Chapter 401

Chapter 401

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Final Volume: The Rise and Fall of Kingdoms, Unification of the World, Chapter 401: Chaos in All Directions

From the book:


Can a Strategist Not Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 401: Chaos in All Directions

“I thought Yuan Shao would stay quietly in Ji Province, thinking about how to calm the unrest in Ye City. I didn’t expect him to choose to go directly to Yanzhou.”

Although many in Ye City are in a state of observation, this doesn’t mean they can calmly serve as subordinates under Grand General Yuan.

The turmoil in the Ye City court couldn’t be fully detected by Qiao Yan’s spies, but she could guess the general situation.

Emperor Liu Bian, Grand General Yuan Shao from a noble family, courtiers considering defecting to Chang’an, and those loyal to the Han dynasty for personal or dynastic reasons, all have their own thoughts.

Just as Qiao Yan wouldn’t personally lead an expedition, Yuan Shao leaving Ye City is a risky choice.

But considering the situation in Yanzhou, his personal visit isn’t entirely wrong.

He couldn’t determine if Cao Cao would remain loyal, nor risk losing two provinces, so he came to confirm the situation.

If Qiao Yan’s ascension and previous setbacks made him doubt his subordinates’ reliability, his personal visit becomes more credible.

However…

“His actions aren’t a sign of a proactive leader but rather a way to dishearten his subordinates,” Qiao Yan added.

Yuan Shao’s subordinates are full of talent.

Ju Shou, a top strategist, led Ji Province’s forces, once surprising Yuan Shu with a deep strike and managing internal affairs for Yuan Shao, truly a versatile talent.

Shen Pei, Tian Feng, and other northern scholars helped Yuan Shao establish connections and had keen insights into the situation.

Generals like Zhang He and Gao Lan repeatedly quelled Yellow Turban uprisings in Ji and Qing Provinces. Without them, Qiao Yan could have easily invaded Ji Province.

Gao Shun, brought into Ji Province by Ju Shou and now serving under Yuan Shao, is a general Qiao Yan greatly admires.

In the Ye City court, many who didn’t go to Chang’an to support Liu Xie are also talented.

Unfortunately…

Ju Shou’s excessive power inevitably drew Yuan Shao’s suspicion.

Northern and Yingchuan scholars balanced each other under Yuan Shao, making it hard for anyone to truly stand out.

Talented generals under Yuan Shao couldn’t fully demonstrate their abilities.

In such a critical situation, Yuan Shao should have gathered everyone to discuss strategies, not casually rearranged his advisors and generals before heading to Yanzhou with Xu You.

This silently tells his subordinates—I don’t trust your abilities or loyalty.

Who would want such doubt? At least Xin Pi wouldn’t!

It’s amusing that Yuan Shao trusts Xu You, not just because of their early friendship, but because Xu You’s greed is obvious.

This flaw, which might exclude others from the core team, is precisely why Yuan Shao trusts Xu You—he can easily bring Xu You down.

Seeing Qiao Yan’s expression, Cheng Yu added, “Your Majesty, why feel sorry for Yuan Shao? Talents unused by him should assist in building the Da Yong dynasty.”

“The current court, as Your Majesty said, is in need of revival. The new Hongwen Hall examination is being prepared. If we can recruit directly from Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Ji, and Qing Provinces, we can save years of cultivation.”

Qiao Yan laughed, “Mr. Zhongde, your confidence in me remains unwavering. But let’s skip the flattery about utilizing talents. Let’s discuss Yanzhou’s situation first.”

She initially thought the defection of Yanzhou’s noble families, especially Chen Gong and Zhang Miao’s alliance, was the best chance to force Cao Cao into Sili and defect to her. But Yuan Shao’s appearance adds some intrigue.

“Xin Zuo doesn’t need to give us false signals.”

Even if Yuan Shao arrives, Qiao Yan plans to observe the situation as a manipulator.

Qiao Yan tapped a black piece on the chessboard, then asked Cheng Yu, “Mr. Zhongde, what do you think?”

Cheng Yu replied, “If Chen Gong uses Chenliu’s forces and the noble families’ reputation to rebel against Cao Cao, with Cao Mengde already responding, it’s impossible to cause further waves. Catching thieves requires evidence.”

Qiao Yan’s latest news is from Guo Jia, who sent a message from Hulao Pass to Chang’an—Cao Cao has left the camp northward, his whereabouts unknown. Cao Ang and Cao Hong are defending the camp against Zhang Chao and Zang Hong.

With Guo Jia and Xu Huang ready to support from Hulao Pass and Guo Jia sending letters to Yingchuan, ordering Yuan Huan and Huang Zhong to fight north in Chenliu, the noble families’ hope to seize Yanzhou through rebellion is already impossible.

“You’re right,” Qiao Yan replied. “Some in Yanzhou’s noble families will act as fence-sitters, watching the battle between Cao Cao’s direct forces and the Zhang brothers. If the Yanzhou conflict lasts long enough, we might lure out more, but I don’t have time to wait.”

“We can’t let Cao Mengde take all the credit for pacifying Yanzhou, or it will be problematic whether the people recognize me as the Emperor or Cao Mengde as the Governor of Yanzhou.”

When it comes to power, there’s no need to discuss friendship, especially with someone as capable as Cao Cao.

“For the people’s livelihood, we can’t let the chaos in Yanzhou last too long.”

Delaying further would waste the relatively good weather this year compared to the past two years.

Cheng Yu added, “Then Yuan Shao’s presence is necessary. He will be a significant bait.”

Whether Yuan Shao, personally arriving in Yanzhou, will be captured by Qiao Yan’s subordinates and become an opportunity to break the Ye City court is uncertain.

After all, if Yuan Shao didn’t leave himself an escape route, Qiao Yan would doubt his intelligence.

But Yuan Shao’s appearance will undoubtedly pull hesitant noble families into the fray.

If Chen Gong’s influence isn’t enough, is the Yuan family from Runan sufficient?

Even if not entirely, when Yuan Shao sees the chaos in Yanzhou, with Cao Cao, Zhang Miao, and Qiao Yan’s forces fighting in Chenliu, how can he sit still and not try to take a share?

When he reaches out, he must offer some chips.

Yuan Shao’s appearance makes the edict “Those who resist will die” more likely to be realized!

“Let’s wait and see,” Qiao Yan smiled. “Of course, I mean us.”

She pointed to herself and Cheng Yu, “As you said, utilize resources and talents. Guo Jia, as the Governor of Yanzhou, must fulfill his duties and not just observe.”

“Send the news of Yuan Shao’s presence in Yanzhou to him. I think he’ll know what to do.”

Far in Yanzhou, Yuan Shao suddenly sneezed.

He looked back, ensuring it wasn’t Xiahou Yuan’s troops recognizing him, and thought it was just the changing seasons.

“Cao A’meng is practically wearing his rebellion on his face!” Yuan Shao angrily said when no one was around. “Look at his arrangements, stationing Xiahou Miao in Dongwuyang, preparing to defend against my Ji Province troops. What does this mean?”

Xu You silently looked at the sky.

He wanted to say that Yuan Shao himself coming to Yanzhou shows his intentions, so Cao Cao’s defensive preparations aren’t unreasonable.

Yuan Shao shouldn’t be in this “I can betray others, but others can’t betray me” state.

But when he spoke, he said, “Fortunately, you didn’t bring troops south but ventured deep into Yanzhou. Now that we’re here, whether catching Cao Mengde’s mistakes or negotiating to show our sincerity, Xiahou Miao’s northern defense is useless.”

Yuan Shao’s expression softened, and Xu You continued, “Moreover, with Cao Mengde’s troops in Yanzhou, splitting forces to Dongwuyang further disperses them. If it comes to a confrontation, we don’t even need to send troops from Ji Province. Wang Gongjie in Henei Commandery has forces, and Qingzhou troops can reach Yanzhou directly from Taishan Commandery, bypassing Dongwuyang’s defense.”

This is the advantage of venturing into Yanzhou early to understand the situation.

Xu You pointed ahead, “Besides, mobilizing troops externally is better than internally.”

“Exactly!” Yuan Shao’s earlier displeasure vanished.

When the rumor of the red aura crossing the Purple Palace spread in Chang’an last October, he had people stir the pot, hoping to cause internal chaos in the Chang’an court. Unfortunately, Wang Yun and Liu Yang were useless, only solidifying Qiao Yan’s popular support and her ascension to the throne.

But if he can’t destabilize Qiao Yan’s regime through internal interference, he can use it against Cao Cao.

The letter accusing Cao Cao, signed by Yanzhou’s noble families, is still in his hands!

As expected, when Yuan Shao arrived at the Wang family in Shouzhang and introduced himself, the young man’s eyes lit up with fervor.

He eagerly welcomed Yuan Shao, seating him in the place of honor.

Yuan Shao’s earlier displeasure from seeing Xiahou Yuan’s defenses was temporarily set aside.

But he soon noticed the gathering noise outside the Wang residence.

Frowning, he heard the young man explain, “Please don’t be offended, Grand General. It’s just that Governor Cao Mengde of Yanzhou has gone too far, even considering defecting to the Chang’an court. This time, even his chief strategist Chen Gong couldn’t stand it and plans to join forces with Prefect Zhang of Chenliu to capture him while he’s still in Chenliu.”

“To prevent our forces from being outnumbered against the Cao and Xiahou forces scattered everywhere, we’ve mobilized our private troops.”

Yuan Shao was shocked, but his shock was mixed with joy.

Last year, when he sought an alliance with Cao Cao, Cao Cao postponed, citing the Hulao Pass meeting with Qiao Yan. Yuan Shao wanted to keep Cao Ang in Ye City as an official and even planned to marry a Yuan daughter to Cao Ang, but it failed. Chen Gong was the one who delivered the postponement.

In Yuan Shao’s eyes, Chen Gong wouldn’t betray Cao Cao, just as Xu You wouldn’t betray him.

So even though he considered interfering in Yanzhou’s situation, he never expected such unexpected good news!

Chen Gong and Zhang Miao betraying Cao Cao!

The noble families in Yanzhou, with little real power, can mobilize few troops, but with Chen Gong and Zhang Miao’s decisive stance, Yanzhou’s internal strife is inevitable.

“What’s the situation in Chenliu now?” Yuan Shao quickly asked.

But as he asked, seeing the young man’s awkward expression, he realized he shouldn’t ask him.

Since Chen Gong and Zhang Miao are leading this, the noble families are just dragged along, so the initiative isn’t in the Wang family’s hands.

They can only follow Chen Gong’s orders.

Asking them won’t yield answers.

They might not even know.








It was more detailed information that he could obtain by personally going to Chenliu.

However, when Yuan Shao listened to the apology from the Wang family of Shouzhang, he suddenly thought of a serious problem—

Although the betrayal of Chen Gong and Zhang Miao against Cao Cao might cause Cao Cao to suffer great losses, or even lose his life, in a sudden and unexpected manner, but…

Chen Gong was a man of great talent, and Zang Hong under Zhang Miao was not an easy person to deal with. If these people were to regroup after succeeding and take control of the power in Yanzhou, what difference would it make compared to when Cao Cao controlled Yanzhou?

Perhaps at most, they would not surrender to Qiao Yan.

This was completely inconsistent with Yuan Shao’s thoughts when he crossed the border between Ji Province and Yanzhou.

What he wanted was further control over the manpower and financial resources of Yanzhou, not a Yanzhou governor who nominally called him the Grand General!

After temporarily settling down here, Yuan Shao asked Xu You, “Ziyuan, in your opinion, if we persuade the noble families of Dongping, Jiyin, and other places to form a large-scale force and join this internal strife in Yanzhou, is it possible to take control of this place?”

Although the presence of Xiahou Yuan made it somewhat difficult for Yuan Shao to directly mobilize the troops from Ji Province to join the chaos, he still had his advantages!

The attitude of the Yanzhou noble families towards him was one aspect, and Zhang Miao’s personality was another.

He could be a prefect of a commandery, but he was far from being able to take the position of a governor.

In other words, it would be much easier to persuade him to make concessions in power than to persuade Cao Cao.

“I think it’s feasible,” Xu You replied firmly. “My lord should have heard the ideas conveyed by the Wang family today. They are absolutely unwilling to accept Qiao Yan taking the initiative in Yanzhou, not only because of their old grievances with her and Cao Cao, but also because Qiao Yan’s actions completely do not meet the expectations of these Yanzhou noble families for a leader!”

Xu You’s next words further lifted Yuan Shao’s spirits. “This is a heaven-sent opportunity for my lord to consolidate Yanzhou and Yu Province! If the internal strife of Chen Gongtai and others gives Qiao Yan the idea to intervene here, then we will first observe the battle between these three forces and use Qiao Yan’s garrison at Hulao Pass to deplete the troops of Chen Gongtai and Zhang Mengzhuo!”

What use is it for Cao Cao to have Xiahou Yuan guard the border? Doesn’t he know that the most threatening thing in this world is internal strife?

Yuan Shao clapped his hands. “Everything will be as Ziyuan says. This trip to Yanzhou is indeed the right decision.”

So what if the act of wooing the Yanzhou noble families makes him seem a bit undignified?

In the face of the actual benefits of taking control of Yanzhou, none of that matters!

Yuan Shao even slept soundly in this unfamiliar place, completely unaware that Zhang Miao, whom he thought could be a puppet governor of Yanzhou, had been lured out of the military camp by Cao Cao with the absurd reason of “going to Ye City to buy the position of the Three Dukes to prove his innocence,” and was killed on the spot when Man Chong launched an aid to Cao Cao.

Chen Gong, who was considered the initiator of this operation by him and the Wang family of Shouzhang, had already been knocked out by Cao Cao before the plan was even carried out, and had been tied up for two days.

When Cao Ang retreated to Fengqiu by crossing the Puyang River, he did not forget to bring Chen Gong along, strictly preventing him from taking any actions that could affect the battle situation.

Bian Rang, the former prefect of Jiujiang and now a famous scholar of Yanzhou, had already been killed in the dark by Cao Cao’s general Yue Jin.

As for Zhang Chao, the current commander of the Chenliu garrison, he and Zang Hong encountered Guo Jia and Xu Huang, who had marched from Hulao Pass, in what they thought would be an interception battle against Cao Cao’s southward rescue troops.

This was no ordinary force!

Even though it was a direct confrontation between the two forces, with no ambushes or preemptive strikes, Zhang Chao clearly realized the gap between the two sides the moment the armies faced each other.

He didn’t even need to have a keen sense of military command to feel this directly!

The morale of his troops, seemingly unaffected after the fire scare last night, was actually still in a low state.

If they had encountered a force that could give them an offensive advantage, their morale might have quickly recovered, but instead…

They encountered a force that had marched out of Hulao Pass without exhausting their energy and had been waiting for their arrival after a night of rest!

The vanguard soldiers, despite the rain of arrows, still fought their way through with an incredibly agile posture.

After all, this was a force trained by Qiao Yan for siege warfare. Even in the face of a rain of arrows on the city walls, they would not have any fear or retreat, so why would they fear obstacles on flat ground?

The only time they had shown their might in recent years was when they drove Cao Cao away from Hulao Pass half a month ago. They were now intending to show their accumulated strength, and their morale was several times that of the enemy.

Guo Jia’s command of the army and Xu Huang’s leadership of the assault force pierced through Zhang Chao like a sharp blade, almost making him think that the disaster of the early morning was about to repeat itself!

Whether this fear of a strong enemy was mixed with awe for the Son of Heaven of Da Yong was unknown in the hasty response.

The only thing both sides knew at this moment was that Zhang Chao made a decision—

Retreat!

The collapse of our morale was all too clear in Zhang Chao’s eyes.

If we continued to let the enemy pierce through our ranks in this manner, or even take the initiative to kill our commander, we would be completely powerless.

If we had a brave general like Lü Bu, who could charge into the enemy’s central army in such a defeat and kill Guo Jia, there might still be a chance.

But unfortunately, we don’t.

Present here were only Zhang Chao, who had almost died under Yue Jin’s blade, and Zang Hong, who had not yet recovered from the attack on Cao Ang’s camp.

Retreat was indeed the best plan at this moment.

But while an ordinary retreat might confuse the enemy by dispersing in different directions to preserve as many troops as possible, our retreat had only one path!

North was not an option, as Guo Jia and Xu Huang had come from the north, and Cao Cao’s reinforcements might follow closely.

To the south, Yue Jin and Cao Ang, along with Cao Hong, had formed a force that might intercept us.

So we could only retreat eastward, to Pingqiu, Jiyang, or even out of Chenliu Commandery into Jiyin Commandery!

In such a retreat, no matter how much Zhang Chao and Zang Hong tried to keep the troops following them, they could not prevent the rear guard from being cut off in the relentless pursuit of the enemy.

By the time the pursuing troops stopped, our forces had already lost seven or eight out of ten.

Seeing this extremely狼狈 scene, Zhang Chao couldn’t help but feel sorrow.

Thinking that his elder brother’s safety was still unknown to him, he became even more anxious and restless.

But there was no time for him to lament.

After temporarily stationing at Pingqiu and setting up the city wall defenses, he immediately sent people south to the southern part of Chenliu Commandery.

That is, further south from Fengqiu where Cao Ang was stationed.

Due to Zhang Miao’s position as the prefect of Chenliu, the brothers still had a considerable number of troops in Yongqiu and other places. If they could send such a force around to where he was, they might still have a chance for a counterattack.

This was Chenliu, their home ground. How could they be forced to such a state!

But when Zang Hong, who had gone to mobilize the troops, arrived at Yongqiu, before he even reached the city, he saw several familiar flags from afar.

He had seen these Da Yong royal flags when he encountered Guo Jia’s forces, and now they appeared before him again.

The appearance of “Da Yong” flags in Yongqiu was a joke that was not funny at all!

Not to mention, along with those flags, there were also several flags bearing the character “Yuan” on the city walls.

Zang Hong suddenly realized the ownership of these flags.

Yuan Huan Yuan Yaoqing, the prefect of Yingchuan!

His troops could indeed march directly into Chenliu Commandery due to the proximity of the two regions.

But he had come too quickly!

Faced with the news of Yongqiu’s change of ownership, Zang Hong no longer doubted that their other retreat route had also been ruthlessly cut off by Qiao Yan’s subordinates.

The only option left was to continue retreating eastward.

But when Zang Hong returned to Pingqiu, the troops Zhang Chao had sent to investigate the east brought back extremely bad news.

Cao Ren, who should have been in Puyang, had for some reason stationed himself in Dingtao County of Jiyin Commandery, like a tiger blocking the path between Zhang Chao and those restless Yanzhou noble families!

He was now in a net from which there was no escape.

This net was not actually meant to capture the two of them, but they were indeed at the center of the encirclement.

Even Cao Cao, who was coming from the south, was planning how to defeat Zhang Chao and others and regain control of Chenliu Commandery.

He led the troops from Henei Commandery, crossed the river, and headed towards Suanzao, where he encountered Zao Zhi stationed at Zuoxian.

When he heard from Zao Zhi that the message to temporarily halt the advance was from Cao Ang, warning him to beware of Zhang Chao’s troops intercepting halfway, a knowing smile flashed across Cao Cao’s tense face.

The betrayal of old friends and advisors had indeed saddened him, but in this crisis, he saw the hope of Cao Ang standing up, which moved him as a father.

“Let’s go, merge our two armies, and head south to join Zixiu!”

Zhang Chao’s failure to defeat Cao Ang before reinforcements arrived had already sealed his defeat.

What use was it to have more troops now?

He was now in a dilemma of being attacked from both sides.

But before Cao Cao reached Suanzao, he encountered a large army arrayed before him.

It was also because of the flags fluttering in the gentle breeze that Cao Cao suddenly realized the identity of the other side.

Perhaps the only difference in treatment compared to Zhang Chao was that this well-disciplined army had no intention of advancing, but instead maintained a motionless stance.

Only Guo Jia, under the commander’s banner, rode out at this moment and approached Cao Cao’s position.

As the other side seemed to have no ill intentions, Cao Cao also raised his hand to signal his subordinates not to make any offensive moves, and slowly rode his warhorse to a position about fifty or sixty paces away from Guo Jia.

This advisor, who had followed Qiao Yan for nearly ten years, might not have the seniority of Xi Zhicai or Cheng Yu, nor the exceptionally shrewd methods of Jia Xu or Li Ru, but in his seemingly casual actions and demeanor, there was still a convincing confidence.

He spoke first, “Governor Cao of Yanzhou, it’s been many years. I hope you’ve been well.”

When was the last time Cao Cao saw Guo Jia?

It seemed to trace back to when Yuan Shao borrowed grain.

At that time, Guo Jia had even asked if Yuan Shao’s arithmetic skills had always been so poor, which left Cao Cao puzzled.

It wasn’t until later, when Yuan Shao’s IOU was advertised everywhere, that Cao Cao understood the meaning behind Guo Jia’s words at that time.

Indeed, it had been many years since they last met.

But considering that they had not been on the same side before, it was normal not to have met in such a vast territory.

But before Cao Cao could speak, Guo Jia added another heart-piercing sentence, “Sorry, I misspoke. His Majesty has decreed that I, Guo Jia, am the governor of Yanzhou for Da Yong, so the title of Governor Cao of Yanzhou is no longer appropriate.”

Cao Cao’s gaze instinctively turned to the rear of Guo Jia, where he noticed some familiar figures among the scattered troops.

They were clearly Zhang Miao’s old subordinates.

As sharp as he was, how could he not see that his move of borrowing troops from Wang Kuang in Henei Commandery, though clever, was not the only smart move in the world.

Guo Jia was not only blocking Cao Cao.

He had arrived first, repelled Zhang Chao and Zang Hong, and naturally took over these swallowed-up troops.

And Qiao Yan’s preemptive appointment of Guo Jia as the governor of Yanzhou gave him a legitimate reason to march into this place!

This was indeed a confident greeting!

Cao Cao held the reins and asked loudly, “Governor Guo of Yanzhou, are you blocking my path just to inform me of this?”

Guo Jia replied, “Of course not. There’s one more thing His Majesty asked me to tell you—”

At the moment these words were spoken, there was not a trace of pity or condescension from a superior in the meaning conveyed by Guo Jia, only the unchanged admiration of one hero for another.

“His Majesty said, if you, Cao Mengde, are willing to surrender, the title of Conqueror of the West is never too late!”