Chapter 79: The Campaign and the Battle with Lu Bu; The Great War in Yanzhou Begins

Liangzhou.

The sound of weapons clashing rang out incessantly.

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

Everyone’s face was filled with shock.

Especially Gu Wei.

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

Is this still his own brother?

How could Gu Chen have grown to this level in just a few short years?

He even began to doubt his own eyes, his face full of deep emotion.

Ma Chao was equally shocked at this moment.

Gu Chen’s level of improvement was too fast; how much time had passed, and he was already able to suppress him?

The more Ma Chao thought about it, the angrier he became, and his offensive naturally grew increasingly fierce.

But Gu Chen remained completely unruffled.

His offense and defense were well-measured.

After trading a few more blows with Ma Chao, he seized an opportunity, thrust his spear, and knocked the long spear from Ma Chao’s hand, sending it flying to pierce directly into the ground.

Silence!

A complete, deathly silence!

Ma Chao stared blankly at the silver spear stuck in the ground, and after a brief moment of astonishment, he shook his head helplessly.

"Young Master is truly a man of heaven."

He could not help but exclaim.

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

Gu Chen’s progress was simply too fast.

This change was something Ma Chao could clearly feel.

"Mengqi is also no ordinary man." Gu Chen smiled, stepped forward to pull out Ma Chao’s silver spear, and tossed it to him.

Ma Chao caught the silver spear smoothly; there was no anger on his face, but rather he laughed heartily twice.

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

But the Gu Shizi were different.

In a frontier region like Liangzhou, the legends of the Gu family far exceeded those in the Central Plains, and a layer of mystery had always shrouded the Gu family.

Losing to a Gu Shizi was something Ma Chao could accept.

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

What they were to do next was, of course, to attack Bingzhou.

—The current situation in the world was changing drastically.

Gongsun the White Horse had been completely defeated and destroyed;

his control over Youzhou was too poor.

Yuan Shao followed the advice of his strategist, Ju Shou, not only to divide the powerful clans within Youzhou.

He even reached an alliance with the Xianbei, letting the Xianbei cause chaos outside of Youzhou.

Most crucially, Lu Bu’s defection completely rendered the White Horse Followers under Gongsun the White Horse useless.

The White Horse Followers were Gongsun the White Horse’s strongest foundation.

Once this elite cavalry lost its effectiveness, the morale of his army was severely affected.

It was under these circumstances.

Gongsun the White Horse lost battle after battle, was finally surrounded in Guangyang Commandery, and choosing death over surrender, he burned himself to death.

Yuan Shao had completely opened up the two provinces of You and Ji.

And using the momentum of this battle, he began to reclaim Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Army, once again occupying most of Bingzhou, his power overwhelming.

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

—Lu Zhi had passed away!

He was already of advanced age, and having spent years rushing about on the battlefield, this was an extremely life-shortening matter in the current era.

Coupled with the pressure of the many days when Yuan Shao attacked Qingzhou.

He ultimately lost to time and passed away in Jinan Commandery.

On his deathbed.

He handed the position of Qingzhou Governor to Liu Bei, hoping that he could inherit his dream and restore the Great Han.

And Liu Bei did not let Lu Zhi down.

At this time, he had already captured Pingyuan Commandery and was rushing toward Jizhou.

Most crucially—

He had officially formed an alliance with Cao Cao!

Yuan Shu would naturally not allow Yuan Shao to become the sole power.

His personality was just like that; after Yuan Shao resolved the crisis in Jizhou, Yuan Shu summoned Sun Ce back, wanting to let Yuan Shao and Cao Cao and Liu Bei suffer mutual destruction.

While he himself turned his gaze back to Yuzhou.

To Yuan Shu, this was indeed a good plan.

Whether it was Cao Cao or Liu Bei, these two would inevitably have a great battle with Yuan Shao.

But a forced attack on the land of Yuzhou was destined to arouse the dissatisfaction of the Xun clan of Yingchuan.

Yuan Shu’s reputation among the people today was indeed poor.

He was fond of luxury, and this personality would be invisibly magnified as his power grew, naturally making Confucian families like the Xun clan of Yingchuan somewhat displeased.

But how could someone like Yuan Shu care what others thought?

And it was precisely because of this.

The Yingchuan clans completely abandoned the idea of supporting Yuan Shu, and instead secretly established many connections with Cao Cao in Yanzhou.

Cao Cao’s talent had been recognized by everyone during this period.

The bravery of Sun Jian had long been known throughout the world.

And the fact that Cao Cao could make Sun Jian unable to advance an inch in Yanzhou already demonstrated his extraordinary nature.

And compared to Yuan Shu.

Although Cao Cao was from a humble background, his character and reputation were much better.

Moreover, humble backgrounds also had their advantages.

That was that there were more opportunities under his command.

To this day, who in the world could not see that the time of great change in the world was not far off?

How to place one’s bets was a necessary question for all noble families.

As for the various lords in the four directions, they were also making constant moves.

The rumor that the "Imperial Jade Seal" was lost had now completely spread throughout the world.

Although Liu Dai still occupied the throne of the Emperor, he had already lost its reality.

Never mind that the great noble families did not care about him.

Even the common people of the world no longer regarded him as the Emperor at all.

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

It was unknown how many people were secretly searching for "Liu Bian" and "Liu Xie," the two heirs of the Spirit Emperor.

—Especially the Liu clan lords!

If Liu Dai could become Emperor, why not them?

Once human ambition arises, it is impossible to suppress it again.

The "Imperial Throne" was the destination of their ambition!

Looking throughout history, few people could escape from it.

Great battles were breaking out all over the world.

The shocking change in Liangzhou could naturally not be hidden, and as time passed, it spread even further.

—The Gu family!

After several years, these two words that had always weighed on everyone’s hearts reappeared.

Although Gu Chen and the others had only just moved their troops to Bingzhou.

It still caused a huge impact on the entire world.

Yuan Shao had originally wanted to go to war with Cao and Liu, and having eliminated the fatal threat of Gongsun the White Horse, he had full self-confidence.

But upon hearing of the shocking change in Liangzhou.

His attitude changed instantly.

He had witnessed just how brave Gu Chen was.

Most crucially—

When the various lords campaigned against Luoyang in the past, Zu Mao had once spoken publicly about the change in Gu Chen’s strength.

Although this matter was indeed a bit too unbelievable.

It still forced him to take it seriously.

Moreover, whether for the Yuan clan or for the great families, the resurgence of the Gu clan is absolutely a grave threat.

One does not fear the one-in-ten-thousand chance, but rather the possibility of it occurring.

If the Gu clan were truly allowed to seize Bingzhou.

At that time, Sizhou and even Jizhou would all be under threat.

If any trouble were to arise in Luoyang, what would become of these people?

This sudden news thoroughly sobered Yuan Shao.

He quickly made his response.

—He ordered Lu Bu to head to Bingzhou to deal with the troops from Liangzhou, and even granted him the position of Governor of Bingzhou, which Lu Bu had been longing for.

This move indeed allowed him to set his mind at ease.

Looking across the entire world, he had yet to see anyone capable of defeating Lu Bu.

At the same time, he sent people once again to see Yuan Shu.

He understood his younger brother’s character all too well.

In truth, he also looked down upon Yuan Shu.

But at a time like this, they had to work together to mount a response.

He intended to unite with Yuan Shu to take Yanzhou as quickly as possible, and then divide the lands of Yanzhou and Qingzhou equally.

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

As long as Cao Cao of Yanzhou was wiped out first.

Then the mere territory of Qingzhou could be conquered in a single morning or evening.

If it were someone else, Yuan Shu would absolutely not have cared.

But when it came to the sons of the Gu clan, it was different.

Although his character had major flaws, Yuan Shu was no fool and understood the current situation very well.

Under these circumstances.

He directly agreed to Yuan Shao’s request for an alliance and once again raised his troops to head straight for Yanzhou.

—The fifth year of Han Prosperity, June.

Sun Jian led his army out of the Liang state again, with his spearhead pointing directly at Chenliu.

At the same time, Yuan Shao also mobilized from Weijun, personally leading an army of fifty thousand to cross the Dahe and strike at Dongjun in Yanzhou.

Yanzhou was, after all, not Jizhou.

Cao Cao’s current strength made it impossible for him to face the attacks of both Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu simultaneously.

He immediately sent people to deliver messages to the lords in all four directions.

He wanted to ask the lords of the four directions to come and assist him.

But in this day and age, anyone with great ambition in their heart had already risen with the wind; why wait until now?

Liu Biao did have the intention to attack Yang, but unfortunately, the great families of Jingzhou had no intention of getting involved.

Although he was now the nominal master of Jingzhou.

His position had been obtained by binding his interests to the great families of Jingzhou.

Since the great families of Jingzhou were unwilling to join the war, he was helpless.

This included Tao Qian of Xuzhou, who was even less willing to risk offending the Yuan clan at such a time.

Having no other choice.

Cao Cao had to divide his troops.

He entrusted the defense of Chenliu to Cao Ren, while he himself personally led his men to Dongjun to meet Yuan Shao in battle.

The entire battlefield shifted once again from Jizhou to Yanzhou.

Liu Bei had originally intended to use the strategy of "besieging Wei to save Zhao" by attacking Jizhou to relieve the crisis in Yanzhou.

But unfortunately, Yuan Shao’s defenses in Jizhou were equally deep, and it was impossible to break through in a short time.

Under these circumstances, Liu Bei made a decision that exceeded everyone’s expectations.

He actually wanted to personally lead his army to Yanzhou to help Cao Cao!

No matter what, Liu Bei could not allow Yanzhou to be taken by the two Yuans.

If any accident were to happen to Yanzhou, given the terrain of Qingzhou, he would be completely plunged into a desperate situation.

This was a burden Liu Bei could not accept.

He handed over the entire defense of Qingzhou to Zhang Fei.

And he himself, along with Gu Tao, personally led the main army and headed straight for Yanzhou.

Yanzhou, Dongjun.

Cao Cao looked at Liu Bei before him, laughed heartily, and exclaimed: "The heroes of the world are only the son of the Gu clan, Xuande, and myself."

These words came entirely from his heart.

When he first learned that Liu Bei dared to abandon a commandery and even managed to bring the people along with him, Cao Cao had already sensed Liu Bei’s extraordinary nature.

Now, seeing that Liu Bei could personally rush to Yanzhou, this was confirmed even more.

"Meng De, there is no need for more words; at this moment, we should discuss how to defeat the thieves," Liu Bei said with a stern face.

Cao Cao nodded, then made a gesture of invitation, and directly invited Liu Bei into the city.

The two then discussed the current situation in Yanzhou.

Cao Cao’s current situation was indeed dire.

The current situation was completely different from the original history.

Although Yuan Shao’s strength was not as great as in the original history.

By comparison, Cao Cao’s current strength was much weaker.

Yanzhou was already the commandery most severely affected by chaos, and it was impossible to fully recover in such a short time.

Especially now that he was fighting on two fronts, combined with the momentum of the Yuan clan, this was destined to cause panic among the people, keeping Cao Cao in a very passive position.

For Cao Cao and Liu Bei.

What was needed now was a great victory to first stabilize the hearts of the people in all directions.

As long as the people’s hearts were firm.

Then their situation would be sufficiently eased.

"Xuande, I have already set up defenses at Puyang. If you are willing, I would like to have your soldiers participate in them, how about it?"

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

Previously, when both sides were fighting in Langya.

He had witnessed Guan Yu’s bravery, and he admired Guan Yu’s temperament very much.

"I have long known that your subordinates are like clouds of fierce generals."

"I have heard that under the Yuan thief, Qu Yi, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou are all brave generals."

"I wonder if your great generals can fight them?"

Before Liu Bei could speak, Guan Yu, who was behind him, immediately snorted coldly: "They are all mere men who mark themselves for death; what is there to fear?"

"Big Brother!"

As he spoke, Guan Yu stepped out and bowed to Liu Bei: "I request to fight."

"My Lord!"

Seeing this, Zhao Yun also stepped out and bowed to request to fight.

Gu Tao’s face was also filled with high spirits; he had been thinking about fighting to the death with Qu Yi, and he also spoke up: "I am willing to go to Puyang."

Everyone was filled with fighting spirit.

"Young Master." Liu Bei looked at Gu Tao for the first time, appearing somewhat hesitant.

But Gu Tao waved his hand directly: "Lord Xuande, do not worry. We sons of the Gu clan are absolutely not people who fear death."

"In the current situation."

"If I were to retreat, I would be ashamed before my grandfather and the ancestors of my Gu clan."

His tone was very resolute.

Hearing this, Cao Cao also bowed to Gu Tao.

"Young Master, you have high righteousness."

Liu Bei also spoke.

As he spoke, his tone paused, and he looked at Cao Cao again: "Since that is the case, then let us listen to Brother Meng De’s battle formation!"

Bingzhou, Jinyang.

Lu Bu sat in the main seat and took a sip of strong wine, a look of satisfaction on his face.

Looking back to the days when he left Bingzhou, he was still a minor general under Lu Zhi.

Today, returning to Bingzhou, he was already the noble Governor of Bingzhou.

This gave Lu Bu a feeling of returning home in glory.

As for the war within Bingzhou, he did not care at all.

Even though he already knew that the people coming to attack Bingzhou this time were Huangfu Song and the sons of the Gu clan, he did not care in the slightest.

He only sent people to set up defenses in the three commanderies of Shangdang, Yanmen, and Taiyuan.

He intended to completely cut off Gu Chen’s path into Jizhou and Sizhou.

"General."

At this moment, Zhang Liao slowly paced inside, cupped his hands toward Lu Bu, and said, "The scouts have sent word."

"Huangfu Song and that army of Gu Chen have reached Xihe."

"Their vanguard is pointing directly at our Jinyang."

Zhang Liao's expression was somewhat grave.

The offensive of Huangfu Song and Gu Chen was truly too fast.

In truth, this was to be expected, as the subordinates under Ma Teng and Han Sui were almost all Qiang cavalry.

As for the soldiers under Gu Chen, there was even less need to speak of them.

The experience of crossing high mountains and steep ridges with him to launch a surprise attack on Longyou had already caused a qualitative leap in these men's willpower and physical strength.

With such speed, what was there to be surprised about?

"They actually dare to invade?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Bu frowned slightly and said with some annoyance, "Do they not know that this General has already returned to Bingzhou?"

"They are naturally aware."

Zhang Liao said with some helplessness, "General, that Huangfu Song once followed the late Duke Gu to suppress rebellions and established countless meritorious deeds; he is by no means an ordinary person."

"As for that Gu Chen, he is even more extraordinary."

"Does the General still remember the evaluation Yuan Shao gave him in the past?"

Evaluation?

Lu Bu was silent for a moment before he remembered.

"His martial arts progress is rapid, unmatched by ordinary people; you must be careful in dealing with him, and if you can behead him, then do so."

This was what Yuan Shao had specifically said to him before he departed.

"Rapid progress?" Lu Bu looked at Zhang Liao and said softly.

He then shook his head, revealing a trace of disdain: "What if his progress is rapid?"

"I have long been invincible in this world."

"Could it be that this Gu Shizi could possibly be a figure like the late Duke Gu?"

His tone paused slightly, and after taking another drink of wine, he said, "Wenyuan, there is no need to care."

"Duke Gu was indeed extraordinary."

"But now that Duke Gu has passed away, I, Lu Bu, am the number one in the world."

"Even if it were Gongsun the White Horse's White Horse Righteous Followers, what of it?"

He looked high-spirited and vigorous.

Seeing that Zhang Liao's expression was still somewhat grave.

He felt disappointed, overturned the table in front of him with one hand, and stood up: "Fine!"

"Since they know my name and still dare to invade."

"Then let them witness the might of me, Lu Bu!"

"Pass on my order."

"The three armies are to prepare for battle and meet the invading enemy."

In truth, Yuan Shao had only told him to hold these three commanderies; after all, the person commanding the enemy troops was Huangfu Song.

But for the current Lu Bu.

Defense?

Would that not be an insult to him?

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liao's eyes shifted slightly, but after hesitating for a moment, he finally nodded:

"Understood!"

PS: Requesting monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)