Chapter 52 No Worries

Chapter 52 No Worries
Jian Yong leads the envoy team back to Xuzhou without stopping, and immediately writes a letter to send it to Jia Xu and Liu Bei.
After receiving the letter, Liu Bei summons Jia Xu and Chen Deng to discuss together, and there are only a few numbers on the letter.
"The task is done, and Lord is now worry-free."
Meanwhile, in Xuchang, Cao Cao gathered his advisors, including Guo Jia, Cheng Yu, Xun Yu, Xun You, and Xi Zhicai, to discuss and make strategic decisions together.
Cao Cao sat in the main seat with his eyes half closed, and then said,
"Gentlemen, currently Yuan Shao and Liu Bei are fiercely fighting. Do we really want to join hands with Liu Bei to deal with Yuan Shao?"
Cheng Yu pondered for a while and then spoke directly,
"Yuan Shao, is nothing more than a watchdog guarding his four-generation title as the Grand Commandant. He is not a match for you, my lord. I think it is better to deal with Liu Bei first."
Xun Yu lowered his head, his eyelids twitched a few times.
"Lord Prime Minister, I actually think that Yuan Shao is our most dangerous enemy, while Liu Bei, although he has made some development recently, is still far behind compared to Yuan Shao."
Cao Cao's eyes were shining, and his small eyes scanned back and forth between the two.
Guo Jia cleared his throat and said,
"Although Yuan Shao has always been arrogant, the most talented and brave generals under him are undoubtedly the best in the world. Our lord should watch from the sidelines this time, and we should prioritize the governance of the Sili, Guanzhong, and Tongguan regions."
"As long as these places are well governed, My Lord can continuously obtain warhorses, and my cavalry in Yanzhou will also dominate the world."
After contemplating for a moment, Cao Cao nodded in approval.
"Just follow the advice of Xiōng Bǎnxiāng. Let Yuán Ràng lead twenty thousand troops to cause some trouble in Qīngzhōu. Yuan Shào has always looked down on me, so this time let him have a good fight with Liú Bèi."
……
Outside the city of Pingling, about four to five kilometers away, Yuan Shao's army has already started to move to the outskirts of the city under the scorching sun.
The hundreds of camps spread over hundreds of kilometers, as well as the constantly mobilized troops, make Yuan Shao's army appear incredibly grand, which deeply shocks the scouts sent out by Zhang Liao.
与此同时袁绍手下几名亲兵抢了附近瓜农的几亩西瓜，炎热的天气谁又能拒绝眼前一个个冰凉多汁的西瓜呢？
当袁军士兵将西瓜进献给袁绍之时，袁绍对这名亲兵大加赞赏，同时赏赐了不少财帛。

Guo Tu reported on the transportation of grain and forage to Yuan Shao in the big tent, watching Yuan Shao eat watermelon greedily, Guo Tu couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
At this moment, there was a commotion outside the camp, as Yan Liang led his gathered few thousand remnants back to the main camp.

After hearing the news, Yuan Shao threw away the watermelon in his hand and ordered the soldiers to raise the big tent, summoning the civilian and military officials under his command for a meeting.
Kneeling on the ground with his tattered armor, Yan Liang no longer had the appearance of the number one fierce general in Jizhou.
"My lord, I was careless and underestimated the enemy, resulting in heavy losses of 30,000 soldiers in my vanguard army. Please punish me!"
Guo Tu, with a rosy complexion, glanced sideways at Yan Liang and said disdainfully,
"General Yan Liang, what crime should you be held accountable for damaging our lord's military prestige? Thirty thousand men couldn't even take a small city like Pingling?"
Tian Feng said thoughtfully.
"My lord, General Yan Liang is unmatched in bravery. If he couldn't take Pingling, there must be hidden reasons. According to the scouts' report, the defending army at Pingling is estimated to be no less than thirty thousand."
Yuan Shao remained silent for a moment, contemplating, before saying,
"Forget it, Yan Liang, you are also a great general. After this defeat, you should take responsibility for your actions."
Yan Liang's face filled with sorrow and he bowed to Yuan Shao in tears.
"My Lord, it's a pity that we lost our elite soldiers. Yan Liang willingly sacrificed himself as a vanguard for the Lord, charging into battle. However, there is indeed a formidable heavy-armored cavalry within Pingling City, and their defense mechanisms are quite advanced. My Lord, please don't underestimate them."
Guo Tu's face was filled with disdain, and he sarcastically said,
"Since we lost the battle, there is no point in talking about it anymore. Finding excuses for our defeat and being afraid of death is not the behavior of a great general."
颜良面色通红，手上的青筋几乎要爆了出来。
"Master Gongze, you may look down on me, but none of my subordinates have ever fled from the battlefield voluntarily. It is my incompetence, Yan Liang."
On the side, the irritable Chunyu Qiong became unhappy and shouted at Guo Tu, saying,
"You, surnamed Guo, think of General Yan Liang as a teacher, but I, Chunyu Qiong, don't care about you at all!"
"Isn't it just because your useless nephew fled from the battle and was almost killed by General Yan Liang? If it were me, I wouldn't even give you this face and would simply cut him down with a single blade!"
Guo Tu's face was already rosy, and at this moment, it turned even redder when his thoughts were exposed.
Around him, Jiang Yiqu, Gaogan, and other generals also chimed in to support Yan Liang.
Yan Liang is highly respected among the military leaders in the Jizhou Army due to his martial arts skills. On the other hand, Guo Tu is a scoundrel who always enjoys baselessly defaming others. At this moment, it is natural for these military generals to be willing to help Yan Liang deal with Guo Tu, this old scoundrel.
Next to him, Xu You saw his confident appearance and stroked his beard, saying,
"My lord, we should now take over Pingling as a storage place for grain and supplies. Having certain people as injured generals before the battle is not conducive to our future actions."
Yuan Shao nodded and pressed down.
"Very well, let's stop arguing. Yan Liang, Chunyu Qiong, you two lead five thousand cavalry to accompany Mr. Tian Feng to gather Wen Chou's army as the flank."
"Gongze, bring your nephew here and let him serve as the deputy general of the vanguard, following Ju Yi to attack Pingling."
The others nodded and left. Yuan Shao then picked up the large melon on the table and started nibbling on it.
Looking at the busy crowd, Yuan Shao's face was full of pride.
What is the art of balance?
What is the skill of imperial power and tactics?
Only I, Yuan Benchu, can gather everyone's opinions and make them work together to establish this huge cause for me, Yuan Shao!
(End of this chapter)