Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 151 Instigating Liu Bei to Rebel Against Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao's Divine Plans to Control Ji Province (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)

Sour Jujube Camp.

As more and more people joined the alliance, the army gathered at Suanzao numbered over 100,000.

Despite such power, no one was willing to lead troops westward.

The members of the alliance spent most of their time drinking and feasting, talking about their lofty ambitions, expressing their aspirations, cursing traitors, and chatting about women.

Ostensibly a righteous act of gathering troops to attack Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo, it was actually a business gathering of prefects, ministers, and prominent figures from various prefectures and counties.

Even Yuan Shao, Ding Yuan, Wang Kuang, and Qiao Mao, who were stationed in Henan, came to Suanzao. Today they invited Zhang Miao, tomorrow they invited Kong Zhou. They talked about important national affairs, but in reality they all had their own ulterior motives.

Given the strength of the allied forces, Yuan Shao could have led the troops from Hanoi to Mengjin, while the generals from Suanzao would have taken Chenggao, occupied Aocang, and blocked Xuanyuan and Taigu, thus occupying all the strategic locations. Meanwhile, Yuan Shu would have led the Nanyang army to advance on Dan and Xi, and then attacked Wuguan, shaking the Three Auxiliary Regions.

Then, by building deep trenches and high walls, avoiding direct combat with Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo, and deploying numerous feints, the entire world can see the allied forces' advantages and attract more troops to join, thus creating a sweeping force.

However, the reality was that, apart from Yuan Shu's surprise attack on Guanzhong, both the generals of Suanzao and the troops of Yuan Shao and Hanoi were only concerned with drinking, having fun, and making friends.

Compared to the others, Yuan Shu became the most honest and courageous hero, and could be described as "honorable even in defeat".

Therefore, when the news that Yuan Shu's 50,000-strong army had been defeated by Liu Bei in attacking Guanzhong and had to cut off his beard and abandon his robe reached Suanzao, everyone present, including Yuan Shao, Ding Yuan, Wang Kuang, Qiao Mao, Zhang Miao, Yuan Yi, Bao Xin, Kong Zhou, and others, was stunned.

Not only were they surprised by Yuan Shu's defeat, but they were also surprised that Yuan Shu actually went to attack Guanzhong.

Almost everyone was astonished by Yuan Shu's thought process: holding an alliance, raising flags, and shouting slogans is just for show, why did you actually go and fight?

“That brat Yuan Shu ruined our grand plan. We ordered him to keep Huang Wan occupied in Luyang, but he disobeyed orders and dared to try to take credit for the attack on Guanzhong.”

"If he had won, he could have helped us break through Hulao Pass; but now he has suffered a crushing defeat and was even forced to cut off his beard and abandon his robe by Liu Bei. He has completely disgraced the Yuan family!"

Inside the Allied forces' main tent, Yuan Shao slammed his fist on the table, furious, as if Yuan Shu had truly ruined the Allied forces' grand plan.

But deep in my heart.

Yuan Shao was so happy he wanted to burst into laughter.

Although the members of the alliance held lavish banquets every day, only governors, prime ministers, and renowned scholars from the prefectures and counties could attend, while those of lower status had to stay in the camp.

This led to many questions within the camp, with people wondering why the army was stationed there but refused to advance.

At first, they could deceive people by saying that "matters of national importance require caution," but over time, doubts grew stronger.

Just then, Yuan Shu was defeated, and defeated miserably, even resorting to the ugly act of cutting off his beard and abandoning his robe.

Although Yuan Shu was the most daring fighter among the allies, he was defeated, and defeated generals are not worthy of being seated at the table.

As long as the blame is shifted to Yuan Shu, the allied forces will have a reason not to advance.

It's not that we don't want to advance, but we have a meticulous plan, which has now been ruined by the disobedient Yuan Shu. We have all been harmed by Yuan Shu!
As soon as Yuan Shao said this, he was immediately echoed by everyone in the tent.

Qiao Mao slammed his fist on the table and stood up, looking as if he were about to explode with rage: "Yuan Shu was already dissatisfied with our decision to appoint Yuan Gong as the leader of the alliance. Now he has attacked Guanzhong on his own initiative, ruining the alliance leader's grand plan. All our previous efforts have been in vain!"

Immediately afterwards, Kong Zhou stroked his beard and sneered, his words laced with sarcasm: "He is indeed the legitimate son of the Yuan family. Relying on the reputation of being from a family of four generations of high-ranking officials, he even dared to disregard the orders of the alliance leader! Now he has been killed by Liu Bei and had to cut off his beard and abandon his robe, while we have been burdened with the infamy of being cowardly and hesitant to advance."

Yuan Yi feigned deep sorrow: "Yuan Shu's reckless attack has greatly boosted the morale of Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo. They will surely reinforce their defenses at Hulao Pass. If we advance now, wouldn't we be sending our soldiers to their deaths? Yuan Shu is a reckless fool; he is more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything!"

He then turned to Yuan Shao: "Alliance Leader! It's not that we are unwilling to fight to the death, but that we have missed our chance to win."

Inside the tent, the people were all hurling insults at Yuan Shu, solidifying his crime of sabotaging the allied forces' grand plan, almost to the point of condemning him as a sinner for all time.

Seeing the excited crowd in the tent, Yuan Shao felt even more smug.

Yuan Shu, you little bastard, you've finally met your match!
Will you still dare to call me a child born of a maid?
Yuan Shao feigned anger and shouted angrily, "You fool Yuan Shu! You ruined my grand plan of encirclement from three directions and utterly demoralized our allies! Now—"

He paused, then Yuan Shao's tone suddenly turned sorrowful: "Our soldiers have no will to fight, and our supplies are running out! If we were to launch a full-scale attack on Hulao Pass, wouldn't we be sending our 100,000 men to their deaths in vain?!"

Zhang Miao, a close ally of Yuan Shao, seized the opportunity to rise and raise his arm in response: "Our leader is wise! We should quickly issue a proclamation to all the prefectures: It is not that we are disloyal, but that Yuan Shu has misled the country! For the sake of the people, we should withdraw our troops to preserve our strength. Please, our leader, consider this carefully!"

The people in the tent also stood up and shouted in agreement: "For the sake of the common people, we should retreat to preserve our strength. Please, Alliance Leader, think carefully!"

Every day, they held lavish banquets, each with their own hidden agendas. They had already discussed almost everything they needed to discuss, and they no longer wanted to stay in Suanzao, exposed to the wind and cold.

Yuan Shu's crushing defeat provided everyone with a legitimate reason to retreat. In the future, upon returning to their respective commanderies and kingdoms, they could continue to use the pretext of attacking Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo to seize money and territory.

Seeing that everyone was of one mind, Yuan Shao pretended to wipe away non-existent tear stains, then had Qiao Mao write down the entire "fear of the enemy and avoidance of battle" attributing it all to Yuan Shu's "greed for merit and recklessness that led to the collapse of the overall situation." He then had everyone check the proclamation and each copy a copy to take away.

After everyone left, Yuan Shao could no longer contain his joy and laughed loudly, shouting, "Yuan Shu, you fool! How utterly stupid you are!"

Being appointed as the leader of the alliance was merely for the sake of gaining fame; Yuan Shao never truly intended to advance westward.

Don't be fooled by the fact that over 100,000 people seems like a lot. Back then, when Ding Yuan and Wang Kuangqiao Mao led over 10,000 men to attack Luoyang, they were defeated by Liu Bei's 800 cavalry.

Now, with over 100,000 people not under any unified command, it's only a matter of time before they are defeated one by one.

If these 100,000-plus men were to be defeated, Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo's prestige would be renowned throughout the land, which was not something Yuan Shao wanted to see.

Therefore, Yuan Shao never intended to attack Luoyang from the very beginning of the alliance meeting. Instead, he used the meeting as a pretext to declare to the world that although Yuan Wei and Yuan Ji were dead, Yuan Shao was still alive.

What Yuan Shao wanted was the accumulated wealth and power of the Yuan family, spanning four generations and three dukes, accumulated over a century, not to show loyalty to Liu Bian.

"Congratulations, my lord, your wish has been fulfilled." Feng Ji flattered him at the right time, and then said, "When everyone takes the proclamation back to the various prefectures and kingdoms, the Yuan family's former followers and officials all over the world will surely regret that you missed the opportunity, and will also be angry at Yuan Shu for his greed for merit and recklessness."

Yuan Shao was even more pleased, his brows furrowed with disdain: "Yuan Shu has always been arrogant, thinking that with his soldiers and generals he can contend with Liu Bei; however, warriors are best at warfare, while we nobles are best at strategy. To use our weaknesses to attack his strengths is utterly foolish!"

Feng Ji flattered again, saying, "My lord is wise. Although Liu Bei is brave and skilled in battle, he is nothing more than a brave man. With a little strategy, he can be eliminated. I have a plan that can help my lord."

Yuan Shao laughed heartily: "Since Yuan Tu has such a good plan, please tell me quickly."

Feng Ji's lips curled slightly, and he said with certainty, "My lord can send someone to spread rumors that after Liu Bei's great victory over Yuan Shao, he is too proud of his achievements and no longer wants to live in Yongzhou."

"Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, Liu Dai, the governor of Yangzhou, Gai Xun, the governor of Xuzhou, Cao Cao, the governor of Yanzhou, and Huang Wan, the governor of Yuzhou, were all on good terms with Liu Bei."

"Lu Zhi, who was stationed at Hulao Pass, was Liu Bei's mentor. The famous scholar Cai Yong even sent his daughter to Chang'an. General Huangfu Song was also stationed in Chang'an."

"Dong Zhuo is an arrogant and greedy man. Although he and Liu Bei supported the new emperor, he was unwilling to sit idly by and watch Liu Bei's power grow."

"I don't believe Dong Zhuo can sit peacefully in Luoyang! I predict Dong Zhuo will inevitably fight Liu Bei." Yuan Shao's eyes narrowed slightly: "Yuan Tu, in your opinion, who will win if Dong Zhuo and Liu Bei fight?"

Without hesitation, Feng Ji said, "Although I really hope that Dong Zhuo can win, with Liu Bei's courage and wisdom, Dong Zhuo is no match for him. If I lead Dong Zhuo to fight against Liu Bei, it can only buy time for my lord to establish his foundation."

Yuan Shao frowned: "If Liu Bei wins, he may become a powerful Qin dynasty. How will we counterbalance him in the future?"

Feng Ji smiled and said, "My lord, do not worry. The premise of the powerful Qin is that Liu Bei becomes king, but Liu Bei is currently a subject, not a king. Even if he has the title of Imperial Uncle, he must still respect the Emperor."

"Although the emperor is young, he desires to wield great power and will certainly not be willing to be manipulated by Liu Bei and have no say in his affairs. Since the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, General Liang Ji, General Dou Wu, and General He Jin have all met tragic ends. How can Liu Bei be an exception?"

The conversation turned.

Feng Ji then said, "To prevent Liu Bei from deposing and installing another emperor, and also for the sake of our lord's future actions, we must devise another plan to lure Dong Zhuo into killing the Prince of Hongnong!"

Last time, Feng Ji's plan to lure Dong Zhuo into killing Liu Bian, the Prince of Hongnong, was thwarted by Liu Bei, meaning that Feng Ji's plan was only half successful.

Now is the perfect time to pit Dong Zhuo against Liu Bei, and Feng Ji intends to repeat this strategy.

Only with the death of the Prince of Hongnong could Yuan Shao have a sufficient reason to support a new ruler to oppose the Luoyang court.

Only after the death of the Prince of Hongnong could Yuan Shao relentlessly accuse Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo of forging an imperial edict.

"As Yuan Tu intended."

Yuan Shao decisively adopted Feng Ji's strategy.

Now that Yuan Shao only has Feng Ji by his side, he doesn't need to hesitate in his actions.

I am always in a good mood when I encounter the anniversary.

This sense of accomplishment from having Yuan Shao listen to his every word greatly motivated Feng Ji.

He then added, “If my lord wishes to accomplish great things, he must have troops at his disposal. Among the people of Hanoi, only Qiao Mao truly trusts my lord. Ding Yuan and Wang Kuang are both treacherous and can be eliminated when the opportunity arises.”

"We can join forces with Qiao Mao and offer him the position of Prefect of Dongjun, and then work together to annex the troops of Ding Yuan and Wang Kuang."

Yuan Shao pondered for a while and said, "Ding Yuan is just a military man and not worth worrying about. However, Wang Kuang is very famous. What reason should we use to annex his troops?"

Feng Ji had already made up his mind. He said, "We can have Qiao Mao persuade Ding Yuan to say that Wang Kuang and Cai Yong have a good relationship. After the allied forces disband, we can still return east, but Ding Yuan has nowhere to go except for Hanoi. If Wang Kuang is persuaded by Cai Yong to return to the court, then Ding Yuan will surely die."

"We can trick Ding Yuan into becoming the governor of Hanoi, and then lure him into killing Wang Kuang. My lord, you can then arrest Ding Yuan in the name of the alliance leader, kill him, and appease Wang Kuang's remaining followers. In this way, all the people of Hanoi will be yours."

It must be said that Feng Ji also had considerable experience with Yin people.

Especially when dealing with someone like Ding Yuan, who comes from a military background, this strategy is meticulously planned, with each step precisely targeting Ding Yuan's current predicament.

Ding Yuan and Wang Kuang did not have a deep friendship to begin with. After Yuan Shao and others left, Ding Yuan still had to station troops in Hanoi.

Ding Yuan was unwilling to submit to Wang Kuang, and Wang Kuang did not want Ding Yuan to rival him in Hanoi, so one of them had to be annexed.

Wang Kuang was the governor of Hanoi and had a relationship with Cai Yong. Regardless of whether he relied on Cai Yong or not, he had a better chance of winning than Ding Yuan.

If Ding Yuan wanted to live, he had no choice but to follow Feng Ji's pre-planned route to kill Wang Kuang.

However, Yuan Shao could not handle this matter personally. He replied, "This matter will be entrusted to Yuan Tu. Tell Qiao Mao that I will give him 30% of the troops I have acquired to help him take control of Dongjun."

Feng Ji smiled confidently: "Rest assured, my lord, I will not make any mistakes."

After Feng Ji left, Yuan Shao took out a jade seal from his bosom and stroked it repeatedly.

The jade seal was obtained by Yuan Shao from Luoyang. It was not the Imperial Seal of the State, but the Emperor's Jade Seal, which was the emperor's personal seal, and it was decorated with a dragon and tiger.

When He Jin established Liu Bian as emperor, Empress Dowager He ruled as regent, and the imperial seal of Liu Bian was held by Empress Dowager He.

Later, Luoyang was in chaos. Liu Bei was only concerned with rescuing Liu Xie and left Empress Dowager He standing by the roadside. After Chunyu Qiong brought Empress Dowager He back, he obtained Liu Bian's imperial jade seal from her.

Because Dong Zhuo suddenly summoned all officials to a meeting in the West Garden with a secret edict, and Liu Bei forcefully killed people in the West Garden, while Yuan Wei advised Yuan Shao to prioritize his family, Yuan Shao's plan was made difficult to implement.

Nowadays, apart from his close confidants such as Feng Ji and Chunyu Qiong, no one knows that Yuan Shao possesses Liu Bian's imperial jade seal.

"One day, my name will be engraved on the jade seal." Yuan Shao looked at the jade seal with great affection.

Feng Ji acted swiftly.

Qiao Mao also confidently stated that he would cooperate with the plan.

That very night, Ding Yuan suddenly led his troops into Wang Kuang's tent, then produced a forged secret letter from Cai Yong and ordered his men to hack Wang Kuang to death.

Just as Ding Yuan seized the seal of the governor of Hanoi and was about to ask Yuan Shao for credit, Qiao Mao suddenly led his troops to surround Ding Yuan and angrily denounced Ding Yuan for killing Wang Kuang without authorization.

Some of Ding Yuan's soldiers pointed out that Ding Yuan frequently communicated privately with his former adopted son, Lü Bu.

Then, Wang Kuang's soldiers tearfully accused Ding Yuan of plotting against him, which was discovered by Wang Kuang, who then killed Ding Yuan in a fit of rage.

Qiao Mao also found letters revealing Ding Yuan's affair with Lü Bu!

With witnesses, physical evidence, motive, and facts, Ding Yuan was speechless. Just as he was about to reveal that he had been tricked by Qiao Mao, Qiao Mao shot him dead with an arrow.

The next day, when the generals of Suanzao heard that Ding Yuan and Wang Kuang had both died the previous night, they were all terrified.

Everyone is not a fool.

The claims that Ding Yuan had an affair with Lü Bu and that he killed Wang Kuang in a fit of rage after his plot was discovered were all fabricated charges.

However, the Allied forces have now disbanded, and everyone is fighting for their own interests, so no one will mourn the deaths of Ding Yuan and Wang Kuang.

Overnight, Yuan Shao gained control of 70% of Ding Yuan and Wang Kuang's troops, while the remaining 30% was taken away by Qiao Mao.

With troops in hand, and with Ding Yuan and Wang Kuang dead, Yuan Shao, who should have returned to Bohai, did not go back and instead directly led his troops to occupy Hanoi.

Yuan Shao's ambitions extended beyond Hanoi; he also coveted the entire Ji Province!
Liu Bei needed time to annex Dong Zhuo, and Yuan Shao also needed time to take control of Hebei.

(End of this chapter)