The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 300: Poisoning Tian Feng
The army marched northward, and Liyang, Neihuang, Changle and other places fell into the hands of the cavalry, and the spearhead headed straight for Yecheng.

Yuan Shao led his army in a hasty retreat, and he huddled in the carriage, looking listless.

Hundreds of thousands of troops were wiped out overnight, millions of tons of grain and grass were burned, and the soldiers under his command either surrendered or fled. He was left with only 20,000 to 30,000 troops, and all of them were dejected.

"My lord, we still have some troops in the north. Jizhou is your base camp. When you go back, you can recruit more troops and horses. You will surely be able to regain your strength and defeat the Qin thieves."

Guo Tu on the side was covered in dust and dirt.

"Yes! My lord, you have many talented people under your command. With the help of the noble families, you will definitely be able to recover your strength in a very short time. It won't be too late to fight again then." Xin Pi said hypocritically.

Yuan Shao nodded, and his expression finally regained some expression.

"If I had known this earlier, I should have listened to Tian Feng's advice and let the army rest for a while, accumulate strength, and wait for Cao Cao to pacify Jiangdong. It won't be too late to attack then." Yuan Shao regretted it very much. Why didn't he listen to Tian Feng's advice at the beginning!

"Hmph, my lord, I think Tian Feng did this on purpose. If he had explained the interests involved clearly, would you not have adopted his suggestion? He did this on purpose to let you be defeated by Qin Shou, so that you would know how smart he is. This man is really too cunning."

Guo Tu rolled his eyes and spoke immediately.

He could hear the regret in Yuan Shao's heart. If this continued, after returning to Yecheng, he would definitely reuse Tian Feng and listen to his orders. How could this be possible?
"My lord, Tian Feng is waiting for you to release him in person!" Xin Pi was also on the side and said, "This man may be a little unruly, but I think he still has some talent."

Guo Tu listened to Xin Pi and knew that Xin Pi was a very upright person. He often did things that offended people under Yuan Shao, but it was undeniable that he had a very good character and would not speak ill of others.

What happened today? These words seemed to be an excuse for Tian Feng, but in fact, they were bad-mouthing Tian Feng.

What kind of person is Yuan Shao? Doesn't he know? Yuan Shao had the intention to bow to Tian Feng just now. As long as he and others gave him a way out, Tian Feng might come out. Now that Xin Pi said this, not only will Tian Feng not be able to come out, but he will also be killed because of it.

"Could it be that he has long disliked Tian Feng and wants to replace him?"

Guo Tu's eyes lit up, and he thought he knew what Xin Pi was thinking.

"Humph, Tian Feng is such a nasty bastard."

Sure enough, after hearing this, Yuan Shao's face changed drastically, his eyes flashed with murderous intent, and he snorted coldly: "I think he has already surrendered to Qin Shou, the dog thief. At this moment, he is watching my joke in Yecheng!"

Guo Tu and Xin Pi were silent after hearing this. If they continued talking, Yuan Shao would cause trouble for them in the future.

"Order that Tian Feng colluded with Qin Shou and leaked military secrets, and he will be given a cup of poisoned wine."

Yuan Shao gave the order in a cold voice.

Why did he fail? It was not because his soldiers did not work hard, nor was it because of his own mistakes in command, but because Tian Feng leaked military secrets, which led to the failure of the army.

All this is Tian Feng's crime.

As soon as Yuan Shao finished speaking, he felt relieved.

The army was defeated, so they had to find a scapegoat, and no one was more suitable than Tian Feng. He couldn't let the blame for the defeat fall on himself!

"My lord is wise." Guo Tu and Xin Pi looked at each other and praised him hurriedly.

One reason was that he had eliminated an opponent. From then on, he would be the most powerful strategist under Yuan Shao, and the strength of the Yingchuan Group would increase a lot. However, Xin Pi knew how powerful Tian Feng was. Having such a person by Yuan Shao's side would be a trouble for the Cavalry.

If he could use Yuan Shao's help to get rid of Tian Feng, he could also damage Yuan Shao's prestige at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.

In the prison of Yecheng, Tian Feng was not abused. People in Jizhou still respected Tian Feng very much. So in prison, he could not only eat good food, but also read and write. Apart from the bad environment, his life was pretty good.

"Mr. Tian Feng, this is the wine from Zuichunlou. I'd like you to have a taste."

The jailer came in with a pot of wine and said with a smile.

"Prison boss, you either treat me to drinks or meat, and I'm worried that I won't be able to repay you in the future!" Tian Feng shook his head and said.

"Hey! Look at what you said. You are a capable man around the lord. Although you have been imprisoned temporarily, you will go back sooner or later. At that time, even if I want to curry favor with you, I will have no chance." The jailer hurriedly poured fine wine for Tian Feng.

Tian Feng shook his head and said, "I'm afraid there is no chance. If the lord wins this battle, I will survive, but if the lord loses, that will be my death."

Tian Feng took a sip of wine and a bitter smile appeared on his face.

The prison boss opened his mouth wide when he heard this.

This is different from what he thought.

"My lord, how can you make mistakes? The ones who are at fault are your subordinates. Everyone else is fighting in the front, but I am the only one who was put in jail. Moreover, I also affected the morale of the army before the battle. If you don't kill me, who else should you kill?"

Tian Feng said slowly.

"Sir, will the Lord win this time?"

The jailer suddenly became worried.

"Defeat is inevitable. Perhaps, by now the news of the failure has already reached Yecheng."

Tian Feng smiled bitterly and said, "I just don't understand. I have the advantage. Wouldn't it be better to wait for a few years until Cao Cao occupies Jiangdong and then join forces to attack him? Why are you in such a hurry to attack?"

"Will the lord fail?" The jailer's face suddenly showed worry.

"Of course the lord will be defeated, but I don't know if he can save the main force. If the main force is not damaged, there may be a glimmer of hope. But if the main force is defeated, I am afraid that the lord's foundation will be lost."

Tian Feng looked up to the sky and sighed.

"Yuan Hao, Yuan Hao, you will die because of your mouth."

A long sigh was heard from a distance, and Shen Pei came in with two officers. One of the officers was holding a tray, and an enticing aroma came from it.

"My lord, we are defeated."

Tian Feng looked at Shen Pei and asked.

"Qin Shou personally led 5,000 elite soldiers to raid Wuchao and killed Chunyu Qiong. One million dan of grain was burned. The lord failed in the attack on Guandu. Qin Shou personally led a large army to attack the Great Halberd Soldiers. The Great Halberd Soldiers were defeated and escorted the lord back. Now they are heading towards Yecheng."

Shen Pei said bitterly.

"That's it, that's it."

Tian Feng burst into laughter after hearing this.

Everything was just as he had imagined. Yuan Shao was no match for Qin Shou. Hundreds of thousands of his troops were wiped out. The gate to Jizhou was wide open, and so was the main force of the Cavalry Army.

"Yuan Hao, what should we do now?"

Shen Pei asked.

"You ask me about a dying man?"

Tian Feng snorted coldly, "The main force has been damaged, and he is powerless to recover. Zhengnan, you should make preparations early!" Tian Feng sat with his eyes closed.

Shen Pei nodded, then shook his head, and signaled the servants behind him to serve the poisoned wine.

That night, Tian Feng, a counselor under Yuan Shao, was poisoned to death.

(End of this chapter)