Chapter 330: Victory or defeat is not important, the party struggle is the most important thing! Tear a hole in the middle and turn the world around!

Guan Yu has captured Luoyang?

Wasn't it Xiao Fang's strategy to lure out Yuan Tan's main force so that he could take advantage of the opportunity to attack Xuchang?
Didn’t the 30,000 Chu troops just defeat Chunyu Qiong and Ju Su and capture Xuchang?
How did they suddenly capture Luoyang, which was hundreds of miles away?

Did Guan Yu and his 30,000 Chu troops grow wings?
Even if it had wings, it couldn't fly so fast, like teleporting from Xuchang to Luoyang suddenly?
Countless bizarre thoughts, like thunder, kept bombarding Yuan Shao's head.

The explosion caused his mind to go blank, and he felt as if his soul had been torn apart.

Yuan Shang and Feng Ji looked at each other with the same shocked and bewildered expressions.

Chunyu Qiong and Ju Shou, as eyewitnesses who witnessed the fall of Xuchang, were so shocked that they were stunned with their mouths wide open.

"How could Guan Yu's main force appear in Luoyang?"

"Which army is attacking Xuchang?"

"Did we see a ghost?"

The two looked at each other in shock, and their minds were equally filled with extreme shock and confusion.

Yuan Shao, who was stunned, suddenly came to his senses, his face twisted instantly, and he glared at Feng Ji.

Feng Ji's body shuddered and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

You know, just now, he was still optimistically advising that Guan Yu's army was all in Xuchang, and Zhang He could easily take Luoyang and ensure the safety of the flank.

In the blink of an eye, such a shocking battle report of the fall of Luoyang slapped him in the face!
Feng Ji's eyes darted around, and he raised his hand and pointed at Chun Yuqiong angrily:
"Guan Yu's army is clearly turning to attack Luoyang, so the Chu army attacking Xuchang must be just a small force with not many soldiers and horses."

"Chun Yuqiong, you have 5,000 soldiers and horses, why don't you flee without a fight and give up Xudu so easily?"

As soon as the spear turned, Yuan Shao's angry eyes immediately shot towards Chunyu Qiong.

Chun Yuqiong was so panicked that he was at a loss. After mumbling for a while, he pointed at Ju Shou again:
"It was Lord Ju who miscalculated. He mistakenly believed that Guan Yu's entire army was coming to attack, and the morale of the soldiers collapsed. I had no choice but to abandon the city and retreat north to preserve the strength for the king!"

Yuan Shao's angry eyes were directed at Ju Su again, and he shouted:
"Ju Shou, what exactly happened in the battle of Xuchang? You need to give me an explanation."

As the scapegoat, Ju Shou had cold sweat on his forehead and a look of confusion, not knowing how to explain for a moment.

Sudden.

It was like a bolt of thunder striking the top of his head. Ju Su's body shook, and he suddenly came to his senses.

"I understand. The troops that Xiao Fang sent to attack Xuchang only had 7,000 to 8,000 infantry and cavalry!"

"He must have used cavalry to follow, galloping back and forth, and raising many flags to create the illusion that a large army is attacking continuously, making our army mistakenly believe that Guan Yu's entire division is attacking!"

"As for that head, as I guessed before, it must have been forged by Xiao Fang, just to make our soldiers think that the eldest son is dead and destroy the morale of the army!"

"In this way, our military's morale will collapse, and they will have no intention of fighting to the death and will flee without a fight!"

"The Chu army was able to capture Xuchang City without any effort!"

"This must be another trick of Xiao Fang!"

Ju Su, with a trembling voice and an almost horrified expression, finally figured out the whole picture of Xiao Fang's plan.

Everyone gasped and froze in shock again.

First, he abandoned Xuchang and turned to attack Luoyang, luring Yuan Tan to lead his army to launch a surprise attack on Yingyang, but then he took advantage of the situation and defeated Yuan Tan halfway across the river.

Then several thousand infantry and cavalry disguised themselves as Guan Yu's main force and acted as information messengers for Chunyu Qiong and Ju Shou, easily frightening the defenders and capturing Xuchang without a single soldier.

The main force led by Guan Yu suddenly captured Luoyang without anyone noticing, and a sharp blade fiercely stabbed into their rear...

What a vast plan, what a cunning strategy, and what an accurate grasp of their hearts!

What a terrifying strategy.

Everyone present, even Yuan Shang, who had previously looked down on Xiao Fang, was now trembling with fear and breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Xiao Fang, Xiao Fang, you country bumpkin, you actually, you actually..."

Yuan Shao's face was distorted, he gnashed his teeth, and his almost exploding eyes were burning with a complex flame of fear and anger.

"Chun Yuqiong, you were so scared by Xiao Fang's several thousand cavalrymen that you abandoned the city and fled?"

"You are an old general of the Great Wei, how can you be so afraid of death?"

Feng Ji, who was awakened by the shock, immediately reprimanded Chunyu Qiong, trying to arouse Yuan Shao's anger against him, a member of the Ruying faction.

No matter when or where, no matter whether the Yuan family wins or loses, party struggle is the most important thing after all.

really.

Yuan Shao was furious and pointed at Chunyu Qiong and cursed:
"You are a cowardly old man who is as stupid as a pig. What use is there for me to keep you here?"

"Catch this idiot for me, drag him away and behead him!"

Chun Yuqiong was horrified, fell to his knees, and begged in tears:

"Your Majesty, please calm down. You are innocent~~"

"I am only a military commander, and Ju Su is the strategist. If he had not failed to see through Xiao Fang's evil plan, how could the morale of the soldiers collapse, and how could I have been forced to abandon the city and retreat northwards?"

"Your Majesty is wise and strategic, please give us your wise counsel~~"

Chunyu Qiong begged for explanation and turned his attention to Ju Su.

Yuan Shao was so angry that he lost his mind, so he waved his hands and said angrily:

"The fall of Xuchang is to blame for both of you. I will not forgive you!" "Come here, drag Ju Shou away and behead him!"

When these words were spoken, Ju Su was horrified and stood there in a daze.

He obviously did not expect that Yuan Shao would be so defeated that he even wanted to kill himself?

Ju Shou froze in place, his eyes filled with shock and astonishment, revealing deep sadness and disappointment. He remained silent and did not make any excuses for himself.

Yuan Shang panicked.

Ju Shou was the backbone of his own Hebei faction. His prestige and influence in Hebei could be said to be on par with that of Tian Feng.

He was naturally happy to kill Chunyu Qiong, but he could not accept that Yuan Shao took his anger out on Ju Shou.

"Father, calm down!"

"Chun Yuqiong and Ju Su were certainly to blame for the fall of Xuchang, but it was ultimately Xiao Fang who was too cunning and his schemes were hard to guard against."

"I think the fall of Xuchang is now a foregone conclusion. What we should do is to recapture Xuchang and make up for the loss, rather than to find out who is responsible."

"Chun Yu Zhongjian is the most experienced general in our army, and Ju Gong is also loyal to my father. If we kill them now, I am afraid it will chill the morale of the soldiers in the two rivers."

"I beg you to temporarily keep their heads and give them a chance to redeem themselves."

Yuan Shang fell to his knees and begged for mercy from Yuan Shao.

He had no choice but to save Chunyu Qiong as well, after all, they both lost Xuchang together.

Feng Ji also heard Yuan Shang express his position. Feeling helpless, he had to kneel down and plead for Chunyu Qiong and Ju Shou.

When Yuan Shao was so angry, he would only listen to what his most beloved son Yuan Shang said.

After Yuan Shang's persuasion, Yuan Shao's anger was finally extinguished by a little and he calmed down a little.

It was natural that he could not be unaware of how much influence Chunyu Qiong and Ju Shou had in the army.

Now, in a rage, killing these two people would certainly make the already low morale even worse, and he certainly couldn't have imagined how that would be a further blow to the team.

After weighing the pros and cons, Yuan Shao had to suppress his anger and waved his hands impatiently:
"Alright, since Shang'er pleaded for you, I will temporarily leave your heads and give you a chance to make amends."

Chunyu Qiong breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had been pardoned, and hurriedly expressed his gratitude to Yuan Shao.

Ju Su felt aggrieved but helpless, so he could only thank Yuan Shao reluctantly.

"Now that Xuchang has been lost, Luoyang has also fallen. Tell me, how should I deal with the current situation?"

Yuan Shao sat down again and asked everyone weakly.

After the anger, one still has to face this unwilling reality.

"Your Majesty, the situation has come to this point. I think Henan has been secured..."

Out of a public-spirited heart, Ju Su immediately tried to persuade Yuan Shao to give up Henan and lead his troops back to Hebei in order to preserve his strength.

The words came to his lips, but he swallowed them back.

How could Yuan Shao give up Henan?

It's a matter of face, reputation, and dignity... With Yuan Shao's current mentality, how could he accept the embarrassing outcome of retreating back to Hebei in disgrace?

What's more, just a moment ago, Yuan Shao wanted to chop off his head.

If I continue to advise Yuan Shao to give up Henan, it will arouse Yuan Shao's murderous intent and he will order me to be beheaded again!
When he thought of this, Ju Shou felt a chill in his heart. He could only shake his head, sigh, and close his mouth.

"Ju Gongyu, what do you want to say?"

Yuan Shao saw that Ju Su seemed hesitant to speak, so he shouted.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty didn't want to say anything..."

Ju Su mumbled in denial.

But he was obviously not good at lying, and just this short lie made him blush.

Seeing Ju Su's attitude, Yuan Shao was dissatisfied and was about to lose his temper on the spot.

"Father!"

Yuan Shang suddenly stood up and said with emotion:
"Since Guan Yu's army is all in Luoyang, the number of enemy troops in Xuchang is only about 7,000 at most."

"Besides, the Chu army has just seized Xuchang, so the people are certainly not loyal to the city, and there are many people in the city who do not obey Liu Bei."

"I beg you to divide my army of 20,000 into two divisions, and march south at full speed to take back Xuchang while the enemy is still struggling to gain a firm foothold!"

"If Xuchang can be recovered, our army's morale will surely be greatly boosted."

"And Guan Yu's Jingzhou army is currently in Luoyang. Nanyang must be short of troops, and the Huainan front is also short of troops."

"After we recapture Xuchang, we can attack Nanyang in the west and Huainan in the east, which is equivalent to tearing a hole in the middle of Chu's defense line!"

"The Chu army will certainly be in great disarray. Liu Bei will be terrified and will have no choice but to withdraw all his troops south to rescue Jingzhou and Huainan!"

"In this way, not only can the entire Henan region be saved from danger, but our army can also take advantage of the situation to pursue southward and recover the lost territory in one fell swoop!"

Yuan Shang was full of enthusiasm and confidence when he offered a plan.

Yuan Shao's eyes lit up, and he was instantly as if he had been injected with chicken blood. He jumped up excitedly without even using his crutches.

(End of this chapter)