I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 500 Black Nest
"..."

"No! I was just saying it casually, how could His Majesty actually regard me as the vanguard?"

"Hahahaha!"

Sima Yi complained to Lü Meng and Lu Yi beside him with a frustrated look, which only elicited a rough laugh from Lü Meng.

"Zhongda has been with His Majesty for so long, doesn't he know His Majesty's temperament?"

"Am I not a scribe?"

"You're saying I'm not the same as Boyan!"

Lu Meng raised his palm, as large as a prayer mat, and slapped Sima Yi's back repeatedly: "But Zhongda's words in Pengcheng were indeed full of vigor and high spirits!"

"If Yuan Shao wants war, then we'll fight! Are we afraid of him?"

"If it weren't for Zhongda, we might have really withdrawn from this battle!"

"..."

Sima Yi, clad in armor and riding a warhorse, looked ashen-faced.

He had finally fought for Liu Miao and the Han Dynasty, but Liu Miao had made him lose so completely...

"Oh~~~"

“Zhongda, stop sighing! Although our army is the vanguard, we are only going to scout the movements of Yuan’s army. We will not actually engage in battle with Yuan’s army.”

Lu Yi, who was standing nearby, also came over to comfort Sima Yi, and pointed out to Sima Yi that he could see the north.

"Yuan Shao is probably genuinely afraid that our cavalry will cut off his retreat, so he's running extremely fast and has already reached the northern part of Yanzhou. It seems he intends to rely on Daye Marsh as a shield to the east!"

Dayeze, also known as Juyeze, Juyeze, and Guangyeze, is the foremost of the nine ancient marshes. Its waters span the basins of the Yellow River and the Ji River, converging at the Ji River. Connecting the Zhu and Si Rivers to the south and the Qingji River to the north, it formed a central hub for water transport in the Central Plains. It was also one of the birthplaces of the Yan Emperor's tribe and the site of the event where Duke Ai of Lu captured a unicorn during his western hunt.

According to scouts, Yuan Shao had led his troops to stay west of Dayeze and had regained control of Baima and Yanjin, clearly on guard against Han cavalry.

Meanwhile, after taking control of these two ferry crossings, Yuan Jun's actions slowed down.

This clearly means that Yuan Shao was indeed using the pretext of retreat to lure the Han army out to fight.

"The direction of Yuan Shao's imperial banner has been found."

"where?"

"Wuchao!"

Wuchao?

Sima Yi was initially puzzled.

Wuchao got its name from Wuchao Marsh, which is located to the south.

It was another body of water.

Thinking of this, Sima Yi then laughed.

Why is Zhongda laughing?

“Yuan Shao may appear fierce and brave now, but he is actually afraid.”

"Scared?"

Sima Yi had already vaguely discerned Yuan Shao's mindset by observing Yuan Shao's choice of location for this battle.

"Yuan's army was numerous and powerful, and the most suitable battlefield for them to fight was actually the vast plains."

"But because our Han cavalry has destroyed all of Yuan's cavalry, the plains are not easy for Yuan's army to fight."

"But this is only the first difficulty."

"If Yuan Jun wants to fully unleash his combat power, he will ultimately have to do so on the plains."

"But now, Yuan Shao has stationed his troops in the northern part of Yanzhou, in a region that is divided by waterways, clearly intending to cut off his own arm."

"To choose to cut off one's own arm before the war even begins—what else could this be but fear?"

Lu Yi nodded, indicating his agreement with Sima Yi's point of view.

Yuan Shao's ambition was first worn down at Mangdang Mountain, and then further eroded at Jiaodong, Pengcheng, and even Yecheng on the western front. No one could say for sure how much of his domineering aura remained.

Yuan Shao appears ambitious, ready to fight the Han army to the death, but his arrangements clearly reveal that he is ultimately somewhat petty.

Or perhaps Yuan Shao wanted to emulate Xiang Yu of old, relying on the great river for a decisive battle.
All three of them were speculating about this.

"But since he wants to fight, that's for the best."

The Han army is not afraid of anything now, except that the 200,000 Yuan troops will return to Hebei intact.

Whether Yuan Shao fights this battle cowardly or fiercely, as long as he is willing to fight, it is a good thing!

"Generals Cheng Pu and Wen Ping have already led their troops north."

"General Xu Huang has also arrived from Shouchun."

"The Governor and Bo Fu also served as the vanguard of the eastern route, and they recaptured Dingtao, ready to support the General and Wen Yuan at any time."

"Your Majesty, please postpone your visit until we have a clear understanding of Yuan's army's deployment. Once we have figured out their strategy, we will naturally come as well."

The Han army was converging from several directions.

As Lü Meng said, since Yuan Shao wants to fight, then let's fight him!
Could it be that the Han army is afraid of the Yuan army?

……

As the Han army gathered, Yuan's scouts hurriedly relayed the news to Yuan Shao, who was stationed at Wuchao.

Places with water are often very cold in winter.

The same applies to Wuchao.

The moisture and cold air from the neighboring Wuchao Marsh gradually enveloped Yuan's army camp, making the place appear bustling with activity, yet always shrouded in mist, preventing any sound from escaping.

Guo Tu and Pang Ji were sitting in the central hall, constantly picking up and putting down official documents. Finally, they let out a long sigh, clearly having finished sorting them out.

The two exchanged a glance, then rose and went to the rear chamber of the emperor's tent, which was separated by a screen.

The herbal smell inside the tent was already quite strong. Although Guo Tu and Pang Ji had long been used to it, the smell still stung their eyes when they entered the back room.

"His Majesty."

"Um……"

A somewhat weak response.

After his eyes had finally adjusted, Guo Tu was able to see Yuan Shao's appearance clearly.

Yuan Shao's physique in the past, while not particularly imposing, was at least plump, a typical example of a well-bred young master from a prominent family.

But now, Yuan Shao's cheeks were completely sunken in, his open chest revealed his distinct ribs, and the skin on his legs, lacking flesh and blood support, lay spread out on both sides, making each leg look like three thin wooden sticks...

The bones in the tomb! Even though this wasn't the first time Guo Tu had seen Yuan Shao, tears still streamed down his face.

"Don't cry."

Yuan Shao comforted Guo Tu, but he himself was too weak to even sit up. It was Pang Ji who stepped forward and pushed Yuan Shao's back, which helped him to sit up with difficulty.

This one action, as if it had taken a tremendous amount of effort, left Yuan Shao panting heavily.

"His Majesty……"

"I'm fine."

Compared to Yuan Shao's hysteria in military matters, Yuan Shao's personal attitude at this time was quite mild.

"Everyone dies eventually."

Yuan Shao opened his mouth, but you could already see that he had lost all his teeth due to his illness, which changed the tone of his voice.

"Unfortunately, I found out too late."

"Liu Miao, on the other hand, certainly knew this. How could the so-called Son of Heaven truly receive his mandate from Heaven? Or become an immortal who can live to be a hundred years old?"

Yuan Shao forced his drooping eyelids open, struggling to reveal his eyes.

"Knowing that people are ultimately mortal, one can act without any taboos."

"How ridiculous! I have read so many classics and learned so many principles, yet no one has ever spoken such a principle to me..."

At this moment, Guo Tu and Pang Ji were clinging to Yuan Shao, one in front and one behind, already sobbing uncontrollably.

"Only when you are afraid of dying can you understand what it means to be alive."

Yuan Shao suddenly laughed.

"That's why I was certain Liu Miao would come after me!"

"He is not immortal either. Regardless of winning or losing, in a few decades he will also be just a handful of dust."

“He has other things to do, so he certainly won’t watch me bring 200,000 Yuan troops back to Hebei and hinder his unification of the country.”

Yuan Shao's laughter grew louder.

"This time, the situation is finally out of Liu Miao's control."

"This time, I have won!"

Yuan Shao's greatest victory was turning Liu Miao's seemingly certain victory in Pengcheng into a 70/30 or even 50/50 chance at Wuchao!

Guo Tu and Pang Ji were both experiencing extremely complex emotions at this moment.

They originally thought,
In this battle, Yuan Shao, who is fearless and has no fear of death, will surely win!
Unexpectedly, as the war progressed to this point, the only advantage Yuan's army had was gained by Yuan Shao's fear of death.

The unprecedented war between Han and Zhao ended up like this, which was something that neither the Northern Zhao nor the Northern Zhao had expected.

"Your Majesty, the Han troops coming to pursue us are all infantry!"

Guo Tu tentatively asked, "Shouldn't we send out the Southern Xiongnu?"

"..."

Yuan Shao's rampant laughter gradually subsided, and he returned to his former composure.

"What did Luan Ti Hu Chu Quan say?"

He said he wanted to wait and see.

"Ah."

"He also said that Liu Miao did, after all, marry a woman from their Luanti clan..."

“Liu Miao…”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao's lips finally began to twitch.

"He's really not picky; he'll sleep with any woman!"

"This man has truly gone to great lengths to restore the Han Dynasty!"

"Not necessarily. I've heard that although the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu is ugly, his daughter is quite beautiful. Liu Miao might just be lustful!"

"..."

Guo Tu said helplessly, "But ultimately, Luan Ti Hu Chu Quan's meaning is only one thing—"

"He deserves a reward!"

Yuan Shao remained silent for a long time before asking, "What does he want?"

"Jinyang!"

"Take Jinyang as the royal court of the Xiongnu!"

Upon hearing this, Pang Jidu's face twitched.

"Are they crazy?"

"Jinyang is the most important city in Shanxi! It's Tang Shuyu's fiefdom! How dare they?"

And there's one more thing!
Yuan Shao's state was named Zhao!
If the former capital of the Zhao state were ceded to the Southern Xiongnu, wouldn't the Northern Zhao state be without a foundation?

Faced with Pang Ji's fury, Yuan Shao simply responded with two words—

"give him."

"His Majesty!"

"They only want Jinyang as their royal court. The Southern Xiongnu are ultimately vassals of my Northern Zhao. My enfeoffment of the Southern Xiongnu in Jinyang is no different from enfeoffing my sons as princes."

After Yuan Shao finished speaking, he began to pant heavily again.

"That's settled then. Yuan Tu, open the window; I'm feeling stuffy."

With mixed feelings, Pang Ji stepped forward and rolled up the window.

From Yuan Shao's position, he could see Wuchao Marsh.

"quack!"

Suddenly, a black crow with iridescent feathers landed at the window.

Those scarlet and sharp eyes were fixed on Yuan Shao, while Yuan Shao stared at the crow with a puzzled look, wondering what it wanted.
"The divine bird descended and gave birth to the Shang dynasty, settling in the vast land of Yin."

Fearing that the bird would disturb Yuan Shao, Pang Ji immediately reached out and chased it away.

"Where the black bird appears, the Great Zhao will surely prosper!"

(End of this chapter)