Lu Bu: My wife comes from two thousand years later

Yuan Shao searched the entire military camp but couldn't find his son. He asked everyone, but no one had seen Yuan Shang. It was as if a healthy person had disappeared out of thin air, leaving no clues.

The two servants who took care of Yuan Shang were beheaded, and even the soldiers who were guarding the camp that day were executed by military law. The group of leading soldiers became even more secretive.

After losing and regaining, and losing again, Yuan Shao almost had a mental breakdown. It was not until the next afternoon that he received the news of the loss of Baixing and the news sent by Cao Cao that he was able to cheer up.

"The three roads leading to Hanoi are all controlled by the Bingzhou army. They want to trap our army in Shangdang. What should we do now?" Yan Liang asked.

Yuan Shao looked at Tian Feng and Ju Su with a tired expression.

Tian Feng said coldly, "What else can we do? We can still preserve our strength by retreating back to Jizhou as soon as possible."

Yuan Shao's face froze at his angry words. Ju Su quickly stepped forward and said, "While the situation is dire, it's not time to retreat. In my opinion, you have two options. One is to leave Hukou Pass alone and join forces with Cao's army at Baixing to encircle Zhang Liao's army. Destroy this force and we can then join forces with Cao. The other is to send troops as quickly as possible to capture Hukou Pass, first occupying the Shangdang Basin, and then march south to clear Taihang Xing. This will allow us to control Shangdang and connect with Henei."

Tian Feng sneered again, "That's easy to say. Once Lü Bu returns to Shangdang, our army will be attacked from both sides no matter where we attack."

Yuan Shao was wise again this time. After a brief thought, he made a decision: "According to your advice, I will leave 10,000 men to guard Hukou Pass, 10,000 to defend Sheguo to prevent Lü Bu from sending troops to Weijun, and the rest to defeat Zhang Liao at Baixing. I will first join forces with Meng De and then plan a retreat."

If he could make a decision earlier, no matter which of the two plans proposed by Ju Su was adopted, Lu Bu would either lose soldiers and generals or lose territory. However, it was too late. The next day, just as Yuan Shao had set up camp, scouts from Jinyang reported that Qu Yi was defeated, with more than 10,000 soldiers killed, and the rest all surrendered to Lu Bu with Qu Yi.

This news was definitely more shocking and infuriating to Yuan Shao than the loss of his son. He had a premonition that Qu Yi might be defeated. The worst-case scenario was that he would retreat to Changshan with a handful of remnants. But now, he actually surrendered? And surrendered with 20,000 soldiers?

This bolt from the blue hit Yuan Shao so hard that he couldn't recover for a long time. He felt a dull pain in his chest, dizziness in his head, and his body swayed twice, so he fell off his horse.

"Lord!"

Yan Liang rushed over to help him up, but saw blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, and then his eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness.

"Military doctor! Military doctor, come quickly! Quick!" Yan Liang shouted while pinching Yuan Shao's Ren Zhong. Others also gathered around, some breathing slowly, some crying.

Yuan Shao's personal military doctor quickly rushed over to take Yuan Shao's pulse. Yan Liang asked nervously, "How is it?"

The military doctor remained silent, observing Yuan Shao's expression for a moment before speaking, "Since that blood-vomiting incident two years ago, your lordship's heart has been damaged. Recently, you've experienced both great sorrow and great joy, and now, extreme anger has triggered this old illness. The situation isn't optimistic."

That year, Ye City was broken and Yuan Shao thought that all his family members had died. He was so angry and sad that he vomited blood and fell into a coma. Although he often suffered from minor illnesses in the past two years, he was generally healthy. However, in the past few months, he was first sad because Yuan Shang was boiled to death, and then he was happy because he lost and found him again. Then Yuan Shang disappeared again, which made him anxious for a day and a night without rest. He heard this bad news today, which finally caused his old illness to relapse.

"How can you not be optimistic?" Yan Liang asked anxiously.

The military doctor said, "From now on, rest well and avoid excessive emotional fluctuations. This may help prolong your life. If you continue to be tossed around and tired, or even suffer from mental stress, you may not live many years."

Everyone's faces turned pale after hearing this. How could they not be tired and exhausted in this position? How could they not worry and strain their minds?

"What should we do now?" Yan Liang held the unconscious Yuan Shao and looked at Ju Su and Tian Feng in confusion.

Tian Feng asked the military doctor, "Is there any way to wake the lord first?"

The military doctor nodded, and had Yuan Shao carried to the carriage. He gave him acupuncture, dissolved a pill, and drank it. After a while, Yuan Shao woke up in a daze.

It took him a while to remember what happened before he fell into a coma, and then he was stunned again.

Yuan Shao no longer had the energy to think about what to do next. He just felt a heaviness in his head and a dull pain in his chest.

"My lord, General Qu has surrendered. Judging from the time, Lu Bu will be able to return to Hukou Pass today. The military doctor said that your body cannot tolerate any more bumpy and tiring work, or it will damage your mind and spirit, otherwise it will shorten your life span. Do you think we should retreat to Yecheng or continue to send troops to Baixing?" Tian Feng asked briefly.

This time, Jizhou mobilized almost all its military forces to attack Bingzhou. Unexpectedly, not only did Qu Yi fail to capture Jinyang, but he also lost 40,000 people in one fell swoop. Now Yuan Shao still has 40,000 soldiers and horses under his command. It is no problem to retreat to Yecheng to defend Weijun. However, the other counties and counties of Jizhou will probably be taken by Lu Bu in the future. This is also the safest way to sacrifice the car to save the king.

If Yuan Shao continued to send troops to Baixing, he would have to bear the consequences of being attacked from behind by Lu Bu, and the final outcome would be unpredictable. In the best case, he might join forces with Cao Cao to attack Shangdang and force Lu Bu back to Taiyuan. In the worst case, he might not even be able to keep Weijun.

Yuan Shao remained silent. He truly didn't know what to do. This time, after mobilizing so many troops, he hadn't gained anything, and had lost Qu Yi and 40,000 soldiers. He was unwilling to retreat to Yecheng, but he lacked the courage to continue advancing. He didn't want to choose either path.

Everyone stood outside the carriage, silently awaiting his decision. Time ticked by. Just as Yuan Shao was about to speak, Ju Su stepped forward and, with a bow, said, "I have a plan. It will prevent Lü Bu from sending troops to Jizhou, thereby buying our lord some breathing space."

Yuan Shao's gray eyes lit up slightly, Yan Liang looked at Ju Su expectantly, and Tian Feng's gloomy expression also relaxed slightly.

Ju Su dismissed the crowd and whispered his plan. Yuan Shao immediately sat up, leaning against the shaft of the chariot, and said with some embarrassment, "This would mean abandoning Meng De."

Ju Su said, "Qu Yi was defeated and surrendered. Our army's retreat due to inability to resist does not constitute a breach of contract. We cannot consider so many things at this time. Whether he can hold Hanoi depends solely on his own ability."

Yuan Shao felt that this situation was familiar. Back then in Luoyang, he also listened to his uncle's words and abandoned them. If he followed Ju Su's method today, he would not only break the agreement, but might also let Lu Bu turn all his attention to Cao Cao.

"My lord, this is the safest method at the moment. If we continue to send troops, not to mention whether your health can withstand it, even if we capture Shangdang, what will happen? Our army has suffered heavy losses. As long as Lü Bu recovers, he can retake it at any time. Moreover, the gates to Changshan and other places are almost open to Bingzhou now. Taking Shangdang will achieve nothing except saving face. The most important thing right now is to prevent Lü Bu from attacking Jizhou."

Yuan Shao slowly tightened his grip on the shaft and shouted, "Entire army, return to Yecheng immediately!" He then took Ju Su's hand and solemnly instructed, "This matter is yours to handle. Be sure to do it quickly."

Ju Su bowed and said, "Don't worry, my lord. With the influence of the Yuan family and the help of the Hongnong Yang family, we will be able to accomplish this before Lü Bu sends his troops to Jizhou."

"Good! Good! If you can accomplish this, Gongyu will be the most meritorious official, and I will reward you handsomely."

Yuan Shao said excitedly, and Tian Feng's gloomy expression completely improved. I have to say, this trick of yours is really brilliant! I just hope that after this incident, my lord can learn a lesson and not be so indecisive again. With the strength of Jizhou, it will only take two years for it to make a comeback.