Chapter 276

Therefore, Yuan Shao had no choice but to say:

"Since you all don't have any suitable solutions for the time being."

"Then why not wait until Meng De and Bo Gui arrive before discussing it further."

Everyone nodded repeatedly.

Anyway, it was the same saying: let the fellow Daoist die, not me.

It was Cao Cao and Gongsun Zan whose grain was burned.

It didn't infringe upon the core interests of the other six warlords.

Under such circumstances.

The other six warlords naturally wouldn't put their own soldiers in danger to help Cao Cao and Gongsun Zan.

……

Soon.

Cao Cao and Gongsun Zan, leading their soldiers, arrived at the coalition camp outside Hulao Pass.

After several hours of trekking, it was already nearly night.

The coalition warlords had originally planned for Cao Cao and Gongsun Zan to lead a portion of the troops to remain outside Sishui Pass to contain Gu Yi and Hua Xiong.

The other six warlords would take the opportunity to attack Hulao Pass and take it down as quickly as possible.

But now, Cao Cao and Gongsun Zan's grain had been burned to nothing by Gao Shun's sneak attack with the Trapping Battalion.

The two naturally didn't dare to continue staying outside Sishui Pass.

And this also announced the complete bankruptcy of the coalition's plan to split the troops.

After the two entered the coalition's main tent.

The other five warlords, except for Yuan Shao, quickly surrounded them, asking after Cao Cao and Gongsun Zan.

However.

When Cao Cao and Gongsun Zan mentioned their intention to borrow some grain as an emergency measure.

These warlords all acted as if they were mute, unable to let out a single peep.

Seeing this, how could Gongsun Zan and Cao Cao not guess their thoughts?

The straightforward Gongsun Zan immediately said to Tao Qian and Kong Rong:

"Gongzu, Wenju, could it be that you two intend to stand by and watch us die?"

"Don't forget, it was precisely because of the existence of my Youzhou Legion that Xuzhou and Qingzhou were not overrun by the Yellow Turban remnants!"

Hearing this, Tao Qian and Kong Rong lowered their heads deeply.

What Gongsun Zan said was a true event.

It happened one year after the Battle of Jieqiao.

As everyone knows, during the Battle of Jieqiao.

Gongsun Zan and his White Horse Followers encountered their fated nemesis, Qu Yi and the Vanguard Death Soldiers.

The White Horse Followers were wiped out in that battle.

Even Gongsun Zan's right-hand man, his trusted general Yan Gang, died at the hands of Qu Yi.

Gongsun Zan's Youzhou Legion could be said to have suffered heavy losses.

And at the same time.

The original head of Yanzhou, Yanzhou Governor Liu Dai.

And the original second-in-command of Yanzhou, Jibei Chancellor Bao Xin.

Also died one after another at the hands of the Yellow Turbans.

Cao Cao was entrusted with the task at a critical moment and, under the recommendation of Zhang Miao, Chen Gong, and others, replaced Liu Dai as the new Yanzhou Governor.

But even so.

Hundreds of thousands, claiming to be over a million, Qingzhou Yellow Turbans swept through four provinces: Qingzhou, Yanzhou, Xuzhou, and Youzhou.

The momentum was extremely vast!

Cao Cao, Kong Rong, and Tao Qian were all involved parties.

All three were worried that the Yellow Turbans would desperately rush toward their territories!

But a strange scene appeared!

The Yellow Turbans, not knowing whose bewitchment they listened to.

After the Battle of Jieqiao, nearly 300,000 Qingzhou Yellow Turbans collectively moved north, intending to attack Youzhou!

Perhaps they felt that Gongsun Zan had lost at Jieqiao, his strength was far inferior to before, and he was already a dying insect.

Youzhou would become meat on their chopping block!

Little did they know.

Gongsun Zan had only lost at Jieqiao.

He had only lost to the Vanguard Death Soldiers.

It didn't mean that his Youzhou Legion was something to be trifled with!

Hearing the news of the Yellow Turbans moving north.

Gongsun Zan immediately mustered 20,000 troops.

He moved south to the border of Qingzhou and Youzhou, near Dongguang County, and launched a decisive battle with the Yellow Turbans!

In this battle, Gongsun Zan defeated 300,000 Yellow Turbans with 20,000 elite Youzhou soldiers!

The number of people directly beheaded exceeded 30,000.

The number of captives approached 70,000.

The remaining 200,000 Yellow Turbans were defeated and scattered.

(PS: This battle is clearly recorded in many historical books, but because the Romance does not mention this matter, not many people may know about it. Interested handsome readers can go and look it up themselves; the little author won't repeat it here.)

If it hadn't been for Gongsun Zan crushing these 300,000 Qingzhou Yellow Turbans, I'm afraid Tao Qian and Kong Rong would definitely have been the first to suffer.

At the same time.

It was precisely because of this battle.

The remaining Qingzhou Yellow Turbans changed their original style of burning, killing, and looting, and instead accepted the reorganization of the various Guandong warlords.

Therefore, from a certain perspective, Gongsun Zan could be considered to have done a favor for Kong Rong and Tao Qian.

But now.

Facing Gongsun Zan's request to borrow grain, the two chose to play dead together.

Seeing the two still silent.

Gongsun Zan shook his head in disappointment.

He understood that these two probably intended to play dead to the end today.

Seeing Gongsun Zan anxious with red eyes, Liu Bei gritted his teeth tightly, then came to Gongsun Zan's side and said:

"Brother Bo Gui, I can share a portion of the grain under my command with you."

"But... I'm afraid I can only provide enough for 20,000 troops for ten days."

Hearing this.

Gongsun Zan turned his head to look at Liu Bei and said with a fist salute:

"In that case, brother thanks you, Xuande, for your generosity."

Gongsun Zan roughly understood the situation under Liu Bei's command.

Although he now occupied Huainan.

But to put it bluntly, Huainan was still the world of local aristocratic families.

Liu Bei didn't have any extra money or grain in his hands.

Taking out ten days' worth of grain for 20,000 people was already Liu Bei's limit.

However.

This grain was, after all, just a drop in the bucket for Gongsun Zan.

He still had over 20,000 soldiers under his command; if he couldn't get a stable source of grain, I'm afraid something would go wrong sooner or later.

Thinking of this, Gongsun Zan turned his head to Yuan Shao and said:

"Alliance Leader, as the initiator of this coalition, you can't just ignore the members of the coalition, right?"

Being questioned like this by Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shao couldn't help but have black lines all over his forehead.

Moral kidnapping was something he had always used on other warlords.