Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1235 Yuan Shao's Triumph and Indulgence in Beauty

The stalemate in Xuchang was like a bowl of lukewarm water, simmering until both sides were at their wits' end. Cao Cao and Liu Bei both knew that this standoff had long deviated from its original purpose, but neither dared to give in first. Liu Bei feared being ambushed by Cao Cao when he withdrew his troops, after all, Cao Cao's strategist Guo Jia, though ill, never stopped devising schemes. Cao Cao, on the other hand, had his own difficulties. Although the defenses of Xuchang were strong, the fact that Liu Bei's army was not retreating was like a huge boulder weighing on his mind. Not only were his food supplies dwindling daily, but he also couldn't spare any time to deal with other matters.

What worried Cao Cao most was Guo Jia's illness. This "genius" had been coughing more and more severely for days, sometimes having to stop and catch his breath while reviewing documents, his face as white as paper. Several groups of military doctors had been changed, and he had drunk countless doses of medicine, but his condition showed no improvement. When Cao Cao stayed in Guo Jia's tent, listening to his suppressed coughs, he felt more irritated than by the fighting outside the city.

And so, the two sides remained locked in a stalemate outside Xuchang City. Occasionally, small groups of cavalry would launch probing attacks, only to retreat back into their formations. More often, they faced each other across the moat, a pervasive sense of weariness filling the air. It wasn't until the north wind picked up, snowflakes began to fall, and the winter chill seeped into their armor that the stalemate finally froze, along with the frozen river.

Meanwhile, Yuan Shao in Hebei was already intoxicated by Wang Yun's flattery. At every court assembly, seeing Emperor Liu Xie's trembling appearance and hearing the officials shout "Long live the Great General!", he felt a surge of pride, believing himself to be the only one worthy of the throne. He was incredibly generous in his treatment of Wang Yun, showering him with gold and silver, which in turn elevated Wang Yun's status in Hebei.

This greatly worried Xu You, Feng Ji, and the others. They considered themselves second to none when it came to currying favor with the emperor, but they repeatedly failed to outmaneuver Wang Yun, a seasoned and cunning old fox who had served three emperors. Several attempts to set traps for him were effortlessly thwarted by Wang Yun, making them appear petty and leaving them in a lose-lose situation, only able to grit their teeth in frustration.

Wang Yun was well aware of the hostility the local powerful families of Hebei harbored towards him, and he also understood that his current power depended entirely on Yuan Shao's support. Therefore, he tried every means to please his lord. However, at present, the emperor could only bestow the highest titles he could, such as the Nine Bestowments, the privilege of wearing a sword and shoes in the palace, and the next step would be to become emperor. Although Yuan Shao was ambitious, he had not yet reached that point.

In desperation, Wang Yun resorted to his most trump card.

One day after court, he approached Yuan Shao and first denounced Ma Chao: "That Ma Chao of Xiliang, who only occupies two provinces, dares to call himself the King of Liang. Recently, he has been indulging in wine and women, taking several concubines. He is truly presumptuous and arrogant!" Then, he changed the subject and said with a smile, "My lord, as the King of Ji, you possess thousands of miles of fertile land in Hebei and your prestige extends to the four seas. How can you be outdone by him in such matters? In my opinion, you should select beauties from all over the country to fill the harem. This will not only show my lord's majesty but also let Ma Chao know who the real hero is!"

These words struck a chord with Yuan Shao. He was always concerned with his reputation, and upon hearing that Ma Chao had outshone him in the matter of "beauties," he immediately became indignant, slamming his hand on the table and saying, "Minister Wang is right! Issue my order to have all the prefectures and counties search for exceptional beauties and send them to Ye City!"

Xu You, Feng Ji, and others, seeing this, secretly cursed Wang Yun's shamelessness but dared not lag behind. Feng Ji immediately sent people to select several singing girls from his fiefdom and send them to the Prince's mansion, while Xu You found a talented woman skilled in dance to present to him. In no time, the Prince's mansion in Ye City became a gathering place for beauties, and Yuan Shao spent his days surrounded by them, increasingly neglecting state affairs.

The allure of cosmetics in the Prince of Ye's mansion gradually became a bewitching potion that eroded his ambition. Yuan Shao, already past forty and with waning energy, indulged in sensual pleasures night after night. As time went on, he frequently feigned illness to miss court meetings and often became drowsy while handling state affairs.

Power never stagnates because of the holder's negligence. As Yuan Shao's energy waned, he subconsciously shifted his authority towards Yuan Shang—he had Yuan Shang review official documents, examine military affairs, and even gradually had Yuan Shang stamp and issue orders for mobilizing troops in various prefectures and counties. Yuan Shang, wielding considerable power and riding high on his success, naturally wouldn't allow anyone to disturb his father's "leisure." Those ministers who wanted to offer advice were either blocked from entering the mansion or dismissed as "worrying about nothing."

Hebei is not without those who dare to speak out, but their voices have long been drowned out. Tian Feng and Ju Shou, two capable ministers who once outlined the blueprint for governing Hebei for Yuan Shao, are still imprisoned in the military camp. Nearly a year has passed, and there is still no concrete evidence to prove their guilt. They remain imprisoned, ignored by all. Everyone knows they have no real crime; Yuan Shao simply finds them "noisy." Given this situation, how many dare to speak out for justice?

At first, Yuan Shao would occasionally think of the two men and send them some decent clothes and food, as if he still retained some old friendship. But as his life of pleasure and debauchery went on for too long, he seemed to have completely forgotten the existence of these two old ministers.

Yuan Shang had visited the prison a few times. He brought an exquisite food box and used a combination of persuasion and coercion to try and win over the two men to his side, hoping to help him win the struggle for the throne against Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi.

“Mr. Tian, ​​Mr. Ju, my father is getting old, and the family business in Hebei will eventually be handed over to me.” Yuan Shang sat on a stone bench outside the prison, his tone arrogant and condescending. “If you two are willing to lend me a hand, today’s prison suffering will soon be replaced by a bright future.”

With his back to the prison door, Tian Feng's voice was hoarse but firm: "We are subjects of Hebei, not the Third Prince's personal servants. We are not allowed to participate in the struggle for the throne."

Ju Shou closed his eyes and said, "If you have such thoughts, sir, you should advise the lord to be diligent in his duties and not let down the people of Hebei."

Yuan Shang was rebuffed, and the smile on his face instantly turned cold. He turned and left. From then on, Tian Feng and Ju Shou's treatment in prison deteriorated rapidly. The food sent to them was often spoiled rice bran, and in winter they didn't even have a decent quilt.

Fortunately, the old jailer who guarded the prison remembered the two men's past contributions to Hebei and respected their integrity. So he would often sneak in some steamed cornbread and patched old cotton clothes under the cover of night.

"Lord Tian, ​​Lord Ju, I'm sorry to trouble you both." The old jailer put down his things and sighed, "I'm not capable of getting you out of here. Please make do with these things."

Tian Feng looked at the few steamed buns that were still warm from our bodies, and his eyes welled up with tears: "Thank you, brother. But... don't let the two of us drag you down with us."

The old jailer waved his hand: "Sir, you're joking. I'm old, what am I afraid of? But you two, you'd better hang in there."

But as time went on, even this meager warmth could not dispel the despair in the prison. Tian Feng and Ju Shou went from initial heartache to later desolation and helplessness, and now, looking out the window at the sky fragmented by the high walls, their hearts were already filled with a deathly silence.

They had once envisioned a grand plan for Yuan Shao to conquer four provinces and seize control of the Central Plains, believing that Hebei would usher in a golden age under their rule. But now, the blueprint has vanished, the golden age has become empty talk, and they themselves have become forgotten pawns in this power game.

A biting wind blew in through the cracks in the prison door. Tian Feng pulled his patched cotton coat tighter around himself and suddenly asked in a low voice, "Gongyu, do you think... we'll ever see spring in Hebei again?"

Ju Shou remained silent for a long time before slowly shaking his head, his voice as soft as a wisp of smoke: "I don't know... Perhaps the walls of this prison are colder than the winter outside."

Outside the prison, the faint sounds of string and wind instruments from the Prince's mansion could be heard, making the silence of this small place even more suffocating.

The cold wind on the border of Bingzhou whipped up sand and gravel, lashing against the flags of the camp with a dull thud. Yan Liang and Wen Chou's armies had been locked in a stalemate here for months. Initially, they had hoped to use their numerical superiority to break through Xu Rong's defenses and invade the heart of Bingzhou, but now they were not only unable to advance an inch, but were also forced to retreat repeatedly by the allied forces of Xu Rong and Gongsun Zan, struggling to hold on on the border.

What weighed even more heavily on the two generals' hearts was news from Yanmen Pass that the Flying General Lü Bu had taken up command there. The reputation of his halberd was enough to make any brave warrior think twice. Yan Liang looked at the map in his tent and tapped his knuckles heavily on the location of Yanmen Pass: "With Lü Bu here, if our army advances rashly again, we will suffer a great loss."

Wen Chou grunted and slammed his wine bowl heavily on the table: "Are we just going to wait like this? The grain supplies are almost gone!"

Outside the tent, Shen Pei hurried in, his face filled with barely concealed anxiety. He clutched a military report he had just written, the ink still wet: "Generals, this is the third time this month that I've sent a military report to Ye City, and still... still no reply."

Yan Liang and Wen Chou exchanged a glance and remained silent. They knew perfectly well that Yuan Shang had likely intercepted most of the military reports. Now that their lord was indulging in wine and women, and the government was entirely in Yuan Shang's hands, the young man desperately wanted stability on the front lines so his father could continue his pleasure-seeking, allowing him to firmly grasp power.

As expected, what arrived a few days later was not reinforcements or provisions, but a reply from Yuan Shang in the name of Yuan Shao. The reply contained only the word "hold firm" and included an order for Yuan Xi of Youzhou to immediately procure provisions and rush to the aid of the front lines in Bingzhou.

When Yuan Xi received the order in Youzhou, he was frowning at the map. Youzhou had already suffered from the ravages of war, and the people were impoverished; how much surplus grain could they possibly have? But as he looked at the document bearing the seal of the "Grand General's Mansion," a calculating glint flashed in his eyes. He personally led his personal guards, going from county to county and village to urge the collection of grain, even if it meant borrowing, and managed to gather a batch of grain within half a month, which was then sent to Bingzhou under the cover of night.

"Yan Liang and Wen Chou are veteran generals of Hebei. If I can win their favor, they might put in a good word for me with my father in the future..." Yuan Xi smiled faintly as he watched the grain convoy depart. In this struggle for the throne, he was already at a disadvantage. If he could win over these two powerful generals, he might have a better chance of winning.

Yuan Shang in Ye City had anticipated this. Looking at the list of provisions sent by Yuan Xi, he sneered, "Second Brother certainly knows how to play the game." His advisor whispered, "Young Master, Yuan Xi is working so hard; he probably wants to win over Generals Yan and Wen."

"Let him be." Yuan Shang toyed with the jade pendant in his hand, his tone relaxed. "As long as he doesn't try to seize my power, what's wrong with putting on a show?" He knew in his heart that his father was only interested in his bedchamber pleasures right now, and as long as there was no major trouble at the front, Yuan Xi's little tricks wouldn't cause any real problems.

As for his eldest brother, Yuan Tan, whom he feared most, he was currently feigning illness and staying in Liyang. Yuan Tan commanded the strongest army and was Yuan Shang's most troublesome opponent, but now, in order to appease his father, Yuan Shang had forcibly suppressed his thoughts of suppression. As long as Yuan Tan did not take the initiative to provoke him, he even tacitly approved of the other party continuing to control Qingzhou. After all, the longer his father stayed in the pleasure quarters, the more secure his power would be.

The three brothers, each with their own agenda, were like a game of chess that had been disrupted. They seemed to be each guarding their own position, but in reality, they had long since deviated from the original intention of "unifying Hebei".