Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 157 Yang Gong's Loyalty and Righteousness Are Truly True

Sending supplies to Youzhou is not like Zhao Yun's journey with only a dozen or so riders, which allowed him to conceal his identity and sneak over.

It was simply impossible for such a large and imposing supply convoy to safely traverse the territories of several warlords and reach Youzhou by land.

Only by sending large ships from Jiangdong along the coastline by sea, can they reach Beiping directly from Wu County.

Historically, in 230 AD, Sun Quan dispatched Generals Wei Wen and Zhuge Zhi with 1 soldiers to "sail across the sea to seek Yizhou and Danzhou," eventually arriving in Taiwan.

This shows that the large ships built by those prominent families in Jiangdong did possess a certain degree of seafaring capability.

Although the current timeline is more than 30 years earlier, Yuan Shu did not really want them to go on a long ocean voyage.

Walking along the coastline offers two advantages: firstly, you won't encounter any major storms; secondly, even if an accident does occur, you can rest and resupply along the shore.

It was also a good opportunity to train his own navy, so he ordered Jiang Qin to bring along the 10,000-strong navy that had been training but hadn't fought any battles.

Since supplies ran out along the way, they randomly selected a coastal lord.

A massive naval force of ten thousand landed ashore, descending like divine soldiers to storm the county town, which was guarded by only a few hundred county soldiers. They looted the unsuspecting county government treasury, loaded it onto ships, and fled.

This thing is just like a natural disaster, impossible to defend against!
The key issue is that when the feudal lords realize what's happening and mobilize large armies to suppress them, they can only watch helplessly as the large ships sail away, leaving them with nothing but regret.

As for going out to sea to chase after them?

Even if all the feudal lords in the world joined forces, they wouldn't be able to defeat the Jiangdong navy at sea!
After careful consideration, Yuan Shu found the plan to be ingenious. It seemed that he wouldn't even need to provide the supplies for Gongsun Zan himself; he could simply plunder a few more warlords along the way.

This little thing is just like a pirate, but it must never fly its own flag.

Given that Jiang Qin was originally a pirate, he was a professional at this kind of thing and should be an expert in it.

But when it came to pirates, Yuan Shu couldn't help but think of another adopted son.

However, this man often commits crimes in the waters of Sichuan and Jingzhou, and it is unknown where he is committing a crime now. All we can do is send people to search for him while waiting for a good opportunity.

There's no rush right now. With Zhao Yun and Jiang Qin leading the charge, we're more than capable of dominating the coast and conquering every county.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Yuan Shu ordered Zhao Yun to take his letter to Shouchun to requisition large ships, and afterwards, along with supplies, to return to Youzhou by ship.

Yuan Shu secretly sent another urgent letter to Yan Xiang, which contained his true intentions regarding the arrangements made for this matter.

"Yun'er, this journey is long and arduous, spanning thousands of miles and crossing the territories of many feudal lords. It is extremely dangerous."

I have already made up my mind. At that time, you will travel by boat from Wu County back to Beiping along with the supplies and military provisions.

Located on the coast, there is neither the worry of being plundered by feudal lords nor the hardship of a long journey.

Even with some rough seas, just have extra small boats on hand. That way, even if the large ship has an accident, you can take a small boat to shore to rest and recover, ensuring your safety.

"Godfather?"

Zhao Yun's call of "father" was so sincere and heartfelt; he never expected that his new adoptive father would be so considerate of him.

Previously, he had been struggling with how to transport grain and supplies to Youzhou, but at that time, getting support for General Gongsun was the most important thing.

Others must wait until they receive the items first, to see what exactly they are and how much there is, before they can make any further calculations.

But the godfather in front of him, whom he had just called out, had already made long-term plans for him, and even thought out all the details for his safety.

All I have to do is take the letter and make a trip to Shouchun, then wait for the large ship and supplies to be ready, and I can return to Youzhou fully loaded.
Zhao Yun had never done such an easy job before when he went out on business!
Previously, he had risked his life countless times for Gongsun Zan, leading a hundred cavalry across Youzhou, Jizhou, and Yanzhou before finally arriving in Liang State of Yuzhou.

After traversing the territories of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, only eighteen of the hundred cavalrymen remained before they were able to meet Yuan Shu. Comparing this journey to Shouchun and back to Youzhou by boat, what exactly changed between the outward and return routes?
His identity has changed!
Is this how Yuan Gong's adopted son is treated?
Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them!

Godfather! How can I ever repay your kindness and love?
Zhao Yun cupped his hands and bowed deeply.

"I have no way to repay my godfather's kindness!"

I heard that my adoptive father is leading an expedition against the court in Liang.

To conquer the imperial court? That sounds odd. Something just doesn't feel right.

"I recently heard that the Black Mountain bandits have plundered the Liang Kingdom. My godfather is here to fight against the bandits. I am willing to do my part to fight and kill enemy generals for my godfather!"

"Good! With Yun'er in charge, I have nothing to worry about."

Before long, Zhao Yun arrived at Meng County with his spear and horse, challenging them to battle.

"I am Zhao Zilong of Changshan, the adopted son of Lord Yuan. Which of these bandit generals dares to fight me?"

In Meng County, ever since Yang Feng cleverly tricked Cao Chun and Xu Huang into leaving the city to establish a stronghold, only he and Sun Qing remained in charge of things in the city.

Although both of them felt that Yuan's army was too powerful to fight and were no longer willing to fight to the death with Yuan's army, their political views and plans differed.

Yang Feng boasted of his merit in supporting the Han Dynasty and protecting the emperor on his return journey to the east. He was certain that Yuan Shu would not treat him unfairly for the sake of the greater good and the hearts of the people.

Therefore, I was eager to see the so-called Golden Terrace built in Shouchun and was curious about what it was like inside.

Sun Qingze knew that he was just a bandit from the Black Mountain, a peasant by birth, with no talent or achievements, and only a rabble of ten thousand men left. He was no match for Mao Jie, who had surrendered earlier.

Leaving aside whether they would be qualified to stay at the Golden Terrace after surrendering, even if they did go there, they would probably find it difficult to integrate into the circles of those aristocratic lords and high-ranking officials.

Therefore, rather than surrendering to Yuan Shu, he preferred to lead his troops back to the Taihang Mountains and continue living a carefree and happy life as the Black Mountain Chieftain.

Yang Feng was helpless because he only had six or seven hundred men under his command, and he would have to rely on Sun Qing to surrender.

Sun Qing was also helpless because his journey north was blocked by Yanzhou. If he wanted to go back, he would have to rely on Yang Feng's influence in the Luoyang court to open up the road.

This is why the two men were locked in a stalemate in Meng County, feigning a confrontation with Yuan's army.

Yuan Shu was waiting for his General of the East, Yue Wenqian, to give these lingering survivors the final straw.

Moreover, Yuan's army had suffered heavy casualties in the previous battle and was recuperating, so they did not act rashly.

However, Cao Chun and Xu Huang, who were in the camp outside the city, did not entirely believe Yang Feng's nonsense in order to follow his advice and set up a camp outside the city.

Rather, since the news of Mao Jie's affair spread, people in the city have become divided. If someone were to plot something sinister and collude with others from within, it could lead to a major disaster.

It would be better to withdraw from the city, allowing for flexibility in both advance and retreat, and if all else fails, to retreat back to Yanzhou.

Unexpectedly, after they left the city and established their stronghold, they found that even though they had been away for so many days, Yang Feng and Sun Qing in the city had not encountered any accidents. They had neither betrayed their righteousness and defected to the enemy, nor had they been defeated and fled.

Xu Huang and Cao Chun were relieved, thinking that the two of them actually had such loyalty to the court.

Xu Huang sighed deeply and said:

"Yang Gong is loyal and righteous, and he has not deceived me. It seems that I have misunderstood him again."

They established a fortified camp outside the city, creating a pincer movement, which effectively deterred Yuan's army from making any rash moves.

(End of this chapter)