Chapter 284: You are a wicked ruler, don't blame me for surrendering to another country! The best counselor may not be you, but the best liar must be you!

The Chen family is causing chaos?
Mutiny and seizure of the gate?

Jiang Qi was killed, and Liu Bei marched into Xia Pi?
One piece of bad news after another struck Xu You's head like thunder.

His head was buzzing, his eyes were dizzy, and he staggered and fell on the doorstep.

Countless fragments of memory and clues flooded into my mind like a tide.

Recalling that time, Chen Deng suddenly told Yuan Tan that his Chen family's spies had learned that Gan Ning appeared in Xuyi.

Immediately afterwards, intentionally or unintentionally, he reminded Yuan Tan and Liu Bei to mobilize 10,000 troops to the south.

It was these two things mentioned by Chen Deng that induced him to judge that Liu Bei was going to sneak attack Haixi City by sea, so he offered advice to Yuan Tan and secretly dispatched troops to set up an ambush in Haixi.

Liu Bei had kept his troops inactive for days, but today he launched a massive attack, and Chen Deng rebelled and seized the city today!

This series of clues finally intertwined a shocking truth in Xu You's mind:

Chen Deng had already secretly defected to Liu Bei!

Under the guidance of Chen Deng, he fell into Liu Bei's trap of luring the tiger away from the mountain and mistakenly transferred Yuan Tan and 20,000 troops to Haixi, leaving Xia Pi with a lack of troops.

This gave Liu Bei the opportunity to launch an attack today.

Chen Deng even made an agreement with Liu Bei in advance that the soldiers would mutiniate and attack from both inside and outside to help Liu Bei's army advance into Xia Pi.

"Chen Deng, you are such a despicable and shameless person. You pretended to be loyal to the Yuan family, but you turned out to be disloyal and secretly joined the big-eared thief!"

"How dare you play tricks on me like this, causing me to be too clever for my own good and causing the eldest master to lose Xia Pi!"

"How hateful! How hateful~~"

Xu You, who figured out everything, jumped up and started cursing in anger.

It's too late.

While Xu You was still cursing Chen Deng, the sound of killing outside the mansion was deafening, scaring Yuan's soldiers in the mansion so much that they were at a loss.

Xu You finally calmed down a bit and had to rush out of the state capital in a hurry, trying to break through and escape.

Liu's army has entered the city in large numbers. Even if Gao Xiang's troops outside the city were transferred into the city, it would be of no avail and there would be no way to turn the tide.

The fall of Xia Pi was inevitable. The only way to save his life was to escape from the east gate and join Gao Xiang in retreating north to Tancheng.

With this thought in mind, Xu You was about to whip his horse to escape towards the east gate, but the whip suddenly became suspended in the air.

"Shen Pei exposed my corruption, and the lord must be furious with me now. If I help the eldest son defeat Liu Bei and recover the lost territory, the lord will naturally not punish me."

"Now that my plan has failed again and caused the eldest son to lose Xia Pi, will the lord turn a blind eye?"

"What if Shen Pei and others take advantage of the situation to attack me, and my lord is instigated by them and punishes me in anger? What should I do?"

Xu You's thoughts raced, he shuddered suddenly, and slowly put down the whip in his hand.

He finally began to calm down and look at the cruel situation in front of him in a new light.

Xia Pi is the capital of Xuzhou. Once it falls, the Yuan family’s rule in Xuzhou will collapse.

Even if he and Yuan Tan retreated to Tancheng, they might not be able to hold it. The final outcome would be to abandon Xuzhou and flee back to Qingzhou in a panic.

The 70,000-strong army was almost completely wiped out, and Xuzhou was lost again. Yuan Tan's reputation was completely ruined, and he lost all his bargaining chips in the competition with Yuan Shang for the throne.

The position of the crown prince of the Yuan family will most likely fall into the hands of Yuan Shang.

By that time, Yuan Shang would be in control of the Yuan family, and even his brother Yuan Tan would be held accountable, let alone him.

Even if Yuan Shao showed mercy this time and did not punish him, allowing him to escape by chance, could he still escape Yuan Shang's revenge later?
"Yuan Benchu, it's not that I'm unfaithful to you, it's that you don't remember our old friendship and allow your son to treat me like this!"

"If you are unjust, don't blame me for surrendering to another country..."

Xu You muttered to himself, a cold and resolute look flashing in his eyes.

After taking a deep breath, Xu You shouted:

"Xia Pi City has been lost. You should all flee for your lives."

"Tell the eldest master that it was not me, Xu You, who was unfaithful to the Yuan family. It was the Yuan family that betrayed me first!"

After saying this, Xu You jumped off his horse and strode back towards the provincial capital.

The soldiers of Yuan army on both sides were all stunned and had no idea what Xu You was up to.

After being stunned for a long time, a group of Liu's army arrived on the main street in the west. The Yuan family soldiers did not care about Xu You and immediately dispersed, each running for their lives.

Take care of your eyes.

Gao Shun, commanding more than a thousand Liu troops, had already entered the provincial capital.

Liu's army rushed in and began to clear out the remaining Yuan troops to ensure that there were no remaining enemies in the provincial capital.

Gao Shun, holding a long sword in his hand, ran straight to the main hall of the provincial government.

"boom!"

Gao Shun kicked open the tightly closed door and stepped in.

The scene before him shocked him and he couldn't help but stop.

The lobby was empty.

There was only one scholar, who was sitting there idly, sipping his glass of wine as if no one was around.

This situation is like a situation where one cannot change color even if Mount Tai collapses in front of them.

Gao Shun put away his knife, stepped forward and asked:

"Who are you? Tell me your name."

The scholar did not answer, but asked in a calm tone:
"Whose general are you?"

Gao Shun looked the man up and down and thought that since he remained calm in the face of danger, he must not be an unknown person.

"I am Gao Shun, the Lieutenant General under the command of the General. May I ask your name?"

Gao Shun guessed that the other party was of some importance, so he spoke in a more polite tone.

The scholar took a sip of wine and said slowly:

"So you are an old subordinate of Lu Bu. When it comes to my name, everyone in the world knows it. I think you should have heard of it too."

"I am Xu You from Nanyang."

Gao Shun was shocked, and suddenly he understood.

No wonder this person was so calm and composed. It turned out that he was Yuan Shao’s trusted adviser and the second-in-command of the Xuzhou Legion, Xu You.

This is a big fish. If I can capture it alive, it will be a great achievement!
Gao Shun was secretly excited, but also wondered:
"Xu You, all the Yuan troops in this prefecture have fled, why don't you flee?"

Xu You still did not answer, but asked:
"Chen Deng rebelled today, and the general was helped by the outside forces to capture Xia Pi. Wasn't this all the work of your military advisor Xiao?"

Gao Shun's eyes narrowed, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Xu You secretly observed Gao Shun's expression, and when he saw the change in his eyes, he knew that his guess was right.

"I have to say that your military advisor Xiao is indeed a master of strategy."

"If I'm not mistaken, he used Chen Deng to pretend to offer intelligence to lure me into giving advice to Master Yuan, and then he would draw troops from Xia Pi to set up an ambush in Haixi."

"In this way, Xia Pi's military strength was empty, and Chen Deng's private soldiers were confident that they could launch a mutiny, seize the gate and let the general's army into the city of Xia Pi."

"If my guess is correct, the general sent light cavalry north to intercept Master Yuan's 20,000-man army while attacking Xia Pi."

"With this two-pronged approach, Master Yuan lost both ends and could only flee north in defeat, no longer able to hold on to Xuzhou."

"In this way, the general can not only capture Xia Pi, but also take the entire Xuzhou in one fell swoop!"

"General Gao, is that right or wrong?"

Xu You slowly told us the conclusion he had drawn.

After saying this, he raised his glass and pretended to take a sip, but his heart was tense and he glanced at Gao Shun nervously, fearing that his guess was wrong.

The suspicion on Gao Shun's face turned into surprise in an instant.

Xu You secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his guess was correct. This entire plan was indeed Xiao Fang's masterpiece.

At this time, Yuan Tan had indeed been intercepted by Liu Bei's cavalry.

"People say that you, Xu Ziyuan, are the most brilliant planner in Yuanying. Today I see that your reputation is well-deserved."

"Yes, this strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain was all the work of our military advisor Xiao."

Gao Shun showed some respect on his face, but then he changed the subject:
"But it's too late for you to figure this out now."

"Xia Pi has been conquered by my lord, and Yuan Tan has also been defeated by my lord. Even though you are very wise, you will still be a prisoner."

After hearing this, Xu You suddenly burst into laughter.

Gao Shun frowned and looked at Xu You who was laughing for no apparent reason, a look of confusion flashing across his face.

"General Gao, I don't need to hide it from you. I have long seen that Chen Deng has secretly surrendered to the general. I also knew that this was Xiao Jinglue's plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain."

"If I hadn't fallen into the trap on purpose and suggested to Yuan Tan to move troops to Haixi, do you really think that Xiao Jinglue's plan would have succeeded?"

Xu You sneered in his eyes and a hint of sarcasm appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Gao Shun was greatly surprised, and his eyes were instantly filled with deep astonishment.

This Xu You actually claimed that he had seen through Xiao Fang's plan long ago?
Then why did he still offer advice to Yuan Tan, which resulted in Yuan Tan being severely injured, Xia Pi being lost, and himself being taken prisoner?

Did he get kicked in the head by a donkey?
"Xu You, why are you doing this?"

Gao Shun was confused and asked his own questions.

Xu You put down the wine glass and a look of respect flashed across his face.

"Yuan Shao is fierce in appearance but weak in courage, he is good at making plans but has no decision, he is afraid of his own safety when doing great things, he forgets his principles when he sees small gains, and he indulges his sons in fighting for the throne, and allows his subordinates to fight overtly and secretly. How can such a lord be a hero who can pacify the troubled times?"

"In my heart, only the general is the true and wise leader who can unify the world."

"So even though my heart is in Yuan's camp, I have long been loyal to the general and have long wanted to submit to him. With my wisdom and strategy, I will help the general eliminate the Han thieves, rebuild the country, and achieve hegemony!"

"That's why I took advantage of the situation and offered a plan to induce Yuan Tan to move his troops out of Xia Pi, in order to help the general capture Xia Pi."

"This Xia Pi City is the gift of surrender that I, Xu You, present to the general!"

Xu You gave a serious and passionate explanation.

Gao Shun suddenly realized what was going on and understood that Xu You's actions were actually a covert attempt to surrender to Liu Bei.

"That's it, that's it..."

"Mr. Xu is the most brilliant man in Yuan's camp, and he has made such great contributions. The general has always been respectful to the wise and humble, so he will definitely make use of you!"

"Please move quickly, Mr. Xu, and follow me to meet the general."

Gao Shun showed a look of delight, bowed, and politely made a gesture of invitation.

Xu You drank the wine in the glass, slowly stood up, and walked out of the hall.

As he passed by Gao Shun, a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

That is the pride of having one's wish come true.

If Xia Pi was lost, continuing to be loyal to Yuan Shao would mean life and death.

After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to surrender to Liu Bei.

He surrendered to Liu Bei as a prisoner after being defeated and captured, so he definitely had no status.

So Xu You had an idea and staged this play.

Not only did he demonstrate his own foresight by seeing through Xiao Fang's plan long ago, he also took all the credit for Liu Bei's capture of Xia Pi.

The treatment and status he received by surrendering to Liu Bei as such a meritorious minister would naturally be very different from if he were captured and surrendered.

With this pride, Xu You left the provincial capital under the protection of Gao Shun and went straight to the south gate.

At this time, the war in Xia Pi City had basically ended. Liu Bei and Xiao Fang were reminiscing with Chen Deng on the south gate tower, overlooking the entire situation in Xia Pi.

The carriage stopped at the foot of the city gate. Xu You held his head high and got off the carriage calmly.

"Stop, who are you?"

Xu Chu, who was on guard at the city gate, immediately grabbed the hilt of his sword and stopped Xu You.

Xu You glanced at Xu Chu with his nose, clasped his hands behind his back, turned away, and did not bother to tell him his name.

"Zhongkang, this is Xu You, Xu Ziyuan, an important official of Yuanying, who wants to submit to the lord. I specially invited him to meet the lord."

Gao Shun hurried forward to explain.

Only then did Xu Chu calm down, step back, and let him go up to the city wall.

Xu You, however, stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the sky, and did not move to go up to the city wall.

"Mr. Xu, the lord is on the tower, please go up to the city."

Gao Shun invited politely.

Xu You remained motionless, but he coughed and said:

"My legs and feet are not very good, so I won't go up to the tower. I will just wait here for the general to come down to see me."

This statement came out.

Xu Chuhu stared angrily and changed color suddenly.

(End of this chapter)