Chapter 359: Want the father and son to team up to cheat Lao Liu? You're overthinking! Chop this shameless traitor into pieces and feed him to the dogs!

"suspicious?"

Liu Bei took the information from Xiao Fang.

The Great Chu had countless spies, and the amount of intelligence delivered to their desks every day was like snowflakes.

It was naturally impossible for Liu Bei to read all of them carefully. He would only pick out some important intelligence to review. The rest of the mountains of intelligence would have to be screened by his advisers.

The information mentioned by Xiao Fang seemed extremely insignificant at first glance, and naturally would not attract too much attention from Liu Bei.

"Now that the Prime Minister has reminded me of this, I have now remembered that I have also read this intelligence."

"Now that I think about it carefully, it is indeed a bit suspicious."

Pang Tong's eyes lit up, he saw the clue and said hurriedly:

"Yuan Tan is Yuan Shao's eldest son, but he betrayed Yuan Wei and surrendered to the king. How could Yuan Shao not hate him?"

"Guo Tu was Yuan Tan's confidant and played a big role in Yuan Tan's surrender. Yuan Shao naturally hated him deeply."

"Given Yuan Shao's temperament, even if he didn't kill Yuan Tan's children, he should have exterminated Guo Tu's family to vent his hatred."

"But Yuan Shao not only did not do so, but went to Guo's mansion in person to comfort Guo Tu's wife and children?"

"I didn't pay much attention to this action at the time, but now that Prime Minister Xiao has mentioned it, I think it is indeed suspicious and abnormal."

"When did Yuan Shao develop such a broad mind and tolerance?"

Pang Tong was worthy of being called a phoenix young. He immediately understood the hidden meaning of Xiao Fang's words.

Liu Bei looked through the information in his hand and listened to Pang Tong's explanation, with suspicion gradually forming between his brows.

"What Shi Yuan said is exactly what I thought."

"There is also this piece of information, which is equally suspicious."

Xiao Fang raised the silk book in his hand again:
"News came back from Nanpi that Yuan Shao sent an envoy to Nanpi to announce that Yuan Shang had been deposed from his position as the false crown prince of Wei."

"When my army was approaching Yecheng, Yuan Shao deposed Yuan Shang from his position as the crown prince, exacerbating the feud between father and son and further deepening the division in Wei."

"Even if Yuan Shao was so angry that he lost his mind, couldn't Ju Shou distinguish the priorities and not stop him?"

Liu Bei's eyes moved again, and he hurriedly took the second piece of suspicious information and examined it carefully again.

"Well, the things mentioned in these two pieces of intelligence do seem suspicious after careful consideration."

Liu Bei nodded heavily and looked at Xiao Fang with a suspicious look:

"Then according to Jinglue, what is suspicious about Yuan Shao's behavior?"

"What is the connection between these two things?"

Xiao Fang had made up his mind, but he was not in a hurry to point it out. Instead, he looked at Pang Tong with a smile:

"Shi Yuan, what do you think?"

You can't always monopolize the limelight yourself, you have to give young people the opportunity to stand out and show themselves.

After Pang Tong thought about it again and again, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.

"Guo Tu is Yuan Tan's confidant. Yuan Shao personally went to Guo's house to appease his family. On the surface, he was trying to appease and win over Guo Tu, but in reality, he was trying to appease Yuan Tan."

"Removing Yuan Shang's title of crown prince would leave the pseudo-Wei crown prince's position vacant, giving him the opportunity to bribe Yuan Tan with the title of crown prince."

"If my calculations are correct, I believe that Yuan Shao's suspicious actions are intended to lure Yuan Tan to defect and return to his pseudo-Wei by offering him the title of Crown Prince."

"Then Yuan Shao will make a desperate move and mobilize 50,000 troops to attack our army. Yuan Tan, with 15,000 troops from Hebei, will be able to take advantage of the situation and raise troops to respond, acting as an internal response."

"In this way, if he and his son join forces, they can catch us off guard and possibly defeat my 170,000-man army in one fell swoop!"

"This is Yuan Shao's only chance to turn the tide and turn defeat into victory!"

Pang Tong expressed his judgment in a decisive manner.

Then he turned to Xiao Fang and bowed:

"Prime Minister, I wonder if Tong's speculation coincides with yours?"

Xiao Fang smiled.

It's not just a coincidence, it's exact.

Xiao Fang nodded slightly and praised with a smile:

"Shi Yuan was able to come to such an understanding in a split second. With such wisdom, he is worthy of being called the Phoenix of the Han Dynasty!"

It was the first time in his life that Xiao Fang gave Pang Tong the title of Fengchu in public.

There was no way. Mr. Shuijing missed the opportunity, so I had to do the job of giving the name.

Pang Tong could not suppress his excitement and was flattered for a moment to be given a title by Xiao Fang himself.

Old Liu was a little slow to react. Only then did he realize what Pang Tong said and he couldn't help but gasp.

"So Yuan Shao actually had such a trick hidden between these two things?"

"Fortunately, Jinglue is thoughtful and Shiyuan is perceptive. Otherwise, if Yuan Shao succeeds, wouldn't the good situation of attacking Wei be wasted?"

All the generals were awakened and secretly rejoiced.

"Damn it, the king treated Yuan Tan well, not only didn't he kill him, but he also made him Marquis of Pingyuan and allowed him to keep his troops. How could he repay kindness with hatred and want to turn against us?"

"This fellow is such a jerk! I will kill him right now and cut Yuan Tan and Guo Tu into pieces with my own hands!"

Zhang Fei, who was a little slow in thinking, finally realized what was going on and immediately became furious.

He jumped up, drew his sword and was about to kill someone.

"Wait a minute, Yide!"

However, Liu Bei's expression changed slightly and he hurriedly stopped Zhang Fei.

"When Yuan Tan surrendered before, Jing Lue also said that Yuan Tan did not surrender sincerely, but was forced to do so."

"I never expected that Yuan Tan would sincerely submit to me."

"Since Jinglue and Shiyuan have concluded that Yuan Tan has secretly returned to Yuan Shao and intends to start a rebellion, I believe your judgment must be correct."

Liu Bei changed the subject and showed his concerns again: "I believe it, but it is just speculation after all, and there is no real evidence to prove it."

"If there is no hard evidence, I will kill Yuan Tan. Although this will defeat Yuan Shao's plan, I am afraid that I will lose the support of the people of Hebei."

"At that time, the people of Hebei all thought that I was disloyal and had killed the surrendered ministers without authorization. How could those Hebei heroes who wanted to submit to me not be shaken?"

Old Liu still has concerns.

Xiao Fang was not surprised. If it were Cao Cao, Yuan Tan's head would have been placed in the hall while everyone was talking.

But Lao Liu couldn't do it.

"My king, can the Prime Minister's judgment be wrong?"

"What evidence do you need? The Prime Minister's words are the evidence. Just issue an edict and I will kill that Yuan kid right now!"

Zhang Fei, however, did not have as many concerns as Lao Liu, and he shouted that he wanted to kill someone.

"General Yide, don't be impulsive. The king is considering the overall situation, and his concerns are indeed reasonable."

"Your Majesty treated Yuan Tan well and allowed him to keep his troops because your words were as good as gold and you wanted to show your conciliatory heart to the people of Hebei."

"If we kill Yuan Tan based on my and Shi Yuan's speculation, it will affect the king's overall success in winning the hearts of the people in Hebei."

This time, Xiao Fang did not persuade Liu Bei, but instead agreed with Liu Bei's approach.

Liu Bei felt relieved when he saw that Xiao Fang could understand his difficulties.

Zhang Fei became anxious and opened his mouth to shout again.

"But there is evidence, too."

Xiao Fang suddenly changed the subject and smiled:
"Guo Tu was Yuan Tan's confidant. It was impossible for him not to know about the conspiracy between Yuan Tan and Yuan Shao."

"We just need to summon Guo Tu for trial. As long as he is willing to confess, we will have evidence. Let's see how Yuan Tan denies it."

Zhang Fei's eyes lit up and he immediately shouted:

"What the Prime Minister said makes sense. I will arrest Guo Tu now and torture him severely. I am not afraid that he will not confess."

Zhang Fei turned around and was about to leave.

"Wait a minute, Yide!"

Liu Bei stopped him again and shook his head:
"If the evidence is obtained through torture, how can it convince the public?"

Zhang Fei frowned anxiously and had to scratch the back of his head and look to Xiao Fang for help.

There was a hint of cunning in Xiao Fang's eyes, but he smiled and said:
"Your Majesty, let him go. I have my own way. I won't torture Guo Tu, but I can still make him confess."

"However, Your Majesty, please step aside for a moment. General Yide will preside over the trial of Guo Tu, and I will serve as a juror."

Liu Bei was very curious, but he could not guess what method Xiao Fang used to make Guo Tu confess without being tortured.

After all, if he confessed, it would be a matter of life and death for Yuan Tan.

"Since Jinglue has such confidence, then I will do as you say."

Old Liu had no choice but to suppress his suspicion and led his ministers to retreat to a side hall to listen.

Zhang Fei followed Xiao Fang's instructions, sat high up in the throne, put on a ferocious look, and ordered Guo Tu to be brought in.

The messenger left the city and headed straight for Yuan Tan's camp outside the city.

At this time, although Yuan Tan had secretly returned to Yuan Shao and they had agreed on a plan of internal and external cooperation, it was not yet time to launch the attack.

The messenger summoned Guo Tu alone on the pretext that Liu Bei wanted to understand the defense of Yecheng. Guo Tu naturally had no reason to refuse to go, as this would only arouse Liu Bei's suspicion.

So half an hour later, Guo Tu walked into the mansion calmly.

As soon as he entered the door, Guo Tu shuddered and felt something was wrong.

Liu Bei was not present. The person sitting high up in the throne was Zhang Fei, who had a sullen face and sharp eyes.

On the left and right wings, dozens of swordsmen stood with swords in hand, all with ferocious faces, staring at him fiercely.

Those eyes as sharp as blades made Guo Tu feel uneasy and he shivered.

After taking a few deep breaths and pretending to be calm, Guo Tu smiled and bowed:

"General Yide, the king just summoned me to ask about the defense of Yecheng. I wonder where the king is?"

The words trailed off.

Zhang Fei slammed his tiger palm on the table and shouted angrily:
"Guo Tu, you are a lowly, shameless, disloyal and unrighteous traitor. Do you know your crime?"

This sudden shout was completely beyond Guo Tu's expectations. He was so frightened that his whole body trembled, his calves shivered, and he almost fell to the ground on the spot.

Humble and shameless?
Disloyalty and injustice?

Could it be that the plan he and Yuan Tan secretly returned to Yuan Shao and conspired to cause rebellion had been leaked and known to Liu Bei?
Summon him here today just to question him?

Countless questions suddenly popped up in Guo Tu's mind, and he was so frightened that cold sweat broke out on his back.

But the next moment, he took a deep breath, forced himself to suppress his fear, and his face showed astonishment and confusion.

"General Yide, I don't know what you mean by that. What crime have I committed?"

Guo Tu naturally did not dare to admit it, and asked in surprise.

Zhang Fei said nothing, but glanced at Xiao Fang.

While Xiao Fang was sipping his tea, his eyes remained calm as he quietly observed the changes in Guo Tu's expression.

Even though Guo Tu's reaction was incredibly quick, Zhang Fei was unable to see his guilty conscience at that moment, so how could it escape his keen eyes?

Xiao Fang felt more confident, so he nodded slightly to Zhang Fei and hinted with his eyes.

Zhang Fei understood what was going on and flew into a rage. He pointed at Guo Tu and cursed:

"You are such a shameless villain. You still dare to pretend and quibble even now. You really have no remorse!"

"Where is the axeman? Chop this guy into pulp and throw him outside to feed the wild dogs!"

(End of this chapter)