NOVPUB"Given the circumstances, my Lord, please divide the troops into two teams, one for the night attack. If the first team fails, the second can come to the rescue. At worst, tonight’s night raid will simply turn into a siege," said Jia Xu calmly, his head bowed. Cao Cao might be fully prepared, but there are only two opportunities to annihilate a great enemy: one is to take them by surprise at the beginning, and the other is to wear them down with protracted combat.
It can be said that if it comes to dragging things out, Jia Xu can guarantee that they would be the survivors, and definitely not Cao Mengde of Mount Tai.
The problem is, if things were dragged on, it would result in both Cao and Liu suffering losses, favoring Yuan Shao—after all, for Liu Bei, occupying Yanzhou would not secure the north. It would be better not to take Yanzhou at all!
Jia Xu and other strategists had also considered a straightforward plan to severely weaken and directly eliminate Cao Cao, leaving Yanzhou to Lyu Bu. However, this plan was ultimately abandoned, not because of the lack of foresight, but because of Yuan Shao.
In this era, whether one admits it or not, Yuan Shao’s display of courage since the Battle of Jieqiao had shocked the world. Even Yuan Shu, because of Lyu Bu’s favor to the Yuan Family, had sheltered Lyu Bu. What Jia Xu and the others feared most was Yuan Shao showing his boldness by allowing Lyu Bu to return to his hometown in Bingzhou, or even creating an opportunity for Lyu Bu to do so.
To Jia Xu and the rest, the likelihood of this happening seemed slim, but due to the potential dangers of such a scenario, they had quashed the idea. After all, if that distasteful incident actually happened, it would be a pity for the Han Dynasty—it might as well be over and done with!
This was something Jia Xu did not tell Chen Xi. If he had, Chen Xi would have told him that the chances of it happening were as high as ninety percent. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
Despite the favorable celestial phenomena in the years 191 and 192, and the brilliant stratagem by Xun Yu and Xi Zhicai that allowed Cao Cao to rise by seizing the populous Nanyang County, the provinces and counties had not seen an end to locust disasters, droughts, and frosts from the moment they began slaughtering in Xuzhou, with most having no grain reserves left!
From that period on, no conquered province or county would have three years’ worth of grain reserves—in fact, any county with three months’ supply was considered wealthy. From then on, a shattered realm was a victory as long as it was within one’s grasp…
This meant that Lyu Bu was inevitably going to face a food shortage. At this point, whether Yuan Shao used food to entice Lyu Bu to relocate to Bingzhou, or took Yanzhou by force while Lyu Bu’s supplies were low, Yuan Shao would gain control of Yanzhou. Nothing was more important than the Yuan Family’s north-south union.
No matter how deep the enmity between Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao, in a situation where the Central Plains were left with only Liu Bei while the rest belonged to the Yuan Family, the Yuan Family was destined to annihilate Liu Bei!
Regardless of whether Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao would prioritize the family’s interest in such a situation, the firm understanding of human nature held by Jia Xu and others, as well as the historical event of Yuan Shu’s defeat in the north and his escape with the Imperial Seal seeking to reunite with Yuan Shao, indicated one thing: aristocratic family members indeed value their clan highest. Should Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao each control several states and meet in victory, the Yuan Family would certainly consolidate power, eliminate other feudal lords, and then carry out internal conflicts over legitimacy and illegitimacy within the family.
Nearing control of eight states and possessing three grain-producing and three horse-producing regions, the Yuan Family (note clearly that it is the Yuan Family, not Yuan Shao or Yuan Shu) would not need any strategy to easily dispose of Liu Bei, who had not yet recovered from a battle with Cao Cao half a year ago, possibly within just a month.
The reason is that Lyu Bu, having newly occupied Yanzhou, would certainly be unable to withstand a wave of attacks from Yuan Shao by this summer. During Cao Cao’s time, with capable people in support, Tian Feng and others had suggested seizing opportunities to eliminate Cao Cao. If it were Lyu Bu, the Yuan Family would undoubtedly reunite victoriously at the first chance.
Once Yanzhou fell into Yuan Shao’s hands, the Yuan Family would immediately set about subduing Liu Bei, who was completely surrounded by them. Afterward, with control over You, Ji, Bing, Qing, Yan, Xu, Yu, Yang, Jing, and Jiao—an impressive total of ten states—plus a large part of Sili, well, it’s quite a sight to behold.
In fact, Jia Xu had also calculated that if they could eliminate Cao Cao with minimal losses, they might be able to end the era of chaos more swiftly. Liu Bei, with well-trained troops and ample grain from Qing and Xu, would not find it too challenging to withstand the first assault by the Yuan Family, who would have the power of eight states behind them. Afterwards, employing the strategies prepared in advance by Chen Xi, securing the north would not be an issue. Aside from the process being a bit risky, it seemed like a good plan.
However, this process was indeed too risky. If mishandled, the Yuan Family might control ten states by the end of the year and unify the world by the next.
This was why Jia Xu, despite having the means to deal with Cao Cao, chose not to use them—it was simply too dangerous.
However, Chen Xi was certain that this was the best time to eliminate Cao Cao. Trusting Chen Xi’s judgement, Jia Xu thought that eliminating Cao Cao with minimal losses and then quickly concluding the battle against the Yuan Family to end the era of chaos would also be a good thing.
For this reason, Jia Xu decided to observe the situation and eliminate Cao Cao if possible. If they could nearly losslessly eliminate Cao Cao, they would start a new chapter in history, since Chen Xi believed he could handle what followed. But if the plan failed, there was no helping it. They would pretend to be messengers to Cao Cao, informing him that Yanzhou had been taken, urging him to rush back and seize it. Under no circumstances would Jia Xu waste substantial combat power just to eliminate Cao Cao.
"[Fortunately, the food Zichuan has prepared for the army has been effective. Having continuously fed them sheep, pig, and chicken livers over the past two years, most men in the army can now see in the dark. The night battle—our victory or defeat hinges on this moment. Ziyang, Fengxiao, Wen Ru, how many moves you can withstand from Cao Cao will depend on your grasp of the timing,]" thought Jia Xu as he took a deep breath.
"That sounds good. I’ll lead the night raid myself, and you and Zijian will act as the rear army for the rescue," Liu Bei promptly made the choice that Jia Xu had anticipated.
