Chapter 135: The Desolate Yuan Shao and the High-Spirited Cao Cao

"Xu Chu, take him away and execute him!"

At Cao Cao's command, the burly Xu Chu standing behind him immediately stepped forward, preparing to drag Ju Shou away.

To everyone's surprise, Ju Shou wore an expression of calm resolve, facing death without fear.

Just as Xu Chu was about to take him away, Cao Peng spoke up to stop them.

"Wait, Uncle, why don't you hand him over to me? I will naturally know how to tame him."

Though he didn't understand why Cao Peng wanted to spare this man's life, it was a trivial matter anyway. Since Cao Peng had spoken, Cao Cao made no objection.

"Very well. Since you ask for him, I leave him in your hands."

With that, Cao Cao left with Xu Chu, as he still had other matters to attend to.

Ju Shou looked at Cao Peng, who had just saved his life, with a complex gaze.

Even as a stubborn pedant set in his ways, he could find no harsh words to direct at Cao Peng.

Yet, asking him to surrender just like that was naturally out of the question.

Fortunately, Cao Peng did not force him, simply telling him to stay within his tent and keep out of trouble.

As Cao Peng was about to attend to other business, he suddenly said, "Ju Shou, how about we make a wager? What do you say?"

Ju Shou frowned and asked suspiciously, "What kind of wager?"

Cao Peng smiled and said, "After Yuan Shao's defeat this time, there is one person who will undoubtedly die. Care to guess who?"

Ju Shou shook his head and replied, "I have no idea."

"Tian Feng," Cao Peng provided the answer.

Hearing this, Ju Shou refused to believe it. He argued, "Tian Feng's repeated remonstrations have fully proven that he was right all along. Even if Yuan Shao refuses to employ him, how could he possibly kill him?"

Hearing this, Cao Peng couldn't help but chuckle.

As expected, this bookish scholar was still far too naive.

"Since you believe Yuan Shao will not kill Tian Feng, let us make a wager. If Tian Feng is executed, I win, and you must unconditionally pledge your service to me."

Ju Shou pondered for a moment before agreeing.

From his perspective, he could not fathom any reason why Yuan Shao would ever kill Tian Feng.

Until, a few days later, news from Cao Peng arrived once again.

Yuan Shang, who had previously been captured by Cao Peng, was actually set free.

Upon releasing him, Cao Peng had personally presented him with a fine steed and travel expenses.

Such a bizarre turn of events reached Ju Shou's ears, and it set him thinking about certain possibilities.

***

After being released, Yuan Shang hurried along his way without stopping.

In his heart, he felt not a shred of gratitude toward Cao Peng; from his perspective, releasing him was the act of an absolute fool.

Once he returned, he would surely reorganize his troops and settle the score sooner or later.

"Young Lord!"

"Is that Young Lord Shang?"

Lost in his thoughts, he was jolted back to reality by a series of shouts.

Yuan Shang turned his head and spotted Guo Tu, Shen Pei, and Feng Ji.

It turned out that after being released by Cao Peng, these men had journeyed on foot all the way toward Ji Province.

Accustomed to a life of luxury and ease, they had now all been reduced to dirt-stained, bedraggled soldiers.

Without travel money or horses, they had truly believed they would perish in the wilderness.

Fortunately, they had encountered Yuan Shang.

Yuan Shang led them to the nearest market, bought horses, and continued his journey toward Ji Province.

Along the way, Guo Tu, who had been uncharacteristically silent, suddenly called Shen Pei and Feng Ji aside.

Guo Tu said, "Do you gentlemen not wish to gamble for our future wealth and glory?"

Shen Pei frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

The few of them had already been discarded; even if they returned to Ji Province, they would likely only be assigned to cold reception and obscurity.

That was why, when captured earlier, they had been willing to join Cao's army, only for Cao Peng to treat them like worthless trash.

Yet now, Guo Tu was speaking in such a manner, naturally stirring ambition in their hearts.

"Our lord was so enraged he vomited blood; his days are surely numbered. When that time comes, Young Lord Shang and Young Lord Tan will inevitably fight for supremacy."

None of them were fools. Once the matter was laid out this plainly, everyone understood the implications in their hearts.

If Yuan Shao were to die, whichever of his two sons inherited the supreme authority would become the master of the four provinces.

Even though Yuan Shao was not yet dead, the question of his succession was already pressing enough to warrant planning from this very moment onward.

Such was the tragic nature of a declining power.

Everything Guo Tu said quickly won over Shen Pei and Feng Ji.

Shen Pei spoke first, "Brother Guo, do you mean to say we should back Young Lord Shang?"

Guo Tu replied, "Precisely. Young Lord Tan is far too overbearing, and we would likely find no favor with him. If we throw our lot in with Young Lord Shang now, our chances of soaring to prosperity in the future will be far greater."

Hearing this, Shen Pei and Feng Ji nodded in deep agreement.

***

Thus, the two men cupped their fists and said, "In that case, we leave everything to Brother Guo's arrangement."

While they held little regard for Guo Tu's strategic prowess, they thoroughly acknowledged his mastery of flattery and sycophancy.

Pity the fleeing Yuan Shao, who had already escaped back to Ji Province, remaining entirely oblivious to the plots about to unfold against him.

***

In stark contrast to his desolate state, Cao Cao—once looked down upon by Yuan Shao—was now brimming with vigor and high spirits.

Under Cao Peng's personal command, great generals such as Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Zhang Liao led their armies to rout Yuan Shao's various encampments one by one.

This marked a massive leap toward the total victory of the Battle of Guandu.

After the enemy reinforcements had collapsed and lost all will to fight, Cao Peng issued strict military orders: wanton slaughter was strictly prohibited, and surrendered prisoners of war were to be treated with benevolence.

With the order given, Yuan Shao's troops surrendered en masse at the mere sight of the banner.

A staggering total of over four hundred thousand remnant troops were completely absorbed and reorganized by Cao Peng.

Cao Cao's total military strength now exceeded two hundred thousand, with Cao Peng commanding fully half of them.

Since the provisions at the front lines could not sustain such a massive population, Cao Peng ordered Zhao Yun to take seventy thousand troops and head to Xu Province. Once there, Chen Rong would be instructed to screen the elite troops from those seventy thousand, while the rest would be settled to boost the local population.

Although Cao Peng's military faction had grown to such a formidable scale, Cao Cao saw it all and said nothing more.

He knew very well that today's victory would have been utterly impossible without Cao Peng.

Looking upon the majestic, sweeping army, Cao Cao felt no anxiety; instead, boundless heroic ambition surged within his heart.

From this moment on, the unification of the north was firmly placed on the agenda.

Following that, marching south to conquer Jing Province, subduing the lands of Jiangdong, and uniting the entire realm had all become achievable goals.

After Cao Peng personally led his forces to wrap up the remaining campaigns, he finally found some leisure time.

He sat within his tent, holding a cup of warm tea, tended to by a remarkably pretty young woman at his side.

This woman was none other than Gongsun Yue.

Gongsun Yue's admiration for Cao Peng now bore no resemblance to what she had felt before.

Yuan Shao, her mortal enemy, had been utterly crushed by Cao Peng.

In her heart, Cao Peng's image had risen to that of a deity.

She had silently sworn an oath to remain a servant and concubine for the rest of her days, solely to stay by Cao Peng's side.

Finding comfort in her attentive care, Cao Peng tacitly allowed her presence to remain.