Chapter 402

Chapter 402

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Final Volume: The Rise and Fall of Kingdoms, Unification of the World Chapter 402: Yuan Shao Sends Troops

From the book: Can a Strategist Not Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 402: Yuan Shao Sends Troops

“Conquer the West, Conquer the West,” these words had been spoken by Cao Cao since the fourth year of Zhongping. During the meeting at Shen Pavilion, Qiao Yan teased him, saying that since Liangzhou was already pacified, the title “Conquer the West” might as well be changed to “Conquer the East.”

But whether it was “Conquer the West” or “Conquer the East,” it had now become a metaphor.

The phrase “It’s not too late to conquer the West” undoubtedly meant that if Cao Cao was willing to surrender, he could always seek a position in the Chang’an court to expand the territory.

When Qiao Yan was still a subject, this promise had already been made. Now that she ruled over the nine provinces, it remained unchanged.

Given that he was already being pushed by the choices of noble families to defect, the weight of this promise needed no further explanation.

This was a promise made by Qiao Yan as an old friend.

Even though Cao Cao had once questioned her at Hulao Pass, asking if she had the ambition of Han Xin, and even though over the years, Qiao Yan and Cao Cao had always been on opposite sides, her original intention remained unchanged.

This original intention towards a friend might also be her original intention towards the world.

In a situation where he had no possibility of establishing his own faction, wasn’t Qiao Yan the best choice?

But…

Suddenly having someone else take credit for his achievements, no matter how you look at it, feels a bit frustrating.

Guo Jia asked, “Does General Cao really feel frustrated?”

Cao Cao was not one to hold grudges, nor did he intend to put on airs about being recruited. When the two armies gathered together, he jokingly said to Guo Jia.

But Guo Jia, used to bantering with Qiao Yan and Xi Zhicai, wouldn’t let anyone gain the upper hand in words.

He pointed to Cao Cao’s troops and said, “General Cao is quite interesting, taking someone else’s troops for himself at this moment. But if you want to use them to intimidate someone like Zhang Menggao, who just suffered a fire attack on his camp, that’s one thing. If you really want to face us, it’s not just a minor disadvantage.”

Cao Cao replied calmly, “But this way, it aligns with the excuse I used when borrowing troops from Wang Gongjie. I told him that I needed his troops because Yanzhou was under attack from your forces at Hulao Pass. If we couldn’t provide timely support, Yanzhou would change hands, and he would have to bear the responsibility. Wang Gongjie wouldn’t dare to take on such a crime, so besides lending troops, he had no other choice. He had to give an explanation, right?”

At this moment, the most bewildered were not Zao Zhi and Man Chong, who had already guessed Cao Cao’s intentions.

His sudden defection seemed quick, but it was actually the result of a long tug-of-war from the Hulao Pass meeting last year to the present. Only today, with the promise of “Conquer the West,” did the final decision come to light.

It wasn’t really because of Guo Jia’s obstruction that he had any intention of avoiding battle.

The ones still in the dark were the soldiers who had followed Cao Cao across the river from River North County.

They could have stayed in Chaoge with Wang Kuang, but due to Wang Kuang’s orders, they came to Yanzhou to assist in the battle.

But given the current situation, it seems they not only changed their battlefield but also the emperor they served?

What kind of strange thing is this in the world!

“An explanation will naturally be given. If Yanzhou is secured, there will be no need to send more reinforcements from Luoyang to Hulao Pass. We can instead focus our efforts on the battles at Mengjin and Xiaopingjin. The absorption of River North County’s population by River East County over the years has already blurred the boundaries between the two regions. So, completing the attack and reorganization of River North County isn’t something impossible.”

“The Sili Commandery is a whole. How can it be missing just the corner of River North County? These soldiers will eventually come under His Majesty’s rule sooner or later. What difference does it make if it’s a bit earlier or later?”

Guo Jia spread his hands, “Since General Cao is now considered one of us, there’s no need to hide anything. When you borrowed troops from Wang Gongjie, didn’t you really think that this would make River North County even more vulnerable?”

Cao Cao had indeed thought about it and even included it in his pledge of allegiance.

But before River North County changed hands, Guo Jia had already seen through it…

He couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head, “Guo Fengxiao, Guo Fengxiao, no wonder you could sit in the position of Chief Clerk of the Grand Marshal’s office before His Majesty ascended the throne. When it comes to reading people’s minds, your skills are truly remarkable.”

Cao Cao’s praise was not misplaced, as Guo Jia’s subsequent actions proved this point.

After formally reaching a cooperation agreement with Cao Cao, he did not choose to head directly north to Puyang. Instead, he temporarily concealed the news of Cao Cao’s escape and stationed troops in Suanzao.

Then, while gathering information from central Yanzhou, he advanced from Suanzao and Yongqiu towards Pingqiu from the northwest and south, completing the encirclement of Zhang Chao and Zang Hong within two days.

It was at this moment of encirclement that an urgent report from Luoyang rushed through Hulao Pass and into Guo Jia’s hands.

The report contained two particularly important pieces of news.

“General Cao, look, what I said was not wrong. River North County will eventually fall into our hands.”

Guo Jia handed the report to Cao Cao without any concealment, making him feel quite uncomfortable.

But when Cao Cao saw the news in the letter, his eyelids twitched.

Xin Pi, a strategist under Yuan Shao, had expressed a desire to defect and had even sent a secret letter to the Chang’an court. Xin Pi was currently stationed at the front lines of River North County’s attack on Luoyang. This was indeed a sign that the situation in River North was about to change!

The Yingchuan scholars under Qiao Yan, represented by Xi Zhicai, Guo Jia, the Xun family uncle and nephew, and the Chen family father and son, had already formed a formidable force. Xin Pi’s defection might be because he saw that Yuan Shao was not a long-term prospect, or it could be due to the treatment of Yingchuan strategists. In any case, its credibility was very high.

And if Xin Pi’s defection was surprising enough, the news he mentioned couldn’t help but make Cao Cao take notice—

Yuan Shao was in Yanzhou!

“I was originally wondering why, even though Chen Gongtai had already been captured, His Majesty’s spies in Yanzhou still noticed that the noble families in Dongping, Jiyin, and Liang were gathering in a competitive manner. Such gatherings, relying solely on the instructions left by Chen Gongtai and the declining reputation of the Shouzhang Wang family, would be hard to achieve.”

Cao Cao continued, “But if Yuan Benchu personally came to Yanzhou to persuade these people, it wouldn’t be hard to explain.”

Thinking of the twenty years since he had known Yuan Shao, during which the latter had relied on his family background and almost never stooped to such condescension, Cao Cao couldn’t quite describe the complex feelings he had upon hearing this news.

Perhaps, just like the moment he heard Chen Gong’s name from Guo Jia’s mouth, he no longer felt the same melancholy as before, but only a sense of the changes brought by time.

Guo Jia continued, “The situation in Yanzhou, as you have experienced in the past few days, General Cao, is like a festering wound on the arm. If you only apply medicine and bandage it, it will eventually flare up again. You must cut out the rotten flesh and remove the poison to have a chance of completely curing it.”

“Some of this rotten flesh has already grown together with the healthy flesh and cannot be completely separated. Yuan Benchu’s arrival has become a catalyst.”

Cao Cao asked, “What do you plan to do?”

Guo Jia pointed to the map in front of him and Cao Cao.

On this simple map of the various commanderies in Yanzhou, the current locations of each commandery were marked.








The county’s garrison belongs to…

Some positions have changed in the past two days. For example, Cao Ang has moved from Fengqiu to the north to meet with his father Cao Cao, no longer needing to guard the Puyang River to ensure the safety of their army.

For instance, after leaving a small force to guard Yongqiu, Yuan Huan and Huang Zhong, who set out from Yingchuan, have also arrived to join them.

The arrival of these two forces not only strengthens their siege of Pingqiu but also keeps Guo Jia in control of more troops than Cao Cao, maintaining his dominance in the campaign to quell the chaos in Yanzhou.

He replied, “I want to exploit an information gap, setting a trap for them.”

The term “information gap” was mentioned by Qiao Yan after she repeatedly gained the upper hand.

In Yanzhou, although it’s a matter within the province and not as distant as the turmoil in Yang Province, it can still be considered an information gap!

Yuan Shao and the noble families of Yanzhou have not yet received news of Chen Gong’s early exposure of the plan. They are still waiting for the order to attack, unaware that the situation has drastically changed, and the roles of hunter and prey have already shifted due to the involvement of more factions.

This is the perfect opportunity to initiate the hunt.

Man Chong’s decision to station troops in Jiyin Dingtao has cut off the connections between the other families and Zang Hong and Zhang Chao outside of Chenliu, keeping the news of Cao Cao and Guo Jia’s alliance confined within Chenliu.

Xiahou Yuan’s stationing in Dongwuyang has also prevented Wang Kuang’s message to the court in Ye City from reaching Yuan Shao in time.

While it seems that Zang Hong and others are under siege, it is actually Yuan Shao who has fallen into the trap!

All that’s needed is a spark to escalate this noble family betrayal to its peak!

“Does General Cao have a suitable candidate to win Yuan Shao’s trust in Shouzhang, convincing him to bring the noble families and their private troops to Chenliu County, walking right into our trap?”

This person should ideally be from a noble family, have a clear understanding of the current situation, and be determined to stand with the Chang’an court.

“Yes, there is such a candidate!” Cao Cao immediately replied, “Let Zhong Yao go to Dongping.”

Zhong Yao, Zhong Yuancheng!

In the past Battle of Changshe, Zhong Yao fought alongside Cao Cao. However, when Cao Cao first became the Governor of Yanzhou, Zhong Yao was still in Yu Province and had not yet taken office.

It wasn’t until two years ago, when Cao Cao marched into Yu Province intending to defeat Yuan Shu, that Zhong Yao suddenly came north to join him, citing Yuan Shu’s incompetence as the reason, and began serving under him.

Cao Cao entrusted him with significant responsibilities. While Cao Cao campaigned in Yu Province, Zhong Yao was a stabilizing presence in Yanzhou.

However, before the recent turmoil in Chenliu, Zhong Yao happened to return to his ancestral home in Changshe for important matters. Thus, he was not in Puyang City but, noticing unusual troop movements in Yingchuan, hurried north to find Cao Cao, arriving late to hear about the series of changes.

Over the past few days, Cao Cao and Zhong Yao have had extensive discussions, covering everything from his reasons for making this decision to the future of the noble families who have switched sides.

They say that one’s handwriting reflects their character, and this is true for Zhong Yao.

He is not concerned with the influence of books on noble families but has expressed his thoughts to Cao Cao—if Cao Cao has made this decision, there should be no further hesitation; this is the path to progress.

He will also judge for himself whether Qiao Yan’s appeal to the masses is genuine once he is under the rule of Da Yong.

And now, he is willing to contribute to the pacification of Yanzhou out of trust in Cao Cao.

Therefore, when Cao Cao later mentioned the task of going to Shouzhang to induce Yuan Shao to send troops, Zhong Yao accepted it without hesitation.

Before leaving the camp outside Pingqiu City, he even examined Chen Gong’s letters from over the years and forged a letter with handwriting so similar that it could easily deceive Yuan Shao and the noble families of Yanzhou.

After Zhong Yao rushed to Shouzhang without delay, the letter quickly reached the elders of the Wang family in Shouzhang and was then delivered to Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao skimmed through the letter, and a look of seriousness appeared on his face.

This was no ordinary call to arms.

The letter stated that the troops Qiao Yan had stationed in Yingchuan had suddenly moved north, and Guo Jia had sent a force from Hulao Pass to join them, intending to counterattack Yanzhou after Cao Cao’s earlier defeat at Hulao Pass.

Cao Cao had moved the Puyang troops south to engage them but had failed to completely eliminate them, allowing the Yingchuan forces to establish a foothold in Yongqiu.

This sudden battle, while presenting an opportunity to stab Cao Cao in the back, also made him hesitate about whether Cao Cao truly intended to defect to Chang’an.

After all, this engagement was real.

But with Zhang Miao killed in the battle, leaving only Zhang Chao and Zang Hong in control of the Chenliu garrison, he suspected that this battle might be a performance by Cao Cao to reclaim Chenliu.

Thus, at his invitation, Zhong Yao temporarily left Puyang under the pretext of visiting family and, at this time, delivered the letter, hoping they could now lead their private troops to Yongqiu, attack Qiao Yan’s forces, and observe Cao Cao’s reaction.

If Cao Cao truly decided to abandon Yanzhou and join Qiao Yan, they would immediately turn around, coordinate from within and without to capture Cao Cao, and completely expel Qiao Yan’s forces from Yanzhou!

The truths and falsehoods in this letter, with all the news of military changes in Chenliu blocked west of Dingtao, were impossible for them to discern.

All they knew was that the sudden attack from Yingchuan was indeed possible.

Chen Gong’s hesitation was also human nature.

As the messenger, Zhong Yao, who should logically be on their side, would not deceive them.

For Yuan Shao, the news in the letter seemed even more credible, though it wasn’t entirely good news for him.

Zhang Miao’s death exceeded his previous intentions to suppress him slightly. If Zhang Chao couldn’t replace his brother, the difficulty of capturing Cao Cao would be much higher than before.

Thus, he must act quickly, while Zhang Miao’s death is still fresh, to join forces with Chen Gong and Zhang Chao!

Whether Cao Cao has truly defected to Qiao Yan has become less important at this point.

Since he can be overthrown, allowing Yanzhou to be completely under his control without needing a second person to relay messages, he must be the traitor!

If Chen Gong hesitates on this decision, then he will make it himself.

After all, all he wants is to achieve this goal, without worrying about any disruptive developments along the way.

“Grand General, do you think we should send troops?” The leaders of the families gathered in Shouzhang quickly asked after seeing Yuan Shao finish reading the letter.

The current situation seems to have changed from what they originally wanted to see. It’s not as Yuan Shao told them yesterday, to have Cao Cao and Zhang Miao clash first, and if Qiao Yan’s generals intervene, they could support from the rear and claim the primary credit.

Instead, their plan might be coming to an end.

It feels as if an invisible hand is pushing them towards a more uncertain path.

Yet, the next moment, they saw Yuan Shao make the decision, “Send troops, of course! In my view, all of you care for the Han dynasty, and this time, you will surely succeed!”