Spring at the Academy (5)
Three letters had arrived, but all of them sought counsel on the future movements of Cao Cao's army. After reviewing them all, I gathered Sima Yi, Seo Seo, Pang Tong, and Guo Jia in my room and laid out three topics before them.
"Yuan Shao's victory, Liu Bei's fate, and the empty Xuzhou."
"Need any explanation?"
"No."
I'd already introduced Guo Jia to them, but my disciples showed no interest in hearing more from her.
"You can just sit back and watch. Didn't you come here on express courier?"
"Hey, I may have rushed here like this, but I'm still a woman who knows her way around a strategy or two."
"Hmph, then beat Seo Seo first!"
"Ha... Ah!"
"Seo Seo lost...? Hmph! Fine, then I'll... Ngh... Urgh...!!"
A draw. Guo Jia had bested Seo Seo and fought Pang Tong to a grueling stalemate, proving her worth. It was practically forcing a draw out of Pang Tong, though—and she knew it well enough.
"Why...? I feel like my head's sharper..."
"Lack of experience. Experience."
"Experience...? If it's that—"
"No side chatter. Focus on state affairs."
I steered the conversation back.
"Let's start with the north of the Yellow River. It's from Sun Uk—says Yuan Shao's crushed Gongsun Zan up there."
"Gongsun Zan's fallen. Just like Lü Bu."
"Right. Cao Cao took Lü Bu, Yuan Shao took Gongsun Zan. With their mutual thorns gone, they'll turn their eyes elsewhere."
Yuan Shao had seized the north. Cao Cao had taken Xuzhou. All that remained was for them to clash.
"Once he mops up Gongsun Zan's remnants, Yuan Shao will look south. The Central Plains paths south are already Cao Cao's, and even the eastern coastal route through Xuzhou is blocked by him."
"If we sit idle, Cao Cao might expand elsewhere, which worries us—and attacking now means fretting over our rear."
"Exactly. The north's crawling with barbarians and Gongsun Zan holdouts. But..."
I recalled what I already knew. Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan had ruled differently, and several of Yuan Shao's instabilities could be swiftly resolved by his past actions.
"Yuan Shao hasn't been harsh with the barbarians. Quite the opposite—he's cozy with them. The enemy of my enemy, right?"
"I've heard Gongsun Zan massacred them mercilessly, while Yuan Shao went for appeasement. Naturally, the barbarians would side with him."
"Yeah. If it were me, I'd have sicced the barbarians on his rear just as Gongsun Zan started buckling."
"Plunder on my land? Unforgivable. On the enemy's? Cheer the bandits on with claps."
Keep the foe distracted by their rear while hammering their front walls. A twist on feint east, strike west—but really, it's about pissing them off.
"Everyone predicted Yuan Shao's win years ago when the White Horse Division crumbled. But Gongsun Zan fell faster than expected. He could've bred more horses, used cavalry for maneuvers."
"How'd Gongsun Zan die, anyway? Last I heard, he'd built an impregnable earthen fortress."
"The fortress fell."
"Earthen walls are tough even for siege engines. How?"
"Tunnels."
They smoked out Gongsun Zan hiding inside while digging for over a month to breach it. The soldiers must've suffered hell, but it let Yuan Shao take the fortress easily. And Gongsun Zan died—suicide.
"Driven mad by defeat, he slew his own wife and kids before killing himself. Worried about them being defiled, or truly insane? Tsk tsk."
Cao Cao had spared Lü Bu's family in mercy. Gongsun Zan wasn't some traitor's kin; if he'd just offered his own head, his family might've lived.
"That's too much. If you're dying, die alone—why drag the poor wife and kids?"
"Maybe he feared them ravaged by Yuan clansmen. Obsessed with his White Horses, he'd rather kill them himself than let others touch them."
"Who can judge a madman's thoughts?"
Everyone nodded at Sima Yi's words.
"In the end, Gongsun Zan died defeated, Yuan Shao took all of the north, and now he's lord over vast lands with millions of souls he barely knows."
"The north holds over half the Central Plains' population."
Central Plains battles ran thousands; the north, tens of thousands since Guandu.
"Cao Cao's army tops out at 150,000 even squeezing. Yuan Shao's, absorbing Gongsun Zan's, around 400,000."
"...Nah, no way it's that many?"
"Exaggerating to 400,000 means at least 250,000—no, 300,000. Right, Fengxiao?"
"Urgh..."
Guo Jia bit her lip at my words.
"H-Ha, but not all'll march south. Real foes maybe 200,000...?"
"Minus Qingzhou troops, Cao Cao's effective strength?"
"Th-That's state secret."
"Around 60,000 tops?"
"......Qingzhou troops are elites now, you know?"
We shrugged. We'd never pried secrets; Guo Jia had volunteered it.
"So, let's call it Yuan Shao 400,000 vs. Cao Cao 150,000."
"Fair enough."
"Teacher?"
Seo Seo raised her hand.
"Talking troop sizes and 'southward march' means Yuan Shao and Cao Cao clash head-on? No holding back?"
"Obviously."
"On what pretext?"
"Hm..."
Pretext. Seo Seo's point made the obvious suddenly hazy.
"No one obsesses over pretexts like Yuan Shao. Armies need reasons—where's his?"
"Make one up."
"Cao Cao's army will bust a gut avoiding giving him one."
"That's why you make it a pretext. Alright, we're Yuan Shao's army now?"
Eyes lit up around the room.
"Come up with pretexts to war on Cao Cao's army. What works?"
"Uh, me too?"
"Of course."
Guo Jia reluctantly joined Team Yuan Shao.
"Pretend you're Yuan Shao's advisors. Find ways to beat Cao Cao, no holds barred. But..."
I set two characters before them.
"The pretext has to be so perfect no one here can refute it."
"Our foe now is Cao Cao. What say you?"
Yuan Shao tossed out the question with a benevolent smile.
"With Gongsun Zan crushed, only Cao Cao remains. My brother Yuan Shu's a traitorous outcast, the rest nobodies. Cao Cao's no different—face and figure aside, worthless... save he holds the Emperor."
Yuan Shao extended hands to his lined-up advisors.
"Speak. After toppling Gongsun Zan, our path into the Central Plains. But it must be beautiful."
All groaned at his condition.
"Make it so anyone hearing thinks, 'Of course—Cao Cao's the villain. History will laud Yuan Shao's name beautifully.'"
"Lord, history's praise enough?"
"Better if the people adore me."
No advisor misunderstood Yuan Shao.
"Come. Give me pretext to send our mighty host—that drove even Gongsun Zan to suicide in adversity—southward."
"I'll speak first. Use the Black Mountain Bandits."
Guo Tu stepped forward.
"Black Mountain Bandits?"
"Yes. Though we've quelled most, like Zhang Yan, remnants linger. And some south of the Yellow River, no? Who'd defy the Grand General purging thieves?"
"Thief-hunt. Good. But 400,000 for bandits? Bit much."
"What of the realm's arch-thief?"
"Oh, Fengji. Speak."
"Cao Cao rampages like Dong Zhuo, treating court as his toy. Petition to quell him."
"Blunt."
Yuan Shao nodded gravely at Feng Ji's proposal.
"We're crushing Cao Cao anyway—ignore the rest?"
"Yes. We have the might; no need pretext against the likes of him."
"Agreed. Lose substance chasing pretext?"
"...Right, Tianfeng. You."
"At most a year. Strike Cao Cao before next year, or he'll grow mighty in no time. Time's not ours."
"......"
Yuan Shao pondered eyes closed.
"Xin Pi, you earned merit taking Gongsun Zan. Speak."
"As you command. Like clear skies after storm, we need new heavens."
"...What?"
"Too risky? Then another way. Yes—the Emperor..."
All leaned in at Xin Pi's whisper.
"Dethrone him now. As Feng Ji says, we have power. The current one's Dong Zhuo's puppet. He's held the throne long as false—time for the true Emperor."
"Questioning Han legitimacy now...!"
"Xin Pi, you—"
"Xin Pi stays; rest out."
"Lord...!"
Xin Pi bowed eagerly. Advisors filed out; he approached Yuan Shao cautiously.
"Overjoyed."
"Attacking Han legitimacy—perfect pretext. Your Reverse Tower ploy shows your brilliance."
"Ha, mere thanks for choosing my plan, lord."
"How block a meritorious servant? Pursue it."
"You mean..."
"Attack Han legitimacy."
Yuan Shao's face was grave. "I'll craft the irrefutable pretext. Yours is simple."
His smile deepened. "...Find Han blood. A man who could Emperor tomorrow unquestioned."