Chapter 836: The Strategy Unfolds

“General, there’s no need for such sorrow. Life and death are fated, wealth and honor are in the hands of the heavens. We have been fortunate to follow you and live in such prosperity—what more could we ask for? As for Er Niu and the others, perhaps their fate was to return home and enjoy peaceful days,” one of Zhang Fei’s personal guards, who had followed him from Zhuo County, stepped forward to console him, seeing the general deep in thought.

Zhang Fei looked at his loyal guards. There were only a few of them left, the ones who had followed him in countless campaigns since Zhuo County. He knew each one by name.

“There are only eighteen of you left,” Zhang Fei muttered, a rare trace of melancholy in his voice. He watched as the soldiers, waking from the effects of his military talent, wept uncontrollably. He didn’t scold them. They all understood that this marked the end of their time following Zhang Fei. From now on, they could only return home to farm.

“General,” the eighteen men said in unison, bowing deeply.

“Let me give you a name then, in the hopes that you will always stay with me. From now on, you will be called the Eighteen Riders of Yan Yun,” Zhang Fei said with a heavy heart, giving them a name as a form of tribute. Yan Yun was the ancient land of heroes and warriors, and Zhang Fei hoped that these men would live on with the same spirit of those heroes, never falling.

“We will live up to your expectations, General!” The eighteen men exchanged glances and bowed deeply to Zhang Fei.

“Go,” Zhang Fei waved them away, unwilling to say anything more. Perhaps it was always my fate to have no loyal guards who could follow me for life, he thought.

After his crushing defeat, Li Yan returned and reported everything that had transpired to Li Tong. Though Li Tong was displeased with Li Yan for deploying troops without prior notice, he refrained from punishing him too harshly, given the valuable intelligence Li Yan had gathered, as well as his willingness to accept responsibility for his mistake.

Nevertheless, Li Tong grew more cautious of Zhang Fei. The details Li Yan provided regarding Zhang Fei’s military talent left even Li Tong feeling uneasy. He fortified defenses to prevent Zhang Fei from seizing any opportunities, while also contemplating possible routes for retreat.

Meanwhile, Fa Zheng had spent three days crossing the Yangtze River. After hurrying along, he finally reached Xuzhou, dressed in the armor of the Yu Province army, with a red ribbon tied around his shoulder for disguise.

If it hadn’t been for Yuan Shu’s decision to focus on punishing the aristocratic clans, it would have been Wen Pin and Kan Ze, carrying Zhou Yu’s sword, who would have ridden alone to Xuzhou.

Due to Yuan Shu’s strict orders, Zhuge Jin had no choice but to keep Wen Pin and Kan Ze in Shouchun to maintain stability. For Zhuge Jin, as long as Huainan remained peaceful, a defeat in Xuzhou would be nothing more than a painful but temporary loss. However, if Huainan fell and Shouchun was taken, the consequences would be far more severe than mere physical damage.

After all, Zhou Yu’s proclamation of a talent recruitment order had already deviated from the rules of the aristocracy. He quickly departed for Jingzhou, leaving the Yu Province aristocrats with no reason or military power to act. Even so, Zhuge Jin couldn’t let his guard down. Having come from an aristocratic background, Zhuge Jin was all too familiar with the immense power they wielded. Thus, he had to leave behind Wen Pin and Kan Ze to prepare for a long-term struggle against the Yu Province aristocrats.

Zhuge Jin’s initial plan was to first compromise with the Yu Province aristocracy, defeat Liu Biao in Jingzhou, and then ally with the aristocrats of Jingzhou to sweep through Yangzhou. After that, he would unite the local families of Jiangdong and Jingzhou to collectively resist the Yu Province aristocrats.

Though such factional conflicts would undoubtedly drain significant resources, Zhuge Jin considered it a far better option than launching a direct assault on the aristocrats and provoking widespread unrest. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned—Yuan Shu’s impulsive actions had ignited a storm of chaos.

If anyone else had done what Yuan Shu did, it would have incited universal condemnation from the aristocratic clans. But since it was Yuan Shu, the situation took a strange turn. No one could accuse him of betraying his class, as Yuan Shu wasn’t seeking to destroy the aristocracy—he was simply trying to reform it according to the historical ideals of the noble class.

While this reform was harsh, Yuan Shu came from a prestigious aristocratic family himself, and his first target had been his own clan elders.

This led to a peculiar situation for the Yu Province aristocrats. They couldn’t accuse Yuan Shu of betraying his class, yet his actions were so ruthless that no one even bothered to criticize Zhou Yu for supposedly betraying his class. Everyone knew they needed a scapegoat.

In the end, the Yu Province aristocrats faced two options: either flee or find a way to placate Yuan Shu. The first option was impossible, with Gan Ning’s army stationed in Huaibei, ensuring no one could escape unscathed. This left them with only the second option.

As a result, the Yu Province aristocrats concluded that having commoners execute Yuan Shu’s orders was the best course of action.

This arrangement would allow the aristocracy to subtly signal their acceptance of Yuan Shu’s rule, while also allowing them to infiltrate and influence the newly recruited talents from within, rather than trying to change Yuan Shu’s mind directly.

Thus, the aristocrats of Yu Province began to approach Zhuge Jin, hoping to prop him up as their representative. This, in turn, would give them more security and enable them to compromise with Yuan Shu through Zhuge Jin.

The compromise would eventually shift towards Sun Ce, with both sides gradually transferring their power, ultimately sidelining Yuan Shu and leaving both parties satisfied.

With his focus on stabilizing Shouchun and preventing Yuan Shu from spiraling out of control, Zhuge Jin had no choice but to leave Wen Pin and Kan Ze behind. As for the ten thousand veterans in Xuzhou—whether or not they included the private soldiers of the aristocrats—Zhuge Jin wouldn’t hesitate to act.

“Huang Ba, what news do you bring?” The weary Fa Zheng asked anxiously as he saw Gan Ning return.

“The situation doesn’t look good. The Yu Province army seems to be preparing to retreat, and from what I’ve observed, their camp is heavily fortified with many hidden sentries and patrols. I fear they already know we’ve arrived,” Gan Ning replied, frustrated after rushing all the way here, only to face such a grim reality.

“Retreat?” Fa Zheng’s expression darkened as he massaged his temples. After a long pause, he finally spoke. “It seems they’ve indeed prepared for us. However, Zhou Yu likely only warned them to guard against an attack from the eastern part of Yu Province. The possibility of us launching an assault from Zhongli is slim, giving us a window of opportunity.”

“But what does that mean? Zhou Yu might have mentioned that we could head to Xuzhou, and a mere defensive order would be enough to stop us in our tracks,” Gan Ning questioned, though he was knowledgeable in strategy.

“No, this is a golden opportunity. Sometimes, faulty preparations are more dangerous than none at all!” Fa Zheng suddenly looked up, his eyes gleaming with confidence. “Victory is ours, Huang Ba!”

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