Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Yuan Shao suddenly threw back his head and laughed heartily. The jade beads on the gilded crown clattered, shaking the arrows on the desk. "Good! Good! What Ju Gong said is exactly what I want!" He stood up suddenly, and his black brocade robe swept away half a cup of cold wine. "My Yuan family has been three dukes for four generations. We have been enjoying the Han Dynasty's salary and receiving the emperor's grace for generations. How can we follow that blind man and disregard the safety of China?"

"Gongsun Zan may be an enemy, but he puts his country first. This courage makes me respect him as a man!" Before he finished speaking, a cold wind suddenly blew in from outside the tent, making the large flag with the word "Yuan" flutter, as if echoing his bold words. "Pass the order down--"

Yuan Shao suddenly drew his sword, its tip slicing through the stagnant air in the tent. The cold light made the pupils of the soldiers in the tent shrink. He slashed the blade against the map, the tip firmly pressed against the border between Youzhou and Bingzhou. His eyes beneath the gilded crown were like ice-hardened iron: "The Central Plains is in chaos, and the foreigners are actually trying to take advantage of the situation! Do you think the swords of my Chinese men are just decorations?!"

The sharp wind from the sword ripped up his black battle robe. Yuan Shao turned to face the generals in the tent and spoke in a voice as resounding as a bell, shaking the bronze lamps: "From today on, everything will be focused on resisting the alien race! Although Gongsun Zan and I have fought for many years, he is willing to lead the remaining troops to fight to the death for Bingzhou. I, Yuan, recognize this courage!"

All the generals in the tent clasped their fists in unison, the sound of armor colliding was like thunder, and the counselors bowed and responded in unison: "We are willing to obey the orders of our lord!" Yuan Shao raised his hand to signal everyone to withdraw, leaving only the guards to light a charcoal fire. When the tent gradually became warmer, he ordered someone to call Fan Fang.

Fan Fang entered the tent and saw Yuan Shao had already left his seat to greet him. Yuan Shao personally brushed aside the tent curtain, his gaze blazing. "Gongsun Zan has offered Youzhou to me to jointly resist the barbarians. I have accepted this responsibility! Sir, you rode alone into the camp, pleading for justice, fearless in the face of danger, and speaking eloquently – you truly embody the demeanor of a renowned scholar!" He paused, a smile tinged with regret. "Gongsun Zan has been trapped in Youzhou for years. Now, with the Hu cavalry outside and no food within, he is at the end of his rope. Why don't you join my army and work together for our common goal?"

Fan Fang took a half step back, held up the flag with both hands, and said seriously: "Mr. Yuan, you are too kind. Since ancient times, a loyal minister will not serve two masters. Since I have come here as an envoy of General Gongsun, how can I change my ways?" He bowed deeply to Yuan Shao, and the corners of his robe hung down like ink. "Since you have agreed to the alliance, Fan Fang will return to report immediately. I hope that Mr. Yuan will abide by his promise and jointly resist foreign aggression." After speaking, he turned around, and the wind and snow wrapped his figure past the gate, leaving only the yak tail tassels on the flag fluttering in the cold wind.

It was already mid-October, and snow had begun to fall in Youzhou. But Fan Fang refused to lose time. He galloped at full speed, galloping seven hundred miles in three days. Covered in snow and wind, he burst into Gongsun Zan's tent. Shaking the snow from his shoulders, he gasped, "Yuan Shao has agreed to an alliance! We're willing to fight the Wuhuan together!" Gongsun Zan suddenly flung down his wolf-hair brush, and the wet ink on the rice paper smudged like blood.

As soon as Fan Fang finished speaking, Gongsun Zan, stroking his bloodstained silver spear, laughed out loud, his voice shaking the tent ceiling: "I didn't expect Yuan Benchu ​​still had some feelings for his country!" The flying snow fell on his shoulders, and in an instant turned into water droplets that seeped into the cracks in his old armor.

Guan Jing suddenly took a half step forward, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the winding border on the map: "Family and country feelings? My lord, do not be careless! Tian Feng and Ju Su under Yuan Shao's command are both experienced in political schemes. They let us into Bingzhou this time, I'm afraid they want to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. When our army and the Xiongnu are both defeated, he will take the opportunity to reap the benefits!"

"Hmph!" Gongsun Zan snapped the command arrow in his hand, and sawdust rustled onto the table. "Yuan Benchu ​​has quite a big appetite, he's not afraid of bursting his belly!" His gaze passed over the snowy plains outside the tent and headed towards Bingzhou, a faint blue flame igniting in his eyes. "He thought I was a spent force, but he didn't know—" His words stopped abruptly, and the generals in the tent unconsciously held their breath.

Gongsun Zan said, "My junior fellow apprentice and I will take Bingzhou together!" His voice was as cold as ice. "The Western Liang cavalry roamed the world. Now I lead the White Horse Volunteers to join forces with them..." The silver spear was suddenly unsheathed, and the cold light pierced the darkness in the tent, stabbing heavily into the frozen soil, splashing ice chips mixed with blood. "If Yuan Shao dares to attack, he will never return!"

Gongsun Zan rubbed the hilt of his sword with his fingertips, the candlelight flickering in his eyes. He thought to himself: All these years, I've fought to establish my cause, defended the frontier, and then fought against Yuan Shao. The imperial court hasn't provided a single soldier or ration, only empty promises of high office and wealth. I've fought bloody battles, only to be treated like a pariah. Now, at the end of my rope, only Ma Chao offers a helping hand. This friendship between fellow disciples has become my only light in these turbulent times.

He lowered his eyes to the calluses on his palms, then glanced at the tattered map on his desk. Thoughts raced. Becoming king? It was nothing but a pipe dream. If I could help Ma Chao defeat the Xiongnu, and then help him consolidate his power in Xiliang, perhaps I could reclaim Youzhou. Wouldn't that be a thousand times better than being trapped in this shattered state? As for Yuan Shao's schemes… a sneer curled his lips as he fiercely tossed the firewood into the brazier. The sparks illuminated the grim look in his eyes. "When Meng Qi and I join forces, I'll teach you that this world isn't for everyone!"

Gongsun Zan stood up abruptly. "Since Yuan Shao has agreed to the alliance, issue an order immediately! The entire army must pack up their baggage and valuables and withdraw from Youzhou City within three days, setting up camp ten miles outside the city!" He glanced at the generals in the tent, and drops of blood seeped from the cracks in their armor and dripped onto the bluestone slabs. "Once Yuan's army enters the city and establishes a foothold, it will be our opportunity to strike a heavy blow against the Wuhuan! After that, we will march straight to Bingzhou to meet up with my junior brother!"

Guan Jing, Yan Gang and others were about to clasp their fists and accept the order, but they saw Gongsun Zan suddenly step forward, his bloodshot eyes burning with a warning fire: "Listen up to me! During the period of leaving the city, anyone who dares to disturb the people or plunder in the chaos -" His voice suddenly rose, like a thunderclap, "regardless of official rank, they will be executed immediately!" Outside the tent, the wind and snow swept away the whistling sound of military orders. Gongsun Zan looked at the "Gongsun" flag fluttering outside the gate, and his clenched fists made a slight cracking sound: "Wuhuan, Yuan Shao... Let's see who is the real master of this troubled world!"

As soon as the general's order was issued, Youzhou City surged like boiling water. In the twilight, the clash of armored vehicles, mixed with the neighing of horses and carriages, pierced the air. Oxen carts laden with supplies rolled over the bluestone pavement, raising dust that enveloped the cries of women and children. The flags of the streetside taverns swayed askew in the wind, and the once bustling market was reduced to a mess. Citizens peeped through cracks in their doors, watching the fleets of cavalry, their crow-like figures, gallop by, their eyes filled with fear.

As the first wisps of morning mist drifted over the city walls, thousands of civilians stumbled and rushed to Gongsun Zan's headquarters. A white-haired old woman, squeezed to the ground, her swaddled baby wailing in the cold wind. A pale-faced man clutched a chipped hoe, his vein-rippling hands clinging to the vermilion gate. The crowd surged like a roaring wave, their cries shaking the bronze bells on the eaves. "General! If you leave, how will we survive when the barbarians come?" "My family has guarded these fields for three generations. Please don't abandon us!"

Gongsun Zan stood on the steps, his silver armor dusted with frost. Behind him, Gongsun Yue and Gongsun Xu were directing their families as they moved their luggage. The clatter of boxes and crates was particularly piercing in the dead silence. An elderly man suddenly knelt forward, banging his forehead hard on the frozen ground, his blood mingling with the dirt. "General, do you remember that winter? You led your loyal followers to repel the Wuhuan and saved the city's young and old... Now you're leaving? You might as well kill this old man first!" Amidst the sobs, several children crowded to the front row, their red, frozen hands clutching the hem of Gongsun Zan's cloak tightly, tears forming icicles on their chapped cheeks.

Gongsun Zan's fierce eyes instantly welled with tears. He gazed at the trembling civilians kneeling and begging before him, then slammed one knee hard onto the frozen earth. The dull thud of armor hitting the ground startled crows from beneath the eaves. Trembling, he tore open his bloodstained cloak, revealing the mottled scars of arrow wounds beneath. "Fellow villagers! It's not that Gongsun Zan is afraid of death and has abandoned the city!" His hoarse voice, wrapped in the wind and snow, pierced the hearts of the people. The baby in the old woman's arms suddenly stopped crying, and the entire street fell into a dead silence.

"Yuan Shao's fierce army from Jizhou is on its way!" He gripped the silver spear at his waist with white knuckles, "Two hundred thousand Wuhuan cavalrymen are approaching the north again! I can only do my best to resist the Hu people, and Yuan Shao took advantage of the opportunity to sneak in!" Gongsun Zan choked up when he recalled the tragic scene of corpses strewn all over the ground when Guangyang County was broken. "I'm sure you've heard about the atrocities committed by Yuan Shao's army in Guangyang County before. Since we were defeated in the end, why don't I give up the city in exchange for your lives?"

Muffled gasps erupted from the crowd, and a woman suddenly collapsed to the ground, wailing. Gongsun Zan rested his forehead against the cold ground, his white hair disheveled in the wind: "I made an agreement with Yuan Shao to trade Youzhou for his commitment to defending the northern border! This way, I can save your lives and also lend him my troops to fight against the Huns!" He suddenly looked up, tears glinting with determination. "I, Gongsun Zan, am no coward. Even if I withdraw from Youzhou, I will go to Bingzhou to fight against the Xiongnu's atrocities."

The moment Gongsun Zan knelt on one knee, the crowd erupted in sobs like a flood. A white-haired old woman, leaning on a broken staff, rushed to him, her hands like withered branches clutching his blood-stained cloak tightly. Turbid tears froze into icicles in her wrinkles. "General, you can't leave! You and your White Horse Volunteers saved my grandson back then, and now you're abandoning us..." She burst into tears before she could finish her words. Behind her, several young children stumbled towards him, their frozen purple hands clutching at his armor, their snot and tears staining his dusty boots.

"General! We believe you don't want the tragedy of Guangyang County to happen again!" The man with a wrinkled face suddenly opened his clothes, revealing the hideous arrow scar on his chest. "But without you, how can we protect our home?" As soon as he finished speaking, hundreds of people knelt on the ground, pounding their foreheads on the frozen ground. The repeated "bang bang" sounds scared the crows on the city wall and scattered. A woman squeezed to the front row with a swaddling child in her arms and stuffed the crying child into Gongsun Zan's arms: "Take him away! As long as he can survive, we are willing to give up everything!"

Gongsun Zan trembled as he hugged the child in his arms, feeling the tiny body shiver in the cold wind. He looked up at the tattered "Gongsun" banner on the city wall, and suddenly remembered the scene when he first entered Youzhou more than a decade ago, when the people lined the streets to welcome him with food and drink. Tears welled up in his eyes, mixing with the frost on his eyelashes and dripping onto the child's flushed face. "Don't worry, my fellow villagers!" His voice was choked with sobs, but every word was resounding. "I, Gongsun Zan, swear to never forget the kindness of the people of Youzhou!" Before he finished speaking, the crowd's cries intensified, as if to shatter the ice and snow.

Just as the cries were piercing, the crowd suddenly parted, creating a path. An old man, leaning on a jujube wood cane, hunched over, approached Gongsun Zan. His cloudy eyes watered, and his trembling hands stroked the icy spikes on his armor. "We can't put General Baima in a difficult position!" He turned to the crowd, his arms, like withered branches, waving vigorously. "Fellow villagers! The general risked his life on the walls of Youzhou. Now he's risking his life for ours!"

He slammed his calloused palms down on the frozen ground. "Get out of the way! Don't let this opportunity slip!" Before he'd finished speaking, several young men took the initiative to help the fallen women and children. The children, wiping tears from their eyes, let go of Gongsun Zan's clothes. The once congested streets suddenly emptied, leaving only the sound of sobbing. The old man tremblingly took off the amulet from his neck and pressed it into Gongsun Zan's hand. "Take care, General! The people of Youzhou await your triumphant return!"