Chapter 76 Exception

  Sun Jian was defeated at Liang County, and Emperor Liu Bian personally led a large army to rush to Luoyang, and Yuan Shu suddenly panicked.

  Sun Jian, with the fate of White Tiger, was his sharpest knife. However, this knife had its edge chipped in the first battle and was left on the brink of death, only able to retreat to Liang County for reinforcements. This made him anxious, and it turned out that the elite cavalry were indeed famous for a reason. The war god Huangfu Song was an extraordinary person, and he had actually managed to train a useless emperor to be so formidable?

  But why didn't he go to Xiangyang and Yuan Shao's illegitimate son, but instead came to fight me to the death? Does he think I'm easy to bully?

  Yuan Shu was very depressed and frustrated.

  On the issue of whether to fight or rescue Sun Jian, Yuan Shu's subordinates had no disagreement. Almost everyone thought that they should go to war and rescue Sun Jian. The reason is simple: if you don't save Sun Jian, it will be difficult for him to escape, and a great general will be lost in vain. If you don't fight back, it means weakness, how can you compete with Yuan Shao in the future? If you can hold back the imperial army, even if you lose a bit, you can reduce the pressure on Yuan Shao's attack on Xiangyang, and when the merits are discussed in the future, Yuan Shao cannot ignore the merits of this army.

  The more Yuan Shu listened, the more uncomfortable he felt in his heart. He thought that although these people were by his side, they did not wholeheartedly think for him. They only thought of sharing the pressure with Yuan Shao and seeking credit from him in the future, but did not consider that if he lost his power, what could he use to contend with Yuan Shao? Could he bow down to Yuan Shao like them and beg for his favor?

  Yuan Shu refused everyone's advice and would not take a single step out of the city.

  ……

  Sun Jian stood on the city wall, gazing at the southern horizon, silent and speechless.

  For five consecutive days, Yuan Shu did not leave the city, let alone send troops to rescue Liang County.

  Sun Jian was extremely disappointed, disappointed to the bottom of his heart. He relied on Yuan Shu, valuing the prestige of the Yuan family and the status of Yuan Shu's legitimate son, but he never thought that Yuan Shu would be such an incompetent person. With 40,000 troops at his command, he did not dare to confront the Emperor's 30,000 troops face-to-face, watching as he was besieged in Liang County.

  He remembered Yu Ji's words, "Return to Jiangdong, the Central Plains are not your lucky place." You have realized your own destiny, indeed you have exceptional abilities, but among the opposing forces, at least three people have also realized their destinies. You alone cannot prevail, and fundamentally are no match for them.

  Sun Jian was somewhat reluctant. Outside Liang County, there were only 10,000 infantry and cavalry led by Lu Zhi. These people could not attack the city, nor could they stop him from abandoning the city. He knew very well that Emperor Liu Bian did not want to strongly attack Liang County, he could not bear the huge losses of attacking the city, and this formation was just to force him to give up Liang County voluntarily. If Yuan Shu had the guts to send troops and dare to fight a decisive battle with the imperial court, the one who would finally give in would be the Emperor.

  Unfortunately, all of this is no longer possible. Because of Yuan Shu's selfishness, because of Yuan Shu's cowardice, he can only give up Lang County and give up this great opportunity. Otherwise, once the emperor returns to Lang County, with his military strength and grain reserves, he will not be able to hold on for long.

  Sun Jian's heart was disheartened and his will was cold, he ordered a withdrawal from Liang County.

  Lu Zhi sent troops to intercept, and the two sides fought a fierce battle. Sun Jian's forces were insufficient, and he did not have enough cavalry to counter Lu Zhi, so he suffered another major loss, losing over 2,000 men. He led more than 4,000 remaining troops to retreat from the battlefield. In the Battle of Liang County, he lost more than half of his army, including over 400 elite White Tiger Volunteers, which was a severe blow to his vitality.

  To avoid encountering the main force led by Liu Bian, Sun Jian did not retreat to Luoyang but instead retreated directly into the territory of Yingchuan. By doing so, he parted ways with Yuan Shu and became like strangers on different roads.

  When he learned that Sun Jian had abandoned Liang County and fled, Liu Biao was overjoyed. He ordered Lü Bu to insult Yuan Shu under the walls of Luoyang City, then withdrew his troops back to Liang County. After reorganizing the defenses of Liang County, Liu Biao and Huangfu Song led a large army to Xingyang.

  ……

  Xun Yu sat in his tent, carefully flipping through a silk book. The silk book was yellowed and looked ancient, Xun Yu flipped through it with great care.

  Footsteps came from outside the door, Xun Yu furrowed his brow and quickly stacked up the silk book, putting it into his bosom.

  Xun Can walked in and took a glance at Xun Yu: "Reading 'I Chuan' again?"

  Xun Yu nodded: "What's new?"

  Xun Can smiled and then sighed: "The imperial court's large army has repelled Yuan Shu, and is now moving to Xiangyang. Our best opportunity for attack has been lost."

  Xun Yu's face was calm. In recent days, he had become accustomed to Yuan Shao's indecisiveness. From the start of the campaign until now, Yuan Shao had not initiated a single attack. They spent their days in the main tent drinking and discussing strategy, each one speaking with great enthusiasm, as if victory was within easy reach, yet no one proposed launching a real attack.

  Xun Yu went to Hedong and successfully persuaded the White Wave Army to attack Hedong, forcing the imperial court to send Taifu Dong Zhuo to rush to Guanzhong to quell the rebellion. Faced with such a great opportunity, Yuan Shao was unmoved, still drinking and gathering in the big tent, without thinking of taking advantage of this opportunity to attack Xiangyang.

  Xun Yu was not a fool, he had already guessed Yuan Shao's intention, and could only sigh for it. Yuan Shao's consideration naturally had his own reason, but giving up such a good opportunity was somewhat regrettable. Can't they just wait until Luoyang is captured before saying anything?

  "A group of scholars." Xun Yu sighed: "Zheng Tai is right, sitting and discussing the Tao, blowing dry and growing alive, that's their specialty. As for marching and fighting, pacifying the country and stabilizing the nation, it's really a bit difficult for them."

  Xun Can smiled: "Your words are generally correct, but there are also exceptions."

  "An exception? Who?"

  "Cao Cao has been advising the alliance leader to send troops to attack Xiangyang for days. He said that Baima's army invaded Hedong, Sun Jian attacked Guangcheng, and the imperial court was under attack on three sides, which is a good opportunity to break through the defense line of Xiangyang at one stroke. If we hesitate and do not advance, once Baima's army is repelled by Dong Zhuo, and Sun Jian is defeated again in Guangcheng, the imperial court's main force will concentrate on Xiangyang, and it will be difficult to attack Xiangyang again."

  Xun Yu's eyes lit up: "I didn't expect that the one with the most insight would be a eunuch, it's really unexpected."

  "What's even more unexpected might still be behind." Xun Chen blinked his eyes and continued, "Cao Cao was repeatedly advised but refused to listen, planning to lead his own 5,000 troops to attack Xiangyang himself."

  Xun Yu was taken aback, then smiled and said: "Bravery is certainly commendable, but what can 5,000 men do?"

  Xun Can shook his head helplessly: "He knows, he just wants to stir up the crowd with his own strength, hoping they won't just talk idly here and do something practical. However, I think he's going to be disappointed."

  Xun Yu's eyes narrowed, and he pondered for a moment before suddenly standing up and saying: "Brother, why don't you support his proposal and send troops together?"

  Xun Chen hesitated for a moment and shook his head resolutely: "I can't. I won't offend the alliance leader just because of one Cao Cao."

  Xun Yu smiled: "Elder brother, one day in the future, you may regret today's decision."

  "I won't regret it." Xun Yan paused for a moment, then said dejectedly: "It's all fate, I just accept my fate."

  The second update, seeking three rivers, seeking recommendations, seeking collections!