Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1309 Hebei Turmoil, Yuan Shang Alarmed

In the council hall of Ye City, the candlelight flickered precariously in the draft, casting a distorted image on Yuan Shang's face. He slammed Ju Yi's plea for help onto the floor, causing the bronze lamp on the table to clang loudly: "Doesn't Ju Yi pride himself on being a veteran general? Isn't the Vanguard Camp supposed to be the elite of the land? How come he's here crying for reinforcements?!"

He paced back and forth, the hem of his brocade robe brushing against the scattered bamboo slips, his voice filled with hysteria: "Reinforcements? Where are the reinforcements! Two days ago, Dongjun was in dire straits, Lü Weihuang and Jiang Yiqu were killed in battle, and Chunyu Qiong retreated to Lingqiu; Yangping and Guangping counties are sending out alarms every day, saying that Ma Chao's army is advancing like a tidal wave; now even Weijun has been occupied by Ma Chao—everyone wants reinforcements, am I, Yuan Shang, going to open the granaries and distribute grain?!"

The officials below the steps fell silent, trembling with fear. Only Feng Ji (Note: "Feng Ji" in the original text should be a typo) stepped forward in a trembling voice: "My lord, please calm your anger. The messenger from Youzhou returned yesterday..."

"Youzhou? What about Yan Liang and Wen Chou?" Yuan Shang turned around abruptly, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes. "Could they withdraw their troops to reinforce it?"

Feng Ji's voice was even lower: "Dai County... has fallen."

"What?!" Yuan Shang was struck dumb, staggering back half a step and bumping into the table. "How could Dai County have fallen? Yan Liang and Wen Chou defended it for years, and even Gongsun Zan's White Horse Cavalry couldn't cross the line. How could it suddenly..."

Xun You frowned and continued, "According to the messenger, Gongsun Zan and Xu Rong were already weak and had been feigning defeat and retreating for days, which led General Wen Chou to lead his army in pursuit. Unexpectedly, Lü Bu suddenly appeared from the ranks and personally led his iron cavalry to break through the pursuing troops. General Wen Chou was wounded and retreated. Dai County was left undefended due to the division of troops and was captured by the enemy."

"Lü Bu?!" Yuan Shang exclaimed in shock, his face drained of all color. He had never imagined that Lü Bu, whom all the warlords regarded as a mere drifting duckweed, would deliver a fatal blow to him at this moment.

The council chamber was deathly silent, save for the crackling of the candlelight. Yuan Shang stared at the map of Hebei hanging on the wall, where red markers representing the enemy were closing in from the west, south, and north, like a net tightening ever more. Suddenly, he felt a wave of dizziness and had to grab the table to steady himself. It turned out that his ambition to dominate Hebei had reached a point where he was surrounded by enemies on all sides.

At this moment, Chen Lin spoke up, "My lord, do not be alarmed, reinforcements are still on their way!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shang grasped at a straw and exclaimed urgently, "Gongsun Yuan? Is he willing to send troops? Liaodong is thousands of miles away; I'm afraid it's too far to help us in our immediate situation!"

Chen Lin bowed and said, "My lord, rest assured. Gongsun Yuan has long harbored ambitions for expansion. As long as we offer him substantial rewards and promise to cede three western counties of Youzhou to him after defeating the enemy, he will surely be willing to send troops. Gongsun Yuan's cavalry is fierce and can hold back Xu Rong and Lü Bu's flanks, giving Yan Liang and Wen Chou a chance to catch their breath."

"Good! Good! We'll do as you say!" Yuan Shang nodded repeatedly, then asked, "What about Gao Gan and Chunyu Qiong?"

“General Gao Gan has long been stationed in Bingzhou, and his troops are mostly battle-hardened soldiers. Sending him with 30,000 troops to reinforce Linzi can relieve the siege of Juyi. As for General Chunyu Qiong,” Chen Lin pointed to Yangping County on the map, “Wei County has been captured, and Lingqiu is isolated and difficult to defend. It would be better to have him abandon the city and lead his troops to retreat to Yangping. Yangping is strategically important, and if Ma Chao wants to advance eastward, he will be blocked here. General Chunyu Qiong can hold the city and delay the enemy for some time.”

Yuan Shang had long since lost his composure. Chen Lin's words were clear and logical, like a glimmer of light in the darkness. He hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Quickly! Quickly pass on my order! As Chen Lin said, immediately send letters to Gongsun Yuan, Gao Gan, and Chunyu Qiong! There must be no mistakes!"

The attendants hurriedly obeyed and left. Yuan Shang slumped onto his seat, staring at the empty doorway. His rapid breathing gradually subsided, but his eyes remained filled with fear. He knew this was merely a temporary measure, but for now, he had no choice but to pin his hopes on these reinforcements.

Seeing his lord's distraught appearance, Chen Lin sighed inwardly. The situation in Hebei was already extremely precarious; whether it could be salvaged depended entirely on whether these reinforcements would arrive as scheduled.

The city walls of Yangping County had been worn white by days of wind and sand. Gao Lan stood on the crenellations, gazing at the dark mass of Ma Chao's army outside the city, his knuckles white from the strain. Behind him, Chunyu Qiong was directing soldiers to reinforce the city's defenses. The clanging of armor mingled with the distant shouts of Xu Huang, his voice like steel needles piercing the hearts of the defenders.

"Gao Lan, you coward! Are you hiding in the city like a tortoise?" Xu Huang's roar pierced through the dust. "The Yuan family has already been defeated, who are you still guarding this dilapidated city for? If you have the guts, come out and fight me!"

Gao Lan turned around abruptly, his iron sword clanging against the city bricks. "Enough!" he said to Chunyu Qiong in a deep voice, "If he keeps cursing, the morale of the army will collapse."

Chunyu Qiong pressed down on his shoulder: "He just wants to provoke you out. Ma Chao is watching from behind the lines; this is a trap."

Xu Huang's insults grew increasingly vicious, ranging from Gao Lan's battle achievements to the Yuan family's past, even dredging up his ancestors for eight generations. Gao Lan abruptly removed his helmet, revealing a stubble-covered chin: "I, Gao Lan, have fought half my life; am I afraid of him?"

The city gate creaked open, and Gao Lan stepped forward, spear pointed directly at Xu Huang: "Stop talking nonsense!" The two horses clashed, spear and axe sparking. Gao Lan's spear was heavy and fierce like thunder, but he was caught in the whirlwind of Xu Huang's axe. After thirty rounds, he was starting to struggle. He suddenly changed his move, sweeping his spear shaft horizontally, trying to force Xu Huang to retreat. But Xu Huang seized the opening, his axe sinking down, sliding along the spear shaft, the blade grazing Gao Lan's breastplate, sending sparks flying, and then slashing towards his left shoulder.

"Watch out!" Chunyu Qiong shouted from the city wall, leading his troops in a charge. Gao Lan, enduring the pain, parried with his spear, but Xu Huang used the momentum to push him back several steps, his left shoulder bleeding. Chunyu Qiong's sword blocked Xu Huang's second axe blow in time, and shouting "Retreat!" he managed to escort Gao Lan back into the city.

The moment the city gate closed, Gao Lan coughed up blood while clutching his wound. Looking at Xu Huang, who was still cursing outside the city, he gritted his teeth and said, "This man's axe skills are cunning, even more ruthless than when he was in Cao Cao's camp."

Chunyu Qiong bandaged his wounds and said in a deep voice, "He's holding his anger in. Ma Chao broke through Wei County, but he didn't arrive first. He's taking all his anger out on us."

Below the city wall, Xu Huang was still cursing, his voice smug: "Gao Lan! Is that all you've got? Next time you come out, don't expect anyone to collect your corpse!"

Gao Lan looked at the enemy flags waving outside the city walls and suddenly said to Chunyu Qiong, "I will go to meet him again tomorrow."

"No!" Chunyu Qiong said urgently, "He is clearly using a strategy of attrition warfare, waiting until none of us can fight anymore, then Yangping County will truly be unable to be defended."

Gao Lan laughed, blood foam spilling from the corner of his mouth: "Although I am not as good as him, the backbone of the Yuan family's old troops is not so weak that they can be manipulated by others. At least let him know that the garrison of Yangping County is not just someone who hides in the city and gets scolded."

The night wind swept across the city wall, carrying Xu Huang's curses into his ears. Gao Lan gripped his gun tightly; the sweat stains on the shaft reflected the torches on the city tower, resembling undried bloodstains.

Inside the commander's tent of the Xiliang army camp, the flickering candlelight reflected Xu Huang's frustrated face. He slammed his giant axe on the ground, sending dust swirling down inside the tent: "That Gao Lan is hiding in the city like a coward, cursing me for three days straight without daring to come out. If I hadn't provoked him out and injured him today, I would have no face left to save!"

Ma Chao, who was deep in thought while looking at the map, turned around upon hearing this, a smile playing on his lips: "Gongming, please calm down. You have already won a battle by injuring Gao Lan today. I see that your axe skills are even more formidable than in the past few days, and you should be rewarded."

Xu Huang blushed and scratched his head: "But Pang De has broken through Dongjun, and my lord has taken Weijun. I'm the only one stuck in Yangpingjun. I have to trouble my lord to come in person. I'm really embarrassed."

“That’s a misstatement.” Xu Shu walked out from the side tent, fanning himself with a feather fan. “Gao Lan is one of the Four Pillars of Hebei, and with Chunyu Qiong’s reinforcements, Yangping County’s defenses are already quite strong. It’s already remarkable that Gongming was able to damage his morale. If it were someone else, they might not have been able to achieve the same result.”

Ma Chao nodded in agreement: "Yuanzhi is right. Gao Lan is known as a fierce general in Hebei, but he has been defeated by your axe today. This is enough to terrify the garrison of Yangping. You should be happy."

Xu Huang felt pleased by what the two men said, and the annoyance on his face gradually faded, but he still asked, "Then what should we do next? They've suffered a loss, so they're probably even less likely to leave the city."

“A full-scale attack seems inevitable.” Ma Chao pointed to Yangping County, “but there’s no rush.” He turned to Xu Shu, “Sir, you just mentioned new developments in Youzhou?”

Xu Shu put away his feather fan, his expression becoming more serious: "Gongsun Zan and Xu Rong's allied forces have already captured Dai Commandery, and Yan Liang and Wen Chou are too busy to take care of themselves. The Yuan family is now attacked from both the east and the west, and has lost three commanderies: Wei Commandery, Dong Commandery, and Dai Commandery. Their morale has long been broken. However, if they are determined to defend the city, it will indeed take a long time to take it down one by one."

“Time is no object.” Ma Chao’s gaze swept over the Xiliang cavalry outside the tent, his voice steady. “What we want is not a quick victory, but to completely destroy the Yuan family’s foundation. Whether it’s Yangping County or Ye City, once we take one, we will appease the people there, reduce land taxes and corvée labor, and let the people of Hebei know that they can live a good life with us.”

He paused, then looked at Xu Huang: "Gongming, tomorrow you will continue to challenge the enemy outside the city. We will launch a fierce attack while sending spies into the city to spread the news that the Yuan family has lost half of the country and that resistance will only lead to their death."

Xu Huang nodded emphatically, twirling the axe handle in his palm: "Rest assured, my lord, I will make sure Gao Lan knows that Yangping County cannot be defended!"

Xu Shu gazed at the densely packed city markings on the map and said softly, "Hebei is vast. If we can win over the hearts of the people, hegemony is within reach. My lord, this move is far-sighted."

Ma Chao smiled and pushed open the tent flap. The night wind blew into the tent, carrying the distant sound of bugles from the military camp. He gazed at the starry sky and suddenly felt that this land of Hebei would eventually sprout new life under the iron hooves of the Xiliang cavalry.

The next few days were filled with intense sieges, and Yangping County was in grave danger.

Xu Huang was also enraged. The sounds of battle from the walls of Yangping County shook the heavens. Xu Huang, with his bare arms, had drops of blood dripping from his giant axe, forming small puddles at his feet. The suicide squad behind him charged up the walls, stepping over corpses, their shouts drowning out the cries of agony from the city walls.

"Break!" Xu Huang roared, sweeping his giant axe in two, cleaving the oncoming sword in two. He then kicked an enemy soldier over, stepping on his chest to leap onto the city wall. His eyes were like torches, locking onto Sui Yuangu, who was commanding the defense. His axe flashed like lightning, and before Sui could even raise his shield, he had already knocked him to the ground.

"Yuan Gu!" Gao Lan roared, clutching his wounded shoulder, and thrust his spear at Xu Huang, but Xu Huang dodged it, the axe handle slamming heavily into Gao Lan's old wound. Gao Lan cried out in pain, his spear technique immediately becoming chaotic. Chunyu Qiong came to his aid with his sword, but due to his advanced age and declining strength, he was forced to retreat repeatedly by Xu Huang's backhand axe, taking a blow to the shoulder, blood instantly staining his battle robe red.

"We can't hold out!" someone shouted, and the defending troops on the city wall instantly collapsed. Gao Lan looked at the densely packed Xiliang army below, then glanced at Chunyu Qiong, who was covered in blood, and gritted his teeth: "Retreat!"

The remaining soldiers slid down the ropes. Xu Huang stood on the city wall, slammed his giant axe on the ground, and looked at the fleeing enemy army. His voice shook the surrounding area: "Yangping County has fallen!"

The Xiliang army below the city erupted in thunderous cheers. Ma Chao spurred his horse to the city walls, looked at the blood-soaked figure on the city tower, and laughed loudly, "Gongming, what skill you have!"

Xu Huang wiped the blood from his face and grinned: "My lord, Yangping County has been taken!"