Chapter 45

The whole of Qingzhou was taken by Liu Bei in a little over a month; Liu Bei had Zhang Tou lead troops to garrison Jinan Commandery, while the Second Brother stationed troops in Le'an Commandery; Liu Bei had already anticipated that Yuan Shao would not let it rest.

Thanks to the unremitting efforts of Guo Tu and Feng Ji, Xu You successfully earned Yuan Shao's dislike—after all, he and Liu Bei are close friends. And Liu Bei, too—why is he so ruthless, swallowing all of Qingzhou by himself? Isn't that exactly his lord's plan?

What Liu Bei has done is based on his having driven Yuan Shao's forces out of Qingzhou; if it weren't for Liu Bei's strong military strength, I fear Yuan Shao's actions would be even more excessive.

In the chaotic late Han era, the saying 'the weak are meat, the strong eat' truly proved itself.

After a half‑month of rest, the big‑headed, big‑eared Yuan Shao stood on the mustering platform at Ye City in Jizhou, delivering a round of lofty, heroic words that made his underlings' blood boil.

Yuan Shao gripped his long sword, stepped forward full of ambition, and spoke loudly.

"My Jizhou's eleven commanderies are the richest in the world; now our troops are elite and supplies ample, we sit on three hundred thousand elite soldiers—yet little Liu Bei dares to betray trust and abandon righteousness; I will surely attack him!"

Tens of thousands of elite troops below, led by the officers, shouted in unison, creating a feeling of mountains roaring and seas surging; Yuan Shao's heroic spirit soared, and he pressed downward.

"Yan Liang, lead thirty thousand elite troops as the left‑wing vanguard, straight for Jinan Commandery; I give you half a month to capture the main city, Pingling!"

Clad in Tangni armor, over eight chi tall, with a sturdy, robust build, Yan Liang stepped forward in response and loudly assented.

Yuan Shao nodded in satisfaction, then issued another order.

"Wen Chou, you also lead thirty thousand troops as the right‑wing vanguard, focusing on blocking reinforcements to Le'an Commandery to buy time for Yan Liang to capture Jinan Commandery."

Wen Chou, whose face resembled a crab's back and who held an iron spear, also received the order and stepped down.

"Zhang He and Gao Lan, you two together lead fifty thousand troops to garrison between Qi Commandery and Le'an Commandery, forming a pincer with Wen Chou to besiege and strike at relief forces."

"I myself will lead one hundred thousand troops as the center; my son Yuan Tan will remain to guard Jizhou, and I ask Mr. Ju Shou and Mr. Shen Pei to assist him well. This time I will crush Qingzhou to vent the hatred in my heart!"

After Yuan Shao finished speaking, Guo Tu was the first to roll up his sleeves and shout loudly.

"Capture Qingzhou, take Liu Bei alive!"

The officers below, leading the soldiers, also joined in the shouting. Yuan Shao looked on smiling at the scene of mountains roaring and seas surging, glanced at Guo Tu beside him, whose face was flushed red from shouting too hard, and felt even more pleased with Guo Tu—well, he's truly the thoughtful little padded jacket among his advisors, excellent!

Liu Bei in Qingzhou was not idle either; he had already received intelligence from Jizhou, and now Jia Xu's information network was extensive, with his Dark Net members among refugees and merchants everywhere.

Liu Bei summoned his advisors and generals in Qi Commandery overnight, while Jia Xu stood beside him with a solemn expression.

Liu Bei stood before the huge map of Qingzhou hanging on the wall and addressed the crowd.

"Everyone, Yuan Shao's forces are advancing menacingly, with over two hundred thousand elite troops coming to invade my Qingzhou. Do we avoid their sharp edge or meet them head‑on to see who is stronger?"

Lu Bu looked left and right, then stepped forward confidently and said.

"Father, give me twenty thousand elite troops; I'll be the vanguard and smash Yuan Shao's advance forces."

The Third Brother crossed his thick arms over his chest, laughed heartily, and his round eyes widened even more.

"Great nephew, taking Qingzhou makes you the vanguard; this time let me, your third uncle, handle it. Elder brother, I'll lead men to lift the siege of Jinan Commandery."

The generals one after another volunteered; seeing their high spirits, Liu Bei felt very pleased and immediately gave Jia Xu a glance.

Jia Xu saw that the mood had reached this point; if he didn't speak up now, it would be unacceptable.

With a confident smile, Jia Xu glanced at everyone and then spoke loudly.

"Everyone, although Yuan Shao's troops are strong and his horses sturdy, in my view he has eight reasons for certain defeat; listen carefully:"

"One, Yuan Shao loves to scheme but lacks decision; his advisors give suggestions, yet he only picks and chooses bits and pieces, making it hard to seize the right moment—this is one defeat."

"Two, the Yuan family has produced three dukes across four generations, yet they seized Jizhou by trickery and force—their name is not legitimate, their words not proper—this is a second defeat."

"Three, Yuan Shao has three sons but no eldest or heir, causing his civil and military officers to be disunited, each harboring secret thoughts—this is a third defeat."

"Four, Yuan Shao loves grand achievements; this time his campaign against Youzhou returned fruitless, yet he still comes to attack my Qingzhou—this is a fourth defeat."

"Five, Jizhou's troops and horses are exhausted; after less than half a month of rest they are mobilized en masse—like a spent crossbow bolt—this is a fifth defeat."

"Six, in Yuan Shao's army, promotion is based on favoritism, filling the ranks with mediocrities—this is a sixth defeat."

"Seven, Yuan Shao's advisors scheme against each other; take Guo Tu, Xu You, and Feng Ji as examples—this is a seventh defeat."

"Eight, Yuan Shao is narrow‑minded, lacking the demeanor of a true leader; although he has loyal ministers and advisors, he refuses to hear frank advice—how could he possibly win? This is an eighth defeat."

"And these eight defeats mean eight victories for our lord; I am certain we will win this time, and Yuan Benchu will surely lose!"

Jia Xu's words rang true and were easy to understand; everyone present looked enlightened and excited, and even Chen Gong, who had long remained silent on strategy, pondered a moment then stepped forward and said.

"Wen He's words are truly like parting the clouds to see the sun; our lord will surely win this time!"

Liu Bei nodded in satisfaction, but inwardly he muttered about that old fogey Chen Gong—this old brat never truly surrendered to him, and probably just wants to wander the world with Lu Bu.

From now on we must absolutely not let those two troublemakers act together!

"Although Yuan Shao claims not to be a true leader, he still has numerous troops and generals. Zifang, take my battle standard and join with Yunlong; let him rush to reinforce Jinan Commandery. Le'an Commandery has no strategic stronghold to hold, so you may abandon it if appropriate."

Xiao Pangzi Mi Fang immediately stepped forward to receive the order, and with a few guards hurried through the night to Le'an Commandery.

"This time the enemy's main force should be in Yuan Shao's central army; Fengxian, you immediately contract your forces—I have great use for them."

Lu Bu clasped his fist in assent, and Jia Xu then stepped forward and said.

"This time Yuan Shao has raised two hundred thousand troops, while our forces in Qingzhou number no less than one hundred thousand, and we also have the advantages of terrain and timing; I'm just worried about Xu Province……"

Liu Bei closed his eyes to ponder for a moment, then paced back and forth a few steps.

"Not bad; judging by the insight of Ju Shou and others, it's highly likely that after we launch our attack here they will sneak a raid on Xu Province. I'll write a letter of divorce and send Xianhe to Cao Cao."

After Liu Bei finished writing the letter, he immediately ordered it rushed to Xu Province; meanwhile, Jian Yong, far away in Xu Province, upon receiving the letter, had several thin-built Cao army prisoners brought out from jail and immediately led a detachment racing to Xuchang.