Chapter 186

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“Can a strategist not ascend the throne?”

Chapter 186 – The Situation Across the Land…

With Qiao Yan’s speed in gathering information, there was still a bit of time to make judgments, but Yuan Shao was completely blindsided by these two pieces of news.

No, I should say four pieces of news.

Two battle reports, plus two petitions asking for the appointment of a regional governor.

Yuan Shao almost laughed in anger.

These two petitions were mostly reminders that Liu Bian was in Yanzhou; he was only on the throne thanks to his protector, the Green State Governor who oversaw Qing and Ji Provinces. So in addition to submitting papers directly to the Son of Heaven, they had sent a notice letter to Yuan Shao as well.

Cao Cao even sent his subordinate Chen Gong to try and persuade him to agree to this decision.

But that didn’t seem to provide much comfort to Yuan Shao.

Especially, what was up with Yuan Shu?

“I advised him back when he took the General of the Chariots and Cavalry to conquer Yang Province that the Lujiang Prefect hadn’t publicly declared his stance yet. Charging in like that is nothing but banditry; what good can come of it?”

It was hard for Yuan Shao not to mock Yuan Shu’s current situation. He continued, “If he could win, that would be one thing, but getting routed by a seventeen-year-old kid? How long has Jiujiang been under his control? And he still surrenders to the advances of Lu Kang and Zhou Yu.”

Now that was a massive joke!

True, Yuan Shao had recently let food prices spiral out of control around Ye City, but as he steadily employed the Hebei gentry and with help from Ju Shou, Tian Feng, Shen Pei, and Xu You, he had stabilized the situation in the Qing and Ji Provinces by this spring.

Only, he had failed when trying to hunt down that bandit Guan Hai, who somehow managed to kidnap Zheng Xuan.

But thinking that this surely came from Qiao Yan’s suggestion left him too lazy to even curse.

In comparison to Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao’s situation could make a world of difference.

Not to mention, he had an emperor on his side.

This position of relevance ensured that his status wouldn’t degenerate into Yuan Shu’s pathetic flight.

However, Yuan Shao felt there was one thing he couldn’t match Yuan Shu on—

His thick skin!

In a situation where Yuan Shu was fleeing from Yang Province and Jiujiang to Runan, he still had the audacity to seek the governorship of Yu Province from Ye City? Now that’s some talent!

“He’s thinking quite highly of himself! If he could say he withdrew from Yang Province to take up the Yu Province governorship, at least it makes for a better story than being chased off by some younger upstarts.”

This was precisely the sort of thing that a bandit like Yuan Changshui would do.

Yuan Shao, looking at the petition before him, mistakenly thought of that Discourse on Feudalism Qiao Yan wrote back in the day.

There was a line that said, “Division leads to a lack of loyalty.”

Yuan Shao, backing the Son of Heaven in the north and grasping two provinces, had to wonder if he harbored any unconventional thoughts. Qiao Yan controlling Bingzhou and Liangzhou was at least still waving a flag of rescuing the Emperor; whether she had other ideas was hard to say.

But Yuan Shu’s actions were clear; he outright didn’t see the Ye City Emperor as someone worthy of respect.

In Yuan Shu’s mind, Liu Bian could ascend the throne only because of his timely call to arms, unrelated to Liu Bian’s own abilities, the efforts of the courtiers around Ye City, or Yuan Shao’s actions against the bandits.

Only he deserved the credit.

So whether he wanted the General of the Chariots and Cavalry or the Yu Province governorship, it was all just talk.

“That position cannot be given to him!” Upon hearing Yuan Shao’s recount of the letter’s content, Xu You immediately responded.

Some things could not be casually spoken by the likes of Ju Shou and Shen Pei, particularly those involving internal conflicts within the Yuan Clan in Runan.

But Xu You could.

Having known Yuan Shao for many years, he was privy to more of the inside scoop.

However, when explaining his reasons, he wouldn’t indulge in comparing the gains and losses between the Yuan brothers but would simply state, “If this governorship is given out arbitrarily, regardless of the northern front, the south will surely consider that the Ye City Emperor’s authority is rather lacking, allowed to be manipulated by this defeated general Yuan Gonglu.”

Xu You said seriously, “Your Excellency is acting on the Son of Heaven’s behalf to subdue rebels; if the Emperor’s face is tarnished, how can we speak of campaigns against traitors?”

He wasn’t wrong at all.

To put it simply, his explanation mirrored what Xu You told Qiao Yan.

This was not the time for Yuan Shao to associate with Yuan Shu, as it might diminish the worth of the “greater cause” he held.

Even if he asked Ju Shou, Shen Pei, and others, he’d get the same answer.

Yuan Shao also didn’t need to worry about this rejection sparking trouble with Yuan Shu.

Yuan Shu couldn’t stand against Sun Ce or Tao Qian, nor could he battle Cao Cao rising in Yanzhou.

What could he stir up right after a retreat?

At most, he’d just be left cursing in Runan.

Xu You continued, “If you want to refuse Yuan Gonglu’s request for a seal, that’s easy; just say Runan is the foundation of the Yuan Clan. By the principle of the Three Mutual Laws, he can’t take up the Yu Province governorship.”

He thought for a moment and added, “This could also restrict someone’s military advancement.”

Yuan Shao asked, “You mean Sun Ce?”

Sun Ce can’t hold Wu Commandery, or rather, he can’t be the Yu Province Governor in strict adherence to the laws of the Han Dynasty.

Though remote areas had long stopped needing to follow these rules, using it as a surface argument was still fine.

In fact, Yuan Shao needed to be cautious of this young tiger, Sun Ce.

Yuan Jian’s death didn’t lead to the collapse of the Sun family’s foundation but rather sparked a desperation.

And Sun Ce wasn’t burdened by his father’s allies, giving him the confidence to expand territories.

He could take on Yuan Shu today, and tomorrow could challenge Tao Qian, then Yuan Shao.

With Liu Yu restricting Qiao Yan’s moves, Yuan Shao realized something: compared to someone like Qiao Yan, who still played by the rules, people like Dong Zhuo and Sun Ce were far more troublesome!

Of course, he wasn’t intending to compare Dong Zhuo and Sun Ce.

Moreover, there weren’t enough historical references now to prove that advancing from the south to the north was a daunting task.

What Yuan Shao’s crew could see was just how Sun Jian led the coalition against Dong back in the day, attacking the city of Luoyang with near the same speed as Qiao Yan.

So… how about Sun Ce?

He’d better keep an eye on Sun Ce too.

Now that the latter was being courted by Qiao Yan, Yuan Shao’s potential favours he might extend were limited.

Best not to provoke him with high-ranking positions.

Since the south was a territory most people couldn’t reach.

Thus, rather than seeking a possibly unreliable southern alliance, it would be better to have Sun Ce maintain his position as the Taishou of Kuaiji, entangled with the southern chieftains and noble families.

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Footsteps. Who knows, it could stir up some internal chaos for him first.

Yuan Shao waved his hand, signaling that he had a handle on how to deal with Yuan Shu and Sun Ce. He then turned to ask, “So, what’s the deal with Cao Cao’s position as the Governor of Yanzhou?”

Chen Gong came as Cao Cao’s envoy, undoubtedly a particularly clever move by Cao Cao.

Chen Gongtai was from Dong Wuyang in Dong Commandery.

He hailed from a noble family and made connections with renowned figures from a young age.

So his arrival wasn’t just about apologizing rashly to Cao Cao for encroaching on Jiyin and Dongping, or giving Yuan Shao a heads up.

What it really meant was that, on the surface, Cao Cao seemed to have merely occupied one Dong Commandery and now added two more. But in reality, he had already earned the recognition of the noble families in Yanzhou through his own merit.

With this backing of power, Cao Cao’s expansion in Yanzhou would undoubtedly not be too difficult, even without his capable generals to assist.

This was a game of rules.

In such a situation, Yuan Shao would be better off just going with the flow. As Zhang Miao, the Prefect of Chenliu, noted in his memorial, since Cao Cao had the ability to maintain peace and protect the people, he should be appointed as the Governor of Yanzhou.

Feeling pressured by this subtle blade at his throat, Yuan Shao was left with an indescribable annoyance.

Yet both his reason and Xu You, who stood before him, told him this position had to be given to Cao Cao.

Since this didn’t involve internal issues within the Yuan family, Yuan Shao threw the question to his other strategists.

During the time of the Battle of Guandu, his strategists had various lengthy and short-term strategies to deal with Cao Cao, but now, considering the situation across various regions, they all felt that Cao Cao could be temporarily seen as an ally and appointed as the Governor of Yanzhou.

Yanzhou in the north of Yu Province meant an alliance with Cao Cao could serve as a shield against enemies coming from the south.

Moreover, within Yanzhou, both Zhang Miao and Liu Bei were not easy figures to deal with either.

Despite Cao Cao currently gaining the former’s recommendation and managing to maintain decent relations with the latter, the underlying risks were nothing to scoff at.

What further compelled Yuan Shao to make this decision was another message that quickly reached Ye City.

Previously, Liu Yu had gone to Liang Province to supervise Qiao Yan dealing with the local situation, leaving his son Liu He to temporarily act as the Governor of Youzhou.

Logically, with many officials remaining from Liu Yu to assist, there shouldn’t have been any major upheaval.

However, Liu He was far less capable than Liu Yu, giving Yuan Shao an opportunity to clandestinely infiltrate his influence.

But they had forgotten about one person—Gongsun Zan.

Back during the pacification of the Yuyang Rebellion, Gongsun Zan’s troops had swelled in number due to the prolonged fighting.

In the last two years, while Yuan Shao was busy dealing with the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou, some of those forces had moved south into Xuzhou, while a fair number had headed north with the refugees to the Bohai Sea. Many of these either fell to Gongsun Zan’s sword or became part of his army.

With Gongsun Zan’s growing influence, his ambitions had grown accordingly.

He was not satisfied with merely holding the title of a general named ‘Fengwu’ or just being appointed as the Governor of Liaodong, bestowed upon him after Liu Bian established himself in Ye City.

He had long harbored grievances against Liu Yu’s appeasement policy, just waiting for a chance to lash out.

While he wasn’t yet bold enough to rebel like Zhang Ju or Zhang Chun and declare himself emperor, after Liu Yu departed for Liang Province, he began to entertain thoughts of seizing Youzhou.

The ongoing conflicts in Jing Province and Yang Province provided Gongsun Zan with reference points.

After spring farming came the time when Sun Ce, Yuan Shu, and Cao Cao would successively make their moves, prompting Gongsun Zan to resolutely choose to launch the Youzhou campaign, directly targeting its capital, Jixian!

Gongsun Zan’s hasty move was already quite the headache for Liu He, a dullard struggling to manage civil affairs.

If it weren’t for Tian Chou’s help, and Liu Yu’s influence he left behind in Youzhou, Liu He might have found it nearly impossible to successfully retreat to Shanggu County, instead becoming a captive of Gongsun Zan.

In this sudden upheaval, Gongsun Zan seemed to claim just six locations during his rapid advance through Youzhou, but he had now only Zhuo County separating him from Ji Province!

Yuan Shao was both furious and alarmed.

At this moment, he was too impatient to worry about whether appointing Cao Cao as the Governor of Yanzhou was inappropriate.

Allying with Cao Cao, letting him guard the south while Yuan Shao dealt with the north was the right move.

This was simply a windfall for Cao Cao.

In the news that arrived in Liang Province during the third year of Guangxi, the Son of Heaven Liu Bian promoted Cao Cao from the Prefect of Dong Commandery to the Governor of Yanzhou for his achievements in maintaining order, while Tao Qian was promoted from Governor of Xuzhou to the Governor of Xuzhou.

And as for Yuan Shu?

The position Yuan Shu most wanted, that of Governor of Yu Province, was clearly not given to him; instead, he received a mere appointment as the Prefect of Jiujiang.

In other words, while Jiujiang County does belong to you, Yuan Shu, so Sun Ce attacking you was indeed uncalled for, whether or not he can reclaim that territory rests on Yuan Shu’s own abilities.

He certainly wouldn’t want to be outmaneuvered by a child, right? That would be simply pathetic.

Yuan Shu received this news and was irate beyond belief.

Never mind that this news came with the appointment of his son-in-law Huang Yi as Governor of Runan and Yuan Si as Chancellor of Chen, essentially granting him control of half of Yu Province. Compared to Cao Cao and Tao Qian’s legitimate gubernatorial positions, his treatment was decidedly unflattering.

He slammed the table, shouting, “How dare my family slave insult me like this!”

His nearby bodyguards promptly pretended to be deaf upon hearing that.

Yuan Shu daring to refer to Yuan Shao as “my family slave” made them scared to respond in any way.

Fortunately, Yuan Shu hadn’t exactly expected them to respond either.

Thinking back to how Yuan Shao had rejected his request for titles while also promoting Cao Cao and Tao Qian to governors, as if to draw a clear line of defense between them, Yuan Shu found that no matter how he twisted it, he simply couldn’t swallow this anger.

At this point, he regretted one thing.

Why had he handed the Son of Heaven over to Yuan Shao, merely due to the trifling matter of distance when it was advantageous for himself?

As a result, he gave a thorough dressing down to his relatively reliable clerk Yan Xiang, blaming him for suggesting this back then, without consulting anyone else’s opinion before he hastily penned and dispatched a letter.

This letter wasn’t to hurl insults at Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shu knew full well that with his limited writing skills, going that far could easily spark a backlash from Yuan Shao’s men.

There was no need to endure such humiliation.

This letter also wasn’t aimed at forming an alliance with Liu Biao from Jing Province, nor was it meant for a temporary truce with Sun Ce.

Yuan Shu simply couldn’t bring himself to put on that face.

This was a letter addressed to Qiao Yan.

Qiao Yan did not expect to receive such a sudden letter.

But upon opening the envelope, she teased Xu You with a playful tone, “Does Yuan Gonglu really think that the enemy of my enemy is my friend?”

Yet, when she unfurled the silk to read the first line, even knowing just how unreliable Yuan Shu was, she was still astonished at the audacity of his words—

“Shao is not a child of the Yuan family.”

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