Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 41 The Young Master Yuan Arrives in Mourning Clothes
Five miles away, Yuan Shu's central army was located.

When the scouts responsible for monitoring the movements of Liu Xun and others reported that the vanguard army seemed to be engaged in battle with Cao Cao's army, they could hear the deafening shouts of battle from afar.

Yuan Shu's face lit up with joy; he had been waiting for a long time.

Therefore, Liu Xun, Lei Bu, and Chen Lan were ordered to lead their trusted confidants as bait, waiting for the three generals to join the battle with Cao Cao's army. When they were less than five miles away, a light cavalry charge would be swift and effective.

Even if Cao Cao's army has some experts who can see through the bait, what can they do if they don't bite?
You don't want to fight, but Liu Xun and his men will fight you! He gave Liu Xun and his men a death order to be the first to breach the city.

However, things took an unexpected turn. Yuan Shu never imagined that he, who was essentially offering himself up for death, would encounter a six-way surrender, with the enemy surrendering even faster than he had.

He ordered me to stay behind, and good news was reported every day, such as Lei Bu leading three hundred men to break through the city in one fell swoop, and Chen Lan capturing three counties in one day.

The rumors became increasingly exaggerated, and in a short period of time, they had already captured fourteen cities in Yingchuan.

Yuan Shu couldn't help but wonder, who exactly was the strategist behind Cao Cao's army?
Could it be that he's using such a vicious scheme to make Lei and Chen inherit the title of Peerless General, so that he can laugh at them to death?

Despite the laughter, when Yuan Shu actually took over those fourteen ravaged counties, he understood Cao Cao's intentions.

The nearly empty city walls, the starving people waiting to be fed, the people's pleas mixed with blood and bones, were crushed into dust by Cao Cao's army.

And so, pairs of expectant eyes turned south with eager anticipation, looking toward him, the great general of the Han Dynasty, the loyal and virtuous man!

They knelt down and bowed, weeping as they welcomed the royal army.

At that moment, Yuan Shu knew that if he accepted the fourteen cities of Yingchuan, it would be equivalent to supplying not only the 100,000 troops with the grain he had transported from Runan, but also maintaining the livelihood of the people of Yingchuan.

He had already seen through this plan to deplete their supplies.

His supplies will burn at a terrifying speed. Cao Cao's army will not need to risk intercepting the supplies, and the supplies will only burn faster and more fiercely than the fire!
If he ignores the situation and watches helplessly as the people of Yingchuan starve to death under his rule, he will lose the hearts of the people and cause them to resent him.

They were greeted by the lowly officials kneeling before the city walls, and heard shouts of "In accordance with the General's order, surrender the city!"

Yuan Shu felt as if he were seeing the strategist of Cao Cao's army whom he had never met before, dressed in plain white clothes and spotless, walking out from the people who were suffering in dire straits.

He slowly placed the two items on the scales and asked him with a smile:

[Respectfully inquiring about the General's well-being.]

Provisions, or popular support? Please, General, offer your opinion.

Yuan Shu laughed too, and he snatched the scales away!
With a well-trained army and abundant resources, a steady stream of grain supplies arrived from Runan, providing sustenance for the people of the fourteen cities.

But Yuan Gonglu's grain wasn't given away for nothing. He immediately summoned Yang Hong and decided to provide work relief, with the amount of food given based on the amount of work done.

Although Cao Cao's army had taken away all the able-bodied men, in times of chaos, most of the able-bodied men were conscripted into the army anyway.

Therefore, when the old, weak, women and children in the city heard that the general was willing to give them food so that they could survive, they were grateful for Yuan Gong's kindness and worked hard.

Under Yang Hong's repeated praise of "My Lord's brilliant plan," the people of the fourteen cities, according to their physical strength and abilities, decided to participate.

Each was assigned tasks such as constructing defensive works, bunkers, outposts, roads, and beacon towers; repairing water conservancy projects, reclaiming wasteland, and establishing military farms; manufacturing siege equipment and transporting supplies.

Yingchuan Commandery was a fertile land, and Yuan Shu took advantage of this opportunity to use the work-for-relief program to thoroughly transform the area into a stable military and agricultural base.

At that time, numerous bunkers and outposts were closely connected, with beacon towers in front to report messages and roads behind to continuously transport troops and supplies. The people were grateful for the life-saving grace, and the hearts of the people were with them.

In the future, let alone fighting back to reclaim lost territory, this Yingchuan, which you handed over with your own hands, will be a nightmare that strangles Cao Cao's army and never goes away.

During this period, Liu Xun, along with Lei Bu and Chen Lan, led the attack on the front lines, capturing fourteen cities in succession, while Yuan Shu governed the rear, ensuring the well-being of the people and undertaking large-scale infrastructure construction.

With Zhou Yu as advisor and Yang Hong as executor, Yuan Shu's envisioned series of "work-for-relief" policies were efficiently and rationally implemented in Yingchuan and other places in a short period of time.

It was only at this moment that he finally heard the news that the vanguard army was engaged in battle with the enemy.

Yuan Shu's expression brightened, and he immediately ordered his army to attack, seizing the opportunity to launch a surprise attack and vowing to defeat the Cao traitor. They hadn't gone far when they heard shouts of battle filling the air, and hundreds of men charged forward with overwhelming momentum.

Upon closer inspection, the banner bore the characters "Lei" and "Chen".

If it's not Lei Bu or Chen Lan, then who is it?

What a scoundrel! Has he really rebelled?

Just as Yuan Shu was about to give the order, Lei and Chen rode out from their troops and rushed to his side, their eyes filled with sorrow and they cried out in grief.

"My lord, Cao Cao's army is treacherous. We were unfortunately ambushed, which led to General Liu's death. We have come here to beg for forgiveness!"

Yuan Shu: ? ? ?
After hearing their account of what happened, Yuan Shu felt very disappointed in Cao Cao's army.

Lei Bu and Chen Lan only have a few hundred people. They watched helplessly as Lei Bu and Chen Lan fled with their bodies bruised and bloodied. How could you bear not to chase after them?
If anyone were to leave the city to pursue them, he would arrive with his army in no time to avenge the heroic deaths of Generals Lei and Chen.

It seems that we'll have to rely on that horse archer to deliver the kill.

However, given Lei and Chen's achievements in capturing fourteen cities, it would be inappropriate to punish and kill them.

In just a moment, Yuan Shu's expression changed, from bewilderment and shock to deep sorrow.

"Liu Xun is my beloved general!"
"Now that one of my most trusted generals has been lost, and our commander is dead, how dare you all return?"

He cursed and gave the order in a cold voice.

"Considering your past merits, and given that you are both temporarily suspended from your posts, you will serve as my personal guards to atone for your crimes and observe your future conduct."

Lei Bu and Chen Lan thought they had finally passed the vanguard test and were overjoyed to hear the news.

They felt that their lord had appointed them as personal guards, which meant that he was a trusted confidant and that he did not treat them as outsiders.

The so-called suspension of duties is probably just to give an explanation for Liu Xun's death, and he will soon be reinstated to his original position.

Thinking of this, Lei Bu and Chen Lan quickly bowed and knelt down.

"Thank you, my lord!"

For Yuan Shu, with Xu Chu and Zhou Tai in command of his personal guards, and with them right under his nose, there was no way he could cause any trouble.

Instead, suspending their duties would allow them to smoothly reorganize and assimilate all of Liu Xun, Lei Bu, and Chen Lan's troops.

As for the two of you...
His gaze was meaningful, indicating to Lei and Chen that they didn't need to be so polite.

If there is another opportunity like this to face the archers, I will certainly think of you again and teach you to become famous throughout the world.

On this day, at the foot of Yangdi City.

The young master of the Yuan family arrived dressed in white mourning clothes.

He led an army of 100,000, with Liu Xun's main force of 10,000 troops in Lujiang as the vanguard, all wearing white turbans and pointing their swords at Yangdi.

"I swear to avenge Liu Qing's blood feud!"

His eyes were clear and divine, and no one dared to look directly at him.

"I point my sword at this city, with my three armies and their spears following. Even a million-strong army can be defeated!"

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(End of this chapter)