CHAPTER 1464: CHAPTER 1412: UNLEASHING FULL STRENGTH—GUO JIA VS. ZHOU YU

The matter of the Tang Consort is something for others to worry about, in any case, Chen Xi feels that he should not get involved. He heard that recently Cheng Yu has been transferred to Wancheng, and Cao Cao has been moving his troops back and forth, seemingly with the intention of launching a major attack.

Of course, the most important thing is that Cao Cao has not concealed his motive, which is why Chen Xi has not seen Xun Yan since arriving in Yingchuan.

Frankly speaking, Xun Yan has had it quite rough. Last time he was aware of Yuan Shao’s plot yet still reached out to test the waters, which led to his official position being stripped by Chen Xi. However, he was soon reinstated.

According to the situation at that time, it was only natural to send him to Yuzhou to stabilize the area. Although he had committed an offense, in essence, he indeed got promoted, being elevated from the Governor of Donglai Commandery to the Yuzhou Inspector, skipping two whole ranks, without anyone gossiping about it.

On one hand, it is because Xun Yan is indeed quite capable, and on the other hand, it is also to appease Yuzhou, which had just been taken down. The Xun Family and the Chen Family both have considerable influence in Yuzhou, and since Chen Xi could not go to Yuzhou to be the inspector, sending someone with the surname Xun reassured the aristocratic families.

Although the Xun Family are students of the Legalists masked in Confucian attire, after many years of operating in Yuzhou, the Yuzhou aristocratic families roughly understand what the Xun Family is about. Assigning Xun Yan to stabilize the area also sent a signal to the entirety of Yuzhou.

This is why there has been no tumult in Yuzhou since it was annexed. Liu Bei expressed goodwill, and if the Yuzhou aristocratic families still harbored thoughts of seeking death, that would truly be a mental issue. The essence of Legalism is ruling the country by law, and if it comes to action, it would undoubtedly be ruthless.

Similarly, Legalism is the strictest about rules. For instance, even someone like Mann Chong in his frenzied cruel official state did not touch families like the Deng Family, Shen Family, and Song Family, who exploited loopholes. Even though Mann Chong himself told Li Youu that he would deal with those bastards if there was an opportunity, when the opposition merely exploited loopholes without breaking the law, Mann Chong would rather amend his own laws than take action.

This reflects the principle of Legalism; to rule others, one must first rule oneself. People like Mann Chong, Xun Yan, and Xun Yue are destined to avoid punishing without prior instruction, which is why the Yuzhou aristocratic families feel quite reassured with Xun Yan overseeing them.

However, in recent times, with unrest from Cao Cao, Xun Yan has taken people to garrison the Yuzhou border to prevent Cao Cao from seizing any opportunities.

The current generation of the Xun Family actually excels in both civil governance and military affairs; otherwise, Xun Yu would not have had such a complicated time suppressing them. Naturally, Xun Yan is quite confident in his abilities. Hearing about disturbances from Cao Cao, he personally went over.

Originally, if it were just disturbances from Cao Cao, borrowing some troops from Guan Yu’s side to hold the fort would not have been a problem for Xun Yan. But since this time it seems like a collaboration between Cao Cao and Sun Ce, and since Guo Jia and Guan Yu did not gain any advantage over the combination of Zhou Yu and Sun Ce, it’s natural that the support given to Xun Yan wasn’t too ample.

Fortunately, Jia Xu with foresight sent a troop after Cao Cao stirred up, and they reached the border of Yuzhou and Jingzhou.

With the aid of this troops, Xun Yan soon stabilized the situation. However, out of caution, he did not make any unnecessary moves; both the opposing strategist and the opposing military generals evoked some dread in Xun Yan.

Although Cheng Yu has not shown much capability in this lifetime, Xun Yan from Yingchuan knew how many people were worth fearing in this region of Yuzhou, and unfortunately, Cheng Yu was one of them. Additionally, besides excelling in political strategy, Cheng Yu is even more adept in military strategy.

In the military camp of Wancheng, Xiahou Yuan was toasting wine to Zhang Xiu. Perhaps earlier, Xiahou Yuan and others slightly looked down on these outsider generals who had surrendered, but ever since last year’s battle when Lyu Bu ascended, the Cao Brothers and Xiahou Brothers have acknowledged these people.

Regardless of Zhang Xiu’s exceptional prowess in matching Lyu Bu or Xu Huang’s Legion Talent, all are extraordinarily fearsome capabilities that command respect as a military general.

"Come, come, come, after drinking, we’ll lead the troops for a trot along the Yingchuan border," Xiahou Yuan said with a grin, prompting Zhang Xiu to roll his eyes repeatedly. Wancheng was by no means close to Yingchuan, but Xiahou Yuan could casually speak of a trot along the ridge.

"Strategist Cheng, why haven’t we taken any action until now?" Zhang Xiu asked after downing a goblet of wine and setting it down.

"Zhongde said the opposing Xun Yan is not a simple character, and we were exposed as we just reached Wancheng since their main army has already arrived," Xiahou Yuan explained.

"So much force, yet all is exposed. Might as well charge at the enemy now while they lack a commanding general," Zhang Xiu said in frustration. Truthfully, besides someone such as Xun Youi doing military strategist work, which involves major troop maneuvers, Zhang Xiu held no hope for the rest.

"It’s not that simple; the other side is just solidifying their defenses to withstand our attack. Launching a surprise attack wouldn’t be easy; with their tight defense and persistence, we only need to apply pressure for now," Xiahou Yuan shook his head. Though he was unsure why Cheng Yu wanted to wait, he was willing to trust him.

"I heard Sun Ce sent someone over to negotiate with us?" Although Zhang Xiu didn’t fully understand, since the Chief General Xiahou Yuan said nothing, he had nothing more to say and would follow orders for battle when the time came.

"There is indeed such a matter," Xiahou Yuan did not conceal, "I heard it’s a noted scholar from Eastern Wu named Gu Yong, but I don’t know the details of what was discussed."

"I heard Sun Ce has been pressing Guan Yu and Guo Jia hard on the Huai River lately?" Zhang Xiu asked with a tinge of curiosity.

"It’s indeed true. After all, Northerners aren’t skilled at naval warfare, and the most adept at it under Liu Bei, Gan Ning, is nowhere to be found. On the battlefield, not finding the enemy poses a larger problem than anything else; as for the current situation, it remains uncertain," Xiahou Yuan shook his head and said.

"That’s valid," Zhang Xiu nodded, acknowledging that Xiahou Yuan made a good point. Gan Ning’s mysterious disappearance is a headache not only for Guo Jia but also for both Cao Cao and Sun Ce’s factions.

"Did they seek any assistance from us?" Zhang Xiu continued to inquire. Truthfully, Zhang Xiu was now quite interested in witnessing valiant generals like Guan Yu in combat, though what he really wanted was to challenge Zhao Yun. However, Zhao Yun seldom participates in battle.

While Xiahou Yuan and Zhang Xiu casually discussed the affairs of Guan Yu and Sun Ce, within Guo Jia’s military camp situated north of the Huai River, upon receiving a secret letter from Chen Xi, Guo Jia finally prepared to deal with Zhou Yu’s antics. Lately, Zhou Yu had been bouncing around excessively, frustrating Guo Jia to the brink.

Guo Jia, after all, is a tactician brimming with ingenuity. Though he suffered setbacks due to Zhou Yu’s Spiritual Talent, his inherent meticulous thinking was not significantly disrupted. Instead, recognizing his shortcomings made Guo Jia approach with even more caution and restraint.

Thus even until now, with geographical advantage at his disposal, Guo Jia has not encountered substantial losses. However, upon perceiving movements from Cao Cao’s faction, Guo Jia was forced to halt his original plans to avoid giving Cao Cao any opportunity.

But with Cheng Xi’s reinforcements arriving, Guo Jia can finally unleash his strategies without restraint.