“Can strategists even ascend the throne?”
Chapter 321: Various Minds
Gao Lan would never misreport military intel to Yuan Shao; he could never be wrong about news from the North either.
Way back when Yuan Shu sent that letter to Gongsun Zan stating “Shao is not a Yuan,” Gao Lan was already stationed up North by Yuan Shao, intercepting that letter.
Now, the defensive line set up by Gao Lan along the border of Ji Province and Youzhou was the reason he could quickly learn of the string of events happening in Youzhou.
There aren’t many trusted generals for Yuan Shao, and Gao Lan is definitely one of them.
But the intelligence he brought back this time was downright shocking.
“The entire Youzhou territory?!” Many strategists summoned by Yuan Shao turned pale.
If the power shift in Yizhou hit home the hardest for Liu Biao in Jing Province and the Southern Barbarians, then the takeover in Youzhou meant trouble solely for one person in the Central Plains—Yuan Shao!
Changes in territory were one thing; Gongsun Zan had always been rebellious, intending to get a legitimate title as Youzhou governor from Yuan Shao. Was Youzhou even truly under the jurisdiction of the Ye City court?
It probably wasn’t!
The biggest problem lay at the defense lines!
With Gongsun Zan in the North, the presence of the Uhuan and Xianbei tribes in Youzhou would be strictly controlled, making it impossible for them to invade Ji Province. Not to mention the standoff between Gongsun Zan and Zhang Liao at Juyong Pass had kept Qiao Yan’s troops from crossing the Taihang Mountains at that pass.
Defending the natural barrier of the Taihang mountains was a lot easier than fending off enemies marching South from Youzhou.
But that’s all changed now.
Despite the mountain ridges flanking the vast expanse of the Ju Ma River, and the river flowing through a canyon, just looking at the Baiyangdian area reveals there are still plenty of pathways for a military advance.
Whether to increase troop numbers or not wasn’t even a question at this point—
Defense must be reinforced.
But here’s the catch.
Over the years, Ju Shou had gotten used to wielding military power under Yuan Shao, so naturally, he immediately thought about the defense line concerns for Ji and Qingzhou.
In the moment he managed to shake off the shock from the news, he spoke up, “The bordering areas between Youzhou and Ji Province—Zhuo County, Guangyang County, and Yuyang County—especially Zhuo County, have lengthy defense lines. Just relying on General Gao alone won’t ensure complete supervision over the territory. If you permit me, I will set out immediately to join General Gao in Hejian County.”
If this defense line had a likelihood of being Youzhou’s breakthrough point into Ji Province, it would be the path from Zhuo County heading to Hejian County.
According to Gao Lan, Qiao Yan had at least two generals set up along the attack line, not to mention a strategist lurking in the background. Yuan Shao could not afford to leave Gao Lan alone up North.
Someone like Gongsun Zan might be dealt with by drawing him into Ji Province and cutting off his supply lines, but that tactic would have a very limited effect on Qiao Yan.
Days ago, when analyzing conditions in Yizhou, Ju Shou had already mentioned to Yuan Shao that assigning official titles in Yizhou revealed many tidbits.
For example, the position of the Inspector of Yizhou.
Wu Yi was supposed to be a staunch supporter of Liu Yan.
Even though he was from Yanzhou, any familial relations or friendships between him and Qiao Yan were nearly impossible.
Nonetheless, he helped Qiao Yan establish a foothold in Chengdu when the court in Chang’an regained control of Yizhou, making him the Inspector of the region, which brings to light the sort of deal they struck.
In other words, with Qiao Yan lacking sufficient backup support, she managed to persuade Wu Yi to jump on her bandwagon and switch sides to serve her.
What sort of skill does it take to infiltrate enemy lines and sway them to your side like that? If anyone were to think about it honestly, how many could pull it off?
She achieved that in Yizhou, but could she pull off the same in Ji Province?
The havoc of disaster years had greatly reduced the administrative control capabilities of the provinces in Ji. Despite their claims of loyalty to the emperor of Ye City and serving Yuan Shao, when Qiao Yan invades the provinces, how much adherence will they have left? That’s hard to say.
Yuan Shao clearly understood this, and seeing Ju Shou proactively request to oversee the battlefield, he added, “Do you need Jun Yi to go along with you?”
“That won’t be necessary. Have you forgotten that Qiao Yan has already placed Zhao Zilong in the capital area? If she mobilizes troops to invade Hejian County from Luoyang, it will be far more efficient than invading Ji Province through Youzhou.”
Ju Shou, though maintaining a composed expression, let out a sigh inwardly.
Yuan Shao had always been approached with a passive stance!
If only he could break free from the disaster years sooner and directly counter Gongsun Zan, or create a military power presence in Ye City to gain more initiative while dealing with Cao Cao from Yanzhou, compelling him to drive Qiao Yan’s forces back from Luoyang. He wouldn’t have suddenly found himself in this predicament where he was under siege from three sides.
The technique of feinting to the East and attacking to the West, while old, truly works, and Qiao Yan is a master practitioner. With her gaining three paths to attack Ji Province, using that tactic becomes even more likely.
This overwhelming force swept towards him like a tidal wave, making one’s heart feel a bitter ache.
Wait, hold on!
Ju Shou was still pondering which route Qiao Yan might choose as her main offensive path when a serious question crossed his mind.
Is it possible they’re not facing three paths, but four?!
He abruptly got up and walked swiftly to the messenger, asking, “Has General Gao confirmed why Gongsun Du, the Governor of Liaodong, chose to surrender to Chang’an?”
They knew full well what kind of person Gongsun Du was, being neighbors separated by a sea.
For him to be convinced to serve someone else? That was nearly impossible!
Right, he wouldn’t even consider governing Liaodong on his own!
Otherwise, why would he have the subjects of Goguryeo serve him, let alone make familial ties with the king of a smaller nation, if not to establish relationships between these independent territories and foreign powers?
Only under an overwhelming display of military power could he possibly flip sides.
And that kind of power is exceedingly hard to amass!
To be honest, due to the Bohai Bay, Ju Shou did toy with the possibility of trying to secure Liaodong to then snag Gongsun Zan’s territory.
But alas, with Qiao Yan’s constant distractions and the weak naval forces in the North, people had been heading towards Liaodong for safety, rather than the naval forces of those two commanderies threatening Gongsun Du at the Da Shi port.
To avoid unnecessary resource drain and since this was not the top priority, Yuan Shao eventually let go of the plan.
Because of this attempt, Ju Shou had a gut feeling that the brief news of Gongsun Du’s surrender held a shocking truth.
The messenger hesitated and replied, “Liaodong is quite far, and messages are likely delayed…”
Ju Shou interrupted him, “No matter how delayed the news is, we must get to the bottom of it first.”
Seeing Yuan Shao’s puzzled face, Ju Shou hurriedly explained, “My lord, this isn’t just me overreacting. If Gongsun Du’s surrender was due to Qiao Yan’s military pressure, where do you think that pressure originated?”
Both Ji Province and Qingzhou are their territories, and further down is the Northern part of Xu Province—this isn’t Qiao Yan’s domain, but Liu Bei’s. It’s clear that it couldn’t be sourced to aid Qiao Yan’s expedition.
This only left Xu Province’s Southern part and Yang Province!
Yuan Shao’s expression darkened; he now understood the information Ju Shou had revealed.
Even considering the scenario of deploying troops from the Southern part of Xu Province, shipping a force capable of instilling enough fear to Gongsun Du would incur significant costs and high naval tech.
When did this troop start preparations? When did they depart towards Liaodong? How could they ensure their sea route would avoid storms and successfully reach Liaodong? They had no clue.
Moreover, if there indeed was such a force, given their ability to cross the sea to invade the Northern borders, could they also hit the Eastern Sea or Bohai directly?
If this were proven true, they were likely surrounded!
Realizing this possibility, Yuan Shao didn’t dare to hesitate, quickly sending the messenger to investigate.
Fortunately, Yuan Shao had indeed gathered quite the talent.
Amongst Gao Lan’s troops was a man named Qian Zhao.
During Gao Lan’s dispatch of scouts deep into Youzhou to investigate, this guy boldly mingled into Lü Bu’s recruitment camp, using the Zhuo County accent he learned years ago to gather information, then pretended to injure his leg in training to collect the compensation and sneak away from the military camp.
After Gao Lan received him, he hurriedly arranged for him to be transported to Ye City and brought before Yuan Shao.
When Qian Zhao appeared, he was limping noticeably.
In the downtime, Yuan Shao learned about Qian Zhao’s details from Shen Pei beside him.
As for the notable characteristics…
In that case, he and Liu Bei had a bond of brotherhood.
But after Liu Bei received an official position in Qinghe County following the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Qian Zhao was still in Luoyang, learning from his teacher, Le Yin, who was He Miao’s superior. The two were not traveling together.
Later, during the Dong Zhuo disturbance, Le Yin was killed. Qian Zhao took the risk of returning Le Yin’s body to Jizhou, and after the court was established in Ye City, he served under Yuan Shao.
One could say it was a twist of fate; when Liu Bei was commissioned by Yuan Shao to proceed south, Qian Zhao was already with Gao Lan’s forces. Otherwise, Liu Bei, the governor of Xuzhou, could have had another subordinate.
“Still a loyal and righteous man,” Yuan Shao said with a smile.
Before this messenger arrived in Jizhou to enlighten him, Yuan Shao felt immense pressure.
Yet all he could do was rely on Gao Gan and Gao Shun to hold the Taihang Mountain defense line, Ju Shou and Gao Lan for the northern Youzhou line, and Zhang He to guard the southern River North County. He also notified Jiang Qi and Yuan Tan, who were already stationed in Bohai Kingdom and Donglai County, to strengthen their defense.
Finding another capable talent among his subordinates under the imposing achievements of Qiao Yan brought Yuan Shao a bit of relief.
Having a connection to Liu Bei was not a problem at all, as long as it didn’t involve any ties to Qiao Yan. For Yuan Shao, that was already a huge blessing.
Unfortunately, Qian Zhao’s news didn’t seem to be good news.
From what Qian Zhao said, this information was no secret in Lü Bu’s camp.
For Qiao Yan, there was no need for concealment.
She had achieved her purpose of intimidating others with the surprise attack, and with Gongsun Zan being so quickly executed, Gongsun Du had no chance to regret his previous actions anyway.
So, with Qiao Yan’s tacit approval of this surprise attack on Liaodong, Lü Bu began showing off his daughter wantonly among his troops.
“The Liaodong battle is part of Leping Academy’s graduation tests, which includes Lü Bu’s daughter,” Qian Zhao said. “Just as Ju Shou speculated, they indeed came from the southern part of Xuzhou, the very place where the garrison in Xuzhou was set up, called Hailing.”
“After they left Hailing and reached Liaodong, they defeated Gongsun Du three times, subduing him into submission, after which they launched attacks on the Wuhuan leader, Tatun, who was eventually killed. The rest, you know well enough,” he continued.
“As for Gan Ning, the naval commander stationed at Baiyangdian, he knows about this person due to some interactions with Lü Bu’s army. He originates from Jing Province, but after his family moved, he can be considered a Yizhou person. He initially worked as a pirate and was recruited by Liu Yizhou during his lifetime. Afterwards, he went to Xuzhou along with the teachers and students of Leping Academy, and ultimately arrived at Liaodong on this overseas expedition.”
“Due to his skills in naval warfare, he was assigned here. After all, despite being a pirate, his martial arts and command capabilities cannot be underestimated.”
When Qian Zhao reached this point, he glanced at Yuan Shao’s expression.
It was probably not his imagination; he felt that Yuan Shao’s grim look was not just because Qian Zhao’s reports confirmed the existence of a competent naval fleet, likely putting him in a surrounded position, but because…
What brought him this kind of pressure was a group of children who hadn’t even reached adulthood yet, alongside roles like pirates!
What stirred Yuan Shao’s emotions even more was that Qiao Yan trusted them with the situation in Liaodong, indicating that she believed it was simple enough that kids could handle it; why then was he facing so many shackles in comparison?
Xu You keenly sensed Yuan Shao’s feelings and, recognizing that expressing dissatisfaction wasn’t suitable in front of someone like Qian Zhao who was bringing risky news, interjected, “The generals from Yizhou, the fleet from Xuzhou, and the battle in Liaodong make it seem like Qiao Yan had set her sights on Liaodong two years ago. I think you need to check thoroughly if there are any such hidden forces already laid down in our Jizhou and Qingzhou regions.”
As soon as he heard Xu You’s words, Yuan Shao immediately suppressed his frown, turning serious.
True! To send a fleet out from Hailing, arrangements must have been made since the port was established two years ago.
This kind of three-layered planning made one shudder even more than the results she achieved.
Two years of hiding had nearly made everyone forget the methods she had employed to rise from being a lonely girl to her current position of actual power spanning several states.
If she dedicated such effort to planning for Youzhou, what arrangements had she made against her greatest rival, Yuan Shao?
He struggled to remember all the various things Yuan Xi had brought back two years ago after meeting with Tian Feng in Chang’an, thinking about how time and again he had to imitate her strategies without being a step ahead, and how he had grown somewhat dependent on the Leping Monthly Report, especially on the disaster relief strategies published this year…
After dismissing all the strategists on the pretext of considering battle strategies, he murmured, “Am I going to become another Gongsun Du?”
He had to remember that the exorbitant price of lending grain years ago only revealed its truth two years after she issued that promissory note!
Carrying these thoughts, even when he returned home to see Yuan Xi, he felt as if her features had grown slightly unfamiliar, as if she were someone else entirely.
Yuan Shao’s inherent doubts were pushed to the limit after the upheaval in Youzhou.
But perhaps anxiety could spur on a bit of quick wit; after thinking overnight, he turned to the strategists he had gathered again and asked, “Do you think that Qiao Yan, with her impressive achievements, can Liu Bei really trust her the same as two and a half years ago when he made her Grand Marshal without a worry?”
At least Yuan Shao felt that, comparing his situation, it wasn’t as extreme as Liu Yu’s case; he would inevitably harbor some wariness towards someone like Ju Shou, who was both scholarly and martial, capable of standing alone.
How could Liu Yu still consider this Grand Marshal to be no issue while sitting on the throne?
Xinyi replied, “When you had us ponder this yesterday, I was thinking the same thing, especially since there has been little news of Liu Bei’s children in recent years, very different from the lively princes during the reign of Emperor Xiaoling. Additionally, officials in Chang’an have rarely been heard of; we only know of the capable generals and strategists under the Grand Marshal, who indeed are not ordinary.”
Yuan Shao asked, “As you mentioned, should I send more manpower to Chang’an to see if we can uncover any opportunities for sowing discord?”
Whether this action could yield any success was unclear; once Yuan Shao mentioned this, he couldn’t help but think about Tian Feng, who hadn’t returned for almost three years. If they faced another setback, he’d truly have nowhere to cry.
Fortunately, he soon heard Xinyi’s reply: “Not to Chang’an, as it sits within the encirclement of the states under Qiao Yan’s control. Any unusual move would inevitably be noticed, so it’s better to send someone to Youzhou. This power struggle over Youzhou involves many participants, so Qiao Yan must be seeking titles for everyone. If we can create momentum for them in Youzhou, let’s see what moves arise in Chang’an.”
Yuan Shao’s expression displayed a hint of excitement.
Youzhou was close by; even if something unexpected happened, it wouldn’t be as unreachable as Chang’an.
Xinyi added, “If we can detect any discord among the commanders involved in the Youzhou offense and defense, we might even be able to dismantle one offensive threat.”
He cupped his hands, “If you are assured, then I’ll take on this task.”
Off he would go to Youzhou, investigating those Leping students and the other commanders!
Yuan Shao immediately agreed to Xinyi’s request while also approving another suggestion made by Xu You—
To relay any intel gathered from Youzhou to Cao Cao and Liu Bei.
This wasn’t about bolstering Qiao Yan’s prestige; rather, it was to ensure these two remained vigilant against any potential attacks.
Having lost Gongsun Zan as an ally had left Yuan Shao in an extraordinarily precarious situation. If Qiao Yan’s forces silently took control of Yanzhou and the northern part of Xuzhou, he’d be left with no choice but to surrender!
This sudden overseas assault on Liaodong had to be thoroughly explained to both Cao and Liu.
Thus, the news quickly reached Cao Cao, who had just returned to Yanzhou after being in Yuzhou.
Seeing Cao Cao hand a solemn letter to Chen Gong, it subsequently reached the other individuals present, including Cao Ang, who all mirrored his tense expression.
They couldn’t dismiss the situation in Youzhou as irrelevant to those of them stationed in Yanzhou.
Qiao Yan had already completed the occupation of Yizhou and Youzhou after the battle in Yingchuan, which meant she could potentially capitalize on this to take Runnan, reclaiming Yu Province that originally belonged to the Chang’an court.
Whether or not she decided to do so ultimately depended solely on her desire.
Or perhaps, due to the agreed separation of territories between her and Cao Cao that divided Yingchuan and Runnan, her next target might not be Yu Province, but Yanzhou instead!
With her forces positioned in Luoyang, she might actually have that chance.
“Why’s everyone looking like they just lost their last coin? Was the fact that Qiao Yan is a genius news to you?” Cao Cao exclaimed, sensing that such negativity couldn’t spread in his territory. Suddenly, he slapped his thigh and laughed. “Honestly, I’m just regretting one other thing!”
“If only Pi’er was a few years older, wouldn’t he be part of Leping Academy’s graduation tests too?”
Cao Hong: “…”
Wait, if he remembered correctly, his second nephew was only eight years old?
Not only did you not bring him back, but now you have such high hopes for him…
This time it wouldn’t be a heartwarming tale of Lü Bu and Lü Lingju teaming up, but a father-son duel on the battlefield!
