Chapter 50

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Though the year had not yet passed, and the military prowess competition between Yuan Xi and Yuan Fang had not yet determined a winner, it was clear that Yuan Xi had already unilaterally considered the Miss Zhen as his own woman.

Now, when he heard that "his" woman had eagerly gone to Pingyuan to risk her safety to visit Yuan Fang, how could he not be so angry that his lungs felt like they were about to explode?

Yuan Xi was so enraged that he began to curse Yuan Fang, continuing until he was out of breath and his mouth was dry.

He sat down, panting heavily, his face flushed.

At this moment, Jiang Qi dared to step forward, smiling awkwardly, "My lord, do not be angry. The second lord must have only won by chance, and is not a real threat. Now that my lord has already entered Shangdang, the Black Mountain bandits are all tied up in Changshan. There is no one who can stand against my lord's army. We only need to advance immediately and capture Bingzhou before the second lord. Then, the Miss Zhen will still belong to my lord."

Jiang Qi's flattery and comfort gradually improved Yuan Xi's agitated and angry mood.

After a moment of contemplation, Yuan Xi immediately issued orders, commanding all the troops to prepare to march and continue the attack on the interior of Bingzhou the next morning.

"Attacking Bingzhou is not enough. How can I sit idly by and let that bastard smoothly take Qingzhou? Since he has seduced my woman, I must give him a taste of my power." Yuan Xi still could not swallow this humiliation.

Jiang Qi's eyes gleamed, and he smiled sinisterly, "Why not send a secret letter to the eldest lord, asking him to use his influence to drastically reduce the second lord's military pay? When his ten thousand troops have their pay cut, their morale will surely be in chaos, and who will still fight for him to take Qingzhou?"

Hearing this, Yuan Xi's spirits were lifted, and he slapped the table, "Very well, this is a good move. We will do it as you suggest."

Immediately, Yuan Xi wrote a letter and sent it off in the dead of night to Ye, to be delivered to Yuan Tan.

...

In Youzhou, Zhuo County.

In the main hall of the military government in Zhuo County, Gongsun Zan was discussing important matters with his trusted advisor, Guan Jing.

"Recently, it has been heard that Liu Yu frequently gathers his subordinates for secret consultations. I suspect that Liu Yu is already very dissatisfied with my lord. He must be secretly plotting against my lord. We must be cautious," Guan Jing said with concern.

Gongsun Zan, the White Horse General, was nominally a subordinate of Liu Yu, the Governor of Youzhou. However, relying on his large army and capable generals, he often disregarded Liu Yu's orders and even launched attacks on Yuan Shao in Ji Province, which greatly angered Liu Yu.

Now, their relationship was on the brink of breaking.

Hearing Guan Jing's warning, Gongsun Zan snorted coldly, "Liu Yu is just a corrupt scholar, only capable of superficial actions to win the hearts of the people. He does not have the courage to take action against me."

Guan Jing hurriedly advised, "Although Liu Yu is incompetent, a cornered dog may still jump over a wall. My lord's influence in Youzhou is already great, severely threatening Liu Yu. I fear he may act out of desperation."

Despite Guan Jing's earnest advice, Gongsun Zan remained dismissive, "Even if Liu Yu has the courage to attack me, what use is it? With his ability to command troops, I only need to move my finger to crush him."

"My lord is right. I was overthinking it. What is Liu Yu? If he dares to attack my lord, it will be his own downfall."

Seeing that Gongsun Zan did not take Liu Yu seriously, Guan Jing quickly changed his tone.

Pleased by Guan Jing's flattery, Gongsun Zan nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction on his face, but his gaze turned southward.

"Recently, it has been heard that Yuan Shao sent his bastard to attack Qingzhou. Not only did he kill Dan Jing, but he also captured Pingyuan and Gaotang. How can I tolerate such a bastard's arrogance? I wonder if Xubing has recaptured Pingyuan." Gongsun Zan did not hide his contempt for Yuan Fang.

Seeing this, Guan Jing seized the opportunity to flatter, "The young general has inherited my lord's style. Leading ten thousand elite infantry and cavalry, he will surely recapture Pingyuan. Yuan Fang is just a bastard of Yuan Shao, how can he be a match for the young general?"

Hearing his trusted advisor praise his beloved son, Gongsun Zan stroked his beard and smiled, nodding in satisfaction.

Just then, a guard outside the hall reported that Zhao Yun had returned from defeat in Qingzhou.

Defeated and returned!

Gongsun Zan's face turned pale, and his eyes, which had been filled with satisfaction, suddenly flashed with shock and anger, as if he could not believe it.

Zhao Yun's defeat meant that his beloved son, Gongsun Xubing, had also returned in defeat.

However, with Gongsun Xubing's strength and ten thousand infantry and cavalry, failing to capture a poorly defended Pingyuan was one thing, but returning in complete defeat was simply unimaginable.

A moment later, Zhao Yun entered the hall with a somber expression, bowing, "My lord, the campaign was unsuccessful, and I have returned in defeat. Please punish me."

Seeing that only Zhao Yun had entered, Gongsun Zan asked anxiously, "Where is Xubing? Where is my son?"

"Your son... he has been captured by Yuan Fang," Zhao Yun said, delivering the残酷的事实.

"What!"

Gongsun Zan was shocked, jumping to his feet, his eyes wide with disbelief.

The beloved son of the renowned White Horse General, with superior forces, not only failed to defeat Yuan Shao's bastard but was also captured. This was simply unimaginable.

Humiliation, great humiliation!

"How is this possible? How could Xubing be defeated by that bastard of the Yuan family?" Gongsun Zan roared, unable to accept the reality.

Zhao Yun then recounted in detail how Yuan Fang had crossed the Yellow River secretly, appeared unexpectedly behind them with his main force, and captured Gongsun Xubing.

As Gongsun Zan listened, his shock grew, and his anger intensified.

Slam!

Gongsun Zan slammed his hand on the table, shouting at Zhao Yun, "Zhao Zilong, I sent you to assist Xubing, but you let him fall into enemy hands. What crime do you deserve?"

Zhao Yun's body trembled, and he bowed, "I had repeatedly advised the young general not to use all his troops to besiege the city and to divide them to guard against a southern attack. However, the young general insisted on not listening to my advice, and thus..."

"Enough!"

Gongsun Zan interrupted Zhao Yun's defense with a fierce shout, "Yuan Fang, that boy, has dared to capture my Xubing. I will not let him off. Pass my orders to gather the troops. I will sweep through Pingyuan and personally execute that bastard."

Guan Jing quickly agreed, "My lord's decision is wise. Now that Yuan Shao's main force is engaged with the Black Mountain bandits, my lord can lead a large army south again. Not only can we kill Yuan Fang and rescue the young general, but we can also attack Yuan Shao's flank. This is a brilliant two-pronged strategy."

"My lord, you must not," Zhao Yun's expression changed, and he urgently advised, "Yuan Fang said that he has no intention of being an enemy to my lord. If my lord attacks Pingyuan, he will harm the young general."

Hearing this, Gongsun Zan's murderous intent was like a bucket of cold water poured over him, and he immediately lost his resolve.

He knew that Yuan Fang was using Gongsun Xubing to threaten him.

Gongsun Zan had only one beloved son, Gongsun Xubing. If he were killed by Yuan Fang, he would have no heir.

The continuation of his lineage was more important than conquering a vast territory.

Gongsun Zan fell back into his seat, his fierce expression fading, and his demeanor becoming dazed.

"My lord, the young general is invaluable and cannot be put at risk. To ensure his safety, my lord should temporarily endure," Guan Jing, understanding Gongsun Zan's thoughts, quickly changed his tone.

"Yuan Fang, that bastard..." Gongsun Zan gritted his teeth, his fists clenched, wishing he could tear Yuan Fang apart.

After a long moment of anger, Gongsun Zan sighed deeply and waved his hand, "You are right. We cannot risk Xubing's life. Quickly send orders to my cousin, commanding him to strictly control the Bohai troops. Without my orders, they must not enter Pingyuan."

Gongsun Zan's cousin, Gongsun Fan, was the governor of Bohai.

Hearing this, Zhao Yun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"My lord is wise. Since advancing south is not favorable, we should focus on eliminating Liu Yu, our rear threat," Guan Jing, seeing the wind, quickly shifted the topic back to Liu Yu.

Gongsun Zan, ignoring Zhao Yun, forced himself to focus and discussed with Guan Jing.

Zhao Yun, standing in the hall, frowned, a faint shadow of gloom in his eyes.

...

In Qingzhou, the State of Qi, Linzi.

On the four city gates, the banners of the Yuan family fluttered high. Squadrons of Yuan's troops marched into this prosperous city with a powerful stride.

After the great victory at Gaotang, Yuan Fang led over ten thousand troops, pursuing the defeated forces of Liu Bei, capturing the commanderies and states of Jiyang and Le'an.

Liu Bei fled in disarray, not daring to engage in battle.

Today, Yuan Fang almost took Linzi, the capital of the State of Qi, without a fight.

With the capture of the State of Qi, the gateway to the State of Beihai was now open.

The influence of Gongsun Zan and the Han court in Qingzhou had been successively destroyed by the Yellow Turban rebels and Yuan Fang. Kong Rong, the governor of the State of Beihai, had become the largest warlord in all of Qingzhou.

As long as Beihai was captured, all of Qingzhou would fall under Yuan Fang's rule.

Shortly after entering the city, Yuan Fang was celebrating with his generals when Yuan Gui excitedly brought in intelligence from the north.

The intelligence reported that Gongsun Fan, who had been leading troops to invade, had retreated with his army. The other Youzhou troops that had approached Pingyuan had also withdrawn.

"It seems that everything is as my lord predicted. With Gongsun Xubing as our hostage, Gongsun Zan indeed dared not invade again," Zhu Ling said excitedly.

Yuan Fang laughed heartily, pointing eastward, "With no rear threat, follow me as we advance eastward and sweep through Qingzhou!"

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