Lord in the Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 157: Yuan Shu’s Intentions

Jingzhou.

Nanyang County, Prefectural Mansion.

On a high seat, there sat a man dressed in a deep purple brocade robe, with auspicious clouds embroidered on the cuffs.

He exuded an indescribable air of wealth and nobility.

This man was none other than Yuan Shu, the Prefect of Nanyang, and the legitimate son of the Yuan family, one of the three prominent families. He was no less significant than Yuan Shao in the north.

However, Yuan Shu was currently in a terrible mood, as if a dark cloud was hanging over his head.

He furrowed his narrow brows and angrily swept the food container on the table, sending the wine vessel flying, crashing to the ground.

He exclaimed furiously:

"Ah!!!"

"Damn it!!!"

"Yuan Shao is just a nobody! A servant!! How can he occupy the entire Ji Province with his limited abilities!!!"

"It would have been fine if he just took Ji Province! When I sent someone to ask for a few thousand good horses from the Northern lands, he refused!!"

"It infuriates me!!!"

"This nobody! This servant!! Ahhh!!!"

Yuan Shu roared in madness, his face contorted, veins bulging.

This was because Yuan Shu’s recent attempt to request several thousand warhorses from Yuan Shao was rejected.

Learning of this news, the proud Yuan Shu could not contain his rage!

He was furious that a mere illegitimate son like Yuan Shao could occupy the entire Ji Province!

He was angry at Yuan Shao’s ingratitude!

How could he refuse when all he wanted was a few thousand warhorses!

After taking a deep breath to calm his inner anger, he silently vowed: "Yuan Shao, oh Yuan Shao! From now on, I will never stand by your side!"

"And that neighbor, Long Chen!! This despicable outsider can even occupy three counties!!!"

"After conquering Jingzhou, I will personally lead the army to attack your Jiujiang County and capture you, this nobody!!!"

Then,

Yuan Shu asked the officials below, his tone cold:

"What about the matter of borrowing grain from the Governor of Jingzhou, Liu Biao, a few days ago? Did he agree?"

The Chief Clerk Yan Xiang stepped forward and respectfully replied:

"My lord, Liu Biao politely refused the matter."

Yan Xiang thought the lord would be furious, but he didn’t expect Yuan Shu to calmly nod.

This surprised Yan Xiang.

When did the lord become so composed!?

However,

Yuan Shu’s next move almost made him fall over.

He stroked his beautiful beard and said solemnly:

"Very well! Very well indeed!"

"With this, we have an excuse to attack Jingzhou with Wen Tai!!"

He even smiled.

This revelation shocked the officials.

They didn’t expect that the lord had long had the intention to attack Jingzhou, and this time’s grain request was just a pretext.

Indeed,

If Liu Biao had truly given Yuan Shu the two hundred thousand grains, Yuan Shu would only curse Liu Biao for being as stupid as a pig in his heart, rather than feel a shred of gratitude.

Instead, he would intensify his demands. After asking for grain this time, he might ask for money next time, and then soldiers and generals the next!!!

Upon learning of Yuan Shu’s intentions, the officials admired the meticulousness of the lord’s thoughts even more!

Of course, the most excited were generals like Ji Ling and Chen Ji.

War meant merits, and merits meant promotion and wealth...

Yuan Shu pondered for a moment, his eyes rolling, as his sinister schemes gradually formed in his mind.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, showing a hint of cunning!

First, he ordered the officials to leave, then he singled out his most trusted counselors, Yan Xiang and Yang Hong, to stay.

In a deep voice, he asked:

"I intend to seize Jingzhou to counter Yuan Shao in Ji Province!"

"However, I am unwilling to let my soldiers suffer heavy losses. Do you have any good ideas?"

Yan Xiang and Yang Hong were lost in thought.

But in their hearts, they were complaining, "Wow, the lord just wants to get the pie for free!"

Seeing that the two counselors had no good ideas for the moment, Yuan Shu revealed his plan.

"I intend to let Sun Wentai, the fierce tiger of Jiangdong, act as our sharp knife to attack Jingzhou. When the two sides are deadlocked, I will send troops to capture it!"

"What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Hong’s eyes lit up, and he praised:

"My lord is truly wise and brave!!"

"With such a brilliant strategy, we can kill two birds with one stone. First, we weaken Sun Jian’s strength, laying the foundation for capturing Changsha County in the future! Second, by letting Sun Jian and Liu Biao fight each other, we can reap the benefits!"

As Yuan Shu listened to this, he stroked his beard complacently, feeling full of self-satisfaction.

In his heart, he thought, "Humph! Yuan Shao, you are just a servant of my Yuan family! When I take down Jingzhou, I will attack your Ji Province next!!"

"And Long Chen in the east, you can’t escape either..."

Changsha County.

Sun Jian furrowed his brows as he looked at the letter in his hand.

It was sent by an envoy from Yuan Shu in Nanyang County.

"...You are the fierce tiger of Jiangdong, renowned throughout the land. Yet Liu Biao, that fellow, fails to recognize your talent and military prowess,

letting you languish in Jingzhou...

Given Yuan Shao’s close relationship with Liu Biao...

You can quickly mobilize your troops to the west to attack Liu Biao, while I will block Yuan Shao to the north.

I can also provide you with fifty thousand units of grain!

You take Jingzhou, I take Jizhou. Don’t miss this opportunity!"

After reading it, Sun Jian placed the letter heavily on the table and fell into contemplation.

To be honest, Sun Jian also had ambitions. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have killed the former Governor of Jingzhou, Wang Rui.

Originally, he was prepared to take over the governorship of Jingzhou himself. However, unexpectedly, Dong Zhuo appointed Liu Biao as the Governor of Jingzhou.

Moreover, Sun Jian was not from a prominent family, and he had no prestige in Jingzhou to convince the other noble families.

He also lacked the administrative means to win the trust of the people of Jingzhou, so he had to let it go.

Now, Yuan Shu had given him another chance and provided a large amount of grain.

This was a great opportunity!

Soon after,

Sun Jian gathered with his advisors, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang, and others, to discuss.

Cheng Pu clasped his fists and said, "Yuan Shu is very cunning, and his sincerity cannot be fully trusted."

Sun Jian replied, "I wanted to conquer Jingzhou myself. How could I expect Yuan Shu to lead troops to assist me?"

"Besides, this time Yuan Shu is sincere, and the fifty thousand units of grain have already been delivered."

"I don’t need to worry about cooperating with Yuan Shu and then suddenly having our grain cut off as it happened before when we attacked Sishui Pass!"

Immediately, he ordered Huang Gai to arrange warships by the river and load them with weapons and grain.

The large ships would carry warhorses, while the small boats would carry grain.

He planned to set out in a few days.

The spies in Jingzhou’s waters learned of this and reported to Liu Biao.

Liu Biao was shocked and immediately summoned the civil and military officials of Jingzhou for discussion.

The Chief Clerk, Kuai Liang, lightly waved his feather fan and said:

"My lord, there is no need to worry."

"Let Huang Zu lead the troops from Jiangxia as vanguard, while you personally lead the forces from Jingxiang as reinforcements."

"Sun Jian is coming across the river and lake. How could we give him a chance to use force?"

Liu Biao nodded, stroking his slightly whitened beard.

Yes! What the Chief Clerk said is right!

The region of Jingxiang is full of lakes and rivers. When Sun Jian crosses the river and lake, we can ambush him in advance and defeat his troops effortlessly!

He immediately ordered Huang Zu to prepare and then raised a large army.

...

As for Long Chen.

Learning that Sun Jian was about to attack Jingzhou, Long Chen naturally felt a bit anxious.

Being well-versed in historical facts, he knew that once Sun Jian set out, he might never return!

He would be shot into a hornet’s nest by Huang Zu’s troops, and his army would also suffer a major defeat as a result.

The ultimate result of this would be that all of Sun Jian’s subordinates would be taken in by that Yuan Shu guy!

Allowing Yuan Shu to gain so many advantages for free!

If we delve deeper, it’s inevitable that Changsha County will eventually fall into the hands of Yuan Shu in nearby Nanyang County.

Since Long Chen’s Jiujian County is separated from Changsha County by Lujiang County, he naturally has no influence there!

What should be done about this!?

Long Chen paced back and forth on the steps.

It could be said that Sun Jian’s actions in this battle would directly expand Yuan Shu’s strength several times over!

Laying the foundation for Yuan Shu’s later dominance. freёwebnovel.com

Because in the Three Kingdoms period, many of Yuan Shu’s territories were captured with the help of Sun Jian’s former subordinates.

Watching Long Chen’s restless demeanor above, Guo Jia continued to leisurely sip his wine from the table.

Seeing his friend’s anxious state, Cao Zhi couldn’t help but nudge him.

In a low voice, he said, "Didn’t you hear that our lord is troubled? Why are you acting like this?"

They had also heard the words of the spy just now.

Seeing Long Chen so anxious, Cao Zhi was somewhat puzzled.

Hadn’t the outcome of the battle yet to be determined?

After all, Cao Zhi was not a person who had crossed over from another world, so it was difficult for him to predict the outcome.

Immediately, he nudged Guo Jia again and asked in a low voice, "Brother Feng, do you know what our lord is worried about?"

After finishing the wine in his cup, Guo Jia smiled and said, "Of course, he’s worried about Sun Jian’s defeat and Yuan Shu’s expansion..."

This seemingly casual response directly shocked both Cao Zhi and Long Chen in their tracks.

Cao Zhi gave Guo Jia a look,

"Brother Feng! Are you unaware of the power of the Tiger of Jiangdong? He’s unstoppable in battle, and he was all over the place during the Dong Zhuo campaign!"

"I think the odds of him winning or losing in the attack on Jingzhou are fifty-fifty. How did you come to the conclusion that he’s doomed to fail?"

"And besides! Even if you’re right that Sun Jian will be defeated, how will Yuan Shu grow stronger? After all, Jingzhou hasn’t been taken yet."

Long Chen listened carefully to their conversation.

He couldn’t help but admire Guo Jia’s incredible foresight,

What a genius!

Compared to Guo Jia, Cao Zhi was somewhat lacking in predictive ability.

But Long Chen understood.

After all, although Guo Jia and Cao Zhi were both five-star advisors, they excelled in different areas.

Cao Zhi was actually better at controlling the overall situation and handling internal affairs.

While Guo Jia excelled in clever strategies and quick wits! He was more proficient in tactical layouts.

Of course, his greatest strength lay in his foresight!

Just like in the Three Kingdoms period of his previous life, Guo Jia accurately predicted that the ultimate winner between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao would be Cao Cao.

He came up with the "Ten Wins, Ten Losses" theory!

And he also accurately predicted that Sun Ce would die at the hands of an assassin.

It was truly terrifying!

Long Chen bowed and asked for advice:

"I wonder if Fengxiong has any good strategies to offer?"

Guo Jia waved his feather fan, rose from his seat, and walked slowly to Long Chen’s side, lowering his voice deeply:

"Do you dare to be ruthless enough, Lord?"

"I heard that you have a good relationship with Sun Jian,

I want to ask, would you be able to tolerate Sun Jian’s death?"

His eyes were as sharp as an incredibly sharp sickle!!

Chilling!

After a moment of contemplation,

Long Chen took a deep breath and nodded firmly in the end.

Seeing this, Guo Jia finally nodded in relief.