Chapter 3 The Building Will Collapse

  Yuan's army headquarters.

  Yuan Shang gazed at Yuan Shao's majestic and grand tent with a calm expression. Even from the outside, it was clear that this tent was extremely valuable. Not only were the materials used sturdy, but the tent itself was embroidered with golden threads depicting flying birds and running beasts. As the wind blew, the tent's grandeur became even more apparent, leaving one speechless in admiration.

  Even a tent is so magnificent, let alone Yuan Shao himself, who must be even more impressive in other aspects and able to put on airs.

  "What a family ruin." Yuan Shang muttered indifferently.

  "What?" Yuan Xi didn't quite catch it from where he was standing.

  "I say it's domineering, truly overflowing with domineering aura." Yuan Shang quickly changed his tone: "Second brother, look, father's command tent is situated right in the center of the military camp, although it's fluttering gently in the wind, it's like an ancient tree with deep roots, unmoving despite the turmoil of thousands of horses and soldiers. It's as if a crane stands among chickens, a bright moon shining amidst numerous stars. This is truly a display of domineering aura, looking down on the multitudes."

  Yuan Xi looked up at the tent with a puzzled expression, his facial muscles twitching involuntarily. Wasn't it just a tent? Looking left and right, they were all just tents. How could one discern any loftiness or disdain for others from them?

  No wonder Father has always liked San Di so much, compared to him, I am indeed a little inferior.

  At this moment, Yuan Shao's personal soldiers emerged from the tent, saluted the two men and said: "Two young masters, our lord invites you to enter the tent!"

  Yuan Xi nodded slightly and stepped forward first, followed by Yuan Shang.

  Inside the magnificent tent, the light was dim and bright. On both sides stood a group of civil and military officials. Looking up, one could see in the distance, not far away, behind the desk sat a middle-aged man with a dignified appearance. He wore golden armor, draped in a large red battle cloak, with a high crown on his head, thick eyebrows, neat whiskers, a square face, and a majestic complexion.

  Needless to say, this was his own father, Yuan Shao.

  "Pay respects to father." Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi together bowed to Yuan Shao.

  No matter who the person was in their past life, or how they are now, from now on, this person will be one's own elder. In this life, the person in front of you will take on the role of guardian and will be your closest relative, occupying a position that is extremely important to you for a very long time, providing guidance and support.

  Yuan Shao smiled at Yuan Shang, his eyes filled with deep affection and indulgence. His expression was unrestrained, revealing a doting love. With a robust and handsome appearance, his face as smooth as jade, he exuded an air of elegance whenever he moved. This third son of his was indeed the spitting image of himself when he was young! As a descendant of a renowned family with four generations of high-ranking officials, one had to have this kind of looks, this kind of heroic spirit, and this kind of demeanor!

  "Heh heh, my sons don't need to be so polite. Xianfu, you've been ill for so long, come quickly and let your father take a look. Come, both of you come over to your father's side." Yuan Shao revealed a warm smile, stretching out his thick palms, warmly beckoning his two sons.

  At this moment, Yuan Shao was not the great general appointed by the imperial court, nor the master of Hebei who held tens of thousands of brave soldiers. In front of his son, he was just an ordinary old man, a common father who loved his son, and there was no difference with the parents of ordinary families.

  Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi stepped forward two steps, one on the left and one on the right, to come to Yuan Shao's side, and stood in attendance on either hand.

  Yuan Shao nodded in satisfaction, glancing left and right at the two children, when his gaze suddenly fell on Yuan Shang's face, and he asked with concern: "Xianfu, why is your complexion so pale? Haven't you recovered from your illness yet?"

  Yuan Shang heard this and wiped the sweat from his forehead, smiling: "Father, don't worry, I just have a minor cold, it's nothing serious, it won't interfere with other things."

  Yuan Xi, who was standing beside him, shook his head and said, "Father, don't listen to this young man's boastful words. His illness has only just shown some slight improvement, but he rushed over to see you, saying that he had an urgent matter to report. I couldn't dissuade him, so I had no choice but to accompany him here. On the way here, it was basically me supporting him; otherwise, given his current physical condition, it would have been extremely difficult for him to make it to the commander's tent."

  Yuan Shao's face changed upon hearing this, and he said discontentedly: "Xianfu, you are in the wrong here. You've grown older, but your temper is still as stubborn as ever. In your current state of illness, why have you come to the commander's tent? Isn't this causing trouble for Father?... Someone, go get a soft couch for the Third Lord."

  Yuan Shang was deeply moved by Yuan Shao's intense concern, but at this critical moment, he couldn't attend to anything else for the time being.

  "Father, I heard that Xu You has defected to Cao, is it true?" Yuan Shang cut straight to the point.

  Yuan Shao raised an eyebrow and smiled, shaking his head: "You child, you're making your old man worry, did you bring a chill with you to the commander's tent just to ask this?"

  Yuan Shang nodded solemnly: "Yes."

  "Hahaha——!" Yuan Shao shook his head and laughed, just as the soft couch was brought over by the attendant. Yuan Shao immediately let Yuan Chang sit beside him and said: "Xu You has fled far away, although scouts have not yet discovered his whereabouts, but thinking carefully about it, this world is big, but he has no other way to survive except to surrender to Cao, however, my son does not need to worry. Just now, Guo Gong spoke up, saying that Cao Cao is a man who is always cautious and suspicious, Xu You has just defected, Cao may not necessarily trust him completely, so he won't be able to get important use out of him, it's no big deal. When the time comes, after I capture Guandu, I'll catch Xu You, that scoundrel, and have him torn apart by carts, to avenge my hatred."

  "Will Cao Cao not reuse?" Yuan Shang looked at Yuan Shao woodenly for a while, and muttered: "Who said this?"

  But then Guo saw Tu standing out from the left side of the class and said with a smile: "To answer Third Master's question, this is just my humble opinion."

  Yuan Shang glanced at Guo Tu, committing his features to memory. For some reason, Yuan Shang felt a strong urge in his heart right now - he really wanted to ask Mr. Guo if the thing on his neck was a head? How could someone say such nonsense with a straight face?

  "Father, although Cao Cao is suspicious, this is an extraordinary time and the war is intense. Xu You has gone to join him, and although he won't trust him wholeheartedly, he will definitely make use of him! We must take precautions early!"

  Kuo Tu's face fell at these words, but he saw that Ou Ye was nodding his head in approval.

  "The world's strategists all see it the same way! The Third Master's words are exactly what Ji has been thinking!"

  Yuan Shang was taken aback by his words. What does it mean to think exactly like a prostitute? How can this guy scold people like that?

  When Ji Zhi met with Yuan Shao, he advised: "My lord, the three gentlemen's words are very good. In my opinion, Xu You's surrender to Cao is extremely dangerous. He has a deep understanding of our army's strengths and weaknesses, and his connections are extensive. I implore you, my lord, to take early precautions and by no means ignore this!"

  Yuan Shang felt relieved upon hearing the words, and it seemed that Yuan Shao's camp still had some far-sighted individuals, unlike Guo Tu who would spout nonsense at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately, just as he was starting to relax, Feng Ji's next words nearly made Yuan Shang faint again.

  "My lord, I still think that our top priority is to immediately replace the abatis, bows and crossbows, night watches, and camp defenses! To prevent Cao's bandits from finding out about our army's strengths and weaknesses through Xu You, and launching a surprise attack at night..."

  "Hold on!" Yuan Shang took a deep breath and suddenly raised his hand, saying: "Sir, Xu You's betrayal to Cao is very harmful, this point I agree with you, but Sir, you're thinking about the wrong key point. The top priority should not be defending our military camp."

  Ji's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, clearly not expecting Yuan to counter him. He immediately said: "If that's the case, Ji dares to ask Third Master, if we don't strictly guard the camp, what other place should our army focus on defending? I hope Third Master will enlighten me."

  Yuan Shang sighed inwardly, this gentleman was quite good at handling things, and his humble attitude towards advice was just a mouthful of "yes yes", but it sounded a bit insincere.

  "Father." Turning his head, Yuan Shang looked at Yuan Shao with a serious expression and advised: "In my son's opinion, the most urgent task is to guard against Cao Cao's attack on Wu Chou. Wu Chou is our army's granary, once there is any mishap, our Hebei soldiers will be in danger of being destroyed!"

  As soon as the words were spoken, everyone present was stunned. Each and every one of them stared at Yuan Shang with a strange gaze, as if the speaker was not a human being, but a pig that had suddenly appeared from nowhere.

  Yuan Shao's face also changed suddenly, his kind and gentle expression disappeared in an instant, becoming gloomy and desolate, completely different from the one just now.

  It was quiet for a while before Yuan Shao slowly spoke up and said: "Defend the Black Hills? Who taught you that?"

  "No one taught me... I thought of it myself." Yuan Shang was somewhat bewildered, unable to understand why the atmosphere in the tent had suddenly become so oppressive.

  "What are you thinking?" Yuan Shao's eyes narrowed slightly, and he lightly tapped the table, saying: "Xianfu, in front of your father, you must tell the truth... Speak! Have you gone to see Ju Shou in the past few days?"

  "Ah?" Yuan Shang's eyelids twitched slightly as he heard the words, and a bad premonition began to sprout slowly in his heart.

  On the other side, Guo Tu suddenly sneered and said to Yuan Shao with ulterior motives: "When Master just appointed Chunyu Qiong to garrison Wuchao, Zhuo Gong brought a prisoner and came to offer a strategy, saying that Chunyu Qiong couldn't defend Wuchao. Master didn't pay attention to it, so he turned around and ordered the three gentlemen to offer a strategy. It's really a good intention, thinking that he was deeply trapped in the cart cage, but still able to point out the war situation from afar, which is indeed beyond human reach..."

  "Bang!" In an instant, Yuan Shao slammed his hand on the table and gritted his teeth in anger: "You despicable prisoner, you dare to come up with a plan to provoke Chunyu Qiong in front of me, and now you're trying to persuade my son to advise me? Do you think that without your guidance, I won't be able to achieve great things? How detestable! I refuse to listen to you! Wait until I defeat Cao Cao, and then I'll make you thoroughly ashamed!"

  Suddenly, Yuan Shang seemed to understand what was going on and hastily said: "Father, the matter of Wuchao is indeed my own idea and has nothing to do with anyone else. The situation is urgent now, Father should not think about other things, but carefully consider Wuchao..."

  "Alright!" Before the words were finished, Yuan Shao raised his hand to interrupt Yuan Shang's speech and said: "My son doesn't need to worry, Wuchao has General Chunyu Qiong leading a large army to guard it, so it can be said that there is no chance of failure. My son should not listen to others' nonsense, worrying about the sky collapsing, but rather focus on recovering from his illness. Xianye, take your brother back to the camp and make sure he rests well..."

  "But..."

  "Disperse!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Shao waved his hand and stood up, walking straight towards the rear tent.

  Watching Yuan Shao's disappearing back, Yuan Xi pulled at Yuan Shang's sleeve and said in a low voice: "Third brother, let's go back."

  Yuan Shang's face turned even paler than before, but unlike earlier when his pallor was due to illness, this time it was clearly due to anger.

  Yuan Shang now has an urge, he wants to run after Yuan Shao's footsteps, grab this cheap old man and slap him a few big ear slaps, scold him fiercely: "You don't listen to good words, what do you want to hear? Hear what! You just know how poor you are! If you continue to be poor, your whole family will be finished!"

  Unfortunately, it's just an idea after all.

  Looking at Yuan Shang's dazed expression, Yuan Xi let out a long sigh and said: "Third brother, your illness is not yet healed. Don't linger here any longer. It would be better for you to return early and recover first before coming back to persuade Father."

  Isn't it late? Yuan Shang snorted and said, "Second brother, have you ever heard of anyone who eats and counts the first day's meal as the second day?"

  Yuan Xi heard this and smiled wryly, saying: "You little scamp, now that your father has stormed off in a huff, even if you were to talk for ten days and eight days, it's possible that the outcome would still be delayed. Otherwise, it would end up like today. Although your father dotes on you, once he makes up his mind, no one can change it, especially since what you said is similar to what Zhu She Mr. said. Your father is currently angry with Zhu She, so even if you spoke the most reasonable words, how could he possibly accept them?"

  What's wrong?

  Yuan Xi's words lit up a bright lamp on top of Yuan Shao's head, now that things have come to this point, since Yuan Shao is stubborn and refuses to listen to advice, then he can only use dead horses as live ones!

  "Second brother, help me out again! Take me somewhere..."

  Yuan Xi heard this and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, a bad premonition rising up in his heart.

  "Third brother, what are you up to again?"

  "It's nothing important, I just want to go see Mr. Juexu."