Reincarnation in the Three Kingdoms Era with a System

Jia Xu gathered his thoughts, took a sip of kava tea, and found its sweet aftertaste clearing his mind considerably.

"My lord, Cao Mengde only launched a surprise attack on Hulao Pass, but did not occupy it. It seems he only did so for Emperor Xian’s sake, his aim being to use the emperor’s name to silence your military plans."

"Hmm."

Lu Ming nodded. Whether Cao Cao occupied Hulao Pass or not wouldn’t have a significant impact on him.

"Does he want to throw me into disarray?"

"I believe Cao Mengde intends to launch another campaign of alliances. Now, my lord controls Xiliang, Guanzhong, Yizhou, Bingzhou, and Jizhou—two of the richest regions in the land. With the power of the Qin dynasty, unifying the world is unstoppable."

"To stop my lord, we must unite the forces of the other warlords to even have a chance of resisting."

"The Central Plains are a battleground, now ravaged by years of war, with countless people displaced, less than one in ten surviving, and supplies severely strained. Only through unity can we resist the Qin state."

"This kidnapping of Emperor Xian is merely the first step. Within a month, Cao Cao will undoubtedly issue numerous proclamations to rally the other warlords."

"However, the warlords harbor their own agendas, their intentions differ. How can they possibly unite?"

Jia Xu stroked his beard with a hint of smugness, then revealed his treacherous plan, "I’ve heard that Sun Jian obtained the Imperial Seal of the State from a dry well in Luoyang but failed to hand it over. He must harbor ulterior motives."

"Last year, his son, Sun Ce, even used the Imperial Seal as collateral to borrow troops from Yuan Shu."

"Yuan Shu has occupied Huainan for many years, ambitious but incompetent. My lord, you might as well persuade him to declare himself emperor!"

Declaring himself emperor! That’s a path to death!

At least at this juncture, it’s definitely suicide! The prestige of the Han Dynasty had crumbled beyond repair, but even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse; it still held some sway in the hearts of the people.

Moreover, Yuan Shu had always considered himself a provincial governor, and even after being enfeoffed as a king, he was still a Han subject.

Now, rashly declaring himself emperor, while much better than before, would inevitably invite scorn and might even lead to a united attack.

In any case, the outcome wouldn’t be good.

Xu Shu was also inwardly alarmed; this plan was incredibly cunning!

It exploited Yuan Shu’s character and leveraged his own resources.

Yuan Shu, in Huainan, was at least separated from Lu Ming by Cao Cao and Liu Bei.

Letting him declare himself emperor would certainly draw attention to him.

This was only one aspect; the second benefit was that it would further undermine the prestige of the Han Dynasty, utterly disgracing him!

What would Liu Biao of Jingzhou think?

As a Han subject, and a member of the Han imperial family... "Either he should seize the legitimate throne and attack Yuan Shu, or he should take the opportunity to declare himself king."

"Sure enough," Jia Xu began explaining the follow-up to the plan, "Liu Biao is a member of the Han imperial family. If Yuan Shu declares himself emperor, Liu Biao will inevitably be put on the defensive, either attacking Yuan Shu to suppress the rebellious traitor.

"Or he will also declare himself emperor, but in my opinion, the possibility is extremely slim."

"If he doesn’t declare himself emperor, he will inevitably be pressured to send troops to attack Yuan Shu."

"Too few troops would be inappropriate, and we wouldn’t be able to explain it to Emperor Xian; too many would be unacceptable."

"Huang Zu of Jiangxia cannot be touched. Liu Biao and Sun Ce have an irreconcilable feud; we must always be wary of Sun Ce. Since Jiangxia cannot be touched, we can only draw troops from other places."

"In this way, we can send Gan Ning, Wei Yan, and Guo Jia to attack Jiangling in Nan Commandery." "By capturing Jiangling, we can divide Jingzhou in two, leaving Liu Biao unable to defend both ends!"

"From then on, whether we launch an offensive or passively contain him, the goal is to keep Liu Biao occupied. Let Yuan Shu deal with Cao Cao and Liu Bei, and we can even send people to sow discord, making him work half-heartedly."

"My lord, at that time, we can seize the opportunity to destroy Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan, unifying the north. Then, after two years of recuperation, we can march south into the Central Plains and annihilate Cao Cao in one fell swoop!"

"Given the size of the Central Plains, we only need to confront him; without fighting, we can wear Cao Cao down!"

Jia Xu, as expected of a cunning strategist, had a keen eye.

This was Yuan Shao’s best strategy back then—no need for fighting, just overwhelm the enemy with grain!

Even if Cao Cao plundered the people’s surplus grain, he couldn’t contend with Lu Ming.

The Central Plains don’t produce much grain...

And this year there’s been a complete crop failure. We have to buy grain from Jingzhou, or from the black market—grain smuggled out of Guanzhong.

Lu Ming deliberately sold it to Cao Cao in exchange for large quantities of gold, silver, and iron ore. This is no longer just a military matter; it’s a strategic move.

Lu Ming rose and bowed deeply to Jia Xu, "With the Prime Minister’s help, these words have been incredibly enlightening."

"Let Xun Yu be smug for a few more years. Then I’ll make sure his family is destroyed, his people wiped out, and not a single soldier remains!" "

Jia Xu, at this point, offered no further advice or dissuasion. Whether Xun Yu lived or died was irrelevant to him. Offending a petty person like the King of Qin, how could he possibly expect to live? He was dreaming!

Xun Yu was loyal to the Han Dynasty, and his cooperation with Cao Cao to restore it was understandable.

However, while understandable, his fate was already sealed.

Lu Ming ordered the imperial kitchen to prepare a sumptuous feast and send it to the Grand Council. He intended to dine with the Prime Minister and the Grand Councilors.

The three discussed the strategy proposed by Jia Xu in detail, continuing their meeting until late at night.

A few days later, Xu Rong returned to Chang’an, carrying thorns on his back to apologize. The sharp thorns had pierced his back, drawing blood and digging deep into his flesh.

"This guilty subject, Xu Rong, pays his respects to the King of Qin!" "

Xu Rong knelt on both knees, overwhelmed with shame at the defeat at Hulao Pass.

Lu Ming personally descended from the throne, removed the thorns from Xu Rong’s back, and helped him up. "You need not be too discouraged. I have never blamed you. Defeat is not terrible. Sun Tzu was also harmed by Pang Juan, enduring years of hardship before finally seeking revenge.

"Now you should also hold your breath and repay Cao Cao in the future."

Xu Rong was immediately moved to tears. He hadn’t expected Lu Ming to not blame him but to comfort him. He had thought he was doomed upon his return!

"Thank you, my lord!"

"Good, rise. Go back and recuperate. Now is not the time to wage war against the Central Plains. I intend to take Youzhou. Are you willing to be the vanguard?"

Lu Ming patted Xu Rong, comforting the Liaodong man.

"Your subject is willing to give his life, even unto death!"

Xu Rong clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice firm and resolute.

" What generals need most is their lord’s affirmation; only with the affirmation of their superiors can they gain confidence.

"Good, go to the clinic, find Hua Tuo, and let him recover well. What was lost on the battlefield, we will take back on the battlefield. Occasional defeat is not shameful; what is shameful is to be discouraged and never recover. Go!"

Seeing that Xu Rong had recovered, Lu Ming stopped being so polite. Being courteous to subordinates was enough; doing so all the time would only lower his own status and position!

"Thank you, my lord, I will go immediately!"

Xu Rong knelt down again to express his gratitude, truly convinced of his superiority.