Chapter 87

Guo Jia took a sip of wine and grinned, "Young Master, I believe it's time to use Liu Yu as our chess piece."

Liu Yu?

Yuan Fang's thoughts raced, a flood of ideas surging in his mind. Guo Jia's words instantly reminded him.

After a moment of contemplation, a smile crept onto Yuan Fang's lips. Being as intelligent as he was, he quickly understood Guo Jia's intention.

Liu Yu, as the Governor of Youzhou, was nominally the superior of Gongsun Zan. However, Gongsun Zan, relying on his military might, completely disregarded Liu Yu, ignoring his advice and repeatedly launching southern invasions.

According to intelligence, the relationship between the two had already become very strained. Gongsun Zan had been wary of Liu Yu, but after falling for Yuan Tan's treachery, he focused solely on revenge and forgot about Liu Yu.

Guo Jia's strategy was naturally to use Liu Yu to stab Gongsun Zan in the back.

If the attack on Nanpi and the burning of half of Gongsun Zan's grain supplies could still be sustained through plundering, then a fire in his rear base would undoubtedly force Gongsun Zan to retreat.

"Hmm, this plan of yours is excellent. I'll set a fire in Gongsun Zan's base and see how he can remain arrogant," Yuan Fang said with a cold smile.

Seeing how quickly Yuan Fang grasped his intention, Guo Jia's face showed a hint of approval, but he also reminded him, "Liu Yu, though gentle in nature, is a stubborn man. Young Master should send a capable envoy to Youzhou to persuade him."

A capable envoy?

Yuan Fang's mind raced, and he said with satisfaction, "I have just the right person for this task. Sending him as an envoy would be most appropriate."

Yuan Fang thought of Sun Qian.

Historically, Sun Qian often served as Liu Bei's messenger. Yuan Fang admired Liu Bei's ability to recognize talent, which showed that Sun Qian indeed had the skills of an envoy.

During their previous meeting in Douchang, Yuan Fang had tested Sun Qian and found him to be calm and articulate.

Sending Sun Qian as an envoy to persuade Liu Yu to attack Gongsun Zan from behind was the perfect choice.

Yuan Fang immediately ordered Sun Qian to hurry from Beihai to Pingyuan.

Sun Qian, upon receiving the order, wasted no time and rushed to Pingyuan City without delay.

Yuan Fang then informed Sun Qian of his intentions, instructing him to carry a personal letter, disguised as a merchant, to cross Gongsun Zan's territory and head to Jixian to persuade Liu Yu.

Sun Qian was very confident and did not hesitate, readily accepting Yuan Fang's command. After some preparation, he left the city under cover of night and headed for Youzhou.

Sun Qian traveled cautiously, passing through Bohai and FanYang, and soon arrived at Jixian, the capital of Youzhou.

Upon entering the city, Sun Qian revealed his identity as Yuan Fang's envoy and went to the state office to meet Liu Yu.

In the main hall of the state office, Liu Yu was frowning, discussing with his close advisors the brutal actions of Gongsun Zan.

In recent months, Gongsun Zan had been raising grain supplies from Youzhou without Liu Yu's permission, using force and killing any who resisted.

The local officials of the various counties, fearing Gongsun Zan's military might, dared not intervene and could only secretly report to Liu Yu, asking him to take action.

"Alas, how can Gongsun Zan act like this? He is driving the people of Youzhou to despair," Liu Yu said, slamming his fist on the table in anger, yet feeling helpless and without a solution.

Just then, a soldier reported that the envoy from Qingzhou, Sun Qian, had come to request an audience.

"Yuan Fang? The illegitimate son of the Yuan family who has recently risen to power and seized Qingzhou from Gongsun Zan? What does he want from me?" Liu Yu was quite suspicious but, after a moment's thought, ordered the envoy to be brought in.

Soon, the weary Sun Qian entered, paid his respects, and, without beating around the bush, directly told Liu Yu about Yuan Fang's request for him to launch an attack.

Liu Yu was greatly surprised and finally understood Sun Qian's purpose.

"Gongsun Zan is my subordinate. How can I attack him?" Liu Yu suppressed his surprise and asked sarcastically.

Sun Qian sneered and slowly said, "Gongsun Zan is ambitious and openly defies your orders to seize the Han throne. He has repeatedly launched attacks and now, to deal with my lord, he has been plundering Youzhou, causing widespread resentment among the people. You, a benevolent and loyal ruler, a relative of the Han imperial family, can you really tolerate Gongsun Zan's continued arrogance?"

These words made Liu Yu's body tremble, and he was quickly moved by Sun Qian's words.

Liu Yu governed Youzhou with benevolence, and the people's loyalty to him was well-known.

Liu Yu's efforts to protect the Han dynasty were recognized by all, and he was known as a loyal subject.

Sun Qian was very clever, using the names of benevolence and loyalty to persuade Liu Yu to attack Gongsun Zan, the disloyal and unrighteous man, which struck a chord with Liu Yu.

Seeing Liu Yu's wavering, Sun Qian pressed on, "Putting aside the talk of saving the country and the people, I have heard that Gongsun Zan has been secretly plotting to take over Youzhou. He only launched a southern campaign because my lord was a threat. If Gongsun Zan takes Qingzhou, his power will greatly increase. Will he spare you when he turns back?"

These words struck another nerve, causing Liu Yu to fall into deep thought.

"Currently, Gongsun Zan's forces are tied up in Pingyuan. His troops in Youzhou are weak. If you can take this opportunity to launch an attack, Gongsun Zan will become a fugitive and will surely be unable to escape destruction. I urge you, for the sake of the Han dynasty, the people of Youzhou, and yourself, to rise up and fight!"

Sun Qian's final words, filled with passion, stirred Liu Yu's fighting spirit, and his eyes glinted with determination.

Liu Yu clenched his fists and looked around at his advisors, seeking their opinions.

His advisors, Xian Yu Fu and Wei You, who had long harbored resentment against Gongsun Zan, all spoke up in support of the attack.

Sun Qian's persuasion, combined with the encouragement of his advisors, gradually replaced Liu Yu's gentle and benevolent demeanor with a fierce and determined look.

After much deliberation, Liu Yu slammed his fist on the table and declared, "Gongsun Zan is cruel and unrighteous, plotting to usurp the Han throne. I, Liu Yu, cannot stand idly by. Order all the troops to be mobilized. I will punish this evil man, Gongsun Zan!"

In the hall, all the officials and military officers responded with enthusiasm, their blood boiling, and they all called for battle.

Seeing the intense atmosphere among the Youzhou officials, Sun Qian secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, "Young Master, I have not let you down. The fires of Youzhou are about to ignite. Young Master, the time for our counterattack is near."

A few days later, Liu Yu gathered an army of 100,000 and issued a proclamation, listing Gongsun Zan's crimes, and launched a large-scale attack on Gongsun Zan's territory.

...

North of Pingyuan, in the main camp of the Gongsun army.

In the central command tent, Gongsun Zan listened to Guan Jing's report on the plundering and massacres, his mood much better than it had been a few days earlier.

In the past few days, his army had killed nearly 10,000 civilians in Pingyuan and seized nearly 100,000 hu of grain.

The plundered grain, combined with the grain forcibly taken from Youzhou, barely made up for some of the burned supplies.

After hearing Guan Jing's report, Gongsun Zan nodded in satisfaction and said coldly, "This is not enough. Order the generals to continue the massacres and to continue forcibly taking grain from Youzhou. Any who resist will be killed without mercy."

Guan Jing quickly agreed and said with a grin, "The grain shortage has been addressed, and the policy of massacres has surely terrified Yuan Fang. I've heard that he is almost unable to hold out in Beihai. It seems the time for our lord to avenge himself is not far off."

Guan Jing's flattery made Gongsun Zan very pleased, and he couldn't help but laugh loudly.

He laughed wildly and arrogantly.

In the midst of his arrogant laughter, the general Zou Dan rushed in with a serious expression and bowed, "My lord, there is bad news. Liu Yu has suddenly raised an army of 100,000 and is launching a full-scale attack on your territory!"

"What!"

Gongsun Zan's laughter abruptly stopped, and his wild laughter was instantly interrupted by this shocking news, leaving him in unprecedented shock.