Chapter 75: The Campaign Against Bingzhou — Lu Bu, and the Great Battle of Yanzhou Begins

Liangzhou.

The clash of arms rang out without cease.

Gu Chen and Ma Chao charged back and forth under the gaze of the crowd.

Every face was filled with astonishment.

Gu Wei in particular.

Watching Gu Chen, who had clearly gained the upper hand in the field, he even began to doubt his own memory.

Was this still his own brother?

How had Gu Chen grown to such a level in just a few short years?

He was even beginning to doubt his own eyes, his face full of emotion.

Ma Chao was equally shocked at this moment.

Gu Chen's improvement was far too fast — in such a short time, he could already suppress him?

The more Ma Chao thought about it, the angrier he grew, and his attacks naturally became fiercer.

But Gu Chen remained utterly unruffled.

Attack and defense in perfect measure.

After another several exchanges with Ma Chao, he seized the moment, thrust his spear, and sent the long spear flying from Ma Chao's hand, stabbing it straight into the ground.

Silence!

Utter, deathly silence!

Ma Chao stared blankly at the silver spear planted in the ground; after a brief moment of shock, he shook his head helplessly.

"The young master is truly a heaven-sent prodigy."

He could not help but sigh.

No matter how proud Ma Chao was, at this moment he had to concede.

Gu Chen's progress was simply too fast.

This change was something Ma Chao could feel clearly.

"Mengqi is no ordinary man either." Gu Chen smiled, stepped forward, pulled Ma Chao's silver spear from the ground, and casually tossed it back to him.

Ma Chao caught the silver spear smoothly; there was not a trace of anger on his face, and instead he let out two hearty laughs.

If it had been anyone else, he might have fought to the death.

But a son of the Gu clan was different.

In a frontier region like Liangzhou, the legends of the Gu clan far surpassed those of the Central Plains, and there was always a layer of mystery draped over the Gu family.

Losing to a son of the Gu clan was something Ma Chao could still accept.

The two dismounted together and returned to the main camp with the others to discuss important matters.

What they were to do next was naturally to attack Bingzhou.

—The current state of the realm was undergoing tremendous change.

Gongsun Zan had been utterly defeated and destroyed;

his grip over Youzhou had been far too weak.

Yuan Shao had followed the counsel of his advisor "Ju Shou," and not only divided and weakened the powerful clans within Youzhou,

but had even forged an alliance with the Western Xianbei, having them raise havoc outside Youzhou.

Most critically, Lu Bu's defection had utterly rendered Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers useless.

The White Horse Volunteers were Gongsun Zan's greatest asset.

Once this elite cavalry lost its effectiveness, the morale of his forces would be greatly affected.

Under such circumstances,

Gongsun Zan suffered defeat after defeat, and was finally besieged in Guangyang Commandery; he refused to surrender and perished by self-immolation.

Yuan Shao had completely opened up Youzhou and Jizhou.

Capitalizing on the momentum of this campaign, he began reclaiming Zhang Yan of the Heishan bandits, once again occupying the greater part of Bingzhou — his might towering over all.

And in the lands of Qingzhou, there were also changes.

—Lu Zhi had passed away!

His age had already been considerable, and years of constant campaigning on the battlefield was, in an era such as this, something that greatly shortened one's lifespan.

Added to that was the prolonged pressure from Yuan Shao's earlier assault on Qingzhou.

In the end, he was defeated by the passage of time, and passed away in Jinan Commandery.

On his deathbed,

he entrusted the position of Governor of Qingzhou to Liu Bei, hoping that he could carry on his dream of restoring the great Han.

And Liu Bei did not let Lu Zhi down.

He had already taken Pingyuan Commandery by this time, and was now marching toward Jizhou.

Most critically —

he had formally formed an alliance with Cao Cao!

Yuan Shu naturally would not allow Yuan Shao to stand unchallenged.

Such was his nature; after Yuan Shao resolved the crisis in Jizhou, Yuan Shu recalled Sun Jian, hoping that Yuan Shao and Cao Cao-Liu Bei would wear each other down.

While he himself once again turned his gaze toward Yuzhou.

For Yuan Shu, this was indeed a good plan.

Whether it was Cao Cao or Liu Bei, a great battle between these two and Yuan Shao was inevitable.

But a forceful assault on Yuzhou was bound to provoke the displeasure of the Xun clan of Yingchuan.

Yuan Shu's reputation among the people of the present age was indeed poor.

He was already fond of luxury, and this temperament would invisibly magnify as his power grew, naturally causing the Confucian aristocratic clans such as the Xun clan of Yingchuan to take some dislike.

But how could a man like Yuan Shu care what others thought?

Precisely because of this.

The Yingchuan aristocratic clans completely gave up the idea of supporting Yuan Shu, and instead secretly established quite a few connections with Cao Cao of Yanzhou.

Cao Cao's talent received the recognition of everyone during this period.

Sun Jian's bravery had long been renowned throughout the land.

Yet the fact that Cao Cao could make Sun Jian unable to advance a single step within Yanzhou already proved his extraordinary nature.

And compared to Yuan Shu.

Although Cao Cao was of humble origin, his temperament and reputation were far better.

Moreover, being of humble origin also had its advantages.

Namely, there were more opportunities beneath his banner.

To this day, who in all the world could not see that the great upheaval of the realm was no longer far off?

How to place their bets was a necessary question for every aristocratic clan.

As for the lords of the four quarters, they too were ceaselessly in motion.

The rumor that the "Imperial Jade Seal" had been lost had now spread completely throughout the entire realm.

Although Liu Dai still occupied the position of Emperor, he had already lost its substance.

To say nothing of the great aristocratic clans not caring about him.

Even the common folk of the realm no longer regarded him as Emperor at all.

In some places, the era name "Zhaoning" had already been restored.

No one knew how many people were secretly searching for "Liu Bian" and "Liu Xie," the two sons of Emperor Ling.

—Especially the Liu-clan lords!

If even Liu Dai could become Emperor, why not them?

Once human ambition was kindled, it could no longer be suppressed.

The "Imperial Throne" was the ultimate goal of their ambition!

Looking over the entire span of history, few people could ever break free of it.

Throughout the realm, great wars broke out on all sides.

The earth-shaking upheaval in Liangzhou could not possibly be concealed, and as time passed it spread once more.

—The Gu clan!

After several years, these two characters that had long weighed on everyone's hearts reappeared once more.

Although Gu Chen and the others had only just set their troops in motion against Bingzhou.

It still caused an enormous impact upon the entire realm.

Yuan Shao had originally intended to wage war together with Cao and Liu, to eliminate the deadly threat of Gongsun Zan at once, giving him full confidence.

But upon hearing of the earth-shaking upheaval in Liangzhou.

His attitude changed in an instant.

He had witnessed with his own eyes just how valiant Gu Chen was.

The most critical point was—

Back when the lords had jointly attacked Luoyang, Zu Mao had publicly spoken of the change in Gu Chen's strength.

Although this matter was truly too bizarre.

It still could not be ignored.

And whether for the Yuan clan, or for the aristocratic clans as well, the Gu clan's rise once more was absolutely a mortal threat.

Fear not the one in ten thousand, but fear the ten thousand.

If the Gu clan truly seized Bingzhou.

Then Sizhou and even Jizhou would both be threatened.

If anything went wrong at Luoyang, what would become of people like them?

This sudden news could be said to have thoroughly jolted Yuan Shao awake.

He swiftly made a response.

—He dispatched Lv Bu to Bingzhou to deal with the Liangzhou forces, and even granted Lv Bu the position of Governor of Bingzhou that he had long been yearning for.

This move indeed put his mind at ease.

Looking across the entire realm, he had yet to see a man who could defeat Lv Bu.

At the same time, he once more sent envoys to see Yuan Shu.

He understood his younger brother's temperament all too well.

In truth, he also looked down on Yuan Shu.

But at such a time, they absolutely had to work together in concert to respond.

He planned to ally with Yuan Shu to take Yanzhou at the fastest speed, then divide the lands of Yanzhou and Qingzhou equally between them.

In Yuan Shao's eyes, compared to Cao Cao, Liu Bei's threat was not yet worth worrying about.

As long as they first destroyed Cao Cao of Yanzhou.

Then that mere land of Qingzhou could be broken in a day.

If it were anyone else, Yuan Shu would absolutely not care.

But if it were a scion of the Gu clan, then it would be different.

Although his personality had serious flaws, Yuan Shu was no fool and understood the current situation perfectly.

Under these circumstances.

He immediately agreed to Yuan Shao's proposal for an alliance and once again raised his troops, marching straight toward Yanzhou.

——In the fifth year of Han's Revival, sixth month.

Sun Jian led his army out of Liang State once more, his spearhead aimed at Chen Liu.

At the same time, Yuan Shao also mobilized from Wei Jun, personally leading fifty thousand troops across Dahe to strike at Dongjun in Yanzhou.

Yanzhou was ultimately not Jizhou.

Cao Cao's current strength could never withstand simultaneous attacks from both Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.

He immediately sent messengers to all regional lords.

He sought to summon them to come to his aid.

But by now, anyone with great ambition had already seized the wind and risen—why wait until now?

Liu Biao had the will to attack Yang, but the Jingzhou clans had no intention of joining.

Though he was nominally lord of Jingzhou,

his position had been secured by binding his interests to those of the Jingzhou clans.

Since the Jingzhou clans refused to fight, he could do nothing.

Even Tao Qian of Xu Province was unwilling to risk offending the Yuan family at this time.

With no other choice,

Cao Cao was forced to divide his forces.

He entrusted the defense of Chen Liu to Cao Ren, while he personally led his troops to Dongjun to confront Yuan Shao.

The entire battlefield shifted once again from Jizhou to Yanzhou.

Liu Bei had intended to use the "Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao" strategy, attacking Jizhou to relieve Yanzhou's crisis.

But Yuan Shao's defenses in Jizhou were equally strong, and could not be breached in a short time.

Under these circumstances, Liu Bei made a decision that surpassed everyone's expectations.

He would personally lead his army to Yanzhou to aid Cao Cao!

No matter what, Liu Bei could never allow Yanzhou to fall to the two Yuans.

Should Yanzhou suffer any misfortune, with Qingzhou's terrain, he would be utterly trapped.

This was a Burden Accepted he could never endure.

He entrusted all of Qingzhou's defenses to Zhang Fei.

He and Gu Tao then personally led the main army straight toward Yanzhou.

Yanzhou, Dongjun.

Cao Cao looked at Liu Bei before him and burst into laughter: "Of all the heroes under heaven, only Gu Shizi, Liu Xuande, and I remain."

His words came entirely from the heart.

When he first learned that Liu Bei had dared to abandon an entire commandery—even going so far as to bring the people with him—Cao Cao had already sensed Liu Bei's extraordinary nature.

Now, seeing Liu Bei come in person to Yanzhou, he was certain of it.

"Meng De, no need for words—what matters now is how to break the enemy," Liu Bei said solemnly.

Cao Cao nodded, then made a "please" gesture, directly inviting Liu Bei into the city.

The two then discussed the current situation in Yanzhou.

Cao Cao's situation was indeed dire.

The current state of affairs differed entirely from original history.

Though Yuan Shao's strength was less than in original history,

By comparison, Cao Cao's current strength was far weaker.

Yanzhou had always been the most ravaged province; it could not possibly recover fully in such a short time.

Especially now, fighting on two fronts, and with the Yuan family's momentum, this would inevitably cause panic among the people, leaving Cao Cao perpetually on the defensive.

For Cao Cao and Liu Bei,

what was needed now was a great victory to first stabilize the hearts of all.

As long as morale held firm,

their situation could be eased.

"Liu Xuande, I have already fortified Puyang. If you are willing, I wish for your troops to join the defense—what do you say?"

As he spoke, Cao Cao looked directly at Guan Yu standing behind Liu Bei.

When the two had previously fought in Langya,

he had witnessed Guan Yu's valor and deeply admired his bearing.

"I long knew your ranks were filled with fierce generals."

"I have heard Yuan's villainous side includes Qu Yi, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou—all valiant commanders."

"I wonder if your great generals can stand against them?"

Before Liu Bei could speak, Guan Yu behind him let out a cold snort: "They are mere men hanging signs begging for death—what is there to fear?"

"Brother!"

Guan Yu stepped forward, bowing to Liu Bei: "I beg to fight."

"Lord!"

Seeing this, Zhao Yun also stepped forward, bowing to request battle.

Gu Tao's face burned with battle-lust—he had long wished to fight Qu Yi to the death—and he spoke up: "I wish to go to Puyang."

Everyone's battle spirit was soaring.

"Young Master," Liu Xuande immediately turned to Gu Tao, seeming hesitant.

But Gu Tao simply waved his hand: "Young Master Liu, do not worry—my Gu clan's sons are not men who fear death."

"Now, the situation is this."

"If I retreat, I will betray my grandfather and my Gu clan's Liezulie Sect."

His tone was resounding and firm.

Hearing this, Cao Cao also bowed to Gu Tao.

"Young Master, your righteousness is noble."

Liu Xuande also spoke.

As he spoke, his tone paused, then he looked again at Cao Cao: "If so, then let us follow Meng De's battle formation!"

Bingzhou, Jinyang.

Lu Bu sat in the main seat, sipping strong liquor, his face filled with satisfaction.

Recalling how, in days past, he had left Bingzhou as merely a subordinate general under Lu Zhi.

Now, returning to Bingzhou, he had become its Governor.

This gave Lu Bu a sense of triumphant return to his homeland.

As for the warfare within Bingzhou, he paid it no mind.

Even after learning that the invaders were Huangfu Song and the Gu clan's sons, he remained utterly unconcerned.

He merely dispatched troops to fortify the three commanderies: Shangdang, Yanmen, and Taiyuan.

Planning to completely cut off Gu Chen's path into Jizhou and Sizhou.

"General."

At this moment, Zhang Liao slowly walked in and bowed to Lu Bu: "The scouts have brought news."

"Huangfu Song and Gu Chen's forces have reached Xihe."

"Their spearhead points directly at our Jinyang."

Zhang Liao's expression was serious.

Huangfu Song and Gu Chen's advance was simply too fast.

It was actually not unusual—Ma Teng and Han Sui's troops were almost entirely Qiang cavalry.

As for Gu Chen's soldiers, there was even less reason to be surprised.

Their experience crossing mountains and ravines to launch a surprise strike on Longyou had given their will and stamina a qualitative leap.

What is there to wonder at, such speed?

"They truly dare to invade?"

Hearing this, Lu Bu frowned slightly, angrily saying: "Don't they know I've returned to Bingzhou?"

"They know full well."

Zhang Liao said, somewhat helplessly: "General, Huangfu Song once fought alongside Lord Gu to suppress rebellion, earning countless merits—he is no ordinary man."

"And Gu Chen is extraordinary indeed."

"General, do you still recall Yuan Gong's assessment of him?"

Assessment?

Lu Bu fell silent for a moment, then remembered.

"His martial skill advances at an astonishing pace, beyond ordinary men's reach—handle him with extreme caution; if you can kill him, kill him."

This was what Yuan Shao had specifically told him before his departure.

"Advances at an astonishing pace?" Lu Bu looked at Zhang Liao and murmured.

Then he shook his head, showing a hint of disdain: "So what if he advances fast?"

"I have long been invincible in this world."

"Could the Gu clan's son possibly be another Lord Gu?"

His tone paused slightly; after another sip of wine, he said: "Wenyuan, don't worry."

"Lord Gu was indeed extraordinary."

"But now Lord Gu is dead—I, Lu Bu, am the greatest under heaven."

"What of Gong Sun Zan's White Horse Elite?"

He stood tall and imposing.

Seeing Zhang Liao's expression still serious,

he felt disappointed, shoved the table before him aside with one hand, and stood up: "Fine!"

"Knowing my name, they still dare to invade."

"Let them witness the might of Lu Bu!"

"Transmit my order."

"All troops prepare for battle against the invading enemy."

Yuan Shao had merely ordered him to hold these three commanderies, since the enemy commander was Huangfu Song.

But for Lu Bu now,

defense?

Wasn't that an insult to him?

Hearing this, Zhang Liao's eyes flickered slightly, but after a moment's hesitation, he finally nodded:

"Yes!"

PS: Begging for monthly tickets

(End of this chapter)