Tiger Guards

Chapter 544 War Intuition
Lecheng is located in the southern part of Hejian, on the south bank of the Hutuo River.

Yuan Jun began his withdrawal from Lecheng, and Gongsun Zan decisively pursued him, launching a large-scale attack from both banks of the Hutuo River.

Gongsun Zan believed his intelligence sources... because Yuan Shao had indeed fainted while using the toilet.

Gongsun Zan also believed in his power to intimidate the various Hu tribes, especially since the Grand Marshal had decisively defeated the Xianbei in the west and central regions and destroyed their royal court.

If Gongsun Zan forbids looting, then the eastern Hu tribes cannot loot either; only with his permission can these people enter the pass to spend the winter and move within his permitted area.

Without his ally, the Grand Marshal, the Grand Marshal's eastward campaigns would have reduced the Eastern Xianbei and the Wuhuan of the Three Commanderies to dust!

Gongsun Zan, the former general and governor of Youzhou, was the protector of the eastern barbarians!
Only he could provide protection for the various Hu tribes, plead for them, and prevent the Grand Marshal from attacking them.

Therefore, the eastern barbarians should be grateful and serve him!

Gongsun Zan, believing he was in a favorable position, mobilized his entire army to pursue the retreating Yuan army.

It cannot be said that Gongsun Zan misjudged the situation. People are different. The Xianbei in the east were obviously frightened by Zhao Ji. They accepted Gongsun Zan's extortion, and some miscellaneous Hu and Wuhuan tribes also got used to living with their heads down.

They pursued for over two hundred li, and along the way, several of Yuan's rearguard units were scattered and annihilated in the icy snow.

Gongsun Zan didn't even have time to divide his troops to besiege Guanjin and Wuyi along the way. Based on his experience from previous years, Gongsun Zan's pursuing army once again arrived at the city of Xindu.

Xindu was a fortified city built by Yuan Shao over a long period of time. Together with the fortified city of Nanpi, it formed a strategic defensive line against Gongsun Zan's southward invasion.

When Gongsun Zan arrived outside Xindu City, his vanguard of over 20,000 cavalry had already begun setting up camp.

These forces, mainly composed of Han and Hu chieftains from Youzhou, were scattered and encamped, needing to guard against Yuan's army while also maintaining a safe distance from each other.

Some Hu cavalrymen erected wooden stakes outside Xindu City and hung the heads of Yuan soldiers they had captured during the pursuit, attempting to demoralize the Yuan army inside the city.

Even worse, some corpses were dragged in front of Gongsun Zan, their abdomens cut open to reveal their empty intestines.

The Hejian region was originally a buffer zone between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan. The Yuan army's military settlements were not very effective, and the efficiency of grain collection was also low, so they could not stockpile too much grain.

The grain supplies at the Hejian front were mostly gathered through the Hutuo River and Zhang River canals, and only enough was enough for Yuan Shao's army for two months.

Yuan Shao has enough time to transport more grain... but too much grain could trigger Gongsun Zan's premature attack.

If too much military rations are stockpiled at the front lines and there is no advantage in field operations, these rations could very well become the noose around one's neck.

Therefore, it was an objective fact that Yuan's army on the Hejian front was short of food, and it was also true that Yuan Shao suddenly fainted. Under these circumstances, Gongsun Zan had to pursue.

However, no one expected Yuan Shao to retreat so quickly. Yuan's army, which was mainly composed of infantry, actually ran faster than the Han and Hu cavalry of Youzhou.

This is obviously unreasonable.

Gongsun Zan frowned as he looked at the corpses of Yuan's army displayed by the leaders of the various Hu tribes, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness.

After Yan Gang, Tian Kai and others died in battle, Liu Bei also left him. Especially after killing Liu Yu, the heroes of Youzhou with any talent or ambition would not get close to him or serve him.

So much so that the vanguard pursued all the way without noticing anything unusual about Yuan's army.

Perhaps someone has noticed, but is pretending not to know.

At this moment, Gongsun Zan lowered his brows and looked at the disemboweled corpses. He was even more puzzled that the heads of these corpses were still on their bodies, which was obviously inconsistent with his understanding of the various Hu people.

The Xianbei and Wuhuan also had a strong tradition of headhunting. Now, they actually killed the rearguard of Yuan's army, and instead of beheading them for reward, they even brought the corpses and cut open their bellies to show him.

Sensing this unusual occurrence, Gongsun Zan's heart pounded, but his expression remained calm and composed: "Very good. Once my central army has set up camp, there will be a generous reward." "Thank you for the reward, my lord!"

The Wuhuan princes who dragged the corpse over grinned and clasped their hands in a gesture of joy.

Gongsun Zan nodded slowly, looking encouraging and optimistic about the other person, indicating a strong bond between them.

Gongsun Zan then turned his horse around, intending to retreat into the central army formation. He also looked back to observe the east gate of Xindu, where flags were densely packed and many armored soldiers surrounded a golden-armored general.

Yuan Shao was also looking at Gongsun Zan, his brows furrowed and his expression displeased.

Gongsun Zan gripped the horsewhip in his right arm, turned around, and pointed the whip at Yuan Shao's location, making a threatening gesture before lightly kicking his horse's belly and quickly returning to his own lines.

Inside the main camp, a nephew hurried over to greet him: "Uncle?"

"We'll talk about it once we're in camp."

Gongsun Zan spoke as usual, but his heart was beating faster. His years of keen battlefield intuition made him very uneasy.

But he couldn't lash out directly, otherwise the Han and Hu leaders of the vanguard would immediately explode.

Inside the hastily erected, makeshift tent, the guards lit the fire and then withdrew.

The fire pit was surrounded by stones, and the snow at the bottom had not been completely cleared. As it burned, the snow around it melted, and the temperature inside the tent gradually rose and became pleasant.

Gongsun Zan sat at the newly assembled low table and said to the dozen or so younger relatives that his nephew had called over: "Go back and gather your trusted and close associates. I predict that Yuan Shao will definitely come out of the city tonight to harass our camp. When night falls, I will give you my own military orders."

"Here."

These members of the Gongsun clan had no suspicions, assuming that Gongsun Zan had special intelligence channels. They left the tent with joyful expressions.

Their high morale and demeanor, on the contrary, aroused suspicion among some Han and Hu armed leaders in the camp, making them even more hesitant to act rashly.

Gongsun Zan and his personal guards hung up the cowhide map, grasped their whips, and came to the front of the tent. Looking up at the map, they put themselves in Yuan Shao's shoes, and even more so, Yuan Shao, who had an extreme advantage.

After a moment, Gongsun Zan let out a long sigh. He couldn't run away. The battle hadn't even begun. If he ran away, even if his prediction was accurate, what would outsiders think? Even if he escaped, his reputation would be shattered. What right would he have to command the people of Yan and Dai?
He lashed his horsewhip fiercely at Wuyi and Guanjin, shouting, "You generals have misled me! Yuan's elite troops have cut off my retreat!"

Several burly male guards and officers stood behind him, looking up at the map together. They had experienced everything and remained remarkably calm in the face of the changing situation.

Gongsun Zan turned to look at them: "Where Yuan Shao withdrew his troops, I originally intended to pursue him with all my might, but I was worried that Tadun would lead the Wuhuan from the three commanderies to lie in ambush behind us. After scouting the rear, I finally gave the order to pursue, which was already a day too late. It seems that Yuan's elite troops have already retreated into Guanjin and Wuyi, and will attack from behind our army to cut off our connection with Youzhou."

"As expected, Yuan's good son-in-law has also arrived. He should be around the Yi River now, about to cross the river."

Gongsun Zan tapped Yijing and the surrounding military outposts with his riding whip, and only then did his personal guards and officers show emotion: "Does Your Excellency mean that our army has already entered the ambush?"

"That's right. Our army still has its fighting spirit, and the traitors in the army dare not make any sudden moves."

Gongsun Zan continued to point with his horsewhip at the two cities of Guanjin and Wuyi that he had just passed by: "If I were Yuan Shao, I would spread rumors that the Grand Marshal had sent troops to the east, and that the Xianbei and Wuhuan tribes would inevitably waver. Just as the morale of the army was about to change, Tadun led the Wuhuan of the three commanderies to attack, and our army would collapse without a fight."

"We cannot wait for the rumors to spread. We must immediately impersonate the Grand Marshal's envoy and demand hostages from me. Tomorrow, I will publicly send one of my sons and several nephews back to Yijing, and they will travel through Juyong Pass to pay homage to the Grand Marshal, thus confirming the hostage-taking and alliance. In this way, the various Hu tribes in the army will not dare to act rashly! The rumors spread by the Yuan family will also be ineffective."

Gongsun Zan continued to strike the cities of Guanjin and Wuyi to express his anger: "Then I will withdraw my troops and return. If Yuan Shao comes out of the city to pursue me, I will turn around and attack him. If he dares not, I will first break his ambush and then fight Tadun. The heroes of Ji Province will surely assess the situation and know that if things are not going to work, why would they live and die with the Yuan family?"

Upon hearing this, the guards' leaders generally calmed down.

They are not afraid of fighting, nor are they afraid of fighting hard battles; what they fear is fighting meaningless battles.

(End of this chapter)