I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 509 The Beginning of Collapse

If they win, they will be the heroic souls of the Han Dynasty, the martyrs of the Han Dynasty. Their names will be written in the family genealogy for future generations to admire; their relatives will be treated well and will be the first to enjoy a better life...

If they lost, then they would merely be two words in the history books of the Zhao state—enemies.

"Judging from the banners, the troops there should be Jiang Qin's troops. His soldiers are more skilled in naval warfare, so this is not surprising. Gongjin should have been prepared, so we don't need to worry."

Liu Miao's hands, which were behind his back, were already clenched into fists.

"Don't rush, wait, wait for the right opportunity."

"What exactly is timing?"

"The time will come when Yuan Shao begins to collapse!"

------

Huangling.

This is the location of Yuan's main camp on the opposite bank.

North of the Ji River, there are no high mountains, not even low hills like Baiyun Mountain.

In the end, Yuan Shao could only set up his headquarters on Huangling, a slightly raised mound, as the center of the entire Yuan army.

At this moment, Yuan Shao sat in the center of his tent, sword in hand, while the Zhao officials on his left and right sides remained obediently prostrating themselves at his feet.

"News has come from Liyang today that auspicious omens have appeared! This must be a sign that His Majesty has won a great victory over Liu Miao!"

The officials of Northern Zhao were still talking to Yuan Shao about the auspicious omens coming from Hebei.

They did it on purpose.

Many of them, though sitting in Emperor Yuan Shao's tent, were completely unaware of the current state of the war!

after all……

Although Ju Shou and Jiang Yiqu died in the Battle of Mangdang Mountain, the Northern Zhao narrative describes it as a great victory for the Northern Zhao, and even claims that Liu Miao was injured in the battle, causing him to not dare to appear on the front lines for a whole month.

The Battle of Jiaodong was an even greater victory! Not only was Lü Bu driven out, but Qingzhou was also completely recovered... As for what happened afterward, it was assumed that Yuan Tan felt the war was going badly and decided to temporarily withdraw to Hebei, while also using this to disperse the Han army's forces, and had Liu Miao transfer the Han army's cavalry away.

Although the Battle of Pengcheng was a minor tactical defeat, it was a huge strategic success! It forced the Han army to leave Pengcheng and come to the plains to fight a decisive battle with the Northern Zhao!

As for Yuan Chunqing on the western front and Shen Pei in Yecheng in the rear, Yuan Shao never mentioned them to his ministers. Those trusted ministers who knew about these matters naturally tacitly refrained from publicizing them.

From the perspective of the officials of Northern Zhao, Yuan Shao was still a brilliant strategist who lured the Han army out of Pengcheng. As long as Liu Miao was defeated in this battle, Northern Zhao could unify the country!
After all, they may not understand other things, but surely they know that the 200,000-strong army, which is the main force, has not suffered any losses?

How could they lose when they commanded the largest, most experienced, and most powerful army in the world? Do those beasts who are pessimistic about the Zhao Dynasty even understand military strategy? Are they even people of Zhao?!
Therefore, the atmosphere in the emperor's tent in Northern Zhao is still quite lively!
But Guo Tu, Pang Ji, and a few others couldn't laugh at all.

"Your Majesty, Cheng Pu and Xu Huang have launched an attack from the western front."

"Kill him to pieces without leaving any trace behind!"

"Lü Bu, Zhang Liao, Taishi Ci, and others also led their cavalry to encircle them."

"Hmph! We must make sure he suffers a crushing defeat!"

"..."

With each report of military intelligence, the officials of Northern Zhao would shout indignantly that they would utterly defeat the Han army.

But to those who knew the truth, the sound was particularly jarring.

Yuan Jun no longer had the strength to stop the Han army's offensive from the east and west.

The only hope for now is to reach Liu Miao before the Han army breaches the east and west sides, and then deliver the final blow!
As the architect of this tactic, Yuan Shao naturally knew best where the outcome of this battle would be decided.

"Have you found Liu Miao?"

"not yet."

"Have you found Liu Miao?"

"No."

"..."

This conversation had been repeated more than a dozen times in just one hour.

The other officials of Northern Zhao continued to clamor, demanding that Liu Miao be skinned alive, forced before Liu Xie, and made to confess his crimes in the ancestral temples of Emperor Gaozu of Han (Liu Bang) and Emperor Guangwu of Han (Liu Xiu), thus completely destroying the legal basis and hope for the restoration of the Han Dynasty...

but.

Xu You sensed something was wrong!

Xu You was observing the group at this moment.

Although Yuan Shao had lost some weight, the madness in his eyes was almost overflowing!

Guo Tu had his eyes closed, but Xu You could clearly see his eyelids trembling, and at the same time, his entire torso stiffened without him realizing it.

Pang Ji spoke as calmly as ever, but his gaze kept wandering, revealing the panic in the heart of this top strategist.

Worse!

When Xu You saw the state of the three people, he couldn't help but shudder!
Xu You had already sensed something was amiss when Yuan Shao suddenly retreated without crossing the river.

Moreover, although some military intelligence is classified, it is still possible to glean some information from other sources.

For example, Chunyu Qiong suddenly retreated to Hanoi, seemingly to support Yuan Shao, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to be cutting off Yuan Shao's retreat route.

For example, news came from Pengcheng that Yuan Tan was not dead, but that he had returned to Yecheng alone...

All this accumulated intelligence filled Xu You with dread. "Could it be that His Majesty is really going to lose this time?"

Before the battle began, Xu You, like the other officials of Northern Zhao, thought the idea was utterly absurd.

This is Yuan Shao!
Yuan Shao, also known as Yuan Benchu, came from a family that held high office for four generations and even dominated the turbulent times at the end of the Han Dynasty!

How could Yuan Shao, with his background so blatant dissent, lose to someone who suddenly appeared out of nowhere—the descendant of the Prince of Langya, or even to Liu Miao, who only became a warlord by currying favor with Yuan Shu?
The monarch is not mentioned personally.

Speaking of countries alone.

What is the Great Zhao?
That was the legitimate dynasty that followed the path of Emperor Guangwu of Han, gradually pacifying Hebei, occupying the entire north, and accepting the abdication of the emperor!

What makes that pseudo-Han dynasty, which is based in the barren land of Jiangdong and has to buy its warhorses from our Great Zhao, our opponent?

At most, the pseudo-Han side has more novelties, such as more beautiful porcelain and silk, and cheaper clothing and paper. What other advantages does it have?
Could it be that it was because of the Imperial Seal of the State in Liu Miao's possession, which read "Received the Mandate of Heaven, May Your Life Be Long and Prosperous"?

If that thing were truly useful, how did Yuan Shu die?

In the eyes of most scholars in Northern Zhao, what kind of great Han was that in the south? It was clearly just a rebel who had carved out a territory along the Yangtze River! As soon as the royal army arrived, it would immediately reveal its true colors and then obediently lay bare its land and flesh for them, the noble and legitimate royal subjects, to control and enjoy.

However, Xu You's views have now completely changed.

Even many of the things he used to laugh at now seem terrifying upon closer examination.

Let's start with Liu Miao's most criticized legal principles.

Yuan Shao accepted the abdication and established himself as emperor in place of the Han dynasty. Logically speaking, no one in the world should be more legitimate than him.

But Liu Miao just happened to become the emperor.

Not only did he become the emperor, he even sat on the throne.

Does this mean that many people in the world still yearn for the Han Dynasty and the Liu family?
Furthermore, Liu Miao even went so far as to shamelessly smuggle warhorses with the Northern Zhao.

Even a dignified emperor would disregard his reputation in order to strengthen and prosper his nation...

Isn't that Goujian?

Lying next to Goujian, who had endured hardship and humiliation, not only did they not feel fear, but they also mocked him. Wasn't this just courting death?
There were also porcelain, silk, tea, and paper that the Han Dynasty sold to the Northern Zhao.

These things may seem useless, but upon closer inspection, if it weren't for advanced technology, where would so much porcelain and silk have been produced? If there weren't abundant food supplies, where would so much land have been available to grow tea and other commodities?
……

Xu You hadn't taken many things seriously before, but now, each and every one of them was making his scalp tingle.

Even after Xu You figured all this out, he had to admit one thing—

The national strength of the Han Dynasty has even surpassed that of the Zhao Dynasty!
It was only because the Han Dynasty was limited by its population, warhorses, and even its history and culture that the Zhao Dynasty always believed that it was far superior to the Han Dynasty!
Now, seeing the reactions of Yuan Shao and the others, Xu You was even more certain of this...

"His Majesty……"

Xu You dared not wait any longer.

Although he knew it was inappropriate to talk about this now, it might be the only way for him to extricate himself.

"Your Majesty, what have you thought about the matter I discussed with you before?"

Yuan Shao was focused solely on the war effort and initially failed to grasp Xu You's meaning.

After a moment of stunned silence, Yuan Shao finally remembered which matter Xu You had mentioned.

Establish an heir apparent!

For a moment, Yuan Shao's eyes showed some resentment.

With a formidable enemy at our doorstep, how dare you say such a thing?
But at this moment, Yuan Shao had almost no strength left, including the strength to rebuke Xu You.

"It's not urgent."

"..."

A concubine's child! You're not worried, but I am!
Xu You cursed inwardly, but there was nothing he could do.

Just as Xu You was thinking of other ways to save himself, a Yuan army scout whom Yuan Shao had been waiting for finally appeared.

"Your Majesty! We've discovered Liu Miao's whereabouts! He's at Baiyun Mountain!"

Suddenly!

The group visibly became excited!
I've finally found my target!
"Prepare the horses! I will go there myself!"

Just as the officials of Northern Zhao were wondering why Yuan Shao was personally leading the expedition, scouts arrived in a panic from the north.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

"Lü Bu and Zhang Liao have led their cavalry to occupy Baima and are advancing towards this location!"

The white horse has been stolen!
Even the most clueless military officials of Northern Zhao paled at this sight!

That's their escape route!
With their escape route taken away, what should they do next?

Just as they were about to dissuade Yuan Shao from sending troops to support the rear, Yuan Shao limped out of his tent.

This was the first time Yuan Shao had openly displayed his ailing body to his ministers.

"Now, there is no way to retreat."

Yuan Shao stepped on Guo Tu's shoulder and mounted his warhorse.

"Killing Liu Miao is the only way out!"

(End of this chapter)