I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 469 Turnaround

Chapter 469 Turnaround
"Your Majesty, Yuan Tan has made a move."

Liu Miao, who had just woken up from a nap on the hard wooden board, heard this good news as soon as he opened his eyes.

"Coming for us?"

"No, they left."

"Withdrawn?"

Liu Miao and Zhou Tai stared at each other, wide-eyed.

"He had the advantage at that moment, yet he withdrew?"

Liu Miao didn't even have time to eat; he immediately mounted his fast horse and led a small number of cavalrymen to Jimo.

as predicted.

Yuan Tan's army, which had been huddled in Jimo, headed north. Large quantities of supplies were loaded onto carts, leaving messy ruts and muddy tracks on the ground, just like the ground after a wild bull had run wild, chaotic and disorderly.

However, no normal person would have any interest in Yuan Tan's retreating camp at this time.

Liu Miao and the surrounding Han soldiers could see that on a high ground not far away, Wuhuan cavalry were running back and forth.

"They're really going to withdraw?"

This surprised Liu Miao.

At this moment, he wished he could run to Yuan Tan's ear and shout, "How could you tolerate this?"

Shouldn't Yuan Tan have been waiting for me to arrive?
Now that he's already taken his pants off, shouldn't Yuan Tan also take his pants off and compare who has bigger pants? Why doesn't he compare them and instead runs away? What's the logic behind that?
"Where are they going?"

"To the north, it should be the Pingdu area."

Zang Ba, who was accompanying Liu Miao, naturally put himself to good use and explained the geography of Qingzhou to Liu Miao.

"Pingdu is backed by Dazeshan Mountain, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack."

Now Liu Miao understood.

A cold wind ruffled the hems of Liu Miao and the others' robes, and Zang Ba couldn't help but ask Liu Miao, "Your Majesty, what do we do now?"

"What do you mean?"

Zang Ba nodded, his meaning self-evident.

Liu Miao has traveled a great distance from the Central Plains to Qingzhou, crossing the land of Xuzhou, all to take advantage of the time difference.

Before the results of the Battle of Mangdang Mountain reached Yuan Tan's ears, and before Yuan Tan knew that the Han cavalry was now strong enough to break through heavy cavalry head-on, he tried to force a decisive battle with Yuan Tan, completely cut off any Yuan army force that could turn the tide of the battle, and then return to Pengcheng, sit firmly in his seat, and quietly watch Yuan Shao attack the city.

No one thought there was anything wrong with this plan and tactic.

Because Yuan Tan originally wanted to lure Liu Miao to Qingzhou... Once Liu Miao arrived in Qingzhou, the decisive battle with Yuan Tan should have been a natural outcome.

But now Yuan Tan has actually chosen to avoid battle!
This left Zang Ba and the other Han generals somewhat at a loss.

The Han army traveled lightly, carrying little food and supplies, and their winter clothing and baggage were insufficient to sustain them in a prolonged battle.

If Yuan Tan avoids defense and does not come out, the Han army will have to withdraw sooner or later.

Once Liu Miao's Han cavalry withdraws, a series of misfortunes may follow.

First, they will be completely helpless against Lü Bu, Zhuge Liang, and the people of Qingzhou who are trapped in the eastern part of Jiaodong.

Even disregarding the impact of Lü Bu's defeat on the morale of the Han army—a key figure such as "General of Han," "father-in-law of Liu Miao," and "Eastern Warlord"—the mere fact that Qingzhou lacked the military force to restrain Yuan Tan, allowing Yuan Shao and Yuan Tan to launch a pincer attack on Pengcheng and Langya in the future, was not a good thing for the Han army at present.

Second.

War is never something that can be accomplished overnight.

in contrast.

This process is quite lengthy.

Both sides must constantly probe and tug at each other until they find an opportunity. Then, they must strike while the iron is hot, using all their strength to tear open the gap, expand their advantage, and thus achieve a complete victory from a single point to the whole.

The Battle of Mangdang Mountain was undoubtedly a good start.

If we can continue to tear things apart from this good start, it will only make the enemy more and more flustered and unable to defend themselves.

on the contrary.

If we are hindered by other reasons, allowing the enemy to recover and return to that probing and tug-of-war state, it will bring huge losses to both sides.

Without a doubt, Yuan Tan, who has suddenly chosen to retreat, has become that obstacle.

Zang Ba understood Yuan Tan's importance to the overall battle situation, which was why he was somewhat worried...

"Xuan Gao, do you know what the two most important things in life are?"

"Ok?"

Zang Ba clearly hadn't expected that Liu Miao would bring up this seemingly simple, but actually difficult, question with him again.

"Is it... morality?"

Zang Ba's cautious reply earned him a look of disdain from Liu Miao.

"It's about eating and sleeping!"

Liu Miao took one last look at Yuan Tan's retreating camp, then pulled on the reins: "Let's go! I haven't eaten yet! On the way here, I think I saw a few wild dogs running around outside. Let's go get them for our extra meal today!"

"..."

Zhou Tai and Chen Wu, already familiar with the routine, followed Liu Miao in turning around and were even preparing their bows and arrows, their minds clearly focused on the dog meat they would be having later.

Zang Ba hesitated and asked, "Your Majesty, are you really going to abandon this?"

"If Yuan Tan is really determined to drag this out with us, then this battle is hopeless!"

Helpless, Liu Miao turned the swift boat around again, came to Zang Ba's side, and reached out to pat him on the shoulder.

"Isn't this what war is all about?"

"The ability to strategize and predict events is something that only needs to be done once or twice. How can one expect everything to go smoothly?"

Liu Miao showed absolutely no urgency at Yuan Tan's departure.

"If we can't win this battle, let's go back to Langya, back to Pengcheng!"

"If we lose to Yuan Shao, we'll go back to Huainan! Back to Jiangdong!"

"If all else fails, let's get on the boat and run away to India, specifically India!"

Liu Miao stretched, as if only now could he shake off his weariness.

"There's always a way out. Why worry so much about things you can't control? It won't solve anything, and you might even make yourself sick. Wouldn't that be a losing proposition?"

Liu Miao patted Zang Ba heavily a few more times: "Xuan Gao! Let's go!"

"Let me see if your archery and horsemanship have improved in the past two years!"

Zang Ba looked at the carefree Liu Miao and wanted to sigh, but seeing Liu Miao already eagerly fiddling with the bow and arrow, he ultimately didn't sigh.

The subsequent chase across the wilderness made Zang Ba inexplicably feel that being a carefree person wasn't so bad after all...

……

Beihai, Ju County.

After Yuan Jun and the Wuhuan destroyed Linzi, the Beihai Kingdom, which Kong Rong had previously established, once again became the center of Qingzhou.

Although Wang Xiu had previously released Chen Gong and Lü Bu's family members, he had served as Yuan Tan's chief clerk before, so Yuan Tan not only did not blame him, but instead allowed him to stay in the rear and be responsible for allocating supplies.

Wang Xiu, looking dazed, finished another day's work and, quite exhausted, headed back to his bedroom to rest.

As Wang Xiu passed through the central courtyard, he subconsciously glanced inside.

Actually, there's not much to see in the courtyard at this time.

The flowers have fallen, the trees have withered.

The soil and branches blended together, all lifeless and devoid of any vitality.

It was just a fleeting glance, but Wang Xiu suddenly saw his own child and some of his relatives' children playing together.

Children are naturally active and enjoy playing, and there's nothing wrong with that.

However, after seeing clearly what game the children were playing, Wang Xiu was suddenly struck dumb!
They saw their own child riding on the back of another child from a less affluent family, holding a dry branch in his hand, pretending to fight another child who was also riding on someone else's back, playing a war game.

"How dare you! I am Tadun Danyu! You traitorous slave, prepare to die!"

After the two pretended to fight, the child playing "Lu Bu" shouted, "Ah! I lost! Let me regroup my troops, and we'll fight again next time!"

Wang Xiu's child suddenly panicked: "We can't fight again! You lost! You're dead!"

The child opposite protested, "Lu Bu is still in Jiaodong, he hasn't surrendered! How can he be dead?"

"I don't care! I don't care! Our Wuhuan cavalry are the strongest!" *Smack!*

A swift, unexpected slap landed squarely on Wang Xiu's child's face, leaving the child dizzy and disoriented for a long time before finally regaining his senses.

But when he saw who was standing in front of him, although he dared not get angry, he still said aggrievedly, "Father, why did you hit me?"

"Hit you? I'll beat you to death! How could I, Wang Xiu, have a son like you?"

Wang Xiu chased after him and kicked him again.

"I'll beat you to death, you bastard!"

"Do you know how many of us died when the Wuhuan cavalry came?"

"Have you personally witnessed Tadun Chanyu arbitrarily slaughtering surrendered soldiers?"

"Have you seen with your own eyes those Wuhuan cavalrymen impaling infants on their spears and making fun of them?"

"Have you ever personally witnessed those Wuhuan barbarians forcing the scholars under Lü Bu to shave their heads and change their clothes, leaving them with only shaved heads, in order to humiliate them?"

Scenes from the past flashed before Wang Xiu's eyes.

When his mother and wife saw Wang Xiu beating the child so badly, they quickly shielded him behind them.

"Wang Xiu! What's wrong with you? Don't take your anger out on the child!"

Upon seeing his mother and wife standing before him, Wang Xiu finally snapped out of his daze.

Tears welled up in his eyes like a spring, and Wang Xiu began to wail loudly.

He stepped forward and pulled the child, whose face was filled with fear, into his arms, his cries tinged with apology.

"My son, I am sorry for you, but I am even more sorry for the people of Qingzhou!"

"My son, what should I do? What should I do?"

Helpless cries filled the courtyard; every mark was a scar in Wang Xiu's heart.

After a short while, Wang Xiu recovered and asked his mother to take his child away to wash and clean him. At the same time, he instructed the kitchen to make more roasted meat today and send it to the child, subtly expressing his apology.

However, after this incident, Wang Xiu was no longer in the mood to go back and rest.

Back in the main hall, Wang Xiu absentmindedly flipped through the documents in his hands, focusing his attention on the amount of grain in front of him, daring not to think about anything else...

"Ok?"

After staring at it for an unknown amount of time, Wang Xiu suddenly noticed something strange.

Why do the amounts of grain and fodder not quite match up?

How come the number of grains from the Ministry of Works in Ye City is so different from the actual amount stored?
moment!

Wang Xiu was covered in a cold sweat!
The matter of provisions is a matter of life and death!

Could it be that I've been so distracted these past few days that I've made such a big mistake?

Wang Xiu quickly summoned the clerks to recalculate the accounts.

But right after the calculations and inventory were finished, Wang Xiu felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head!

The amounts in the accounts are correct!
This wasn't my fault!

The reality is that, currently, the grain and fodder in the Beihai Treasury, which is responsible for supplying Yuan Tan's army, is only 30% of what is recorded in the accounts!

Where is the grain?

What about food?
Wang Xiu panicked instantly.

Is there a problem in Qingzhou?
Impossible! Qingzhou is a battlefield. From top to bottom, who would dare to embezzle so much grain?

Moreover, the officials in Qingzhou who are responsible for running the daily affairs are all eager to leave a good impression on Yuan Tan. How could they possibly do something so reckless?

Moreover, if there were any problems in Qingzhou, the grain guards responsible for escorting the grain would have turned against them long ago. How could they wait until they discovered the problem themselves?

Not Qingzhou...

Could it be Hebei?

Instead of feeling relieved, Wang Xiu felt even more uneasy.

Hebei! Yecheng!
There are very few people in total who can get their hands on things like grain supplies!

How could they do these things?

Yuan Tan, the eldest son of the Yuan family, is a key player in this battle!
But as soon as Wang Xiu thought of "eldest son," he immediately realized...

His shoulders began to tremble.

"Has the struggle for the throne in Ye City really escalated to this point?"

At this moment, Wang Xiu felt like an ant caught between two discus.

Even if he discovers the truth, will it be of any use?

Yuan Tan.

Yecheng.

Which of these is someone he can afford to offend?
Once this matter is exposed, Wang Xiu knows without even thinking what his fate will be!
Wang Xiu suddenly found it absurd and laughable.

Going against one's conscience and morality...

But this is the outcome I got in return?

House seemingly endless rain.

Just as Wang Xiu discovered the problem with the grain supplies, a light cavalry force headed straight for Ju County.

"His Highness has given the order—"

"The army now needs to be stationed in Pingdu, and another batch of provisions needs to be transferred there!"

"..."

Wang Xiu was filled with torment at this moment.

He hesitated, unsure whether to tell Yuan Tan that the grain in the treasury was probably only enough to last Yuan Tan for half a month.

If no more food supplies are transported over the next two weeks, Yuan Tan's army will starve to death in Qingzhou!

But when Yuan Tan asked for the reason, how could he answer without any evidence?

Even if they did answer, would those high-ranking officials and nobles in Ye City accept this?

even……

If it really was those people Wang Xiu suspected who did it.

The officials of Northern Zhao will probably insist on this matter and claim that the officials of Qingzhou were corrupt.

And Wang Xiu, naturally, was the first to be targeted!
The already fragile heartstring, no bigger than a thin thread, snapped instantly under this immense pressure.

"do not care!"

"I don't care about anything anymore!"

Wang Xiu rushed to the backyard and hurriedly packed his luggage.

"What is this doing?"

Wang Xiu's mother and wife both looked at him with strange eyes.

They always felt that Wang Xiu's behavior had been somewhat off ever since Yuan Tan arrived in Qingzhou.

They don't understand.

Despite being promoted and making a fortune, why was Wang Xiu still dissatisfied, and instead even more melancholy?

However, Wang Xiu couldn't explain much, and simply urged his family to pack their luggage.

"Let's go! Let's leave tonight!"

"Have you truly lost your heart? Go? Go where?"

"Jimo!"