My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 494 Unification of Hebei

Gongsun Zan stood atop a tall building in Yi County, the biting wind whipping at his tattered robes.

Beneath the city walls, Yuan Shao's army surged in like a tidal wave, their battle cries shaking the heavens and earth. He looked down and saw that the once prosperous city had been reduced to scorched earth, the flames reflecting red in his eyes.

He knew he had nowhere to retreat.

In the distance, there were many towers and pavilions, among which were many elite armored soldiers, but these people had all abandoned him and surrendered to Yuan Shao.

Just two hours earlier, Gongsun Zan saw the torch signal outside the city and mistakenly thought it was his son bringing Zhang Yan's reinforcements. Therefore, despite Zou Jing's fierce opposition, he insisted on launching an attack with his last remaining resources, hoping to launch a coordinated attack from within and without to defeat Yuan Shao again.

To his despair, the torch signal outside the city was actually set off by Yuan Shao. The other side had guessed how he communicated with his son and used it to set a trap, annihilating Gongsun Zan's last 8,000 elite infantry and cavalry.

At this time, Gongsun Zan only had a few hundred remaining soldiers by his side, and Yi County had already been captured by Yuan Shao.

He slowly raised the torch in his hand, the flame flickering on Gongsun Zan's pale face, reflecting the determination and unwillingness in his eyes.

At the last moment, a crazed smile appeared on Gongsun Zan's face as he murmured, "I, Gongsun Zan, would rather die than suffer dishonor!"

Before he could finish speaking, the torch was already thrown onto the floor beneath his feet.

Flames instantly erupted, engulfing the wooden pavilion, and thick smoke billowed straight into the sky.

The flames spread rapidly, and Gongsun Zan's figure gradually became blurred in the firelight.

Amidst the flames and smoke, Gongsun Zan laughed loudly, his laughter filled with endless sorrow and anger. The raging fire burned his body, yet he seemed oblivious to the pain, gripping his spear tightly as if determined to fight against fate even in his final moments.

The tall building collapsed in the flames, and Gongsun Zan's figure disappeared into the raging fire. The firelight illuminated the entire sky, as if bidding farewell to this once mighty hero who had swept through Hebei and forced Yuan Shao to surrender.

At this moment, Yuan Shao stood on a high slope outside Yi County, wearing a brocade robe, holding a horsewhip, and looking intently at Yi County in the distance.

A cold wind swept across Yuan Shao's face, bringing with it a chilling and murderous aura.

In the distance, the tall building where Gongsun Zan was located was engulfed in flames, with firelight shooting into the sky and thick smoke spiraling upwards like a black dragon, obscuring half of the sky.

Yuan Shao narrowed his eyes slightly, a complex smile appearing on his lips.

Now, having personally annihilated Hebei's greatest adversary, the eight-year war between the two has finally come to an end.

"Gongsun Bogui, you've finally met your match."

The firelight reflected in his pupils, as if reflecting the grudges and conflicts of the past. He had once sworn an oath with Gongsun Zan to share Ji Province, but they had also become enemies over interests, and a chance black swan event had made them irreconcilable enemies.

Now that Gongsun Zan has chosen to end his life in such a tragic way, Yuan Shao feels both a sense of victory and an indescribable sense of loss.

The strategist Xu You beside him had a glint in his eyes. He stepped forward and whispered, "My lord, now that Gongsun Zan has committed suicide by fire, Yi County is within our grasp, and the situation in Hebei is settled. However, my lord's ambition should be for the whole country, not just confined to Hebei."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao nodded slightly but remained silent. His gaze remained fixed on the towering flames, as if he were deep in thought.

In the distance, the beams and pillars of the tall building collapsed in the flames, sparks flying everywhere like falling stars.

Yuan Shao took a deep breath, slowly turned around, and waved his hand: "Send down the order that the entire army enter Yi County, seal up the treasury, and make an inventory. Anyone who disturbs the people will be punished according to military law."

His voice was deep and authoritative, yet carried a hint of barely perceptible weariness.

This was a great victory, and Gongsun Zan's last elite troops fell into a trap that Yuan Shao's army had prepared in advance, resulting in very few casualties for Yuan Shao's army.

Therefore, Yuan Shao had the confidence to shout that the people should not be disturbed.

At other times, even if Yuan Shao was unwilling, he could only let these ruffians plunder and loot, and at most he would repeatedly and strictly order them not to kill anyone. If he asked for more, it would be impolite.

As the firelight dimmed and night fell, Yuan Shao's figure appeared particularly lonely in the twilight. He knew that Gongsun Zan's death signified the end of an era, but also the beginning of a new conflict. He looked south, a deep sorrow in his heart: "Cao Cao and Liu Bei have now formed an alliance, and their power is now even greater than Gongsun Zan's."

Yuan Shao sent several envoys to Xuzhou, but Liu Bei, on the advice of Liu Feng, Xun You, Chen Deng, Lu Su, Liu Ye, and others, upheld the Cao-Liu alliance and politely declined Yuan Shao's overtures.

After that, he repeatedly voiced his support for Cao Cao in the imperial court, working together to make things difficult for Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao was both ashamed and angry, and he held a deep grudge against Liu Bei in his heart.

Although enraged, Yuan Shao knew perfectly well that Liu Bei's actions stemmed from fear of him. Liu Bei's earlier actions—such as voluntarily dividing Qingzhou and recommending Yuan Tan as a talented scholar—were also driven by this fear.

The reason for his initial obsequiousness followed by arrogance was ultimately because Gongsun Zan was about to be defeated, and even a fool could guess that after Gongsun Zan's defeat, his next step would be to head south across the river.

Yi County is a well-known large county in Jizhou with a large population. Several major rivers, such as the Juma River and the Yi River, flow through the city. Located in the central part of the Hebei Plain, the land is extremely fertile and it is a famous granary of Jizhou.

Gongsun Zan cultivated the land here for several years, and his granaries accumulated three million hu of grain. A hu is a small stone, so three hu are roughly equivalent to two stones, and three million hu is exactly two million stones.

Most of them were scattered in Yi County warehouses and in more than a hundred tall buildings outside the city, with only a small portion stored in the highest tower where Gongsun Zan personally oversaw operations.

Therefore, the grain fell into Yuan Shao's hands almost intact, and even much of the grain in the tower that was burned down by Gongsun Zan's self-immolation was spared.

It's a pity that Gongsun Zan spent several years cultivating land, but all the fruits of his labor went to Yuan Shao.

Upon entering Yi County, Yuan Shao immediately summoned his trusted advisors and ministers to his side that very night. These included Ju Shou, Tian Feng, Guo Tu, Xu You, Chunyu Qiong, Meng Dai, and Jiang Fang.

As soon as Yuan Shao finished speaking, the scene split into two factions as usual.

The Hebei faction, led by Ju Shou and Tian Feng, emphasized that Hebei had been engaged in prolonged warfare, leaving both soldiers and civilians exhausted. They argued that a period of rest and recuperation was needed to restore the people's strength and recharge. Furthermore, with Cao Cao and Liu Bei now allied in Henan, their power was no less than that of Hebei. Launching an attack at this time, with the Yellow River as a major obstacle, would be futile; while victory would be desirable, any mishap could lead to annihilation.

The Hebei faction's argument sounds quite reasonable. Although Yuan Shao has just eliminated his only rival in Hebei, Gongsun Zan, his control over Hebei is actually quite weak.

The only province he could truly control was the entire Ji Province, plus half of You Province, half of Qing Province, and Bing Province, which consisted of only two counties.

If Yuan Shao were to recuperate and rebuild, he would not only be able to solidify his foundation, but also tackle the easier issues first, such as resolving the problems in Youzhou and Qingzhou. He could even expand towards Bingzhou and eliminate Cao Cao's stronghold in Hebei—Honei Commandery.

However, this was unacceptable to the Henan faction. They had abandoned their families and livelihoods to come to Hebei to support Yuan Shao, all for the sake of returning home in glory.
Now that Yuan Shao has unified Hebei, this is the perfect opportunity to strike while the iron is hot and cross the Yellow River in one fell swoop. Especially since Yuan Shao's attitude has undergone a fundamental change; he no longer opposes Emperor Liu Xie, but instead wants to control Liu Xie to command the world.

Emperor Liu Xie was in Luoyang, which was located on the banks of the Yellow River.

This was nothing short of a golden opportunity for Yuan Shao.

With a large army pressing in, logistical support will be a breeze.

The Liu family's navy is indeed strong, but it is currently in the south, and has Liu Biao of Jingzhou as an ally to keep them in check. Liu Feng's forces are limited to Yangzhou. If Liu Bei dares to divert troops to aid Jiangdong, wouldn't that play right into Hebei's hands?

Therefore, the Henan faction, led by Xu You and Guo Tu, fiercely opposed the Hebei faction's opinions and urged Yuan Shao to seize the opportunity to sweep through Henan and advance on Luoyang.

Once Luoyang is captured, not only will the emperor and the court be under control, but once Wuguan Pass is outside, it will be Yingchuan County, the ancestral home of the Henan gentry.
Currently, Yuan Shao's closest and most trusted advisors are mostly from the Henan faction, and specifically from the Yingchuan faction within Henan. Xun Chen, Guo Tu, the Xin brothers, Xun Yu, Guo Jia, and many others are all from Yingchuan.

The Yingchuan faction was almost the only dominant force among the Henan factions, and other Henan gentry all followed the lead of the Yingchuan faction.

In fact, the same phenomenon occurred under Cao Cao. Only Liu Bei, because of Liu Feng, incorporated a large number of powerful clans from Xuzhou, Yangzhou, Yuzhou, and Jingzhou, thus balancing the situation. Furthermore, Liu Feng's long winning record and great reputation subdued everyone under his command, resulting in very few factions forming in Liu Bei's camp, and those that did exist were extremely small in scale.

Listening to the argument on both sides, Yuan Shao couldn't help but feel a headache coming on again, and he even regretted calling them together for a meeting.

In Yuan Shao's heart, he wanted to start a war immediately.

In fact, the reason why the Henan faction repeatedly defeated the powerful Hebei faction in factional struggles throughout history is ultimately due to one thing: Yuan Shao.

Looking closely at the many political views of the Henan faction, it's more accurate to say that they belonged to Yuan Shao himself rather than the Henan faction. The Henan faction simply put forward these political views in accordance with Yuan Shao's wishes.

On the other hand, although the Hebei faction was extremely powerful, with money and manpower, and was united with the Han dynasty, it was precisely because they were too powerful and supported the Han dynasty that Yuan Shao was particularly wary of them. He always wanted to use the Henan faction to weaken them and reduce the Hebei faction to a point where they could be balanced.

The problem is that the Henan faction is now practically a defeated dog. If Yuan Shao wants to weaken the Hebei faction to the same extent as the Henan faction, it would be a miracle if the Hebei faction didn't rebel.

If the Hebei faction were merely powerful, Yuan Shao might have tolerated it for the sake of the emperor's throne. However, what was more troublesome was that, in addition to being powerful, the Hebei faction also supported the Han dynasty, which made Yuan Shao very wary. At the same time, it also made the Hebei faction often less concerned about Yuan Shao's personal reputation.

After all, in the eyes of the Hebei faction, it is true that Yuan Shao is their leader, but in front of Emperor Liu Xie, everyone is a colleague.

This forced Yuan Shao and the Hebei faction to become increasingly estranged. Coupled with the Henan faction's mindless speculation and interpretation of Yuan Shao's thoughts, it was self-evident which side Yuan Shao would lean towards.

Just when Yuan Shao was having a major headache, an urgent document suddenly arrived.

The attendant hurriedly took the document and placed it on the table in front of Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao then opened the document and began to read it.

"hiss……"

Yuan Shao had only been looking through it for a short while when he gasped in shock. This gasp immediately drew the attention of everyone present.

"My lord, what has happened that has caused you to lose your composure like this? Please tell us so we can discuss this as soon as possible."

Tian Feng couldn't help but ask. In his opinion, this must be a very serious matter. Yuan Shao should naturally tell his trusted ministers about such a matter, but he ignored Yuan Shao's own feelings.

Upon hearing Tian Feng's advice, Yuan Shao's face tightened. This Tian Yuanhao, relying on his outstanding talent and uprightness, had repeatedly offered advice that was insubordinate and disregarded the difference between superiors and inferiors.

Today's advice is the same, showing absolutely no respect for the lord, which is truly embarrassing. However, this person is very famous in Hebei, and Yuan Shao still cannot do without him at this time, so he can only swallow this and not hold it against him.

"Pass the document to Zifu."

Subsequently, Yuan Shao showed a willingness to accept good advice and ordered his attendants to pass the document to Ju Shou, but did not make the contents of the document public as Tian Feng had requested.

Ju Shou, courtesy name Zifu, was a native of Guangping, Hebei. He was ambitious from a young age and possessed great strategic skills, making him a man of both literary and military talent.

After receiving the document, Ju Shou glanced at it a few times, his expression changed, and he blurted out, "I didn't expect Liu Zhennan to be so weak?"

It turns out that the document recorded Liu Feng's great victory over Jingzhou, and his subsequent victories in a series of key battles, including the great victories at Zhouling and Hanchuan.

Although there was no mention of Liu Biao's reaction in the document, Ju Shou and others were all knowledgeable in military affairs. Just by looking at the losses in the battles of Zhouling and Hanchuan, they understood that Liu Biao could no longer muster any elite troops.

Even if Liu Biao managed to hold onto Xiangyang with the utmost loyalty, the loss of Jingzhou was already a foregone conclusion.

In particular, when Liu Feng marched south to Yangzhou the year before last, he first swept away Yuan Shu and then pacified Sun Ce. His momentum was fierce and aggressive. Not only was he strong in battle, but he also had a secret technique for conquering cities and fortresses. Even the strong cities of Shouchun, Wuxian, and Wuxi could not stop Liu Feng's army's offensive.

In an era when sieges often lasted for years, Liu Feng's capture of Wu County in just two months was truly terrifying.

As Ju Shou spoke, the document began to circulate in the hall, and Yuan Shao finally revealed its contents.

"The Battle of Jingyang also broke out. Liu Feng led 100,000 troops from Yangzhou up the Yangtze River, broke through two lines of defense of Jing Sheng in succession, besieged Xiakou, captured Shaxian, and finally fought against Huang Zu and Cai Mao, generals under Jing Sheng, at Zhouling. In just half a day, he defeated Huang Zu and Cai Mao's navy, killing and capturing 40,000 to 50,000 people. Starting with Huang Zu, his generals and officers were either killed or surrendered. Cai Mao's elite troops were all wiped out, and he barely escaped with his life."

"Immediately afterwards, Zhang Yun's 30,000 reinforcements were annihilated in Hanchuan. Now Xiakou has fallen, Zhouling has surrendered, and Jing Sheng is trapped in the city of Sorrow, powerless to launch a counterattack."

As Yuan Shao spoke of this, he thought of Gongsun Zan, who had just died by self-immolation. A strange sense of sympathy arose in his heart, which was then enveloped by anger and resentment.

Liu Biao was Yuan Shao's staunch ally. During his previous diplomatic missions, only Liu Biao stood firmly on his side.

Under the planning of Yuan Shao and his advisors, Liu Biao was an extremely important ally, tasked with containing Yangzhou and even launching a northward expedition to join forces with Hebei to attack Cao Cao from both the north and south.

This is not just wishful thinking on the part of Yuan Shao, Ju Shou, Xun Chen, and others.

Liu Biao's reputation in later generations appears weak, but he was not weak at the time. Although he did many foolish things and was looked down upon by the gentry of the Central Plains, his hundreds of thousands of soldiers were not to be underestimated. In particular, Huang Zu, one of his generals, had long been stationed in Jiangxia and had even defeated Sun Jian in the past.

Under the planning of Yuan Shao and others, it was possible for Huang Zu to hold off Liu Feng for a year or two by relying on his navy and fortified cities.

If Liu Biao could just send 50,000 elite troops north, the distance from Xiangyang to Luoyang would only be a few hundred miles, and he could immediately worsen the situation Cao Cao was facing to the point of no return.

(End of this chapter)