Chapter 275

"Alliance Leader, you know."

"The Beihai Commandery under my rule has been plagued by the remnants of the Yellow Turbans for the past two years."

"Qingzhou was never as prosperous as Yuzhou and Jizhou."

"Under the scourge of the Yellow Turbans, it is even more difficult to move forward."

"Participating in the coalition this time, the little grain I have left is only enough for my Beihai soldiers to eat."

"If I lend it to others, what will my Beihai soldiers eat and drink?"

The one speaking was none other than Kong Rong.

Beihai Commandery was the seat of Qingzhou and also Kong Rong's base.

However, Kong Rong's influence was limited to just this one commandery.

The other commanderies in Qingzhou were mostly occupied by local powerful clans and Yellow Turban remnants.

And among the Yellow Turban remnants.

The most famous was Guan Hai, who led the masses to attack Kong Rong last year!

If it hadn't been for the rescue by Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others, Kong Rong would have long since died at Guan Hai's hands.

The unlucky Guan Hai encountered Guan Yu, who was wielding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

In the end, he died under Guan Yu's Green Dragon Blade.

The siege of Beihai was subsequently lifted.

After Guan Hai died, the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans were left without a leader.

But this blockhead Kong Rong, instead of seizing the time to expand his strength.

He actually held some kind of "Pure Talk Meeting" in Beihai, wasting money and manpower.

It can be said that Kong Rong was a very failed warlord.

Fortunately, he was born in Qingzhou.

If he had been placed in one of the provinces where the Guandong warlords competed most fiercely.

He would have long since become cannon fodder like Kong Zhou and Qiao Mao.

And now.

Hearing Yuan Shao inciting the various warlords to lend grain to Cao Cao and Gongsun Zan, Kong Rong immediately stood up to cry poverty.

Following closely behind, Zhang Yang and Tao Qian also stood up.

Zhang Yang's territory was about the same size as Kong Rong's, both the size of a commandery.

Moreover, Zhang Yang's Shangdang Commandery was within Bingzhou, which was even poorer than Beihai in Qingzhou.

Shangdang Commandery in the late Han era might not be very famous.

But if placed in the late Warring States period.

A major battle that determined the future direction of history once broke out on this land: the Battle of Changping!

However.

Bingzhou was not as prosperous as other provinces to begin with.

Plus, Zhang Yang was just a warlord with very average ability, so naturally, there wasn't much surplus grain under his rule.

Compared to Zhang Yang and Kong Rong, Tao Qian's scale was naturally much larger; he was, after all, a provincial governor.

But the battle that broke out with Cao Cao not long ago had already dragged Tao Qian down, and now he was also a genuine pauper.

Yuan Shao also knew the situation under these three warlords.

Therefore, he actually hadn't intended to set his sights on these three from the start.

In the blink of an eye.

Only Yuan Shu and Liu Bei remained who hadn't expressed their stance.

"Hmph, I don't have any surplus grain in Yuzhou."

Yuan Shu snorted coldly.

Asking him to lend grain to Cao Cao and Gongsun Zan for no reason—such a sucker's task—was naturally something he couldn't agree to.

"I do have the heart to lend, but... my army really doesn't have much grain."

Liu Bei's brows were tightly locked.

If it were helping Gongsun Zan, he could indeed go and help.

After all.

Gongsun Zan and he had a good relationship.

Previously, they were even fellow disciples and had a relationship of old superior and subordinate.

The reason Liu Bei was able to start his career was largely due to Gongsun Zan's help.

But Liu Bei had only occupied Huainan for a short time.

Most of the grain harvested in Huainan previously was in the hands of the local Huainan aristocratic families.

Setting out on this expedition, the grain Liu Bei carried was only enough for his own soldiers to eat.

Lending it to Gongsun Zan... was really asking too much.

After hearing the five of them express their stances one after another, Yuan Shao sighed faintly.

However.

Even though he was the nominal alliance leader of the warlords.

He couldn't forcibly compel other warlords to provide grain at this moment.

But if he were to let Yuan Shao alone provide grain for Cao Cao and Gongsun Zan, he was naturally unwilling as well.