Chapter 2: The War on the Brink of Collapse

  Wearing a crown and changing clothes, combing and washing his appearance, a series of troublesome things, but Yuan Shang had to follow them step by step.

  The ancients attached great importance to etiquette and rituals, especially in the case of a family like the Yuans, who had produced three generations of high-ranking officials. They regarded these trivial and complicated matters as being of the utmost importance.

  Several attendants helped Yuan Shang tidy up his appearance and then brought over a small copper mirror for him to check himself.

  Can't help but admit, although this third son of the Yuan family has a poor reputation in history, just looking at his appearance, he has a nose like a hanging gallbladder, eyebrows like soft swords, eyes like stars, and a handsome and elegant spirit. The only shortcoming is that due to not fully recovering from wind-cold, his complexion is slightly pale and wan.

  Compared with Yuan Xi's slightly stout and somewhat clumsy appearance, Yuan Shang's looks were truly more than a little better.

  It's no wonder, I remember reading in history books that Yuan Shao himself was a handsome and majestic man who attached great importance to external things. The reason why he doted on his three sons, especially Yuan Shang, and even passed the throne to him, also included the fact that Yuan Shang was exceptionally handsome, with a charm similar to his father's in his youth.

  Compared with Old Cao's family, Old Yuan's family may not be good at fighting and brawling on the battlefield, but they are all handsome when it comes to having children.

  After dressing up, Yuan Shang hurriedly ran out of the tent, from the bed to the entrance of the camp, a distance of only over ten steps. However, Yuan Shang stumbled and fell three times in a row, which showed that his current physical condition was really bad.

  Yuan Xi's heart ached as he hastily rushed forward to support him, saying: "Third brother, look at how you're walking, still stumbling. What can you do by rushing to the commander's tent? Is there something that can't be said later? Must it be today?"

  Yuan Shang heard the words and couldn't help but bitterly smile. Do you think I'm idle and have nothing better to do than to blindly cause trouble? Matters of life and death are at stake, who dares to be careless? Now it's easy for me to lie on my bed, but in a few years, I'm afraid there won't even be a bed to lie on - directly sleeping in a coffin! And this coffin needs to be prepared with two sets, one for the head... and one for the body...

  "Second brother, you don't understand. At this moment, we are already in a desperate situation. If I delay and don't meet with Father, I'm afraid it won't be long before the foundation of our four states, which Father has worked so hard to build, will be lost to others. The Battle of Guandu is a critical juncture, and defeat is only a blink away. You, me, and even Father are all standing on the edge of a cliff!"

  Yuan Xi was shocked upon hearing the words, hastily glanced around and then leaned over, using a very low voice to say to Yuan Shang: "Third brother, have you gone mad? How can you casually speak such words! Father's military campaign most fears unfavorable talk! If someone with ulterior motives spreads this conversation out, father will definitely hold you accountable!"

  Yuan Shang forced a bitter smile and said helplessly, "Second Brother, don't you believe me?"

  "I..."

  Yuan Xi was momentarily speechless, he really didn't dare to believe that these words were spoken by his own brother who was arrogant and looked down on heroes.

  What made Yuan Xi even more unbelievable was the content of Yuan Shang's words. The famous family of the four generations and three public officials, the master of Hebei with a million troops, the northern hero who dominated Yan Dynasty, would be defeated by outsiders! How is this possible?

  Yuan Shang is not stupid, and although Yuan Xi did not say anything, from his expression, he could tell that Yuan Xi would not be intimidated by his harsh words.

  On the contrary, Yuan Xi's expression made him feel that at this moment, he was completely a confused patient who didn't know what he was saying in Yuan Xi's eyes!

  Yuan Xi is still like this, let alone Yuan Shao.

  "I won't waste any more words on you, I have to rush to the central military tent!" Yuan Shang turned his head away, casting aside his chaotic thoughts, and hastily walked out of the tent.

  At this moment, whether he believes it or not is no longer important, what matters most is the length of one's own life, now that things have come to this pass, a dead horse can be used as a living doctor, in any case, one has to give it a try.

  Yuan Xi stared at Yuan Shang's back for a long time, this third brother, how did he become so strange today? If he didn't take care of him and let him run to his father and talk nonsense, wouldn't it be troublesome?

  With a sudden stamp of his foot, Yuan Xi rushed out and grabbed hold of Yuan Shang, saying solemnly: "Third brother, must you really go?"

  Yuan Shang turned his head and glanced at Yuan Xi, resentfully saying: "Second brother, the situation is not waiting for us, if we don't go, it's just sitting and waiting to die..."

  "Alright, you drive Brother's car, I'll accompany you to see Father!"

  "Drive!"

  Before long, a two-horse chariot rushed out of Yuan Shang's camp and sped towards the central army commander's tent where Yuan Shao was located at extremely high speed.

  On the chariot, one side was Yuan Xi, sitting upright with a frown on his face... while on the other side was Yuan Chang, pale and disheveled from the bumpy ride, looking like he was about to vomit.

  Yuan Shao's central camp was about five miles away from Yuan Shang's mobile camp, and it was the main commander's tent, deeply located in the deepest part of the Yuan army. It was surrounded by various mobile camps on all sides, with a tight and seamless encirclement that was impenetrable to water. Even Yuan Xi's war chariot was intercepted and questioned several times by patrolling soldiers along the way, showing how strict the defense was.

  On his way to Yuan Shao's command tent, Yuan Chang was also slightly shaken deep down in his heart.

  Stockades are connected, camps are linked, within a hundred paces there are military tents, wherever the eye can see, wolf smoke is rising, for ten miles around, armor and helmets are densely packed, guns and spears are held upright.

  In the camp, the soldiers came and went in an orderly manner, with chariots and horses moving in unison, their momentum was like a rainbow, it was truly a good military appearance.

  This is the army under Yuan Shao's command, this is the powerful force that has traversed four states, encompassing Yan and Dai, marching south to contend for the heavens, the mighty banner of Hebei!

  From Ye City to Ji Province, from Ji Province to Hebei, and then from Hebei to the northern land of Wuhuan, more than half of the world's mountains and rivers were conquered by Yuan Shao alone, and are still firmly in his grasp today.

  The mighty Yangtze River, the turbulent waves washing away the sand, Yuan Shao may have failed in history, but he was indeed powerful, glorious and honorable.

  Behold this military might, behold this grand spectacle, who dares to say that Yuan Shao is not a hero of his generation?

  Yuan Shang secretly sighed in his heart. While Yuan Shao's military strength was flourishing, a question suddenly arose that made him ponder deeply...

  Such a majestic military appearance, someone who can thoroughly defeat them... Cao Cao, is indeed a terrifying guy!

  The voice of the charioteer brought Yuan Shang back from his endless daydreaming: "Second Master! Third Master! The main tent of our lord is just ahead, please have both masters get down and walk."

  Yuan Xi was the first to react, jumping down from the carriage and turning around to say: "Second brother, in front of the commander's tent, it is not permissible to ride horses or drive carriages recklessly. You should hold on for a moment and let your older brother help you through."

  "Not at all, I haven't weakened to the point where I can't even walk these few steps..."

  Before he could finish speaking, Yuan Shang stumbled down from the carriage, his legs weakening to the point where he almost fainted.

  The more anxious you are, the more things will go wrong! When things are already in a critical situation, this body of mine still has to carry a load of useless cold.

  God is going to drive him crazy......

  Yuan Shang decided to stop pretending and quickly went to see Yuan Shao.

  "Second brother, it's still better if you help me in. My body is weak and I'm afraid of being jostled. Please be gentle with me, little brother is deeply grateful."

  Yuan Xi: “I don’t know.”

  Yuan's Central Army Headquarters.

  The commander's tent of the Yuan army occupied a space equivalent to about one ear house, which was roughly three times larger than an ordinary military school tent.

  In the depths of the tent, four copper braziers were placed at each corner, with bright red flames burning inside. In the center was a neat desk, on which books and papers were arranged in order. To the northwest, a bed was neatly made, covered with a piece of red satin, and in the center, incense smoke rose from a censer, all showing that the owner of this tent had clear behavior and attached great importance to etiquette.

  Behind the desk, a man wore golden armor and a red robe, with a high green crown on his head. The half-foot short beard under his chin was neatly combed, clean and tidy. His body stood upright, without any posture that a nearly fifty-year-old should have. A pair of slender starry eyes opened and closed extremely spiritedly, which can be said to be dignified in appearance and extremely heroic.

  Needless to say, this man is the hero of Hebei, Yuan Shao, who ranks among the top vassals of the current era.

  His eyes scanned the crowd of civil and military officials standing on both sides of the tent, and a hint of annoyance and discontent flashed in Yuan Shao's eyes.

  "Gentlemen."

  Yuan Shao remained silent for a long time before slowly opening his mouth, and the civil and military officials on both sides all shuddered, turned their heads, made a humble gesture, and listened carefully.

  "According to the scouts, Xu You fled from our camp on the night before last and rushed southward in a hurry. His behavior was very suspicious. Although I sent out scouts to investigate repeatedly after the incident, this cunning man hid deeply and has now disappeared without a trace. Thinking about it, I'm afraid Xu You has already surrendered to Cao. This man has been with me for many years and knows the strengths and weaknesses of our army well. This time he defected to Cao Ao, he must have some plan in mind. Do you gentlemen have any good strategy to deal with him?"

  As soon as the words fell, everyone present saw that they were either stroking their beards or frowning their eyebrows into a "川" shape, and it was clear that they were all very worried about Xu You's betrayal.

  It's no wonder, when two armies are at war, if someone who knows the strengths and weaknesses of their own side defects to the enemy camp, the impact and repercussions would be enormous. It's not just a matter of Xun Yu leaving, but all the defensive arrangements, guard deployments, and recent strategic decisions made by Yuan Shao's army would likely need to be revised entirely. The resources, financial costs, and manpower expended cannot be easily resolved with just a couple of sentences of advice.

  "My lord, Xu You is well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of our army. If he really defects to Cao, the consequences will be disastrous. The most urgent task at present is to replace all the defensive arrangements in our camp, including the abatis, crossbows, hidden sentries, and the layout of the barracks, so as to prevent Cao's army from launching a surprise attack." It was Mou Sheng who spoke up first.

  Yuan Shao nodded his head and said, "What Yuan Xu said is very good. Cao Cao is cunning and treacherous, with the most sinister intentions. If he finds out about our army's situation, it will be hard to prevent him from plotting something. We should strengthen our defenses... Come, pass on my orders, instruct the three armies to change their camp deployments overnight and strictly guard against a night raid by Cao's army!"

  "My lord, wait!"

  Another scholar with a thin face and high cheekbones stepped forward to advise: "My lord, Yuan Yu's words are absurd and cannot be taken seriously! My lord has known Cao Cao for many years and is well aware of his cunning and treacherous nature. He is extremely suspicious and would not easily trust others. How could he possibly believe Xu You, who has abandoned the strong to join the weak? It would be a waste of manpower to change our camp layout now. Instead, we should take advantage of Cao Cao's distrust of Xu You and launch a surprise attack on Guandu, which would be more effective than defending!"

  The speaker was none other than Guo Tu, the vice governor of Jizhou.

  Yuan Shao heard this and was visibly stunned for a moment before slowly nodding his head, saying: "Lord Guo's words... also make considerable sense."

  "My lord, you mustn't!"

  When Ji Zhi saw Guo Jia, he openly criticized him, and his heart was suddenly annoyed. He quickly stepped forward and said: "Your Excellency, Guo Jia's view is absurd! What kind of person is Cao Cao? Doesn't he know the principle of cutting off when necessary? Moreover, Xu You has an old relationship with him, how can he not be reused? In this extraordinary time, it is absolutely impossible to advance troops rashly. First, we must firmly defend the camp and then plan for Guandu, which is the best strategy!"

  Yuan Shao's fingers, stroking his beard, moved more quickly as he nodded: "Not bad, Cao Mengde and I, along with Xu You, are all old friends; Yuan Shu's words have hit the mark..."

  Guo Jia was not a good person either. Upon hearing this, he coldly laughed and said to Yuan Yu: "Yuan Yu, your words are truly childish. How can you be friends with someone like that? Xu You is greedy for wealth and material possessions, and is unfaithful and inconstant. He is a petty and selfish person, and the world has abandoned him like a worn-out shoe. Cao Cao's talents may not be as great as our lord's, but he is at least a decent warlord with some vision. How can you possibly suggest using someone like Xu You again? Your words are truly laughable!"

  When the words fell, all the civil and military officials in the account nodded one by one. Yuan Shao saw this and suddenly relaxed a bit.

  When Ji Zhi saw Guo Tu's words prevailing, he immediately opened his mouth to regain the scene: "Guo Gong Ze, the lord is wise, how dare you be garrulous here? What about Xu You being greedy for wealth? Don't you know that Cao Cao uses people, and has always been indifferent to their origin and character? Whether they are from humble families, soldiers, or surrendered generals of the enemy, as long as they are useful, he will employ them! Is it only different with Xu You alone? Moreover, our army is pressing the border with a large force, how can Cao Cao have so many worries? Your words are simply absurd!"

  Yuan Shao heard this and was taken aback: "That's right, Cao Cao has always been indiscriminate in his use of people. It's possible that he might even use someone like Xu Shu, a reckless and unscrupulous person..."

  Yuan Shao, however, seemed somewhat embarrassed and tapped the table, saying to himself: "Both of you have your own reasons, it's really hard to make a choice..."

  Kuo Tu was startled by the words and opened his mouth to say a couple more sentences, but he saw the guards rush into the tent, kneel down and report to Yuan Shao: "Report to my lord, the second young master and third young master are outside the tent asking to see you!"

  "Ah?" Yuan Shao suddenly woke up from his difficult situation, and his heavy face was filled with a smile. He stood up and said: "My son Xianfu has arrived? Isn't his illness not yet cured? How did he come here again? Quick, let my son in quickly!"