Han family achievements

Chapter 587 Infighting
Yuan Shang waved away the cavalry and asked Guo Tu anxiously, "Sir, do you have any other perfect plan?"

Guo Tu looked confident and said, "Third Master, the strategy is still the same. As long as we don't fight a decisive battle with the government troops and drag it out until December, the army of more than 100,000, not to mention food and fodder, just the winter clothing alone will be enough to give the court a headache. By then, the government troops will have to withdraw."

Yuan Shang was unsure about this "good plan" and could not help but turn to the direction of Liyang and asked, "Second brother, are you still unwilling to admit your mistakes?"

"Yes." Guo Tu said. He looked at Yuan Shang, and was puzzled. At this point, why did Yuan Shang still insist that Yuan Xi "admit his fault" first? Shouldn't they unite to resist the government troops?

Yuan Shang looked for a while and then turned back to the tent.

Yuan Shang did look and behave very much like Yuan Shao, but unlike Yuan Shao, he lacked experience and knew nothing about military affairs, and the decision-making power for most matters lay in the hands of Guo Tu.

Guo Tu is very busy.

As soon as he returned to the tent, his trusted aides were waiting for him. As soon as he came in, they all started reporting to him in a flurry.

"Master, the bows and arrows are ready. One in and one out, a net profit of two million, all in new coins minted by the court."

"Master, the food and fodder are all there. They definitely won't be able to tell. We can make at least five million!"

"Master, armor and winter clothes are being made quickly. Several noble families have sent money to your private residence, a total of thirty large boxes."

After Guo Tu sat down, he stretched out his hand to stop their report and said solemnly: "Right now, Yangzhou is at the critical moment of life and death, and we have to find another way."

Several people were startled and looked at each other. One of the confidants stepped forward and whispered, "Didn't the master say that it would be easy to defend with an army of 80,000?"

Guo Tu's face darkened as he pondered, "That's the truth, but no one can predict other accidents. We have to make another plan."

The confidants understood something, and one of them said, "Master, don't you have some connections with the court? How about we seal the letter first, so that we can attack or defend?"

Guo Tu thought the same, but he looked even more worried. He said, "The people at the court are not kind. Bringing Yuan Shang back has cost me a lot of money. This time, writing a letter won't be enough."

The family wealth that was accumulated with great difficulty cannot be given to the court again.

Guo Tu felt painful and couldn't bear to let go.

A group of confidants looked at Guo Tu. Seeing that he didn't speak for a long time, another confidant stepped forward and said, "Master, um, Ju Yi has discovered something and is investigating. If he finds something, what should we do?"

Guo Tu raised his head suddenly, his eyes dark, and said in a cold voice: "An old general abandoned by Lord Yuan, you really think he is someone important!"

If it were really exposed by Ju Yi and presented to Yuan Shang, the image of "mature and patriotic" that Guo Tu had worked so hard to build would collapse in an instant, especially the family wealth he had accumulated, which would most likely be used entirely as military funds!

This is something Guo Tu could never tolerate!

But after a moment, Guo Tu sneered and said, "Doesn't he want to investigate? I'll give him a chance. Go, reveal some of the Third Young Master's affairs and let Ju Yi investigate!"

"Master is brilliant!"

One of his confidants said happily, "I will arrange it right away."

Yuan Shang was not a clean person either. He returned to Kuaiji alone. His food, clothing, housing and transportation were all taken care of by Guo Tu, who knew all the tricks involved.

Guo Tu felt a sense of crisis and felt that this was not enough. He said, "Send someone to keep an eye on the Third Young Master. I want to know who came in contact with him, what they said, and how long it took!"

"Yes." said a confidant.

"Report!"

Suddenly, there was a loud shout outside, and a soldier trotted in and said, "Military Advisor Guo, the lord urgently summons you."

Guo Tu was not in a hurry and asked, "What's the matter?"

The soldier said, "The imperial court has sent troops. The governor of Jiujiang has surrendered. Guan Yu has led an army of 20,000 and is threatening Liyang."

Guo Tu was not surprised and asked, "Any other news?"

The soldier said, "The rebel Yuan Xi has divided his troops and has drawn out 20,000 men to form a battle array in the northwest of Liyang, preparing to resist Guan Yu."

Guo Tu thought carefully and asked, "Anything else?"

The soldier was stunned for a moment and said, "I don't know anything else." Guo Tu nodded and said, "I'll be there soon."

The soldier responded and left quickly.

Guo Tu waited for him to leave, then said thoughtfully, "It seems that the court will not wait any longer. Get ready, something big is about to happen."

"Yes." All the confidants raised their hands and responded. They knew that this day would come sooner or later, and they were actually prepared.

Guo Tu tidied his clothes and walked calmly to Yuan Shang's tent.

As soon as he entered the room, he felt that the atmosphere was not right. Yuan Shang looked at his expression, especially Ju Yi who was standing next to him, with his head held high and a look of indifference.

Guo Tu didn't care at all and bowed, "Third Young Master."

Yuan Shang suppressed his anger and said, "Sir, General Ju said that you resold military rations, withheld military pay, and tampered with the soldiers' winter clothes. What's your explanation?"

Guo Tu was not at all flustered. He folded his hands and said calmly, "The military rations that were resold were actually arranged by Lord Yuan before his death and were allocated to Zhang He. The military pay that was withheld was mainly used in Kuaiji, winter clothes and the like. That's about it. Not a penny went into Guo's pocket. Please understand, Third Master."

"Third Young Master, you absolutely cannot trust him!"

Ju Yi said loudly: "Now a large amount of military pay is missing, and nearly half of the money and food are missing. If this matter is not investigated and explained, it will definitely affect the morale of the army. Please investigate it carefully, Third Young Master!"

Yuan Shang immediately thought of the four or five million yuan that Guo Tu had spent on him in Kuaiji City!
His expression eased slightly, and he said calmly: "General Ju, the imperial court has sent troops. This is the top priority. Let's put other things aside for now..."

"Third Master, you can't do that!"

Ju Yi raised his hand, with a resolute expression that he must investigate thoroughly, and said, "The army is unstable, food and fodder are in short supply, and winter clothing is less than halfway available. If we don't investigate thoroughly, the soldiers will definitely not agree to recall the military pay and fodder. If there is a mutiny, the consequences will be disastrous. Please ask the Third Young Master to arrest Guo Tu and force him to tell us where the money and fodder are hidden!"

Yuan Shang snorted coldly and said, "Isn't what I said clear enough? The most urgent task now is to resist the government troops. Other things can be put aside."

Ju Yi's eyes opened wide, his face filled with shock.

Can we put off such a major issue as food shortage and the impact on military morale?

Yuan Shang immediately realized Ju Yi's identity and that he had to rely on him to lead the troops. A smile appeared on his face and he said, "General Ju, Military Advisor Guo has followed my father for many years and is trustworthy. Now, we still have to focus on defending against the enemy."

Ju Yi looked at Yuan Shang, as if he understood something, and said with a stiff neck, "I understand."

Yuan Shang calmed Ju Yi down, then his face changed and he said seriously: "The court sent troops, Yuan Xi divided his troops to stop them, how should we respond?"

Guo Tu keenly sensed that Yuan Shang seemed to want to take the opportunity to attack Yuan Xi, so he pretended to think seriously and said, "Third Master, you should reap the benefits and not get involved too early."

Yuan Shang had begun to doubt Guo Tu and was no longer as obedient as before. Instead, he asked Ju Yi, "What do you think, General Ju?"

Ju Yi was still immersed in anger. Hearing this, he said in a muffled voice: "Although the court seems to have more than 100,000 troops, only Wujun and Jingzhou can go to war. The total number will not exceed 50,000."

But after all, that was an army of more than 100,000!

Yuan Shang felt heavy-hearted. Seeing that Ju Yi had not offered any useful suggestions, he had no choice but to continue looking at Guo Tu and said, "Sir, is there nothing we can do now but wait?"

Guo Tu said: "The situation is still unclear, we need to wait."

Yuan Shang took a deep breath and nodded silently.

Not long after, Guo Tu and Ju Yi came out of Yuan Shang's tent. They walked away without even looking at each other.

Guo Tu's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and he said to himself: It seems that I can't keep you here!

He had already seen that Yuan Shang was suspicious of him. If Ju Yi was not eliminated soon, disaster would surely occur!

Yuan Shang is similar to Yuan Shao in appearance and character. He has the same narrow-minded and vindictive mentality, or even worse!

Once the seed of doubt is planted, it will sooner or later grow into a towering tree.

(End of this chapter)