Chapter 536
Chapter 536
When Sun Qian was left behind in Nanyang, he felt resentful. Yet, he could not do anything about it. When Liu Bei was trapped in Fancheng, Sun Qian had an idea. It was not his desire to see Liu Bei trapped in Fancheng but he was certainly happy to see Pang Tong’s plan fail. That was why when Liu Bei’s provisions was robbed, he left Nanyang.
He did not return to Yuzhou. Returning to Yuzhou was of no use and others could even accuse him of leaving before Fancheng had fallen. Instead, Sun Qian chose to go to Xudou. As he had stayed there before, he could easily enter the city.
“Cao Cao, Cao Mengde!” Liu Bei muttered to himself. There were many grudges between him and Cao Cao. When Cao Cao wanted to obtain Xuzhou, Liu Bei got in the way. When Liu Bei inherited Xuzhou from Tao Qian, he needed the recognition from the Han populace and also received an imperial order from Cao Cao to attack Yuan Shu. Liu Bei accepted the order and attacked Yuan Shu only to lose Xuzhou to Lu Bu.
Liu Bei exploited Cao Cao to take back Xuzhou but Cao Cao only wanted Liu Bei as a subordinate. He had such high hopes that he objected to Guo Jia’s advice to kill Liu Bei. In the end, Liu Bei betrayed Cao Cao and they now have grudges no better than the grudges between Liu Bei and Yangzhou. It was unexpected for Cao Cao to deliver provisions now.
“Brother! There is nothing good about this Cao Cao! He just wants to watch us and that Liu Mang kill each other!” Guan Yu said. His analytical skill was just as good as Zhang Liao’s. However, he was too arrogant. His arrogance is both his strength and weakness.
“Second General is right.” Sun Qian replied. “Milord. This subordinate went to Xudou with the resolve to succeed or die trying.” Sun Qian exaggerated but his words sounded pleasant to Liu Bei’s ears. This is because the Cao Cao’s Army were still their enemies even though they were having a truce.
“It must be hard on you, Gongyou.” Liu Bei consoled Sun Qian especially after seeing Sun Qian’s appearance. The journey from Nanyang to Xudou and then the journey back must have been filled with hardships.
“A little bit of harships is no matter if it is for Milord’s ambition. However, when I went to Xudou, I was treated well as a guest and even when I requested for provisions, the provisions were given without any conditions.” Sun Qian talked about his experiences at Xudou.
“The Xun Family is good at strategy.” As Cao Cao was in Hebei, Xudou was left under the management of the Xun Family. Of course, this was also part of Cao Cao’s plan. He was currently busy in pacifying Hebei so the last thing he wanted was for the Central Plains to be unified. It was just like the current situation at Hebei. If the Yuan Family remained united, Cao Cao would have to fight another war of attrition. However, the two Yuan siblings competed against each other for the position of Yuan Shao’s successor. This allowed Cao Cao to slowly become stronger while the other two fought. He wanted the same to happen towards Liu Bei and Liu Mang. It was best when neither party wins.
Unfortunately, Liu Bei was a huge disappointment due to his constant catastrophic defeats. Now, Yangzhou was at a critical juncture while Yuzhou was about to be wiped out. This meant that Cao Cao needed to put aside his grievances to help Liu Bei. He could not send soldiers as the bulk of his army is at Hebei and he did not want to provoke Liu Mang with his own troops, in fear that they would turn to Yanzhou in their anger.
Liu Bei himself have plenty of good generals like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Liu Bei himself was able to fight enemies. If they stick to defending, it is possible to last an entire year before being defeated. This would buy enough time for Cao Cao to pacify Hebei. Liu Bei simply lacked provisions which Cao Cao could help with. Even if Sun Qian did not go to Xudou, Xun Yu of the Xun Family would have paid Liu Bei a visit.
“Making sure that neither side wins so that he has the advantage.” Liu Bei smiled bitterly. Liu Bei understood Cao Cao’s plan. It was not even made a secret. Even then, he had no choice but to act according to Cao Cao’s plan for what little hope it might bring.
“Report! Urgent report from Yingshang! The Yangzhou Army are at the walls! They cannot defend for long, requesting Milord for assistance!” One messenger rushed in and gave the report that the Yangzhou Army had arrived in Yuzhou.
“Bring it on!” Liu Bei closed his eyes and muttered to himself. This situation reminded him of when Lu Bu attacked Xiaopei and Cao Cao providing provisional assistance.
“Liu Mang! Cao Cao! Did you think you have already won? The victor have not yet been decided!” Liu Bei clenched his fist tightly. The feeling of being someone’s pawn was terrible.