Chapter 973: Intervening in Youzhou

As Ma Chao returned to Xiliang, Chen Xi also received accurate intelligence from the north. As Guo Jia had predicted, snow had fallen across the northern grasslands, and the Xianbei people were beginning to stir.

"It never ends, does it? This time, we have no choice but to fight," Chen Xi said with a headache. He had been resting at home for some time, but the gravity of the situation had dragged him back to work.

With Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Hua Xiong leading bandit suppression efforts, the situation in Jizhou was stabilizing. The rate of spiritual energy depletion had begun to slow, and in a few more months, it was expected that Chen Xi's spiritual reserves would begin to recover.

"Let's fight. I've long grown tired of these northern barbarians," Jia Xu said with a smile, though his words carried a chilling undertone.

"The real concern is that Yuan Tan lacks Yuan Shao's decisiveness. If he collaborates with the Xianbei, it may not affect the battlefront much, but it would be a disaster for the people of the north," Li You said slowly, as Lu Su arrived with his bedding, ready to settle in the office just like the previous year.

"We can send a message to Yuan Tan, offering not to attack him within a year, as long as he keeps the Xianbei out of Youzhou and Bingzhou," Chen Xi suggested after thinking for a moment, making a proposal that left the others speechless.

"Do you really think Yuan Tan, upon hearing this, wouldn't threaten us by letting the Xianbei into Youzhou and Bingzhou?" Liu Ye rolled his eyes. "In my view, it's almost certain he'd do exactly that. He's far from being another Yuan Shao!"

"Even if we say nothing, he might let them in anyway. So why not just say it?" Chen Xi shrugged, indifferent to the consequences.

"Which is why I say we shouldn't concern ourselves with him. Let him be. We’ve already given our message. With Shen Pei and Zhang He on his side, they should be able to defend the north, though the defense line might have a few gaps," Liu Ye said calmly. "The real question is whether he'd rather have a gap in the northern defense or in the southern one?"

That was an obvious answer. A gap in the northern defense would only harm the people of Youzhou and Bingzhou, but a gap in the southern defense would threaten the very survival of his entire regime. Even if Yuan Tan was less capable than Yuan Shao, no ruler would entrust their survival to another's mercy. No matter how much Liu Bei's benevolence was acknowledged, Yuan Tan wouldn't gamble on not being the first to fall.

Except for the distant and absent-minded Guo Jia and the daydreaming Fa Zheng, everyone in the room wore expressions of resignation. This was a deadlock—Yuan Tan wouldn't dare take the risk.

"Hey, Fengxiao, why don't you say something? Don’t just listen to us!" Chen Xi complained, noticing Guo Jia’s detached demeanor.

"In fact, what we should be doing now is cutting off Youzhou," Guo Jia said slowly.

Guo Jia had some understanding of Yuan Tan. That man wouldn't care about the lives of the people. When the time came, he would focus all his efforts on defending the southern front, while in the north, Yuan Tan would likely spread propaganda, perhaps claiming that Liu Bei was collaborating with the Xianbei, making it impossible for Yuan Tan to protect the northern populace. He’d make excuses that he couldn't help the people of the north, and under his rule, his word would be final.

"Since Yuan Tan doesn't have enough forces to defend both the north and south, let’s give him enough by shrinking his defensive line. A line stretching across thousands of miles can't be held without tens of thousands of troops. If we cut the defensive line down to just 300 miles, he’ll have plenty of forces to defend," Guo Jia suggested.

Convincing the enemy through words was ineffective. Forcing the enemy to follow your plans through military action was more in line with Guo Jia’s thinking.

Moreover, Yuan Tan hadn't yet fully consolidated power after the chaos following Yuan Shao's death. Although Yuan Shao had given Youzhou to Yuan Tan, it hadn't been long since he took control. Timing it right, they could slice off all of Youzhou.

"Swallow all of Youzhou?" Chen Xi tapped his fingers on the table, mulling over the proposal.

"It's a brilliant plan, as Fengxiao said. If we move quickly to seize Youzhou, Yuan Tan will have enough forces to defend both north and south," Jia Xu said with a grin. He was fully in favor of taking Youzhou, given its shared border with Jizhou. It would secure the front lines.

"The biggest issue is that we can’t act right now," Fa Zheng said with a smile. "It’s not a good idea to tear up the treaty."

"Xiaozhi, you misunderstood. Fengxiao never said we’d do it ourselves. He’s likely thinking of borrowing another’s blade," Li You said calmly, already understanding Guo Jia’s plan.

"Exactly. There’s still a certain Gongsun in the north. And Gongsun Zan's son, Gongsun Sheng, is a shrewd man," Guo Jia said with a smile. If they extended Yuan Tan’s defensive line by another thousand miles, with his already stretched forces, how could he possibly hold?

"It’s feasible, but will Gongsun be willing?" Chen Xi was uncertain, knowing that Gongsun Zan’s lineage wasn’t easily manipulated.

"There’s no question of willingness or not. There’s only whether he acts or doesn’t. Given Gongsun Sheng’s intellect, he’ll make the right choice," Liu Ye added. Shortly after the Yuan-Liu conflict ended, Gongsun Du’s envoy had already arrived in Yecheng, though they had yet to meet with him.

"Then that’s even better," Chen Xi said with a grin. When one’s strength reached a certain level, others would naturally come forward to submit.

[This is a good beginning. Gongsun Du of Liaodong has indeed recognized the situation. Now it’s time to further strengthen our forces. In the next battle with Sun and Cao, it must not be as difficult as the conflict with Yuan. The final decisive battle must be an easy victory, as that will be the key to subduing them,] Chen Xi thought as he scanned the faces of those present.

Since his falling out with Zhen Mi, a rare smile appeared on Chen Xi's face.

Although this wasn’t the optimal team, it was still sufficient. Sometimes, things didn’t go according to plan, and that was normal. Chen Xi had carefully reviewed intelligence on Cao and Liu, and both were formidable. Any one of them could have easily defeated all the other warlords in the world in the historical records.

However, it was only with such powerful opponents that Chen Xi had confidence to move forward. If the population had indeed shrunk to the mere millions as in history, Chen Xi would’ve considered himself a failure.

By preventing plagues, averting famine, and stopping the destruction of fertile lands, the tragic events of history had been avoided. The strength of Sun Ce and Cao Cao was largely due to Chen Xi’s indirect leniency. If the plagues and famines of history had occurred, the population would have dropped to just over twenty million, most of them under Liu Bei, with only a fraction under Cao and Sun.

In that scenario, no matter how capable Cao and Sun’s ministers and generals were, it wouldn’t have mattered.

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