After Being Abducted by the General

chapter 104

Wu Shanshi was also taken aback, "This..."

Zhou Gongdan smiled slightly, "Youzhou is a military fortress, much more important than Bingzhou. Moreover, Youzhou is the rear base for Chu Hechao and Yuan Le Jun. If we can take control of Youzhou, what fear do they have? Lord, this is a great opportunity. Don't look at Youzhou's past desolation and poverty; it's different now. Yuan Le Jun has made many improvements in Youzhou. Just by looking at what he has achieved with a piece of land in Youzhou, you can see its potential."

Wu Shanshi was tempted, but he quickly sighed, "Jizhou is short of food, we can't even intervene in Bingzhou, how can we take over Youzhou?"

"That's one of the reasons why I feel my ideas are naive," Zhou Gongdan sighed with regret and shook his head, "But this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is right in front of us. Youzhou's attention is all on Bingzhou. When Chu Hechao leaves with his troops, Youzhou will only have snow disasters and refugees. It's a pity we don't have enough food to mobilize our troops."

Wu Shanshi felt more moved when he saw how regretful Zhou Gongdan looked. He couldn't help asking Wang Yun again, "Is it really impossible to gather enough food for the troops?"

Wang Yun smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Indeed, it's impossible."

Wu Shanshi mumbled, "What a pity... it's such a pity..."

"Even if we can gather enough food, we still can't attack Youzhou at this moment," Wei Ji coughed a few times, his voice as old as a withered tree, "Have you forgotten what happened during the New Year? Li Li killed Chu Wang and his Madam and even tried to pin the blame on the eunuch. He used a large sum of money to win over Chu Hechao and Yuan Le Jun, but they rejected him with strong words. Their loyalty and righteousness are known throughout the world. If you attack Youzhou now, you'll be attacking the loyal ministers of Northern Zhou. Do you want to tell the world that you're rebelling?"

Wu Shanshi broke into a cold sweat, and his previous excitement had disappeared long ago. "Uncle Wei is right."

Wei Ji's murky gaze then turned to Zhou Gongdan. "Your idea is good, but we can't implement it now. Do you have any other ideas?"

Zhou Gongdan's palms began to sweat, but he didn't show any sign of it on his face. He thought carefully for a moment, "Since we can't stop Chu Hechao from taking over Bingzhou, and that has become a reality... if we can't stop them from the outside, then we can only make them collapse from within."

Wei Ji's eyes flashed with a glint of interest, "Go on, elaborate."

Zhou Gongdan respectfully lowered his head, "I followed Yuan Le Jun in the past, and you all know that. But there's something I haven't told Lord Shanshi."

Wu Shanshi appeared curious, "What is it?"

Zhou Gongdan continued, "Yuan Le Jun and Chu Hechao are not on good terms and have already developed a hidden rift. However, it's not appropriate to speak ill of the former lord behind his back, so I've refrained from mentioning it."

Of course, the real situation was different.

When Zhou Gongdan came under Wu Shanshi's command, he used his experience of fleeing from Youzhou to Jizhou to get closer to Cai Ji and established a relationship with him by claiming to have also escaped due to embezzlement.

Cai Ji embezzled funds for himself, so he believed that everyone in the world must be corrupt. He trusted Zhou Gongdan's words because they shared a similar experience, and their relationship grew closer over time.

After getting closer, Zhou Gongdan learned from Cai Ji that he believed there was tension between Yuan Li and Chu Hechao. Cai Ji even used this information as his pledge of loyalty when he joined Wu Shanshi.