novelAbuy Chapter 58 Xun Yu and Guo Jia
Chapter 58 Xun Yu and Guo Jia
The residence of Marquis Wen in Xiapi City.
Lü Bu was sitting opposite Chen Gong, with Yuan Tan's request for passage laid out on the table.
Lu Bu's face darkened. He slammed the document onto the table and coldly snorted:
"That brat Yuan Xiansi, he seized my Langya before, and now he dares to try and pass through my Xuzhou? Does he think Xuzhou is his backyard? Gongtai, I think we should just refuse him!"
Chen Gong stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and slowly shook his head:
"My lord, you must not. Yuan Tan's mission is under the banner of 'being ordered to suppress the rebellion.' If I refuse outright, it will be an open defiance of the imperial decree. Although it may be a nominal one, it will give others ammunition to criticize us. Cao Cao and Yuan Shao could use this as a pretext to launch an attack."
He stood up and walked to the map:
"Perhaps...we should allow them to pass through. But we must impose strict restrictions: First, we should stipulate their marching route, keeping them far away from our important towns such as Xiapi and Xiaopei; second, we should require their troops to pass through in batches, with no more than a thousand men at a time; third, we should send capable generals to lead elite cavalry to 'escort' them, while in reality closely monitoring their every move. In this way, we can both uphold the righteous cause and prevent them from plotting anything untoward."
Upon hearing this, Lü Bu found it reasonable, and his anger subsided slightly. He was about to nod and give the order: "As Gongtai says! Order Gao Shun..."
"Report—!"
A messenger rushed in, panting, "Reporting to Marquis Wen! The eldest young lady... the eldest young lady is already at the northern border of Huaiyin, blocking Yuan Tan's vanguard and refusing to let them pass! The two armies are currently locked in a stalemate!"
"What?!" Lu Bu jumped to his feet, both shocked and furious. "Lingqi...who let her go?! This is outrageous!"
Chen Gong's expression also changed, and he stamped his foot, saying:
"Oh no! The young lady is of a fiery temperament. Although this action was taken out of loyalty, it has given others a handle against her! Yuan Tan was just looking for an excuse, and now it seems..."
On the northern border of Huaiyin, the two armies faced each other.
Clad in red robes and riding a crimson horse, wielding a halberd, her eyebrows raised in anger, Lü Lingqi sternly addressed the Yuan army envoy who had come to negotiate:
"Go back and tell Yuan Xiansi! Xuzhou is under my father's jurisdiction. How can we allow outsiders' troops to pass through at will? If they want to cross this place, they'll have to step over my dead body!"
She had been so humiliated by Yuan Tan before that she wished she could eat his flesh and sleep on his skin. Now that she finally had a chance to kick him while he was down, how could she not take the opportunity to retaliate?
Upon hearing this, Zhang He, who was ordered to be the vanguard in the opposing army, was furious. However, he remembered Yuan Tan's order not to provoke them first, so he could only suppress his anger, form a battle line, and at the same time send a fast horse to report to Yuan Tan in the rear.
……
Linzi Port, the central command tent.
When Yuan Tan received Zhang He's urgent report, he saw words like "Lü Lingqi blocking the road" and "the two armies facing off" in the letter, but instead of being angry, he laughed.
"Haha! It seems that little girl really hates me! But that's fine too, this way I have an excuse to arrive in Shouchun a little later."
He immediately summoned Guo Jia, Lu Su, and Xin Pi.
"Fengxiao, what's your opinion on this matter?"
Guo Jia smiled and said, "Congratulations, my lord! Lü Lingqi's actions, though seemingly courageous, were in fact reckless. The fact that our army's passage was blocked is now a fait accompli, and the moral high ground is on our side."
Lu Su added:
"I believe we should seize this opportunity to publicize this matter extensively. We should write two letters: one questioning Lü Bu, accusing him of disobeying the imperial edict and allowing his daughter to obstruct the royal army; the other should be sent to Cao Cao's camp outside Shouchun City overnight!"
Sinpi's eyes lit up:
"Zijing's words are excellent! He said that our Qingzhou army was ordered to march south, but was blocked by Xuzhou, and our advance was hindered, which may delay the important task of suppressing the rebels. He will shift all the blame for the delay to Lü Bu! In this way, even if Cao Cao knows that I am delaying on some pretext, he will have nothing to say, and will instead become even more wary of Lü Bu."
"Just what I wanted!"
Yuan Tan clapped his hands and said:
"Immediately draft a document, questioning Lü Bu in the harshest terms! Then send a fast ship to report the details to Cao Cao! The writing should be filled with grief and indignation, showing that we are wholeheartedly devoted to the country, yet are being obstructed by a petty person!"
He walked to the dock of Linzi Port and gazed at the thousands of ships stretching before him.
My heart was filled with countless emotions.
The Zhen family is truly wealthy; they own so many ships.
How big must their business be on a regular basis?
Should I just marry into the Zhen family?
If we keep reading scripts while riding a donkey, who knows when we'll finally get to eat Zhen Mi, this juicy peach.
At this time, Zhen Yao had been waiting at Linzi Port for a long time.
He has a keen eye for investment, and now that he's latched onto Yuan Tan, a powerful figure, he's determined to stick with him to the end.
Combined with the income from salt trading, they had already made up for the previous losses in Hebei.
Even if we have to forgo doing business for the next few days, it's not a big deal.
Moreover, if his daughter were to marry Yuan Tan in the future,
Then I would be Lü Buwei.
Why would they care about such a small gain or loss?
About fifteen minutes later, the main force finally assembled at Linzi Port.
Yuan Tan addressed Zhao Yun, Lou Ban, and the others who stood at attention, and gave the following order:
"Order! The three armies board the ships and proceed south along the coastal route as planned, heading straight for the mouth of Sheyang Lake in Guangling County!"
"To the outside world, they declared: 'Our land route is blocked by Lü Bu; for the sake of the king, we have no choice but to risk sailing south to meet the nation in this time of crisis!'"
"promise!"
The generals responded with a resounding roar.
Yuan Tan gazed southward, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Once I've dealt with Yuan Shu, Lü Bu will inevitably be next.
It was a great pity that I missed out on meeting Lü Lingqi before.
The next time we meet after a long separation, it will surely be a unique experience.
……
After weathering storms at sea and navigating inland waterways, the Qingzhou navy finally passed through Guangling County, sailed up the Yangtze River, turned into the Zhongdu River (ancient Hangou), and then sailed northwest into the Huai River.
Although this waterway was circuitous, it bypassed the many passes of the land route and went straight into Yuan Shu's heartland.
On this day, the army anchored at a stronghold called Xuyi on the south bank of the Huai River.
Before the sails had even been fully lowered, a troop of cavalry in bright armor had already galloped to the shore.
The leader, dressed as a scholar, had a majestic face and calm gaze; he was none other than Xun Yu, Cao Cao's chief strategist and Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.
He had been waiting here for many days on Cao Cao's orders.
"Yuan Qingzhou has had a long and arduous journey."
Xun Yu dismounted and bowed respectfully.
"When Cao Cao heard that the lord's army had arrived, he specially ordered Yu to come and reward the troops and convey military secrets."
Yuan Tan, along with Guo Jia, Zhao Yun, and others, stepped forward to meet them. He knew perfectly well that Cao Cao must be driven mad by Shouchun. This time, he came to reward the army, but he probably had other intentions.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Xun Yu took out Cao Cao's order and read it aloud to everyone:
"The rebels' attempt to hold out in Shouchun is a heinous crime. I am greatly relieved to hear that Governor Yuan Xiansi of Qingzhou has led his elite troops to the Huai River. I hereby order the Qingzhou army to immediately proceed to the east gate of Shouchun, establish camps and fortifications, and serve as the main attacking force. Within ten days, they are to construct siege equipment and, upon command, launch a full-scale attack on the city!"
Furthermore, with the army on a long expedition, provisions are of utmost importance. Having heard that Qingzhou has abundant provisions, I hereby temporarily lend 100,000 shi of grain to supplement the army's supplies. This must be delivered to Cao Cao's camp by the appointed day without delay!
The tent fell silent instantly.
Generals Yan Liang and Zhang He looked indignant.
How cruel this order is!
Giving them only ten days to prepare for war is tantamount to sending them to their deaths; lending them 100,000 shi of grain is an even more blatant act of cutting off their lifeline!
All eyes were on Yuan Tan.
Yuan Tan's expression was uncertain. He stepped forward and bowed deeply to Xun Yu:
"Mr. Wenruo! How could I dare disobey Cao Gongjun's order? It is my honor to serve as the vanguard of the royal army and to punish the traitors! But... but what about the provisions..."
He raised his head, his smile bitter, and began to complain about being poor:
"My lord, you are wise! Qingzhou has just been pacified, and everything is in ruins. Refugees are everywhere, all relying on the government's relief supplies to survive. I, Tan, have exhausted all my resources on this southward journey, barely managing to gather enough rations for my troops for three months, and even that is a stretch. The soldiers' daily rations have already been halved, and I fear that will not be enough. This 100,000 shi of military rations… is truly… beyond my means!"