Chapter 29

The Plain Commandery, bordering Ji Province to the north and Yanzhou to the south, serves as the gateway to Qingzhou, with the Yellow River running through it.

A strategic location in name and reality.

On this day in early summer, Yuan Fang planted his banner on the city wall of Pingyuan, the administrative center of the Plain Commandery.

Once Pingyuan fell, the nearby counties of Ande and Ge, fearing Yuan Fang's might, surrendered without a fight.

Except for the coastal counties of Xiping and Leling to the east, and Gaotang on the south bank of the Yellow River, where Liu Bei had retreated, half of the Plain Commandery was now in Yuan Fang's hands.

Now, Yuan Fang, the "Governor of the Plain Commandery," was no longer a nominal title.

After months of hard fighting, battling Liu Bei and Sun Gongzhan externally and Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi internally, Yuan Fang finally broke through and seized his first territory.

Although it was only half a commandery, Yuan Fang firmly believed that this half would spread like a spark, eventually turning into a raging fire.

That night, Yuan Fang sat in the main hall of the commandery government, the seat that once belonged to Liu Bei, and held a grand victory banquet, discussing the spoils of war with his generals.

The key stronghold of Pingyuan, several counties, and nearly 50,000 registered households were the greatest gains.

In addition, Yuan Fang had killed 3,000 enemies and captured nearly 2,000, along with a vast amount of military equipment.

If he could assimilate these 2,000 captives into his army, the number of troops under his command would reach 10,000.

Besides these, there were additional gains.

Danche was killed, Liu Bei fled to Gaotang, and Pingyuan fell without a fight. The hundreds of thousands of hu of grain stored in the city were now in Yuan Fang's possession.

In this era of great turmoil and severe economic disruption, these supplies of grain were even more valuable than soldiers.

With this grain, Yuan Fang would not have to worry about it being secretly withheld by Guo Tu and others for at least several months, giving him more confidence.

When Yuan Fang killed Danche in Shu County, defeated Liu Bei, and planted his banner on the city wall of Pingyuan, the spies planted in the Plain Commandery quickly spread the shocking news.

In Puyang, the capital of Dong Commandery, Cao Cao, a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion, read the silk report in his hand, his deep eyes flickering with surprise.

"None of Yuan Shao's legitimate sons that I have met are particularly talented. How could this Yuan Fang suddenly appear and be so capable?" Cao Cao stroked his short beard, curious.

"When I was under Yuan Shao, I only knew that he had an illegitimate son named Yuan Fang. I heard that this son was born lame and weak, but I never expected him to be so hidden," said Xun Yu, a scholar who had recently resigned from Yuan Shao and joined Cao Cao. No one knew Yuan Shao's limits better than him.

Hearing Xun Yu's words, Cao Cao was even more surprised: "Even Wenruo couldn't see through this Yuan Fang. It seems he has hidden himself very deeply. For a young man to have such depth, he is not simple, not simple at all..."

Cao Cao said "not simple" three times, the first time he had ever given such an evaluation of someone.

"Now that the lord has been invited by the scholars of Yanzhou to take the position of governor, dealing with the Yellow Turban rebels, if Qingzhou falls to Gongsun Zan, it will cause us a lot of trouble. This sudden rise of Yuan Fang, who is restraining Gongsun Zan, is a good thing," Xun Yu analyzed.

Cao Cao nodded slightly.

Although Cao Cao was a governor, he had both an alliance and a subordinate relationship with Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao appointed him as the governor of Dong Commandery to protect his rear and defend against the threats from Yuan Shu and Tao Qian, allowing Yuan Shao to focus on Gongsun Zan.

In this sense, Gongsun Zan was also Cao Cao's enemy.

"Wenruo's words are reasonable. It seems I need to send someone to form an alliance with this Yuan Fang," Cao Cao agreed with Xun Yu's suggestion but sighed, "Forming an alliance with him now, he may become a major threat in the future..."

In Longzhou, Ji Province, tens of thousands of Yuan Shao's soldiers silently entered the newly established camp, their morale low.

Yuan Shao, on horseback, looked grim and preoccupied.

He had led a large army north, hoping to take advantage of the victory at Jieqiao to crush Gongsun Zan and annex Youzhou.

However, Gongsun Zan's resources were far more substantial than he had imagined. In the battle at Juma River, he suffered a crushing defeat, losing nearly 5,000 soldiers.

Defeated, Yuan Shao had no choice but to retreat hastily, all the way back to Longzhou, ceding the recently recovered commanderies like Hejian to Gongsun Zan.

Now, the victorious Gongsun Zan was leading a powerful Youzhou army, advancing south to pursue him.

With no place to retreat, Yuan Shao decided to set up camp in Longzhou to resist Gongsun Zan's cavalry.

Entering the main tent with a heavy heart, Yuan Shao threw his helmet on the table and stared at the map, deep in thought about how to defend against the enemy.

In the tent, the generals and strategists dared not speak, fearing to offend Yuan Shao.

In the heavy silence, Tian Feng suddenly burst in, holding a silk report, excitedly saying, "My lord, a great victory in Qingzhou! Second Prince defeated the enemy a few days ago, killed Danche, and captured countless enemies, taking Pingyuan!"

Pingyuan captured?

Another great victory for Yuan Fang?

In the tent, everyone was stunned, their faces changing in shock. After a moment of silence, the tent erupted in discussion.

"Second Prince is truly remarkable, capturing Pingyuan."

"Yes, Danche is a great general under Gongsun Zan, and Second Prince killed him in battle."

"We really underestimated Second Prince. He is truly a great general."

In the tent, everyone was talking, all looking at Yuan Fang with new respect, even those in Yuan Tan's faction were praising him.

Yuan Shao was also shocked, his eyes wide with disbelief, as if he couldn't believe the good news.

Only after snatching the silk report from Tian Feng and reading it carefully did Yuan Shao accept the astonishing fact.

"Xixi has many soldiers and generals, yet he has suffered repeated defeats. Second Prince has only a few thousand troops, with only Zhu Ling as a capable general, yet he defeated Danche and captured Pingyuan. How did he do it?"

Yuan Shao was full of doubt and confusion, clenching the silk report tighter, as if a hidden resentment was brewing in his hand.

"My lord, with this great victory, Second Prince should be heavily rewarded to recognize his achievements," Tian Feng bowed and advised.

Yuan Shao was silent for a moment, his expression returning to calm, and he said coolly, "Didn't I already appoint him as the governor of Pingyuan and increase his troops?"

"But, my lord, those rewards were for the victory at Galing. Now that Second Prince has won another great victory, shouldn't he be rewarded again?" Tian Feng insisted.

A flash of displeasure crossed Yuan Shao's eyes.

At this moment, Xu You stepped forward, bowed, and smiled, "Second Prince's victory should indeed be rewarded, but with a decisive battle against Gongsun Zan imminent, if my lord continues to promote Second Prince, the other generals might think my lord favors his own children. Therefore, I suggest we postpone the rewards."

Yuan Shao immediately agreed, "Ziyuan's words are reasonable. Let me write a letter to praise him."

Saying this, Yuan Shao sat down and began writing the letter.

Tian Feng had no choice but to sigh and step back.

Yuan Shao wrote the letter and immediately sent it south to the Plain Commandery.

At this time, Yuan Fang was already organizing his troops, preparing to cross the Yellow River and capture the key stronghold of Gaotang.

The one-year term was about to end, and Yuan Shao could then recall him with a legitimate reason. Yuan Fang needed to strengthen his position as much as possible in the remaining time to have the capital to defy Yuan Shao's orders.

In the governor's residence.

In the main hall, Yuan Fang was discussing the plan to cross the river and capture Gaotang with Zhu Ling and other generals.

"Prince, now that you have captured Pingyuan and achieved great success, the lord will certainly increase your troops. Then we will have enough strength to cross the Yellow River," Zhu Ling said optimistically.

Yuan Fang, however, was not convinced: "My father has never looked up to me. If he wins, he might be happy and give me more troops. But now that he has lost and retreated to Longzhou, it's unlikely he will give me more troops."

Zhu Ling and the others were stunned, their faces showing doubt, not quite believing Yuan Fang's judgment.

Just then, Yuan Gui rushed in and presented the letter from Yuan Shao to Yuan Fang.

Yuan Fang took the letter casually, glanced at it, and said with a cold smile, "As I expected. You can read it for yourselves."

He showed the letter to the generals, who read it and all frowned, their faces showing anger.

The letter contained only a few insincere words of praise, with no mention of rewards.

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