I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 288 The Buttocks Are Exposed
The first to be dispatched was Zhang Yang, the governor of Hanoi.

Zhang Yang's most glorious moment was probably when he was appointed Grand Marshal and given the authority to act as an imperial envoy for his merit in escorting the emperor from Guanzhong to Luoyang.

Unfortunately, this good fortune didn't last long. As the emperor was welcomed back to Xuchang by Cao Cao, Zhang Yang's position as Grand Marshal was given to Yuan Shao by Cao Cao. Later, Yuan Shao disliked this position and gave it back to Cao Cao.

As for Zhang Yang, he huddled in a neglected corner of Hanoi, silently licking his wounds.

Upon receiving Yuan Shao's order, Zhang Yang immediately began to gather his troops, intending to respond to Yuan Shao and launch an attack on Cao Cao!
When Zhang Yang's subordinate Yang Chou learned of this, Yang Chou immediately tried to dissuade him.

"Cao Cao is now one of the Three Dukes of the Han Dynasty, representing the legitimacy of the court. When Zhang Xiu, a general under Liu Miao, humiliated the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu, Cao Cao sided with Liu Miao, which earned him fame and made the people and scholars of the Central Plains support him. They are truly of one mind!"

"Attack Cao Cao now. We lack both righteousness and the strength to defeat the powerful Cao Cao head-on. We will only be defeated by him. How can the governor send his men to their deaths just because of Yuan Shao's order?"

Yang Chou makes a lot of sense!

But Zhang Yang wouldn't listen!
Seeing Zhang Yang's attitude, Yang Chou had no choice but to say, "Since that's the case, I'm afraid we'll have to borrow the governor's head!"

Yang Chou killed Zhang Yang directly.

It's pitiful that Zhang Yang, a man from the prestigious Xiyuan Garden, was once one of the warlords who opposed Dong Zhuo, and even held the official position of Grand Marshal, having once been second only to the emperor. Now, he has become a stain of blood under Yang Chou's blade, completely vanishing.

After Yang Chou killed Zhang Yang, he planned to take Zhang Yang's head and the Hanoi Commandery to Cao Cao.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao was naturally delighted and ordered Shi Huan and Cao Ren to go and take over Hanoi.

But before the troops could even cross the river, news came from Hanoi—

Yang Chou, who had just killed Zhang Yang and was planning to defect to him, was killed by Sui Gu, another of Zhang Yang's generals!

Sui Gu was originally a bandit from the Black Mountain. He was once as famous as Yu Du and Bai Rao. He had attacked Cao Cao a long time ago, but was defeated by Cao Cao. He then sought refuge with Zhang Yang.

Sui Gu feared that Cao Cao would settle scores with him later if Yang Chou defected, so he killed Yang Chou and led his previously arrogant troops to Shequan, intending to surrender to Yuan Shao.

Upon learning of this, Cao Cao immediately withdrew his bared teeth.

"Hanoi is a strategically important and dangerous place; we cannot easily cede it to Yuan Shao!"

Cao Cao immediately led his troops, including Shi Huan, Cao Ren, Yu Jin, and Yue Jin, across the river to attack, hoping to seize Henei before Yuan Shao's soldiers arrived.

When Sui Gu saw Cao Cao personally coming to attack, he was filled with fear and immediately left his generals to guard Hanoi. He himself led his troops north, intending to seek help from Yuan Shao and lead the Hebei troops to fight against Cao Cao.

Cao Cao immediately saw through Sui Gu's plan. He led Yu Jin, Yue Jin, and others to continue the siege, while sending Shi Huan and Cao Ren with cavalry to pursue Sui Gu.

The two armies met at Quancheng. Cao Cao's army was full of elite troops, and with a fierce general like Cao Ren, they quickly defeated the Hanoi army and surrounded Sui Gu.

Seeing this, Sui Gu could only resign himself to his fate, saying, "My name is White Rabbit. A shaman skilled in divination once told me that my name contains the character 'rabbit,' and a rabbit will be terrified when it sees a dog. So, this defeat is probably my destiny."

Sui Gu refused to surrender and went into battle against Cao Cao's army, where he was killed in the melee.

After Cao Cao learned of Sui Gu's death, he informed the general guarding Hanoi of the news. Knowing that he was powerless to resist, the general had no choice but to open the city gates and surrender.

From this point on, Cao Cao completely seized Hanoi! Ironically, he first planted his own thorn in Hebei!

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Yang Chou killed Zhang Yang, Sui Gu then killed Yang Chou, Cao Cao then killed Sui Gu, and took the opportunity to seize Hanoi... This series of events happened in a dazzling and overwhelming manner.

Cao Cao's side, naturally, raised their arms and shouted!
Yuan Shao is now very powerful, and being able to weaken his morale would be of great benefit to Cao Cao!
Even if Cao Cao did not fight Yuan Shao head-on this time, capturing Hanoi would still be a great victory for Cao Cao!

On the other hand, although Yuan Shao lost Zhang Yang and Hanoi, it would not have a significant impact on his strategy.

However, such an event occurring so close to the start of the battle undoubtedly made Yuan's soldiers feel as if they had swallowed a fly.

I wanted to show off my skills to the world, but instead of showing my hands, I ended up showing my butt!
Shame!

However, this incident did not bring only bad things.

Guo Tu, who had already returned to Ye City, immediately wrote a letter to Yuan Tan—

"The matter of making a fuss about it was completely unexpected."

"However, Zhang Yang's failure is actually a boon for the eldest son."

"Now that we have been defeated by Liu Miao at Langya and then Cao Cao has gained the upper hand in Hanoi, we desperately need a great victory to boost morale!"

"Now that the eldest son has a strong army, it is the perfect time for him to make a name for himself and secure his position as heir apparent!"

Upon receiving Guo Tu's letter, Yuan Tan was immediately filled with confidence—

"Leave!"

The governor of Bingzhou, Gao Gan, along with Guo Yuan, the prefect of Hedong who was appointed without authorization, and Huchuquan, the Xiongnu Chanyu who came from the north, joined forces, totaling about 30,000 men!

This force would be of great importance even on the main battlefield, let alone in the relatively undefended Guanzhong region.
Zhong Yao, who was in charge of guarding Guanzhong, immediately went to Cao Cao for help, and Cao Cao was naturally in a dilemma.

At this time, where could we find troops from the Central Plains?
But if we don't send troops over, and just lose Guanzhong, wouldn't that be even more regrettable?
Cao Cao could only send someone to urge Liu Miao, asking him when he would send troops to Guanzhong!

Liu Miao immediately summoned his advisors and generals to a meeting and informed them of Yuan Tan's attack on Guanzhong.

Everyone was startled.

"Yuan Shao, is he launching a war so soon?"

"it's not true."

Lu Su, who had the deepest understanding of the various feudal lords, denied what the other party said.

"This is not the main battle; at best, it is merely a probing move before the main battle."

"But because Yuan Shao is now so powerful, even if he only swings one arm, it is enough to overwhelm us."

Lu Su immediately saw that Yuan Shao's move was merely an attempt to divert the forces of Cao Cao and Liu Miao, thereby increasing his chances of victory on the Central Plains battlefield.

However, the art of war is about deception and reality.

If the fall of Guanzhong is confirmed at this time, Yuan's army will be able to threaten Nanyang from Wuguan, and then Jingzhou and Xuchang.

So even though they knew that Yuan Shao's attack on Guanzhong was just a test, a feint, if they didn't respond, the feint might immediately turn into a fatal blow, catching them off guard!
It is large in size, has many soldiers, and has sufficient food and supplies.

This is Yuan Shao's greatest advantage.

Now, Yuan Shao has clearly maximized his advantages!
"Yuan Shao was able to lead the allied forces to defeat Dong Zhuo and Gongsun Zan, and then dominate Hebei. He is indeed not an easy opponent!"

(End of this chapter)