I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 208 Must kill!

Xuzhou.

Yuan Tan, who was caught off guard by Zang Ba's sudden attack, fled all the way to Haixi before finally recovering from the shock: "Why did Zang Ba dare to attack me so suddenly?"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Yuan Tan hurriedly asked Guo Tu, "Did Zang Ba discover something?"

Guo Tu was equally puzzled as to why the usually honest and law-abiding Zang Ba would suddenly attack his rear, but he shook his head at Yuan Tan's speculation: "Even if Zang Ba discovers this, he will be afraid of Lord Yuan's reputation and will not dare to attack the eldest son."

Yuan Tan: "Does that mean Zang Ba intends to take a risk, assassinate me, and then seize Qingzhou?"

Guo Tu: "Zang Ba is not the kind of ambitious person. When Kong Rong occupied Qingzhou before, Zang Ba never made a move against Qingzhou. How could he possibly plot against Qingzhou today?"

Yuan Tan angrily said, "But Zang Ba has indeed come to attack!"

Having served Yuan Shao for many years, Guo Tu was no stranger to great trials and tribulations. Unlike the panicked Yuan Tan, he remained calm and composed. Even at this moment, he reassured Yuan Tan, "Zang Ba is a man who acts entirely on his whims. Young Master, you need not worry about him too much."

"As long as we send a message to Lü Bu, asking him to attack Zang Ba and open up the supply route, the eldest son can still go to conquer Jiangdong."

Yuan Tan was also moved by Guo Tu's composure and calmed down.

"Indeed, the most urgent task is to summon Lü Bu to attack Zang Ba!"

Yuan Tan wrote a letter to Lü Bu, requesting Lü Bu to send troops to attack Zang Ba.

Unexpectedly, less than half a day after the letter was sent, a scout reported that traces of Lü Bu's army had been discovered to the north.

"Lu Bu is actually so benevolent?"

Yuan Tan was surprised that Lü Bu would come on his own initiative, and he felt a bit more favorably disposed towards Lü Bu.

"It must be because General Lü heard that I was attacked by Zang Ba that he led his troops to come to my aid!"

In order to welcome Lü Bu, Yuan Tan even rode his horse to the front of the camp to wait for Lü Bu.

From afar, Yuan Tan spotted cavalry approaching from the north.

The thunderous sound of the horses' hooves filled Yuan Tan with even greater joy.

"This must be all of Lü Bu's cavalry, right? He's really sent out his entire force to support me?"

Yuan Tan smiled and said to Guo Tu beside him, "Lu Bu is actually quite a kind person!"

"When I see my father again in the future, I should ask him to spare Lü Bu's life and let him keep him in a sinecure."

Everyone around him agreed, except for Guo Tu, whose expression seemed off.

There were far too many unexpected events during this campaign against Jiangdong.

First, Xu You suddenly went crazy and refused to let Yuan Shao give Lü Bu money and provisions.

Then, the honest and law-abiding Zang Ba suddenly led a large army to attack Yuan Tan's rear.

Finally, Lü Bu arrived here without any summons, and Guo Tu felt that something was amiss.

"Young Master, you should still be careful."

"Rest assured, Your Excellency!"

Yuan Tan rode forward, ready to meet Lü Bu.

Five Miles...

Three miles...

One mile...

Yuan Tan finally changed his expression!

Lu Bu's cavalry showed no sign of slowing down at all!

As they got closer, the cavalrymen even seemed to be getting faster!
"Lu Bu is far too ignorant. Why doesn't he dismount and come to pay his respects to the young master?"

While the attendants around them were discussing the matter, Yuan Tan and Guo Tu turned pale.

Seeing that Lü Bu and his cavalry had closed to within 500 paces, Guo Tu finally cried out, "Young Master! Retreat into the camp immediately! Lü Bu is here to attack us!"

boom!
The minds of all the officials and attendants who accompanied Yuan Tan to greet Lü Bu were suddenly blown!

Lü Bu didn't come to help Yuan Tan fight against Zang Ba!
His sole purpose in coming here was to kill Yuan Tan!
Yuan Tan hurriedly retreated, but because he had too much time to react, many soldiers were unable to retreat back to their camp and collided head-on with Lü Bu!
Lu Bu's steed, Red Hare, was entirely crimson, without a single blemish. From afar, it looked like a ball of fire crashing into Yuan Tan's camp, smashing Yuan's army to pieces!

Ignoring his soldiers, Yuan Tan fled into the camp and immediately locked the gates. He shouted at Lü Bu outside, "Lü Bu! I am Yuan Tan! Are you mistaken? Why are you attacking my army?"

Lu Bu casually sliced ​​off half of a soldier's head, then pointed at Yuan Tan and cursed, "I've come looking for you, Yuan Tan!"

“I once helped your father quell Zhang Yan of Heishan, but instead of being grateful, he drove me out of Hebei and even sent assassins to kill me!” (Note 1)

"I'm a bastard, and you, my son, are just as much! Let me ask you! How much money and provisions did you give me that day? If you gave me less, fine, but you lied to me and said that Zang Ba embezzled the money and that I should attack Zang Ba... Damn it! From Ding Yuan to Dong Zhuo, from Dong Zhuo to Wang Yun, did you all think I was a fool?"

Lu Bu, his eyebrows raised in arrogance, shouted even more arrogantly, "Yuan Tan! Today I'll see how long your head can remain on your neck!"

"..."

Yuan Tan was speechless.

I thought this matter was kept top secret, and even if Lü Bu got angry, he would only go after Zang Ba. Who knew that he would actually go after Yuan Tan?
Yuan Tan looked at Guo Tu, who also looked puzzled, wondering how Lü Bu had discovered this.

I have never heard of any famous strategists under Lü Bu or Zang Ba. How did they discover this matter and dare to attack us directly after discovering it?

But at this moment, there was clearly no time to worry about such things. Guo Tu advised, "Our army is now trapped in Haixi, with Liu Miao to the south and Lü Bu to the north. We have nowhere else to go."

"Now, no matter what, we should beg Lü Bu to give us a way out and let us return to Qingzhou."

Yuan Tan hid behind the gate, listening to the shouts of battle outside, his heart bleeding.

As the eldest son who was adopted out, those soldiers were all the wealth he had accumulated bit by bit.

These assets were the foundation for Yuan Tan's future ambition to become Yuan Shao's successor, but now they were left outside to be wantonly ravaged by Lü Bu, which truly pained Yuan Tan!

"Didn't I know I had to return to Qingzhou?"

Yuan Tan pounded heavily on the gate beside him: "But look at Lü Bu's expression, does he seem like he'd give us a way out? Hmm?"

Guo Tu glanced at Lü Bu through the gaps between the camps, then closed his eyes in fear.

How could Guo Tu not know how terrifying Lü Bu was?

At that time, Yuan Shao and Lü Bu were fighting Zhang Yan's Black Mountain Army at Changshan. The Black Mountain Army had more than 10,000 elite soldiers and several thousand cavalry. Lü Bu, however, was able to frequently ride Red Hare, leaping over city walls and crossing trenches. Leading dozens of cavalry, he would charge into Zhang Yan's army formation, sometimes three or four times a day, and each time he would return with the head of a Black Mountain general. After more than ten days of such continuous fighting, he utterly annihilated the Black Mountain Army, forcing them to flee into the Taihang Mountains to eke out a living, never daring to invade Hebei again... (Note 2)

But it was precisely because of this that Guo Tu realized he had to submit to Lü Bu.

If we were to actually fight Lü Bu, even ten Yuan Tans wouldn't be enough to defeat him; in that case, we would be doomed!
Guo Tu grabbed Yuan Tan's arm: "Lu Bu did not come for the money and provisions, but because he was deceived and looked down upon."

"Young Master, you can find a scapegoat and say that this person embezzled the money and grain without your knowledge. That should be enough to gain Lü Bu's forgiveness!"

Yuan Tan was initially relieved, but then shook his head and said, "Lu Bu isn't stupid; how could he possibly believe such a thing?"

Guo Tu: "Therefore, we need to find someone who is truly loyal to the eldest son to go to Lü Bu's camp and confess this crime!"

"Even if Lü Bu were to torture him, he would never betray the eldest son! Does the eldest son have such a loyal subject under his command?"

Yuan Tan stood there stunned, then sighed, "My captains are capable."

However, Yuan Tan couldn't bear to do it: "He and I have always been close... how can I let him do such a thing?"

Guo Tu then advised, "Precisely because Guan Tong is loyal to you, he would not want to see you, young master, killed here by Lü Bu!"

When Guo Tu went to find Guan Tong, Guan Tong was leading troops to fight against Lü Bu.

Guan Tong had the typical appearance of a burly man from Qingzhou: imposing, robust, upright, and resolute.

Because he risked his life to fight Lü Bu, Guan Tong had several wounds on his body, from which blood was seeping out.

When Guan Tong heard Guo Tu's words, he didn't hesitate at all and immediately handed Guo Tu the ring-pommel sword that he had just used to kill one of Lü Bu's soldiers.

"I was destitute back then, and it was only because of the eldest young master's kindness that I'm still alive today. Now that the eldest young master is in trouble, it's only natural that I, Guan Tong, should repay him!"

Guan Tong gripped his wrist and begged Guo Tu to tie him up and send him to Lü Bu.

"But I will no longer be able to serve the young master faithfully after this! Please protect the young master for me, and do not let him fall into such danger again in the future!"

Guo Tu was also deeply concerned and quickly asked Guan Tong, "Do you still have a wife at home? My eldest son and I will certainly protect her!"

"I still have a wife at home. As long as I can give them a bite to eat and keep them from starving, I have no regrets."

Guo Tu almost cried as he tied the rope to Guan Tong: "General, rest assured! The eldest son and Lord Yuan will never forget you!"

Yuan Tan opened the gate and delivered Guan Tong, who was bound hand and foot, to Lü Bu.

Lu Bu sneered, "Trying to fool me again? Do you think I'm a three-year-old child?"

Guan Tong glared at Lü Bu: "I have to take responsibility for my actions! Since I dared to embezzle your money and provisions back then, I have the guts to stand before you today!"

Lu Bu placed his sharp blade on Guan Tong's shoulder: "Why did you steal my money?"

"I just feel that it's not worth giving so much of the people's hard-earned money to a brute like you!"

"You bastard! Who are you calling a brute?"

"Of course it's you!"

Seeing that Guan Tong showed no sign of yielding, Lü Bu finally decided to kill him.

"court death!"

Guan Tong's head fell to the ground with a thud, and Yuan Tan, without even having time to grieve for Guan Tong, immediately shouted, "General Lü! This matter was nothing more than Guan Tong, this treacherous general, harboring treacherous intentions! How could you attack my camp without even asking what happened?"

"Please calm down, General Lü. Let's talk this out!"

"Pooh!"

Although Lü Bu killed Guan Tong, the anger he had been stirred up by Yuan Shao and his son did not dissipate.

"Yuan Tan, since I said I would kill you today, I will definitely kill you! If you have anything to say, wait until Yuan Shao brings your head to me!"

Yuan Tan and Guo Tu were dumbfounded.

So... the manager died for nothing??

　Note 1: From *The Records of Heroes*: Bu requested to return to Luoyang, and Shao granted Bu the position of Commandant of the Capital Region. He outwardly claimed he should send him away, but inwardly plotted to kill him. The next day, Shao sent thirty armored soldiers to escort Bu. Bu ordered them to stop beside his tent, while a fake messenger played the zither inside. Shao's soldiers lay in bed, and Bu left the tent without warning, unnoticed by his troops. At midnight, the soldiers rose and violently attacked Bu's bedding, believing him dead. The next day, Shao inquired and learned Bu was still alive, so he closed the city gates. Bu then fled.

　　Note 2: From the Records of the Three Kingdoms: Yuan Shao and Bu attacked Zhang Yan at Changshan. Yan had over ten thousand elite troops and several thousand cavalry. Bu had a fine horse named Red Hare. Yi Chang, along with his close associates Cheng Lian and Wei Yue, charged into the enemy lines and defeated the Yan army.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)