Chapter 255 – Yuan Shao’s Scarecrow (Yuan Shao’s Loss)
With the sun rises in Shouchun, sun also shined on the northern battlefield. The place is really pitiful with corpses everywhere, corpses who died drowned, stabbed and even wreckage of battleships can be seen. Those corpses and wreckages are so much that they blocked Yangtze River’s waterflow. Such is the result of Guandu’s first naval battle where 30,000 Cao troops VS 100,000 Yuan troops. We now go to Yuan Shao’s main camp where there is a commander is fuming with rage nonstop. “GODDAMN!!! GODDAMNED IT ALL!!!! CURSE THAT BATTLE!!!” Yelled Yuan Shao inside his main tent. His main tent now is really messy as he destroyed most of his tent accessories like vases, he threw most of his empty parchment and destroyed his inkstones, even his scout who urged him to eat did not escape his wrath and died with pierced heart. The battle damage reported as follows, out of 100,000 troops he dispatched, only 5,000 managed to return with severe injuries while 30,000 Cao troops, only 2,000 managed to return to his main HQ.
Damn you, Cao Aman. You want to make me look like a fool like that clown, Sun Ce?? He fought with 100,000 troops against a court jester called Liu Mang, but he had 5,000 troops left. Me? You left me nothing at all Thought Yuan Shao followed by his scream “CAO AMAN, I WANT TO FEAST ON YOUR FLESH NOW!!!!” Then Yuan Shao kept screaming and breaking everything. Meanwhile Ju Shou who just standing outside the main camp then asked his butler “How is Milord fare now?” The butler replied “Military Adviser Ju, Milord has been like this since last night!!! Even the scout was killed for just urging him to eat!!!”
“Hai…yah!!!” Ju Shou sighed. He really cannot blame Yuan Shao for being explosive like this. If he were at his position, he will surely explode like this. Last midnight, Yuan Shao was really happy for Cao Cao was basically asking for death by doing offense, hoping to break the deadlock. Yuan Shao is so happy that he even personally took part in battle.
Regarding the roster of Yuan Naval troops, they are comprised of 100,000 elite troops that Yuan Tan personally recruited from Qing Province’s fisherman villages and can be considered as northern water overlord. However Cao troops did not have any elite troops in naval battle at all, as all of his battle were conducted on land and it is because his fiefdoms did not had any water body in anywhere. Even when he destroyed Yuan Shao in the historical timeline, his regions still comprised of vast lands. So, when he captured Jing Province, he really relied upon Cai Mao and Zhang Yun but that plan also destroyed as they are killed by Zhou Yu’s stratagem of sowing dissension.
Because of that reasoning, all of 100,000 Yuan Shao’s troops just laughing out loud when Cao troops is approaching them.
Thus began the last night battle. All of Yuan Shao’s army are advancing quickly to the rhythm of wardrum while Cao army just stay still while mocking them all, saying “Come Yuan Army troops, let us die together for we will not fly our white flag!!!” Ju Shou just pondering a lot, for what reason they did not engage in traditional naval battle which comprised by ramming the ship, arrow salvo and finally hand-to-hand battle.
Actually Ju Shou’s suspicion was warranted for when those of Yuan Army barked their threats, they just kept calm and saying the same thing again and again. At that time, Ju Shou warned Yuan Shao by saying “Milord, pull back your army. The enemy is trying to lure us to their trap!!!” Yuan Shao just laughed “Luring us? Hahahahaha, just repair your brain, oh brain-damaged adviser!!!” Again, a good advice was rejected because Yuan Shao is feeling in the wind right now. In his eyes, this battle is a very easy battle and in just a moment of time, he will be able to taste Lady Bian again. Ju Shou sighed dejectedly and muttered “Oh gods, this is the end of Yuan!!!”
In Three Kingdoms era, there are a few people with bone protruding from their forehead. In Chinese divination, this is a very auspicious signs and signifying that this person is the one who will reached the top of the world. One of them was Wei Yan, who died before even grabbing Shu Country for himself. Another one was Cao Cao and the other one is Yuan Shao. From his birth, Yuan Shao had been staying in Luoyang and become one of General-in-Chief He Jin’s students. He Jin’s favor to him, is because he owed a lot to Yuan Feng (Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu’s father) and Yuan Shao is one of the three heads of Yuan clan along with Yuan Shu and it will be beneficial to have his support in his war against Ten Eunuchs Attendants. During Ten Eunuchs Attendants rebellion, the palace is in chaos, Yuan Shao were one of those who quelled the rebellion and killed all of Ten Eunuchs Attendants and rescued Former Prince of Chenliu Liu Xie and his brother Emperor Shao Liu Bian along with Empress Dowager He to escape Luoyang. At that time, if he did not abandon the emperor out of his own arrogance and ambition, all three of them would not have fallen into Dong Zhuo’s mechanization and he would be able to succeed even more than Cao Cao.
However, all people who knew the story of Three Kingdoms, know how it goes. Yuan Shao raised a coalition in the name of Han to purge Dong Zhuo. But in the end, Yuan clan are playing them against each other.
First person who was played was Cao Cao. When Dong Zhuo burnt Luoyang, Cao Cao urged them to attack but Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu told them that they need to feast first, in the end Cao Cao was ambushed by Lu Bu and almost did not come back, severing his good relationship with Cao Cao forever.
Second person was Sun Jian Sun Wentai, governor of Changsha commandery. Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu played him, and hold provisions and supply from Yuan Shu. Leaving his men hungry and dying one by one, made him really mad against Yuan clan and break away from coalition. Even if Sun Jian did not possess Imperial Seal, those Yuan clansmen already deemed him as a dangerous and conspire with Liu Biao to kill him. The fact that he possessed it, cemented their justification to kill him. After that, Yuan Shu Yuan Gonglu really possess the original Imperial Seal and being a Yuan clansmen who had the same idea as Yuan Shao, he proclaimed himself as Emperor of the new Zhong Dynasty.
At that time, Yuan Shao who did not have Imperial Seal, distanced himself in order for Yuan Shu to be beaten up by all warlords around him until he begged for his help which is the very same situation as which is exactly the same as when in Bible, Jacob asked Esau for his birthright. Yuan Shu then just gritted his tooth and prepared to present Imperial Seal to Yuan Shao as long as he was sheltered by him, but unfortunately, he was slain in battle.
And it is true, if Yuan Shao win the battle of Guandu, Han will perish even more faster than a wildfire.
Therefore when Cao Cao just doing defense, Yuan Shao is really excited for he is just one mere step to enter Central Plains. Finally, years after years playing people had finally bear fruit. Yuan Shao thought that founder of Han Dynasty is really unfit to be a founder and that his Yuan clan must be a founder. [TN: End of Bullshit]
Yuan Shao who sees Ju Shou just smiled and said “Guangping, don’t worry too much about your lord.” Ju Shou is startled as Yuan Shao has long not show this smile toward him since Yuan Shao has pacified Hebei and that is 10 years from now.
During his early career, Yuan Shao is just only a Bohai Grand Administrator and the master of Ji Province is Han Fu and Ju Shou was a clerk under him. When Yuan Shao invited all of scholars and talents to serve him, he smiled like now and assured everyone who are attending his invitation, that everything will be alright in the long run with him. When Ju Shou joined Yuan Shao, he treated Ju Shou with extreme courtesy and kindness and even had his youngest son Yuan Shang as Ju Shou’s assistant.
However when Gongsun Zan was defeated, Yuan Shao’s changed and becoming arrogant to the point of senility, even imprison Tian Feng and flogged Ju Shou for his critique toward him. But right now, he dished out that smile, because Ju Shou is his last resort.
Yuan Shao then beckoned Ju Shou to come nearer. Ju Shou goes nearer then sit across Yuan Shao when Yuan Shao spoke “Guangping. I need you right now. Help me to analyze the situation. Now I am going to tell you everything that happened during that battle which you only participated partially. I really cannot believe what has happened that time. In this nation, basically no one is my rival. I cannot understand it alone. Are you with me?” Ju Shou nodded and started to listen to his retelling. The retelling of how Yuan Army become a scarecrow.