Chapter 743

Among them, Gao Lan had the strongest strength and ability.

He was really somewhat reluctant.

"Damn Guan Yu! Damn Liu Bei! If it weren't for you, how would I have lost Yan Liang and Wen Chou? How would I have ended up in this state today?"

Thinking of this, Yuan Shao couldn't help but curse in his heart.

Seeing Ju Shou on the side heard Guo Tu's words and wanted to refute and dissuade him, but in the end, he held back.

He only sighed in his heart: "Sigh! At a time like this, Guo Tu is still engaging in internal strife and harming the virtuous. Can the Lord really win in the end?"

One must know that in troubled times, capable generals are extremely important!

But even if he refuted, what could he do?

If not Gao Lan, then who?

Ordinary people lacked the ability and prestige and couldn't suppress the situation.

The only ones left in the army were generals from aristocratic backgrounds like Gao Gan.

But how could Seeing Ju Shou bring up such an offensive matter?

His Ju family still had to make a living under Yuan Shao!

"Then let it be Gao Lan! I will tell him personally!"

Yuan Shao finally made up his mind, enduring the pain to prepare to abandon Gao Lan.

Soon, Gao Lan was called over.

Yuan Shao said to Gao Lan himself: "Gao Lan! I think you are very clear about the situation in our army!"

"Our army only has two days of grain left! And in a short time, we cannot take down Cao Cao, so we can only retreat!"

"What does General Gao Lan think?"

Gao Lan heard this, and although he had a bad premonition in his heart, he still cupped his hands: "The Lord is wise! Continuing to attack forcibly really has no great significance anymore! It is better to retreat early!"

"Good!"

Yuan Shao shouted loudly upon hearing this, looking at Gao Lan with burning eyes: "It is good that the General also agrees!"

"However, currently, if we retreat, we still have one problem we must face, and that is the pursuit of Cao's army!"

"I want General Gao Lan to lead 30,000 troops to cover the retreat. You only need to block Cao's army for one day, and then you can retreat. Are you willing, General Gao Lan?"

Although it seemed like he was asking, Gao Lan looked at Yuan Shao's expression and listened to the tone of his voice, and realized that Yuan Shao had already made his decision and would not allow him to refuse.

Otherwise, not only would he be punished by Yuan Shao, but his family left in Yecheng would likely suffer as well.

"Sigh! If I had known this, I should have accepted Junyi's suggestion and defected to the King of Qian!"

"This Yuan Shao really has no true trust or importance for generals like me who come from humble beginnings!"

"Even if my ability is strong, when facing such a choice, I will only be abandoned in the end!"

"I hate this!"

Gao Lan thought with great regret in his heart.

That's right, he and Zhang He were actually good friends and had communicated frequently in the past.

Zhang He had often told him about the good things about Su Xuan and persuaded him to defect to Su Xuan.

It was a pity that Gao Lan had defected to Han Fu early on, and Han Fu had shown him kindness, so he didn't want to abandon him and didn't go.

Later, Han Fu was tricked by Yuan Shao, and he had to defect to Yuan Shao as well.

Because of his ability, he had done quite well under Yuan Shao and even got the title of one of the Four Pillars of Hebei.

For a time, Gao Lan naturally gave up the idea of defecting to Su Xuan.

He thought he could gain Yuan Shao's trust and importance and truly integrate into it.

Unexpectedly...

What a pity, there was no regret medicine now.

"Yuan Shao, if I don't die this time, I will definitely make you regret it!"

With such thoughts, Gao Lan appeared very calm on the surface and cupped his hands: "The Lord has an order, and Gao Lan dares not disobey! Leave the task of covering the retreat to me!"

"If I am unfortunate enough to perish, I only hope the Lord will treat my family well! If so, I will be satisfied!"

"Good!"

Yuan Shao was overjoyed upon hearing this and shouted repeatedly: "General Gao Lan, rest assured, I will take good care of your family!"

"Of course, I still hope you can successfully retreat and return to my side in the end;"

"At that time, I will celebrate your merit and promote you heavily. Being appointed a general and enfeoffed as a marquis will be a common occurrence!"

Drawing a big pie, right? He was very good at it.

"Thank you, my Lord!"

Gao Lan heard this, and although he felt very disgusted in his heart, he still cupped his hands in thanks with a firm expression on the surface.

"Hmm!"

Yuan Shao nodded with satisfaction and waved his hand: "Since the matter is decided, General Gao, go down and reorganize the troops first!"

"I will leave the 20,000 troops under your command to you, and by the way, I will allocate another 10,000 to you. Please be sure to hold for 1 day to buy time for the army to retreat."

"Yes! I take my leave!"

Saying this, Gao Lan accepted the order and left.

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