Chapter 86

Gongsun Zan, who hated Yuan Fang to the extreme, had completely fallen into madness.

Not long ago, the commandery of Pingyuan was still under Gongsun Zan's control, and the people here were still his subjects.

Now, to avenge himself, Gongsun Zan was willing to massacre the city and kill the people to vent his hatred.

All the generals were intimidated by Gongsun Zan's order to massacre the city. Although some felt it was inappropriate, they feared angering Gongsun Zan and no one dared to advise him.

"Lord, in the clash of armies, casualties are inevitable. However, the people of Pingyuan are innocent. I beg you, Lord, not to vent your anger on the people."

The silence was broken by Zhao Yun, who spoke up to advise.

Seeing that Zhao Yun dared to oppose him, Gongsun Zan could not help but fly into a rage and shouted, "The stubborn people of Pingyuan dared not rise up against the little bandit Yuan Fang. They are all guilty and deserve to die. Whoever dares to advise me again, I will kill them!"

The mad Gongsun Zan would not listen to any advice and scolded Zhao Yun fiercely.

Seeing the situation, Guan Jing hurriedly agreed, "Lord, what you say is reasonable. Those stubborn people all deserve to die. It is only right for you to avenge your family. Zhao Zilong's opposition is truly unforgivable."

While agreeing with Gongsun Zan, Guan Jing also scolded Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun, silenced, had a belly full of reason but could not express it, and could only remain silent.

Encouraged by Guan Jing, Gongsun Zan became even more determined to massacre the city. He demoted Zhao Yun and reassigned him to the rear to supervise the transport of grain.

After dismissing Zhao Yun, Gongsun Zan ordered that one-third of the troops be sent to attack other counties outside Pingyuan City. Wherever the cavalry passed, all the old and young were to be killed.

To deal with the loss of half of his grain supplies in Nanpi, Gongsun Zan also ordered the implementation of a scorched earth policy to sustain the war.

Even if the resources of the Pingyuan commandery were plundered, it would not solve the grain needs of Gongsun Zan's entire army. In addition to plundering, Gongsun Zan had to extend his hand back to his own territory.

He issued strict orders to forcibly requisition grain from the people in the commanderies of Ji and You that he controlled, searching house by house. Anyone who resisted was to be killed without mercy.

It was early spring, and the grain harvest had not yet arrived. The people were still living on the grain stored from the previous year. Now, with Gongsun Zan's requisition of grain, it was no different from taking the food out of the people's mouths.

For a time, the people of the commanderies of Ji and You suffered greatly, and complaints were widespread. However, due to Gongsun Zan's iron-fisted military might, they dared to be angry but not to speak out, and were forced to hand over their life-saving grain. Thousands of those who refused to pay were killed.

Gongsun Zan, with such high-pressure policies, managed to seize grain from the people, which to some extent alleviated his grain shortage.

Determined to avenge himself, Gongsun Zan, even if it meant draining the last resources of his own territory and causing widespread resentment, refused to retreat.

...

A few days later, in Pingyuan City.

In the hall, the atmosphere was cold and solemn.

Yuan Fang sat high, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with hatred as he looked at the pile of urgent documents on the table.

Banche was attacked by the Youzhou army, and three thousand soldiers and civilians were massacred.

Leling was breached by the Youzhou army, and four thousand civilians were massacred.

The Youzhou army failed to capture Xiping City and plundered the countryside, leaving no one alive within fifty miles.

...

The urgent documents recorded the atrocities of the Youzhou army, and the extreme cruelty of the massacres shocked all the civil and military officials present.

Yuan Fang had only about ten thousand troops, mainly concentrated in Pingyuan City. Counties like Banche, which were not strategically important, were actually guarded by low-combat-capability commandery troops.

This was why the Youzhou army could easily attack these counties and carry out massacres and plundering.

In fact, according to common sense, these counties with no strategic significance did not need to be attacked by the Youzhou army.

But Yuan Fang did not expect that Gongsun Zan had fallen into madness and, in the name of revenge and sustaining the war, would not hesitate to attack and plunder these unimportant counties.

Moreover, plundering grain was one thing, but Gongsun Zan even dared to massacre the cities.

"Gongsun Zan, you mad dog!" Yuan Fang cursed, his eyes burning with hatred.

"Master, that old dog Gongsun Zan actually dared to massacre our Pingyuan. It is truly hateful. Lead us out to fight him, and we will fight to the death!" Yan Liang shouted indignantly.

Yan Liang's lead sparked the anger of the other generals, who all eagerly requested to fight.

Gongsun Zan's unprovoked invasion and the massacre of civilians had long made Yuan Fang furious, and he longed to fight a major battle and personally kill Gongsun Zan to vent his hatred.

Seeing the generals' enthusiasm, Yuan Fang, as the leader of the army, could not be timid and cowardly, and immediately decided to fight.

Amidst the indignation, Guo Jia remained calm and said, "Gongsun Zan's massacres are clearly intended to force us to fight. Master should remain calm and not fall into Gongsun Zan's trap."

Guo Jia's words made Yuan Fang's heart tremble, and he immediately understood the meaning.

Gongsun Zan's massacres, ostensibly to sustain the war and avenge the deaths of his son and brother, were also intended to lure him into battle.

With Gongsun Zan's current strength, it was difficult to capture Pingyuan City, but if he could lure Yuan Fang to fight in the open, the chances of victory in a decisive battle were still significant.

With Yuan Fang's intelligence, he could not fail to understand Guo Jia's words.

After much deliberation, Yuan Fang resolutely said, "Fengxiao's words are indeed reasonable, but the people of Pingyuan are my subjects. If I ignore their suffering at the hands of the enemy and only think of my own safety, how can I have the face to ask them to provide grain and send their children to join the army to help me achieve great things in the future?"

Yuan Fang's words seemed to carry a powerful force that deeply moved Guo Jia.

Soon, he understood the deeper meaning of Yuan Fang's words.

As an illegitimate son, why did Yuan Fang rise up in defiance?

Of course, it was to no longer be oppressed, to no longer be looked down upon, to become strong, and to regain his dignity.

Now, if he watched his people be oppressed and killed without taking action, what right did he have to talk about dignity?

After a long silence, Guo Jia sighed, "I understand Master's intentions. I believe that even if we go to war, we should do so selectively, not blindly."

Seeing Guo Jia's agreement, Yuan Fang felt greatly relieved and said, "Fengxiao, speak your plan."

Guo Jia then pointed to the map and explained his strategy.

His tactic was to exclude the cities that had already been plundered, such as Banche, and focus on the remaining cities that were likely to be Gongsun Zan's next targets.

Guo Jia analyzed the location, wealth, and other factors of these cities and deduced the order in which Gongsun Zan might attack them.

Following Guo Jia's advice, Yuan Fang sent part of his troops, led by Guo Huai and Yan Liang, to secretly reinforce these cities at night.

Guo Jia's strategy proved effective.

The plundering forces sent by Gongsun Zan, as expected, attacked the remaining counties like Ande with great momentum, expecting to capture them easily. However, they did not expect to find elite Yuan Fang troops already stationed in the cities.

The Youzhou army, overconfident, launched an attack but was met with a determined counterattack from the Yuan Fang troops. They failed to capture the cities and suffered losses instead.

Guo Jia's strategy successfully helped Yuan Fang protect the remaining cities and saved the people from the Youzhou army's massacres.

Unable to capture the cities, Gongsun Zan shifted his focus to the countryside, sending light cavalry deep into the countryside to burn, kill, and plunder.

Although Yuan Fang protected the key cities, he did not have enough troops to protect the vast countryside. Moreover, the Youzhou army's light cavalry moved swiftly, and Yuan Fang had no effective way to counter them.

The people of the Pingyuan countryside suffered greatly at the hands of the Youzhou army, and urgent documents from the Beihai commandery to the south arrived day and night.

Seeing Yuan Fang tied up by Gongsun Zan, Tao Qian took the opportunity to reinforce Cao Bao, launching a strong attack on Dongwu City with forty thousand troops. Zang Ba's forces were in grave danger, and the situation became increasingly dire.

That day, in the military headquarters, Yuan Fang was discussing solutions with his civil and military officials.

Suddenly, Guo Jia, who was holding a gourd and drinking wine, seemed to choke and spat out a mouthful of wine.

"Fengxiao, what's wrong?" Yuan Fang asked in surprise.

Guo Jia wiped the wine from his mouth, his eyes gleaming with excitement, and said, "Master, I choked on the wine just now, but it made me think of a strategy that will surely help you defeat that mad dog Gongsun Zan."

Guo Jia has a plan!

Hearing these words, Yuan Fang's stern face suddenly lit up with boundless joy.