Tiger Guards

Chapter 484 Enjoying the Initiative
The mild winter affected a wide area, so much so that when a new snow fell suddenly in Licheng, it didn't feel very cold.

On the south bank of the Ji River, Sun Ce's front-line camp.

He went out of the camp to inspect the area. Snowflakes were still falling from the sky, and there was a thin layer of snow on the ground.

When horses trample the ground, the snow is trampled and melts into the ground, disappearing from sight.

Looking across the Ji River to the north bank, there were no Yuan army strongholds or camps in sight.

Occasionally, only a few sparse scout squads of Yuan's army would patrol the north bank. Perhaps fearing that Sun Ce would set an ambush on the south bank, these scouts also carried the task of setting fires, burning down as many abandoned villages, orchards, or reed fields as possible on the north bank.

After Zhang Hong was conscripted by Zhao Ji and Zhang Zhao led the families of the four tribes of Qingzhou to move to Langya, Sun Ce had fewer and fewer people around him who could advise him on important matters.

Sun Ce didn't feel any urgency; he believed he could figure out many things on his own.

Listening too much to the advice of advisors is hardly the mark of a wise ruler.

The situation is becoming increasingly clear: not to mention the Ji River, Yuan's army doesn't even dare to cross the Yellow River completely.

This thwarted Sun Ce's previous strategic plan. Although he lacked superior cavalry, he possessed a naval force that was superior to that north of the Huai River.

Wherever a medium-sized transport ship can navigate, that is his playground.

Therefore, we should examine everything with a confident eye... Now it is not that we are resisting Yuan Shao's invasion, but that Yuan Shao is resisting us!
The outbreak of the Qingzhou War was due to the imperial court appointing Sun Ce as Governor of Qingzhou, General of the Rear, and Marquis of Linzi.

With the support of the imperial court, Sun Ce took over Qingzhou from Yuan Shao.

After the original governor Jiao He was defeated and killed, causing chaos in Qingzhou, Yuan Shao appointed Zang Hong as governor. However, fearing that Zang Hong would become too powerful and out of control, Yuan Shao transferred him to be the governor of Dongjun. Yuan Shao then sent Yuan Tan to replace him, while Qingzhou recommended Kong Rong as governor.

When Zhao Ji escorted the imperial court eastward, Kong Rong suffered a defeat, fled to Qingzhou, and entered the court to serve the emperor, where he was appointed as one of the Nine Ministers.

At that time, the imperial court wanted to exert influence and pull Qingzhou away from the influence of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao and into the imperial court's camp.

It just so happens that Sun Song had done Zhao Qi a favor, and Sun Song sought refuge with Liu Biao while also having a past relationship with Cao Cao. The court had already made too many exceptions by appointing Sun Song, a prominent figure from Beihai, as the governor of Qingzhou. Even if Sun Song was not successful, he could still gain the support of his fellow villagers in Qingzhou.

With Cao Cao remaining neutral, Sun Song and his fellow villagers from Qingzhou were bound to drive Yuan Tan out.

As a result, Sun Song disappeared in Cao Cao's core area after passing through Shanyang and Dongping in Yanzhou, along with dozens of his followers.

Provoked by Cao Cao's ruthless methods, the officials could only acquiesce to Zhao Ji. Zhao Ji appointed Zang Ba as the governor of Qingzhou. Although he failed to recover Qingzhou, he scared Yuan Tan away and drove him to Pingyuan State on the north bank of the Yellow River.

If the imperial court had given Zang Ba greater support at the time, perhaps Zang Ba could have rallied the local refugee leaders and directly overthrown Qingzhou.

However, Zang Ba came from a very low social standing. It was already a great favor for Zhao Ji that the nobles did not try to sabotage him. How could they possibly elevate Zang Ba through public opinion?
Therefore, Zang Ba was unwilling to go all out and fight. After serving as the governor of Qingzhou for more than half a year, he plundered some people and property and then retreated to the northern part of Langya.

This year, the imperial court promoted Sun Ce to Governor of Qingzhou. Sun Ce already had the imperial court's authority on him... The will to resist in Qingzhou was not very strong.

Sun Ce did not rush to divide his troops to seize territory. Instead, he showed leniency, stationed his troops in Jinan to prepare for Yuan Shao's advance, and left the choice to the powerful clans of Qingzhou.

Although his main force did not make any major moves, the coalition of powerful clans in Qingzhou was steadily disintegrating with the support of Sun Ben's naval forces.

Once signs of military disintegration appear, the remaining troops will be unable to sustain their morale alone and will collapse even faster.

Sun Ce did not actively seize territory or engage in killing, which means that there was no irreconcilable blood feud between them.

Thus, the situation in Qingzhou became increasingly clear amidst the tense standoff between Yuan Shao and Sun Ce, separated by more than a hundred miles.

Now, Gongsun Zan's proclamation against Yuan Shao has also reached Sun Ce, who is very interested in it.

If he can hold off Yuan Shao for ten to fifteen days, Gongsun Zan's army will invade Hebei, and Yuan Shao's army will be unable to defend both ends, and will naturally collapse.

The unique advantages of the navy meant that Sun Ce was not afraid of Gongsun Zan's superior cavalry.

Gongsun Zan's occupation of Hebei was not a bad thing for him; on the contrary, it allowed him to acquire a large number of warhorses at low cost, thus making up for the last remaining weakness in his military force.

In terms of his personal character, Sun Ce also wanted to build an elite cavalry force of two to three thousand men, which was the real hard currency on the Central Plains battlefield.

There's a hidden possibility that if they formed an alliance with Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei, standing atop Yuan Shao's corpse, their three-way alliance might actually have a chance to confront the Lü-Zhao alliance.

As signs of Yuan Shu's defeat and demise became increasingly apparent, many talents sought refuge with or switched allegiance to Yuan Shao after his downfall.

Even if these people are captured and forced to serve others... they will still try to serve Yuan Shao, which is a rather frightening thing.

The weakened Yuan clan, weakened by the split between the two Yuan brothers, will be reunited.

Therefore, weakening, attacking, or destroying Yuan Shao in advance would deprive scholars in various regions of their recognized leader, making it easier for various forces to absorb and annex these scholars. Sun Ce pondered this alone, but what he was unsure about was Gongsun Zan's character.

If they were to join forces with Gongsun Zan to destroy Yuan Shao, would Gongsun Zan keep his promise and send him so many warhorses?
As the saying goes, times change. When Gongsun Zan wrote the letter, he may have been genuinely willing to give him warhorses. But after Gongsun Zan annexed Ji Province and became the overlord of Hebei, he had many more considerations. Sun Ce was no longer as important to the new overlord of Hebei.

Even Sun Ce's Qingzhou will become an obstacle and inconvenience between Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei.

The war situation is constantly changing. At this moment, Sun Ce has a firm grip on Yuan Shao's vitals. With Gongsun Zan's cooperation, he could very well crush Yuan Shao and kill him on the spot.

But what are the benefits?

Sun Ce would rather be at odds with both Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan at the same time, but he really didn't want to face a hegemon in Hebei who had unified You and Ji, which meant that he would have a hard time acquiring large numbers of warhorses cheaply in the future.

Without warhorses, Lü Bu could easily overpower him in open field battles on the Central Plains battlefield.

After riding his horse around the camp, Sun Ce still couldn't shake off his worries.

He then inspected the various camps. When he passed by his brother-in-law Hongzi's camp, he did not see Hongzi coming to greet him, so he led Sun He and others into the camp.

Before even approaching the main tent, Sun Ce heard the sound of a zither and couldn't help but smile: "It's quite leisurely even in the midst of military life."

For some reason, he thought of Zhou Yu and felt a deep sense of regret.

As they drew closer, the music stopped, and Military Strategist Hong Zi strode out, saying, "Greetings, General Hou."

Why is music being played in the camp?

"This is a joyous occasion."

Hongzi glanced around and said, “I was trying to persuade Mr. Wenruo, and he was quite interested. He is willing to serve as a general and work together to restore the Han Dynasty.”

"really?"

Sun Ce pressed him in a low voice, for he desperately needed the help of people like Xun Yu. He couldn't possibly wipe out all the powerful clans of Qingzhou now, as many of them would be from Qingzhou in his future General of the Rear's staff.

If they could get the assistance of Xun Yu and other people from Yan and Yu provinces, they could suppress the people of Qingzhou from the county officials and the general's staff, thus creating a balance.

Hongzi replied solemnly, “General, your father and son have served the country for two generations, and your name of loyalty and valor is known throughout the land. Now, the Yuan family has been living off the Han dynasty's wealth for generations and has failed to repay the country's kindness, which is common knowledge. The two traitors, Lü and Zhao, each command fierce troops and are arrogant and disrespectful to the emperor and ministers. They have repeatedly disrupted the government and slaughtered officials in various places. They can be called the two villains of the country. Looking across the country, only you, General, can restore order. Why should you belittle yourself?”

It's not that Sun Ce lacked Xun Yu and others, but rather that Xun Yu and others relied more on Sun Ce.

Hongzi's words calmed Sun Ce down; he knew he couldn't act too hastily.

At most, he would appoint Xun Yu as the chief secretary of the staff office. The Western Office, which was in charge of selecting personnel for each department, had to be filled by familiar faces, and the chief clerk had to be a close confidant.

It's impossible to directly appoint the veterans of Cao Cao's army that Xun Yu brought over as prefects or chancellors. At most, they could be assigned to be county magistrates to help him stabilize the region, suppress the Qingzhou rebels, and provide the army with a continuous supply of money and food.

Sun Ce preferred to use people from Xu and Yang provinces rather than those from Yan and Yu provinces.

If Yuan Shao were to die suddenly, he would dare to trust the people of Yan and Yu provinces a little. Before that, these people could only serve as strategists, county magistrates, or unimportant clerks and subordinates.

Even positions like the Cang Cao (仓曹) were not to be interfered with or intervened in by people from Yan and Yu provinces.

Sun Ce calmed down and immediately realized: "They didn't come earlier or later, but they've come now. They must be here to discuss the ceasefire with Hebei."

Hongzi didn't ask for details, but simply asked, "Then what about this humble servant?"

"No rush, let them wait three days."

Sun Ce had an idea: "The ones who are in a hurry now are the other way around."

The matter needs to be made clear: it is not that he is asking the prominent families of Yan and Yu who have fled to Qingzhou to pledge their loyalty to him, but rather that they are begging to serve him.

Eliminating the traitors and restoring the Han dynasty was only a long-term goal; his immediate aim was probably to persuade Yuan Shao to withdraw his troops.

The immediate problem is to pursue and hold off Yuan Shao, while the subsequent problem is to coordinate with Gongsun Zan to launch a pincer attack on Yuan Shao.

The initiative was entirely with Sun Ce; it was Xun Yu and his ilk who had to compromise.

If Yuan Shao falls, who among the various factions in the land will be able to raise the banner of restoring the Han dynasty?

The other leaders were either military men from the border regions, members of the imperial family, or military men from humble backgrounds who were also members of the imperial family... This was terrifying.

(End of this chapter)