Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 87 Heaven bears witness, the white horse bears witness!
The cold wind howls, the borderlands are bitterly cold, while spring has returned to Yingchuan, but Youzhou remains shrouded in wind and snow.

A dashing man, his black robe half-open, leaned against the doorframe, suddenly lifting a wine jar in his hand, the wine flying in the wind and snow.

"To achieve hegemony is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind."

He narrowed his eyes as he sized up Cheng Yu in front of him, his expression showing no sign of being persuaded. Instead, a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"The gentleman talked for a long time, but I only heard one thing."

Your lord Cao Mengde is being relentlessly pursued by Yuan Shao, and he wants me to send troops to lure Yuan Shao's main force back.

Why should I sit idly by and watch these two tigers fight, instead of helping Cao Mengde and getting myself burned?

General Gongsun!
If you, General Yu, were to fight like two tigers, you could simply sit back and watch.

However, my lord is currently fighting Yuan Shao in the north and Yuan Gonglu in the south, with Liu Bei and Lü Bu lurking around him.

General, watching the fire from the sidelines will not lead to your own downfall. But if Yuan Shao were to annex our lord, and his wildfire that has burned through the four prefectures of Ji, Qing, You, and Bing grows ever stronger, where would you find a foothold?

Now there is Zhang Yan, the Black Mountain bandits who wreak havoc in Ji Province; Tian Kai, a former subordinate of the general; and the Xiongnu, treacherous scoundrels who abandon righteousness for profit!

I will unite the generals and launch a joint attack along the four routes of Ji, Qing, You, and Bing. Even if we cannot destroy Yuan Shao and restore the righteous cause, we can still achieve a temporary victory.

"The general should seize this opportunity to sweep through Youzhou and reclaim lost territory; the outcome of the battle remains uncertain."

Cheng Yu spoke earnestly, and Gongsun Zan listened quietly, his expression unreadable, lost in thought, until he finished speaking and then smiled gently.

"Finished?"

He glanced at Yan Tong beside him and said only two words, "Show the guest out."

After saying this, he turned to go back to his room, but Yan Tong sighed and stopped Cheng Yu.

"Sir, please."

Cheng Yu was greatly alarmed upon seeing this!
The likes of Zhang Yan, Tian Kai, and the Xiongnu are nothing more than minor ailments to Yuan Shao. Only Gongsun Zan, even in his current predicament, is a major concern for Yuan Shao.

If he doesn't send troops, this plan will be difficult to succeed!

Watching Gongsun Zan's receding figure, Cheng Yu's mind raced. He thought that his words were reasonable and that Gongsun Zan could not possibly be unaware of the principle of mutual dependence. So why wasn't he convinced?
[After the defeat at Jieqiao, the White Horse Cavalry was almost completely wiped out. My lord was heartbroken and lost his will to contend for supremacy.]

Yan Tong's earlier words suddenly echoed in his ears like a flash of inspiration.

Yes, how can you persuade someone who has lost the will to dominate by talking about dominating?

In his desperation, Cheng Yu shouted urgently.

"When Duke Xiang of Qi was about to take revenge on the State of Ji, he said: 'Even if the army is almost wiped out, even if I myself die for it, this journey cannot be considered unlucky.'"

Q: Can a feud spanning nine generations still be avenged?
A: Even a hundred generations would be enough!

He struggled to break free from Ji Gang's shoving, rushed into the house, and grabbed Gongsun Zan's sleeve.

"The enmity of the border bridge is still fresh in our minds!"
Tens of thousands of white horses, their heroic spirits still lingering, are watching over the general!
Revenge is within reach. General, are you willing to risk your life and disappoint them?

Gongsun Zan was stunned by the question. Before he could even pull his sleeves off, he stood there, staring at Cheng Yu with an expression that seemed to be both crying and laughing.

"Sir, is it also for the sake of the White Horse?"

"Although Yu is not a white horse, he still harbors the hatred of Yuan Shao's troops stationed on the Yellow River, and the enmity of my lord for seizing the throne."

In this battle, I am willing to serve as the chief military advisor for Zhang Yan, Tian Kai, the Xiongnu people, and the generals of the four armies, emulating Su Shi of the pre-Qin period who held the seals of office of six states to unite against Qin.

"I will not return to Cao Cao until Yuan Shao is defeated."

Seeing his resolute and ruthless determination, Gongsun Zan bowed deeply.

"Sir, you have gone to such lengths to avenge your master."

"If Zan doesn't avenge Bai Ma, how can he face the underworld?" After saying this, he tossed the wine jar to Yan Tong, "There's no more wine. Fill it up for me."

"Fill the cups of wine for all the soldiers, drink this jar to the brim, and then march on Ji Province. I will lead you to avenge yourselves!"

Yan Tong was overjoyed upon seeing this, and holding the wine jar, he shouted "I have received your order!"

At that time, three thousand white horses set out from Yijing and integrated the troops of various tribes in Youzhou.

Gongsun Zan rode ahead, holding the sword and spurring his horse, shouting loudly:
"Heaven is my witness, and the white horse is my proof!"

Yan Tong and Zhao Yun, armed with spears, accompanied the generals and replied:
"Where righteousness leads, I will follow even unto death!"

The banner of Gongsun fluttered in the wind, the White Horse Cavalry pointed their swords at the boundary bridge, and three thousand white horses carried tens of thousands of heroic spirits as they marched and sang.

"How can you say that you have no clothes, but you share the same robe with me!"

On that day, Gongsun Zan dispatched 50,000 troops to attack Yuan Shao. Because of the suddenness of his attack and the decisiveness of his offensive, and the fact that Yuan's main force had already moved south, he was unable to stop him for a time, and most of the lost territory in Youzhou surrendered.

In the same month, Zhang Yan led more than 100,000 bandits from the Black Mountain to plunder, claiming to number a million, and the counties of Jizhou were in chaos for a time.
When Huchuquan, the newly appointed Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu, deposed his elder brother Yufuluo as Chanyu, he made an alliance with Yuan Shao and allowed 30,000 Xiongnu cavalry to ravage Bingzhou.
At that time, Yuan Shao's son, Yuan Tan, was stationed in Qingzhou with his troops. When he heard about the chaos in Ji, You, and Bing provinces, he led his troops back to provide relief.

Tian Kai, the governor of Qingzhou, led 10,000 troops to reclaim the lost territory, preventing Yuan Tan from attending to both fronts.

When Yuan Shao, relying on Yan Liang's bravery and strength and the numerical advantage of his cavalry, once again defeated Xiahou Yuan, and was about to continue pursuing Cao Cao, he heard the report from the messenger and learned of this shocking turn of events, which made him turn pale with anger.

"Thief! How dare you!"

Shen Pei offered his advice and remonstrance:

“My lord, I have already said this before.”

Gongsun Zan of Youzhou has not yet been pacified, Tian Kai of Qingzhou has a chance to catch his breath, and Zhang Yan of Jizhou is a bandit. Now that there is no food on the mountain, he will surely plunder. In addition, the Xiongnu are fickle.

Now, for the sake of the emperor's name, chaos has arisen in the rear, causing the excellent situation to collapse to this point.

Now that things have come to this, I urge you, my lord, to return to Ji Province and quell the chaos. This is what is meant by "to repel external enemies, one must first secure internal stability!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao's expression changed several times, and it took him a long time to finally manage a smile.

“What you say is very true, sir. I was misled by Ju Shou and regret not listening to you.”

"My lord, you mustn't!"

Seeing that he was considering changing his mind, Tian Feng also quickly offered his advice.

“What Ju Shou and Shen Pei said in the past was all reasonable. Whatever choice you make, Your Excellency, you will not be wrong.”

Now that we have come to seize the emperor and have defeated Cao Cao several times, and success is just around the corner, how can we be halfway there after traveling a hundred miles?
If we were to return to Ji Province at this time, it would be a futile effort, wasting a large amount of military supplies and provisions, and even causing chaos in the four provinces, without gaining anything in return.

With the Emperor so close at hand, Cao Cao has no strength left to fight. How can he afford to hesitate and look back?

Now that things have come to this, my lord is determined not to give up easily.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao hesitated, "What Lord Tian said seems to make sense."

Upon seeing this, Shen Pei cried out in grief, "Tian Feng's words show that he is blinded by greed and disregards his own life. I beg you, my lord, to kill him!"
You all talk about the name of the Son of Heaven in vain, to this extent, and still do not know when to stop.

Now, chaos has broken out in the four prefectures of Ji, Qing, You, and Bing, and the foundation of our lord's empire may be destroyed in an instant!

If we then lose the four provinces and hold the emperor in vain, what good will it do? Where will our lord's great cause be?

"You are all so eager for quick success and instant benefits that you will jeopardize our lord's legacy and bring it to utter ruin! Tian Yuanhao, what are your true intentions?!"

Seeing this, Yuan Shao looked left and right, and was momentarily conflicted.

(End of this chapter)