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

Chapter 74 Yuan Rang's betrayal? That's impossible!
The two men, one a traitor and the other a villain, were arguing fiercely. Yuan Shu, fearing they would continue arguing, noticed something amiss and quickly ordered his men to take them away separately for further action.

Only then did he have time to look at his troublesome adopted son.

At this moment, Yuan Yao was already in a panic because Yuan Shu had pointed at his teacher as a spy from Cao Cao's camp before he could even speak when they met.

He wholeheartedly obeyed his father's unspoken wishes, urging him to ascend the throne to please him and incidentally become the crown prince.

It felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, leaving him feeling completely chilled. He hung his head, listlessly huddled behind his good friend Lu Xun, not daring to look up at all.

Among the assembled officials, including members of the Yuan family who had eagerly come, who dared to speak of declaring himself emperor?

The situation just now was quite obvious. My lord has keen insight; Liu Ye and Liu Ziyang are clearly spies from Cao Cao's camp!
At this point, they are still advocating for Yuan Shao to become emperor. Aren't they afraid that the faction that delayed his ascension to the throne will categorize them as spies and accomplices in Cao Cao's camp, and openly accuse them of plotting treason and wanting to harm Yuan Shao?

The entire hall fell silent. The faction that had been brewing for a long time in Shouchun and was finally on the verge of becoming emperor had their plans ruined by an unexpected incident in which a spy from Cao Cao's camp led the charge. Not only did they fail to achieve their goal, but their arrogance was also crushed to the bottom. At least for the time being, no one dared to mention the matter of becoming emperor again.

Seeing Yuan Shu's gaze fall on Yuan Yao, and Yuan Yao too ashamed to look up, everyone else remained silent, but Lu Xun, who was being blocked by Yuan Yao, had no choice but to step forward.

"Teacher, Young Master Yuan Yao was only temporarily deceived by Liu Ye. Cao Cao is cunning, and he is still young."

However, Yuan Shu disagreed, instead narrowing his eyes slightly and nodding with a light laugh.

"Yao'er did a good job this time."

Yuan Yao: "???"

"Father, I...I didn't mean to, I just..."

Before he could explain, Yuan Shu impatiently raised his hand to stop him, picked up the three memorials that Liu Ye had previously presented, and spoke with a meaningful smile.

"It is true that Liu Ziyang of Huainan was a spy in Cao Cao's camp, but Liu Ye of Shouchun was a loyal and virtuous man of my Yuan family. The common people, scholars, and noble families all witnessed it with their own eyes and know it to everyone. His loyalty and courage in dying for his principles, his generosity and bravery, could not be false."

Yao'er is moved by his loyalty and righteousness, and has taken him as his teacher. This is excellent. From now on, you should study diligently every day, get closer to your teacher, and not let me down.

As far as Yuan Shu was concerned, it didn't matter whether you were a spy from Cao Cao's camp or not. Once you were on the pirate ship, you didn't expect to escape.
If a tutor of the crown prince welds you to Yuan's camp and sends people to watch you every day, how can you escape?

Even Xiahou Dun had his moments of use, let alone Liu Ziyang, such a great strategist?

As for whether Yuan Yao will be corrupted by Liu Ye? Well, his friend Lu Boyan is there to keep an eye on things.

Seeing that his father didn't seem angry at all, Yuan Yao quickly agreed.

"Father, don't worry, Yao'er will definitely study hard with the teacher."

Yuan Shu nodded slightly, then looked at one of the officials who was bowing his head deeply, pretending not to be seen.

"Jiang Ziyi!"

"My lord?" "I see that there seems to be a misunderstanding or rift between Xiahou Yuanrang and Liu Ziyang. You and Yuanrang came from the same camp as Cao Cao and have a close personal relationship, so go and persuade them."

Jiang Gan finally understood. This wasn't about clearing up the misunderstanding; it was about deepening it.

Fortunately, his eloquence was renowned throughout Jiangzuo, so persuading Liu Ziyang would be putting him in a difficult position.

But it wasn't difficult to fool Xiahou Dun, so he quickly agreed.

"Rest assured, my lord! I will do my best and live up to your expectations."

Before the farcical turmoil of proclaiming himself emperor even began, it had already subsided and vanished without a trace within Yuan's camp.

With no worries about the rear, Yuan Shu continued to relentlessly pursue and attack Xu County with his troops every day.

At this time, Xun You's 20,000 reinforcements arrived in Xu County, bringing the total number of soldiers to over 25,000, so the army was no longer in short supply.

Yuan's army, having divided 30,000 troops to Jiling, now has less than 70,000 men left. If they were to continue attacking the city in waves throughout the night as before, they would be in serious trouble.

Cao Cao's army could also take turns defending, unlike when they were able to expand their advantage in Yangdi City. Therefore, Yuan Shu changed his siege strategy, allowing the vast majority of his soldiers to rest peacefully at night.

However, he did not intend to let Xi Zhicai get a proper sleep. Therefore, every night, every so often, he would have a small group of soldiers make a commotion to attack the city, creating a great spectacle.

When Cao Cao's army is ready to defend, he will not actually attack. But if Cao Cao's army becomes complacent and thinks it is a feint, he will actually send troops to attack.

Amidst such deception and unpredictable changes, who in Cao Cao's camp could sleep soundly? Whenever Yuan's army launched a fierce attack on the city, even if it meant facing a dire situation, they had no choice but to get out of bed and defend the city with all their might.

However, most of the time it was just a feint attack. By waking up the soldiers again and again and not letting them sleep peacefully, how could the exhausted Cao army not complain about their commander?

The resentment in the army quickly reached Yue Jin's ears. He had been tormented these past few days and was just about to consult with his strategists when Xun You summoned him.

The strategists also wanted to advise Yue Jin on how to deal with Yuan's offensive.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the room, he saw that even Xi Zhicai, who was seriously ill in bed, had already gotten up, staring at a report with a solemn expression, and remained silent for a long time.

Xun You looked at him with a complicated expression, his voice carrying a hint of disbelief that he still couldn't believe.

"Xiahou Yuanrang has betrayed us."

Le Jin was greatly alarmed.

"What! This is impossible!!!"

(End of this chapter)