Chapter 5: Rescue of Oosaka

  Zhuo Xun was a renowned minister in Hebei, with exceptional wisdom and broad vision. He was not comparable to the likes of Gong Zhi and Guo Tu, who were driven by personal interests.

  Just like in the case of Xu You's surrender to Cao, Ju Shou's reaction was far more intense than anyone under Yuan Shao's command.

  Although he pounded the wooden prison with his hands and shouted "The trend is gone", this reaction was a bit too negative, but it also indirectly explained that Ju Shou was a person who could see things clearly, and his IQ in Yuan Shao's army was indeed one of the best.

  "Third Master! Xu You has fled to Cao Cao, what attitude will our lord take towards this matter?" Jushou pounded the wooden headboard for a while before lifting his head, his face ashen as if he had been force-fed two liang of mercury.

  "My father... didn't mind much."

  "Lord, you're muddled! Muddled, I say! Extremely muddled!" Zhurong didn't know if it was because he was born with a mouth that couldn't be stopped or if he was just a broken pot that couldn't be fixed, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he dared to speak ill of Yuan Shao. This point could be said to have made Yuan Shang extremely admire him.

  "Xu You, although greedy, is not foolish. On the contrary, his vision is sharp and ruthless, and in Hebei, no one can surpass him. This time he defected to Cao, he must have had some reliance. As I expected, he will definitely offer a plan to Cao Cao..."

  Yuan Shang and Zhang mouthed over Zhuo's words and said: "Surprise attack on Wu's nest!"

  As soon as the words were spoken, Zhuo Shou's expression suddenly changed, and he stared at Yuan Shang with a look of astonishment, as if he had been talking to thin air all along and only now saw him.

  Because he never expected that, among all the generals and ministers under Yuan's command, except for Tian Feng, the first person who could resonate with him would be Yuan Shang, this young man who was still in his teens!

  That arrogant and self-important Third Master who was always reckless and impulsive in his eyes could actually hit the nail on the head with just one sentence!

  "Third Master, what you just said, I don't know who taught you?" Zuo Xun fell silent for a moment before finally asking with doubt.

  Yuan Shang furrowed his brow, feeling very displeased. Why does everyone ask this? What's the point of asking who taught me? It's obviously my own idea, good or bad! Do you really think my IQ is that low in your eyes?!

  "Sir, don't be suspicious, what I just said was purely my own thoughts and has nothing to do with others."

  "What was I thinking?"

  Yu Xuan glanced at Yuan Shang with a hint of doubt and suspicion, every pore on his face deeply flashing with skepticism.

  After a while, Fang Jianxu lightly shook his head, casting aside his doubts. Whether it was Yuan Shang's own idea or not didn't matter anymore. The top priority now was to think of a way to stabilize the precarious situation and prevent the enemy from taking advantage of it.

  "The three nobles, Cao's bandits will adopt the method of surprise attack on Wu's nest, I don't know if you have told our lord?"

  Yuan Shang nodded solemnly: "It's been said, but the problem is that Father didn't take my advice to heart and didn't adopt it at all. None of the ministers in the court stood on my side, so I came to see Mr. Ju. In this situation now, is there any way to resolve the crisis?"

  "Resolve the crisis?" Zhū Shòu heard this and couldn't help but bitterly smile: "Even if I have a thousand good strategies, what's the use when our lord won't deploy troops?"

  "Are you just going to watch as Wu's nest is destroyed like this?" Yuan Shang asked with a look of anxious urgency, his tone extremely reluctant.

  After a long time of holding his head in thought, he suddenly slapped the wooden fence and looked at Yuan Shang with a low voice: "Now that things have come to this, there is only one way, or we can try it!"

  "What's the solution?"

  "The lord is unwilling to add troops and change generals at Wusou, so you, the third master, can go and rescue him yourself! The lord's original troops should have at least a few thousand men, right? You can lead them to rescue Wusou!"

  "Me?" Yuan Shang's face suddenly turned pale and ugly: "Mr. Ju, you're not joking, are you? If Cao Cao is going to attack Wuchao, he must be leading his elite soldiers and generals. You want me to lead my troops, a bunch of ordinary soldiers, to fight against him head-on, isn't this looking for death? Moreover, taking the army out privately is equivalent to disobeying military orders, how can you come up with such a stupid idea? Do I have any grudge against you?"

  Although saving the emergency is like putting out a fire, Yuan Shang has not yet arrived at the point where he must lead his troops to rescue himself. Going into battle is not like strolling down the street, casually fighting for a while and then leaving when you feel like it. That's risking one's life, real knives and guns, real work. If you don't do it well, your life will be lost in an instant.

  Yuan Shang himself ran east and west just to survive, but now Zhu Huan was asking him to risk his life to fight with others, which completely exceeded his initial expectations.

  What's more, the opponent is none other than Cao Cao! That god of war who shakes heaven and earth with his military prowess! How can this battle be fought?

  Seeing Yuan Shang's unpleasant expression, Ju Shou continued to persuade: "Knowing that it can't be done but doing it anyway is sometimes a strategy. The situation is urgent now, and we can't afford to think about it too much! Since the lord won't send troops to Wuchao, we have no other way out. Rather than waiting for death, why not have you lead your troops to Wuchao tonight? This time, it's not necessarily a head-on confrontation with Cao's army. You can use the strategy of deception, or the strategy of provoking the enemy general, or the strategy of delay. As long as we can hold back Cao Cao for a while, just wait for the scout to report back, and the lord will surely send a large army to respond. At that time, we'll turn the tables and launch a joint attack..."

  Yuan Shang's eyelid twitched and he said, "The talented people of Hebei are numerous, but apart from me, there is no one else?"

  Ju Shou heard this and was taken aback for a moment, then hung his head and sighed bitterly.

  This statement is indeed true, currently there really isn't anyone else. Looking at the entire Hebei province, those with real talent were either killed or died, thrown into prison or chased away. The ones left are either overly self-interested or only care about preserving themselves. Those who can take on major responsibilities are truly few and far between, especially among the generals. Yan Liang and Wen Chou died in battle, General Kou Feng was arrogant and was eliminated by Yuan Shao before the southern campaign against Cao Cao. Now, in this vast Hebei province, aside from Zhang Yan and Gao Lan, not a single general with charisma or ability can be found... it's truly an endless sorrow.

  The fate of hundreds of thousands of troops was handed over to a young man who was not yet twenty years old, and Zhuge Liang also had no choice but to use a dead horse as if it were alive.

  "Third Master." Zuo Shi fell silent for a while, before slowly speaking: "To be honest, this battle is indeed arduous. I really don't want Third Master to take risks. Although I'm a civil official, if I were outside of prison or had even one trusted person by my side, I would never let Third Master go forth. But... there's no other way!"

  Yuan Shang heard this and was speechless, his face looking somewhat unpleasant.

  Having a confidant would never let me go... Why does this sound so awkward? Is it because there is no tiger in the mountain and the monkey claims to be the king, or is it because among dwarfs one can stand out as a giant?

  Heaving a sigh, Yuan Shang slowly walked towards the outside of the tent, saying as he went: "Whether it succeeds or not, I can only try my best... do your utmost and Mr. Ju can rest assured while waiting for news."

  "Third Master!" Xun You's words stopped Yuan Shang.

  "What's wrong?"

  Zhuo Ju's face turned serious, and he sighed: "Cao Jun is fierce and brave, and his soldiers are already strong enough to take on ten of our men at once. Your troops are few in number, so remember that strategy is the most important thing. Any tactics such as feigning defeat or delaying will do, just absolutely do not engage in a fierce battle!"

  "Alright, if I could think of a plan, would I still not use it? Unfortunately, there are no women in the army, or else using a beauty trick would be great. I heard that Cao Cao is quite fond of this kind of thing..."

  "Besides..." Zhu Xuan thought for a moment and then said: "If it's Cao Cao's subordinate generals who are robbing the grain, Master can try his best to delay them. But if it's Cao Cao himself, even three thousand Masters wouldn't be his match. At that time, please consider fleeing as the best option, preserving your life is the top priority!"

  At this moment, he finally understood why Yuan Shao disliked Xu Shu. The words were good, but the problem was whether you should say them? Are a thousand of yourself worth one Cao Cao? Should you be speaking like that? Although I don't know what the original Yuan San Gongzi was like, but now I am also very excellent, okay?

  This is Yuan Shang, changed to Yuan Shao, and he was killed a thousand times.

  As I walked out of the camp, the sky had gradually darkened, the sun had slowly set behind the western mountains, a gentle evening breeze blew by, carrying the cool fragrance of flowers and grass, refreshing my mind and spirit. At a glance, it was clear that tonight would be exceptionally clear.

  Yuan Shang returned to his own camp with a worried and bitter face, ordered the guards to bring in the deputy generals under his command, and then sat on the bed and became melancholy.

  Good weather is not a good thing for him. As the saying goes, "A dark moon kills people at night, and strong winds set fires in the sky." No matter how good the weather is, it has nothing to do with him. After all, what he's going to do tonight is the business of fighting and killing, and too much light is unlucky.

  Why don't we just go and tell Zhuo Shou about it, let him calculate the date with the Yellow Calendar, and change it to another day...

  "Report to the young master, General Guo requests an audience." Just as Yuan Shang was feeling stifled, a voice came from outside the tent, reporting through the attendant.

  "Let him in."

  "Hello!"

  Before long, a big man with a black hard armor, a robust figure, and a full beard walked into the tent with his head held high and his steps wide. He knelt down on one knee in front of Yuan Shang and said loudly: "I am General Guo Yuan, reporting to you, sir! I don't know what matter you have summoned me for?"

  Da Han's name is Guo Yuan, currently serving as a deputy general under Yuan Shang, managing the troops in his department.

  Yuan Shang first let him get up, and then asked: "Guo Yuan, who is directly under my command as a military officer, how many people are there in the camp now?"

  Guo Yuan bowed his head and counted silently for a moment, then cupped his hands and replied: "To answer Third Young Master's question, my camp currently has 300 cavalrymen, 1,000 infantrymen, and 500 archers. Adding the personal guards under your command, we have nearly two thousand men in total."

  "Two thousand people..." Yuan Shang sighed silently in his heart, he had never fought personally and didn't know if the number and combat strength of these two thousand people were enough to make Cao's army wet their pants.

  But anyway, at least there are two thousand people, which is much better than having none.

  "Order the two thousand soldiers to start cooking immediately, and after nightfall, follow me out of the camp."

  Kuo Yen heard this and was taken aback for a moment, then asked in surprise: "What is the meaning of your lordship's troops marching out at midnight?"

  "Go to Wuchang!"