Chapter 300
Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 9: The Plague of Drought and Locusts, Flying Troops to Liaodong, Chapter 300: The Aid from Yingchuan
Yuan Shu… is dead?
This guy, who once held the Imperial Seal and arrogantly declared himself emperor in history, actually died just like that?
At the moment she realized what was written in this secret letter, Qiao Yan couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed.
But this intelligence report came from her own meticulously planned intelligence system, so it couldn’t possibly be fake!
If even her pigeon and coded message system was compromised at this point, she might as well quit early.
As she handed the note to Guo Jia, she quickly pondered the current situation in Yuzhou.
With the drought and locust plague looming, Yuan Shu couldn’t control the entire situation in Yuzhou. For someone like Cao Cao, who has grand visions, choosing to act now was indeed a possibility!
Ju Shou and Gao Shun had already demonstrated to Cao Cao the possibility of a swift attack on Yuan Shu.
At that time, Ju Shou didn’t have enough troops and could only lure Yuan Shu out of his turtle shell by directly attacking the Yuan family’s stronghold in Runan, achieving the goal of a direct confrontation.
After Yuan Shu had narrowly escaped, he could no longer pose any further threat.
Fortunately, the goal of warning Yuan Shu and reclaiming face had been achieved. Even if they couldn’t achieve more, retreating wasn’t a bad outcome for Ju Shou.
But their initial success meant that others could try the swift attack method again!
And this time, Yuan Shu wasn’t so lucky.
No, this couldn’t just be described as luck.
The principle that water can both carry and capsize a boat was particularly evident in the face of such disasters.
A fool like Yuan Shu, born into a noble family, if he couldn’t set aside his arrogant mindset and care for the lives of the people, in such a critical moment of life and death, he might hope that the noble families in the same region would continue to support him, but how could he expect the common people, who also wanted to survive, to continue to unconditionally sacrifice for him?
This was Yuan Shu’s deserved fate!
Qiao Yan wasn’t at all surprised by Yuan Shu’s various absurd actions and his disputes with his brother, which led him to this point. The only surprise was—
It happened at this time!
And it was Cao Cao who acted!
“Military mutiny, Yuan Shu dead…” Guo Jia looked at the message in front of him, also astonished. “My lord, we underestimated Cao Yanzhou.”
In the previous news that reached Chang’an, Cao Cao was still being held back by the noble families in his own Yanzhou.
This was even the situation when the disaster first occurred this year!
This inevitably made people think that he was also in a difficult situation.
But in just a few months, he dared to act under the pressure of the disaster, first eliminating Yuan Shu, the weakest neighbor. This was truly a bold move!
“This is indeed the most suitable way for him to break the deadlock.” Qiao Yan had to admit that Cao Cao’s ability to become the northern victor in the original Three Kingdoms history was indeed justified. His decision at this moment fully displayed his heroic demeanor!
“Since there are some disobedient voices within Yanzhou, he extends his reach outside Yanzhou to gain additional support to balance the noble families within Yanzhou—very good!”
What a Cao Mengde!
If Cao Cao could truly establish a foothold in Yuzhou, bringing in the power of Yuzhou scholars to counter internal opposition, this hastily launched campaign wouldn’t leave him in a state of imbalance but would instead open up a whole new situation for him.
And the premise of all this was that he could stand firm after seizing Yuan Shu’s territory.
Looking at the current situation, as long as he properly distributed his generals, this was indeed not an impossible task!
Yuan Shao, who was in Jizhou and Qingzhou, was still under the pressure of the disaster. With Qiao Yan sending him another reminder, Yuan Shao still needed to decide whether to dig deep wells to further control the disaster.
Holding two provinces was already a relatively difficult task for Yuan Shao at this time, so it was naturally impossible for him to seize Yanzhou from Cao Cao’s rear while Cao Cao was advancing into Yuzhou.
If he really did this, even if he claimed it was to seek justice for his brother, it would be completely untenable.
Besides causing trouble for himself, there was no benefit.
Moreover, Qiao Yan guessed that Cao Cao’s actions had likely been approved by Yuan Shao.
The closest to Yuzhou in Xuzhou was Liu Bei.
This was also the easiest situation.
As the Xuzhou governor appointed by the Ye court, Liu Bei’s primary goal was to compete with Zhang Yi in Xuzhou, not to rashly extend his battle lines so far.
For the defense of Xuzhou, Cao Cao could retain Pei State as a buffer between Xuzhou.
After Liu Bei took control of Xuzhou, this place was still in Liu Bei’s hands.
With Cao Cao’s decision to launch a campaign in Yuzhou, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to seize Pei State back at this time, resulting in a conflict with Liu Bei.
For him, it was more appropriate to hold Chen County, Yingchuan County, and Runan County, and after gaining enough benefits, still leave Pei State under Liu Bei’s control.
Don’t forget, Pei State was Cao Cao’s hometown. Even when Liu Bei first advanced into Pei State, it was Cao Cao who supplied the military provisions.
This seemed like Cao Cao taking a step back, but it was actually eliminating a potential threat while gaining an ally against Yang Province.
Thus, the enemies he faced were reduced to two.
One was Liu Biao in Jing Province.
The other was Qiao Yan, who held Guanzhong, Bingzhou, and Liangzhou.
Liu Biao’s vision was still limited to his own Jing Province.
Even if we delve into the situation in Jing Province, he hadn’t fully brought the south under his control.
Since most of his soldiers relied on the support of Jing Province’s noble families, the possibility of him marching north into Yuzhou was minimal.
As for Qiao Yan…
“From Fengxiao and Wenruo’s perspective, what is the farthest extent of my control over Sili at present?”
Qiao Yan’s question made it clear what she meant.
Her deep incursions into Liangzhou and Guanzhong were essentially made under controllable support and limited enemy numbers, not meaning she could now imitate this and directly send troops to drive Cao Cao out of Yuzhou.
The strength she had secretly accumulated over two years didn’t lead her to misjudge the enemy and friendly situations.
Her early knowledge of the sudden change in Yuzhou didn’t mean there was an opportunity for her to launch a sneak attack there.
Guo Jia replied, “The eight passes of Luoyang.”
“Correct.” Xun Yu chimed in, affirming Guo Jia’s judgment.
Although he hadn’t personally seen the message on the note, as Qiao Yan and Guo Jia spoke its contents, Xun Yu had already begun analyzing the current situation.
The sudden change of Yuzhou, originally under the Chang’an court, was of course a loss for them, especially considering it included Yingchuan, where his family was located. Xun Yu couldn’t help but feel anxious.
But worry was one thing, objectively assessing the situation was another.
The line from Chang’an to Yuzhou was too long, so long that Xun Yu would never advise Qiao Yan to fight this Yuzhou counterattack.
To ensure that the territory Qiao Yan currently controlled wouldn’t be stretched too thin, the farthest she could go, originally bounded by Tong Pass, would now be—
“Bounded by Hulao Pass.”
Xun Yu bowed to Qiao Yan, “The change in Yuzhou, whether the Grand Marshal wants to reclaim it or not, must show the world that the Chang’an court is not weak and can be bullied. It’s best to march into Luoyang at the fastest speed, holding the eight passes. On one hand, to regain control of Luoyang and accommodate the people, including those fleeing into Sili due to the drought and those coming from the war in Yuzhou. On the other hand, to use the closer distance between Luoyang and Yanzhou to warn Cao Cao.”
Guo Jia added, “Moreover, please ask His Majesty for an edict, ordering Liu Jingsheng of Jing Province to increase the garrison in Nanyang, not to rashly send troops, but to show the intention of marching north into Yingchuan.”
Qiao Yan accepted these two suggestions and said, “Additionally, there are two more things I will do.”
Although she didn’t specify what these things were at this moment, Guo Jia and Xun Yu could tell that she already had a plan in mind.
“Send a message to Zilong, have him immediately lead troops to escort military provisions to Luoyang,” Qiao Yan handed the seal to Guo Jia, adding, “Fengxiao, as the Chief Secretary of the Grand Marshal’s office, represent me in the palace to meet with His Majesty and obtain the order for Liu Jingsheng to dispatch troops.” They also needed to secure the authority to mobilize troops in the Henan Yin region. However, with Sima Fang, the highest official of Henan Yin, the difficulty wasn’t great.
Qiao Yan turned to Xun Yu, saying, “Wenruo, please accompany me on this trip, not to Luoyang, but straight to Huanyuan Pass!” Huanyuan Pass is the gateway between Sili and Yu Province, crossing it leads to Yingchuan in Yu Province. Back when Dong Zhuo occupied Luoyang, he stationed Fan Chou and Zhang Ji there, guarding Luoyang while being ready to deploy troops to Yingchuan at any time. As for why Xun Yu was brought along, the status of the Xun family in Yingchuan was reason enough.
Their journey out of Tong Pass was originally intended to establish new settlements in Hongnong Commandery and Henan Yin, essentially settling refugees through military farming, hence the considerable number of soldiers accompanying them. At a glance, the eastbound cavalry didn’t seem like a hasty response to the sudden changes in Yu Province but rather a swift relief force. Covering nearly four hundred li from Shan County to Huanyuan Pass, mostly at cavalry speed, she arrived just three days after receiving news of Yuan Shu’s death.
To her surprise, when she ordered the Grand Marshal’s banner to be planted atop Huanyuan Pass, the garrison left by Sima Fang informed her—Yuan Shu was dead, but Yu Province hadn’t entirely fallen into Cao Cao’s hands. “Yuan Yaoqing, the Registrar of Yu Province, is in Yingchuan, having received Yuan Shu’s son after the Runan mutiny, still resisting Cao’s forces in Linying,” the garrison added, “We’re not entirely sure of the current situation, but our scouts reported a day ago that Yuan Shu’s personal guards were confronting some General Xiahou under Cao Cao’s command in Linying.”
With a governor in Yu Province, Sima Fang, as the neighboring Henan Yin official, generally kept to his own. But with Yuan Shu’s death, he could have intervened. However, facing Cao Cao with his not-so-strong army, Sima Fang decided to retreat within Huanyuan Pass, merely sending urgent messages to Chang’an. Little did he expect Qiao Yan to arrive so swiftly, almost as if she had foreseen the events!
And she wasn’t just quick to arrive; upon hearing of Yu Province’s situation, her decision-making was equally rapid. She didn’t plan to stop at Huanyuan Pass. After exchanging a glance with Xun Yu, seeing approval in the eyes of this Yingchuan noble, she immediately ordered half of Huanyuan Pass’s garrison to join her relief forces, resting overnight before marching to Linying the next day.
Though she couldn’t seize Yu Province or find a replacement for Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, having initiated this battle, would surely strive to preserve his gains. But that didn’t mean she had to cower within Huanyuan Pass, merely observing from the sidelines!
Yuan Huan, hearing Yuan Yao’s cries, was getting a headache. He left Linying’s government office, inspecting the city walls, noticing the approaching Cao army’s encirclement, sighed internally. Checking the government storehouse, finding enough grain for half a year, he showed no signs of relief. The death of a lord is the most demoralizing event for any subordinate. Yuan Shu wasn’t a wise lord, but he hadn’t wronged Yuan Huan, who, after cursing Yuan Shu, came to Yingchuan to deal with the locust plague’s aftermath.
But Yuan Huan never expected such a turn of events in Yu Province shortly after his arrival. Yuan Shu’s gathering of forces in Pingyu left the defense along the Yanzhou-Yu Province border lax. When Cao Cao moved under the pretext of controlling the locust plague in Liang and Chenliu, he received no extra attention from Chen’s garrison. Seizing this golden opportunity, Cao Cao launched a full-scale invasion, catching Yu Province off guard.
This was a real offensive! Cao Cao deployed at least fifteen thousand troops, aiming to seize Runan from Yuan Shu, the maximum he could mobilize without destabilizing Yanzhou. This force’s entry caused unrest among Yuan Shu’s soldiers, who, wanting to return home to fight the locusts, mutinied even before Cao’s forces encircled the city.
Yuan Shu, panicked, was escorted from his residence by subordinates but ran into Cao Ren’s fierce troops upon exiting the city. In the night, Yuan Shu was separated from his men. Once a gallant horseman in Luoyang, now overweight from his governorship, he fell from his horse during the escape, mistaken for an invader by terrified citizens, and was killed on the spot. His son, Yuan Yao, escaped through another gate with Yan Xiang, fleeing to Yingchuan to seek Yuan Huan’s aid.
But Yingchuan and Runan lack significant geographical barriers, often mentioned together. Yuan Huan knew holding Linying wasn’t a long-term solution; they needed reinforcements from within Huanyuan Pass—not Sima Fang, but…
Just as he pondered this, a subordinate rushed to him, shouting, “Registrar! Reinforcements are coming from the west!” Reinforcements? Yuan Huan looked up, astonished. He couldn’t believe the self-preserving Sima Fang would change his mind so quickly. If it were Liu Biao from Jing Province, it would take at least five to six days for the message to reach Xiangyang and for troops to be dispatched. As for the more distant Guanzhong, it was even less likely, unsure if Qiao Yan had even received news of Yu Province’s turmoil.
So, where did these reinforcements come from? Yuan Huan hurried to Linying’s western wall, seeing a vast cloud of dust approaching rapidly, clearly a fast-moving cavalry. If they came from the north, Yuan Huan might worry about Cao Cao’s forces encircling from Chenliu, but from the west, the likelihood decreased. These could indeed be reinforcements! Yuan Huan’s heart raced.
As the dust settled, the figures of galloping cavalry gradually appeared. Suddenly, he grabbed his attendant, pointing at the faintly visible banner, exclaiming, “Look at that flag! Is that a ‘Qiao’ character?” The golden sunlight made the fluttering banner somewhat blurry, but Yuan Huan was sure—the crimson flag with white characters unmistakably represented Qiao Yan!
![[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TS-Obsessed-Gamer-The-Ultimate-Return2.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return")
