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

Chapter 356 The Alliance's First Battle: Two Sworn Brothers!

"Cao Anmin".

When Xun You mentioned Cao Anmin, Cao Cao became even more troubled. He had just said that Cao Anmin had stolen intelligence and used a scheme to test the hearts of his ministers, and had indeed tricked out a few traitors who were colluding with Yuan.

This time, we have done a great service but received no recognition. Unjustly detaining and killing Cao Anmin will likely alienate the people.

But just letting him go back like that doesn't seem right either.

Cao Cao rubbed his increasingly aching temples and looked at Xun You.

“Since Gongda has brought this up, he must have a good plan to teach me.”

Why not try speaking out now?

Xun You clasped his hands in agreement and replied:
"Cao Anmin's initiative in presenting Yuan Shu's plan demonstrates his loyalty. Although Yuan Shu's plan has further tricks up his sleeve, Cao Anmin is unaware of them, so he cannot be blamed."

Rather than detaining Cao Anmin and having Yuan Shu send someone else as an envoy later, it would be better to release Cao Anmin so he can continue to bide his time and learn his lesson.

Cao Cao frowned slightly. It was clear that Xun You also knew Cao Anmin's nature: he betrayed Yuan Shao's camp when he came to Cao Cao's camp, and he betrayed Cao Cao's camp when he returned to Yuan Shao's camp.

However, after Cao Anmin arrived, he was under close surveillance, and even if he wanted to betray Cao's camp after returning, he would not know how much information he had about Cao's camp.

Secondly, Cao Anmin is someone we know very well, and if given the opportunity, we can continue to use him to cooperate with our side and turn the tables on him.

If Cao Anmin were no longer around, and Yuan Shu were to replace him with someone unfamiliar to handle the liaison mission, it would be uncertain whether he could be trusted or how to guard against him. This would be far less reliable than having Cao Anmin as a readily available ally.

Cao Cao nodded, but still did not budge. These reasons could only make him consider the pros and cons of letting Cao Anmin go back, but they were not enough to make him agree immediately.

Seeing this, Xun You continued to explain the way.

"Now we should use Yuan Shu's methods to deal with Yuan Shu, and use Yuan Shu's methods to deal with Yuan Shu himself."

You Guan observed that the Prime Minister was working tirelessly day and night, racking his brains over the matter of the traitors within Cao Cao's camp, and was suffering greatly.

However, if the Prime Minister is so diligent, how can Yuan Shu not be? The Prime Minister is suspicious of him, and Yuan Shu is also suspicious of him.

Now, we can also send Cao Anmin back to Yuan's camp to deliver a message. Yuan's camp has Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun, Li Dian and others who hold high positions and command large armies.

I humbly speculate that they may not have truly surrendered to Yuan. Perhaps they could explain it with the Prime Minister's letters, in which he recounts the hardships they endured together in the past and the difficulties of starting a business. It is still possible that the generals may still remember the Prime Minister's feelings.

Even if You's prediction is wrong, and several generals genuinely pledge allegiance to Yuan, how could Yuan Shu know their true intentions? How could he not be wary?
But how could these generals know that Yuan Shu was aware of their loyalty? Such suspicions led to a growing rift between the ruler and his ministers, which could be an opportunity for our army.

Even if Cao Anmin joins Yuan's camp and betrays everything, it doesn't matter. In fact, these letters can be sold as a pledge of loyalty for Cao Anmin to return to Yuan's camp and save his life.

If we replicate Yuan Shu's open strategies and apply them to him, how will he respond?
These letters to Cao Cao will then be a thorn in Yuan Shu's side, sowing seeds of suspicion and distrust, and providing an opportunity for our army to exploit.

Cao Cao was astonished!
Cao Cao, considering his current predicament, found Xun You's plan increasingly reasonable.

I can't be the only one suffering endlessly!

How ingenious it is to turn Yuan Shu's open schemes back on Yuan Shu's own.
If Yuan Shu also has no solution, he will inevitably fall into the same predicament as I have.

If Yuan Shu had a solution, that would be great! We could simply learn from it and the current predicament would be easily resolved.

Although given the current offensive and defensive situation between Yuan and Cao, if three hundred letters were sent claiming that everyone in Yuan's camp was in cahoots with Cao, they would certainly not believe it.

But he could have prioritized quality over quantity if he had only sent a few letters.

Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Yue Jin, Li Dian, and others on Yuan Shu's side were all his most trusted generals.

If we reminisce about our past and reason with each other in the letter, the kindness and friendship of the past ten years will still remain, so why should Yuan Shu not be suspicious?
By sowing discord between Yuan Shu and his ministers, at the very least, Yuan Shu would lose trust in Xiahou Dun and others, and dare not entrust them with important responsibilities, which would weaken the Yuan army's fighting strength.

On a grander scale, if we could manage to alienate Yuan Shu and Xiahou Dun, there might still be a chance for a turnaround in the Battle of Huanyuan Pass.

All our side needs to sacrifice in the whole plan is Cao Anmin, who is useless to kill but a pity to discard, and a few letters.

Whether it succeeds or fails, the price paid is negligible.

What? Even Cao Anmin was an envoy sent by Yuan Shu? Then there's nothing to worry about!
In any case, Cao Anmin continued to stay in Cao's camp in order to cover up his collusion with Yuan Shao and to help him "sleep on firewood and taste gall" to clear his name, which annoyed Cao Cao whenever he saw him.

Furthermore, Cao Anmin might betray Yuan Shu again next time, so he can be considered a reusable talent.

Cao Cao nodded slightly and then spoke.

“Gongda’s plan is excellent.”

Many of Yuan Shu's men have surrendered, and I suspect them. Why doesn't Yuan Shu suspect them as well?

He simply refused to believe that Yuan Shu harbored not the slightest suspicion or distrust towards Xiahou Dun and the others.

If this plan succeeds, it will surely sow discord between Yuan Shu and his ministers, making Yuan Shu full of suspicion, just like himself, and no one will be able to have an easy time.

As he spoke, he instructed Xun You to go and make arrangements, then turned back to continue dealing with the mountain of official and military matters piled up on his desk.

Xun You replied, "Yes!"

Not long after, Cao Anmin returned to Yuan's camp and went to see Yuan Shu.

Inside the large tent, civil and military officials stood on either side, watching Cao Anmin return.

Cao Anmin immediately prostrated himself on the ground, revealing that Cao Cao had also hidden a group of letters to Cao Cao.

Yuan Shu laughed when he heard this.

"The donkey of Guizhou has exhausted its tricks!"

How could my trust in you generals be questioned by mere letters?

After saying this, he immediately ordered his men to find several letters. Without even looking at their contents or who they were addressed to, he burned them on the spot.

The courtiers then called Yuan Shu "a sage ruler!"

Only Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, and the others exchanged glances and smiled bitterly to themselves.

Trust? Suspicion?
Why would Yuan Shu need such a thing from them?

When they travel, they are accompanied by generals and guards; their words can determine their life or death.

The King of Han never trusted them and treated them as captured enemy generals. How could he possibly be suspicious or distrustful of someone he had never trusted?
As for why Cao Cao couldn't follow suit, it's because there were too many people in Cao Cao's circle who might be colluding with Yuan Shikai. If he sent someone to keep an eye on them, the person being watched might not be a traitor to Yuan Shikai, but rather the one sent to keep an eye on them might be the real traitor.

Moreover, if the matter of oversight becomes too big, it can easily cause panic and alienation among the people.

In contrast, the situation was quite the opposite in Yuan's camp.

Because Yuan Shu's power was about to be consolidated, most of the officials in Yuan's camp were full of confidence and were just waiting to capture Luoyang, get promoted, and share wealth and honor. At this time, even if they were accused of colluding with Cao Cao, not many people would believe them.

Therefore, as long as a large number of Yuan's men openly keep an eye on Xiahou Dun and the other surrendered officials, there is no need to worry about them causing any trouble. This is enough to ensure the stability of Yuan's camp and allow them to rest easy.

This is due to the difference in the basic national conditions of Yuan Shu's camp and Cao Cao's camp, which led to the incompatibility of their strategies. Cao Cao, with his own suspicion and distrust, judged Yuan Shu's integrity and integrity, so how could his plan succeed?

After easily dealing with the letter that Cao Cao had secretly sent, Yuan Shu, amidst the flattery of his ministers, then inquired about the detailed intelligence regarding Cao Anmin's trip to Cao Cao's camp.

Cao Anmin lived up to expectations, possessing a very flexible bottom line regarding his allegiance. He was physically in Cao's camp but loyal to Cao, and when he joined Yuan's camp, he was loyal to the King of Han.

Just as when he was in Yuan Shu's camp, Yuan Shu was wary of him. So when he went to Cao Cao's camp, apart from the intelligence that had been arranged in advance, he didn't actually have access to any important secrets that he could sell.

Now that he has returned from Cao Cao's camp, he is clearly in the same predicament, showing that both Yuan Shu and Cao Cao are well aware of how to use Cao Anmin. However, he still managed to bring back a lot of basic intelligence from Cao Cao's camp. Yuan Shu heard that Cao Cao had not alienated his ministers, but instead personally took charge and won their hearts.

Shu frowned and asked:

"How simple or complicated are Cao Cao's sleep, meals, and affairs?"

Anmin replied.

"The traitor Cao rises at the sound of the drum and sleeps at the sound of the gong, rising early and retiring late, without a single morning's rest."

He resided atop a strategic pass, living in a humble abode, yet he managed all military, political, and administrative affairs in his own hands.

He personally reviewed all rewards and punishments for military achievements, regardless of their magnitude.

Promotions and demotions, rewards and punishments, regardless of the amount, are all decided unilaterally by the emperor.

The amount of food they consume each day is no more than a few liters.

He drank water less than twice a day.

Yuan Shu nodded and asked again:
"I've heard that Cao Cao suffers from headaches. How is he now?"

Anmin replied, "I am filled with fear and dare not use acupuncture. I suffer from headaches every day and can only rely on medicine."

Yuan Shu smiled and said to his generals:
"There is no need to cause casualties or bloodshed among the soldiers now; we should focus on feigned attacks every day."

The nighttime drumming and clamor increased to ten times, with one or two out of ten being actual sieges, intended to intimidate Cao Cao.

Every night I also wake up once, to command the battle from the city walls, and personally beat the drums, which will surely make Cao Cao live in constant fear and unable to sleep.

If that's the case, Huanyuan Pass will surely fall soon!

When the courtiers asked him about it, Yuan Shu smiled but remained silent, while his disciple Lu Xun answered on his behalf.

"Cao Cao eats little and is burdened with many affairs; how can he last long?"

Illness that cannot be cured, sleepless nights, seeing ghosts in every cup, and paranoia—how can one endure this for long?
He was exhausted and overworked, yet he was so anxious that he couldn't sleep for more than ten days.

His head was throbbing with pain, and his mind was clouded; how could the Huanyuan Pass not be breached?

Everyone suddenly realized.

A formidable pass guarded by 80,000 men, and Cao Cao's most elite army, were likely to be destroyed in the end by the exhausted Cao Cao.

Thinking of this, everyone felt a chill run down their spines when they considered the King of Han's treacherous schemes, and their respect for him grew even stronger.

Meanwhile, in the far north...

With Gongsun Zan absconding with the funds and heading to Huainan by sea, the remaining resistance forces in Youzhou were quickly wiped out by Yuan Shao's army.

After years of fierce fighting, Yuan Shao finally seized all of Youzhou, thus becoming the northern overlord who completely controlled the four provinces of Ji, Qing, You, and Bing.

However, before he could even relax for a moment, he received a continuous stream of battle reports from the south.

First, Yuan Shu issued a proclamation to the world, calling on Lü Bu to be his ally, and led an army of 830,000 to march north to attack Cao Cao and enter Luoyang to rescue the emperor.

Yuan Shao: "???"

No, bro, are you serious about that number 830,000?

I'm totally stunned!

After much discussion among the wise men, everyone estimated that this was probably Yuan Shu's claimed military strength, and that the Han state could not actually muster 830,000 troops.

Not long after he breathed a sigh of relief, he heard that before Cao Cao and Yuan Shu had even officially started fighting in the south, Lü Bu had already defected to Yuan Shu and assassinated Yuan Shu's adopted son. As a result, Yuan Shu was enraged and sent troops to destroy Lü Bu's Qi state.

Good heavens, so you two formed an alliance to attack Cao Cao, but Cao Cao was unharmed while your ally Lü Bu's Qi state fell first, right?

This series of unpredictable and flexible bottom lines almost left the Yuan Shao group, who had been grinding experience points by engaging in reckless and headstrong battles with Gongsun Zan every day, completely dumbfounded.

You issued a proclamation to the world, which means you're going to attack Cao Cao, right?

Why the hell did they wipe out their ally's country first?!

Just as the people of Yuan Shao's group were alarmed by the fact that Yuan Shu had occupied the four provinces of Jing, Yang, Yu, and Xu, and was also a hegemon in the south, he was not to be underestimated.

So, just as everyone was discussing whether they should ally with Lü Bu, whose kingdom had just been destroyed by Yuan Shu, and use Lü Bu as a weapon to continuously weaken Yuan Shu's strength, news came from the south.

[Lu Bu raised the banner of the King of Han, and, upon receiving the King's decree, marched north to attack Yan, in order to eliminate the traitor Cao!]

Damn it! ! !

When Yuan Shao and others heard this news, they felt as if they had seen a ghost.

No, if we remember correctly, Yuan Shu just destroyed your kingdom, brother!!!
Why did you two, when you were allied to fight Cao Cao, not focus on defeating him but instead fought amongst yourselves?

When the hatred between you two grew so deep that you were like brothers again, carrying out the original plan to attack Cao Cao?

Yuan Shao: "???"

incredible!

Are people from the South really that complicated?
Isn't this camp's bottom line a bit too flexible?
But who would have thought that this wasn't the end of it!

Just as Yuan Shao's group was beginning to deal with the new intelligence and re-discuss countermeasures, a new situation arose before the discussions were even finished.

In response to the imminent threat of Lü Bu's invasion of Yan Province, Luoyang dispatched Liu Bei and Che Zhou with troops to defend the region.

Who would have thought?
The familiar scene is playing out again!
Liu Bei and Che Zhou, who were sent out to jointly attack Lü Bu, also had internal strife before they even saw Lü Bu. They fought amongst themselves and killed Che Zhou.

Then, the pretext of "this must be a conspiracy by Yuan Shu" was released, and Liu Bei acted as if nothing had happened. He excitedly rushed to Yanzhou, carrying Che Zhou's coffin, and continued to attack Lü Bu according to the original plan.

Yuan Shao: "!!!"

Are you people from the South?
The entire Yuan Shao group was completely numb!

Do you Southerners have a tradition of first setting a small goal, gathering brothers to join the alliance, and then stabbing your brothers twice before the battle begins? If they don't die, you continue with the original plan; if they die, you carry your brothers' corpses and continue with the original plan.

After reading these unpredictable reports from the south, Yuan Shao's group reached a rare consensus, unanimously advising Yuan Shao:
"My lord, no matter what happens in the future, we must never trust these southerners!"
We cannot trust their so-called alliance; these Southerners are terrifying!

The South is treacherous; it must not be trusted!

Yuan Shao agreed wholeheartedly and replied, "What you gentlemen say is very true!"

After that, new intelligence arrived, and Yuan Shao's ministers fell into a new round of arguments and discussions. No one could convince anyone else, but Yuan Shao could no longer stand it.

"They argue from night until dawn, and from dawn until night again. Do you gentlemen want to drive Cao Cao and Gao Lu to their deaths?"

Seeing him slam his fist on the table and stand up in a rage, everyone lowered their heads and dared not speak again.

Just then, new intelligence from the south arrived, saying that Lü Bu had defeated Liu Bei, and Cao Cao had asked the emperor to grant Liu Bei the title of king and to transfer some of the troops from Duan Wei's army, which was guarding the north, to support him.

Having just reprimanded his ministers, Yuan Shao, in the midst of his brilliant and invincible state, made a decisive decision to send troops south!

(End of this chapter)