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

Chapter 52 To support Cao Cao, if not Jiang Ziyi, then who will do it!

After some searching and identification, Jiang Gan did not find the Imperial Seal of the State that was rumored to have been obtained by Yuan Shu; otherwise, bringing it back would have been another great achievement.

However, such a precious item would surely be treasured by Yuan Shu. Fortunately, the seal of the Grand General was enough to secure the release of Sun Ce.

This is where Yuan Shu handled government affairs, and the seal of the Grand General is not hard to find.

Jiang Gan covered the document that Zhou Yu had copied, breathed a sigh of relief, and was about to put everything back in its original place, lie down on his bed, and pretend that nothing had happened.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the signature on a scroll of letters on the table, which read "Military Advisor"!
[Fengxiao? His last letter just arrived, I haven't even finished reading it, how come another letter has come?]

As Yuan Shu's words just now came to mind, Jiang Gan felt as if a thunderbolt had struck his head!
military adviser!

The previous letter!
I haven't finished watching it yet!

Recalling what Zhou Yu had said earlier:

He kept a very low profile, always remaining behind the scenes in Yuan Shikai's staff, and never appearing in public.

All the information intertwines and connects into a line, and thoughts are understood in an instant!

At that moment, Jiang Gan had a bold idea.

Could it be that the true strategist whom Yuan Shu called "Fengxiao" was not deliberately hiding himself from the public eye, but rather that he simply couldn't! He was incapable of doing so!

He must be restricted by some kind of status at this moment, unable to offer advice to Yuan Shu directly, and can only communicate through letters.

This is why no one has been able to detect his existence from beginning to end; even Zhou Yu could only speculate based on subtle clues and Yuan Shu's inconsistent behavior.

Because this person doesn't even exist in Yuan Shu's camp!

How can they find someone who doesn't exist?

That's right! Just like in Cao Cao's own camp, the strategists never deliberately concealed their identities.

What good does hiding oneself like this do, besides maintaining mystery and causing the generals to disobey when one has to reveal oneself to give orders in critical moments, thus adding obstacles?

What kind of person would need to hide themselves in this way?
That can only mean his identity is something that can't be revealed!

Then he recalled what he had overheard Yuan Shu mentioning in his conversation: that he had secretly reported news to Yuan Shao from the north.

Jiang Gan's thoughts and guesses became increasingly clear.

He carefully took the letter with the words "Military Advisor" written on it, brought it close to the lamp, unfolded it and looked at it, his heart filled with trepidation and anticipation.

The identity of Fengxiao, who could suppress Zhou Yu several times with just correspondence, and the most mysterious chief strategist under Yuan Shu, will be revealed in the hands of Jiang Ziyi!

【The Strategy on the Couch】

Now the Han dynasty is in decline, the world is in turmoil, the emperor has died, mountains have crumbled and rivers are in chaos, heroes are vying for power and the world is changing.

My lord, you hold the weight of the imperial power and have established a firm foothold in the Jianghuai region. Now you can raise the banner of righteousness, command the lords of the land to march north and attack Cao, seize the land of Yuzhou, and lay the foundation for a great undertaking.

At that time, we will advance westward to Nanyang to attack Liu Biao, and take control of the entire Yangtze River region, thus controlling the nine commanderies of Jing and Xiang.

He occupied Xiaopei in the east, seized Xuzhou, established a tripartite balance of power in the southeast, and watched the world's turmoil unfold.

When the situation changes, we will send the southern troops north to the Central Plains, and with a million armored soldiers, we will sweep across the feudal lords, crushing the old and eliminating the filth!

Now is the time to seize the throne, to establish oneself as emperor, and to survey the nine provinces—this is the legacy of the founding emperor, Gaozu.

Upon reading this, Jiang Gan gasped, thinking to himself, "What a fine essay, 'Strategy from the Bed,' what a 'Fengxiao'!"
If Yuan Shu truly follows this strategy, he will be nothing but a skeleton in a tomb. Clearly, great things can be accomplished, and a great cause can be expected!
He continued to look down, and the more details he saw, the more terrified he became, and he almost wanted to slam his fist on the table in amazement.

Although the letter was unsigned and the handwriting was deliberately done with the left hand, it was illegible.

But the more this was the case, the more Jiang Gan suspected.

Besides Yuan Shu's shady strategist, Fengxiao, who else would write to Yuan Shu in such a secretive manner?
Aside from the world's top strategists, who else could have grasped the full extent of the changes in the land and devise the "Strategy on the Bed" for Yuan Shu, a strategy that could secure his rule over the world?
After reading the entire article, my gaze fell upon the last sentence:
In my opinion, Yuan Shao is ambitious but lacks talent, is indecisive, cherishes his life for the greater good, and is willing to risk his life for petty gains. He is not worth worrying about.

In your last letter, my lord said that Xi Zhicai's days were numbered. If things go as expected, after Zhicai's death, Wenruo will surely invite me to Cao Cao's camp to replace Xi Zhicai and devise strategies for Cao Cao.

Cao Cao was a man of great ambition and brilliant strategies. He possessed the potential to encompass the universe and the ambition to swallow the heavens and earth. He was worthy of being ranked alongside our lord as a hero of our time and should not be underestimated.

I should seize this opportunity to enter Cao Cao's camp, ostensibly to offer Cao Cao advice, but in reality to devise a plan for my lord. At this point, he will surely anticipate my every move, and we will no longer be able to withstand my lord's military might.

Upon arriving at this place, Jiang Gan was utterly horrified, feeling his mind and spirit shake and his scalp tingle.

Anticipating others' every move?

So this person was actually able to anticipate others' moves?

Xun Wenruo even wanted to invite him to Cao Cao's camp to replace Xi Junshi.

This is tantamount to inviting a wolf into the house; our lord's great cause may be ruined in an instant!

At this critical juncture, who else but me, Jiang Ziyi, can assist our lord and save the day?

Having made up his mind, Jiang Gan gritted his teeth and tucked the letter into his pocket, knowing that if Yuan Shu returned and could not find the letter, he would become suspicious.

He cannot stay here any longer, and the only person who can send him out of Yuan's camp right now is Zhou Yu!

There was no time to lose; Yuan Shu could return at any moment. Jiang Gan, with a grim expression, hurried out of the inner room.

He saw that the banquet outside was in disarray, and the food in the cauldron had long been eaten. He felt nauseous again and forced himself to leave the tent to find Zhou Yu.

"Where does Mr. Ziyi intend to go?"

"Lord Yuan instructed that you stay in the tent and rest well."

Unexpectedly, two guards blocked his way at the tent entrance, leaving Jiang Gan both angry and anxious, unable to get out.

Just as he was at a loss, he suddenly saw the guards standing further away. Who else could they be but Lei Bu and Chen Lan?

Jiang Gan was overjoyed and hurriedly called Lei and Chen for help. Although they were now personal guards, they still held their former status. Apart from the two commanders, Xu Chu and Zhou Tai, what ordinary soldiers would dare to stop them?

Amidst a few shouts and curses, the people blocking the way reluctantly backed down, and Jiang Gan had already been rescued by the two of them.

He immediately expressed his deepest gratitude to Lei Bu and Chen Lan, and whispered a promise that he would be richly rewarded if he joined Cao Cao's camp in the future.

Lei and Chen exchanged a smile with him, everything unspoken, as if they understood each other implicitly, or perhaps each harbored their own secrets.

With the two men leading the way, Jiang Gan traveled unimpeded to Zhou Yu's tent to deliver the message.

"Gongjin, the situation is urgent, why are you still sound asleep?"

Zhou Yu, who was still half asleep, was also energized when he saw the man's anxious expression.

"Ziyi, your arrival here so late at night, has something major happened?"

Jiang Gan couldn't openly admit to stealing the letter, so he simply handed him the forged general's order.

"The important matter has been accomplished, but I fear that he will find out that I have used Yuan Gong's seal, so it is not convenient for me to stay any longer."

I beg you, Gongjin, to lend me a hand and escort me home.

"This matter is easy."

Under the moonlight, at the Yuan camp's tower, the two men looked at each other and smiled; they were Yuan Shu and Yang Hong.

Watching Jiang Gan flee in the dead of night, Yuan Shu laughed and said, "What do you think of this plan?"

Hong said, "My lord, this is a brilliant plan!"

"That's wrong. From now on, we should call it Fengxiao's brilliant plan."

(End of this chapter)