Mythical Version of Three Kingdom

Although the food crisis for Cao’s army had been alleviated, there was still no solution to the manpower problem. Xun Yu had initially sent someone to negotiate with Lu Su about redeeming their captured soldiers, but Lu Su flatly refused, saying he’d rather keep them than let Cao Cao have them back. This left Xun Yu with no options, though it did allow him to give a reasonable explanation to the families of the captured soldiers. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to bring them back—it was simply that Liu Bei didn’t give them the opportunity.

”What should we do now, everyone? Speak freely. We’re at a critical point,” Xun Yu sighed as he spoke.

Xun Yu didn’t have much confidence in his own plans, mainly because he didn’t have the time to craft a detailed strategy. They were running out of time, and if they couldn’t recover faster than Lu Bu, there might soon be no more Cao clan.

No one spoke at first, and Xun Yu scanned the room. Except for Fan Qin, everyone had a furrowed brow. Xun Yu then pointed at Fan Qin, saying, ”Xiubo, why don’t you start? You seem calm, so you must have a good idea. Let’s hear it.”

”How about we surrender to Liu Bei? Look at how well he’s doing. Our goal is to restore the Han Dynasty, and Liu Bei’s goal is the same. We’re all like-minded, aren’t we? If we join forces, we’ll be much stronger, and the path to restoring the Han will be much smoother. What do you think?” Fan Qin glanced around the room, his usual playful demeanor replaced with quick seriousness.

”Xiubo, you’re a minister of our lord!” Cheng Yu’s eyes flashed coldly as he glared at Fan Qin, looking as though he wanted to tear him apart.

If anyone in the room couldn’t reconcile with Liu Bei, it was Cheng Yu. To him, Liu Bei’s idealistic vision was impossible to achieve. Even with Chen Xi’s wealth and resources, Liu Bei’s so-called public spirit couldn’t last forever. Would his ministers and generals, including Liu Bei himself, be willing to watch their families decline into obscurity? Everyone had personal ambitions, and the idea of a unified world was laughable!

”And I’m also a minister of the Han!” Fan Qin shot back with a smile, unfazed by Cheng Yu’s anger.

”Liu Xuande has a heart full of ambition. With his strategy of winning people’s loyalty, do you think the empire will belong to him or to the Han when it’s all said and done?” Xi Zhicai asked calmly, picking up the conversation.

”The emperor’s surname is Liu,” Fan Qin replied with a nonchalant grin.Xun Yu frowned and interjected, ”Xiubo, stop joking. It’s very difficult for us to align with Liu Bei.”

Xi Zhicai smiled to himself. He had anticipated that Fan Qin would respond with, ”The emperor’s surname is Liu,” and he knew that this would touch a nerve with Xun Yu’s deep-seated loyalty to the current Han emperor. This made any alliance with Liu Bei even more unlikely.

It was curious—unlike other loyalists who were devoted to the Han as a whole, Xun Yu’s loyalty was specifically tied to the current emperor. This was why he viewed Liu Bei, a member of the Liu clan, with such suspicion. In Xun Yu’s eyes, restoring the Han under a Liu clan member would mean deposing the current emperor, which to him would be a clear act of treason.

Fan Qin paused for a moment, realizing that he had inadvertently struck a nerve. He shrugged and sat down, casting a glance at Xi Zhicai.

”If you don’t want to align with Liu Bei, then how about leveraging the private soldiers of the aristocratic families? They might be our best option right now, even if it risks backlash,” Chen Qun cautiously suggested. ”Of course, this approach would have its own complications.”

”Chen Qun’s idea isn’t bad. Many noble families in our region have two or three thousand private soldiers. If we promise them benefits and enlist their help, we can lead the army ourselves and then...” Fan Qin mimicked a beheading motion. ”Afterward, we can eliminate those families and take their wealth, soldiers, and resources for ourselves. It’s not a bad plan,” he said, clapping his hands in approval.

Xi Zhicai’s eyelids twitched. While Fan Qin’s suggestion was ruthless, it was a practical solution given their current desperation.

”Xiubo, enough! Did your family send you here to stir up trouble?” Chen Qun snapped, unhappy with how Fan Qin’s explanation had excited Xi Zhicai and Cheng Yu, two men who were ruthless enough to carry out such a plan. If they went through with it, Chen Qun’s own family would be in serious danger.

”Fine, then what do you suggest? My plan isn’t bad,” Fan Qin replied indifferently. He knew he was stirring up trouble, but he believed he was doing so within reason, considering the dire situation.

”We could...” Chen Qun started, but then trailed off, realizing that promising benefits to the aristocratic families only to betray them later wasn’t a viable option.

Xi Zhicai and Cheng Yu’s eager expressions had already revealed their thoughts. Especially Xi Zhicai, whose life was nearing its end—he was more than capable of carrying out such a plan and taking the blame himself, allowing Cao Cao to ascend to power over his dead body.

Xun Yu sighed, ”Xiubo, enough already. How’s the situation in the west? I need results, not just a report on the process.”

Fan Qin’s expression twitched. So, Xun Yu had decided to take a gamble after all. Given Cao Cao’s current dire state, their chances of success were less than half a percent. This wasn’t bravery—it was practically suicide.

”I don’t see much hope. If we had won in Xuzhou, I’d fully support a western campaign. But after our defeat in Xuzhou, our strength isn’t enough to seize control of Sili Commandery and suppress Dong Zhuo’s remnants. In fact, I’m not even sure we can make it past Hulao Pass,” Fan Qin replied bluntly. He had no intention of clashing with Xun Yu and laid out the bleak reality—Cao Cao was too weak now.

Xun Yu’s original plan had been to replicate the territorial gains of the late Warring States-period Qin dynasty after it had conquered Shu. If not for the defeat at Xuzhou, Xun Yu would have already secured Sili Commandery, locked down Hangu Pass, and started reclaiming fertile land. They would have been in a strong position to sit back and watch the conflicts between Yuan Shao and Liu Bei.

In truth, Xun Yu’s decision to exploit Wancheng so ruthlessly had been part of a grand strategy for a rapid rise to power. After all, they would eventually have to abandon Wancheng, so he had intended to extract every last bit of value from it. Even the remains could be left behind to incite further conflict, buying more time for Cao Cao to build up his reserves. But as the saying goes, ”Man proposes, but God disposes.”