Chapter 92:

Chapter 92 - The Art of Conversation

After Yuan Shao finished cursing out Yuan Shu, Shen Pei asked, “My lord, what were our casualties?”

The Jizhou Army had formed a temporary alliance with Lu Bu in Yangzhou to jointly attack Yuan Shu.

With victory at the Huai River, their primary concern now was undoubtedly the losses sustained by their forces on the front lines.

If the casualties were high, there was a risk that even Yan Liang and Wen Chou might be left behind in Yangzhou, given Lu Bu’s notorious reputation for treachery.

Yuan Shao handed over the frontline report, his tone mixed as he said, “Fortunately, the casualties were not significant.”

Losing only thousands of soldiers for such a major victory could indeed be considered minimal. However, Yuan Shao couldn’t find it within himself to rejoice.

Initially, Yuan Shao had issued an imperial decree under the Emperor’s name, ordering Lu Bu to attack Yuan Shu. His aim was to weaken both sides, hoping they would exhaust each other’s military resources.

However, from the start, Lu Bu relentlessly advanced, capturing cities and expanding territory without suffering any defeats; his domain grew larger, and his forces swelled stronger with each battle.

In stark contrast, the Jizhou Army led by Yan Liang and Wen Chou achieved little success throughout the campaign.

Incredibly, during this final battle against Yuan Shu, Lu Bu achieved a decisive victory with minimal casualties, annihilating Yuan Shu’s army of sixty thousand soldiers!

It was as if divine intervention favored him!

After reading the latest report from the front lines, Feng Ji wore a concerned expression. “With Sun Ce already eyeing Yangzhou hungrily, and now Caesar Cao deploying his forces… My lord, we must urgently send reinforcements or risk missing out on potential gains.”

“Agreed,” Guo Tu chimed in, supporting Feng Ji’s view. “The situation in Yangzhou is becoming increasingly chaotic. Once Shouchun falls and the false emperor perishes, a major conflict will inevitably erupt.”

“The combined forces led by Generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou alone are insufficient to contend with Lu Bu, Cao Cao, and Sun Ce for control of Yangzhou. Immediate reinforcement is crucial; we cannot afford to miss this opportunity lest others reap what we’ve sown!”

Since Yuan Shu declared himself Emperor, Sun Ce completely disregarded Yuan Shao’s imperial edicts. While Lu Bu responded enthusiastically, instead of weakening him, it only bolstered his military strength.

All these complications arose because no one anticipated Yuan Shu’s swift defeat!

Currently, Yuan Shu was besieged by various armies at Shouchun, and once the city fell, it would ignite a fierce struggle for control over Yangzhou.

Sun Ce needed no further explanation; he had already swallowed vast territories from Yuan Shu, securing six commanderies east of the Jiang River, amassing formidable strength.

Cao Cao, backed by Yuzhou, had deployed a force of fifty thousand soldiers to join the fray, clearly harboring ill intentions.

As for Lu Bu… considering his impressive track record since the campaign against Yuan Shu began, even Yuan Shao’s strategists felt a sense of despair creeping in.

In comparison, Yan Liang and Wen Chou held the weakest position among them all!

Without reinforcements, Yuan Shao risked missing out entirely, only able to scavenge scraps left behind by others.

“My lord, we must not send additional troops!” Just as Guo Tu and Feng Ji finished speaking, Tian Feng sternly interjected, “Jizhou is far from Yangzhou, and hastily deploying more forces would be unwise.”

“Moreover, Gongsun Zan remains a threat in Yōuzhou. If we divert our main army to support Yan Liang and Wen Chou, any opportunistic attack by Gongsun Zan could have dire consequences!”

The initial deployment against Yuan Shu aimed to achieve two objectives:

First, to sever ties with him publicly, ensuring that everyone understood while Yuan Shu was a traitor, Yuan Shao remained loyal to the Great Han;

Secondly, to seize Yangzhou as an opportunity to bolster his own strength.

He had achieved the first objective, but complications arose with the second. With multiple factions now involved, the situation was chaotic. To contest control of Yangzhou, he would need to deploy significant reinforcements.

And therein lay the problem.

Yanzhou, Yuzhou, and Xuzhou separated Jizhou from Yangzhou. Launching large-scale military campaigns across such distances was strictly frowned upon by strategists, especially with Gongsun Zan lurking hungrily behind their base camp.

Adding more troops under these circumstances was clearly unwise.

Already irritable, Yuan Shao grew even more incensed at Tian Feng’s words. Slamming his hand on the table, he leaped to his feet. “Yuan Shu is my kinsman; Yangzhou rightfully belongs to me!”

“If I don’t reinforce our claim to Yangzhou, should I just sit idly by while Sun Ce, Cao Cao, Lu Bu, and their ilk carve up territory that rightfully belongs to the Yuan family?!”

“Tian Feng, what treacherous intentions do you harbor?!”

What belonged to Yuan Shu belonged to the House of Yuan, and thus ultimately to Yuan Shao himself. Yangzhou should have been his domain! How could he bear watching it fall into the hands of those deceitful villains?!

How could he bear to see Yangzhou fall into the hands of those treacherous villains?!

Unfazed by Yuan Shao’s fury, Tian Feng stiffened his neck and retorted, “I merely speak the truth! Sending reinforcements to Yangzhou not only risks losing soldiers and generals but also leaves our rear vulnerable to Gongsun Zan’s attacks, ultimately jeopardizing your lordship’s foundation! Please reconsider!”

“You— you!” Yuan Shao’s face trembled with rage as he glanced around, searching for his sword.

In that moment, all he wanted was to behead Tian Feng.

Realizing the situation was escalating, Jia Xu felt compelled to break his silence. He spoke up, “Great General, please calm down. Might I offer my thoughts?”

As one of Yuan Shao’s newly esteemed advisors, Jia Xu’s opinion carried significant weight. His words drew everyone’s attention, even easing some of Yuan Shao’s anger.

Yuan Shao took a deep breath and managed a strained smile. “Speak freely, Wenhe.”

Jia Xu calmly replied, “Whether to send reinforcements for Yangzhou boils down to weighing the pros and cons. We must consider if the benefits of securing Yangzhou outweigh the potential drawbacks of deploying troops there.”

Without hesitation, Yuan Shao responded, “Yangzhou is a prosperous region with abundant military resources and ample supplies. Capturing Yangzhou would provide us with a foothold in the Central Plains!”

“Moreover, as Yuan Shu’s elder brother, it is only right that his territories should pass to me. Why should they fall into the hands of those treacherous usurpers?”

With these words, the importance of Yangzhou became evident, and the benefits of seizing it were clear.

Jia Xu nodded. “The Great General speaks truly; capturing Yangzhou indeed offers significant advantages.”

“However, have you considered the implications even if we were to expend great effort and succeed? Yangzhou would remain merely an isolated territory, unable to effectively link with Bing, Jizhou, or Qingzhou.”

“Furthermore, Lu Bu, Cao Cao, Sun Ce, and even Liu Biao all covet Yangzhou from every direction. Can the Great General truly defend it?”

“If the Great General can ensure its defense, then reinforcing Yangzhou would be justifiable. As for Gongsun Zan, there is no need for concern; I have a plan at hand.”

This showcased the art of persuasion. Instead of outright stating not to attack Yangzhou, Jia Xu analyzed the potential gains and risks for Yuan Shao.

If Yuan Shao deemed it acceptable, then launching an assault would be justified.

After hearing this analysis, Yuan Shao gradually calmed down, beginning to ponder internally.

Was reinforcing Yangzhou worth it?

Setting aside whether he could defend it, simply wresting control from Lu Bu, Sun Ce, and Cao Cao seemed as daunting as ascending to heaven itself.

The strategists remained silent, patiently awaiting Yuan Shao’s final decision.

“Wenhe’s words have been truly enlightening.” After a long moment, Yuan Shao spoke, his anger completely dissipated, replaced by calmness once more.

“Although Yangzhou is important, sending reinforcements now would indeed bring more harm than benefit. My sincere gratitude to Wenhe for your counsel; otherwise, I might have acted impulsively.”

Setting aside his dissatisfaction, purely from a cost-benefit perspective, reinforcing Yangzhou at this time was not a wise choice.

Jia Xu smiled. “I merely offered some guidance, unwilling to claim undue credit. Both reinforcing or not have their pros and cons; it ultimately depends on the Great General’s judgment. We can only provide our humble insights.”

These words somewhat eased the expressions of Guo Tu and Pang Ji, who had fervently advocated for deploying troops.

Yuan Shao no longer pursued the topic of reinforcing Yangzhou but felt deeply satisfied with Jia Xu’s input.

His gaze shifted toward Tian Feng nearby, feeling both guilt and annoyance at his overly harsh remarks. He refrained from offering any consolation.

“Return to Yecheng!” With Yuan Shao’s command, the excursion came to an end.

He had no intention of drinking here, he just wanted to go back to the city to discuss the next layout.

Even if he decided not to increase the troops, it did not mean that he had completely given up the fight for the interests of Yangzhou. In any case, Yan Liang and Wen Chou had to bite a piece of meat from Lu Bu and others.