Chapter 99: Naval Battle of Bohai Sea, Yuan Shao was defeated!
"Set sail and attack the enemy!"

At this time, Yuan Shao regained the momentum of the overlord of Hebei.

When his civil and military officials were all in despair, he did not panic because he was surrounded. Instead, he calmed down and commanded his soldiers to fight back.

"Huh?! Oh!"

The civil officials and military generals reacted immediately. Looking at the calm and murderous Yuan Shao, they suppressed their panic and gradually gained the confidence of a backbone.

This is the importance of a lord!
It can provide spiritual support to all soldiers in the army!
"Set sail immediately and attack..."

"The enemy is still some distance away from us. We can set sail and fight back..."

"Don't just sit there and wait for death. We have more warships than the enemy. As long as we set sail, we won't be afraid of being surrounded by the enemy..."

"..."

Civil and military officials immediately gave orders in person, which calmed the soldiers down and they set sail immediately.

Soon, the Bohai Navy fleet gradually moved from static to launching a counterattack against the surrounding Qingzhou Navy.

The two armies fought on the Bohai Sea.

Yuan Shao did not hide in the rear, but went to the front line to command the battle in person.

Feng Ji pulled Yuan Shao and advised: "My lord, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. You should stay in the rear to command and dispatch!"

"A real man would rather die in battle than hide behind and fear death!"

Yuan Shao replied murderously, and immediately commanded the naval fleet to attack.

Naval battles are different from land battles. Crossbows and arrows do not cause much damage to ships, and boarding battles can only be formed through water currents and wind direction.

At this moment, Yuan Shao was so domineering that both civil and military officials admired him!

Under the command of Yuan Shao, the backbone, the Bohai Navy launched a counterattack against the encircling Qingzhou Navy.

The Qingzhou Navy was established not long ago, and its ships were designed and stolen from the Bohai Navy.

Although Taishi Ci was good at naval battles, due to the short period of training, the navy had not yet reached the level of being able to use it as it is and having mastered it.

Faced with the fierce attack of the Bohai Navy, the navy's formation was gradually broken up, like flowers scattered by a fairy.

Naval battles also have formations, and ships fight in coordination with each other.

After being dispersed, its power is naturally greatly reduced!

After the Bohai Navy dispersed the Qingzhou Navy, they immediately engaged in a boarding battle, often with several warships surrounding one ship and suppressing it with superior numbers.

This caused the Qingzhou navy's advantage of surrounding the enemy to disappear instantly, and the morale of the Qingzhou navy also dropped somewhat.

"This is the first naval battle. It turns out there is a huge gap between theory and practice."

Taishi Ci frowned and said when he saw that his side was at a disadvantage.

But don’t panic!
The purpose of their Qingzhou navy was to delay the time for Yuan Shao to escape. Although they are now retreating step by step, at least the purpose of delaying time has been achieved.

……

Just when the naval battle broke out between Taishi Ci and Yuan Shao, on the Pingyuan County front, under the fierce attack of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, they finally succeeded in crossing the Yellow River.

There are many ferry crossings in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. If it were Yuan’s army in its heyday, it could naturally block Qingzhou’s attack.

But the problem is that now everyone in Yuan’s camp wants to escape from Jizhou, and Yuan Shao has already fled to Bohai and boarded a ship ready to leave.

This also caused panic among the people in Yuan's camp. They no longer had the heart to fight and were trying to find ways to retreat and escape from Jizhou.

In this case, there are naturally many loopholes!
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei divided their troops into two groups, which distracted the enemy's defense line and manpower, and made a feint to the east and attack in the west, and forced a crossing of the Yellow River.

Finally, with Guan Yu's restraint, Zhang Fei was the first to cross the Yellow River!
"Zhang Fei from Yan is here, who dares to fight!!!"

After Zhang Fei crossed the river, the war horses had not yet been transported over, but were still on land, looking down on Yuan's army.

However, this roar was so loud that it could be heard over a distance of ten miles, causing the thousands of Yuan troops that had surrounded them to not dare to move forward. They cowered in fear and trembled with fear.

These Yuan army soldiers were probably waiting for their teammates to come forward and serve as cannon fodder, while they would go up behind to pick up the heads.

Everyone had different thoughts, and in the end no one stepped forward.

Behind Zhang Fei, soldiers from Qingzhou landed one after another, and ships transported war horses across the river.

When Zhang Fei climbed onto his horse, he looked down on everyone with his already powerful momentum: "You are a cowardly person!!!"

Zhang Fei kicked his horse's belly and launched a counterattack against Yuan's army from top to bottom.

It was not until this time that a general from Yuan’s camp came to support. It was Jiang Qi who led his troops to surround the enemy, but it was already one step too late!
Jiang Qi roared: "Zhang Fei, do you dare to fight?"

"Bah!!!"

When Zhang Fei saw the general's armor, he realized that Jiang Qi was a great military hero, so he immediately gave up chasing after Yuan's soldiers and went straight to Jiang Qi.

"Humph!!!"

Jiang Qi was no fool. He had heard of the powerful generals Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who were able to defeat thousands of enemies. He immediately withdrew and commanded his soldiers to besiege Zhang Fei.

Under the command of General Jiang Qi, the hesitant soldiers seemed to have found a backbone and immediately surrounded Zhang Fei and tried to besiege him.

At this time, Jiang Qi could still send troops to encircle the Qingzhou troops who were trying to cross the Yellow River.

Jiang Qi already attaches great importance to Zhang Fei, but not enough!
"Roar--"

Zhang Fei roared angrily, his blood vessels expanded, as if he had unleashed his invincible power. He cut a bloody path through the surrounding encirclement and finally headed straight for Jiang Qi.

Jiang Qi was still commanding his soldiers to block the Yellow River crossing and prevent the Qingzhou soldiers from crossing the river.

But who knew that at this moment, the fishy wind stopped blowing in his face, and he looked back, and saw Zhang Fei, with a leopard head, round eyes, and angry hair, approaching.

"You don't even dare to fight a general, you rat!!!"

Zhang Fei's voice was still spreading in the air, and his subordinate Treading Snow Wuyun had already approached Jiang Qi. With a wave of his Zhangba Snake Spear, Jiang Qi's body was separated from his body.

"Pfft-"

As blood splattered, Zhang Fei quickly grabbed Jiang Qi's head and shouted to the people around him:
"The thief will be beheaded, why don't you surrender quickly?! Those who surrender will not be killed!!!"

"Wow—"

The Yuan army was shaken from top to bottom and was immediately defeated.

Zhang Fei led the Qingzhou soldiers to directly expand the results of the battle, but did not chase after the defeated soldiers. Instead, he went straight to the ferry above.

Guan Yu was attacking fiercely there, and it was because Guan Yu distracted the enemy's forces that Zhang Fei had enough strength to force a successful crossing.

At this time, Zhang Fei’s first priority was not to chase and kill the enemy, but to attack from the front and back with Guan Yu, break through the ferry, and force more troops to cross the Yellow River.

It has to be said that although Zhang Fei seemed reckless, he was also very good in military affairs.

"kill!--"

Zhang Fei encircled the upstream ferry, and the Yuan army soldiers who were confronting Guan Yu on the opposite bank were shocked when they heard the news!

They didn't hold out for long before they were defeated!
Guan Yu led his army across the Yellow River and said to Zhang Fei, "Third brother, don't pay attention to these small soldiers and crab generals. Finding Yuan Tan is the most urgent task!"

"I understand, brother."

Zhang Fei was in the mood to kill, but he gave up decisively after hearing this and went after Yuan Tan.

A few miles behind the Yellow River ferry, they saw Yuan's army's temporary front-line camp. After hearing the military intelligence and battle reports from the front, Yuan Tan was ready to evacuate.

but!

They were still a step late!
Yuan Tan's troops were caught up by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. In the chaos, several generals remained loyal and let Yuan Tan go first, while they stayed behind to cover their retreat.

But even though these generals were first-rate warriors, they were no match for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, two powerful generals who could defeat thousands of enemies!
Just like cutting melons and vegetables, kill one if one comes, kill a pair if two come!
Since the generals were treated in this way, the soldiers naturally preferred to die for their friends rather than for themselves, so they fled in panic and their army was completely routed.

This resulted in fewer and fewer soldiers and generals around Yuan Tan.

When he was finally caught up by the troops led by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, Yuan Tan was only surrounded by about a thousand soldiers and generals such as Gao Gan and Zhu Ling.

There were only a few hundred soldiers around Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

It seems that Yuan's army has more people and more power, but Yuan Tan, Gao Gan and others look at Guan Yu and Zhang Fei and dare not underestimate them at all!
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei rose to prominence during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. They later became famous for the battle between the three heroes and Lu Bu at Hulao Pass when the princes entered the capital to purge the court of evil officials.
Afterwards, he followed Liu Bei to many battlefields, suppressed the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Qingzhou, and fought nearly a hundred battles with Yuan Shao's army in Bohai.

These are the two powerful generals who can defeat thousands of enemies!

Two generals are better than thousands of troops!
"kill!!!--"

But even though they were powerful generals who could defeat thousands of enemies, between life and death, Yuan Tan and other generals still burst out their fighting will and launched a direct charge.

"Humph!!!"

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were even more fearless. Even though the troops behind them were inferior to the enemy, they were confident and sure of victory!

This is an absolute confidence in one's own powerful strength!
When the enemy army was less than a hundred meters away, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei squeezed their horses' bellies and the Ferghana horses they were riding shot out at full speed!

In the blink of an eye, the two generals had already covered a distance of ten meters and were gradually approaching.

at last!

The two armies launched the final battle! The battle lasted for a quarter of an hour, and Yuan Tan and Gao Gan were defeated, and the two generals were defeated and captured!

Yuan Tan is Yuan Shao’s eldest son, and Gao Gan is Yuan Shao’s nephew. Both are important senior figures in Yuan’s camp!
Now that the two generals were defeated and captured, it caused a huge mental shock to the surrounding soldiers in Yuan’s camp!

Suddenly, those Yuan army soldiers who tried to resist stubbornly and fight to the death were completely defeated!

The Yuan camp troops stationed on the front line of Pingyuan County were completely routed and suffered a crushing defeat!
……

Fighting broke out not only in Bohai County, but throughout Jizhou as the imperial troops launched a massive sweep of Yuan's forces.

As Yuan Shao fled to Bohai and tried to escape from Jizhou by boat, Yuan's disciples, former officials, and cronies were defeated!
Some even abandoned the city and surrendered directly, some were defeated without a fight, some committed suicide, and so on. There were countless surrenders and suicides.

It seemed that all the counties and prefectures in Jizhou began to welcome the royal army at once.

It is only a matter of time before the imperial army takes control of Jizhou!

The culprit, Yuan Shao, is now leading the Bohai Navy in a fierce battle with Taishi Ci's Qingzhou Navy in the Bohai Bay.

At this time, Liu Bei was riding on a giant ship, and under the protection of more than ten warships, he gradually approached the Bohai battlefield.

Seeing the sudden appearance of more than ten warships, the Bohai Navy and Qingzhou Navy, which were fighting, stopped at the same time.

Because Liu Bei and others were standing on the bow of the ship, they ordered Taishi Ci and other Qingzhou navy to stop!

Because Liu Bei had Yuan Tan, Gao Gan and others tied up beside him, Yuan Shao and other Bohai naval forces were afraid to act rashly!

"Xian Si (Yuan Tan)!!! Yuan Cai (Senior Official)!!!"

When Yuan Shao saw his legitimate son and nephew, his expression was gloomy and his eyes were spitting fire: "Liu Bei, you shameless man, don't you know that the crime will not be punished by parents, and the disaster will not be punished by family members? Release my son and nephew!"

"Yuan Shao, I heard that Liu He, the heir of Youzhou Governor Liu Shijun, is in your hands?"

Liu Bei remained unmoved and said in a deep voice: "I hope you will know the current situation and hand over Liu He!"

At this time Yuan Shao suddenly remembered Liu He and ordered him to be brought up.

Liu He was not frightened to death, but remained calm instead, showing the integrity of the Han Dynasty!
Yuan Shao said in a deep voice: "Liu Bei, release my son and nephew!"

"Yuan Shao, let's exchange hostages."

Liu Bei said in a deep voice:

"But Yuan Shao, I have your legitimate son Yuan Tan and your nephew Gao Gan in my hands, and you only have Liu He in your hands. I'm afraid that's not enough for the exchange, right?"

Yuan Shao looked gloomy!

If he really had to choose, he would definitely choose his son!
Nephews are important, but not as important as sons!

But if you really do this, you will fall into the enemy's trap of sowing discord!
If he could even give up his nephew, what about others? !

This damn mat weaver and shoe seller is indeed a treacherous villain!

At this time, Feng Ji stepped forward and said:

"Liu Bei and Liu He are relatives of the Han Dynasty and have noble status. Yuan Tan and Gao Gan combined are not as important as him. Why is it not enough?!"

"Yes!!!"

At this time, a group of soldiers suddenly came from the shore. It was Lü Bu who led the Bingzhou Army. He laughed loudly, and the sound was so loud that it could be heard for ten miles. He said:
"But Yuan Shao, what if we add one more person?"

Yuan Shao's second son, Yuan Xi, was the one who sent troops north to support Gongsun Zan, but was later defeated by Lu Bu and Liu Yu. The defeated and captured Yuan Xi was directly brought up in heavy handcuffs.

"Father!!!"

Yuan Xi yelled, "Save the child!!!"

Yuan Xi was not as strong as Lu Bu, and his breathing was unstable. Yuan Shao, who was far away on a ship in Bohai, could only vaguely hear a faint sound.

But Yuan Shao knew that it must be Yuan Xi who was calling him and asking for help!
This made Yuan Shao hesitant and in a dilemma!
If it's a son and a nephew, I would definitely choose the son!
But now... Yuan Tan and Gao Gan are on his left, and Yuan Xi is on his right. How should he choose? !
The palms and backs of my hands are full of flesh!

Feng Ji said in a deep voice at this time:
"Well! You are the royal teacher, the royal relative of the Han Dynasty, but you actually use such low-level means to threaten others. Are you still worthy of being called the army of justice?!"

"There's no need to blackmail us morally. There's no need to talk about morality when dealing with you, the traitors who have no king or father!"

Liu Bei asked in a deep voice: "Yuan Shao, your eldest son Yuan Tan, your second son Yuan Xi, and your nephew Gao Gan, three people, one Liu He is probably not enough?! Then which hostage do you want to exchange?!"

"Father, save me!!!"

After hearing this, Yuan Tan immediately roared impatiently.

In fact, everyone could see that Liu Bei and his men deliberately wanted to put Yuan Shao into a difficult decision and alienate the relationship between the emperor and his subjects, and between him and his son.

This is the strategy of sowing discord!

But this is also an open conspiracy!
In fact, at this time, the more correct approach for Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi would be to ask Liu Bei to release the other party, showing their righteousness and deep brotherly love.

By doing this, you will definitely gain fame and prestige!
But Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi are not stupid. Now it has come to a critical moment of life and death. The Yuan family has already fled to Jizhou, and it is unknown what the future will be like.

At this time, of course, the best thing to do is to survive first!
Moreover, in order to fight for the throne, Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi maintained a deep brotherly relationship on the surface, but that was just a show for Yuan Shao to see; they had already torn their faces apart secretly.

At this time, I would rather die than let my friend die!
Feng Ji directly put the knife on Liu He's neck and threatened: "Tell Liu Bei to release Yuan Tan, Yuan Xi and Gao Gan!"

However, Liu He remained unmoved!
Liu Yu was loyal to his emperor and patriotic. For the sake of his country, society and the people, he was willing to ignore the life and death of his descendants.

As a descendant of Liu Yu, would he still be afraid of death? !

"Damn your guts!!!"

Feng Ji cursed in his heart, but at this time he had no choice but to persuade Yuan Shao:
"My lord, don't fall into the trap! As long as we control Liu He, even if the eldest and second sons are in the hands of the enemy, we will be safe!

Now we should break through the defense line as soon as possible and head south to Jianghuai. Instead of dragging our feet with Liu Bei here!"

Yuan Shao looked gloomy, hesitant, and making a difficult decision!

"Yuan Shao, the eldest son, the second son and the nephew, how are you going to choose?!"

"Father, save me!!!"

"Father, save the child!!!"

"..."

These three voices echoed in Yuan Shao's mind, and he had to make a difficult decision with a conflict between his inner thoughts and his own.

There were also civil and military officials such as Feng Ji who gave advice from time to time.

All these sounds combined made me feel dizzy. In addition, I had just experienced a naval battle, and the side effects of seasickness broke out.

"Pfft-"

Yuan Shao actually vomited blood and fainted.

"Lord!!!"

Feng Ji and other civil officials and military officers were horrified and shouted, "Call the military doctor immediately!!!"

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we can seize the opportunity and pursue the victory!
But after careful consideration, Liu Bei gave up this move.

Guo Jia, who was standing by, also did not recommend Liu Bei to take action!
Because Liu He was in their hands, Liu Bei was afraid to act rashly!
Liu He was the legitimate son of Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou. Perhaps Liu Yu could ignore the life and death of his legitimate son for the sake of the country, the people and the people.

However, Liu Bei, the imperial court, and even the Han Emperor, needed to consider the life and death of the descendants of the loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty!
Otherwise it will be disheartening!

Another point……

Gongsun Zan was a traitor and colluded with Yuan Shao. Now he has been defeated and captured and is awaiting interrogation.

Liu Bei wanted to save Liu He, and hoped that Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, would treat Gongsun Zan well out of consideration for his kindness.

Moreover, Liu Bei tried his best to attack Pingyuan County and kept Yuan Shao at all costs, hoping to gain great military exploits and let His Majesty show leniency and give Gongsun Zan some dignity.

At least, don't punish the entire clan!

This was also Liu Bei's way of repaying Gongsun Zan for his previous kindness and brotherhood to him!
Liu Bei did not order a pursuit of the victory, but Taishi Ci's Qingzhou navy was always ready to go and did not relax at all.

only!

What caught everyone present off guard was that the Bohai Navy gave up resistance.

Feng Ji and other civil and military officials actually chose to surrender!
"A self-torture tactic?!"

Liu Bei was a little surprised!

Just now Feng Ji and the others looked ready to die, but now they have realized the situation and surrendered? !
But in the end, they learned the truth with some disbelief -

Yuan Shao, dead?!

When Yuan Shao was caught in a dilemma and had to make a difficult decision, he was highly focused, and he was dizzy from the naval battle. He suffered from seasickness and his energy was overloaded. He vomited blood and died!
This was somewhat unexpected for Liu Bei and others!

In fact, in addition to this, Yuan Shao was defeated in Jizhou and his years of hard work were destroyed in one day. The feeling of aggrieved and unwilling was also a trigger point!

It's like a once powerful figure falling from grace. It's normal for him to have white hair overnight, suffer mental breakdown or die suddenly due to that kind of setback.

As the life and death of his offspring became unknown, all kinds of emotions, including tension, concern, and helplessness, gathered together and once they were detonated, Yuan Shao ultimately did not survive.

A generation of heroes has fallen!
……

(End of this chapter)