Chapter 279 How many divisions does the emperor have? Yuan Shao: Can a mat weaver and shoe seller become my biggest enemy? Ridiculous!
A hundred miles northeast of Xuchang is Weishi City.

Teams of Yuan army soldiers were coming from the north one after another and setting up camp around the city.

Inside the camp, smoke was already rising from the kitchen. Yuan's soldiers were chatting and laughing as they cooked. The atmosphere was relaxed and joyful.

The tense atmosphere of the Battle of Guandu was no longer visible on them, as if these 150,000 Yuan troops were just here for sightseeing.

A banquet was also going on in the county government in the city.

Yuan Shao sat high up, a long-lost leisurely smile on his face, sipping glass of wine one after another.

There were even dancers in front of the hall, dancing to liven up the atmosphere, and musicians playing the piano and flute on the side of the hall, with the music sounding melodious.

Guo Tu, Feng Ji, Yan Liang, Wen Chou and other counselors and generals were also chatting and laughing, enjoying the wine while appreciating the singing and dancing in front of the hall.

At this time, the whole Yuan camp was filled with a relaxed and leisurely atmosphere.

Only Ju Shou had a frown on his face, and he didn't touch a drop of the wine in his glass.

at last.

Ju Su could no longer bear it, so he jumped up and shouted at the dancers:
"Back off, you bunch of slaves, all of you, back off!"

The dancers were so frightened that they turned pale and retreated one after another. The musicians also stopped playing music, trembling with fear and not knowing what to do.

Everyone looked stunned, and they all looked at Ju Su blankly.

Yuan Shao's face darkened and he shouted:
"Ju Gongyu, what do you want to do?"

Ju Su stepped forward and bowed to Yuan Shao solemnly:

"My lord, Xudu has not been taken yet, and Cao the thief has not been killed. How can you enjoy the peace and prosperity and wine at this time?"

Yuan Shao's face turned pale with rage, and he slammed his wine glass onto the table, shouting angrily:
"Ju Gongyu, you are really so presumptuous. Are you trying to teach me a lesson?"

"I've fought all my life, so what's wrong with enjoying myself?"

Guo Tu immediately understood that Ju Su could not stand Yuan Shao's indulgence in pleasure, and his upright nature got out, so he wanted to give him some honest advice.

With a turn of his eyes, Guo Tu immediately stood up and pointed at Ju Shou and blamed him:
"Cao Cao was defeated at Guandu and is now powerless to recover. Even if he flees back to Xudu, he will only be waiting for death."

"Now that the situation in the Central Plains has been decided, Cao Cao has no chance of turning the tables. What's wrong with my lord rewarding everyone with fine wine, singing and dancing?"

"Ju Gongyu, ah Ju Gongyu, you are making a fuss out of nothing."

Xin Pi and other advisers from Ruying took advantage of the situation and joined in, accusing Ju Su of being too presumptuous.

Although Feng Ji was also from Yuan Shang's faction, he did not get along well with Ju Shou. He watched Ju Shou being attacked by the Ruying faction, but chose to turn a blind eye.

Ju Su ignored the accusations of Guo Tu and others and said in a deep voice:
"Although Cao's bandits abandoned Guandu, their main force was not seriously damaged and they still have the strength to put up a last-ditch resistance."

"I am worried that Cao Cao will take the emperor hostage and flee to Luoyang, then move the capital to Chang'an, retreat to Guanzhong, and rely on the danger of the Yellow River in Tongguan to continue to resist stubbornly."

"My lord, you should lead our army to pursue Cao Cao day and night. Even if we cannot completely annihilate Cao's army, we should at least rescue the emperor."

"In this way, my lord can use the emperor to control the princes and command the world legitimately!"

"The lord is marching slowly, stopping once a day, and even starting to enjoy wine and music. Isn't this allowing Cao Cao to take the emperor away and flee to Chang'an?"

Yuan Shao was about to get angry, but was retorted by Ju Su's words, and he swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

Ju Su's reasons for pursuing Cao Cao and rescuing the emperor were impeccable, so naturally he had no reason to refute them.

However, he couldn't say the reason in his mind in public.

Guo Tu observed Yuan Shao's expression and immediately figured out Yuan Shao's selfish motives.

Yuan Shao didn't want to welcome the emperor at all!

After all, the so-called Son of Heaven was established by Dong Zhuo. Yuan Shao had opposed it and once wanted to establish Liu Yan as emperor.

Later, the emperor moved eastward. Ju Su and others advised him to welcome the emperor back to Jizhou, but he made excuses for various reasons, and eventually the emperor fell into Cao Cao's hands.

Because in Yuan Shao's eyes, the emperor was a burden.

He had no plan to welcome an emperor back then. Now that he has taken control of Hebei and is close to conquering the Central Plains, why should he ask for trouble by welcoming back a god to worship and make himself a hindrance?

"Cao is a ruthless villain. The reason why my lord did not push him too hard is because he was afraid that Cao would become desperate and kill the emperor."

"Ju Gongyu, why can't you understand the difficulties of your lord?"

Guo Tu stepped forward decisively and found a plausible excuse for Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao's eyes moved, and he nodded:
"The one who understands me is Gongze."

"Gong Yu, I didn't pursue you relentlessly and march straight to Xu Du because I was concerned about the safety of the emperor."

"Cao Aman is desperate and can do anything. If he drags the emperor to his death in desperation, wouldn't I become a criminal of the Han Dynasty?"

Ju Su was speechless.

He had probably figured out Yuan Shao's selfish motive, which was to let Cao Cao take the emperor and escape to Guanzhong, so as to avoid leaving the emperor to himself and becoming a burden.

What Yuan Shao cared about was only real territory, and taking over the Henan provinces would have achieved the strategic goal of this southern expedition.

As for the Emperor...How many divisions do you have, Emperor?

I have the two rivers in my hands and millions of soldiers. What is the emperor?
Knowing Yuan Shao's selfish intentions, but knowing his reasons were so high-sounding, Ju Su could only say:
"Even if the lord is concerned about the safety of the emperor and wants to postpone the march to Xudu, he still doesn't take Cao Cao seriously."

"But my lord, don't forget, there is also Liu Bei."

"He defeated 10,000 of my troops in the battle of Xuyi, and is now heading north along the Si River with the intention of taking Xuzhou."

"If he knew that Cao Cao was defeated at Guandu, he would definitely divide his troops and march north in large numbers to seize the counties of Yanzhou and Yuzhou."

"My lord, you cannot hold a banquet here and ignore Liu Bei, allowing him to take advantage of the situation."

Ju Su's words finally made Yuan Shao's face change slightly, and he became a little alert.

Guo Tu sneered and said disapprovingly:
"You and I are worrying too much. The casualties in the battle of Xuyi were only Zang Ba's surrendered troops. They are not worth mentioning at all."

"The eldest master has 70,000 soldiers under his command, and Han Meng's 5,000 Youyan cavalrymen are under his command. Are you still afraid that he can't defend Xuzhou?"

"As for him sending his troops north to nibble at the counties of Yan and Yu, what's the big deal if he nibbles at a few counties?"

"After you occupy Xuchang and the soldiers have rested, the 150,000-man army will march south. Liu Bei will have to give back double what he took in!"

Guo Tu was extremely domineering and did not take Liu Bei seriously at all.

Not only Guo Tu, Xin Pi and other counselors, but also Yan Liang, Wen Chou and other generals all agreed, and were all full of confidence, looking down on Liu Bei. This could not be blamed on the arrogance of the people in Yuan's camp. After winning the Battle of Guandu, the strength of the Yuan family had become so strong that it was invincible.

It was this strength that gave them the confidence to despise Liu Bei.

Every word Guo Tu said hit the mark on Yuan Shao's heart, and he nodded slightly to show his satisfaction with Guo Tu.

"You are right. Liu Bei is not a concern. Let Tan'er hold him back for now."

Yuan Shao waved his hands, with a proud look on his face:
"After I have recaptured Xudu and wiped out the remaining forces of Cao Cao in Henan, and the soldiers have rested, then -"

As Yuan Shao spoke, he picked up the wine glass again, but he didn't expect his personal guards to rush in and interrupt his bold words.

"Report——"

"Urgent report from Xuzhou: The eldest son was defeated by Liu Bei at the Sishui River, and all 5,000 cavalry were lost!"

"Han Meng was killed, Xin Ping was shot to death, and Chen Gong committed suicide!"

"Liu Bei has now captured Xiaxiang, and his 70,000-strong army has penetrated deep into the heart of Xuzhou and is approaching Xiapi!"

Thunder exploded.

Yuan Shao's hand trembled and the wine glass almost fell out of his hand. His half-open eyes suddenly expanded and his face changed drastically.

All the counselors and generals were horrified.

Even Ju Shou was shocked, obviously stunned by this astonishing battle report.

"Brother, brother~~"

Upon learning of Xin Ping's death, Xin Pi fell to his knees with a howl.

"This is impossible!"

"How could the eldest son, with 70,000 troops under his command, be defeated by Liu Bei?"

"Han Meng is a famous general of the Yuan family. He has 5,000 cavalrymen under his command. How could he be defeated by Liu Bei?"

"It's impossible, absolutely impossible--"

Guo Tu was the first to jump up and shouted excitedly to his guards.

There was a burst of surprised and questioning voices in the tent.

"boom!"

Yuan Shao smashed his wine glass on the table and asked in a slightly excited tone:
"Gongze is right. I gave him 5,000 cavalrymen. How could Liu Bei kill all of my 5,000 cavalrymen?"

All the Yuan family's leaders and ministers did not believe it.

They were naturally very clear about how powerful the cavalry was.

They obviously couldn't figure out how Liu Bei, who had no cavalry, could defeat those 5,000 cavalry!
Moreover, Han Meng was killed and five thousand cavalrymen were almost all killed or wounded!
Ju Su was the first to calm down. He jumped up, snatched the silk book from the hands of his personal guards, and read out the detailed battle report aloud.

Crossbow?

Ten arrows in a row?

The truth of how the 5,000 cavalry were defeated finally came to light before the heads of the Yuan family.

From Yuan Shao to Guo Tu, everyone looked at each other in shock and confusion, as if they had heard a fairy tale.

"What kind of crossbow is this? How could it be able to defeat my five thousand cavalrymen?"

Guo Tu's voice trembled and was stunned, and the excitement he had felt before had completely vanished.

Everyone stared in amazement, totally confused as to what was being said.

"The battle report does not specify in detail, but I guess this crossbow should be a new type of crossbow built by Liu Bei, which can fire ten crossbow arrows in one shot."

"It was with this divine crossbow that Liu Bei caught Han Meng off guard and severely damaged his 5,000 cavalrymen."

Ju Su used his wisdom to figure out the mystery.

There was another uproar and surprise in the county government.

"Crossbow, ten-arrow crossbow..."

"There are such skilled craftsmen in the army of the big-eared thieves. How hateful~~"

Yuan Shao's expression changed from surprise to gloomy, and the wine glass in his hand was clenched so tightly that it made a crackling sound.

At this moment, he felt annoyed as if he had been slapped in the face.

Just a moment ago, their master and his ministers were still immersed in absolute confidence that they had defeated Cao Cao, were invincible in the world, and regarded Liu Bei as nothing.

In a blink of an eye, Liu Bei slapped them hard in the face with a big show.

How could Yuan Shao not be angry?

Ju Su sighed, clasped his hands and said:
"My lord, I have said before that Liu Bei is actually your greatest enemy in unifying the world."

"Now that the eldest son has been badly wounded, the situation in Xuzhou has taken a sharp turn for the worse. We must do something and cannot let Liu Bei swallow up Xuzhou."

A word startled him awake.

Yuan Shao slammed his wine glass on the table again and shouted in a deep voice:

"Zhang He, listen to my orders. I order you to lead 20,000 elite soldiers to advance eastward along the Sui River immediately, attack Xiaxiang directly, and cut off Liu Bei's retreat!"

Zhang He accepted the order with great enthusiasm.

"My lord, Liu Bei killed my brother. I am willing to go with General Zhang and kill Liu Bei to avenge him!"

In grief, Xin Pi jumped up and angrily challenged Yuan Shao to fight.

Yuan Shao naturally had no reason to refuse, and immediately accepted Xin Pi's request.

The two men received the military order and hurriedly left.

Yuan Shao stood up, walked down the stairs, and went to the outer door of the hall. He looked in the direction of Xuzhou with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes.

"How could a man who only made mats and sold shoes become my greatest enemy? This world is really ridiculous..."

(End of this chapter)