Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Meanwhile, Zhang He and Gao Lan were stationed at their respective camps. Zhang He hurried to Gao Lan's tent and said anxiously, "General Gao, the situation is very delicate right now. Military Advisor Tian has arranged for us to test Youzhou's strength first. I believe we should dispatch troops and not just sit back and wait for death."

Gao Lan, however, remained calm and spoke slowly, "General Zhang, do not be impatient. Lord Shen Pei has instructed me not to act rashly. We still do not know the true strength of Youzhou, and rashly sending troops would be risky."

Zhang He said excitedly, "General Gao, if we remain inactive, how can we possibly accomplish our mission? And if we miss this opportunity, how will we explain it to our lord?"

Gao Lan shook his head slightly and said, "General Zhang, calm down. We need to wait and observe the situation in Youzhou. If there is a suitable opportunity, it will not be too late to send troops."

Zhang He sighed helplessly and said, "Alright, General Gao, we'll wait and see. But I still feel we can't delay any longer." Gao Lan nodded and said, "I understand your concerns. We will closely monitor the situation."

Over the next two days, Gao Lan watched as reinforcements from Youzhou troops continued to arrive at the border. The number of makeshift earthen stoves also gradually increased. Gao Lan thought to himself, "It seems Mr. Shen Pei was right." Fortunately, he hadn't rushed the troops. Otherwise, if the battle had gone badly, he would have surely been punished by his lord.

At this time, Zhang He hurried to see Gao Lan again. Zhang He said anxiously, "General Gao, if we don't send troops now, we'll probably delay things when the battle becomes intense. In my opinion, Youzhou is just bluffing. Let's conduct a small-scale test to determine their intentions before we proceed." Gao Lan remained unmoved. No matter how hard Zhang He tried to persuade him, he firmly refused to agree.

Gao Lan said calmly, "General Zhang, don't be impulsive. The instructions of Lord Shen Pei are still ringing in our ears. We can't act rashly." Zhang He said angrily, "General, haven't you heard that speed is of the essence in war? We don't need to send too many troops. We only need to send a small group of elite troops to test the waters. If Youzhou really has a large army, we can withdraw quickly to avoid heavy losses. If Youzhou is just bluffing, we can take this opportunity to find out their details and prepare for subsequent operations. Why is the general so determined to kill two birds with one stone? Are we going to miss this opportunity just because of Lord Shen Pei's words? "Act rashly. The situation is unclear now, and it is too risky to send troops rashly." Zhang He said anxiously, "General Gao, sitting and waiting for death is not a solution. If we don't take the initiative, how can we seize the initiative?" Gao Lan shook his head slightly and said, "General Zhang, the best policy is to wait patiently for the opportunity. We can't get into trouble because of the momentary impulse."

Zhang He's patience ran out. Anger burned in his eyes, and the anxiety and dissatisfaction within him burned like a raging fire that could hardly be extinguished. He threw his sleeves and shouted, "Since General Gao is so stubborn, I will not continue to accompany him. Speed ​​is of the essence in war, and opportunities for battle are fleeting. I cannot let this opportunity slip away."

With that, Zhang He turned and walked away, ignoring Gao Lan's cries behind him. He returned to his camp and immediately summoned his troops. Seeing Zhang He's stern expression, the other officers and soldiers sensed a sense of urgency.

Zhang He stood in front of the army and said loudly: "Brothers, the situation is critical now. We can no longer sit and wait for death. Today, we will set out to Youzhou and show our power." The soldiers shouted in unison, their morale high.

Zhang He led his troops rapidly towards Youzhou. However, when they reached Nanyang, they encountered an unexpected situation. It turned out that Tian Yu had already anticipated that a Jizhou general might be unable to hold back and send troops, and had already set up an ambush in the Nanyang area.

Zhang He's troops had just entered Youzhou when they suddenly heard deafening cries of battle. Countless Youzhou soldiers surged from all directions, surrounding Zhang He's troops. Zhang He was horrified; he had never expected to be ambushed. But as a seasoned commander, he quickly calmed himself and commanded his men to put up a fierce resistance.

The battlefield shone with the clash of swords and the cries of killing. Though Zhang He's troops were valiant, they were gradually trapped by the enemy's encirclement. Zhang He fought with all his might, filled with regret, realizing the dire consequences of his impulsive actions. But now, with no escape, he could only fight to the death, hoping to carve out a path through the enemy's path.

Seeing Zhang He's impulsive attack, Gao Lan shook his head, thinking he was a bit foolish. He stood on a high vantage point, observing Zhang He's movements from afar. He wanted to wait for Zhang He to suffer a little and then withdraw on his own, so that he would understand that his persistence was justified.

However, as time went on, Gao Lan gradually realized that something was amiss. The shouting and fighting in the distance grew increasingly intense, and amidst the rising dust, he saw that Zhang He's troops seemed to be in disarray. Gao Lan's heart tightened, and he quickly sent someone to investigate.

Soon, spies reported back that Zhang He was under siege, and the situation was extremely critical. Gao Lan was horrified; he had never expected things to develop to this point. After all, in his opinion, although Zhang He was impulsive, he would not be so easily outmaneuvered by the enemy.

Gao Lan fell into deep thought, knowing he couldn't sit idly by. Although he and Zhang He disagreed on the issue of sending troops, they were ultimately both fighting for Jizhou and their lord, Yuan Shao. Allowing Zhang He to be surrounded and annihilated would not only result in the loss of a vital force, but would also deal a heavy blow to Jizhou's morale.

Gao Lan gritted his teeth and quickly assembled his troops, preparing to rescue Zhang He. He knew this decision might carry risks, but he couldn't stand by and watch as Xie Pao fell into dire straits. After their successful breakout, Gao Lan and Zhang He were both overcome with grief. They knew they had sent troops without authorization and had found themselves in dire straits. Even though they had successfully broken through, they would have to explain themselves to Yuan Shao upon their return to Jizhou.

Gao Lan and Zhang He exchanged a glance, each seeing the worry in the other's eyes. Gao Lan spoke first, "General Zhang, we must be frank with our lord about this matter. We must not conceal anything." Zhang He nodded slightly and said, "General Gao, you are absolutely right. I made a serious mistake in the heat of the moment, and I must bear the consequences."

After the two generals broke through the siege, they guarded the gates carefully. Gao Lan looked at Zhang He and said with a face full of complaints: "Junyi, your intentions are good, but think about it, which of those counselors is not very thoughtful? Their plans are all for the overall situation. Besides, there are enemy troops coming to the border every day, which is enough to prove that they are very wary of us. In the future, you should still be careful about what you say and do, don't say what you shouldn't say, and don't do what you shouldn't do. This time you rashly sent troops and almost caused a disaster. If I hadn't rescued you in time, the consequences would be unimaginable. As generals, we should obey the arrangements of our lord and counselors, and we can't act on impulse anymore." After hearing Gao Lan's words, Zhang He looked ashamed and said, "General Gao is right. I was impulsive this time. In the future, I will definitely remember this lesson and never act rashly again."

Thus, Yan Liang and Wen Chou led a large force to guard the gates of Jizhou. Gao Lan and Zhang He had also become more cautious since the previous incident. They knew their actions had nearly brought great disaster to Jizhou, and now they dared not slack off even a little.

Daily, they closely monitored developments along the Youzhou border, constantly prepared to respond to any potential situation. Gao Lan frequently reminded Zhang He to prioritize the greater good and refrain from impulsive actions. Zhang He humbly accepted Gao Lan's advice, and the two worked together to protect Jizhou.

Despite continued signs of troop movements in Youzhou, Jizhou's defense remained unshakable thanks to the steadfastness of Yan Liang and Wen Chou, and the vigilance of Gao Lan and Zhang He. Yuan Shao, upon learning of his generals' performance, felt somewhat reassured, but he also understood the situation remained dire. He continually summoned his advisors to discuss countermeasures, hoping to gain the upper hand in his battle with Gongsun Zan.

When the news that Gongsun Zan was leading a 100,000-man army to Chang'an reached Jizhou, Yuan Shao was stunned at first, then overwhelmed with a strong sense of shame and anger. He had never imagined that he had been so nervous for so long because of Gongsun Zan's false alarm, and that his indecision had almost cost him the opportunity to fight.

Yuan Shao's face darkened, and he immediately summoned his advisors to discuss the matter. The advisors hurried over, and upon seeing Yuan Shao's furious expression, they each speculated on the situation. Yuan Shao slammed the table and shouted, "Gongsun Zan, how dare you play such a trick on me! Now that his army has left Youzhou, it's a golden opportunity for us to capture it."

Guo Tu quickly agreed, "My lord, you are absolutely right. Gongsun Zan's actions are truly despicable. Now that his rear is empty, our army can seize this opportunity to attack and capture Youzhou in one fell swoop."

Shen Pei, however, showed hesitation. He said, "My lord, we must be cautious in this matter. Although Gongsun Zan's army has left, Youzhou may not be completely defenseless. Moreover, we have not made adequate preparations before. Sending troops rashly at this time may be risky."

When Yuan Shao heard what Shen Pei said, he became even more furious. He pointed at Shen Pei and said, "Hmph! If you hadn't stopped us, our army would have marched out long ago. How could we have missed such a good opportunity? What do you have to say now?" Shen Pei felt aggrieved and could not argue, so he could only lower his head silently.

Tian Feng watched from the sidelines, sighing with regret. He knew Yuan Shao's character flaws well, and this was indeed a missed opportunity. But he also knew that there was no point in saying more and could only wait for Yuan Shao to make a decision.

Seeing that his advisors no longer objected, Yuan Shao decisively issued an order: "Immediately organize your troops and follow me to the border of Ji Province to prepare for an attack on You Province. I want to make Gongsun Zan know the consequences of playing tricks on me, Yuan Shao."

Yuan Shao, accompanied by his advisors and a vast army, marched towards the border of Jizhou. Along the way, Yuan Shao's expression remained grim, a mixture of anger at Gongsun Zan and regret for his own indecision. Yet, he refused to admit his own fault, placing the blame squarely on Shen Pei. His advisors, however, held their own thoughts, some hoping for victory, others worried about the potential risks. Regardless, they followed Yuan Shao, fighting for their own fate and the future of Jizhou in the impending war.