Chapter 1789: Keep Calm

Gongsun Zan's words carried an unquestionable determination; his eyes were fiery, as if he would rush out of the camp in the next second to save Yan Gang single-handedly. Sun Jian stood beside him, his expression equally solemn; although he did not speak, his tightly clenched fists already indicated his support for Gongsun Zan's words—his subordinate general Zu Mao was also in Dong Zhuo's hands.

Yuan Shao sat upright behind the desk, his face gloomy, his eyes narrowed, scrutinizing these two anxious lords before him. Inside the camp, the candlelight flickered, reflecting on everyone's faces, adding a bit of tension and unease. He tapped the desk gently, and after a moment of silence, said slowly: "General Gongsun, General Sun, the Alliance Leader understands the feelings of the two of you. But this matter concerns the overall situation of the coalition and cannot be acted upon rashly."

"Overall situation? What is the overall situation?" Gongsun Zan was emotionally agitated, his voice involuntarily raised a bit, "Could it be that our brothers are to be sacrificed in vain by that thief Dong Zhuo? They were the ones who fell into prison for the coalition, for the future of the Great Han!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao frowned slightly; he understood Gongsun Zan's anxiety, but as the Alliance Leader, he had to consider more comprehensively. "General Gongsun, you and I both know that Dong Zhuo intends to anger us, forcing us to make impulsive decisions. If we act rashly, we will fall right into his trap. Dong Zhuo is just worrying about having no excuse to further expand the war; once cracks appear within us, it will be the best time for his counterattack."

Sun Jian then stepped forward, his voice low and firm: "Alliance Leader Yuan, we are not people who do not know the importance of things. But Yan Gang and Zu Mao are both pillars in our army; their morale affects the entire army. If we sit idly by, morale will collapse, and that will be the real crisis."

Yuan Shao nodded, expressing understanding, then stood up, paced to the center of the camp, his gaze deep. "How could I, the Alliance Leader, not know this principle? But exchanging prisoners is no small matter. We need to ensure that this move will not weaken the strength of the coalition, and even more so, will not give Dong Zhuo an opportunity to exploit."

Just as everyone was lost in thought, hurried footsteps came from outside the tent, and a messenger hurried in, knelt on one knee, and reported with cupped hands: "Reporting to the Alliance Leader, a secret envoy has slipped out from Hulao Pass and brought important news!"

Upon hearing this, a flash of sharp light appeared in Yuan Shao's eyes, and he hurriedly signaled the messenger to bring the secret envoy in. A moment later, a man in tattered clothes with a haggard face stepped into the tent; he was precisely the secret agent Gu Yi had arranged to slip out and deliver the letter.

"I have been entrusted by Mr. Gu Yi to inform you of important matters." The secret agent's tone was urgent, obviously having experienced many dangers along the way, "Mr. Gu Yi said that he has persuaded Dong Zhuo to be willing to use Yan Gang and Zu Mao as bargaining chips to exchange for a person who is crucial to the coalition. But this person needs to be decided by the coalition itself, and it must be guaranteed that after the exchange, it will not cause major losses to the coalition."

As soon as these words were spoken, the camp exploded. Gongsun Zan and Sun Jian looked at each other, both seeing the light of hope in the other's eyes. Yuan Shao quickly calculated in his mind who could be exchanged, needing to both make Dong Zhuo feel it was worth it and not really weaken the coalition's combat power.

"Alliance Leader, I think this plan is feasible." Sun Jian spoke first, breaking the brief silence, "But the person to be exchanged must be carefully chosen, needing to both make Dong Zhuo feel we have made concessions and not really let him succeed."

Gongsun Zan nodded in agreement and asked eagerly: "Then according to General Sun's opinion, who is suitable?"

Sun Jian pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping over everyone, finally settling on Yuan Shao, and said slowly: "Perhaps we can propose to exchange someone in Dong Zhuo's army who has high intelligence value to us but whose actual combat power is not significant. For example, a strategist under Dong Zhuo, or someone who holds important secrets but is not combat personnel."

Upon hearing this, a flash of appreciation appeared in Yuan Shao's eyes, then he turned to the generals and said loudly: "General Sun's words are very much to my liking. We must not only save Yan Gang and Zu Mao but also use this opportunity to teach Dong Zhuo a lesson, letting him know that the coalition is not a soft persimmon that can be pinched at will."

Next, the coalition high command began to discuss the specific exchange details intensively, finally deciding to propose the exchange of an important strategist under Dong Zhuo—Li Jue. Although Li Jue was not a martial general, his status in Dong Zhuo's army was not low, and he held many military secrets; for the coalition, his value far exceeded that of an ordinary war general.

……

Inside Hulao Pass, upon learning of the exchange conditions proposed by the coalition, Gu Yi's mouth hooked into a faint smile. He had long expected that the coalition would not easily give up Yan Gang and Zu Mao, and proposing the exchange of Li Jue both showed the coalition's wisdom and gave Dong Zhuo a difficult problem.

Upon hearing this news, Dong Zhuo was indeed furious and slapped the table: "Li Jue is my mastermind; how can he be easily exchanged!"

Gu Yi, however, was composed and said softly: "My Lord, calm your anger. Although Li Jue is important, if Yan Gang and Zu Mao remain in our hands for a long time, they will inevitably become a source of morale for the coalition. And although Li Jue is wise, he is not irreplaceable. We can use this opportunity to probe the coalition's bottom line, and at the same time, we can also secretly lay out a plan to let Li Jue die 'accidentally', which can both avoid the exchange and frame the coalition, intensifying internal contradictions."

Upon hearing this, the fierce light in Dong Zhuo's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a trace of deep thought. He sat down slowly, staring at Gu Yi, secretly admiring him in his heart. This young man was not only resourceful but also meticulous; he was truly a rare talent.

"Just follow what you said, but this matter must be done cleanly and neatly, without leaving any traces." Dong Zhuo finally ordered, and at the same time, he already had a plan in his heart; after this matter was settled, he must reward Gu Yi heavily, and even...

……

In the coalition camp, Yuan Shao and the others were anxiously waiting for Dong Zhuo's response. Gongsun Zan paced back and forth, while Sun Jian tightly gripped the hilt of his sword, his gaze firm. Finally, a scout returned at full speed, bringing Dong Zhuo's reply—agreeing to the exchange, but the time and place of the exchange needed to be decided by both sides, and it must be guaranteed that there would be no ambushes during the exchange process.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao felt a bit relieved in his heart, then began to prepare for the exchange matters with the generals. They knew that this was a war without smoke, and every step needed to be taken cautiously; a slight carelessness could lead to a total loss.

……

On the day of the exchange, outside Hulao Pass, the two armies confronted each other, the atmosphere extremely tense. Yan Gang and Zu Mao were escorted to the front of the formation; although they were trapped, the two had firm expressions and no fear. On the coalition side, Li Jue was also "invited" out, looking blank, obviously not knowing why he had become the object of the exchange.

As the signals from both sides were issued, the exchange officially began. Under the gaze of the coalition soldiers, Yan Gang and Zu Mao walked slowly toward freedom, while Li Jue was escorted away by Dong Zhuo's army. Just as the exchange was about to be completed, suddenly, a burst of random arrows flew out from Dong Zhuo's army formation, pointing directly at the coalition's formation.

Yuan Shao was furious and was about to order a counterattack, but saw Gu Yi ride out and shout loudly: "This is Dong Zhuo's plan, intending to disrupt the exchange; the coalition must not fall into the trap!"

It turned out that all this was a trap designed by Gu Yi and Dong Zhuo in advance, intending to probe the coalition's reaction while creating chaos. But Gu Yi had other plans in his heart; he took advantage of the chaos to quietly pass an important piece of information to the coalition—Dong Zhuo's army was not monolithic and could be exploited.

Upon hearing this, the coalition generals all felt a stir in their hearts, understanding that this was Gu Yi helping in secret. Yuan Shao looked toward Gu Yi, a flash of complex color in his eyes, then ordered the coalition to remain calm and continue to complete the exchange. ===== CHAPTER 1790 =====