Borrowing grain from Qiao Yan?

It’s amazing that Yuan Shao even thought of that.

Lu Zhi could only think that Qiao Yan could have 20,000 to 30,000 troops stationed on the southern bank of the Yellow River, pressuring Dong Zhuo, while he only had 2,000 or 3,000 men, most of whom were Liu Bei’s subordinates.

He felt deeply ashamed that they had to gather here with others to discuss how to break through Xuanmen Pass.

Yuan Shao was quite blunt; he actually wanted to borrow grain from Qiao Ye Shu!

But it was indeed true that there was a shortage of grain in the army.

Liu Dai, Kong Xiu, and Zhang Miao were appointed by Dong Zhuo as governors and administrators.

They were relatively new to their positions, and had started their campaigns based on their reputation and the righteousness of fighting Dong Zhuo.

Qiao Zhao, Sun Jian, and Bao Xin had been in their positions longer, but recent harvests in the Central Plains had been poor.

Although it was better than the earlier drought, the warehouses were still often empty.

The only ones with ample supplies were Bao Xin and Qiao Zhao.

Bao Xin was the governor of Jibei, and Qiao Zhao was the governor of Dongjun.

Combined, they had more than 5,000 grain carts.

Of course, this number was somewhat exaggerated.

To stabilize the morale of the troops, they had filled the lower part of the carts with straw and stones, with the actual grain on top.

These supplies were meant for the whole army, and were indeed insufficient.

But this was no excuse for Yuan Shao to take advantage of Qiao Yan!

Seeing that Lu Zhi’s expression was troubled, Yuan Shao continued, “Lu Gong, it’s not that I’m intentionally making things difficult for the younger generation.

The situation is as you can see.

First, there was friction between Sun Wentai and Zhang Ziyi, which ended with Zhang Ziyi’s death.

Recently, there have also been conflicts between Liu Yanzhou and Qiao Dongjun over the troops’ food supplies.

If we rashly order them to combine their forces to attack the dangerous Fenggao Pass, if things don’t go well, it’s likely that internal strife will break out due to further disputes.

We might end up being hunted instead of defeating the enemy.”

“I know it’s indeed difficult for Marquis Qiao to provide more grain.

However, she had defeated the Xianbei twice before and brought back much plunder.

Her troops have meat to eat and have set up military camps in Baidao.

Even though the border region is poor, the grain is still her own.”

“If we can defeat Dong Zhuo and take new positions in various places, managing the people and restoring the land, we will definitely repay her double. This is truly a desperate measure.”

Yuan Shao spoke so eloquently that if Qiao Yan knew he was using grain as an excuse, she might even praise his skill in finding reasons.

After all, the conflict over grain between Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, and Qiao Zhao, the governor of Dongjun, ended in a bloodbath with Qiao Zhao’s death after the allied forces were disbanded.

Whether Yuan Shao was genuinely delayed by the lack of grain or had other reasons, it was hard to say.

He relied on the prestige of the Yuan family from Runan to rally support against Dong Zhuo from both the north and the south.

It was not an exaggeration to say that his call to arms was met with widespread response.

But what would happen after they successfully entered Luoyang?

Emperor Liu Xie had once fled due to the Yuan family’s actions of burning the Nanguan Palace.

Even Dong Zhuo’s entrance into the capital was somewhat influenced by Yuan Shao.

Although these changes were beyond anyone’s control, if the emperor decided to take action against the Yuan family after escaping Dong Zhuo’s control, he would have justifiable reasons.

Even if, due to Dong Zhuo’s actions and the Yuan family’s longstanding influence, the emperor chose to continue entrusting the Yuan family with significant responsibilities, Yuan Shao, although adopted by his uncle, was only a half-legitimate son.

The true legitimate eldest son, Yuan Ji, was still alive, meaning Yuan Shao would have to yield to him.

This fact made it difficult for Yuan Shao to continue enjoying his current privileges.

Although Yuan Shao didn’t wish for Yuan Ji to be eliminated by Dong Zhuo, he did hope to secure more leverage in the current situation before achieving the goal of removing the traitor.

Yuan Shao, possessing an imposing appearance, delivered his proposal, momentarily leaving Lu Zhi speechless.

However, it wasn’t that Lu Zhi had no arguments against Yuan Shao; it was simply that Yuan Shao’s reasoning was so self-consistent that it was difficult to convince him otherwise.

“This is utterly shameless…” A voice suddenly spoke from a corner of the main tent.

Yuan Shao turned towards the voice and saw a burly man looking back at him with a straightforward expression.

Unintimidated by Yuan Shao’s status, Zhang Fei raised his voice, “I’m not wrong. You say it’s a loan, but in times of disaster, why would Bingzhou share their surplus grain instead of saving it for themselves? They aren’t exactly swimming in excess.”

“Yide,” Liu Bei gently reminded, prompting Zhang Fei to fall silent.

Yuan Shao frowned, “Is this also your opinion, Xuande?”

Though Yuan Shao looked down on Liu Bei’s status, he couldn’t ignore the fact that Liu Bei had brought a considerable number of cavalry, making his force comparable to that of Jibei’s governor Bao Xin.

Moreover, with Lu Zhi as the alliance leader and Liu Bei as his disciple, Liu Bei effectively acted as an assistant leader.

Under these circumstances, Yuan Shao had to consider Liu Bei’s stance.

Liu Bei responded calmly, “Lord Yuan, while I understand the necessity of securing supplies, placing undue burden on another region, especially one already managing its own resources effectively, could jeopardize our united front. Each region must contribute as it can without overreaching.”

Lu Zhi, seizing the moment, added, “Yuan Benchu, we must act swiftly and decisively. Bingzhou’s support should be welcomed, but not relied upon to the extent that it jeopardizes their own stability. Our strength lies in our unity and our shared determination to rid the realm of Dong Zhuo.”

Yuan Shao’s face hardened, but he nodded slowly, recognizing the consensus forming against his proposal. “Very well. We proceed with the attack as planned, without diverting resources from Bingzhou. But remember, victory will depend on our collective strength and resolve.”

The alliance leaders agreed, and preparations for the coordinated attack began in earnest.

Despite internal disagreements, the urgency of their mission to liberate the capital and protect the emperor galvanized their efforts.

“If you want the honest truth, then here it is. Although I, Liu Bei, don’t control a whole province like Marquis Qiao, I still don’t wish to ask him for grain for this reason. May I ask, if Marquis Qiao lends us grain, will we share some of the military achievements with him after our campaign succeeds?”

Yuan Shao remained silent, unable to answer.

If he were to answer, the likely response would be—no.

Grain is grain, and achievements are achievements; Yuan Shao clearly separated the two.

Liu Bei continued, “If Marquis Qiao refuses to lend the grain, will you, Yuan Shao, then choose not to advance the army and let the delay be blamed on her?”

This didn’t seem like a particularly hard question to answer.

Yuan Shao himself would likely find someone else to blame for not advancing.

Liu Bei then bowed to Yuan Shao and said, “I cannot change your mind, but if you still wish to borrow grain from Marquis Qiao, please do not worry about my soldiers. I will find a way to solve the issue of military supplies.”

“Do not worry about me either,” Cao Cao said from the side.

He felt embarrassed being among these people!

If it weren’t for Zhang Fei’s blunt remarks, Cao Cao would have spoken up sooner.

How could it be right for Qiao Yan to initiate the campaign against Dong Zhuo, provide them with an opportunity, and also supply them with grain?

Cao Cao looked at the people in the tent and saw their expressions change when Yuan Shao suggested borrowing grain.

Qiao Zhao, the governor of Dongjun and Qiao Yan’s relative, didn’t make any objections either, which made Cao Cao feel even more despondent.

Cao Cao vaguely remembered that Qiao Yan had mentioned in letters that Qiao Zhao’s second daughter was studying in Leping to maintain ties with the Qiao family in Yanzhou.

But this fragile connection was clearly overshadowed by the immediate benefits.

Such a group of people…

Even with Lu Zhi, Liu Bei, and himself present, and according to the rule of majority in the allied forces, along with the righteousness of fighting Dong Zhuo, it was impossible to dispel their idea of borrowing grain.

Cao Cao felt deeply disappointed.

If this group were to restore the Han dynasty, was there really any hope left for it?

Even if they executed Dong Zhuo, who knew if another villain like him would arise tomorrow?

Greed can easily turn into a monster!

Cao Cao remembered his previous drinking conversation with Qiao Yan in Yanxi and thought about her repeated attacks on the Hu people to maintain peace in Bingzhou.

He felt that Ye Shu’s actions were not worthwhile.

In this world, someone like Lu Zhi, who retreats for justice, is seen as an easy target, and someone like Qiao Yan, who guards the border and manages internal affairs, is considered just a source of military provisions.

It’s laughable!

Without waiting for Yuan Shao to say anything further, Cao Cao gave a formal salute to Lu Zhi and Liu Bei, then lifted the curtain and left.

He was afraid that if he stayed longer, he might hear Yuan Shao make excuses about the situation, prompting him to respond with “a child not worthy of discussing plans.”

As Cao Cao guessed, even though a few people chose to withdraw from asking Bingzhou’s governor for military grain, the letters from Qiao Yan still mentioned the agreed-upon attack time.

When Qiao Yan received this letter, she took a long time to react.

She realized she had underestimated Yuan Shao’s audacity!

“I thought he would only be passively lazy or competing with Lu Gong for the leadership position. I didn’t expect…” Qiao Yan held the letter and turned to Jia Xu and Guo Jia, looking speechless. “He’s actually trying to extort from me?”

Jia Xu, who had seen many things in Liangzhou and Luoyang, had never seen someone so brazenly demand military supplies.

However, considering Yuan Shao’s prestigious background, it wasn’t completely surprising.

He asked, “So, what does Lord Qiao think about this?”

“Given the current situation, we still have to provide the grain,” Qiao Yan replied with a serious face.

She naturally anticipated the same concerns Liu Bei might have.

Although her preferred outcome was to successfully invade Luoyang while Yuan Shao and others were still blocked outside the city, she did not want to leave any grounds for criticism.

Therefore, given Bingzhou’s ability to provide the grain, it could be lent.

But—

“The decision on borrowing and repaying the grain is up to us.”

Yuan Shao seemed to have forgotten that when she went to the capital to ask the Emperor to promote General of the North, although she kindly shared the Emperor’s plans with Yuan Shao, the one who benefited most was not Han Fu, but her the Governor of Bingzhou Province.

Han Fu didn’t dare to object at all.

She had always been the type to avoid losing out, so she wouldn’t let Yuan Shao gain any advantage!

“Fengxiao, I want you to go to the main camp at Suanzao for a meeting,” Qiao Yan said.

Guo Jia replied, “Yuan Shao is quite arrogant and would probably claim that even the grain sent by the Marquis was obtained through his own efforts. If you don’t impose restrictions, the credit might end up with Yuan Shao.”

“That’s one point.” Qiao Yan’s usual calm demeanor was replaced with a more urgent tapping of her fingers on the table, showing her displeasure with Yuan Shao’s scheming.

But soon, a mysterious smile appeared on her face, indicating that she had a plan to restrict Yuan Shao.

She waved at Guo Jia, “Go and do as I instructed.”

Two days later, in the Suanzao main camp, an envoy sent by Qiao Yan stood before Yuan Shao.