gnovel Chapter 24 Lu Yong's Debate with the Confucian Scholars
Chapter 24 Lu Yong's Debate with the Confucian Scholars
The next morning,
Lu Yong and Sun Qian changed into formal attire and presented their visiting cards.
Yuan Shu didn't cause any trouble and readily received Lu Yong and his party.
On either side of the hall stood civil and military officials under Yuan Shu's command, while Yuan Shu sat upright in the main seat.
The first person on Yuan Shu's left was his chief clerk, Yang Hong.
All eyes turned to Lu Yong.
Some people looked disdainful, some were expressionless, and a few huddled together whispering to each other, with occasional low laughter escaping their lips.
Lu Yong silently activated his "King of Verbal Warriors" mode, preparing for a bloody battle with Yuan Shao's men.
He and Sun Qian walked to the center of the hall, bowed and said, "Lu Yong (Sun Qian), the military advisor under Liu Bei, pays his respects to General Yuan."
Yuan Shu leaned against the armchair.
One hand supporting his chin.
His gaze lazily swept over Lu Yong, then looked at Sun Qian.
Only then did he slowly speak, "Why did Liu Bei send the two of you here?"
Lu Yong straightened up and replied in a calm tone, "My lord's personal letter is here. Please take a look, General Zuo."
After speaking, Lu Yong took out Liu Bei's handwritten letter from his bosom, and soon someone came up to take it and deliver it to Yuan Shu.
After Yuan Shu unfolded the letter and finished reading it, he couldn't help but laugh and ask, "Guangling is now in the hands of Ze Rong. Liu Bei is using someone else's territory to make a deal with this general. This is indeed a shrewd business."
A few soft laughs suddenly rang out in the hall.
A scholar-like official stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "My lord, Liu Bei's actions are clearly a scheme to get something for nothing."
Lu Yong looked at the man and asked, "May I ask your honorable name, sir?"
"Yuan Huan, courtesy name Yaoqing," Yuan Huan said, stroking his short beard with an arrogant expression.
Lu Yong cupped his hands and replied, "So you are Mr. Yuan. I have long admired you."
That Zuo Rong was nothing but a greedy and despicable man who killed Zhao Yu and robbed Guangling, incurring the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people.
If our lord wishes to punish him, it would be a simple matter of lifting a finger.
But our lord's capture of Guangling and General Zuo's capture of Guangling are two different things.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu immediately became interested and asked, "Tell me more."
"If our lord intervenes, he will defeat Zuo Rong and save the people of Guangling from their suffering. The people will surely remember our lord's kindness."
"If General Yuan takes action, then the hearts of the people belong to General Yuan," Lu Yong explained.
Yuan Shu raised an eyebrow but did not comment.
Lu Yong continued, "Cao Cao slaughtered Xuzhou, leaving nine out of ten houses empty wherever he went."
However, he was not purely bloodthirsty; rather, he aimed to weaken the power of Xuzhou and lay the foundation for his comeback.
My lord Xuande does not have the support of powerful families such as the Chen family in Xuzhou, making it difficult for him to stabilize Xuzhou.
If Cao Cao attacks again, even if Xuzhou can be defended, it will likely be severely weakened.
"At that time, General Zuo, you will face a weakened Xu Province and Guangling Commandery. Will you take them or not?"
"Insolence!" a military officer shouted.
Lu Yong stared at Yuan Shu without fear and continued, "If you take it, General, you will be morally inferior and bear the infamy of betraying your ally."
Rather than that,
Why not make a deal with our lord directly?
They could rightfully take the wealthy Guangling into their fold.
Incidentally, he also gained a reputation for saving the people.
Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?
Before Yuan Huan could speak, Yang Hong coughed lightly, stepped forward, and bowed to Yuan Shu, saying:
"My lord, what the army division said makes sense."
If Liu Bei takes Guangling first, and we then try to seize it, we will have already lost our legitimacy in launching the campaign.
If the lord personally defeats Ze Rong and takes over Guangling,
Not only do they avoid offending their allies,
It can also be integrated with Tian Kai of Qingzhou and Xuzhou.
By then, no matter how arrogant Cao Cao was, he wouldn't dare to act rashly and be attacked from three sides.
Yuan Shu narrowed his eyes, pondering what Yang Hong had said.
Yang Hong then changed the subject, saying, "Furthermore, Liu Bei's southward march to Jiangdong was not entirely without its benefits."
Yuan Shu raised his head, gesturing for him to continue.
"Liu Yao occupied Qu'a, recruited soldiers and horses, and repeatedly refused the orders of his lord."
Although this person is not to be feared, if he is allowed to grow too powerful, he will eventually become a problem.
Liu Bei's southward march to Danyang would allow him to contain Liu Yao from the west.
In addition, Sun Bofu launched a strong frontal attack.
Liu Yao was attacked from two sides.
How many more days can they keep jumping around like this?
After Yang Hong finished speaking, Li Ye also stood up: "My lord, Chief Secretary Yang is right."
Liu Bei came from humble beginnings and had only a little over ten thousand soldiers under his command. Even if he went to Jiangdong, he would not receive the support of the powerful clans and would not be able to cause any significant trouble.
On the contrary, Liu Yao, being both a member of the Han imperial family and holding the official position of Governor of Yangzhou appointed by the court, was the real threat.
Lu Yong listened to what the two men said and thought to himself that those boxes of precious flowers were well worth the price.
But at that moment, another person stepped out from the civil official queue.
This man was lean and wiry, with high cheekbones, deep-set eyes, and a few sparse tufts of goatee on his chin.
He cupped his hands in greeting to Yuan Shu, then asked Lu Yong, "Liu Xuande is not supported by powerful families, so how is he able to gain a foothold in Jiangdong?"
Liu Yao was a legitimate member of the Han imperial family and was appointed governor of Yangzhou by the imperial court.
"Liu Bei is gone, what can we use to fight him? Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's two spears?"
A few low laughs suddenly rang out in the hall.
Lu Yong looked at the man, cupped his hands, and said, "May I ask who you are, sir?"
"My name is Han Yin, and I serve as an aide under the Left General," the man replied calmly, stroking his goatee.
"So it's Mr. Han." Lu Yong replied calmly, "Liu Yao may be capable, but how does he compare to Cao Cao? My lord was able to gain the upper hand against Cao Cao, so surely he can handle a mere Liu Yao?"
Han Yin was speechless for a moment.
Most of the people present had experienced Cao Cao's prowess firsthand.
When Yuan Shu passed through Chenliu, he intended to directly attack and capture Puyang.
As a result, he was given a good beating by Lao Cao, and then chased all the way to Huainan before barely managing to escape.
Although Liu Bei took advantage of the chaos in Cao Cao's rear, it was remarkable that he was able to seize the opportunity to wipe out part of Cao Cao's troops and the entire supply train.
Moreover,
There's another thing they also know.
Xuzhou general Cao Bao also took advantage of Cao Cao's retreat to pursue and kill him.
As a result, Cao Bao was ambushed by Cao Cao, who was personally covering his retreat. Of his 20,000 soldiers, only one in ten survived, and Cao Bao himself met a brutal end, being torn apart by a flurry of blows.
Compared to Cao Cao, Liu Yao was clearly not up to par.
Han Yin remained silent for a moment, nodded slightly, and returned to the queue.
After that, three or four more people stood up, but Lu Yong refuted them one by one.
Yuan Shu straightened up from the armchair, his gaze sweeping over Lu Yong for a moment, then suddenly laughed:
"Lu Huai'an, you really have a sharp tongue."
"I wouldn't dare," Lu Yong said, bowing. "I only wish to do my part to maintain the alliance between General Zuo and my lord."
Yuan Shu leaned back against the armchair, pondered for a moment, and then spoke in a lazy tone:
"General Guangling will go and fetch it himself."
This general can also provide the route south.
This general can even allocate five thousand shi of grain to you as travel expenses for Liu Bei.
However, this general has one condition.
Lu Yong asked calmly, "General Zuo, please speak."
"Once Liu Bei crosses the Yangtze River, he must immediately send troops to cooperate with Sun Ce in attacking Liu Yao!"
Lu Yong feigned hesitation for a moment before finally replying, "General Zuo, rest assured."
Liu Yao was an obstacle that my lord had to overcome before he could march south.
Even if the general hadn't mentioned it, my lord would have certainly given it his all.
Yuan Shu nodded in satisfaction, picked up the wine cup on the table, and drank it all in one gulp.