Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 352 Xu You: The thought of surrendering to Han arises, and suddenly the world seems vast!

While Liu Chong and Luo Jun were getting along well, Xu You was in his own residence, instructing his old servant to prepare several exquisite dishes for a private banquet for a few special guests.

Xu You carefully straightened his clothes and turned his gaze to the secluded courtyard.

As soon as he reached the courtyard gate, an invisible chill swept over him, causing him to involuntarily slow his pace.

Xu You's eyes twitched slightly. With just a quick glance, he saw at least seven or eight crossbow bolts aimed at him.

And in the unnoticed corners, there are probably countless pairs of eyes and crossbows ready to fire at any moment.

Xu You took a deep breath, suppressing the pounding in his heart. Instead, he deliberately raised his voice and continued walking forward, pretending to be calm, saying, "Heh, I am, after all, your savior. Why are you so wary?"

call out--!
A crossbow bolt pierced the air and landed precisely on the ground in front of his shoe, its tail feathers trembling slightly.

This is a warning to Xu You!

Xu You reflexively pulled his foot back, his body trembling slightly. He regained his senses but continued walking forward, his smile unchanged, though his eyes gradually turned cold. He slowly said, "If I die, none of you will survive. Think about it carefully. If I truly wanted to take your lives, why would I need to risk my life?"

"I can simply pile up firewood outside the courtyard and set it on fire, then gather archers to surround the area. Even if you all possess superb martial arts skills, how long can you hold out?"

As soon as the words fell, the courtyard fell into silence.

A moment later, the tightly closed courtyard gate creaked open a crack, and a man dressed in embroidered clothes with a lean and capable figure appeared in Xu You's sight.

Xu You immediately put on a warm smile, cupped his hands and said, "So it's Brother Gongdao! I still vividly remember your heroic figure fighting alone against a group of enemies in the alley that day. Brother Gongdao's loyalty and bravery are truly admirable!"

Xu You spared no praise for Zhu Gongdao. Although these words were meant to ease the tension, they were also sincere. He was truly impressed by Zhu Gongdao's bravery.

Zhu Gongdao and Bao Chu were sent to the State of Chen to protect the Prime Minister Cui Jun. However, just before the court was about to send troops, Zhu Gongdao and Bao Chu led a group of embroidered soldiers to escort Cui Jun out of the State of Chen. But they were out of luck and failed to get out of the city. Instead, they were trapped inside the city.

That day, Zhu Gongdao, alone with his sword, stayed behind in a small alley to cover the retreat. He killed twenty-one pursuers in succession until he was exhausted and gradually lost the battle, and was rescued by his retainer.

Zhu Gongdao remained vigilant and stepped aside to let Xu You into the courtyard.

"I was originally a wandering knight from Hedong, but fortunately the Emperor did not abandon me because of my humble origins and treated me with the respect due to a national hero." Zhu Gongdao led Xu You inside and replied in a deep voice, "I dare not compare myself to Yu Rang, but I will certainly repay him as a national hero!"

Xu You nodded slightly and followed behind, his gaze sweeping around. Suddenly, a playful smile appeared on his lips, and he said softly, "Is this how the country treats you—by sending Brother Gongdao to this perilous place to die?"

"Isn't this because the Emperor trusts me, which is why he entrusted me with such a difficult task? But you..." Zhu Gongdao paused, then sneered. He changed the subject, his sharp gaze piercing Xu You, and said, "After Yuan Shao passed away, how did the Yuan family of Runan treat you? They even excluded you, a man of wisdom, from such a major matter as treason?"

These words struck Xu You like a sharp awl, hitting him where it hurt most.

Xu You fell silent instantly, his smile froze, his fist clenched tightly in his sleeve, and his face turned ashen as an overwhelming sense of shame and indignation welled up inside him.

Xu Ziyuan, a renowned scholar from Nanyang, was completely marginalized by the Yuan clan of Runan after Yuan Shao's death.

He was completely unaware of the secrets that even Yuan Shu's rough and tumble family generals could participate in. It wasn't until the matter was exposed and the imperial court's arrest warrants were posted all over the streets and alleys that he realized he was among the "accomplices in the rebellion"!
Go to hell!
How could Laozi not know that he had participated in a rebellion?

Since being sidelined by the Yuan family of Runan, he was disheartened and thought, "If they won't keep me here, there are plenty of other places that will." He had just sent a messenger to Qingzhou to seek another way out and seek refuge with his close friend Cao Cao.

He believed that given Cao Cao's understanding of his abilities and their friendship, Cao Cao would surely give him an important position.

After a few years of hard work in Qingzhou and some achievements, given the emperor's favor towards Cao Cao, the emperor would likely not hold his past actions against him, and he might even gain the emperor's appreciation.

The day before the Yuan clan of Runan rebelled, Xu You received a letter from Cao Cao warmly welcoming him. He immediately packed his bags, not even bothering to attend Yuan Ji's wedding, and prepared to head to Qingzhou early the next morning. However, just thirty miles from Luoyang, he was shocked to learn that he had become a wanted "rebel" by the imperial court!
At that time, Xu You was in a dilemma: should he return to Luoyang to defend himself to the Court of Justice, or should he continue to risk going to Qingzhou to ask Cao Cao to present the correspondence between the two to the court to prove his innocence?
In the end, Xu You did not choose either option. He knew that he had done too many shady things for the Yuan family over the years, and no one would believe that he, a "strategist," was excluded from the decision-making process.

As for the latter, he felt that he might be caught on the way and would never make it to Qingzhou.

Left with no other choice, he had to flee to the State of Chen to hide, hoping to save his life before trying to contact Cao Cao and eventually seek refuge there.

At first, he saw that Liu Chong treated scholars with courtesy and seemed to be a wise ruler. He also remembered the kindness of being taken in and wanted to repay the favor.

However, he soon discovered that the two men's ideas were almost completely opposite.

In Xu You's view, if one wants to accomplish great things, one should act suddenly and decisively!
Taking advantage of the fact that the imperial army was deeply involved in the Liangzhou Qiang rebellion and the war with the Southern Xiongnu, and could not get away for the time being, and that even the last of its troops had been taken away by General Zhu Miao to quell the rebellion in Taishan County, the imperial army launched an uprising when Sili was unprecedentedly vulnerable!

However, Liu Chong believed that his troops were not well-trained and that the court could still conscript more than 10,000 good men from the Sanhe region. Moreover, the eight passes of Luoyang were strategically important and difficult to breach in a hasty attack.

Xu You was so angry he almost laughed. If he didn't rebel now, when would he?

Luoyang's eight passes are treacherous; how could they be invincible if caught off guard?
As for the Chen army, if they can't break through the eight passes of Luoyang now, do you think that if they train for another ten years, the Chen army will be able to easily conquer the eight passes of Luoyang?

If we can take advantage of their unpreparedness to break through one of their passes, and then march our army straight into the capital to assassinate Liu Bian, who was then the crown prince, and then frame him for the death of Liu Hong, then the great matter can be settled, and the world can be pacified with a single proclamation!

Luo Jun also objected, believing the plan was too risky.

If the rear of Chen is attacked, they will die without a burial place.

Xu You immediately said that as long as the King of Chen takes control of Luoyang, what need is there for the Chen Kingdom as a rear base?
In the end, Liu Chong rejected the strategy. Xu You was furious and publicly rebuked Liu Chong, saying, "You are a mere scoundrel, not worth discussing things with," causing Liu Chong to lose face.

Later, the imperial court repeatedly reported victories and quelled rebellions in various places, but the best opportunity had already been missed.

Xu You drank a few too many cups at the banquet in the Chen King's palace. Feeling depressed, he heard that his friend Cao Cao had been promoted from Governor of Qingzhou to General of Anbei and Governor of Youzhou. This cut off Xu You's escape route, making him even more frustrated.

Drunk, Xu You lost his temper and publicly mocked, "If you had used my plan earlier, we would be the ones celebrating our victory at the Luoyang Palace right now," leaving Liu Chong embarrassed.

From then on, Liu Chong completely distanced himself from Xu You and harbored resentment towards him. He no longer allowed Xu You to participate in any confidential meetings, but simply paid him his salary on time, treating him like a "horse skeleton" to be supported.

Two years passed in this way, until Xu Shu was sent as an envoy to the State of Chen. The court's intention to wage war against the State of Chen was already obvious, and Luo Juncai privately sought him out for advice.

Xu You offered another plan: they should not wait for the court to send troops to encircle them. Instead, they should take advantage of the weakened defenses on all sides, take the initiative to attack Chenliu to the north, attack Yingchuan to the west, and break into Sili!

Otherwise, if we wait for the imperial court to send troops, we will be attacked from all sides and will inevitably face the same fate: prolonged defense will lead to defeat!
However, that fool Liu Chong still stubbornly believes that "if we hold on firmly, there will be a way!"
What else can be done?
The Qiang rebellion in Liangzhou has been quelled, and the four southern prefectures of Yizhou have been pacified. The Xianbei in the north are embroiled in internal strife and have no time to look south. Only the Black Mountain bandits in the Taihang Mountains remain.

But Xu You could see clearly that no matter how much trouble the Black Mountain bandits caused, they were nothing more than a bunch of rats that couldn't cause any trouble once they left the Taihang Mountains.

However, all of this is no longer relevant to Xu You.

He offered advice three times, showing utmost kindness and righteousness, and had already repaid Liu Chong's kindness in taking him in. Did you really expect him to be buried with him?

Therefore, Xu You also sought a way to survive!

Since Liu Chong is courting death and is going to die anyway, he might as well do a good deed before he dies, which will become a stepping stone for Xu You's advancement!

Who says I, Xu Ziyuan, can't serve the imperial court?
(2610 words)
(End of this chapter)