"Let's hear them all."
Liu Xie spoke listlessly, deciding to hear him out first.
Guo Jia perked up and said, "Your Majesty, the best strategy is to leave Ji Province and seek refuge with Liu Biao in Jing Province."
"Liu Biao remains loyal to the Han Dynasty. He is also weak and indecisive, and can easily be brought under your control. Moreover, Jing Province is a strategic stronghold, well supplied with troops and grain. It could serve as the foundation for Your Majesty to sweep across the realm."
I knew it...
The moment Liu Xie heard this strategy, he rolled his eyes.
Did he not know that seeking refuge with Liu Biao was the best choice?
But first, he had to be able to get away!
Never mind leaving Ji Province-it was doubtful he could even leave Ye City. Yuan Shao's great army was stationed right outside, while he had a pitiful thousand imperial guards, not even a fraction of Yuan Shao's forces!
"Tell me the middle strategy."
"The middle strategy?"
Guo Jia's smile faded, and he said gravely, "The middle strategy is... to kill Yuan Shao."
*???*
Liu Xie nearly jumped in shock. Looking at Guo Jia as though he had seen a ghost, he blurted out, "Are you sure that isn't the worst strategy?"
He wondered whether Guo Jia had misunderstood the definition of a middle strategy.
"Please be patient, Your Majesty. Allow me to explain."
Guo Jia soothed him, then began explaining his middle strategy in detail. "Your Majesty must understand that as long as Yuan Shao lives, you have no chance whatsoever of escaping his control, much less building your own power."
"Only when Yuan Shao dies will you have a chance to seize the opportunity, take his place, and claim Ji Province."
Liu Xie felt that Guo Jia was simply trying to fool him. Frowning, he said, "Even if I kill Yuan Shao, what then? I still won't be able to take control of Ji Province. Do you really think his armies and trusted followers are loyal to me?"
If killing Yuan Shao would make him the lord of Ji Province, Liu Xie would certainly have acted long ago. That was no difficult task for him.
He had plenty of chances to meet Yuan Shao. He only needed to pick the right moment and use the dagger hidden in his sleeve-send the blade in white and pull it out red.
But if he killed Yuan Shao, he would inevitably face the fury of Yuan Shao's trusted followers.
His status as the Son of Heaven would spare him death, but he would certainly be placed under house arrest, never again allowed any contact with the outside world.
What would such an assassination accomplish?
"You misunderstand, Your Majesty. I am not asking you to kill Yuan Shao yourself. I mean that only after Yuan Shao dies will you have an opportunity."
Keeping him in suspense, Guo Jia continued unhurriedly, "Yuan Shao has three sons: his eldest legitimate son, Yuan Tan; his second son, Yuan Xi; and his third son, Yuan Shang."
"His three sons are at odds with one another, just as he and Yuan Shu are. The advisers and generals under Yuan Shao each support one of them."
"If Yuan Shao dies, his three sons will inevitably begin fighting over leadership of the clan, while outside enemies seize the chance to attack. With Ji Province beset by troubles within and threats without, Your Majesty will have an opportunity to fish in troubled waters!"
Killing Yuan Shao was not the objective. Plunging Ji Province into internal strife was!
Only internal strife would offer a chance to profit!
After hearing him out, Liu Xie had to admit that, however insane the scheme sounded, it was indeed perfectly feasible!
The only question was how to kill Yuan Shao without anyone being the wiser.
"..."
Liu Xie's sharp brows drew together. After pondering for a moment, he asked, "Then what is the worst strategy?"
Guo Jia's expression relaxed. "The worst strategy is much simpler. I know that Yuan Shao's advisers are at odds with one another. We need only exploit this to make them attack each other, then use Yuan Shao's headstrong nature to drive a wedge between him and his advisers. After that, I will deliberately create conflicts between Yuan Shao and the other warlords, provoking war. Yuan Shao will inevitably be defeated, and Your Majesty can escape your predicament."
"The only problem is that this plan will require several years, perhaps longer. I will also need time to gain Yuan Shao's trust."
Guo Jia spoke fluently, brimming with confidence.
Liu Xie knew he was not merely waging war on paper.
With Guo Jia's methods and intellect, he could accomplish everything he had described, given enough time.
All in all, of the three strategies, the worst was indeed the easiest to carry out, but it would take far too long. Liu Xie could not wait that long. The best strategy was the ideal choice, but practically impossible.
Only the middle strategy was both feasible and immensely rewarding, without requiring much time. It was also the option Guo Jia most strongly recommended.
"If I choose the middle strategy, what do you intend to do?"
Liu Xie pressed further. He was genuinely tempted.
Guo Jia smiled. "I have my own plans. They will require some time as well, but certainly far less than the worst strategy."
"Very well. Proceed as you see fit. If you need my help with anything, speak freely."
Liu Xie agreed without hesitation.
The two hit it off at once.
Meanwhile, Yuan Shao, whose death Liu Xie and Guo Jia were plotting at that very moment, slowly awoke in his bed at the Yuan Residence.
Chapter 48: Sever Ties with Yuan Shu! Seek an Edict to Punish the Traitor!
Yuan Shao had been unconscious all night, and everyone in the Yuan Residence had nearly gone mad with worry. They had all kept vigil by his bed.
After staying up for so long, however, they were all exhausted.
Guo Tu and Xu You had fallen asleep over the table. Shen Pei and Ju Shou nodded off from time to time as well, but stubbornly forced themselves to stay awake.
Tian Feng remained at Yuan Shao's bedside. Though his face was worn with exhaustion and his eyes were bloodshot, he had not relaxed his vigilance for a moment.
The instant Yuan Shao opened his eyes, he noticed.
"Our lord is awake! Our lord is awake!"
Overjoyed, Tian Feng hurriedly turned to call to the others in the room. "Hurry! Hurry and fetch the physician!"
At Tian Feng's words, everyone's sleepiness vanished. They crowded around, talking over one another as they asked after Yuan Shao.
"My lord, how do you feel now? Are you in any discomfort?"
"My lord, are you hungry? What would you like to eat?"
"I was nearly beside myself with worry! If anything had happened to you, my lord, I would surely have followed you in death!"
The voices ringing in his ears left Yuan Shao agitated, his head swimming and aching. Finally, unable to endure any more, he snapped, "Enough! All of you, shut up!"
For a moment, no one dared speak again.
Yuan Shao took a deep breath and sat up, then asked Ju Shou beside him, "How long was I unconscious?"
Ju Shou answered, "My lord, you were unconscious for the entire night. The physician said it was caused by rage assailing your heart and that there is no serious danger. But you must not become angry again. You need to rest peacefully and recover."
At this, Yuan Shao raised a hand and rubbed his aching brow.
The memories of the previous night slowly resurfaced.
He had received a secret report that Yuan Shu had proclaimed himself emperor. In his fury, he had lost all reason and slashed wildly with his sword, killing the scout who delivered the report and nearly injuring Tian Feng. Then his vision had gone black, and he had fainted.
"Proclaimed himself emperor..."
Recalling this, Yuan Shao's expression twisted again. A dull pain stirred in his chest, his blood surged, and he could not help covering his mouth as he coughed violently.
Seeing this, Shen Pei hurriedly said, "My lord, you must not lose your temper again! Matters have already come to this. Anger will only harm your health. You must put your health first!"
Yuan Shao gritted his teeth. "That wretch! I wish I could kill him with my own hands. Only then could I vent the hatred in my heart!"
"He has ruined the Yuan Clan's century-old reputation! Cough, cough-"
He knew Yuan Shu was stupid, but he had never imagined he could be this stupid!
He was actually arrogant enough to dare proclaim himself emperor!
This stab in the back had truly pierced him straight through the heart.
Only after taking a deep breath did Yuan Shao give his orders. "Spread the word at once that we are severing all ties with Yuan Shu. We must not be implicated by him!"
"Also, petition the Son of Heaven for an edict to punish the traitor under imperial orders!"
Yuan Shu's grave mistake could no longer be undone. Everyone under heaven was now watching how Yuan Shao would react, and he had to respond as quickly as possible.
He could not allow Yuan Shu to drag his reputation down any further!
At this point, Tian Feng, who had remained silent throughout, said, "Rest assured, my lord. I already sent men to spread the word last night."
"But I ask you to reconsider petitioning the Son of Heaven for an edict to punish the traitor."
"In war, pulling a single hair can move the entire body. You and Yuan Shu are brothers, after all. The other warlords would like nothing better than to see the two of you go to war..."
Before he could finish, Yuan Shao cut him off furiously. "I have no such brother! That fool is a disgrace to the Yuan Clan!"
"Request an edict from the Son of Heaven first. Whether we fight is another matter!"
Requesting an edict to punish the traitor was a declaration of his stance. Whether he actually launched a campaign was a separate matter.
Yuan Shao understood that he had to make his stance clear.
"Yes, my lord."
Tian Feng could only comply, then turned and left the room.
After resting with his eyes closed for a moment, Yuan Shao asked Ju Shou, "How have the other warlords responded so far?"
Ju Shou answered, "My lord, shortly after Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor, Sun Ce of Jiangdong announced that he was severing ties with him and would no longer be his vassal."
"Cao Cao petitioned the Son of Heaven for permission to send troops against Yuan Shu. The Son of Heaven issued an edict ordering Zhang Xiu of Wan City to send troops to suppress the rebel, promising to pardon the crimes of Zhang Xiu's uncle, Zhang Ji."
"However, there has been no movement from Wan City yet."
"There has also been no movement from Liu Biao, Liu Zhang, or Gongsun Zan."
Ju Shou briefly outlined each side's movements.
Hearing that Cao Cao had petitioned the Son of Heaven for an edict, Yuan Shao could not help sneering. "Cao Mengde has worked his abacus well! By having Zhang Xiu send troops, he gains a fine reputation without losing a single soldier!"
Naturally, he understood what Cao Cao was after.
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