Chapter 724: The Escape Plan

Neither Jia Xu nor Li You took Liu Ye's report from Liu Bei very seriously. Besides their confidence in Liu Ye's abilities, they also had great faith in the offensive and defensive combination of Hua Xiong and Yu Jin.

In their minds, although Xun Shen had long served as Yuan Shao’s strategist, he hadn't achieved much. Instead, he was known for uniting figures like Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Xu You, and Shen Pei in internal affairs.

As for military accomplishments, Xun Shen had no notable achievements and mostly stayed at the central command without leading independent expeditions. To Jia Xu and Li You, Xun Shen seemed more focused on political strategy.

Although Jia Xu and Li You questioned Xun Shen's abilities compared to those of Xun Yu, Xun You, Xun Yan, or Xun Yue, they weren’t overly concerned. Liu Ye was an exceptionally capable strategist, and with Liu Bei’s support, they believed the situation was under control.

However, this was just their speculation. The reality, as Liu Ye experienced it, was far more challenging. He was beginning to suspect that Xun Shen’s spiritual abilities might be as he feared, especially after suffering several small defeats at Xun Shen’s hands.

Although Xun Shen had only won small victories, Liu Ye could feel the increasing pressure Xun Shen was exerting on him. If things continued this way, Liu Ye worried that Xun Shen might successfully prevent him from rescuing the Emperor, allowing Cao Cao to take the opportunity instead.

Similarly, Xun Shen, stationed in Sili, also found Liu Ye a formidable opponent. Despite repeatedly thwarting Liu Ye’s strategies after seeing through his initial feints, Xun Shen hadn’t managed to decisively defeat him. Liu Ye’s strategy constantly evolved, keeping Xun Shen on his toes.

Xun Shen’s spiritual ability allowed him to gradually understand his opponent’s strategic thinking patterns after each encounter. The more he faced the same opponent, the better he understood their tactics, eventually anticipating their moves. This ability made him an increasingly difficult adversary for any strategist, often leading them to lose confidence as their plans were consistently foiled.

However, this ability also depended on intelligence. While those with lower intelligence might occasionally devise high-level strategies, it required much more effort and time, creating a natural limitation.

In other words, even if Xun Shen had the same thought patterns as a top strategist like Zhuge Liang, there would still be a delay in reacting to the situation. Zhuge Liang might have already set his plan in motion while Xun Shen was still devising a rough strategy.

Nevertheless, such situations were rare. With his intelligence level, Xun Shen was well-equipped to handle most scenarios, making it increasingly difficult for any strategist to outmaneuver him after losing the initial engagement.

Liu Ye found himself in precisely this situation. After his initial feint was seen through, he fell into Xun Shen's rhythm, turning the situation into a constant struggle. If not for Liu Ye’s spiritual ability to shift thinking modes, he would have been defeated long ago. Liu Ye’s claim that he was unable to rescue the Emperor was sincere; without his spiritual ability, he had no counter to Xun Shen’s strategies. Even with it, Xun Shen’s relentless pressure made every move a challenge.

Xun Shen's main objectives were to rescue the Emperor and, more importantly, to prevent Liu Bei from gaining control of the Emperor. Seeing that he couldn’t defeat Liu Ye outright, Xun Shen decided to take a similar approach—stalling Liu Ye while reaching out to Cao Cao.

Although the alliance between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao was shaky, Xun Shen was willing to try. Even if Cao Cao managed to take control of the Emperor, it would be far better than letting Liu Bei do so.

Meanwhile, in a development neither Yuan Shao nor Liu Bei anticipated, Sima Lang had successfully convinced Ma Teng and Han Sui to rebel in Liang Province. With disturbances once again flaring up, Li Jue mobilized the Xiliang cavalry to head to the Three Adjuncts region, intending to negotiate with Ma Teng and Han Sui.

With little friction among the four Xiliang generals at the time, Fan Chou and Guo Si were tasked with handling the forces of Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and Liu Bei, while Li Jue marched toward Liang Province. The ailing Zhang Ji remained in charge of Chang'an, with his nephew Zhang Xiu by his side. Though Zhang Ji's deployments were reasonable, fate had other plans.

After Li Jue left, Zhang Ji dedicated himself to safeguarding the interests of the Xiliang soldiers in Chang'an. Despite provocations from certain court officials, Zhang Ji maintained a restrained response, keeping the city under tight control despite its rising tensions.

However, due to his deteriorating health, Zhang Ji gradually handed over more responsibilities to Zhang Xiu, who, though capable in military matters, struggled with governance. Even with Zhang Ji's guidance, Zhang Xiu’s administration was far from effective.

Realizing that his nephew was not cut out for leadership beyond the battlefield, Zhang Ji felt increasingly despondent. With no biological children of his own, Zhang Ji had raised Zhang Xiu from a young age, investing all his hopes in him. Faced with Zhang Xiu's limitations, Zhang Ji reluctantly turned to external assistance.

Just as he had once brought Jia Xu to Zhang Xiu's side, Zhang Ji now set his sights on Zhong Yao, believing that aligning with a wise advisor would be safer than seeking another lord. With this plan in mind, Zhang Ji, carrying a collection of Cai Yong’s manuscripts as a gift, led his nephew to Zhong Yao’s residence.

Unbeknownst to Zhang Ji, every move he made—and even his thoughts—had already been anticipated by Zhong Yao and Yang Xiu. As Zhang Ji made his way toward Zhong Yao’s estate, the pieces of their long-laid plan began to fall into place, signaling the start of the Emperor’s escape.

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