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

Chapter 51: Guo Fengxiao, Yuan Shu's strategist?
Not long after, following Zhou Yu's instructions, Jiang Gan went to find Generals Lei and Chen.

He entered the tent and saw the two men drinking alone, looking depressed. He probed them and found that, as Zhou Yu had said, the two men harbored resentment towards Yuan Shu because their military power had been taken away.

Isn't that right?

Lei Bu and Chen Lan originally thought that serving as personal guards was a way of showing their closeness to Liu Xun and was just a way to give an explanation for Liu Xun's death, and that they would soon be reinstated to their original positions.

But after so much time has passed, not only has his official position not been secured, but he has also heard that his own troops have been completely reorganized and subdued by his lord.

Well, let's not talk about it anymore. From now on, he'll probably be just a common soldier. In a short time, he went from being a trusted confidant of the lord to a powerful regional official, holding great power in his hands.

Having been reduced to two ordinary personal guards, and being ordered around by Xu Chu and Zhou Tai, how could they not feel resentment?

Yuan Shu used a trick to have the two of them deceive Jiang Gan, pretending to express their resentment towards him and their determination to betray their allegiance and defect to Cao Cao.

When they heard these instructions, Lei Bu and Chen Lan were completely stumped.

Does this thing even need to be faked or lied to?
No acting skills, just pure emotion!
These days, anything can happen. Look at the schemes you've devised, my lord.

If you asked the two of us to play famous generals from ancient times, no one would believe it. But if you asked us to play traitors?

That was truly his true nature.
Lei Bu and Chen Lan proudly raised their heads and replied: We will certainly live up to our lord's expectations!
In Yuan Shu's scheme, everyone in Yuan's camp played their part perfectly, speaking with utmost sincerity. Even if Xi Zhicai himself were to come, he would be defeated by this group.

So, looking at the two generals Lei and Chen in front of him, who were filled with righteous indignation, passionate and stern towards Yuan Shu!

Jiang Gan was deeply moved!

This...this doesn't seem like acting at all! Every single incident, big or small, is presented with reason and evidence!

Lei and Chen were even able to produce evidence that they had been smuggling military equipment and supplies for several years, helping Liu Xun to establish his own rebellion, and presented it to him.

This...you're telling me this was prepared years in advance? Just to fool yourself today?

impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Lei Bu and Chen Lan had clearly been preparing for this for many years and had long harbored rebellious intentions!
Why would he need to lobby?

These two are practically traitors!

Jiang Gan warmly grasped their hands, feeling as if they had known each other for a long time.

"General Lei, General Chen, I have heard that a wise man keeps his talents hidden until the right time to act."

Today, Yuan Gonglu is jealous of talent and short-sighted, causing you all to have great talent and ambition but unable to fulfill your aspirations, and thus become mere soldiers.

My lord Cao Cao is different. He is a man of great talent and strategy, and he treats the virtuous and talented with respect. He has won the hearts of many throughout the land.

The time is ripe. If you two generals surrender, my lord will surely entrust you with important responsibilities, appoint you as supreme generals to command 100,000 troops, and sweep across the world. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
If one can abandon darkness and embrace light, and restore order to the world, then one will achieve great success and be remembered in history. Why not do it?

Lei Bu and Chen Lan were overjoyed upon hearing this, and bowed deeply with sincere gratitude.

"It's my wish, but I don't dare to ask for my ear!"

The three hit it off immediately and agreed to raise an army to help Zhou Yu and Sun Ce in three days, and to work together on a great cause.

In reality, Lei and Chen were merely putting on a show for Jiang Gan, but deep down they were also helpless.

Jiang Ziyi! You said you had this good deed of defecting to Cao Cao, why don't you tell us privately?

Now you're coming here openly as an envoy, are you afraid my lord won't know?
He heard that you, Jiang Ziyi, were coming, so he called us over early to give you instructions and make arrangements.

Now that we both know this is his scheme, are we really going to follow you and jump into the pit?
As the three were chatting happily, a soldier came to summon them:
"Mr. Jiang, when Mr. Yuan learned that you had woken up, he was eager to invite you over for a chat."

Jiang Gan's heart sank; he knew what was coming was bound to happen.

Zhou Gongjin was right. Yuan Shu valued him highly. He was about to have a long talk with this man-eating devil by candlelight and sleep side by side with him.

Jiang Gan silently encouraged himself and laboriously made his way towards Yuan Shu's tent.

Even though he had prepared himself mentally, the moment Jiang Gan lifted the curtain and entered, he trembled all over and turned pale.

In the center stood a huge bronze cauldron, with boiling and bubbling soup. It was impossible to see what was being cooked, but next to the cauldron lay several naked corpses of Cao Cao's soldiers.

Jiang Gan's face turned ashen instantly. Just then, Yuan Shu's hideous, terrifying face, like that of a demon, appeared before him with a smile. "I know that Mr. Jiang has not eaten or drunk anything since he came to my camp, so I have set out this cauldron to help alleviate your hunger."

Though it is not a delicacy, it is merely a token of my appreciation. I hope you will not take offense.

Being distant? Is this something to be distant about?

The thought of sharing food and drink with this devilish figure made Jiang Gan feel dizzy and disoriented. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

Yuan Shu: "."

Although Gongjin said you were timid, you're still too easily frightened.

He ordered his soldiers to carry Jiang Gan into the inner bed to rest, and Yuan Shu summoned Yang Hong, inviting him with a slight smile.

“My son Bofu has hunted this deer and presented it to me today. Ziyi is not fortunate enough to enjoy it. I will share it with you, sir.”

Hong Yi smiled and said, "How could I dare refuse your kindness, my lord?"

The two took venison from the cauldron to accompany their wine, and during the feast, they finalized their arrangements for the night.

In the dead of night, Jiang Gan was jolted awake by a nightmare, and in his dazed state, he stared blankly at the top of the tent.

Upon seeing the brocade and extravagance of the tent, he realized that he seemed to have fainted again in front of Yuan Shu.

Just as he was trying to come up with a reason—that he had suffered from this fainting spell in his childhood—he suddenly heard voices coming from the banquet hall outside, behind a screen.

There were two voices. Jiang Gan didn't know one of them, but he remembered the other one very well. How could he forget him?

It was Yuan Shu!

"My lord, there is another secret report from the north, a letter from the military advisor."

"Fengxiao? His last letter just arrived, and I haven't even finished reading it yet. How come another letter has come?"

"The letter is urgent! It may be related to Yuan Shao's attempt to kidnap the emperor."

"Speak softly."

Jiang Gan sensed that someone was watching him from outside, so he quickly closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

All that was heard was:

"Who is sleeping on the bed? The strategist's secrets concern the foundation of our lord's great cause; they must not be leaked in the slightest. It would be better to silence him as a precaution."

Jiang Gan: ? ? ?
Is this truly a den of iniquity, where people kill to silence anyone they dare to do? He was terrified, lying motionless on the bed.

Then Yuan Shu replied:

"This is Jiang Ziyi. I invited him to a banquet, but he fainted from being moved and is now resting on my bed."

The doctor has already examined her; she has indeed fainted, and it is not feigned.

"Indeed, this is not a place to discuss confidential matters. Please, my lord, come to my tent to discuss this."

【"good."】

After the two footsteps faded into the distance, Jiang Gan cautiously opened his eyes again. Seeing that no one was around, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.

The moonlight streamed through the curtains, casting a soft glow. A bronze candlestick leaned precariously beside the desk, its flickering flame illuminating several scrolls of documents piled on the table.

The jade box on the corner of the table was half-open, revealing several seals that Yuan Shu often used when reviewing memorials.

Jiang Gan thought of the document hidden close to his body inside his robe. It was Zhou Yu's forgery of the General's Order to release Sun Ce, and now it was just waiting to be stamped.

Thinking of the purpose of his trip to Yuan's camp and remembering the entrustment of his classmate Zhou Lang, Jiang Gan gritted his teeth and made up his mind. He got up and went to the table to search.

(End of this chapter)