Reborn in the Three Kingdoms, I stole Liu Bei's uncle

Cao Cao returned to his room and said with some admiration: "Zhicai, Liu Huangshu's strategy is really powerful. He has grasped Xu You's weakness. Whether he surrendered to the enemy or was corrupt, he could make him lose Yuan Shao's trust."

Xi Zhicai said calmly: "Yuan Shao prides himself on being magnanimous, but he never expected that his true nature would show when faced with such a situation.

Now that Yuan Shao's internal struggles are becoming increasingly clear, it is best for us to leave as soon as possible."

"We have just had some success in contacting Xu You these days, but who knew that he was actually under house arrest by Yuan Shao? Now, if we want to accomplish our mission, I'm afraid it will be even more difficult."

"My lord, the only way to deal with this is to shift our target to Guo Tu. Let him seize the opportunity and advise Yuan Shao, then our plan will be successful."

Cao Cao pondered for a moment and nodded, "That's the only way. Guo Tu and I are not on good terms. If I rashly make a request, will he become suspicious?"

Xi Zhicai shook his head and said, “At the moment, Guo Tu has the same idea as us. Even if he has doubts, I have a way to convince him.

Now we are under Yuan Shao's command. If you talk to his advisers rashly, Yuan Shao might get suspicious. So I will go and persuade Guo Tu."

Late at night, Guo Tu was drinking in his mansion when a servant outside the door handed him a business card.

Guo Tu took a look and was a little surprised.

Xi Zhicai was a counselor under Cao Cao. The two had not had much contact since they defected to Yuan Shao. Why did he come to his mansion so late at night?

He pondered for a moment and felt that it was most likely related to Xu You's arrest during the day, so he asked someone to invite Xi Zhicai over.

After the two of them exchanged greetings, Xi Zhicai bluntly asked, "Gong Ze, after Tian Feng was arrested, Ju Shou has been collecting evidence. Now that his plan has succeeded and Xu You has been placed under house arrest, I don't need to tell you what the next step will be. Gong Ze should also know who Ju Shou's target will be, right?"

Guo Tu said calmly, "I don't quite understand what Zhicai is saying. My dispute with Ju Shou is a public matter and has nothing to do with Xu You. Besides, I am upright and dedicated to the public. Even if Ju Shou wants to slander me in front of the lord, what do I have to fear?"

Upon hearing this, Xi Zhicai smiled faintly and understood what Guo Tu meant.

I came here rashly, and he couldn't tell friend from foe, so he was very wary of me.

"My master and Xu You are close friends, and it was Xu You who traveled thousands of miles to lobby for our master, and only then did he agree to come and seek refuge with Lord Yuan.

Now Xu You has been harmed by Ju Shou's slander and is feared by Lord Yuan. Do you think we will remain indifferent? Or do you think we are afraid of Ju Shou's power and have turned to him?"

Guo Tu remained silent. Xi Zhicai was right. Judging from the closeness of their relationship, there was really no possibility for Cao Cao to form an alliance with Ju Shou.

But Guo Tu was still worried. Ju Su was in charge of supervising the army. In Yuan Shao's power system, he was in a high position and was only second to Yuan Shao.

If Cao Cao wanted to gain greater benefits from Yuan Shao, it is not impossible that he would turn to Ju Su.

Xi Zhicai seemed to be casually picking up a glass of wine, but he was actually observing Guo Tu calmly. Seeing the flickering look in his eyes, Xi Zhicai already understood what he was thinking.

Xi Zhicai put down his wine glass, stood up, and said slowly: "I thought Gongze would fight back when he saw Xu You trapped, but I didn't expect Gongze to not only stay out of it, but also not be afraid of Ju Su's methods against you.

In this case, my carefully prepared strategy will be useless, so you can just do what you want."

Xi Zhicai bowed and made a gesture to leave.

Xi Zhicai's words hit Guo Tu's sore spot directly, and the contradiction in his relationship with Ju Shou became increasingly clear.

In this bloodless battle, Guo Tu had little chance of winning, for a simple reason: Ju Su represented not an individual but a community of interests.

The name of this community is Jizhou School.

The Jizhou faction was full of talented people and occupied the most important position under Yuan Shao.

Ju Su was the pillar of the Jizhou faction.

The only way to take the initiative in future struggles is to bring down Ju Su.

These days, he had been thinking hard about how to deal with Ju Shou, but he had no idea. Now that he heard that Xi Zhicai had a solution, how could he give up?

Seeing Xi Zhicai had already started, Guo Tu could not help but speak up: "I wonder what brilliant plan Zhicai has? I am all ears."

Xi Zhicai asked, "Aren't you afraid that I am Ju Su's spy?"

"Don't blame Zhicai, Ju Su's power is too strong, so I have to be cautious."

Seeing that Guo Tu allowed him to sit down again, Xi Zhicai took the opportunity to back off. He sat down again, picked up a glass of wine, and said calmly: "If we want to overthrow Ju Shou, the key is to make trouble for his responsibility as military supervisor."

Guo Tu was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Would you like to hear more details?"

Xi Zhicai said slowly, "Yuan Shao appointed Ju Su as the military supervisor in order to win over the forces of Jizhou. But if Yuan Shao feels that the forces of Jizhou are a little out of control, what will Yuan Shao do?"

Guo Tu was delighted, feeling that he had grasped the key to the matter. Yes, Yuan Shao was a great hero of the world. If he felt that his rights were threatened, he would certainly raise his butcher knife.

This direction of thinking is completely correct. The most important thing now is how to make Yuan Shao feel threatened.

Guo Tu asked the key question.

Xi Zhicai laughed and said, "Zhang He led a hundred thousand troops out of Bingzhou, but after such a long time, they didn't make any progress. Don't you think this is a bit strange?"

"Guan Yu is a brave general in the world. He once killed Hua Xiong with a warm wine. The soldiers under his command are extraordinary in combat. Even if Zhang He failed to defeat the enemy for the time being, it seems logical. May I ask Zhicai, what is wrong with this?"

Xi Zhicai laughed and said, "Gong Ze thinks this matter is too simple. The reason why Zhang He has not won yet is because of Ju Su's instructions."

"What evidence do you have for what Zhicai said?"

"When Guan Yu's troops left Bingzhou, my master asked Lord Yuan for permission to go to Bingzhou to deal with Guan Yu, but was stopped by Ju Su. He recommended Zhang He to take the position, but what happened? After such a long time, he failed to achieve any success and lost 20,000 elite troops under the city of Chang'an."

"Ju Su was the military supervisor, and recommending Zhang He was within his authority. What does this mean?"

Guo Tu was a little confused. What Ju Shou did were all normal actions. Even if he reported it to Yuan Shao, he would have little chance of winning.

Xi Zhicai said slowly, "It is indeed Ju Shou's duty to recommend Zhang He, but if before the departure, Ju Shou deliberately instructed Zhang He to advance slowly and not win, what does it mean?"

When Guo Tu heard this, his face flushed, and for a moment, he felt his breathing become a little rapid.

"How dare Ju Shou do such a thing? God must be helping me!"