The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 77 Liu Bei was helpless; Yan Liang and Wen Chou were courting death.
Other accounts.

Ju Shou and Tian Feng sat at the same table.

Yuan Shao insisted on crossing the river, leaving the two men feeling both worried and helpless.

The worry is that the outcome of this battle is uncertain, and the helplessness is that Yuan Shao refuses to listen to advice.

"Cao Cao is skilled in warfare and his tactics are unpredictable. Although his forces are small, they should not be underestimated."

"If the general holds the strategic advantage of mountains and rivers, commands the troops of four provinces, forges alliances with heroes abroad, and cultivates agriculture and warfare internally, then selects his elite troops, divides them into surprise forces, and launches repeated attacks to harass Henan. If the enemy is rescued on the right, he will attack on the left; if the enemy is rescued on the left, he will attack on the right. This will keep the enemy busy and prevent them from living in peace. We will be able to defeat them without much effort. In less than three years, we can easily conquer Cao."

"If we abandon the strategy of winning in the temple and decide the outcome of the battle in one battle, it will be too late to regret it if we fail."

Tian Feng sighed, his sleeves drooping.

As early as last year, when Yuan Shao decided to launch a southern expedition, Tian Feng and Ju Shou jointly offered a three-year plan to wear down Cao Cao, but Yuan Shao, confident in his strong army and worried about his graying hair, did not accept their advice.

Two months ago.

A spy discovered that Liu Bei had defeated Liu Dai and Wang Zhong. Tian Feng predicted that Cao Cao would definitely send troops to Xuzhou to intimidate those who were not in favor of him. He then advised Yuan Shao to send all three armies across the river and use 100,000 infantry and cavalry to overwhelm Guandu. He believed that the forces in Yan, Yu, and Xu who were not in favor of Cao Cao would hear the news and raise their flags in response.

As a result, Yuan Shao did not heed Tian Feng's advice because his son was ill.

Yuan Shao was tasked with leading 100,000 infantry and cavalry on a southern expedition, with the outcome to be decided in a single battle.

Yuan Shao was capable of crossing the river with 100,000 infantry and cavalry, yet he chose to miss the opportunity.

It was only after the attack on Baima failed that Yuan Shao remembered to use his superior forces to overwhelm others.

In the words of later generations: Yuan Shao was both incompetent and loved to play games. Even when he had a winning hand, he loved to show off and act recklessly. When he suffered losses and was humiliated, he would get angry and try to regain his face.

Sigh.

Tian Feng had no choice.

Tian Feng knew Yuan Shao's temperament very well:
He appears kind and generous on the surface but is suspicious of Tian Feng. He doesn't believe in Tian Feng's loyalty and feels offended by Tian Feng's repeated bluntness.

If Yan Liang had won the attack on Baima, Yuan Shao might have listened to Tian Feng's frank advice; but now that Yan Liang has failed in his attack on Baima, Yuan Shao will see Tian Feng's frank advice as damaging the morale of the army.

Ju Shou was equally frustrated.

He advised Yuan Shao not to entrust Yan Liang with such a great responsibility, but Yuan Shao did not listen.

They advised Yuan Shao to garrison at Yanjin and divide his forces to attack Guandu, but Yuan Shao still refused to listen.

Not only that, but he was also repeatedly "humiliated" by Liu Bei!
Thinking of this, Ju Shou couldn't help but snort angrily: "Liu Bei did not raise his banner against Cao Cao in Xuzhou, but instead led the people north. First, he used Zheng Xuan's collection of books to win over the scholars of Hebei, and then he flattered the General. This treacherous person must have something to do with it."

The two of them poured out their pent-up frustrations, then drank warm wine and became completely drunk in the tent.

Even when Yuan Shao summoned them the following day, both Ju Shou and Tian Feng claimed illness and refused to see him.

Enraged, Yuan Shao immediately dismissed Ju Shou and Tian Feng from their posts, placed all of Ju Shou's troops under the command of Guo Tu, and sent messengers to urgently urge Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Guo Tu, Chunyu Qiong, and Liu Bei at Yan Jin to cross the river and seek battle.

They are determined to prove the two wrong with their performance!

The military order reached Yanjin.

Yan Liang and Wen Chou had no time to rest and were about to cross the river that very night.

Upon hearing this, Guo Tu immediately sensed something was amiss: "The camp on the south bank of Yanjin has not yet been completed. If we cross the river overnight, neither the men nor the horses will get any rest."

Yan Liang sneered: "Last time, it was because of you that I suffered heavy losses and almost died. I heard that Cao Cao's strategist Guo Jia was once a guest in your residence. Could it be that you have been colluding with Cao Cao and did this on purpose?"

Yan Liang felt deeply aggrieved whenever he thought of the defeat at Baima: If Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong hadn't divided their troops and gone to Yanjin, how could I have been defeated by Cao Cao?
In terms of ability, Guo Tu is capable. In terms of luck, however, Guo Tu's luck is simply appalling.

Before the Battle of Baima, Yuan Shao wanted to divide the authority under Ju Shou's command into three commanders, with Ju Shou, Guo Tu, and Chunyu Qiong each in charge of an army.

To avoid public dissatisfaction, Yuan Shao sent Guo Tu, Chunyu Qiong, and Yan Liang to lead troops to attack Baima.

From Yuan Shao's perspective, it would be a piece of cake to send Guo Tu and the other two to attack Baima.

After defeating Baima, it would be logical to reward those who had contributed, and then distribute the troops to Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong.

Yuan Shao's intention was similar to Zhuge Liang's decision to send Ma Su to defend Jieting; he simply wanted Guo Tu and the other two to make a name for themselves.

result.

With a slight move, Xun You tricked Guo Tu and his two companions into splitting their forces.

Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong found nothing at Yanjin, while Yan Liang was nearly beheaded at Baima.

Since Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong failed to achieve any merit, they could not share Ju Shou's military power, and Yuan Shao's plan to divide Ju Shou's authority into three parts had to be shelved.

If Ju Shou hadn't feigned illness and refused to see Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao wouldn't have had a legitimate reason to divide Ju Shou's military power.

Having suffered a great loss, Guo Tu, after much painful reflection, intended to proceed cautiously and steadily across the river. However, Yan Liang exposed his shortcomings and slandered him, which made Guo Tu so angry that his liver ached.

"It was my fault for not seeing through Cao Cao's plan to divide his troops; but Cao Cao's army was already within twenty miles of your camp when you discovered it. Wasn't that due to your arrogance and carelessness?"

"Being careless is one thing. As long as you hold your ground and wait for reinforcements before retreating, Cao Cao's small force can't do anything to you. But you insisted on relying on your martial prowess and insisted on confronting Cao Cao head-on. How can you blame me for your defeat?"

"Guo Jia is merely a guest in my household, not my nephew or son. What does Guo Jia's appointment as Cao Cao's military advisor have to do with me?"

Guo Tu exposed his weakness, and Yan Liang was furious: "I was arrogant and careless? I was overconfident in my martial prowess? If you and Chunyu Qiong hadn't taken away most of the troops, leaving me outnumbered, would I have been defeated?"

Chunyu Qiong, who had been watching the play from the sidelines, was immediately displeased when Yan Liang addressed him by his given name: "When the late emperor was alive, I was the Right Colonel, and I belonged to the Western Garden Army along with the General. General Yan, it is far too impolite of you to address me by my given name."

Yan Liang laughed disdainfully: "Chunyu Qiong, don't take yourself too seriously. Of the former Eight Colonels of the Western Garden, you're the worst off. Even Cao Cao has become Minister of Works, and you still have to be a vanguard with me."

Chunyu Qiong was both ashamed and annoyed.

Of the eight colonels of the Western Garden, only Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Chunyu Qiong have survived to this day.

However, Yuan Shao was a Grand General and Cao Cao was a Minister of Works, and both were the most powerful warlords of their time.

Only Chunyu Qiong.
Unable to win a fight or a verbal battle, Chunyu Qiong was filled with shame and anger, and was at a loss for words.

In the end, Liu Bei couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up to stop the argument.

"General Zuo, do you think it is permissible to cross the river tonight?" Wen Chou stared at Liu Bei and brought up the issue that everyone was arguing about.

Liu Bei did not take the bait: "General Wen is the commander-in-chief, and the decision on whether to cross the river should be made by General Wen; but my men are tired and need to rest on the north bank tonight."

The implication is: You go ahead and do your thing, don't ask me, I'm not going to help you.

Wen Chou did not get the answer he wanted, and sneered: "Although General Zuo is traveling with us, the General has promised that General Zuo will not be bound by us. Tonight, we will lead our troops across the river. General Zuo can stay if he wants, I will not force him. But if we capture Cao Cao alive, General Zuo must not share the credit."

Capture Cao Cao alive?

With just the two of you?

Liu Bei secretly scoffed, but clasped his hands in a fist and laughed, "If General Wen can capture Cao Cao alive and achieve an unparalleled feat, I will certainly prepare a feast to celebrate!"

　Asking for monthly ticket
　　
　
(End of this chapter)