Chapter 321: The area south of the Yellow River cannot be defended. Cut off your flesh! Let Liu Bei rub my old face on the ground?

Feng Ji, Guo Tu and others looked at each other, all of them were confused.

No one could figure out what was wrong with Liu Bei.

When you, Liu Bei, went north along the Ying River, weren't you heading for Xu Du?
Four months were spent in the battle of Xiangcheng, and another bloody battle was fought in Guling, in which one hundred thousand of their troops were annihilated. Wasn't it just to open up the road to Xu Du in the north?

How come the road ahead was unobstructed and they were about to reach the city of Xudu, but suddenly he led the main force to attack Suiyang!
So you're giving up halfway, aren't you?

From Yuan Shao to Feng Ji and other ministers, all were confused by Liu Bei's move.

Only Ju Su shuddered suddenly and took a breath of cold air.

"My lord, Liu Bei's ambition is not just to take Xuchang, but to take over the entire Henan Province in one go!"

Ju Shou stood up and shouted with a slightly trembling voice.

Yuan Shao's expression changed again, and he asked hurriedly, "What do you mean by that?"

Ju Su hurriedly asked for a map and spread it on Yuan Shao's desk.

"If Liu Bei attacks Xu Du with all his strength, our army will not be able to defend Xu Du. At worst, we can abandon Xuchang and retreat north to Chenliu, and continue to rely on the states of the two rivers to confront Liu Bei."

"But if Liu Bei captures Suiyang, he can go north to the Yellow River and cut off our Henan territory."

"If we go west, we can capture Chenliu and cut off Xudu in the south, which will also cut off Henan in half."

"In this way, we will not only lose one city, but the entire Henan area will be lost!"

Ju Shou pointed to the map and expressed his speculation.

Yuan Shao suddenly realized what was happening, took a deep breath, and broke out in a cold sweat.

"Big-eared thief, ah, big-eared thief, I didn't expect you to be so rampant that you even want to swallow up the entire Henan area in one breath!"

"You just won two battles and destroyed 100,000 of my soldiers. How dare you have such a big appetite!"

Yuan Shao's shock turned into anger, and he hit the table hard with his fist.

His emotions were so agitated that his internal organs immediately began to churn, followed by a violent coughing fit.

"Father!"

Yuan Tan, who had been afraid to say a word, was the first to rush forward to support Yuan Shao. He handed him water and massaged his back to show his filial piety.

Yuan Shao covered his mouth with his hands and coughed for a long time before he recovered.

When he looked down, he saw blood on his palm.

Yuan Shao's heart tightened.

Ever since he vomited blood in Guling and retreated to Xuchang, his health has been getting worse day by day, and no matter how many famous doctors he consulted, his health has not improved.

Recently, whenever I cough, there is blood in my sputum.

This was an extremely bad sign. Yuan Shao had a premonition that his end was not far away and one foot had already stepped into the gates of hell.

"Father, are you feeling better?"

Yuan Tan asked with concern, his face full of worry.

Yuan Shao felt relieved by his son's concern, whether it was genuine or pretended, and his resentment and disappointment towards Yuan Tan were greatly dispelled.

"Don't worry, I haven't killed that big-eared thief yet, and I haven't unified the world yet, so I won't die!"

Yuan Shao snorted domineeringly and put away his fist, not daring to let his son see the blood and phlegm in his palm.

After forcing himself to cheer up, Yuan Shao glanced at his advisers:
"Now the big-eared thief has not come to attack Xudu, but has turned to attack Suiyang. How do you think I should respond?"

The counselors looked at each other, all of them hesitant to speak.

"Gong Yu, tell me what you think!"

Yuan Shao glanced at Ju Su and asked in a commanding tone.

Ju Su gritted his teeth, clasped his hands and said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, I think the best strategy for us now is to abandon Henan and retreat to Hebei!"

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the hall.

Yuan Tan, Guo Tu, Xun Chen and other members of the Ruying faction immediately became nervous.

Yuan Shao was also slightly surprised. He obviously did not expect Ju Su to say something so shocking and to offer such a "ridiculous" plan.

And he said it was the best strategy!
"It has been less than half a year since we conquered Henan. The people's hearts are not yet attached to us, and the foundation of the Wei Dynasty is not solid."

"We have suffered setbacks on all fronts. In the two battles in Xiangcheng and Guling in the middle, we lost 100,000 soldiers and were seriously injured."

"The total number of Chu's troops in Henan has surpassed ours and they have the upper hand."

"Moreover, the morale of our army has been severely dampened, especially the soldiers from Hebei, who are all in a state of panic and homesickness."

"In addition, the people in the counties and prefectures of Henan also wanted to change their minds, and countless people wanted to switch sides and join Liu Bei."

"The fact that many places such as the State of Runan and Chen openly surrendered to Chu is ironclad evidence of the people's support."

"I believe that we have been surpassed by the State of Chu in terms of military strength, morale, and people's hearts. We no longer have the confidence to defend Henan."

"If we insist on defending Henan, we will most likely not only fail to hold it, but also suffer heavy casualties!"

"So I think that rather than losing both people and land, it is better to save people and lose land, preserve strength as much as possible, and then retreat to Hebei to recover."

"After we have regrouped and restored our military might, the best strategy would be to cross the Yellow River and retake the Central Plains!"

Ju Su analyzed the pros and cons in an endless stream, and spoke out all the ideas he had been brewing for a long time in one breath.

Yuan Shao's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, his pale face gradually turned red, and his eyes were full of disappointment.

Thinking back to the time when the army swore an oath in Yecheng and 200,000 troops marched south, with the ambition to capture the Central Plains and take over the world, how high-spirited they were.

He defeated Cao at Guandu, recovered Xu Du, took over the Central Plains, established Wei and proclaimed himself king. His life reached its most glorious peak.

But before they could enjoy the scenery on the top of the mountain enough, they were killed by Liu Bei in less than a year and had to flee back to Hebei in disgrace? The Central Plains that they had conquered with great difficulty was just given to Liu Bei for nothing?
This is not just cutting flesh, it's directly cutting out the heart.

How will people all over the world view him? How will people in Hebei view him? Can he still keep his dignity?
Not only did Liu Bei slap his face to the ground, he also stepped on it and rubbed it hard!
"Father, Ju Su's words are alarmist and absurd!"

"Our army has only lost 100,000 soldiers and horses, which is not a serious loss to our Wei. Even if we cannot defeat Liu Bei now, it is more than enough to defend Henan!"

"Ju Su's plan is alarmist and absurd. Father, you must not use it!"

Without waiting for Yuan Shao to speak, Yuan Tan jumped out and objected excitedly.

"What the eldest master said makes sense. The states of Henan must not be abandoned!"

"If, as Ju Shou said, we retreat back to Hebei, Liu Bei will be able to take over the Central Plains in one fell swoop, and control the five states. His strength will overwhelm our Great Wei in one fell swoop!"

"Once our national strength is reversed, it will be extremely difficult for us to cross the river and retake the Central Plains!"

"Your Majesty, the situation is not out of control yet. I think Henan must not be abandoned!"

Guo Tu also jumped out and objected sternly.

As scholars from Ruyang, the Henan provinces were their foothold in the Wei State. They had conquered them with great difficulty, so how could they just give them away?

If they gave up Henan and retreated to Hebei, these Ruying scholars would once again become trees without roots. How could they have the confidence to speak in the Wei court?
Guo Tu naturally strongly opposed it.

As a supporter of the Ruying faction, Yuan Tan naturally had to oppose it.

"I thought you and I would have some brilliant plan, but it turns out to be such a ridiculous plan."

"Henan is the land of our Great Wei, and the people of Henan are my people. How dare you let me abandon them without a fight and hand them over to Liu Bei?"

"Where do you think the lives of tens of thousands of people in Henan are concerned? Where do you think my reputation is concerned?"

Yuan Shao's anger was ignited, his face turned ashen, and he began to scold Ju Su.

Seeing this, Ju Su had no choice but to bite the bullet and try to persuade him again.

"You don't have to say any more!"

Yuan Shao interrupted with a wave of his hand, and said resolutely:

"Even if I have to fight to the last man, I will never give up Henan!"

"Whoever dares to talk about retreating to Hebei again and disrupting the morale of our army and people, don't blame me for being merciless!"

Ju Su was startled and had to swallow back the advice that was about to come to his lips.

He sighed softly, lowered his head silently, and said no more.

"I think Your Majesty should personally lead our main force to Suiyang to stop Liu Bei and ensure that Liang State is not lost, and then ensure that our Henan land will not be cut off by the big-eared thieves."

"As for the Xuchang front, I predict that the big-eared thief will order Guan Yu to lead his Jingzhou army north to seize Xuchang."

"Your Majesty, you can order the eldest son to lead 20,000 elite soldiers to guard Xuchang. This will be enough to resist the invasion of Guan Yu's 30,000 Chu troops!"

"As long as we hold our ground and don't fight, relying on the national strength of our Great Wei to confront the big-eared bandits, within a few months, the big-eared bandits will surely retreat across the board.

Guo Tu was afraid that Yuan Shao would change his mind, so he immediately offered a countermeasure.

Yuan Tan's eyes lit up.

Guo Tu's proposal could not only prevent Yuan Shao from giving up Henan, but also enable him to regain military power and gain the convenience of managing Xu Du.

This is killing three birds with one stone...

Yuan Shao frowned and remained silent in thought.

Although Ju Su felt that it was inappropriate, he did not dare to raise any more objections.

Feng Ji could naturally see that Yuan Tan wanted to take the opportunity to regain military power. He wanted to object but could not find a suitable reason.

After all, with his wisdom, he really couldn't think of a better response strategy than Guo Tu's.

After thinking for a long time, Yuan Shao took a deep breath and slammed the table:
"This strategy is the best one!"

"Just as he said, I will go to Suiyang to stop the big-eared thief, and Xiansi will stay to guard Xudu and resist Guan Yu!"

Yuan Tan and Guo Tu were secretly delighted, looked at each other, and understood each other.

Just when he was about to express his determination, Yuan Shao pointed at Ju Su and said:
"Gong Yu, you and Xun Youruo stay here to help Xiansi defend Xudu!"

Yuan Tan couldn't help but frown.

Obviously, Yuan Shao was not confident in his ability and Xun Chen's wisdom, so he left Ju Su to look after him.

Moreover, Ju Su was from the Hebei faction, and keeping him in Xudu was also a form of control and surveillance on him and the Ruying faction.

After all, Yuan Shao was still worried and gave Xudu to him completely...

"Xiansi, Xu Du is so important that I don't need to explain it to you."

"I hope you cherish this opportunity and don't let me down again!"

Yuan Shao gave these warnings earnestly.

Yuan Tan could naturally hear that Yuan Shao was hinting at him not to repeat the mistake of losing Guling and also ruining Xu Du.

"Don't worry, father. I will protect Xudu without any loss!"

"Even if I can't deal with Liu Bei, I am absolutely sure to deal with Guan Yu. Please rest assured, father!"

Yuan Tan expressed his opinion generously, and his words and tone rekindled his confidence.

Yuan Shao was satisfied then. He looked outside the hall and seemed to vaguely see the spirited figure of Liu Bei.

A look of pride appeared on the old face again.

"Liu Bei, as long as I am alive, you will never be able to take the Central Plains from me!"

"I'm waiting for you in Suiyang, just come and attack!"

(End of this chapter)