The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 344 Battle of Cangting
When Yuan Shao heard that Qin Shou was leading his troops personally, he did not dare to be negligent and led his army towards Guandu. The two sides met at Cangting.

Qin Shou led all the generals to come and looked at the camp in front of him. He sighed and said, "A great hero has fallen to such a state. Come, send Yuan Tan, Gao Gan, and Xin Pi back. Also, select some soldiers from Hebei who surrendered and send them over together."

Compared with Yuan Shao at that time, the Hebei army in front of him had few generals and weak soldiers. There was no trace of its former strength. Yuan Shao's face also showed an old look.

"Yuan Benchu, put down your weapon. I can still keep you safe."

Qin Shou rode forward and sighed, "You are already old. This world is not something you can covet."

"Qin Shou, you are just a petty clerk, a remnant of Dong Zhuo. How can you be qualified to sit in the court and control the world? This world belongs to the aristocratic families and the literati. Who do you think you are?" Yuan Shao cursed.

How could the former number one prince in the world be willing to fail? Even though the soldiers and horses around him were not strong, he believed that as long as he overcame the current difficulties, he would be able to soar to the sky.

Because all the noble families in Hebei were on his side, they could quickly gather a large number of soldiers, food, and equipment, which Qin Shou could not compare with at all.

"You are indeed capable, as you have gained the support of the aristocratic families in Hebei. Some people would rather die than surrender. I am still very kind and righteous, so I will return these people to you now." Qin Shou waved his whip behind him, and saw Yuan Tan and others coming out.

Yuan Shao looked at Yuan Tan and the others. Although they looked a little embarrassed, they looked fine. It was obvious that they had not been abused. The hundreds of soldiers behind them had not been abused either. This made Yuan Shao marvel in his heart.

When did Qin Shou become so kind?

"Yuan Benchu, I keep my word. As long as you lay down your weapons, I can spare your life. Even if you don't surrender to me, I can let you go home." Qin Shou said loudly: "We are all Han people, we are all the people of the emperor. Although you and I have some conflicts, we can't kill each other at will."

After hearing this, Yuan Shao nodded and his mood immediately improved a lot.

This Qin Shou is still very gentlemanly.

"My lord, kill these soldiers quickly." Guo Tu's nervous voice came from beside him.

"Why?" Yuan Shao looked at his advisers. Since the death of Tian Feng and Ju Su, Guo Tu was the main adviser under Yuan Shao.

"My lord, Qin Shou is insidious. He wants to use these captured soldiers to disrupt the morale of our army. Once the two armies go to war, at the critical moment, our soldiers will have no intention of resisting." Guo Tu exclaimed.

When Yuan Shao heard this, his face changed and he finally reacted.

If a war breaks out, I may die if I fight hard, but if I am captured, I can not only save my life but also return home. With such a good thing in front of me, why should I fight?
"My lord, you can't kill them." Xin Ping hurriedly stopped them and said, "My lord, these soldiers have not surrendered to Qin Shou until now, which shows their loyalty to you. If you kill these soldiers, how will the soldiers behind you think?"

After hearing this, Yuan Shao couldn't help but nodded, but his expression looked much worse. This damn Qin Shou had given him such a difficult problem right from the start. These people in front of him couldn't be killed, but not killing them might also affect morale.

"My lord, you might as well comfort these soldiers and order them to return to Yecheng." Guo Tu had no choice but to change his mind.

“Although we return to Yecheng, we still have to organize them into an army to prevent these soldiers from coming into contact with other people, so as not to affect the morale of the army.” Xin Ping said quickly.

"Zhongzhi's words make sense." Yuan Shao nodded repeatedly. "My lord, I am willing to take these soldiers back to Yecheng and set up another camp to guard them." Xin Ping said immediately.

Guo Tu frowned. He had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but he didn't say anything. They were all from Yingchuan, and Guo Tu thought that Xin Ping was giving in so as to establish Guo Tu's position as Yuan Shao's chief strategist.

"My lord, why not let Zhongzhi return to Yecheng and stay in Yecheng with Shen Zhengnan to circulate food and grass." Guo Tu said immediately when he thought of this.

The position of chief strategist under Yuan Shao is still very good.

"In that case, we would like to ask Zhongzhi to lead his troops and these captured soldiers back to Yecheng to strengthen the defense of Yecheng." Yuan Shao readily agreed.

Xin Ping's own troops consisted of only 500 men. In fact, these were Xin's private soldiers, guarding Xin Ping and Xin Pi.

"As you command." Xin Ping was overjoyed and immediately led his troops forward to take away the hundreds of captured soldiers, leaving Yuan Tan and others behind.

"Hey! Yuan Shao has become smarter!"

Qin Shou was surprised when he saw Xin Ping step forward, lead a group of troops, intercept the captured soldiers, and leave the formation from another direction.

"No matter how the other party changes, the lord's goal has been achieved. What's more, Xin Ping has already surrendered to the lord. Yuan Shao handing these troops over to Xin Ping for disposal will only accelerate his death." Jia Xu chuckled.

Pang Tong was very surprised when he heard this. He didn't expect that Yuan Shao's adviser had already defected to Qin Shou. Was this the destiny?

"My lord, the soldiers under Yuan Shao are of mixed quality. Once they encounter danger, they will surely fall into chaos. I have a plan that can easily defeat Yuan Shao." Pang Tong said solemnly.

"Shiyuan, what's your good idea?" Qin Shou was overjoyed.

The other side also had a lot of soldiers and horses, and Yuan Shao was best at fighting against the wind. Every time he was about to be in a desperate situation, he would burst out with powerful strength and might even turn defeat into victory.

"Lure the enemy deep into our territory and set up an ambush on all sides. My lord can retreat temporarily and pretend to be defeated, but actually leave troops behind along the way. Then you can choose a dangerous place to resist the enemy's attack. As long as you delay the enemy for a few days, and then all the armies can rush out together and form an ambush on all sides, you will definitely be able to defeat Yuan Shao." Pang Tong said again.

"It is rare for the lord to be defeated in battle. It seems a bit inappropriate to retreat rashly. We will definitely be discovered." Jia Xu shook his head and said, "Since we have failed, let's fight for real. If the lord is really defeated, on the one hand, the generals can take the opportunity to leave, and on the other hand, Yuan Shao will have no doubts in his heart and chase the lord boldly."

After hearing this, everyone looked thoughtful. Qin Shou led the army into battle and was invincible. It would not be easy to ask him to pretend to be defeated. Only a real defeat could attract Yuan Shao.

"Then let's really be defeated. During this time, I will drink and have fun. You generals can take the opportunity to lead your troops to retreat and ambush along the way. After Yuan Shao enters the ambush circle, all the armies will charge out together. Yuan Shao's troops will surely not dare to resist. In addition, the lord has released the captured soldiers. At the critical moment, these soldiers will definitely surrender." Jia Xu was very confident.

"Great kindness."

Qin Shou turned his horse around and walked away.

(End of this chapter)