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

Chapter 165: Yuan Shu's plot unfolds, Liu Bei's death is imminent (Seeking subscriptions and monthly votes)
Runan.

Yuan Shu stroked his long beard smugly.

To quell the rumors of cutting off his beard and discarding his robe, Yuan Shu specially sought out a man with a magnificent beard, then shaved off the man's entire beard and commissioned a skilled craftsman to create a fake one.

Whether eating or sleeping, Yuan Shu would always wear the fake beard.

Firstly, it was to cover up the rumors of cutting off his beard and abandoning his robe; secondly, it was to cover up his severely damaged self-esteem.

On the left side of Yuan Shu's camp.

Standing there was a handsome man, Guo Tu, who had come from Hanoi.

In order to gain Yuan Shao's favor in the future, Guo Tu also actively made efforts.

This time, we're heading south.

When Guo Tu saw that the people of Yanzhou were about to besiege Cao Cao in Xiaopei, he devised a plan and persuaded Tao Qian of Donghai to join forces to attack Xiapi.

After Liu Yu appointed him as the governor of Xuzhou, Tao Qian had always intended to attack and kill Gai Xun, and thus he and Guo Tu hit it off immediately.

They directly invited Zang Ba, Zhou Gan, Yin De, Liu Kui, Ji Lian, Kong Rong, Yuan Zhong, and Zhang Chao to besiege Xiapi.

Guo Tu then went south to Runan to find Yuan Shu, falsely claiming that he had persuaded the generals of Yanzhou and Xuzhou to launch a feigned attack on Xiaopei and Xiapi, in order to create an opportunity for Yuan Shu to enter Luoyang.

However, Yuan Shu did not completely believe Guo Tu's words, nor did he believe Yuan Shao's statement in his letter that "whoever enters Luoyang first can become a general and also the one who holds the reins of the Yuan family."

Guo Tu's plan was good, but he still didn't understand Yuan Shu well enough.

Yuan Shu understood all too well what Yuan Shao wanted to do.

General?
Would Yuan Shao really give up this position?
Don't think I'll believe you just because you say a few self-deprecating things.
Guo Tu was lucky; he happened to encounter the generals of Yanzhou and Xuzhou who intended to attack Xiaopei and Xiapi. Otherwise, he would have been driven out by Yuan Shu's warriors after only a few words.

The reason Guo Tu was kept alive was that Yuan Shu was very interested in the generals of Yanzhou and Xuzhou who had been persuaded by Guo Tu.

Yuan Shu had no interest in attacking Luoyang.

If Luoyang were easy to conquer, we would have already taken it.

What Yuan Shu found interesting was that Guo Tu concluded that with Xiaopei and Xiapi besieged, Liu Bei would definitely send a large force to rescue them.

In other words, Yuan Shu wanted to devour Liu Bei's reinforcements to Xiaopei and Xiapi in order to avenge the humiliation of cutting off his beard and abandoning his robe!

What excited Yuan Shu was that Liu Bei not only sent troops to rescue Xiaopei, but also personally led the troops!
This is a golden opportunity to besiege Liu Bei!

"Report!"

"Reporting to my lord, Liu Bei's army has already entered the territory of Liang!"

The scouts' report made Yuan Shu even more pleased.

Liu Bei, you've already fallen into my trap without even realizing it!
Now that my three armies have surrounded and attacked you, how can you possibly stand against them?
"Pass on my order: the army must proceed to Xiaopei immediately!"

Yuan Shu excitedly issued military orders; he had waited far too long for this moment.

Guo Tu's face was somewhat stiff.

Why fight Liu Bei head-on when you could launch a sneak attack?

To be honest, I'm afraid you'll kill me. Can you defeat Yuan Shu? If you suffer a crushing defeat, how will you buy time for our lord?
"Lord Yuan, with Liu Bei's army all out now, Luoyang must be vulnerable. Why not take this opportunity to attack Luoyang?" Guo Tu, bracing himself for the risk of being ordered to be thrown out by Yuan Shu, advised again.

"Absurd!" Yuan Shu sneered. "Do you think Luoyang is easy to attack? Don't you know that Luoyang's eight passes are easy to defend and difficult to attack?"

Guo Tu certainly knew.

However, Guo Tu's goal was to have Yuan Shu hold Liu Bei back as much as possible, while attacking Luoyang would allow Liu Bei to return to his camp.

Guo Tu's plan was: when Liu Bei returned, Yuan Shu would attack Yingchuan; when Liu Bei came to his rescue, Yuan Shu would return to Runan; and when Liu Bei went to rescue Xiaopei, Yuan Shu would cut off his retreat. The aim was to harass, not to engage in direct combat.

If the Yuan family forces in the three provinces of Yan, Yu, and Xu could unite as one and obey orders, Guo Tu was confident that he could trap Liu Bei in Yingchuan and Chen.

pity.

Guo Tu's idea was good, but it was completely unrealistic.

Not to mention Yuan Shu, even Zhang Miao and others had their own ulterior motives, and only joined forces to attack because their interests were temporarily aligned.

To expect the Yuan family's forces in all three prefectures to willingly obey Guo Tu's commands is a pipe dream.

While Yuan Shu was actively mobilizing troops to prepare for the encirclement and suppression of Liu Bei, Yang Xiu arrived in Runan before Yuan Shu set off.

"Internal response?"

Yuan Shu stared at Yang Xiu with suspicion.

"How could Liu Bei be unprepared in Luoyang?"

Having suffered a crushing defeat in Guanzhong, Yuan Shu no longer dared to believe in the promise of "welcoming the king's army with food and drink."

In Yuan Shu's current understanding, the only way to defeat Liu Bei is to lure him out of his hole, first causing Liu Bei to lose his geographical advantage, and then using his numerical superiority to defeat Liu Bei.

Seeing that even Yuan Shu didn't believe Luoyang could be captured, Yang Xiu sighed inwardly: "Father, you're unfamiliar with military affairs. Even my uncle doesn't believe your plans. Perhaps it's better if you stop planning. Wouldn't it be better for me to follow my uncle to eradicate these deep-seated problems and make a name for myself in history? The Hongnong Yang clan truly needs me to lead it. Father, you can go to the Eastern Pavilion to proofread books in peace!"

Although Yuan Shu did not believe Yang Biao's plan, Yang Xiu had other intentions in coming to Runan.

He then said, “My father is stubborn and ignorant of military strategy. I have a plan that may help my uncle succeed. My uncle can send a contingent of troops to join me in a surprise attack on Luoyang, while the main force can go to Xiaopei to encircle Liu Bei.”

"If the encirclement of Liu Bei succeeds, my cousin can immediately return to seize Luoyang, and then he will control the fate of the world. If the encirclement of Liu Bei fails, the troops in Luoyang may become a surprise force."

"Using both strategies makes it easier to succeed."

Guo Tu was secretly delighted upon hearing this.

It's true that whatever you lack, you get.

He then chimed in, "Yang Xiu's words show a deep understanding of military strategy. Yuan Gong has many soldiers and generals; sending a contingent to Luoyang would not affect the encirclement of Liu Bei. Moreover, having this contingent attack Luoyang would distract Liu Bei and prevent him from engaging Yuan Gong in a prolonged battle at Xiaopei."

"In this way, Lord Yuan can pursue Liu Bei, and perhaps even force Liu Bei to cut off his beard and abandon his robe! This will dispel the rumors that slander Lord Yuan!"

Upon hearing the words "cut off beard and discard robe," Yuan Shu immediately reacted and subconsciously stroked his beautiful beard again.

Then, realizing that the magnificent beard was fake, Yuan Shu dared not stroke it too vigorously, lest Guo Tu discover that it was a fake beard.

If people find out that he's wearing a fake beard, the rumors will only become more ridiculous.

Yuan Shu did not immediately agree to Yang Xiu's plan, but instead looked at Yang Hong, who had remained silent.

Although Yang Hong's previous plan failed, Yuan Shu trusted Yang Hong more than Yang Xiu and Guo Tu.

Yang Hong pondered for a while and said, "My lord, I think we can follow Yang Xiu's suggestion and use both strategies simultaneously."

"I have also heard that Liu Bei has implemented three major decrees in Henan Province. In addition to targeting corrupt officials, the other two decrees are aimed at powerful local families. This is an act of extortion and plunder, and how can the powerful local families accept it willingly?"

"However, Liu Bei once implemented similar laws in Yongzhou and took the opportunity to kill more than eighty of the ringleaders, making it so that no powerful family in Yongzhou dared to provoke Liu Bei. Therefore, I cannot be sure how many powerful officials in Luoyang and Henan would dare to rebel." "Sending a troop there could also be a test."

Yang Xiu couldn't help but glance at Yang Hong again: Judging from this man's expression and tone, he was frightened when he mentioned the Imperial Uncle. His cousin actually used this person to plot against him. How could he be an enemy of the Imperial Uncle?

Although Yuan Shu was his maternal uncle, Yang Xiu would not side with Yuan Shu because of this relationship.

The Yang and Yuan families were only allied through marriage, not had a deep friendship. If Yuan Shu was courting death, how could Yang Xiu follow suit and die?

What Yang Xiu saw today only strengthened his desire to join Liu Bei's ranks: even Yuan Shu, the son of the Yuan family who had been known as a powerful figure with disciples and former officials all over the world, was no match for the Imperial Uncle. How many people in the world could stand up to the Imperial Uncle?
Seeing that Yang Hong also agreed to divide the troops, Yuan Shu then summoned Yuan Si and appointed him as the Chancellor of Chen.

Tell Yuan Si to prepare for both possibilities: if he fails to capture Luoyang, he should seize the opportunity to take over the State of Chen.

Because both Yingchuan and Chen had troops stationed there, Yuan Shu sent Yuan Sixian with the main force to Liang, and then through Chenliu to attack Luoyang.

Although there were rumors that Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, and Liu Dai, the governor of Yangzhou, both intended to attack Runan, Yuan Shu did not care.

Yuan Shu is no longer playing the strategy of holding onto a certain place; he goes wherever he wants and plunders, and he also coerces the people and soldiers, completely behaving like the Yellow Turbans.

This is one of the reasons why Yuan Shu was able to raise more than 100,000 soldiers and civilians again in a short period of time after his defeat in Guanzhong.

Those soldiers who followed Yuan Shu and profited from the looting were also willing to serve Yuan Shu.

Generals like Lei Bo and Chen Lan were originally notorious bandits in Runan. They used to plunder cautiously, fearing that they would anger Huang Wan and be punished.

Now, directly following Yuan Shu's military orders, they are plundering in a large-scale manner, and everyone is extremely happy.

As for how many people in Runan suffered, Yuan Shu never cared about that.

Is it possible that Nanyang can be seized, but Runan cannot?

Liu Bei appointed Xun Yu as the Prefect of Yu Province and instructed him to implement the three major laws, partly due to Yuan Shu's raid on Runan.

Yuan Shu did all the villainy for Liu Bei.

Liu Bei would be letting Yuan Shu down if he didn't act like such a good person, given Yuan Shu's "good intentions".

After realizing that Yuan Shu would only bring destruction and war to Runan, the local powerful clans in Runan would lower their demands when faced with new state and county officials.

For example, in the past, they wanted to collude with officials to continuously annex land and houses; now they only want to keep their existing land and houses; in the future, they may also want to use the annexed land and houses to seek protection.

The more Yuan Shu allowed his troops to commit atrocities, the more it highlighted Liu Bei as the kindest person.

After all, Liu Bei was only asking the powerful clans to relinquish their profits; he wouldn't take their lives and would allow them to profit as well. The new contract only meant that the powerful clans would earn less, not nothing at all.

As for Yuan Shu, he would rob whoever had money and supplies, and deal with the consequences later.

The movements of Yuan Shu's army did not escape Liu Bei's notice.

Yuzhou is only so big, so it's not difficult to find out the movements of Yuan Shu's army.

However, Liu Bei did not garrison Liang State despite the unusual movements of Yuan Shu's army, but instead headed straight for Xiaopei.

And at this time.

The seven armies of Zhang Miao, Prefect of Chenliu; Yuan Xu, Prefect of Jiyin; Ying Shao, Prefect of Shanyang; Qiao Mao, Prefect of Dongjun; Zheng Sui, Chancellor of Rencheng; Kong Zhou, Prefect of Taishan; and Yuan Yi, Governor of Yanzhou, had completely surrounded Xiaopei.

The banners were densely packed, numbering anywhere from five thousand to ten thousand, adding up to at least fifty thousand soldiers.

Moreover, Bao Xin, the Chancellor of Jibei, and Li Zan, the Chancellor of Dongping, are still on their way to Xiaopei.

"Is it really necessary to send so many people to attack Xiaopei? My lord, why don't we break out of the city?" Looking at the troops outside the city, Xiahou Dun felt a chill run down his spine.

He had hoped to gain wealth and status by following Cao Cao, but before he could achieve it, his death was fast approaching.

"Breakout? Our lord already has less than two thousand soldiers, and the rebels have besieged the city for ten days. Several hundred soldiers have already deserted. If the rebels hadn't surrounded the city without attacking, we wouldn't have been able to hold Xiaopei at all. If we dare to break out, we'll be riddled with arrows as soon as we get out." Cao Ren said bitterly.

He realized that the rebels were doing it on purpose, deliberately besieging Cao Cao, the governor of Yanzhou, in Xiaopei, and were deliberately waiting for Liu Bei in Luoyang to send troops.

If Liu Bei sends troops to rescue them, then attack and kill the reinforcements; if Liu Bei does not send troops, the killing of the governor of Yanzhou will be enough to greatly diminish Liu Bei's prestige.

If Liu Bei still refuses to send troops, then kill Gai Xun, the governor of Xuzhou. There will always be a way to make Liu Bei send troops.

"Xuande, you mustn't betray me! We swore a blood oath in Luoyang!" Cao Cao said worriedly.

Although Cao Cao knew that opposing the Yuan family would bring many difficulties, he did not expect the difficulties to be so outrageous.

He, the governor of Yanzhou, has never set foot in Yanzhou!
With great difficulty and Huang Wan's financial support, he managed to raise an army in Xiaopei, intending to take the nearest Shanyang County first. However, before he could even take any action, he was surrounded by the generals of Yanzhou.

Recalling Liu Bei's words, "Among the heroes of the world, only Brother Mengde and I are worthy of respect," Cao Cao felt a sense of shame.

How can a hero be plagued by bad luck?
Just as Cao Cao was sighing, the sharp-eyed Cao Hong suddenly shouted, "My lord, a new banner has arrived! It's 'Lingyan Army Lü,' is that the banner of the Imperial Uncle? Does the Imperial Uncle have any generals with the surname Lü under his command?"

Lingyan Army Lü?

Cao Cao was somewhat bewildered and hesitated, saying, "I have never heard of the Lingyan Army banner. Nor have I heard of any general under my command named Lü."

Just as I was thinking...

Cao Hong shouted excitedly, "The fighting has started! It's reinforcements! It's reinforcements!"

Everyone's spirits lifted.

After being besieged for ten days, their nerves were already on edge. Now that reinforcements have arrived, the energy and spirit they had lost in those ten days seemed to return in an instant.

Cao Cao laughed heartily: "Xuande has indeed lived up to my expectations! Issue my order to beat the drums and boost morale!"

And below the city.

Prefect Kong Zhou of Mount Tai was the first to be targeted.

However, Kong Zhou was not alarmed. Although his initial goal was to eliminate Cao Cao in Xiaopei, Guo Tu later persuaded everyone to use Cao Cao to lure Liu Bei into sending troops.

Seeing that Xiaopei's defenses were weak, the generals of Yanzhou ceased their attack and began to closely monitor the situation in the direction of Luoyang.

Looking at Lü Bu's camp that was attacking the stronghold, Kong Zhou couldn't help but sneer: "I wanted to capture a tiger, but I didn't expect to find a dog instead. Who is Lü Bu? I, Kong Zhou, have never heard of Lü Bu in my life."

Deputy General Liu Sandao stepped forward and volunteered for battle: "My lord, this humble general requests permission to kill Lü Bu."

Kong Zhou sneered, "What's the rush? My camp is well-fortified, and my soldiers are rested and ready for battle; while Lü Bu has come from afar, and his soldiers are exhausted. What can he do to me?"

"Wait until the other camps arrive, then we can attack them together. Why fight one-on-one when we can outnumber the other? Wait until Lü Bu is panicked and flees, then catch up with him when he is weak, and you will kill him within three strikes."

Yuan Yi, the governor of Yanzhou in the southern camp, also received news of the arrival of reinforcements and was overjoyed. "After waiting for many days, the prey has finally arrived! Issue my order to join forces to surround and kill them!"

Seeing the banners gathering on both sides, Lü Bu sneered, spurred his horse and led his army away. As he rode, he also arranged for some of his soldiers to abandon their helmets and armor, as if afraid that if they were too slow, they would not be able to escape.

Seeing Lü Bu about to flee, Kong Zhou said with disdain, "Do you really think I was afraid to attack Hulao Pass back then? I just didn't want to fight. Now that you're here, don't try to leave!"

He then spurred his horse, shook the reins, and shouted, "All soldiers, listen to my command! Follow me and pursue Lü Bu!"

(End of this chapter)