Chapter 45: Black Mountain Strategy (Part 2)

  In the third year of Chuping in the Great Han Dynasty, in June, it was rumored all over the world that the Black Mountain bandits had raided and broken into Ye City, plundering countless grains, grasses, and military horses, and returned with great gains. They also kidnapped Yuan Shao's youngest son, Yuan Chang, shocking the whole world!

  What's wrong with Old Yuan?

  Three years ago, Yuan Shao, the leader of the alliance who led eighteen vassals to rescue the emperor, was in his prime. He had seized Ji Province from his ally Han Fu and defeated Boma General Gongsun Zan, who was at odds with Liu Yu, the governor of You Province. At that time, he was at the height of his power, with strategists using their hearts and generals using their orders to spy on Bingzhou and control the interior of the river, having a majestic momentum that shook Hebei. Even once had the idea of establishing a new emperor, who would have thought that this generation's hero would be so easily destroyed by a group of bandits?

  Bandit of Heishan! As a poisonous thorn that Yuan Shao could hardly bear, he suddenly received attention from all the lords.

  As Yuan Shao's strategist, Gong Ji naturally knew the difficulties his master was facing at this time. If he didn't handle the problem of the Black Mountain bandits properly, not to mention that the Yuan family, with its reputation as a four-generation, three-public official, might be disappointed in Yuan Shao and turn to support Yuan Shu, causing the forces of Yuan Shao, which had just become prominent after great effort, to split apart. Even those powerful families from Hebei who suffered significant losses during the siege of Ye would likely be extremely dissatisfied with Yuan Shao.

  So this time in Hanoi, although Ji was somewhat dissatisfied with being calculated by Bei, he indeed put a lot of thought into it and wanted to persuade Xu You, no matter what, to complete the task entrusted by Yuan Shao.

  "Yuan Tu, are you trying to push Yu into the fire pit?!" In the secret room of Xu You's residence, after listening to Gong Ji's transmission of Yuan Shao's secret order, Xu You was so angry that he wanted to twist off the head of this guy who had previously been somewhat pleasing to his eyes.

  "Brother Ziyuan, how could you say such a thing!" Gong Ji feigned incomprehension, with an expression of disbelief, saying: "Can't Brother Ziyuan see the brilliance of this plan?"

  "A clever plan? Hmph!" Xǔ Yōu's eyes flashed with a stern expression, and he coldly sneered: "The Black Mountain bandits have been causing trouble in Hebei for many years. The imperial court has not been able to eradicate them, but instead they have grown even stronger. And yet you speak of it so lightly? Moreover, if this matter succeeds, it will be the two of you who will be credited with the achievement, but if it fails, where will my life be?"

  "Zi Yuan brother, your words are ruthless!" Xiang Ji was not moved at all by Xu You's icy tone, and smiled lightly: "Although Zi Yuan brother cleverly devised a plan, using Lü Bu's hands to stall the Black Mountain bandits for three days, in the end, Ye City was still breached. As for our lord's temperament, I think you understand it even better than I do, little brother?"

  "This..." Xu You hesitated for a moment, as one of Yuan Shao's sworn brothers, he was all too familiar with Yuan Shao's tendency to prioritize personal gain over honor and integrity. If they were sharing wealth and glory, Yuan Shao would naturally be generous to his old comrades, but now that the chaos in Ye City threatened Yuan Shao's very foundation, he urgently needed a scapegoat to take the fall, and Xu You was the obvious choice, given Yuan Shao's nature...

  Xu You was caught off guard by Gongsun Zan's counter-question, and under the pressure, he broke out in a cold sweat, unable to think of a rebuttal for a moment.

  "Brother Ziyuan, no need to be so anxious!" Xun Yu saw that Xu You was so distracted and reassured him: "I and Brother Ziyuan are from the same hometown and have a close relationship, I will not abandon him like Shan Jing did. This matter is actually easy to handle!"

  "What can you teach me?" Xu You grasped at a straw, hastily saying "The matter of Hei Shan is worth discussing, if brother can pass this test, he will certainly not forget Yuan Tuo's great kindness!"

  "I wonder if Nü Wa agrees to form an alliance with our lord?" Xiang Ji saw Xu You's attitude and didn't rush him to answer, smiling as he patted the hand that Xu You had grabbed onto in his anxiety.

  "Alas!" Xu You also felt embarrassed, and sighed with a bitter smile: "Yuan Yu doesn't know that Lv Bu is really ungrateful! Originally, under Zhang Yang's arrangement, Lv Bu had already taken a liking to me and was quite polite; but for some reason, in just one day, he suddenly seemed to have changed his personality. Not only did he speak evasively about this matter, but also...also made a child humiliate me! It's really hateful!"

  "Huh? What Brother Ziyuan said is ridiculous, but could it be that Qin Xu?" Gong Ji smiled faintly.

  "Did Yuan Shu know about it?" The implication in Gong Ji's words was that he already knew about the humiliation Xu You had suffered in Hebei, which shocked Xu You and made him ask: "Yuan Shu has just arrived in Hebei, how could he have known?"

  "Brother Ziyuan, you're confused!" Gong Ji said with a sorrowful expression, "It seems that if I hadn't arrived earlier, Brother Ziyuan's life would have been in danger!"

  "What made you say this?" Xu You heard that Gong Ji suddenly said such a thing and was extremely surprised, and he exclaimed.

  "Does Brother Ziyuan really think that Lü Bu's delay of the Black Mountain bandits for three days is a merit to be presented to Lord Cao?" A cold smile appeared at the corner of Ji Ping's mouth.

  "Could it be that Lü Bu didn't go to intercept the Black Mountain bandits?" Xu You asked in puzzlement, "But clearly..."

  "Zi Yuan's brother is in the net, can't avoid being investigated, forget it. I'll introduce someone to you, when the time comes, just ask and you'll know!" Gong Ji said mysteriously.

  In the dimly lit secret chamber, a tall and stately figure clad in Lu Bu's armor appeared before Xu You, causing him to be greatly shocked.

  "You, you can't be...!" Xǔ Yóu couldn't have imagined that he would run into this person here. Seeing Jiāng in the side smiling, Xǔ Yóu's face was full of shock and confusion.

  "It's General Song Xian! I've met the two gentlemen before!" The newcomer was actually Song Xian, a general in Lü Bu's army department, who took charge of Lü Bu's personal guard camp after Wei Xu fled.

  If it were Qin Xu, seeing this big brother would definitely scold himself for being blinded by pig oil, and having been in Lü Bu's army for not a short period of time, how could he forget to pay attention to him.

  "General Song! Yuan Tu! What's going on here?" Xu You was after all a meticulous thinker, and previously in the military account, he had also been informed of the bottom card by Qin Hui, and his heart was urgent about the matter of Ye City. He was humiliated by Qin Hui to the point of spitting out three liters of blood, ashamed to show his face. Now, seeing Song Xian, who was the captain of Lü Bu's personal guard, appearing in a place where he was secretly discussing with Gou Ji, and again in this manner, he also vaguely sensed that something unusual was going on.

  "General Song is dissatisfied with Lü Bu's behavior and also hates Qin Xu to the bone. He has not yet arrived at the river, but he asked me to surrender to the lord in secret on his behalf!" Gong Ji smiled and said to Song Xian: "Zi Yuan brother is still in the dark, General Song might as well tell us about Lü Bu's doings, the schemes that Zi Yuan brother doesn't know about!"

  "Promise!"

  Song Xian took over Lü Bu's personal guard camp after Wei Xu, and had always been by Lü Bu's side, with many things that Lü Bu did not hide from him. Facing Xu You and Gong Ji, Song Xian immediately told them how Lü Bu intimidated the Black Mountain bandits for three days, and when the time was up, he withdrew his troops, without harming a single soldier or horse; The day before yesterday, he also accompanied Lü Bu to welcome Qin Yi, and heard about the attack on Qin Yi's version of Ye City, as well as how Lü Lingqi captured Yuan Shang and two others, and was abandoned by Qin Yi to the Black Mountain bandits as a means of sowing discord between the two families, just like dumping beans from a bamboo tube, telling them everything clearly.

  "Ah! Lü Bu! Qin Xu! I, Xu You, will not kill you two, it's really hard to dispel the hatred in my heart!" After hearing what Song Xian said, Xu You couldn't bear it anymore!

  Originally, he was still grateful to Lü Bu for blocking the Black Mountain bandits for three days, allowing him to have some leeway to turn things around in front of Yuan Shao after his mistakes during the chaos at Ye City. So when Lü Bu and others returned to Huai City, he adopted an attitude of avoiding them.

  Now that you've heard all this, where is there still not to understand? It turns out that Xu You was a fool. Not only did he give Lü Bu an excuse to send troops, but also let the world know about Lü Bu's "benevolence and righteousness". Moreover, if the chaos in Ye City were to be carefully discussed by someone with ulterior motives, it would actually make it difficult for Xu You to avoid blame!

  No wonder Ji Yi just said that his life is not long! Xu You listened to Song Xian's words, and suddenly his heart was filled with anger, his eyes were red, and his hair seemed to be standing up. He stared at Song Xian and asked: "Is what General Song said true?!"

  "It's only natural!" Song Xian seemed to be unfazed by Xu You's suspicious tone, and coldly said: "Lü Bu believed in false rumors, wrongly expelled great generals, causing meritorious officials to be wronged and brave warriors to shed blood! What crime did my brother commit? We have followed Lü Bu since he joined the army, going through over a hundred battles big and small, with unwavering loyalty and no complaints. Yet we were forced to flee in the middle of the night, and had no choice but to surrender to the enemy for safety! To be cursed by the world, how unjust is that?"

  Xun Yu's excitement grew as he listened to Song Xian, and his confidence increased. He asked, "I wonder who the general you spoke of is?"

  "Zi Yuan, brother, Song Jiang's sworn brother, you also know about it!" Gong Ji said calmly: "It was indeed the General Xuanwei, Wei Xu, General Wei, who was forced to rebel by Lü Bu and opened the gates of Chang'an, allowing Lü Bu to escape in defeat!"

  "Ah, I see!" Xu You's eyes rolled over and he bowed deeply to Song Xian, saying: "I never thought that General Wei would suffer such injustice. If this matter passes, I will definitely report it to my lord and demand justice for General Wei!"

  "Thank you, gentlemen!" Song Xian's face was filled with gratitude, his voice trembling with emotion as he said: "Now that I have turned against the enemy, I am a subordinate of General Yuan. If you two gentlemen have any orders for me, I will not hesitate to risk my life, only please, I beg of you, help my brother..."

  "General, rest assured!" Ji Ping nodded and smiled: "Since we have already shared the same account as ministers, I will naturally run for the general. Please return temporarily, don't make any noise, and don't let Lü Bu detect it. There are still important things to do in these few days, and we need to borrow the general's strength."

  "No! Song Xian will certainly not disappoint the two generals, it's just..." Song Xian was about to leave, but seemed to have thought of something again, and looked at Xu You and Ou Ji with a difficult expression.

  "General, if you have anything else to say, please don't hesitate!" Xu You said with a friendly tone towards Song Xian after learning the truth.

  "Thank you, gentlemen! With your planning, Lü Bu and that ignorant child Qin Xu dare to oppose Lord Yuan, they will surely not live for long." Song Xian flattered them for a while, then hesitated and said: "It's just that my brother Wei Xu, although he has humbled himself to serve the two bandits Li Jue and Guo Si, has always admired Lord Yuan in his heart. If one day he comes to surrender, please, gentlemen, put in a good word for him before Lord Yuan, don't pursue his crime of rebellion."

  "This is natural! General Song, don't worry and rest assured to go back, wait for my news, I believe it won't be long before you get what you want!" Xiang Ji and Xu You exchanged a smile. Yuan Shao had even thought of establishing another emperor, how could he care about Wei Xu being a small character who had surrendered to the enemy? But in Xiang Ji's mind, his plan still needed the help of Song Xian's "special troops", so he agreed with a full mouth."

  "Bandits of Black Mountain! Lü Bu! Qin Xu! Not a single one of you will escape!"

  Xu You's eyes gleamed with a cold light as he heard the name "Qin Xu" in Song Xian's words, and he secretly thought to himself.