Chapter 127 Yuan Shu's Fury: Victory is a Defeat Runan County, inside Pingyu City, in the county magistrate's mansion. Yuan Shu was sitting in the main seat, making his move, while all the civil and military officials were below him, bowing their heads and keeping silent. There was a gloomy look on everyone's face. As Chen Ji brought news about Xincai, bad news came one after another like snowflakes. Due to Cao Cao's distraction, Yuan Shu's main focus has always been on the Runan battlefield. I thought that with Ji Ling defending the rear, there wouldn't be much of a problem even if those three families attacked fiercely. They can wait until Cao Cao is defeated, and then return to deal with those families! Therefore, even if there was no news from Shouchun, they never worried. But they didn't expect that it wasn't that there was no news from Shouchun, but that there was no chance for the news to be transmitted at all! At this moment, Shouchun fell and 20,000 troops fell into the hands of the enemy. Ji Ling, Chen Lan and others died in the battle, while Yuan Huan, Lei Bu and others surrendered.

At the same time, Liu Bei took the absolute initiative in Huainan. He not only persuaded Qin Yi to surrender, but also subdued a large number of bandit soldiers led by Zheng Bao in Chaohu. Guan Yu captured Ruyin and Xincai, and killed Lu Mian and Yuan Yin. As their Western Front collapsed completely, the Eastern Front also collapsed completely. Simply put, Yuan Shu is now caught between Cao Cao and Liu Bei and has no chance of turning the tables. This kind of sudden situation is difficult for anyone to accept. So even though everyone is gathered together now, they don’t know what to say. The entire mansion was silent, and no one spoke. It was not until a long time had passed that a burst of mumbling was heard coming from Yuan Shu's seat. When everyone heard this, they were all surprised. They could hear Yuan Shu speaking, but they couldn't hear clearly what he was saying. After hesitating for a while, Yang Hong stepped forward and whispered: "What did your Majesty just say?" But when he came forward, he saw Yuan Shu's eyes were dull. He raised his head and looked at him, then opened his mouth and muttered: "I ask Liu Xuande how could he do this?" After saying this, some light returned to his eyes, and he stared at the table blankly and said: "How could they, who are just weaving mats and selling shoes, have no more than 10,000 soldiers and their generals have not surpassed Guanzhang, have they achieved the status they have today?" Seeing Yuan Shu like this, Yang Hong's expression suddenly froze. If Yuan Shu asked about other things, he could still say a few words. But if you ask this, he is actually just guessing! In their eyes, who is Liu Bei? Nothing! In terms of family background, he was born into a family of mat weavers and shoe sellers, and he keeps saying that he is a relative of the Han royal family, but who would recognize him?

In terms of strength, this guy was still hiding in Xiaopei City, half-dead, a few months ago! But it is such a person who has grown to this point in less than half a year. Who could have imagined it? At least he couldn't! If someone had told him before the troops went out that Liu Bei would take advantage of the situation and rise to power this time, he would have definitely sneered. After all, Liu Bei didn't have that ability at all! Sun Ce, Lu Bu, and them, who is not stronger than Liu Bei? But the current situation is that Liu Bei has emerged as a dark horse and is rising so fast that it is simply unimaginable. If he is asked to explain this in detail, how can he explain it? But looking at Yuan Shu's eyes, Yang Hong felt a little timid and had to lower his head and said: "I really don't know!" As soon as he said this, Yuan Shu raised his head, and seemed to have regained some spirit. He glanced at everyone and said in a hoarse voice: "My dear ministers, tell me, how could a little boy like Liu Bei do this?" As Yuan Shu's eyes swept over them, everyone lowered their heads. Like Yang Hong, they also couldn't answer this question. Only Yan Xiang saw this, sighed slightly, stepped out and said: "Your Majesty, if we talk about the current situation, I'm afraid it's all Liu Bei's plan!" "We have fallen into Liu Bei's trap!" Seeing Yan Xiang step out, Yuan Shu narrowed his eyes and said: "What does it mean to fall into a trap? What trap did you fall into?" Upon hearing this, Yan Xiang said with a serious face: "My army may have underestimated the enemy!" "Although I don't know who is behind this, I dare to assert that the current situation must be driven by someone behind the scenes!" "Your Majesty, I think you have forgotten that when our army received the news that Lü Bu was heading south and Liu Bei had captured Xiang County, I warned them that Lü Bu was not a threat, but Liu Bei was our biggest enemy!" "The reason why I said this is because although Lu Bu went south at that time, the one who benefited was Liu Bei!" "I just don't know why Liu Bei benefited from it, but it was Lu Bu who came forward." "Now it seems that he had already started planning since then!" "It was not Lu Bu's intention to go south, but someone planned to let Lu Bu go south to attract our army's attention, so that our army would ignore the fact that Liu Bei had already risen." "Then Cao Cao raised his army and ordered Sun Ce, Lu Bu and Liu Bei to march forward." "It seems that the three families are advancing together, but in fact, if Liu Bei had no calculations, he would have arrived first in Pei State." "But in the end, Liu Bei arrived last!" "It can be seen that Liu Bei was also calculating at this time. He knew that our army was not far away, so he did not dare to move!" "At that time, our army's biggest enemies were Lu Bu, Sun Ce, and Cao Cao, and they didn't pay attention to Liu Bei." "In this way, Liu Bei has already taken the lead. He only needs to plan well to take the initiative."

"From the current situation, we can judge that Liu Bei does have this plan!" "Sun Ce and Lu Bu must have been schemed against by Liu Bei, and our army was also schemed against by Liu Bei!" "They were probably tricked by Liu Bei, but our army fell into the trap of underestimating the enemy." "From the beginning to the end, our army has never taken Liu Bei seriously, and only regarded the other three as enemies!" "How could our army not be defeated under such deliberate and unintentional circumstances?" Having said this, Yan Xiang put down his hands, looking helpless. You have to know that based on their strength, they are no match for Cao Cao even if they face him alone! And now they have to face the rising Liu Bei, how can they have any spare energy? Not to mention that the people who are now planning for Liu Bei are far more capable than them. If he could still think of a way to deal with Cao Cao, now facing Liu Bei, he really has no way! Because Cao Cao's wars were traceable, but the man behind Liu Bei had a terrifying plan. I started planning the current situation half a year ago, and it was successful! This kind of person is a manipulator who uses the world as a chessboard and is not comparable to them at all. When Yuan Shu heard what Yan Xiang said, he was stunned on the spot, with an expression of disbelief on his face. If things are really as Yan Xiang said now, then Liu Bei is planning against four families at the same time, even Cao Cao is included in his plan. Planning five companies at once, is this something humanly possible? How could Liu Bei, a mat weaver and shoe seller, have such ability? Even if there was someone helping him behind the scenes, who is Liu Bei and how could he get such a talent? To be honest, Yuan Shu really wanted to refute Yan Xiang's remarks. But when the words came to his lips, he didn't know how to refute them. Because Liu Bei's rise really happened! And right under his nose, he kicked Sun Ce away, forced Lu Bu to retreat, and occupied his old nest! All these things told him one thing: Liu Bei was no longer the same person he used to be. Thinking of this, Yuan Shu felt a surge of blood rushing up his spine, and looking at the desk in front of him, he couldn't help but breathe heavily. If it was Sun Ce or Lu Bu who took Huainan, he would not be angry. Because at least he recognized these two enemies. But where did Liu Bei come from? Do you think you can seize Yuan Shu's foundation by using some shady tricks? For a moment, Yuan Shu became more and more angry. He suddenly flipped the table, drew out his long sword and slashed it on the table, shouting: "Pass on my military order. Return immediately and help me capture Xincai. Fight to the death with Liu Bei the boy!" Yuan Shu's move frightened his subordinates and ministers. They naturally didn't expect Yuan Shu to be so angry suddenly, and they were all surprised for a moment. Yang Hong was closest to Yuan Shu and immediately dissuaded him: "Your Majesty, you can't do that! Your Majesty, you can't do that!" "Our army has been defeated in battle after battle, and General Zhang Xun is still trapped in Nandun. There are only 20,000 soldiers in the city. How can we return the army?" But as soon as he said this, Yuan Shu's eyes turned bloodshot and he glared at him angrily:

"If it weren't for your advice, how could I have been defeated to this extent?" "Now that Xincai has fallen, our army's food and grass have been cut off, and our family is in the hands of the enemy. If we don't return to the army, what else can we do?" Yang Hong had never seen Yuan Shu like this before. He was shocked for a moment and turned back to look at Yan Xiang and said: "Why didn't Lord Yan dissuade His Majesty?" But as soon as he finished speaking, Yan Xiang bowed to Yuan Shu and said: "Your Majesty is right. Cao Cao and Liu Bei's armies have arrived. If we don't move, we will be trapped here and die!" "Cao Cao is far away in Nandun and has not yet returned. Liu Bei has just taken Xincai and has not yet established a firm foothold. This is the perfect time to return!" "If we can take Xincai, our army can then go south to Lujiang. If we cannot take Xincai, we will go north to Xinyang and retreat to Song State and other places before planning something bigger!" It is true that a gentleman's revenge is never too late. Yang Hong had repeatedly refuted Yan Xiang's boomerang, and it finally stabbed at him at this moment. As soon as Yan Xiang finished speaking, Yuan Shu glared at Yang Hong and said: "You bastard, you are still trying to persuade me to stay here. Are you colluding with Cao Cao?" "Come here, help me put this man in jail!" Yang Hong naturally did not expect Yan Xiang to stab him in the back at such a critical moment. Seeing his attendants approaching, he immediately shouted: "It is unjust, Your Majesty. How dare I secretly communicate with Cao Cao!" But Yuan Shu looked on coldly. After Yang Hong was dragged out of the mansion, he slashed the table with his sword again and said in a deep voice: "If anyone says more, there will be a case like this!" At that moment, he threw his cloak and strode out of the mansion. On that day, Yuan Shu officially withdrew from Pingyu and sent a letter to Zhang Xun, asking him to withdraw from Nandun and move towards Xiang County. This move officially marked the complete collapse of Yuan Shu's front line, and Cao Cao won the battle. When Yuan Shu left, Cao Cao was inside Cao's military tent, sitting on the table with a bowl of rice and some side dishes, while listening to Guo Jia's report. Compared with Yuan Shu, Cao Cao's intelligence organization was more developed. Every move of Liu Bei's army after capturing Shouchun was within Cao Cao's detection. But Cao Cao just ate his meal without saying a word as he listened to the news. Only after Guo Jia finished his story did he put down the bowl in his hand and said: "So, Liu Bei's army has already taken control of Huainan and captured Yuan Shu's Xincai and Ruyin!" Facing Cao Cao's question, Guo Jia nodded silently: "That's right. Liu Bei's army has now gained a foothold in Huainan." "Even if our army goes there, we will be powerless to drive them out!" "In this battle, even though our army won, we still lost!" Just like Yan Xiang, Guo Jia also felt powerless now. There are many things that we know are going to happen, but we can't stop them.

This feeling is far more uncomfortable than what Yuan Shu felt. So when he said the last sentence, he lowered his head and said: "The failure of this battle is all my fault. I hope my lord will punish me!" But as soon as he finished speaking, Cao Cao stood up and said with a smile: "What crime has Fengxiao committed? This campaign against Yuan Shu is largely due to Fengxiao's advice!" "You haven't shown your merits yet, so why talk about your crimes?" The more he did this, the more guilty Guo Jia felt: "But if I hadn't suggested that the lord send troops, Liu Bei might not have been able to seize the land of Huainan!" "Now that Liu Bei has taken control of Huainan, he has become a great enemy of our army. Is this not my fault?" Having said this, he lowered his head again, ready to confess his guilt. But this time when he finished speaking, Cao Cao was speechless. After pausing for a long time, he looked up and saw that Cao Cao had a serious look on his face. Guo Jia was shocked when he saw this, and couldn't help asking: "My Lord, why is this so?" As soon as he finished speaking, Cao Cao said in a deep voice: "If there is any guilt, it is all my fault. What does it have to do with you?" "Qin Zixuan left me, and I have already regretted it. Why do you keep saying it over and over again?" "If I can defeat Yuan Shu, I can defeat Liu Bei. Could it be that with Qin Zhen, Liu Xuande will be able to dominate the world?" "Now that we have won, why talk about defeat?" When Guo Jia heard this, he was stunned for a moment, thinking that Cao Cao had misunderstood his intention, and hurriedly lowered his head and said: "My words were inappropriate, I hope my lord will forgive me!" When he lowered his head, Cao Cao's expression changed again, and he shook his head tiredly: "Forget it, it's not your fault, I just said too much, please don't be offended, Fengxiao!" "Go down and tell all the troops to prepare to march!" "But my lord!" "Go back!" Cao Cao waved his hand weakly, signaling Guo Jia to leave. When Guo Jia saw this, he sighed helplessly and turned away. As a result, as soon as he got outside the tent, he heard a roar from inside. The next second, there was the sound of overturned tables and cauldrons falling to the ground. Listening to the noisy noise, Guo Jia's mood became increasingly heavy, as if the bleak autumn wind brought a little chill.

(End of this chapter)