novelAbuy Chapter 75 Losing Both Wife and Army
Chapter 75 Losing Both Wife and Army
After seeing the angel off, Yuan Tan immediately summoned his core advisors to a meeting to discuss matters.
"Did you all hear that? That old Cao Cao wants me to fight Lü Bu, so he can reap the benefits! How should we respond?"
Yuan Tan placed the imperial edict on the table and glanced at Guo Jia, Lu Su, Xin Pi, and others.
Xinpi spoke first, his expression full of worry:
"My lord, this is a calculated move! If we obey the imperial edict, we must fight Lü Bu to the death, which will inevitably result in huge losses, allowing Cao Cao to take advantage of the situation. If we disobey the edict, Cao Cao will have a pretext to accuse us of disobeying orders and colluding with Lü Bu, allowing him to unite with others and launch a legitimate attack on Qingzhou!"
Lu Su pondered for a moment and said:
"Lu Bu has just obtained the Imperial Seal and is at the height of his power. Xuzhou has well-trained troops and ample supplies, so we should not start a war lightly. However, the court's authority and prerogative are at stake, and we cannot openly defy it. I believe we should delay. We can submit a memorial stating that Qingzhou has just been pacified, and the battle of Shouchun resulted in heavy losses. We need time to rest our troops and stockpile provisions, and request the court to grant us an extension."
At this moment, Guo Jia lightly waved his feather fan and grinned, saying:
"My lord, gentlemen, why worry? Cao Cao's plan, though seemingly brilliant, actually presents Qingzhou with a legitimate opportunity to intervene in Xuzhou!"
He walked to the map and pointed to Xuzhou:
"Lü Bu is a traitor to the state; punishing him is justified! Xuzhou is a wealthy land; taking it will be profitable! Why should we obey Cao Cao's orders? We should be in charge!"
Jia had a plan called "Expanding territory by imperial decree and using the route to destroy Guo": He immediately submitted a memorial, saying that he would immediately prepare his army and march south to attack Lü Bu, making sure to make the right gesture so that Cao Cao would have nothing to say.
The army could march to Langya and Donghai counties, which border Xuzhou, under the guise of "attacking the bandits nearby," but in reality, it would strengthen the border defenses, intimidate Lü Bu, and spy on the strength and weakness of Xuzhou.
A clash between Cao Cao's and Lü Bu's main forces will undoubtedly be fierce. Once both are severely weakened, our army will seize the opportunity to strike. If Cao Cao wins, we can take advantage of the situation to capture Xuzhou; if Lü Bu wins, we can join forces with Liu Bei to jointly attack the exhausted Lü Bu and divide Xuzhou among ourselves!
Furthermore, the navy can be ordered to patrol the coast, allowing for a timely landing at Guangling and Xiapi to disrupt Lü Bu's rear.
Navy?
Where did I get a navy from?
It was nothing more than those transport ships that Zhen Yao had given them.
However, these ships could only transport people and troops.
Ah, if only we had a top-notch naval commander.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Tan clapped his hands and laughed, "Fengxiao, this plan is brilliant! Using the court's name to carry out expansion, we'll turn Cao Cao's treacherous scheme into an opportunity for us! Let's proceed according to this plan!"
He immediately gave the order:
"Immediately draft a memorial, with earnest words, expressing our army's determination to punish Lü! Order Yan Liang and Zhang He to lead their troops to Langya, strengthen the city's defenses, and spread many banners as a feint! Zijing shall take charge of logistics and make it appear as if a large army is being mobilized!"
Furthermore, quickly send spies to infiltrate Xuzhou and spread the news that Cao Cao has allied with Qingzhou and will soon jointly attack Lü Bu, thus sowing discord among the people!
……
Ye City, the main hall of the General's Mansion.
Yuan Shao sat high in the main seat, looking at the imperial edict from Xuchang and the victory report from Qingzhou on the table, stroking his beard and laughing heartily:
"Excellent! Excellent! Xiansi's achievements in Huainan have enhanced the prestige of the Yuan family! The court's conferment of the title of Grand Commandant is well-deserved! My son has also been promoted to General of the Vanguard, granted the authority to oversee Qing and Xu provinces. Truly, this is a double celebration!"
He was smug and looked around at his officers and soldiers:
"Xiansi is young and promising, a testament to my years of nurturing! This time, he decisively defeated the false emperor and recaptured Shouchun. Who in the world doesn't know that I, Yuan Shao, am a tiger father who has no dog son?"
Below the hall, the Hebei strategists, led by Tian Feng and Ju Shou, all bowed and offered their congratulations, their faces showing satisfaction.
Yuan Shang, standing next to Yuan Shao, forced a smile, but his nails were digging into his palms, and his jealousy was palpable.
What was originally a scheme to use someone else to do the dirty work has now backfired, benefiting Yuan Tan instead.
Yuan Shang suddenly felt like he had eaten shit.
Just then, Yuan Tan's messenger, Xin Ping, arrived wearily, respectfully presenting Yuan Tan's handwritten letter, and proclaimed aloud:
"Reporting to the General! The Former General has submitted a memorial! Firstly, he thanks His Majesty and the General for their gracious favor! Secondly, while serving in Qingzhou, the Former General, in order to establish friendly relations with the local area and stabilize the border, wishes to marry Zhen Mi, the daughter of the wealthy merchant Zhen Gong of Zhongshan. He humbly requests the General's permission and to submit a memorial to the court on his behalf, requesting that a wedding ceremony be granted!"
"Are you proposing to Zhen Mi?"
Yuan Shao was slightly surprised. Although the Zhen family was extremely wealthy, they were, after all, a merchant family.
He looked at Tian Feng and Ju Shou.
Tian Feng stepped forward and solemnly said:
"My lord, the Zhen family is a prominent clan in Zhongshan, with immense wealth. A marriage alliance with the former general would secure Qingzhou's financial resources and strengthen ties with the gentry of Hebei. It would be a great benefit both publicly and privately! This proposal is entirely reasonable!"
Ju Shou nodded:
"Young Master Xiansi is stationed in Qingzhou, and his marriage alliance with a powerful local family is a long-term strategy for stability. My lord should quickly agree and petition the Emperor to hold a grand ceremony, which will also demonstrate the importance that the Yuan family attaches to Qingzhou."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Shang was extremely anxious and was about to find a reason to object when he saw his father nod happily:
"Yuanhao and Gongyu are absolutely right! Granted! Immediately draft a memorial and submit it to the Emperor to request the marriage of my son Xiansi to Lady Zhen! It must be a grand and glorious affair!"
As soon as the meeting adjourned, Yuan Shang stormed back to his residence, unable to contain himself any longer. He kicked over a table and roared:
"Outrageous! Yuan Xiansi! He's been making a name for himself in Huainan, and now he wants to marry Zhen Mi! The Zhen family is incredibly wealthy; if he gets their help, won't he become even more uncontrollable in Qingzhou?! That bitch Wu Yu! I sent her to Qingzhou to monitor Yuan Tan; such a crucial matter, why is there not a single word from her?! Could it be that she…?"
The strategist Guo Tu hurriedly entered, waved away those around him, and whispered:
"Third Young Master, please calm down! This matter is strange! I have already sent people to find Wu Yu's younger brother, Lou Ban, to inquire about the situation, but who knew... who knew that Lou Ban had already been expelled from Qingzhou by Shen Rong under some pretext!"
"What?!" Yuan Shang's pupils contracted sharply, a chill running down his spine. "Lou Ban has been driven away? Wu Yu has disappeared without a trace? Could it be... that she really sided with Yuan Tan?"
Just then, a trusted aide rushed in from outside the door to report:
"My lord! Something terrible has happened! The envoy of King Tadun of the Wuhuan has arrived outside the manor, questioning his sister, Princess Wuyu, and brother, Prince Louban, about their situation in Qingzhou. He says there has been no news of them for a long time, and if anything untoward happens, he will not let this go!"
Yuan Shang was struck dumb, his face turning deathly pale instantly.
"Wuyu...Louban...are the Wuhuan princess and prince?!"
He then realized that the gift Shen Pei had given away was actually to such a person.
This is truly a case of losing both wife and army.
Now that he has gone missing at Yuan Tan's place, the Wuhuan people will probably not let this go easily!
Of course, as the third young master of the Yuan family, he naturally had nothing to fear from a small tribe.
But this would be a huge embarrassment for his father.
"Guo Tu! You've misled me!"
Yuan Shang was both shocked and furious, and pointed at Guo Tu.
Guo Tu, however, remained relatively calm:
"My lord, things have come to this point; anger will do no good. The best course of action now is to shift the blame elsewhere!"
He leaned closer and whispered:
"The exposure of Wuyu's identity may not necessarily be a bad thing. Yuan Tan taking the Wuhuan princess as a concubine is a matter that can be either a big deal or a small one! On the one hand, it is a matter of moral depravity; on the other hand, it could lead to charges of colluding with foreign vassals and plotting treason!"
"Young Master, you should quickly see the envoy from Tadun, and tell him that you have just learned of Princess Wuyu's identity and originally intended to help her and Yuan Tan get together. However, Yuan Tan abandoned her after starting the affair, and in order to marry a merchant's daughter, he demoted the princess to a concubine and imprisoned her in his mansion, so that all contact with her has been cut off! He also implies that Prince Louban has also been persecuted and exiled..."
Yuan Shang's eyes lit up: "You mean... escalate the conflict between Tadun and Yuan Tan?"
"Exactly!"
Guo Tu sneered.
"At the same time, you must immediately report to the lord that Yuan Tan, in order to befriend the Wuhuan, has secretly taken their princess as a concubine. His actions are suspicious and he is suspected of inviting the Hu to invade and using foreign powers to bolster his own position! Also, contact the censor to spread public opinion in Xuchang."
At that time, with his lord's suspicions from within and the Wuhuan army demanding punishment from without, could Yuan Tan still hold onto his position as General of the Vanguard? His "good marriage" would likely be overshadowed!
Upon hearing this, Yuan Shang finally smiled.
"Very well! We'll go with Gongze's plan! Yuan Xiansi, you want double happiness? I'll make sure your joy turns into a tragedy! Go and fetch the envoy from Tadun immediately!"
(I've reached 1 words today, please support me, brothers!)