Chapter 1044: Everything came too late

Yuan Shu’s eyes became hot and eager. He grabbed Fa Zheng’s sleeve and asked with a trembling voice: "Fa Xiaozhi, this jade seal... is it really for me?"

Fa Zheng pretended to be surprised, quickly stabilized his figure, and said sternly: "General Gonglu is wrong, this jade seal is the return of heaven’s number and should belong to a virtuous person. My lord knows well that the general is the direct descendant of the Yuan family, the descendant of four generations and three dukes, and is virtuous and respected, so he specially ordered me to send the jade seal to the general to help the general achieve a great cause."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu was overjoyed, but he still pretended to decline: "This... how can this be? Although Dong Zhongying has a gap with me, he is also a warlord after all, how can I easily accept such a heavy object?"

Fa Zheng laughed secretly in his heart, this Yuan Shu was really good at acting, so he went with the flow: "General Gonglu don’t need to worry, my lord has already said that this jade seal is just a stone to him, only in the general’s hands can it exert its due value. Furthermore, my lord also hopes to take this opportunity to form an alliance with the general and plot the world together."

A glimmer of light flashed in Yuan Shu’s eyes. After pondering for a moment, he nodded slowly: "Since Fa Xiaozhi is so sincere, if I decline again, it will appear hypocritical. Good, I, Yuan Shu, will accept this jade seal, but please tell Dong Zhongying that I, Yuan Shu, will definitely not forget his help today."

Fa Zheng smiled slightly, secretly rejoicing that the plan was proceeding smoothly, and bowed: "General Gonglu, don’t worry, the subordinate will definitely convey the general’s meaning. However, there is one more thing that needs to be discussed with the general."

Yuan Shu raised his eyebrows: "What is it?"

"My lord hopes to make an agreement with the general that when the general clears the east of the pass and unifies the Central Plains, he can give my lord a certain amount of territory and troops as a basis for fighting the enemy together." Fa Zheng said slowly, his gaze fixed on Yuan Shu’s reaction.

After hearing this, Yuan Shu laughed: "This is natural, if Dong Zhongying can help me achieve a great cause, how could I, Yuan Shu, treat him badly? You go back and tell him that as long as he can help me pacify the world, let alone territory and troops, what if we share the country?"

Upon hearing this, Fa Zheng was overjoyed, but on the surface, he remained calm and bowed: "In that case, the subordinate will thank General Gonglu on behalf of my lord. May the general ascend the throne early and unify the world."

After sending Fa Zheng away, Yuan Shu sat alone in the study, playing with the jade seal of the country, and his eyes flashed with unprecedented light. He seemed to have seen the scene of himself ascending the throne as emperor and being worshipped by all the people, and his heart was so happy.

However, just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and Yuan Shu’s confidant general Ji Ling hurried in with a solemn expression: "My lord, there is urgent military intelligence."

Yuan Shu frowned unhappily, put the jade seal on the table, and asked: "What is so panicked?"

Ji Ling bowed and said: "My lord, Cao Cao led a large army to raid the rear of our army and has occupied several cities, the situation is critical."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu stood up suddenly and said angrily: "Cao Cao actually dared to be so bold! Pass the order down, mobilize troops and horses immediately, I want to lead the army to meet the enemy myself!"

Ji Ling received the order and left, but Yuan Shu paced in place, pondering in his heart. Cao Cao suddenly made trouble, it must be taking advantage of his joy of getting the jade seal and relaxing his vigilance. However, with this jade seal, his morale was greatly boosted, and he would definitely be able to defeat Cao Cao and then unify the east of the pass.

Just as Yuan Shu was preparing to go on an expedition, another strategist, Yang Hong, hurried over and advised: "My lord, don’t act rashly. Cao Cao must be prepared to attack at this time, our army should focus on defending, and then counterattack when the time is ripe."

Yuan Shu waved his hand: "Yang Hong, you are wrong. I, Yuan Shu, got the jade seal of the country, and the mandate of heaven belongs to me, how could I be afraid of Cao Cao? I have decided, set off immediately, must let Cao Cao know my power!"

Seeing that Yuan Shu had made up his mind, Yang Hong shook his head helplessly and retreated. Yuan Shu led the army and marched to meet Cao Cao in a mighty manner.

On the other side, in Cao Cao’s camp, the strategist Xun Yu smiled: "My lord, the news of Yuan Shu getting the jade seal has spread all over the world, he must be proud and arrogant at this moment, which is the right time for us to attack."

Cao Cao nodded and smiled: "Wenruo’s words are absolutely right, Yuan Shu is a man who has ambition but no wisdom, getting the jade seal and being arrogant, he will surely fail. Pass the order down, the whole army accelerates forward, must defeat Yuan Shu in one battle."

The two armies fought, although Yuan Shu had high morale, he was defeated by Cao Cao with fewer troops because of poor command. Yuan Shu fled back to Shouchun, lost soldiers and generals, and morale was low.

At this time, Yuan Shu suddenly realized that he had been too superstitious about the power of the jade seal of the country and ignored the actual military deployment and strategic planning. He was full of remorse, but it was too late.

At this time, after Fa Zheng learned of Yuan Shu’s defeat, he was secretly happy and immediately returned to report to Gu Yi. Gu Yi smiled: "Yuan Shu is a man who has ambition but no wisdom, getting the jade seal and being arrogant, this is inevitable. Next, we just need to wait for the opportunity and sit and watch the families east of the pass kill each other, and we can reap the benefits."

Fa Zheng nodded in agreement, and his admiration for Gu Yi’s wisdom was even more profound. And Yuan Shu, in Shouchun City, looked at the jade seal of the country that had once made him yearn for it, and his heart was filled with endless remorse and helplessness. He finally understood that the real world was not obtained by a jade seal, but by wisdom, courage, and unremitting efforts. However, all this realization came too late.