Chapter 414

Chapter 414

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Final Volume: The Rise and Fall of Kingdoms, Unification of the World, Chapter 414: Uncertain Winds and Clouds

Book: Can a Strategist Not Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 414: Uncertain Winds and Clouds

Let Yuan Tan return to Ye City?

Yuan Shao’s order completely caught Guo Tu off guard.

Due to the differing opinions between him and Kong Rong, Yuan Shao’s second and third sons had already taken up positions on the defensive frontlines, each trying to prove themselves. Yet, at this moment, Yuan Shao recalled his eldest son, who had already been adopted out. What was the meaning of this?

Although Guo Tu was somewhat confused, he replied, “From Your Lordship’s perspective, is it truly safe to hand over the authority of Qingzhou to Xin Zhongzhi?”

Xin Ping was indeed highly capable, far surpassing the likes of Guo Tu and Feng Ji. He had even assisted Yuan Tan in preparing defenses over the past two months without any major flaws. However, one must not forget that Xin Ping had a brother, Xin Pi, who had already defected to the enemy. If the responsibility of an entire province were to be entrusted to him at this time, who knows if Qingzhou might fall into enemy hands without anyone noticing?

Qingzhou was somewhat easier to defend because it was connected to Jizhou, which served as a northern land barrier. However, its vast width and shallow depth made it highly vulnerable to breakthroughs from the direction of Xuzhou.

Moreover, with the recent loss of Yanzhou, Qingzhou could also be invaded from the northeast corner of Yanzhou.

In such a precarious situation, instead of discussing troop reinforcements, recalling Yuan Tan, the commander of Qingzhou, and leaving behind a suspected traitor, wasn’t that too reckless?

However, as soon as Guo Tu asked this question, he was met with Yuan Shao’s unusually cold gaze, making him suddenly realize that his assumption that Yuan Shao had lost his fighting spirit might be a grave misjudgment!

This was Yuan Shao giving the order, not him!

“Qingzhou still has its generals. When did Xin Zhongzhi alone make the decisions?” Yuan Shao said. “While recalling him, deliver this secret letter to Xiansi as well.”

In a situation where even a slight delay could lead to the peril of national collapse, regardless of whether Yuan Shao was in a near-irrational state due to Qiao Yan’s repeated provocations, his order was swiftly carried out.

Moreover, given his current poor health, wanting his eldest son to return and see him was not an unreasonable request.

The Han Dynasty ruled the world with filial piety. Even if Liu Bian felt this move would leave Qingzhou vulnerable, he did not obstruct it.

The letter from Ye City and the recall order were quickly delivered to Yuan Tan.

Although surprised by his father’s decision, Yuan Tan summoned Jiang Qi and Xin Ping, who were assisting in the defense, to brief them before galloping back to Jizhou.

As per the secret letter, even though he arrived in Ye City late at night, Yuan Tan did not stop and went straight to Yuan Shao’s residence.

He had a brief but significant conversation with Yuan Shao. After about half an hour, Yuan Tan left Yuan Shao’s side, rested in the mansion for two hours, and hurried back to Qingzhou at dawn.

Anyone who had a brief meeting with this eldest son of the Yuan family could see that, although he was slightly fatigued from the journey, his face showed a determined expression.

He even took Yuan Shao’s personal sword with him when he left Ye City, clearly indicating that Yuan Shao had granted him significant authority.

This sudden bestowal of responsibility, given that Yuan Shao had not made a public appearance for two or three months, seemed to carry a special meaning.

“Yuan Benchu’s move is quite clever,” Qiao Yan mused after receiving the urgent report from Ye City.

“The situation of the sons vying for succession was one of the reasons Zhong Xuan criticized him, but by stirring things up, he’s turning waste into treasure,” Cheng Yu replied.

“You should say he’s projecting himself onto others.”

Yuan Shao’s escape from Yanzhou fully demonstrated that when faced with an irreparable disadvantage, one could unleash tremendous potential to break free from a deadlock.

If that was the case for him, wouldn’t it be the same for his sons?

Yuan Shao wouldn’t push his sons to the brink of death, but placing them in a competitive environment where they vie for the top position might indeed bring out their greater capabilities!

Although Yuan Tan, holding Yuan Shao’s sword and secret orders, was nominally Yuan Ji’s son in terms of clan rites and had been adopted out, as a direct descendant of the Yuan family, his status as the eldest son still held weight.

This sudden support or promise would undoubtedly boost Yuan Tan’s fighting spirit while also instilling a sense of crisis in his other two sons.

Rather than returning to Ye City to curry favor with their father through “filial piety,” they could only outperform their brother in defending Jizhou’s borders to stand out!

Quick thinking was indeed a trait of the Yuan family, but for Yuan Shao to realize the value of turning waste into treasure and using his sons’ competition to stabilize the border defenses was already too late!

As long as he couldn’t mount an effective counterattack, how could the internal resources of Jizhou compare to Qiao Yan’s ability to mobilize the strength of eleven provinces against him!

Therefore—

“He must have another order for Yuan Xiansi,” Qiao Yan and Cheng Yu simultaneously concluded.

But who was in Xuzhou?

Zhou Yu, the Governor of Xuzhou, was both civil and military, and Jia Xu, the Governor of Qingzhou appointed by Qiao Yan in advance, was a master of cunning.

Others didn’t know that his time under Dong Zhuo was due to an undercover mission, but Qiao Yan, the mastermind, knew.

She also knew that when she sent a letter to Jia Xu months ago instructing him to act, he replied, “Since Your Majesty intends to unify the world in one battle, why not respond to changes with constancy?”

When Jia Xu, Zhou Yu, along with Lu Su and Pang Tong, had already turned the region into an impenetrable fortress, waiting to strike would not cost them their initiative.

The earlier war impacts from the north-south standoff in Xuzhou had long been eradicated, especially after Ze Rong’s defeat, the remaining influence of Buddhism had completely vanished.

The only remaining factor was the northern Xuzhou populace, who had been won over by Liu Bei’s charisma and his efforts to revive the people’s livelihood, making them one of the few unstable elements in Xuzhou.

But this was definitely not something Yuan Shao could exploit!

Although they still held some gratitude for Liu Bei, since he had been sentenced to death for assassinating the Grand Marshal, there was no room for leniency.

Moreover, with Qiao Yan ascending the throne, their loyalty to the Han Dynasty and Liu Bei could only remain hidden in their hearts.

Not to mention, Zhou Yu had been the Governor of Xuzhou for over a year, and his various measures in the region had taken root and flourished.

For the Xuzhou populace, who were truly busy with their livelihoods, what other matters could they possibly pay attention to this year!

Tending to their farmland well, hoping for a good harvest this year.








, that is what they should care about the most.

This instruction to Yuan Tan could only be related to the marching plan.

This is getting interesting.

Qiao Yan said, “Let’s see how far Yuan Shao’s desperate counterattack can go.”

Yuan Shao suddenly deviated from the plan, which could potentially render her arrangements in River North County and the drama she set up at the border of Youzhou and Ji Province ineffective.

But this did not disappoint Qiao Yan.

In this step-by-step encirclement, every move Yuan Shao makes could lead him into a trap. Who knows if it might be a viable path to survival?

The fact that the court in Ye City did not surrender under the bombardment of the punitive proclamation but instead launched a full-scale resistance was undoubtedly a good thing for Qiao Yan.

Fight, of course, we must fight!

She needed a war that fully demonstrated the military strength of Da Yong to showcase its might.

She needed a real battle to give her subordinates, as officials of Da Yong, the opportunity to achieve merit and glory.

She also needed…

A victory that would declare the unification of the world!

“Convey my decree.”

“Order the Protector of Wuhuan to march from Liaodong to Zhuo County and join forces with the Tiger Tooth General. Order the Military Officer of Youzhou to station troops in Quanzhou.”

“Order the Eastern Expedition Middle General to block the strategic passes of Fukou and Jingxing.”

“Order… the Luoyang elephant troops to advance north into River North!”

No matter what arrangements Yuan Shao had made in Qingzhou, she had already taken three more steps forward. How should Yuan Shao respond?

These three orders were issued at an extremely fast pace.

In June, while the people were still watching the flourishing crops in the fields, anticipating the autumn harvest in two or three months, they saw the soldiers of Da Yong in their regions begin to move.

Although the Protector of Wuhuan, Lu Lingju, was young, she had the achievement of killing the Wuhuan chieftain Tadun and had assisted the Son of Heaven of Da Yong in escaping from the assassination attempt in the palace of Chang’an, which was equivalent to having a merit of aiding the emperor!

Her army, along with her strategist Lu Yi, joined forces with her father Lü Bu ahead of the original August plan, clearly showing a menacing attitude towards Ji Province.

Meanwhile, the waters north of Beihai State in Ji Province were already under the command of Gan Ning, the Tower Ship Commandant, and now another general was added in the direction of Quanzhou.

Before these deployments were fully completed, the border between Ji Province and Youzhou was already tense and on the verge of breaking out.

It was only because Ju Shou, Gao Shun, and others had already clashed with the northern forces several times that they managed to suppress the panic among the soldiers.

However, compared to the proper response in the north, Yuan Shang, who was stationed in the south, was much more flustered.

He had originally thought that, with his father’s favor and attention, his path to success would be much smoother than that of his two elder brothers.

However, first, the Han court in the west was replaced by Da Yong, and the Han Dynasty was no longer the sole ruler of the world in name. Then, the court in Ye City continuously lost territory and people. Finally, his father fell ill due to the provocation of the proclamation and was unable to take on the full responsibilities of the court at this time.

Fortunately, Guo Tu and others supported him, choosing him over Yuan Xi in the selection and selecting a location for him to station where he could return to Ye City at any time.

According to Yuan Shang’s initial thoughts upon arriving in Liyang, Yanzhou had just been stabilized, and the soldiers had suffered heavy losses due to previous internal conflicts. Launching a northern offensive at this time would not benefit anyone, and Cao Cao in River North, under Qiao Yan’s exploitation, should also be considered “having lost troops and generals.” Who knows if he was secretly on guard against him, perhaps not giving him the opportunity to achieve merit and glory.

His position was the safest and most likely to find an opportunity to retake Yanzhou!

If he could really achieve this, who else could be his father’s successor?

But Yuan Shang never expected that Yuan Tan, whom he thought had been abandoned by his father, would be urgently recalled to the court at such a critical moment and entrusted with important responsibilities.

Even though his subordinates told him that his father’s favor should not change so drastically in an instant, as long as he performed well, he would still be the son his father relied on the most, his worries did not diminish at this time.

It was precisely at this moment that Yuan Shang received two enemy military reports.

He paced back and forth in the military tent, trying to calm his unease, but he still could not help but say to his subordinates, “Among the Eight Passes of Taihang, the most suitable for attacking Ji Province are Jingxing and Fukou. Now that these two strategic passes are blocked, it is true that Bingzhou cannot attack us, but our Ji Province can no longer use these two routes to attack Bingzhou and seek a way out. For them, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.”

“But this way, the Eastern Expedition Middle General can reduce the troops stationed in Bingzhou and transfer them to River North!”

Qiao Yan’s third order was an even more terrifying signal for Yuan Shang.

Although Liu Biao had previously suffered a great loss at the hands of the elephant troops under the command of the Governor of Jiaozhou, Zhang Jin, and those who knew of this existence would surely take precautions, knowing to defend and knowing how to defend are two completely different things!

When there is a general in River North who once assisted Liu Biao in defeating the elephant troops, Wei Yan, the deterrent effect of this troop movement on Yuan Shang increased even more!

Looking at the second and third orders together, it seems to say—

The previous probing in northern Ji Province and the buildup in the western mountains were all just a facade they had set up before.

Since the Son of Heaven is in Sili, then supplementing troops from Sili into River North, while also increasing troops from Bingzhou into River North, and launching a direct attack into Ji Province, seems to be the optimal solution for them!

The initial stabilization of Yanzhou cannot affect the decisions they are making now, because River North is backed by Luoyang and Chang’an to the west of Luoyang, where Qiao Yan’s supporters are so numerous that they could even push her onto the throne!

At the moment Yuan Shang came to this conclusion, he even resented his father’s favoritism.

Otherwise, why would he have allowed Guo Tu to arrange for him to be stationed in southern Ji Province, and why would he favor his elder brother at such a time.

“I must do something to turn the situation around… I cannot sit idly by and wait for death!” Yuan Shang walked around the military tent like an ant on a hot pan, then suddenly stopped, and after a rapid change in expression, made a decision.

“Yes, we cannot wait until all the River North troops arrive and then be passively beaten!”

By that time, would he have grown two more heads and four more arms than those who were defeated by Qiao Yan, to be able to stop her?

So he must take the first step, a quick move, to disrupt the opponent’s arrangements!

But what Yuan Shang still did not expect was that, because he still had some fear of Qiao Yan in his heart, he hesitated for a moment, and in the power struggle between Ji Province and Qingzhou and their adjacent regions, it was Qingzhou that made the first move.

It was not Yuan Tan, under Yuan Shao’s guidance, choosing to first attack Xuzhou, a flat and open area, to increase the defensive depth of Qingzhou, but—

After Zang Ba was dispatched to Yang Province to quell the Shanyue rebellion, Sun Guan, who still led a small group of Mount Tai bandits, along with his current superior Jiang Qin, invaded Beihai State in Qingzhou from Langya Commandery!

Is this… Xuzhou making the first move?