Chapter 298 Yuan Shao attacks Gongsun Zan, Cao Cao backstabs Yuan Shao

The first month of the fourth year of Chuping (193).

In the name of revenge for Liu Yu, Yuan Shao assembled an army of 100,000 and vowed to attack Gongsun Zan, who claimed to be the governor of Youzhou.

War drums beat, cavalrymen advanced like tides, and the armies of both sides engaged in a fierce battle on the vast plain, with smoke and flames everywhere.

Yuan Shu, the governor of Yuzhou, raised an army of 80,000 and stationed them in Yangdi County of Yingchuan, Ruyin County of Runan, and Pingyu County to protect Yuan Shao's rear.

Cao Cao, the governor of Xuzhou, obeyed Yuan Shao's order, and Cao Ren, as the main general, deployed 20,000 troops in Huailing County, Xia Pi County, facing Huaiyin County, Guangling County across the Huai River.

Xiahou Dun was the chief general and led an army of 20,000 to confront Qingzhou Governor Tian Kai in Beihai County.

Cao Cao himself led the remaining 60,000 troops to guard Pengcheng, and informed Yuan Shao: "The 20,000 elite troops will be ready soon, and it will take another month."

"In a month, Qingzhou Governor Tian Kai will be wiped out."

In other words, it may not help you now, but it may be of great help in a month.

Yuan Shao agreed to Cao Cao's request without thinking too much.

Yuan Shao didn't know that Cao Cao had already secretly sent Chen Gong and Cheng Yu to Yanzhou.

Generals such as Xiahou Yuan and Cao Hong led 20,000 elite troops to Cao Cao's hometown, Qiao County, Pei State, ready to launch an assault on Yuzhou at any time.

Cao Cao himself led the remaining troops and ambushed in Langya County.

Cao Cao's father was in Langya County, and this place had long been controlled by Cao Cao. He ambushed 40,000 people, but Tian Kai had no idea.

The sixteenth day of the first lunar month.

Yuan Shao won battle after battle, and Gongsun Zan was defeated and fled all the way, and then he held on to Yijing and refused to leave.

Yuan Shao found it difficult to chew this tough bone for a while.

The eighteenth day of the first lunar month.

Xiahou Dun led an army of 20,000 to attack Beihai County to attract Tian Kai's attention.

The twentieth day of the first lunar month.

Cao Cao led an army of 40,000 and raided Gaomi County in Qingzhou.

Within two days, Gaomi County and Donglai County of Qingzhou fell into the hands of Cao Cao.

Tian Kai knew that the situation was hopeless, so he led his troops back to Youzhou. Yuan Shao was no longer under pressure in the east and was able to focus all his efforts on attacking Gongsun Zan.

When the situation was going well,
A sudden change occurs!

The twenty-fifth day of the first lunar month.

Xiahou Yuan led a thousand light cavalrymen from east to west, traveling 500 miles in three days, cutting off the passage between Yuan Shu and Yanzhou.

Cao Hong, with an army of nearly 20,000 men, followed closely behind and occupied Pei, Liang and Chen in Yuzhou.

not only that.

Under the persuasion of Chen Gong and Cheng Yu, all of Yanzhou became the property of Cao Cao.

Within ten days, Yuan Shu went from owning two states to owning only Yingchuan and Runan counties.

By the time Yuan Shu reacted, Cao Hong divided his troops and stationed them in Pei, Liang and Chen.

Cao Cao led 40,000 troops to take over the eight counties of Yanzhou.

The ninth day of February.

Yangdi County, Yingchuan.

"Oh!"

Yuan Shu smashed the jade wine jar to pieces angrily. He never expected that his ally Cao Cao would dare to stab him in the back and cut off his retreat.

"Cao Aman!"

"You and I are at odds with each other!"

"Someone is coming! Someone is coming!!"

When Yuan Shu went berserk, his temper was extremely bad, but he immediately returned to his former arrogance.

"Call all the generals to see me!"

Tao Qian had more experience, so Yuan Shu sent him to lead an army and station him in Pingyu County to prevent a surprise attack by Jin Mao.

Ying Shao was in charge of the army in Ruyin County.

Yangdi County in Yingchuan was only a hundred miles away from Luyang County, so Yuan Shu led 40,000 elite troops to take charge of the area personally.

He had generals under his command, including Lu Bu, Ji Ling, and Liu Xun.

That’s right, after Lu Bu fled eastward, he joined Yuan Shu.

Also fleeing with Lu Bu was General Zhang Liao.

Zhang Liao never recognized anyone as his master. He had no choice but to serve under Dong Zhuo at the beginning. Later, when Lu Bu rebelled and defected to Wang Yun, Zhang Liao followed him.

However, at that time, Zhang Liao relied on Wang Yun.

Later, Wang Yun and Dong Cheng were killed one after another. Zhang Liao had nowhere to go and could only follow Lu Bu and lead the remnants to flee eastward.

"My Lord." Zhang Liao followed behind Lu Bu and reminded him, "When you meet the governor of Yuzhou later, please be careful with your words."

The truth is that Lu Bu has been too presumptuous these days, and his men have been looting in Yingchuan at will, even more excessive than the thief Sun Ce.

This has led to a tendency for some of the people in Yingchuan to side with Sun Ce.

Yuan Shu was very angry about this, but he had to rely on Lu Bu's military deterrence, so he dared not say anything.

Since Lu Bu came to Yingchuan, Sun Ce had fought two battles with him, with both sides winning and losing. After that, Sun Ce became much more restrained.

This is why Yuan Shu is reluctant to say more, and it is also what Lu Bu relies on.

"Yuan Gonglu is just a name!"

Lu Bu said disdainfully: "You have a large army but can't even catch a few thieves. How stupid!"

Zhang Liao followed behind Lu Bu, wanting to say something but hesitant to do so. There were some things he was too embarrassed to say.

In the battle where Lu Bu won a small victory over Sun Ce, it was Zhang Liao who reminded him in time, otherwise Lu Bu would have had to run for his life again.

"However," Lu Bu changed the subject, his eyes burning as he said, "If Yuan Shu can trust me this time, I will lead my troops to attack Yanzhou and take back the lost territory for him."

"When the time comes, even if I ask for a county of rich land, I think Yuan Shu will definitely not refuse!"

After hearing this, Zhang Liao smiled bitterly in his heart, but knowing that persuasion was futile, he could only remain silent.

He knew that although Lu Bu was a martial arts expert, he was arrogant and difficult to convince. If he could really take Yanzhou this time, the situation would be completely different.

Yuan Shu was not a kind-hearted man who could always do what he said.

How could Lu Bu not know these things? It's just that Zhang Liao had just joined and Lu Bu didn't trust him, so he wouldn't tell him what was really on his mind.

But Zhang Liao's talent was obvious to the naked eye, and Lu Bu relied on him a lot, so he said a few more words to him.

The main military tent of the Yuzhou army.

When Lu Bu and Zhang Liao arrived, the civil and military officials in the tent had already been divided into two sides.

Ji Ling was the chief military general, followed by Liu Xun.

Yang Hong was the head of the civil officials.

"Marquis Wen is here!" Yuan Shu stood up and greeted him pretentiously, "Please take a seat."

"Thank you, Lord Yuan, for your kindness." Having experienced the ups and downs of the court, Lu Bu knew that Yuan Shu was just pretending, so he said modestly, "I will just stand here."

After saying that, Lu Bu squeezed in front of Liu Xun and was second only to Ji Ling.

Sure enough, Yuan Shu did not invite him again.

However, Lu Bu's behavior also aroused dissatisfaction among generals such as Ji Ling.

Ji Ling pointed to the opposite side and said, "The guest general should stand over there!"

Liu Xun and other generals immediately felt relieved.

Lu Bu was a head taller than Ji Ling. When he turned his head to look at the provocative Ji Ling, he felt a huge pressure coming upon him.

But Ji Ling was worthy of being a general under Yuan Shu. He looked up at Lu Bu without changing his expression.

That provocative expression seemed to be saying, "Why don't you try it if you dare?"

There was a flash of displeasure in Lu Bu's eyes, but he immediately restrained himself, knowing that it was not a good time to lose his temper.

He smiled slightly, bowed to Ji Ling and said: "General Ji, I am a guest general, I should be humble. But on the battlefield, strength is the key."

After saying this, Lu Bu turned and walked towards the line of civil officials, whispering with Yang Hong and others, seemingly discussing military affairs, but in fact just simply greeting each other. Ji Ling was not afraid of Lu Bu, and none of the civil officials, including Yang Hong, dared to offend him, and they all responded in a friendly manner.

The dispute came to an end. Yuan Shu breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time he was surprised by Lu Bu's forbearance.

Is this really the most powerful general under Dong Zhuo?
So cowardly?
The thought flashed through his mind, and Yuan Shu officially entered into today's topic.

"Cao Aman dared to break his oath and seize territory. I will make him pay the price!"

Yuan Shu looked around and shouted, "Who is willing to be the vanguard and take Cao Cao's head for me?"

As soon as Yuan Shu finished speaking, silence fell in the tent.

Although Lu Bu was brave, he had other plans in mind and did not express his opinion at this moment. Zhang Liao lowered his head and remained silent.

Ji Ling did not dare to agree easily. All the generals knew that Cao Cao was cunning, and this backstab was unexpected, so no one wanted to be the vanguard easily.

Yang Hong and other civil officials looked at each other in bewilderment, and no one dared to offer any advice.

Yuan Shu was furious when no one responded and shouted, "Ji Ling! Liu Xun!"

"The general is here!"

"The general is here!"

The two men stepped out at the same time and responded in unison.

Yuan Shu's expression eased slightly as he asked, "If I order you two to be the vanguard, how many troops will it take to invade Yanzhou?"

Yuan Shu's words exposed his ambition, which was not only to regain the lost territory of Yuzhou, but also to annex the land of Yanzhou.

"this…"

Ji Ling looked at Liu Xun hesitantly, and the latter looked over as well. The two looked at each other and shook their heads slightly.

Yuan Shu is arrogant and conceited, so the two of them must not make any mistakes. Cao Cao is a veteran of the battlefield and is not someone who can be easily dealt with.

If you report too many soldiers and horses, you will definitely be scolded, but if you report too few, what's the difference between that and committing suicide?
"Ok?"

After waiting for a long time without getting an answer, Yuan Shu's anger rose again and he shouted, "Are you all mute?"

"Why don't you speak?"

Ji Ling and Liu Xun looked embarrassed and smiled bitterly at each other.

Yuan Shu became even more furious when he saw this. He knew well how cunning Cao Cao was, but he did not expect that his generals would be so cowardly.

He slammed the table and stood up, angrily scolding: "Cao Cao is just a common man, and you are so cowardly! Are there no brave men under my command, Yuan Shu?"

Everyone in the tent lowered their heads in silence, and the atmosphere became increasingly solemn.

"Isn't that reasonable?"

Yuan Shu was furious and helpless. In the end, he looked at Lu Bu and said awkwardly, "Fengxian, I'm sorry to have made you laugh."

Lu Bu nodded slightly and said calmly: "Don't worry, Lord Yuan. Cao is cunning and it will take time to defeat him. Right now, we should stabilize Yingchuan first and then make progress. I have a plan that may help Lord Yuan, but..."

He swept his eyes across the crowd and finally fixed on Yuan Shu's face, as if he had something important to say.

Yuan Shu said with a pleasant face: "Don't worry, Fengxian, the civil and military officials here are all my confidants, so you can speak freely."

Lu Bu took a deep breath and said slowly: "I think Cao is strong, but Yanzhou has just been settled and the people are not loyal to him. If I lead an elite force to attack the heart of Yanzhou, I will surely make it difficult for them to defend both ends. But this move requires the full support of Lord Yuan to succeed."

Full support?

Yuan Shu thought back to what Lu Bu had done in Yingchuan. Lu Bu was like a glutton whose stomach could never be filled.

If we fully support such a person, how much money and food will we have to pay?

Yuan Shu looked at Yang Hong with great pain. This was his last hope.

Yang Hong sighed and had to step out and said, "My lord, why don't you ask General Zhennan for help?"

Yuan Shao was unable to take care of himself, and Cao Cao chose a perfect time, as it coincided with the time when Yuan Shao was fighting Gongsun Zan.

Yuan Shao certainly couldn't spare the time to deal with Cao Cao, and this was what annoyed Yuan Shu the most.

He devoted his whole heart to Yuan Shao, but was stabbed in the back by Cao Cao, who was Yuan Shao's man.

If Cao Cao had not taken the opportunity to occupy Yanzhou, Yuan Shu would have suspected whether Cao Cao had obtained authorization from Yuan Shao.

After all, some time ago, Yuan Shu also extended his hand to Yanzhou and Xuzhou, which was also inconsistent with the alliance.

However, it is now certain that this was all Cao Cao's personal behavior.

And since Yuan Shao can no longer be relied upon, it seems that the only option left is to seek help from Jin Mao?

But when he thought about how he was beaten homeless by Jin Mao, Yuan Shu's pride made him unable to humble himself and ask for help from his former enemy.

So Yuan Shu gritted his teeth, stamped his feet, and shouted, "Just do as Fengxian said!"

Thinking that Yingchuan County had been almost destroyed, Yuan Shu ordered: "Generals Ji Ling and Liu Xun, listen to my orders!"

"The general is here!!"

"You two will lead 10,000 soldiers and horses, cooperate with General Lu Bu, and make sure to recapture the lost territory of Yuzhou!"

"Yes!" Ji Ling and Liu Xun took the order and went down to select the elite troops.

Yuan Shu looked at Lu Bu and said, "Fengxian, I heard that you have a close personal relationship with Zhang Yang, the governor of Henei."

"I have five thousand infantrymen with you, as well as all the necessary food and supplies. I don't have many cavalrymen either. Why don't you borrow some from the prefect Zhang Yang?"

Yuan Shu smiled and said, "I heard that the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu Yu Luofu is still in Henei County. Although the Southern Xiongnu is weak, the power of 10,000 cavalry cannot be underestimated."

After hearing this, Lu Bu's heart moved. He knew that Yuan Shu was testing his sincerity.

So, he clasped his hands and said, "Don't worry, Lord Yuan, I will do my best to live up to your trust. As for the matter of the Southern Xiongnu, I will go to Hanoi in person to discuss it with the prefect Zhang Yang, and I will definitely be able to borrow troops to help Lord Yuan."

"Great!" Yuan Shu clapped his hands and said, "Great!"

Next, it was about the trivial arrangements of food and supplies. After listening to a few words, Lu Bu did not stay any longer and took his leave.

The important task of selecting soldiers naturally fell on Zhang Liao, and Lu Bu trusted Zhang Liao very much in this regard.

However, when Lu Bu returned to his own tent, he called his confidant Wei Xu and conspired to seize Yanzhou.

Lü Bu secretly summoned Wei Xu and discussed the matter: “I want to take advantage of this opportunity not only to recapture the lost territory in Yuzhou, but also to seize Yanzhou.

You should make preparations quickly and secretly contact Zhang Yang in Hanoi to secure the support of the Xiongnu cavalry.

At the same time, we need to select the best troops, and once the time is right, we will attack the core of Yanzhou and succeed in one fell swoop."

Wei Xu took the order and left, while Lu Bu began to plan the next move.

From Luoyang to Chang'an, Lu Bu didn't learn anything else, but his appetite grew bigger and bigger.

He not only wanted to seize Yuan Shu's territory, he even wanted to take over all of Cao Cao's territory.

I don't know who gave him the courage.

...

February
Wancheng, Nanyang County.

After half a year of renovation, it finally regained some popularity.

The dilapidated houses in the city were demolished and rebuilt, forming the prototype of Nanyang's once most prosperous city.

In the center of Wancheng, a new general's mansion has been built and can be used for living and office.

All of Jin Mao's family members moved here, and Jianye County was left to his uncle Jin Gao to manage.

From now on, Jianye County will be the second big city of the Jin family, and the first big city will naturally be Wushang County.

Today, Wushang County has already achieved an ecological cycle. Every household raises poultry, and the wealthy families even have livestock.

There is no need to worry about lack of fertilizer after two years of planting. Of course, the yield cannot be compared with that of later generations.

But it can also be regarded as a unique "paradise" in this era.

Back to topic.

When Yuan Shu received the news, Jin Mao naturally received the news as well, or rather, received the news earlier than Yuan Shu.

After all, most of Cao Cao's military rations came from him.

Jin Mao knew exactly where Cao Cao was going to attack.

However, Jin Mao did not expect that Cao Cao was so bold that he would directly swallow up the entire Yanzhou and even wanted to take over Yuzhou.

"We can't let Cao Cao get away with it!"

Jin Mao decided to immediately ask Cao Cao for the land of Xuzhou, which was stipulated in the alliance between the two parties.

(End of this chapter)