Chapter 8: Grand Plan

  Just a few more names and we can make it to the ranked list, thanks for your support!

  Xu You panicked.

  Following Yuan Shao closely, that's being a close minister, no need to suffer hardship, no need to bear the burden, just moving one's lips is enough.

  At present, if you follow Yan Liang to Ru Nan, not to mention the risk of going deep into the enemy's rear, you will also have to endure the hardships and sufferings of the journey.

  Nowadays, Xu You is used to a life of luxury and leisure, and can no longer bear the hardships of rushing about.

  "Your Excellency, actually..." Xu You immediately wanted to push this task away.

  Yuan Shao waved his hand and said, "Zi Yi has considered it thoroughly. Let Zi Yuan accompany you to start the uprising in Ru Nan. It's settled."

  Yuan Shao's greatest pleasure was playing balance, Yan Liang and Xu You this pair of balances, one is a general from Hebei, the other is a scholar from Ruynan, only by balancing each other can he feel at ease.

  Xu You's words reached his throat, but he could only swallow them back hard, Yuan Shao had already made up his mind, what else could he say?

  Xu You's reluctance did not escape Yan Liang's eyes, he knew that at this time Xu You, although following him in person, his heart was still with Yuan Shao, if he wanted to win him over, he would have to put in some effort.

  "Mr. Zi Yuan, this time you go south, I'm afraid it will be a lot of trouble for Mr. to come up with more strategies." Yan Liang bowed and smiled at him.

  "Alright, alright, we're all working for the lord, what's a little trouble here and there?" Xu You forced out a faint smile.

  Having received Yuan Shao's military order, Yan Liang was afraid of causing unnecessary trouble and decided to set out with a thousand light cavalrymen that very day, taking Xu You along with him.

  Yan Liang originally asked Yuan Shao for three thousand light cavalry, but Yuan Shao later couldn't bear to part with his precious cavalry and only agreed to allocate one thousand cavalrymen to Yan Liang.

  Yan Liang then selected a thousand elite cavalrymen from among them, and most of these thousand people had no family in Hebei. In this way, when Yan Liang left Yuan Shao in the future, he would not be afraid that they would not follow him because of concerns about their families.

  With this thousand light cavalry, Yan Liang left the main camp of Yuan's army and rushed to march overnight, quickly escaping from the control range of Yuan's army.

  The swift steed galloped swiftly across the vast plains of the Central Plains, and Yan Liang's heart suddenly became incredibly broad.

  With a thousand elite soldiers in hand, Yan Liang believed that as long as he could smoothly reach Runan, he would be able to use this as the backbone and gather a considerable number of troops.

  However, Yuzhou was just the starting point for Yan Liang's self-reliance, and his ultimate destination was Jingzhou.

  To have a place in a chaotic world, relying on troops is not enough. The most important thing is talent.

  Liu Bei suffered repeated defeats in those years, but he was still able to rise again, precisely because he had a group of loyal civil and military officials. As long as these assets were there, he could reorganize an army at any time.

  Under the current trend, in the Central Plains of Henan, talents like Xu You who can assist a king have all gone to Cao Cao's side. It is even more impossible for Yuan Shao to recruit any civil or military officials.

  As for the Sun family of Jiangdong, they have already gone through three generations, and it is also impossible to easily recruit those talents under the Sun family.

  Looking around the world, only Jingzhou still has many talented people hiding in the countryside who have not yet pledged allegiance to a wise ruler.

  Like Zhuge Kongming, Feng Xiu Pang Tong, Ma Liang, Jiang Wan, Huang Zhong... countless extraordinary talents, Liu Bei in history relied on this batch of Jingzhou talents to achieve his ambitions.

  At present, Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, has no great ambitions and is good at cultivating scholars but not at using them. This includes his confidants Kuai Yue and Cai Mao, who are typical of the scholars in Jingzhou. They regard Liu Biao as a temporary ruler, and if they encounter a suitable strong leader, these people can switch allegiance to a new master at any time.

  Yan Liang thought that since he had stolen Liu Bei's plan, he might as well steal it cleanly. The rich land of Jingzhou was better off in his own pocket than left to them.

  Riding lightly and swiftly, they traversed Caozhou in a few days and entered the borders of Xuzhou.

  Although Cao Cao nominally occupied Xuzhou, the region was located in the far east of his territory, with most areas being flat and open, making it difficult to set up checkpoints. Moreover, Xuzhou had recently been pacified after several massacres, leaving the local population sparse and discontented. Therefore, during the Battle of Guandu, Xuzhou was the place where Cao Cao's control was weakest.

  At this time, Cao Cao's main forces were concentrated in the Central Plains to confront Yuan Shao, and the defensive forces in Xuzhou were weak. Yan Liang relied on the speed of his cavalry to easily cross Xuzhou and enter Runan County, which belonged to Yuzhou.

  It was early in the morning, and the troops were about to enter a valley.

  "General Yan, there are ambush troops ahead, and order the soldiers to temporarily halt their advance." Suddenly spoke up Xu You, who had not spoken much along the way.

  Yan Liang looked far ahead, but saw a mountain lying horizontally beside the main road in front of him. The forest path that went through the mountain was spotless, and as he gazed out, except for the birds flying overhead in the trees, not a single person or flag could be seen.

  "Mr. Zi Yuan, how did you determine that there are ambush troops ahead?" Yan Liang asked suspiciously.

  Xu You stroked his sparse beard and said calmly, "Look at the birds flying overhead in the forest, circling for a long time but not daring to land on the branches. Unless there are hidden soldiers in the forest, why would so many birds be scared away?"

  Xu You's mouth corners rose, revealing confidence.

  Yan Liang raised his head and carefully observed the situation on the mountain forest side, and it was indeed as Xu Shu had said.

  "What a sharp observation! This Xu You looks listless on the surface, but is actually so vigilant at heart. It seems I've brought him out just in time..."

  Yan Liang was secretly impressed, but for the time being he didn't show it, and instead ordered his troops to halt, sending a team of scouts ahead to reconnoiter.

  Before long, the scouts returned to report that there were indeed many men and horses lying in ambush in the woods on both sides of the main road. Moreover, most of those ambushing soldiers had their heads wrapped in yellow scarves, looking like remnants of the Yellow Turbans.

  Yan Liang again called for local villagers to come and inquire about the origin of this group of Yellow Turbans.

  The villagers call the mountain in front of them Niubishan. A few years ago, it was occupied by two Yellow Turbans named Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao. Within a few years, they gathered thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers and horses, and no nearby government army could defeat them.

  Zhou Cang!

  When he heard this name, Yan Liang's heart skipped a beat.

  In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", it is said that this person was recruited by Guan Yu when he rode alone for a thousand miles. At first, Guan Yu wanted to go to Runan to find Liu Bei, and now he himself took the route of Liu Bei's southward journey, so it's not surprising to meet this person.

  Although Zhou Cang's ability to command troops was not very strong, his martial arts skills were quite impressive. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Guan Yu flooded and defeated seven armies, it was he who captured Pang De.

  What is even more precious is that Zhou Cang was loyal and unwavering. After Guan Yu's defeat and death, he refused to surrender in Jiancheng City, ultimately taking his own life.

  Yan Liang thought to himself that he was currently lacking in talent, and Zhou Cang, although not a great talent, was loyal and skilled in martial arts. If he could recruit him as his personal bodyguard, it would be a gain.

  Yan Liang's eyes rolled over and he had an idea.

  "Pass on my order, the whole army will set up camp and rest here, we'll spend tonight at the foot of Sleeping Cow Mountain."

  Xu You, who had been smiling proudly, was stroking his beard and waiting for Yan Liang to ask him for advice on how to defeat the enemy, but unexpectedly Yan Liang gave no response and suddenly ordered the army to set up camp.

  Xu You was perplexed and couldn't help but say, "They're just a group of bandits, a small trick can take care of them, why did General Yan stop in his tracks?"

  What he meant was that Yan Liang had come to him for advice on strategy, but was unaware of Yan Liang's ulterior motives.

  "This place is where the Yellow Turbans will be recruited, not exterminated. Mr. Ziyuan must have been tired from rushing for a day, why not sit down and have a drink, and watch me deal with Yan Mou?"

  Yan Liang's mouth corners slightly curved into a smile.

  He intended to win over Xu You, but before that, he had to show Xu You his extraordinary place and let Xu You recognize that he was a bright lord who could be served.

  Xu You's eyebrows flickered with a hint of suspicion, and since the Battle of White Horse, he had become increasingly puzzled by Yan Liang, who was originally brave but lacking in strategy.

  "This Yan Ziyuan, acts calmly and quietly, completely unlike the impetuousness of his past, what is he thinking in his heart...?" Xu You looked at Yan Liang's robust back, with a curious expression.