NOVPUBThe population registration scheme that Chen Xi devised for the Ming Dynasty was far too sophisticated for this era. At least Ju Shou and Xuu You, despite being considered first-class intellectuals in this day and age, never even considered that all the intelligence under their control could be false information deliberately fed to them by Mount Tai.
In short, because Li Youu and Lub Su had too many things on their plate and the initial rollout of the new population registration was quite complicated, the scheme really only took off in Mount Tai Commandery. As for Qingzhou, it was still in a gradual phase of implementation.
Indeed, even this incomplete version of the population registry was enough to utterly ruin the intelligence network that Xuu You had painstakingly built. After all, Xuu You was investigating Li Youu, who lacked any prior records, so the only information Xuu You could probe into were the events surrounding Li Youu’s arrival.
Since Li Youu barely left Mount Tai, all of the informants that Xuu You could mobilize were within the territory of Mount Tai. Therefore, when Li Youu deliberately released false information and then had Lub Su clean up the network behind him, they managed to thoroughly infiltrate Xuu You’s carefully established intelligence organization.
As a result, when Jia Xu received this news, he transferred the intelligence operation to Lub Su, instructing him to use Xuu You’s attempt to probe into Li Youu as an opportunity to insert a number of spies into the network. It appeared Jia Xu was already poised to fully take over the intelligence organization in Jizhou. With the way Xuu You was running things, it was inevitable that Lub Su would gain complete control over the upper layer’s data sooner or later.
Yuan Shao read the secret letter sent by Li Youu, frowning deeply, "Gong Yu, you are too cautious. What great loss can there be from mere luxuries and beauties? As long as Liu Xuande can be corrupted, who else can stand in the way of my march to dominion? It’s a pity that Li Wenru has now been driven to Xuzhou by Chen Zichuan and the others. Chen Hanyu and Chen Yuanlong are both well-known officials in the realm, and with Chen Zichuan and others pressing them from above, it’s likely that Li Wenru has no more opportunities for advancement. Such a wasted piece."
Yuan Shao’s words clearly conveyed his frustration, yet he did not overly blame Ju Shou. He still appreciated Ju Shou’s caution, but this time, a great opportunity had been missed. Yuan Shao could only inwardly sigh at this; Chen Zichuan and his group were not easy to deal with. A corrupt official had just emerged within their ranks, yet in no time at all, they took the opportunity to expel him without leaving any trace.
"Lord, the fact that Li Wenru has no strategies left does not mean we are out of options. This is the perfect opportunity to completely turn Li Wenru to our side," Xuu You stroked his beard, a smug expression on his face. Chen Hanyu and Chen Yuanlong may indeed be renowned officials, but they care too much about their own turf! For someone like Xuu You, who had his sights on the whole world, there were too many opportunities to manipulate.
"Ziyuan is quite right. This time, we need to ensure not only that Li Wenru turns to our side, but also that he no longer remains as a useless courtier beside Liu Bei. Instead, he must address the troubles in Xuzhou and become a much sought-after talented official under Liu Bei. In this way, once Li Wenru returns to Mount Tai, to maintain his status, he will have to rely more on us, and his influence over Liu Bei will also be greater," Ju Shou explained with a smile, as he and Xuu You had already made plans to assist Li Youu in returning to Mount Tai.
"Hahaha, Gong Yu, Ziyuan, I owe it all to you two. Otherwise, I might have missed this excellent opportunity! Good. I leave this matter in the hands of you both. As for the plan to corrupt Liu Xuande and instigate animosity between him and his strategists, let’s also move it up on the agenda. Jizhou does not lack for luxuries and beauties!" Yuan Shao laughed heartily. He was not sluggish in thought; with a nudge from Xuu You and Ju Shou, he instantly understood that the simplest way to prove someone’s capability was to have them pull off a significant feat!
"We will not fail to meet your high expectations, my lord!" Ju Shou and Xuu You bowed to Yuan Shao. As for the task of smoothing out the situation in Xuzhou for Li Youu, they didn’t consider it a significant challenge. What they desired was to figure out how they could resolve the matter for Li Youu without being detected, and ensure that the myriad latent issues that would arise in Xuzhou afterward went unnoticed.
Meanwhile, both Lyu Bu and Cao Cao had received word of the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou’s surrender. Compared to Lyu Bu’s disdain, the recently exhausted Cao Cao admired Liu Bei immensely and his envy was encapsulated in a single exclamation, "Sigh~"
There was no helping it. As far as the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou were concerned, whether it was taking from their raids or ultimately profiting from Qingzhou, it had always been Cao Cao who benefited most. From the two million plus Yellow Turbans, he had selected three hundred thousand strong youths, dubbed as the Qingzhou Soldiers. Although discarding the women, children, and the elderly led to dissatisfaction among the Yellow Turbans towards Cao Cao and resulted in some military indiscipline, no one could deny the significance of these three hundred thousand Qingzhou Soldiers to Cao Cao!
As for this world, Liu Bei had seized the biggest share. He had acted early, had ample reserves of food and supplies, and ultimately gained much more than Cao Cao ever did. It’s worth noting that Liu Bei had taken in everyone, including women, children, and the elderly, supported by the endorsement of Xuangu, the Great Leader, followed by Guan Hai, the Yellow Turban Commander. This left none of the Yellow Turban Commanders swearing undying resistance and no messy battles which led to the annihilation of many notable commanders as it had happened with Cao Cao.
After subjugating Qingzhou, Cao Cao, in his efforts to eradicate Qu Gong, Sima Ju, Jiang Gong, and Huang Shao, had Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun repeatedly take action until finally in the year 196, they had managed to quell all of the resistive Yellow Turban Commanders. One could only guess the extent of the losses incurred with a bit of thought.
In this era, Liu Bei had virtually absorbed all of the forces of the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou. With a cursory selection from the three hundred thousand Qingzhou Soldiers, he could easily form his force, and almost all of the Yellow Turban Commanders historically eliminated by Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun were basically kept intact.
Having said that, although it might not be easy to find one or two commanders among this group with the ability of Inner Qi Manifestation, the prospect of sixty to seventy commanders capable of Qi Refining to Gang was intimidating enough to scare many.
Moreover, all these Yellow Turban Commanders had experience in leading troops. It wouldn’t be an issue for any of them to lead a platoon of five hundred soldiers, let alone thousands. With a bit of training, Liu Bei would have a sufficient number of mid to low-ranking officers at his disposal. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝑚
"Liu Xuande seems to be the chosen one by the Mandate of Heaven. Xuangu followed him, and then Guan Hai. I used to think those were merely Liu Xuande’s strategies, but now I realize that among the Yellow Turbans there are indeed heroes!" Cao Cao stood on the city wall, with Dian Wei standing behind him, watching as Lyu Bu’s troops slowly retreated; Cao Cao murmured to himself.
"My Lord, we should hasten back to the government office to rest. I fear there will be a fierce battle tomorrow. If we can withstand another ten days or so of drought, even if we do not emerge victorious, we will have effectively won this war!" Xi Zhicai coughed as he bowed to Cao Cao after observing the outcome of their battle with Lyu Bu. The battle had eventually led them to a full retreat to Chenliu, where the formidable fortifications barely held off Lyu Bu’s assault, yet truly just barely.
Cao Cao sighed. For now, he had barely managed to stabilize the situation. Du Xi took a risk and cut off Yuan Shu’s supply lines, and then, taking advantage of the early spring tides, breached the Yuh River, dealing Yuan Shu a significant defeat and allowing Cao Cao to divert the meager forces of Wancheng to Chenliu to fend off Lyu Bu. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to continue reading.)
