Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 200: Fierce Power Shakes Yan Province, Liu Bei and Yuan Shao Cease War (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)
The news of Liu Bei's capture of Chenliu quickly reached the ears of Yuan Xu, the governor of Jiyin.

Before Yuan Xu could figure out right from wrong, the scout's message arrived urgently.

"Report! Bandits have appeared in the direction of Chenliu, and their banners bear the banners of Guan Yu of the Lingyan Army!"

"Report! Bandits have appeared in the direction of Chenliu, and their banners bear the banners of Zhao Yun of the Lingyan Army!"

"Report! Bandits have appeared in the direction of Chenliu, and their banners bear the banners of Dian Wei of the Lingyan Army!"

"Report! Bandits have appeared in the direction of Chenliu, and their banners bear the banners of Huang Zhong of the Lingyan Army!"

Came so fast!

Yuan Xu felt even more panicked.

Jiyin County already had the banner of Xu Chu of the Lingyan Army, and now it also has the banners of Guan Yu, Zhao Yan, Dian Wei, and Huang Zhong, which means that the news of Chenliu being captured is true.

"What a good thing!"

Yuan Xu felt apprehensive and uneasy.

Last year, hundreds of thousands of troops, outnumbered and outgunned, attacked Liu Bei, but all suffered a crushing defeat.

Now that Liu Bei's army has arrived, Yuan Xu is fighting against overwhelming odds, making it even more difficult for him to win.

Hearing that Zhang Miao had been captured by his men, Yuan Xu was even more alarmed.

If Zhang Miao's men and women can capture Zhang Miao, how can we be sure that Yuan Xu's men and women won't betray him?

"If I had known, I wouldn't have become the governor of Jiyin."

Yuan Xu was so anxious that he scratched his head and cheeks, but he couldn't think of a solution.

He couldn't help but feel more resentful towards Yuan Shao. He sent reinforcements, but they left. Was he trying to leave Yuan Xu to confront Liu Bei alone?

"Should we run away?"

The idea spread like wildfire, leaving Yuan Xu with no other option but to flee.

"Anyway, my surname is Yuan. Even if I abandon the city and flee, the general will still use me after he gains power." Yuan Xu made up his mind and his heart became calm.

Now that he had decided to escape, Yuan Xu had to prepare for his escape.

"Someone, summon Li Dian."

Li Dian was a talented young man recruited by Yuan Xu from the powerful Li family in Chengshi County. He was resourceful, intelligent, and skilled in martial arts.

Looking at the imposing yet refined Li Dian, Yuan Xu deliberately asked, "With the enemy troops besieging the city, I wonder if Commandant Li has any good strategies to advise me?"

Li Dian frowned.

A good strategy?

What other good strategies are there besides defense?
You summoned me here just to ask this question?
Li Dian, unaware that Yuan Xu had long intended to flee, could only truthfully reply, "We will meet force with force and water with earth. As long as the General's reinforcements arrive, the enemy troops will retreat on their own."

"I knew I wasn't wrong, Commandant Li has the talent of a great general!" Yuan Xu praised again, then pretended to have a headache, covered his forehead, and sighed: "To tell you the truth, I caught a cold last night, so I would like to ask Commandant Li to temporarily act as the prefect of Jiyin County and help me defend Dingtao. I would be extremely grateful for that."

Li Dian was stunned. He hadn't expected Yuan Xu to suddenly appoint him as the temporary governor of Jiyin County. Seeing that Yuan Xu seemed to be suffering from a severe headache, which didn't seem fake, Li Dian remained silent for a moment and said, "My reputation is not good enough, and my officers and soldiers may not be convinced."

Yuan Xu took out the prefect's seal and made Li Dian put it on, then said sternly, "With the prefect's seal here, who dares to disobey? Anyone who does may be executed first!"

Li Dian was deeply moved and clasped his hands in response, saying, "Rest assured, Your Excellency, I will defend Dingtao to the death!"

Watching Li Dian leave with high spirits, Yuan Xu secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, it was Li Dian in the city. If it were Li Dian's cousin Li Qian, it would be difficult to deceive him."

Li Dian is still young and not as cunning as Yuan Xu.

This is like a company in later generations about to go bankrupt hiring a young person as its legal representative, and then claiming: "I'm entrusting the company to you because I trust you!"
After making all the arrangements, Yuan Xu claimed to have caught a cold and ordered his men to follow Li Dian's orders. He also found a bodyguard to impersonate him.

Then, taking advantage of the darkness, Yuan Xu lied and said he was ordered to request reinforcements, and slipped out through the north gate.

Li Dian, who was inside the city, was completely unaware of this and continued to issue orders as the acting governor of Jiyin County.

In Chengshi County, northeast of Dingtao, Bian Rang arrived by fast horse and sought an audience with Li Jin, a member of the Li clan.

"The new policies of the Luoyang court are not good policies. If I surrender to Liu Bei, I'm afraid I won't even be able to protect the family fortune accumulated by my ancestors." Li Jin politely declined Bian Rang's suggestion.

If Bian Rang hadn't been quite famous in Yanzhou, Li Jin would have drawn his sword and killed anyone else.

Bian Rang, who was prepared, said, "Although the new policies are not good for the Li family, they are good for the country. Only when the country is stable can the Li family be preserved. If the world is in constant turmoil, how can the Li family head protect the family fortune accumulated by his ancestors?"

"Does Patriarch Li think that with just this few people in the Li family, he can contend with Liu Bei? A wise man knows when to yield; Patriarch Li should understand this better than I do."

"Liu Bei has always been benevolent, so how could those who follow him be treated unfairly? If the head of the Li family were to oppose Liu Bei for the sake of this small fortune, I think that would be unwise."

Li Jin fell silent.

Li Jin understood Bian Rang's reasoning.

However, if they choose to support the new policy, hand over all the money, grain, land, and houses they have acquired, and change the slaves into free men, more than half of the Li family members will not agree.

However, if they do not support the new policies, once Liu Bei conquers Dingtao, the Li family will have no choice but to listen, and only a few months have passed since the incident of the 108 heads of the Governor of Henan.

Thinking of this, Li Jin couldn't help but feel dissatisfied with Yuan Xu again.

My Li family contributed manpower, money, and troops, yet you couldn't even defeat Xu Chu, one of Liu Bei's generals.
"Let me think twice."

Li Jin neither refused nor agreed.

Originally, Li Jin wanted to discuss the matter with his clan brothers, including Li Qian, but before he could get a reply from Li Qian, he received a letter from Li Dian.

The letter stated that he had already taken over as acting governor of Jiyin County and instructed Li Jin to send some of his clansmen and retainers to Dingtao to assist in the defense of the city.

Li Jin was so shocked that he stood up abruptly, his attention focused on the fact that "Yuan Xu had caught a cold and appointed Li Dian as acting governor of Jiyin County."

"Does Yuan Xu want the entire Li family of Chengshi County to be buried with him?" Li Jin was both angry and annoyed.

If it were just Liu Bei who broke through Dingtao, Li Shi could still save her life if she chose to submit; but if Li Dian insisted on defending Dingtao to the death, then Li Shi would become mortal enemies with Liu Bei.

Li Jin dared not hesitate any longer and quickly found Bian Rang, saying, "The Li family of Chengshi County is willing to submit to Liu Huangshu."

Bian Rang was taken aback: "Patriarch Li, won't you reconsider?"

Li Jin smiled bitterly and showed Bian Rang Li Dian's letter: "If you reconsider, the Li clan will be wiped out!"

Bian Rang, who had also been involved in officialdom, saw through the scheme at a glance and couldn't help but say with disdain: "Yuan Xu is trying to run away! Your nephew is quite talented. If he can follow Liu Bei in battle and make meritorious contributions, and if he can be ennobled and appointed as a general in the future, then your Li family's little fortune will be nothing more than that."

Li Jin was anxious, fearing that Li Dian would start a war with Liu Bei ahead of time, so he took Bian Rang and headed towards Dingtao.

Upon seeing that it was Li Jin, Li Dian hurriedly welcomed him into the city: "Uncle, you came so quickly. With your help, I am sure I can defend Dingtao."

Li Jin asked with a dark face, "Mancheng, where is Prefect Yuan now?"

Without hesitation, Li Dian replied, "Prefect Yuan has caught a cold and is recuperating at his residence."

Li Jin asked suspiciously, "Have you not seen Prefect Yuan for several days?"

Li Dian was puzzled: "Uncle, what do you mean? Although I have been busy with official duties these past few days and have not disturbed you, Prefect Yuan has indeed caught a cold." Bian Rang sighed: "Let's go to the mansion and see him directly."

After a while.

Li Dian stared at the assassins left behind by Yuan Xu with a livid face, clenching his fists.

He thought he was being valued by Yuan Xu, but it turned out he was being made a fool of by Yuan Xu.

"If I ever run into Yuan Xu, I will kill this scoundrel!" Li Dian drew his sword fiercely and killed the assassins left behind by Yuan Xu.

He then turned back to Li Jin and apologized: "It was my foolishness that almost led to the extermination of the Li family!"

Li Dian dared to defend Dingtao to the death because he believed that Yuan Shao would come to its rescue. But now that Yuan Xu has fled, how can Yuan Shao come to Dingtao's rescue?
Li Jin sighed.

Even though he didn't want to support Liu Bei's new policies, Li Jin had no choice but to choose life over property when faced with the choice.

Preserving one's life is still possible, but choosing to preserve one's property would mean losing both one's life and one's wealth.

With Yuan Xu abandoning the city and fleeing, Li Jin and his nephew Li Dian chose to surrender, and Liu Bei captured Dingtao City in one fell swoop.

When Ying Shao, who was in Shanyang County, heard that Liu Bei had successively captured Chenliu and Jiyin Counties, he was terrified and dared not confront Zhang Liao anymore. He abandoned the city and fled.

All of a sudden.

Officials in the counties of Jiyin and Shanyang were terrified and fled north.

"Waste! Waste! They are all waste!"

Juancheng, east of Puyang.

Upon learning that Yuan Xu and Ying Shao had both abandoned the city and fled, Ju Shou was so angry that his hair and beard stood on end.

Was Liu Bei really that scary?

Why can't we just defend the city to the death?

Yanzhou today.

That left only Wen Chou guarding Yanjin, Yan Liang guarding Baimajin, Qiao Mao guarding Puyang, Ju Shou guarding Juancheng, Tian Feng guarding Fanxian, Li Zan guarding Shouzhang, Bao Xin guarding Dong'e, and Zheng Sui guarding Rencheng.

Liu Bei gained control of most of Yanzhou.

Meanwhile, in Liyang on the opposite bank of the river, Yuan Shao, who was gathering troops to march south, was also enraged by these successive battle reports.

"You big-eared scoundrel, I will never let you get away with this!"

Originally, he was planning to go south to help, but before he could gather troops and transport supplies, Zhang Miao was captured, and Yuan Xu and Ying Shao both fled. Liu Bei directly gained three counties!
Adding to the Hanoi Commandery that Zhang Fei seized, that makes four commanderies.

These four counties are all large counties with a population of over 100,000!

How could Yuan Shao not be angry?

However, despite his anger, Yuan Shao now faced a dilemma: if he continued south, he would be locked in a protracted war with Liu Bei, and his supplies would run out; if he didn't go south, he couldn't bear his anger any longer.

"My lord, we can't fight anymore."

Feng Ji decisively chose to dissuade Yuan Shao.

"With spring planting approaching, if we continue to fight Liu Bei at this time, there will likely be a famine in Ji Province. Moreover, the threat of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Heishan has not yet been eliminated, so we cannot have a decisive battle with Liu Bei at this time."

Yuan Shao was indignant: "Are we just going to let Liu Bei take all the benefits?"

Feng Ji's gaze turned icy: "Liu Bei may be able to acquire four commanderies, but he may not be able to hold onto them. My lord, don't forget Liu Bei's new policies. Do you think the powerful families and clans of the four commanderies would willingly hand over their ancestral lands, houses, and servants?"

"Liu Bei dared to march north to attack Yanzhou because Liu Biao in the south was holding back Yuan Shu. My lord can send someone to secretly go south to Jingzhou to persuade Liu Biao. As long as Liu Biao is willing to support Your Majesty, we can get Liu Biao and Yuan Shu to temporarily cease hostilities and make peace."

"Our lord and Yuan Shu both share the surname Yuan. We can't allow Liu Bei to defeat the Yuan clan one by one, can we? Besides, Liu Bei is so powerful now; how could Liu Biao and Yuan Shu not see the danger?"

Yuan Shao took a deep breath and asked, "Then how should we deploy resources in Yanzhou?"

Feng Ji said solemnly, "Just maintain the status quo. Liu Bei has just acquired four commanderies, so he certainly won't dare to delay spring planting. Therefore, after acquiring the four commanderies, seeing that Dongjun and Dongping are heavily defended, he will definitely not attack them again."

"My lord may also send an envoy to agree to a temporary truce between the two sides."

Before Yuan Shao could send an envoy, Liu Bei first sent Bian Rang from Chenliu to Liyang with a letter of cessation of hostilities.

Although Yuan Shao also wanted to end the war, the letter of cessation was sent by Liu Bei, which made Yuan Shao feel as uncomfortable as if he had eaten something strange.

"Liu Bei has taken four of my counties, and now he's telling me he's not going to fight anymore? He comes and goes as he pleases, who does Liu Bei think he is?" Yuan Shao angrily shouted, "Go back and tell Liu Bei that this battle is a decisive one, it's either him or me who dies."

"Okay!" Bian Rang turned and left.

This decisive attitude left Yuan Shao completely bewildered.

what's the situation?
Are you leaving now?
I'll take this opportunity to vent my frustrations before we discuss terms, but you just refuse to discuss anything at all?
Yuan Shao quickly gave Feng Ji a meaningful look.

Feng Ji understood and stepped forward to stop Bian Rang: "Why is the envoy so impatient? Lord Yuan is in a fit of anger, but it is not that he is unwilling to stop the war. No matter how we fight, agriculture should be the priority. Lord Yuan does not want to see the people miss the spring planting because of the war, and he has long intended to stop the war."

"However, Liu Bei sent you here, didn't he have anything else to say?"

Bian Rang snorted coldly: "Yes. Liu Bei said it himself. Yuan Shu has already declared himself emperor, so why hasn't Yuan Shao declared himself emperor yet? If Yuan Shao doesn't declare himself emperor, does he expect to bow down to Yuan Shu?"

Yuan Shao's expression changed drastically, and he clenched his fists tightly.

proclaim oneself emperor?

Yuan Shao certainly wanted to!
But Yuan Shao cannot declare himself emperor yet!
Yuan Shao was not confident enough to declare himself emperor after losing just four counties.

"Doesn't Liu Bei want to become emperor?" Yuan Shao sneered. "Throughout history, those who have achieved great merit and overshadowed their masters have never had a good ending. Why don't you tell Liu Bei that if he is willing to ascend the throne and become emperor, I will definitely help him to destroy Yuan Shu."

Isn’t it just digging a hole?

You, Liu Bei, know how to dig, but I don't?
I refuse to believe you don't have ambitions to become emperor!
Bian Rang was not fooled and laughed, "Uncle Liu has always prioritized national affairs, serving the country and bringing peace to the people. Yuan Shu is nothing but a skeleton in a tomb; Uncle Liu will take care of him himself, so there's no need to worry."

Yuan Shao's tone turned fierce: "You work for Liu Bei, aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

Seeing Yuan Shao's fierce aura, Bian Rang was not afraid: "If I were afraid of death, I wouldn't be Bian Rang."

Feng Ji advised in a low voice, "My lord, please be patient for now. If you kill Bian Rang, the hearts of the people of Yanzhou will all belong to Liu Bei. A small act of impatience will ruin a great plan. Hebei is already prosperous. As long as we take care of the people and train the army step by step, what is there to fear from Liu Bei?"

Yuan Shao waved his hand impatiently, ordering his men to drive Bian Rang out.

"We failed to wipe out the Yellow Turbans of Black Mountain, and Liu Bei gained four more counties." Yuan Shao kicked over the table in front of him and said to Feng Ji, "Yanzhou can no longer be controlled by Qiao Mao and his men. These people are terrified of Liu Bei and refuse to defend it to the death! If I just wait two more months, I can gather troops and supplies and march south to contend with Liu Bei. How hateful!"

"Issue my order: Shen Pei is appointed Prefect of Dongjun, Ju Shou is appointed Chancellor of Dongping, and Tian Feng is appointed Chancellor of Jibei. If Qiao Mao and others refuse to relinquish power, kill them without mercy!"

A fierce glint flashed in Yuan Shao's eyes.

At first, Yuan Shao did not want the powerful families of Hebei to have too much power and wanted to proceed gradually. However, the performance of the people in Yanzhou was really too poor.

If he doesn't change his leadership soon, he won't be able to hold onto Dongjun, Dongping, and Jibei. If he loses these three places, Yuan Shao will lose his strongholds on the south bank of the Yellow River.

(End of this chapter)