Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Ma Chao's eyes brightened, his previous doubts vanished, and he said in a clear voice, "Yes, sir, your words have enlightened me. I had many questions in my mind, and since you are here today, let's discuss them properly—what is the recent situation in the Central Plains? And how should our Western Liang plan for the future?"

Li Ru bowed respectfully, his tone calm and composed: "Since Your Majesty has given the order, Li Ru will do his utmost and speak without reservation."

Ma Chao nodded, stood up and said, "Let's go to the council hall."

Stepping out of the study, a cold wind swirled snowflakes across the eaves, rustling against the windowpanes. Ma Chao glanced up at the leaden sky; a snowflake landed on his brow, instantly melting into a water droplet. He said in a deep voice to the guards standing at the door, "Go and relay my orders: Xu Shu, Jia Xu, and Lu Su, along with Generals Zhang Liao, Zhang Xiu, Pang De, and Xu Huang, are to immediately await them in the council hall."

The guard clasped his hands in acknowledgment, turned and stepped across the corridor covered with a thin layer of snow. His footsteps were quickly swallowed by the wind and snow and disappeared around the corner.

Ma Chao adjusted his sable cloak and said to Li Ru beside him, "Let's go, let's go over there first. You can tell me how Zhang Yan of Black Mountain surrendered."

Li Ru responded, and the two walked side by side on the bluestone slabs under the eaves. Snowflakes drifted in from outside, landing on Li Ru's shoulders, but he seemed oblivious, preoccupied with replying: "That's a long story. Back then, Yuan Shao sent his eldest son, Yuan Tan, along with Yan Liang, with an army of 10 to invade Tongguan..."

Passing through an ornate moon gate, the scene suddenly brightened. The snow in the courtyard had piled up thicker, and several figures were frolicking in it—Zhang Fubao, wearing a pale yellow cloak, was directing the building of a snowman, while Zhen Mi stood to the side. Beside her, Ma Guan, Ma Xiang, Jiang Wei, and several other children were throwing snowballs at each other, their laughter echoing like silver bells across the snow.

Ma Chao paused, a faint smile unconsciously playing on his lips. He recalled the days of fighting on the grasslands; when had he ever seen such a scene? The snow back then was always mixed with the smell of blood, unlike this clean snow, where even the children's laughter sounded sweet.

"Let them make a scene," Ma Chao said in a low voice, leading Li Ru quietly around to the other side of the corridor without disturbing them. Snowflakes fell on his hair, but he seemed oblivious, listening as Li Ru continued, "It just so happens that Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Army, having heard of Your Majesty's renown, led his desperate army to Chang'an seeking a way to survive..."

As they spoke, they arrived outside the council hall. From afar, they could hear the sound of bamboo slips being turned, indicating that Xu Shu and the others had arrived. Ma Chao straightened his clothes and pushed open the door. The wind and snow were shut out, and the warm atmosphere inside the hall, carrying the scent of ink, wafted over, dispelling the chill that had gripped him.

"My lord." The crowd rose and bowed, their voices echoing in the hall.

Ma Chao waved his hand, and everyone took their seats. He said, "Gentlemen, are you all sober up by now?" Everyone chuckled.

Ma Chao gestured to Li Ru and said, "We've been fighting on the grasslands for two years, and we don't know the specifics of the war in the Central Plains. Let's have Mr. Li Ru tell us what the Central Plains are like now?"

Li Ru cleared his throat, walked to the huge map hanging on the wall, tapped the prefectures and counties on the map with his fingertips, and said in a deep voice: "Yuan Shao now occupies the four prefectures of You, Ji, Qing and Yan, with the largest territory and the most powerful army. He can be said to be the most powerful warlord in the world today."

He pointed his finger toward Bingzhou, then changed the subject: "Some time ago, Gongsun Zan of Bingzhou launched a feigned attack on Youzhou, but he has already retreated, which was probably just a test."

Then, he pointed to Qingzhou, adding a touch of analysis to his tone: "Yuan Shao has already appointed his eldest son Yuan Tan as the governor of Qingzhou, which now borders Xuzhou. Cao Cao's son Cao Ang has just led his army to conquer Xuzhou. As a result, the borders of Qingzhou and Xuzhou are now adjacent, and I'm afraid there will be a war between these two provinces soon."

He pointed to Youzhou on the map: "Yuan Shao has again appointed his second son, Yuan Xi, as the governor of Youzhou. When Gongsun Zan attacked Youzhou last time, Yuan Xi did not show any outstanding qualities. His command was mediocre, and he had no extraordinary strategies."

Li Ru withdrew his hand, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall, and slowly said, "Just looking at how he hastily enfeoffed his two sons to each govern a province before he had even achieved great things, we can already see the signs. The secret report from Ji Province says that Yuan Shao's three sons have always been at odds, openly and secretly fighting each other for power and profit, which is already an open secret."

He nodded slightly, his tone resolute: "Therefore, although Yuan Shao is currently the most powerful warlord, he is not a threat. Signs of internal division are already evident, and the power struggle among his three sons will inevitably deplete his foundation. When internal strife arises, that will be the time when his power declines."

His words were clear and logical, thoroughly dissecting the hidden dangers beneath Yuan Shao's seemingly powerful facade. Those in the hall listened and nodded in agreement, their gazes towards the map now less filled with fear of Yuan Shao's power and more with understanding.

Li Ru lightly tapped Xuchang on the map with his fingertip, the candlelight reflecting the sharp glint in his eyes: "Look at Xuchang, everyone. It was once Cao Cao's base of operations, but now it has become a chessboard for various factions to vie for power."

He glanced at the crowd: "Yuan Shao, Lü Bu, and Liu Biao conspired to attack Cao Cao, hoping to dismantle his power in one fell swoop. Unexpectedly, although Cao Cao was defeated, he was able to quickly gather his remaining troops and instead allowed his eldest son Cao Ang to launch a surprise attack and seize Xuzhou. This move was incredibly risky. Lü Bu occupied Xuchang, seemingly gaining the upper hand, and then took Runan. However, his foundation was not yet stable, and he had to divide his troops to defend Xuchang, thus dispersing his forces. As a result, he lost his foothold in Xuzhou. In my opinion, this was a net loss for him."

“No.” Jia Xu stood up and replied, pointing his finger at Xuchang in the center of the map. “Although Lü Bu is brave but lacks strategy, he understands the principle of ‘holding the emperor hostage.’ Now that Liu Xie is in his hands, he has gained the same advantage as Cao Cao in holding the emperor hostage to command the other lords—even if the lords of the world are not convinced in their hearts, they still have to show some respect on the surface.”

Ma Chao, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke, his voice low and deep: "Now, the Han dynasty has weathered many storms." He tapped the table with his fingertips. "Liu Xie was previously controlled by Cao Cao, and now that Lü Bu has taken over, it's just one cage to another. If the warlords truly want to wage war, will they be restrained by a puppet emperor?"

“Your Majesty is absolutely right.” Jia Xu nodded. “But this ‘title’ is ultimately just a shield. When Lü Bu attacked Runan and defended Xuchang, he could act on the ‘Emperor’s edict,’ which gave him a legitimate reason to fight and reduced many obstacles. On the other hand, if Cao Cao lost Xuchang, he would ‘lose the emperor.’ If he were to launch another attack in the future, his cause would be illegitimate and his words would not be credible. This is Lü Bu’s advantage.”

Xu Shu asked, "Then Cao Cao ordered Cao Ang to take Xu Province. Does that mean he intends to abandon Xu City?"

“Not so.” Li Ru took over the conversation, his gaze sharp as a knife. “Xuzhou is strategically important, bordering Qingzhou to the north and Yangzhou to the south. Cao Cao sent Cao Ang to guard this place, firstly to stabilize the situation, and secondly to keep an eye on Huainan. If Lü Bu makes any move in Xudu, the Xuzhou troops can directly penetrate into the heart of Xudu. This is a brilliant move that allows for both offense and defense.”

Li Ru stroked his beard and laughed: "In the current situation, Xu Du is like a piece of fat meat, which Lü Bu has in his mouth, but it has attracted the attention of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao; while Xuzhou is Cao Cao's fangs, which he can pounce on and tear at at any time. Next, we will see who loses his temper first."

Li Ru moved his finger from Xuchang to the Jingzhou region, his brows furrowing slightly: "Liu Biao originally sent Liu Bei to assist in attacking Cao Cao. At that time, Liu Bei had already captured Yingchuan County and was in a good position. But no one expected that he would suddenly break with Liu Biao—not only did he hold Yingchuan to the death, but he also seized Nanyang County while Liu Biao was away defending Xiangyang. Now, outside Xiangyang, the uncle and nephew are fighting fiercely, and the heart of Jingzhou is in chaos."

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao's brows furrowed into a deep frown, and his fingertips unconsciously tapped the table: "Brother Xuande has always prided himself on being kind and upright, and would never betray his master without reason. There must be something fishy about this matter. Something must have happened on Liu Biao's side, forcing him to rebel."

Li Ru cupped his hands and replied, "What you say is absolutely right, my lord. I have already sent spies to infiltrate Jingzhou to investigate, but the situation in Xiangyang is complicated and Liu Biao has strictly blocked all information, so we have not been able to find out the truth so far."

"It's alright, just remember this." Ma Chao waved his hand, signaling him to continue.

Li Ru nodded, then pointed to Jiangdong, his fingertip landing heavily on the location of Nanhai Commandery: "As for Jiangdong, Sun Quan and Zhou Yu are relatively stable. However, according to secret reports, Sun Quan has taken advantage of the internal strife in Jiaozhou to launch an attack southward. He has now captured Nanhai Commandery, and his influence has extended to Lingnan."

“Sun Quan…” Ma Chao’s gaze suddenly sharpened like an eagle’s, landing on the map of Jiangdong, his knuckles turning slightly white from the pressure. A low murmur escaped his throat, carrying a chilling intent: “Sun Quan, that brat, dares to expand so much. I will definitely settle this score with Bo Fu next year.”

The moment the name "Bo Fu" was uttered, the council hall fell silent. Seeing the fierce glint in their lord's eyes, the generals knew this was no joke.

Zhang Liao was the first to stand up, placed his hand on his sword, clasped his fists, and said, "If my lord wishes to conquer Jiangdong, I am willing to be the vanguard, to flatten Jiangdong, and to avenge General Sun!"

"We, your humble servants, are willing to accompany our lord!" Xu Huang, Pang De, and the others rose in unison, the clanging of their armor making the candlelight flicker slightly. The atmosphere in the council hall suddenly turned grim, the composure they had displayed while discussing the situation in the Central Plains vanished, replaced by a fierce, pent-up energy—the bloodthirstiness of the Xiliang cavalry, the resolute determination to seek justice for their brothers.

Ma Chao raised his hand to signal everyone to calm down. "Let's remember the matter of Jiangdong for now." Ma Chao spoke slowly, his voice now steady. "Please continue, sir."

Li Ru's gaze swept over Ma Chao's solemn profile. Seeing that his fingertips were still lightly tapping in the Jiangdong territory, he softened his tone and turned the topic to the southwest: "The remaining one is Liu Zhang of Yizhou."

He pointed to Yizhou in the southwest corner of the map, his brows furrowing slightly: "In the two years that our lord has been leading troops in the grasslands, although the warlords of the Central Plains each have their own plans, there are always those who are concerned about the strength of my Western Liang. I thought that rather than letting them test us again and again, it would be better to show our strength first. Therefore, I had General Zhang Ren mobilize troops in Hanzhong, making it seem like we were going to attack Yizhou—in reality, it was just a show of force on the border, surrounding Baishui Pass, without actually harming the foundation of Yizhou."

He changed the subject, a faint smile playing on his lips: "But even this has terrified that old bastard Liu Zhang. I heard he hastily transferred 30,000 troops from Chengdu to garrison Fucheng, and even killed several strategists who advised him 'not to panic.' Now, the whole of Yizhou is in a state of panic."

"Zhang Ren did a good job." Ma Chao nodded.

Li Ru stroked his beard and said, "Liu Zhang is good at maintaining the status quo but not good at making progress. If we can frighten him, we can stabilize the southwestern border."

Ma Chao's gaze swept across the densely packed prefectures and counties on the map, from Youji to Jiangdong, from Jingxiang to Yizhou, and a clear outline gradually formed in his mind. This chessboard of the world, seemingly chaotic, was in fact permeated with the principles of checks and balances. Li Ru's bluff served as a warning to Liu Zhang and deterred other warlords from giving Xiliang a second glance.