Chapter 354: You want to take back my throne? You want to kill me? This is a good thing, it will accelerate the demise of the Pseudo-Wei!
Yuan Shao woke up!

These four words, like a thunderbolt, struck Yuan Shang on the head.

The fear that suddenly surged in his heart was several times stronger than when he heard the news of Yuan Tan's surrender to Chu and the fall of Liyang.

"What did you say? Father...he really woke up?"

Yuan Shang's face turned pale and he asked in a hoarse voice.

The word panic was clearly written on his face.

How could he not panic?

The fall of Liyang would at most mean that the southern gate of Wei State was kicked open, allowing the Chu army to march straight into Yecheng.

He still holds the throne of King of Wei and has 90,000 elite soldiers under his command, which doesn't mean he can't defend Yecheng.

Things will be different when Yuan Shao wakes up.

This means that his lie that Yuan Shao had forged an imperial edict to pass the throne to him will be exposed.

Even Yuan Shao could take back his throne and regain power over the Wei Kingdom.

At that time, he would not only lose the throne, but if Yuan Shao got angry and punished them for treason, he would even lose his life!

How could Yuan Shang not panic?
"Your Majesty, the late king has indeed woken up. His nephew Shen Rong is outside the tent. He brought the news in person."

Yuan Shang's heart skipped a beat again, and he had to quickly call Shen Rong to meet him.

Inside the big tent, there was a lot of discussion, and among the ministers, some were happy while others were sad.

Yuan Shang's confidants, such as Sima Yi and Wen Chou, were naturally uneasy, fearing that Yuan Shao's awakening would take back Yuan Shang's throne.

I'm afraid the future and fate of these people will be affected.

Only Ju Su had a hint of joy flashing across his brows.

Although he was from the Hebei faction, he naturally had to support Yuan Shang in his fight for the throne, but in his heart, the person he was most loyal to was naturally Yuan Shao.

When Shen Pei forged the imperial edict and supported Yuan Shang to succeed the throne, it was because Yuan Shao was unconscious and unable to handle affairs. He acquiesced for the sake of the overall interests of the Wei State.

Now that Yuan Shao has awakened, if he can regain control of the situation, it will obviously be of great benefit to the current unfavorable situation.

Ju Su was naturally secretly delighted.

While everyone was thinking about their own things, the tent curtain was lifted and Shen Rong hurriedly stepped into the tent.

"Tell me quickly, what is going on? Who is in power in Yecheng now?"

Yuan Shang looked anxious and asked impatiently.

What he cared about most was not Yuan Shao's physical condition, but who would hold power in Yecheng.

"Your Majesty, the late king woke up unexpectedly four days ago, and there were no signs before that."

"Tian Feng was on duty at the time. He learned the news of the late king's awakening before my uncle did. He then secretly summoned the generals who stayed in Yecheng to the palace to discuss matters without telling my uncle."

"That's why the former king was able to seize the initiative and subdue Yan Liang and other guards, and easily regained control of the palace and Yecheng's military power."

"By the time my uncle heard the news and rushed to the palace, the matter was already settled. Naturally, my uncle did not dare to act rashly and could only obey the orders of the late king."

Shen Rong explained the whole cause and effect helplessly.

Yuan Shang took a deep breath, and the hope he had previously felt disappeared in an instant.

He kept his confidant Shen Pei in the capacity of Shangshu Ling, in charge of the power of Yecheng and commanding the remaining generals, just to ensure that Yecheng was under his control.

Who would have thought that Yuan Shao would suddenly wake up.

Who would have thought that Tian Feng took the lead and allowed Yuan Shao to bypass Shen Pei's surveillance and successfully meet with the generals.

With Yuan Shao's prestige, when Yan Liang's generals saw Yuan Shao standing in front of them in full vigor, it would have been strange if they did not bow down and be instantly subdued.

This means that Yuan Shao has taken control of the situation in Yecheng and regained control of the capital!

So what if he has 90,000 soldiers and horses?

As long as Yuan Shao issued an edict, all the generals in the army would probably turn against him in an instant. Who among the 90,000 soldiers would obey his orders?
"Father, what is his attitude towards me?"

Yuan Shang suppressed his nerves and asked anxiously.

In the current situation, what he is most concerned about is Yuan Shao's attitude towards him.

"The late king seemed to have some complaints about the queen and his uncle forging an imperial edict to pass the throne to you, but he did not express his opinion openly."

"It's just that Tian Feng was too talkative. He actually reported to the late king that the king was planning to kill the eldest son."

"After hearing this, the former king was extremely angry and said that the king did not care about the relationship between brothers and was very disappointed with the king."

Shen Pei carefully uttered these words that were unfavorable to Yuan Shang.

Yuan Shang's heart skipped a beat.

I remember that he pretended to be a friendly and respectful brother in front of Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao also asked him how he would treat his two brothers Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi if he was made the crown prince.

He had solemnly sworn that he would never disregard the bond between his brothers.

Now, not long after taking the throne, he wants to put Yuan Tan to death, and has thrown his original oath to the winds.

It would be strange if Yuan Shao was not angry and disappointed with him.

If Yuan Shao found out that Yuan Tan had no choice but to surrender to Liu Bei because of his reduction of Yuan Tan's troops, he would surely be angry and resentful towards him.

For a moment, cold sweat rolled down Yuan Shang's forehead. He was as anxious as an ant on hot pan and was in a state of panic.

"Third Master, it is a good thing that the King has woken up. It means that God is blessing our Great Wei."

"Now that Liyang has been lost, Liu Bei's army will soon head north to Dangyin and join Zhang Fei's troops to continue their march north."

"With only 90,000 soldiers and horses, we are definitely not able to resist the attack of the 170,000-strong Chu army."

"I think that the Third Young Master should immediately lead his army back to Ye City, report to the King, and tell him the truth about his difficulties."

"I believe that the king can understand the third prince's predicament. Let's write off the past and unite as father and son to fight against Liu Bei!" Ju Shou finally spoke up and tried to persuade Yuan Shang.

As soon as he opened his mouth, he changed the way he addressed Yuan Shang. He no longer called him the King, but instead called him the Third Young Master.

This naturally meant that Ju Su had recognized Yuan Shao's return to power and the throne.

Yuan Shang frowned, and a cold light flashed in his eyes when he looked at Ju Su.

However, Ju Su had such great prestige that when he made this statement, many civil officials and military generals in the account agreed with him.

A look of worry flashed in Sima Yi's eyes. He wanted to speak out in opposition, but was afraid of angering the public, so he had to keep silent.

Yuan Shang did not dare to stay here any longer. Seeing that Ju Shou and others insisted on returning to Yecheng, after weighing the pros and cons, he had no choice but to listen to Ju Shou's advice and ordered his troops to return to Yecheng.

The 90,000 Wei troops hastily broke camp and retreated to Yecheng overnight.

Two days later.

The main force led by Liu Bei marched north from Liyang and reached Dangyin in a mighty manner, where they joined forces with Zhang Fei's troops.

The 170,000 Chu troops were less than 150 miles away from the capital of Wei.

At night, Dangyin County Government.

Zhang Fei held a banquet to welcome Liu Bei.

"Your Majesty, General Guan has just sent a report of victory from Hongnong."

"General Guan used the prime minister's trick and successfully scared off the Qin army for more than thirty miles."

"When Cao learned that the king had captured Liyang, he led his army back to Guanzhong. He must have given up attacking Shan County."

As soon as the banquet began, Chen Dao presented the victory news that Guan Yu had just delivered.

There was an immediate sense of joy in the mansion.

Liu Bei showed a happy expression and looked at Xiao Fang with a smile:

"Jinglue, I knew that since you had left Yunchang a secret plan, it would be foolproof."

"I wonder what kind of ingenious plan is in the brocade bag you left for Yun Chang?"

All the ministers were full of curiosity and looked at Xiao Fang in unison.

"It's not really a brilliant plan, it just takes advantage of Cao Cao's suspicion..."

Xiao Fang laughed at himself and decided not to hide it, so he told everyone the secret plan.

Everyone then suddenly understood.

"The prime minister's plan was to take advantage of Cao Cao's suspicious character and take advantage of the pseudo-Qin monarch's fear of the prime minister."

"This kind of psychological attack is the most brilliant strategy. How can it not be called a brilliant plan?"

"The king is really humble."

Pang Tong was the first to understand the subtlety of Xiao Fang's strategy and could not help but marvel at its admiration.

Xiao Fangze smiled and said calmly:
"Shi Yuan, you are too kind. My plan was just the icing on the cake. What really made Cao Cao decide to withdraw his troops back to Guanzhong was your quick capture of Liyang."

"I think Cao Cao has given up on saving Wei. When he retreats back to Guanzhong, he will definitely go south with all his strength to destroy Liu Zhang and take over Shuzhong."

"Now, Your Majesty can have no worries and focus on capturing Ye City and destroying Yuan Wei!"

Liu Bei laughed and raised his glass:
"Come on, let's have a glass of wine to toast Jinglue's brilliant strategy!"

All the ministers raised their glasses and toasted Xiao Fang.

Xiao Fang had no choice but to raise his glass to accept Lao Liu's toast.

"Your Majesty, I just received some news, but I don't know whether it is good news or bad news."

Zhang Fei put down his wine glass and said:

"Didn't Yuan Shang lead 90,000 Wei troops northward and retreat to Yecheng?"

"I later learned that the old villain Yuan Shao seemed to have woken up, and now Yecheng is once again under the control of the old villain."

Yuan Shao woke up!

These four words instantly brought silence to the hall, and everyone's face showed a hint of surprise.

"Yuan Shao, this old villain, is really lucky. He was able to wake up."

Xiao Fang sneered, but didn't take it seriously.

Liu Bei became alert and showed some concerns:

"In terms of prestige and ability to command troops, Yuan Shao is far superior to Yuan Shang."

"Now that Yuan Shao has awakened, if he really takes control of the Pseudo-Wei again, it will make it more difficult for us to capture Yecheng and destroy the Pseudo-Wei."

The ministers also nodded.

Xiao Fang, however, was playing with his wine glass, and said disdainfully:

"The fall of the pseudo-Wei is inevitable. Your Majesty, destroying Yuan is the will of heaven."

"In the previous battle in the Central Plains, Yuan Shao was so strong that he was no match for the king, let alone today?"

"Even if Yuan Shao wakes up and regains power, his Yuan family will not be able to escape destruction!"

Xiao Fang's domineering and confident words instantly rekindled everyone's confidence.

Liu Bei's slightly frowned brows relaxed, and his pride rose again, and he said proudly:
"Jing Lue's words make sense. At this moment, even if Yuan Shao regains control of the pseudo-Wei, what do I have to fear?"

Xiao Fang's domineering expression disappeared, but the corners of his mouth slightly raised:
"And I think that if Yuan Shao wakes up and takes power again, not only will he not be able to save the pseudo-Wei, but he will also accelerate the demise of the pseudo-Wei."

Liu Bei's eyes lit up and he looked at Xiao Fang in surprise.

Xiao Fang took a sip of wine and asked meaningfully:
"Think about it, Your Majesty. Yuan Shang now has 90,000 soldiers and horses. Can he willingly return the soldiers and the throne to his father?"

(End of this chapter)