll gain is a state like Youzhou, which has no able-bodied men and only the elderly, women, and children. Are we just going to drag ourselves down?
crazy!

This big man must be crazy!
Why did Cao Cao and Yuan Shu, who were mortal enemies just a few months ago, suddenly cooperate so closely, secretly forging Gongsun Zan as a weapon specifically designed to kill him?

Yes, Gongsun Zan's aggressive and militaristic approach is only aimed at Yuan Shao. Not to mention that he can only fight Yuan Shao in Youzhou at present, this model of the whole province being mobilized for war means that once Cao Cao and Yuan Shu cut off his supplies, Gongsun Zan will be devoured and destroyed in an instant.

This is a hunting dog with its neck chained up, let over and devoured.

Thinking of this, a look of fear, which he had never seen before, appeared in Yuan Shao's eyes.

Fighting Gongsun Zan like that would cost you half your life, and even if you won, you'd still be half dead.

Given the deep-seated grudge between Gongsun Zan and himself, there was absolutely no possibility of a ceasefire or peace talks. As long as Gongsun Zan was not destroyed, he would continue to attack him relentlessly.

Dragged down to death, unable to escape.

The moment he understood and sorted everything out, he felt as if he had instantly fallen from being the northern overlord who controlled four provinces—Ji, Qing, You, and Bing—and one-third of the world, into a quagmire.

Yuan Shao looked north with a melancholy gaze and sighed.

"What kind of cunning strategist came up with such a plan to wipe out Yu Shao's lineage?"

He looked hopefully at the assembled ministers and said, "In this situation, at the critical juncture of life and death, you gentlemen are united in purpose. What can you teach me?"

What Yuan Shao could figure out, his ministers had obviously also thought of.

No one understood why, when they were just fooling around at home and hadn't provoked anyone, Gongsun Zan was suddenly dragging them into trouble at all costs.

Guo Tu frowned as he spoke, deep in thought.

"Our lord has led 100,000 elite troops here. Gongsun Zan should have been able to resist him. The reason he has not been defeated is that he has been waging war and forcibly conscripting soldiers, which goes against the principles of Heaven and human affairs."

The reason this was able to be maintained was entirely due to the supplies provided by Cao Cao and Yuan Shu.

"Now, all we need to do is cut off their supplies, and Gongsun Zan will perish on his own."

However, Xu You immediately scoffed at these words.

"This is the talk of a child!"
Cao Cao, under the guise of the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu, led Qu Bei to the northern desert, while Yuan Shu, under the pretense of the Yellow Turbans, sailed at sea.

Guo Gongyan's strategy of cutting off supplies—should it be that our lord sends troops on a distant expedition to the northern deserts, or should we requisition small boats to fight General Hai Gong on the high seas?

Guo Tu was speechless after being confronted, and could only ask a question in return!
"Am I speaking like a child? I presume you, Xu Ziyuan, already have a grand plan in mind. Why don't you try speaking?"

"Gongsun Zan relies on cavalry. My lord, you can follow Yuan Gonglu's example and build heavy cavalry in Ye City. If you can get tens of thousands of heavy cavalry, Gongsun Zan, even with the strength of an entire province, can be destroyed in an instant."

"Tens of thousands of heavily armored soldiers?"

Guo Tu sneered, "Xu Ziyuan, are you still scared after being beaten by the heavy armor last time? Don't you know how difficult it is to make heavy armor?"
To build tens of thousands of heavy armors, wouldn't that require exhausting all available funds and resources, and at least a decade or more of work?

(End of this chapter)