Chapter 988: The Shattered Think Tank

"Sometimes, it's not always the best plan that gets agreed upon, Gongtai," Hu Zhao, though being a scholar dedicated to moral education, wasn't blind to the malice that can lurk in the hearts of men.

Chen Gong rolled his eyes. He understood this better than Hu Zhao, but he still couldn't fathom why advisers like Shen Pei and Xun Chen hadn’t intervened. After all, they were among the most capable ministers in the land and should have known better.

As Chen Gong had suspected, it wasn't due to some deep-seated malice but rather a choice Yuan Tan had to make in order to maintain stability within the Yuan family.

Historically, Yuan Tan had helped Yuan Shao conquer Qingzhou, so he was appointed as the Governor of Qingzhou. In this lifetime, however, Qingzhou had fallen into Liu Bei’s hands, and Yuan Tan had instead assisted in taking Youzhou, which led to him becoming the Governor of Youzhou.

At the time, Yuan Shao, believing in his own greatness and seeing that his eldest son Yuan Tan had some skill, also noted that his nephew Gao Gan was quite capable. Since his younger sons Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang were still too young, Yuan Shao appointed Gao Gan as the Governor of Bingzhou. After all, he trusted his family and wasn't expecting any groundbreaking accomplishments, just loyalty and reliability.

Yuan Shao didn't lack capable people, but there were only a few he could fully trust. Therefore, it was natural for Gao Gan and Yuan Tan to govern their respective provinces.

Once Yuan Tan secured Youzhou, he focused on strengthening his foundation, preparing to inherit the family’s legacy. However, with the situation now dire, the most strategic move would have been to abandon Youzhou, withdraw the defensive lines, and consolidate control over Bingzhou and Jizhou, thus increasing the depth of their defenses.

While such a decision would have been little more than a delaying tactic in the face of overwhelming opposition, it was better than risking total defeat.

Unfortunately, Youzhou was essentially Yuan Tan’s base of operations. The dilemma was whether to abandon his stronghold to choose the superior strategic plan of making Bingzhou his foundation or to gather all his forces to defend Youzhou and sacrifice much of Bingzhou, hoping that with a strong enough defense, Liu Bei would be unable to invade.

Yuan Tan didn’t ponder long before choosing the second option.

The first option would have meant relying on Gao Gan, and Yuan Tan couldn't be sure whether his cousin would wholeheartedly support him. Losing Youzhou would have undermined Yuan Tan’s position, despite the full backing of Shen Pei, Xu You, Chunyu Qiong, and Jiang Yiqu. Yuan Tan couldn't afford to let Gao Gan grow suspicious or ambitious.

The second option, though perilous, appeared more favorable. By giving up part of Bingzhou to Cao Cao, Yuan Tan not only secured an ally but also weakened Gao Gan’s influence while solidifying his own power. In his eyes, this compromise left him in control of the Yuan family’s core strength.

Yuan Tan's choice wasn’t entirely wrong. However, his misunderstanding of Liu Bei’s true strength led him to believe that Liu Bei’s lack of advancement was due to a failure to consolidate power.

Although Shen Pei and the others believed this wasn’t the best strategy, it was still a solid plan. And since it was Yuan Tan’s first major decision as the head of the family, they hesitated only briefly before supporting him.

While they had lost the battle against Liu Bei, Shen Pei and his colleagues believed it had been a fluke. In their eyes, both Yuan Shao’s and Liu Bei’s forces had shown similar levels of combat prowess. Liu Bei was strong, yes, but only marginally so, and as far as intellect and strategy went, they hadn’t lost because of poor planning.

Of course, this was their own assessment, and they were too entrenched in their positions to see the bigger picture. After Li You had uncovered all of Yuan Shao’s spies and cut off the flow of information, Yuan Tan’s side was left guessing, forced to rely solely on battlefield outcomes to judge their opponents.

That alone would have been problematic, but Yuan Tan’s real mistake was his treatment of Zhang He and Gao Lan. The last two of the Four Great Generals of Hebei had returned, but instead of being rewarded or reassured, they were sidelined. Yuan Tan even planned to send them north to defend against the Xianbei after handing over Bingzhou.

Yuan Tan's resentment toward Zhang He and Gao Lan stemmed from their retreat during the battle that led to Yuan Shao's death. In his view, while Wen Chou had died a martyr, Zhang He and Gao Lan had fled the battlefield and failed to protect his father. Worse still, they had abandoned Ye City without taking the precious Xuanyuan Heaven Cauldron with them. Yuan Tan found their actions unforgivable.

While Xu You, Shen Pei, and Xun Chen understood there were deeper reasons for the retreat, they chose to remain silent. Yuan Tan had only just taken power, and they felt that temporarily sidelining Zhang He and Gao Lan might help ease the transition. They assumed the two would eventually return to the battlefield as prominent commanders, seeing this as only a temporary setback.

This was the downside of losing figures like Tian Feng and Ju Shou. Shen Pei, Xun Chen, and Xu You were certainly wise men, but they didn’t possess the same boldness or directness as Tian Feng and Ju Shou. If the two had been present, they would have argued fiercely against Yuan Tan’s actions and protected Zhang He and Gao Lan. Yet, in the absence of such strong opposition, Shen Pei and the others hesitated, allowing Yuan Tan’s decision to stand.

Without those two as leaders, none of Yuan Tan’s other advisers dared to challenge him directly. In the past, with Tian Feng around, the others would chime in when they felt it was necessary, knowing that Tian Feng would bear the brunt of the backlash. But now, they all kept their thoughts to themselves, unwilling to be the ones to take the fall.

And so, when the time came to voice dissent, they remained silent, tacitly accepting the course of action.

Chen Gong was unaware of these internal dynamics. In fact, he had never dealt with Tian Feng or Ju Shou directly and saw no need to unlock his mental faculties to delve into such minor matters. As a result, he couldn't comprehend why Shen Pei and the others were behaving as they were.

"This doesn't really concern us, though. As long as we focus on our own tasks, it doesn't matter who takes over Bingzhou," Chen Gong said casually. "While I’m not particularly fond of Cao Cao, I’m confident he’ll handle things better than Yuan Benchu would have."

"There’s no need for them to mobilize their troops, nor do we need to worry about the people in the north. As long as they provide supplies, Cao Cao won’t cut corners," Zang Hong added with a sneer. Though he didn't like Cao Cao, he couldn’t deny the truth of Chen Gong’s words.

"I agree," Hu Zhao nodded. He had once admired Cao Cao, but after the campaign against Xuzhou, his opinion had soured. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that in this matter, Cao Cao would likely manage things more effectively.

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