Chapter 457

They transmitted the news to Su Xuan immediately.

Su Xuan, who was dozens of miles away, soon received the news.

"Hehe!"

Su Xuan smiled slightly after hearing Jia San's report: "Yuan Shu still has some capable people under him! This Yang Hong is not completely a waste;"

"At least he knows to go back early to prepare! That's also quite good!"

"It just happens to suit my wishes!"

Xu Chu blinked in confusion, indicating he didn't understand at all.

Zhao Yun, on the other hand, stroked his chin and pondered: "Lord, could it be that you intentionally wanted Yuan Shu to return to Nanyang as soon as possible?"

"But this doesn't benefit us in taking Nanyang, does it?"

"No, no!"

Before Su Xuan could speak, Guo Jia on the side raised a finger and shook it: "The Lord's goal is not just Nanyang; he has his eyes on Yuan Shu... cough! To be precise, he has his eyes on Yuan Shu's family fortune!"

"He is preparing to take the opportunity to capture Yuan Shu's troops and generals again, and even this time, the Lord is prepared to capture Yuan Shu himself, and let him spend money and grain to ransom himself, am I right?"

After speaking, Guo Jia looked at Su Xuan.

The others also looked over.

"Haha! He who knows me is Guo Fengxiao!"

Su Xuan laughed loudly: "Correct! That is exactly the reason!"

"What is the point of simply taking Nanyang and repelling Yuan Shu?"

"The Yuan family has been the Three Excellencies for four generations; how much wealth have they accumulated?"

"If I don't extort some more from Yuan Shu, how can I be at ease?"

"Uh..."

Xu Chu was confused: "Wouldn't it be better to just kill Yuan Shu and then conquer his lair in Runan?"

"That way, everything he has would be yours, Lord!"

"No!"

Su Xuan shook his head: "Now is not the time to completely eliminate Yuan Shu; he still has considerable utility value;"

"Eliminating him directly now would only attract the attention and hostility of other warlords, making them all view us as the greatest threat;"

"It might even cause them to unite and work together to deal with me;"

"This is not what I want!"

"Low-key development and expansion is what I want!"

"Moreover, we have only just taken Jingzhou, and most of the talents we have cultivated have already been used up. After taking Nanyang, the previously accumulated officials and talents will basically be exhausted!"

"It won't be so easy to continue expanding territory rapidly!"

Yeah! It's not that we can't expand at all, if we squeeze a bit, expanding a few more commanderies is not a problem.

It's just that manpower will be relatively short, making it easy for reforms to have loopholes.

It can be completely slower.

As long as he waits a year or so, he will have another large batch of talents available.

Now, his academies and schools at all levels have taken shape, and he is still expanding schools in various commanderies in Jingzhou recently.

In the future, his speed of cultivating talents will only get faster and faster.

There is no rush for this moment.

It just so happens that he can use this time to further develop and build Jingzhou, cash in on many of the technologies accumulated before, and complete Jingzhou's industrial upgrading.

Of course, not killing Yuan Shu is more importantly because he will need Yuan Shu to be the first to declare himself emperor in the future, and take on all the remaining curses and backlashes of the Great Han's destiny!

After that, he can expand crazily, without any scruples.

"Hmm! By then, I can also begin to initially build my Imperial Dynasty system."

Su Xuan thought to himself.

With the blessing of the Imperial Dynasty system, he will be able to control everything in his territory without leaving his house, and eliminate any hidden dangers.

"So that's it!"

Xu Chu realized: "Then it's better to be slow."

"Haha!"

At this time, Guo Jia said happily: "Zhongkang, you still don't understand the Lord!"

"It's not just because of this;"

"The Yuan family's wealth is indeed not small, but it has already been cheated by the Lord once. Added to the Yuan family's investment over the years, if we really capture Yuan Shu and his troops in Nanyang again, he might not have enough money and grain on his own for a while."

"By then, he will probably have to ask the gentry and powerful clans of Yuzhou to donate!"

"That is the big head!"

"If we directly take Yuzhou, we won't have a suitable reason to touch the money and grain of many gentry and powerful clans;"

"It's better to do as planned now, let Yuan Shu borrow and levy it;"

"By then, the one who owes the debt is Yuan Shu, the one who benefits is us, and we can also weaken the gentry and powerful clans of Yuzhou, which is simply killing many birds with one stone!"

It can only be said that the Lord's heart is black!

Guo Jia mourned for Yuan Shu for a second in his heart.

Meeting a black-hearted person like the Lord, he can only consider himself unlucky.

If Yuan Shu were smart enough, he should have withdrawn from Nanyang long ago.

Unfortunately, he didn't.

Then he can only consider himself unlucky.

Who told him not to see the situation clearly?

"Hiss!"

Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun also realized.

So that's how it is!

The Lord is really black-hearted!

But they like it!

"Uh... isn't this the same as last time?"

"I remember last time we captured Ji Ling and Sun Jian, it was also Yuan Shu who ran to borrow money and grain from the gentry and powerful clans of Nanyang."

Xu Chu widened his eyes.

Can this strategy be used twice in a row?

Is this Yuan Shu a bit too stupid?

Knowing he can't beat the Lord, he still dares to occupy Nanyang and not return it, not run away.

He, Xu Chu, respects Yuan Shu as a man.

However, doesn't this mean the opportunity to make a contribution has come again?

He likes it!

He secretly swore in his heart that he must work hard later, strive to capture Yuan Shu, make a great contribution, and earn more merit points.

"It is the same! This is a good idea that kills many birds with one stone! I think it can be used more often in the future!"

Guo Jia nodded affirmatively.

"Just this time!"

Su Xuan shook his head: "Other warlords are not like Yuan Shu."

"Uh... that's true! What a pity!"

Guo Jia was slightly startled, then nodded helplessly.

Indeed, there is only one Yuan Shu who is so stupid and easy to fool.

Because of the burden of hundreds of thousands of people, Su Xuan's side really didn't move fast.

It took more than a day to arrive at Yangrenju from Yique Pass.

Then, Su Xuan temporarily settled these hundreds of thousands of people there.

He didn't plan to let them enter Nanyang or various commanderies of Jingzhou for the time being.

Instead, he left Huang Zhong and Guo Jia there.

He himself took Dian Wei, Zhao Yun, Xu Chu, as well as the Xuanwu Camp, part of the Xuanjia Army, and 3,000 Qinglong Camp soldiers and left Yangrenju first, accelerating toward Nanyang.

Getting ahead of Yuan Shu, passing Ye County, entering Nanyang territory, it took several hours before finally arriving at Xinye.