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

Chapter 210 Leading Yuan Shao, Liu Bei Responds to the Yellow Turbans (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)
Liu Bei was not afraid of Yuan Shao's army arriving; he was afraid that Yuan Shao would not come.

As long as Yuan Shao did not leave Ye City, the Yellow Turban rebels of the Black Mountain would be unable to seize grain.

In the past, the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans might have been able to intimidate Wei Commandery with their sheer numbers.

However, Yuan Shao's power has now grown rapidly with the support of the powerful clans in Hebei, making him a force that the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans can no longer challenge.

Previously, relying on the geographical advantage of Heishan, they might have been able to hold out for a while, but once they left Heishan, they would only be handing over military merits to Yuan Shao.

Liu Bei accelerated the overall trend of the world's power, depriving smaller forces of the opportunity to develop.

Not to mention the Yellow Turbans of Black Mountain, even Liu Biao's forces in Jingzhou were wiped out by Yuan Shu.

Others, such as Tao Qian and Zhang Miao, were utterly crushed by Liu Bei.

A battle among heroes?

nonexistent.

Apart from Liu Yan, who was able to become king of Yizhou by closing the province off from the outside world, only Liu Bei and the two Yuan brothers were able to survive.

Liu Bei orchestrated the situation of three emperors coexisting to deprive smaller forces of the right to compete.

The fewer forces involved, the clearer the situation becomes.

Either Liu Bei fights Yuan Shao, or Liu Bei fights Yuan Shu, or Yuan Shao fights Yuan Shu.

Given the current power and relationships of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, it is unlikely that the two Yuans will form an alliance.

Even if Yuan Shao had the intention to form an alliance, Yuan Shu would despise and reject it: You are a pseudo-Han general, raised by a maid, what right do you have to form an alliance with me, the emperor of the Zhong clan? Are you worthy?
It was even less likely that Liu Bei and the two Yuan brothers would form an alliance.

It's either one against two, or you become the fisherman; there's no third way.

Upon discovering that Yuan Shao's army was approaching Liyang, Liu Bei decisively withdrew to Chaoge.

Now that Yuan Shao has come out, he will not leave easily again. Therefore, Liu Bei can play the "retreat when the enemy advances" strategy with Yuan Shao.

Having failed to find anything in Liyang, Yuan Shao, with a gloomy face, inquired about the details from Chunyu Qiong.

Upon learning that Liu Bei had withdrawn from Chaoge, Yuan Shao again led a large army to Chaoge.

If it were a different opponent, Yuan Shao wouldn't be so cautious; he could simply send troops to attack Chaoge.

With Liu Bei as his opponent, Yuan Shao dared not be careless. If he had too few troops and they were forcibly defeated by Liu Bei, not only would his morale be dampened, but it would also affect his subsequent plan to drive Liu Bei away.

When the army arrived at Chaoge, Yuan Shao did not besiege the city. Instead, he immediately set up his battle formation and sent Zhang He to challenge the enemy.

Looking at Yuan Shao, who was setting up his battle formation and challenging them to battle below the city, Liu Bei couldn't help but laugh and said, "He outnumbers me by fifteen times, yet he doesn't even intend to besiege me in Chaoge. Yuan Shao is too cowardly."

If it were another opponent, Yuan Shao would definitely have besieged the city, but since the opponent was Liu Bei, Yuan Shao really didn't dare to besiege the city.

A siege means that the troops must be divided into four parts.

Yuan Shao only had 30,000 men. If he only used 7,000 men to form a battle formation against Liu Bei's 2,000 men, Yuan Shao feared that Liu Bei would directly charge into the center of the army.

Although he claimed he wanted to capture and kill Liu Bei, Yuan Shao actually only wanted to drive Liu Bei back to Hanoi.

As long as Liu Bei is driven away, Yuan Shao can shout, "Liu Bei is nothing special."

Most importantly, Liu Bei's armor became increasingly sophisticated.

In particular, more than half of Zhao Yun's 2,000 troops who came to Chaoge this time were wearing armor!
What is this concept?
Gao Shun formed the Trapped Camp, but it only had eight hundred sets of armor.

Although Gao Shun chose the heaviest eight hundred sets, any armor, regardless of weight, is far superior to bronze or leather armor.

Yuan Shao wasn't stupid either.

When gathering intelligence on Liu Bei's troops, they would naturally also inquire about the armor coverage rate of Liu Bei's troops.

This made Yuan Shao both wary and envious.

Yuan Shao's 80,000 men included 8,000 armored soldiers.

If Yuan Shao could fully control these 8,000 armored soldiers, he could form a fully armored battalion and go toe-to-toe with Liu Bei.

The reason Yuan Shao envied Liu Bei was because Yuan Shao couldn't gather eight thousand armored soldiers together.

Liu Bei could directly equip the Lingyan Army with all the armor, while Yuan Shao could only watch helplessly as eight thousand pieces of armor were distributed among eighty thousand men.

A 50% armor coverage rate is not comparable to a 10% armor coverage rate.

The large number of troops with unclear divisions and the arrogance of generals leading to inconsistent orders remain Yuan Shao's greatest weaknesses.

"Brother, let me go out and pick Zhang He."

Hearing Zhang He hurling insults at him from below the city, Zhang Fei's tiger-like eyes widened instantly.

Although Zhang He was once recruited by Liu Bei, now that the distinction between friend and foe is clear, Zhang Fei will not tolerate Zhang He's arrogance outside the city.

Liu Bei glanced at Yuan Shao's banner and slowly said, "The best military strategist prioritizes the preservation of his army, while defeating it is secondary. It is better to subdue the enemy without fighting than to win a hundred battles. The best strategy is to outmaneuver the enemy's plans, so advance when you see an advantage and retreat when you know the difficulty, so a swift battle is the worst."

"Therefore, one must first appear invincible, in order to wait for the moment when victory is assured. Invincibility lies with me, but victory lies with the enemy. Their defense is insufficient, while my offense is more than sufficient."

"To have an advantage in offense is like moving high in the heavens; to have an advantage in defense is like sinking to the depths of the earth. Without the advantage of moving high in the heavens, the attacker will suffer; without the disadvantage of sinking to the depths of the earth, the defender will not be breached."

"Although Chaoge City is small, its fortifications are solid and complete, and it is not at a disadvantage of being trapped in the depths of the earth; although Yuan Shao has many soldiers, he does not dare to attack the city and does not have the advantage of being in the heavens."

"Why should Third Brother go and fulfill Yuan Shao's wishes?"

Zhang Fei was stunned: "This theory of military strategy was spoken by Huangfu Song to Dong Zhuo when he was conquering the kingdom. Brother even criticized Huangfu Song for being cowardly for not rescuing Chencang. How come you agree with Huangfu Song's military strategy today?"

Liu Bei exclaimed "Eh!" and turned to Zhang Fei: "Third brother, you still remember those words. It seems you've put in a lot of effort. Not bad, not bad. Keep up the good work and strive to become a great general in the future."

Zhang Fei didn't forget his topic because of Liu Bei's praise, and said, "Brother, that's not what I asked. If you don't let me go into battle, then I'm a coward."

“Times have changed.” Liu Bei ignored Zhang He, who was challenging him to battle from below the city, and said, “My criticism of Huangfu Song for not rescuing Chencang is that he was cowardly because he did not consider the lives of the soldiers in Chencang. Therefore, he cannot be called ‘putting the whole army first.’ He only saved the soldiers in Youfufeng, not the soldiers in Chencang.”

"But today is different. I don't need to go and save a city that is besieged by Yuan Shao."

“I am only criticizing Huangfu Song for not rescuing Chencang, not Huangfu Song’s military strategy. Huangfu Song comes from a military family, and the military strategy he learned focuses more on practical application. Third brother, you should also try to understand it.”

Zhang Fei hesitated, then said dejectedly, "I can't argue with you, brother. Just tell me, when can we fight?"

"Look, you're in a hurry again." Liu Bei patted Zhang Fei's shoulder to comfort him, then turned to Zhao Yun on his right: "Zilong, have that military officer under your command named Xing Shan, who once delivered the recruitment notice to Zhang He, go out and talk to Zhang He. I remember he's also from Hejian, or Zhang He's fellow townsman."

"After all this arguing and insulting, Zhang He needs to calm down."

Upon hearing Liu Bei's words, Zhao Yun immediately understood Liu Bei's thoughts and went to find Military Commander Xing Shan. A moment later...

Xing Shan rode out and shouted to Zhang He, "General Zhang, do you still remember your fellow villager Xing Shan? I once delivered a recruitment notice to you on the orders of the Imperial Uncle."

Zhang He was cursing vehemently when he suddenly saw Xing Shan and heard Xing Shan mention Liu Bei's past recruitment of him. His expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "I don't know you. Do you want to fight me?"

Xing Shan exclaimed in surprise, "General Zhang, why do you want to fight with the villagers? General Zhang has always been loyal and righteous, how can you become a traitor? The Imperial Uncle said that if you are willing to surrender, you can become a captain in the Lingyan Army."

"The Lingyan Army is the personal army of the Imperial Uncle. Those who were recruited by the Imperial Uncle in the past have now become captains of the Lingyan Army. General Zhang, Yuan Shao is outwardly lenient but inwardly suspicious. He is not a wise ruler. You are of low birth and will not be valued by Yuan Shao. You might as well join the Imperial Uncle as soon as possible."

Zhang He was both shocked and furious. He immediately drew his bow and nocked an arrow: "You little thief, how dare you speak so recklessly! Take this!"

However, Xing Shan was prepared. As Zhang He drew his bow and nocked an arrow, he hid in the belly of his horse and turned back to the city, causing Zhang He's arrow to miss its mark.

Xing Shan climbed the city wall and apologized to Liu Bei, saying, "This humble general is incompetent. I failed to persuade Zhang He and almost let Zhang He shoot me. Please punish me, Imperial Uncle."

"You've worked hard; I'll remember your contribution today," Liu Bei said kindly to Xing Shan.

In Xing Shan's view, it was a mission failure; in Liu Bei's eyes, Zhang He's arrow missed its mark and he was destined to be suspected by Yuan Shao.

Just as Liu Bei had predicted.

Upon learning that Liu Bei had actually recruited Zhang He, Yuan Shao, who was under the banner of the emperor, immediately became suspicious of Zhang He.

Seeing that Zhang He first pretended not to recognize Xing Shan, and then scared Xing Shan away with an arrow, Yuan Shao became even more suspicious and questioned, "General Zhang is skilled in archery and horsemanship, why did you fail to kill that thief just now?"

Zhang He had no way to express his suffering.

Being good at archery on horseback doesn't mean you can shoot anyone!
Xing Shan was originally a fierce warrior of the Western Garden Army, and he followed Liu Bei for three years. He rose from a lowly soldier to a military commander through military merit. He was not someone who could be easily shot down.

That move of hiding under the horse's belly is enough to demonstrate Xing Shan's horsemanship skills.

"Reporting to the General, the bandit was skilled in horsemanship, which is why we were unable to kill him," Zhang He said truthfully, bowing his head.

To Yuan Shao's right, Meng Dai coldly snorted, "I think you are clearly reluctant to shoot because of your fellow villagers, and you are also holding back because you were recruited by Liu Bei. You must have ulterior motives."

Zhang He's face changed drastically upon being unjustly suspected: "Supervisor Meng, how dare you slander me without cause?"

Meng Dai said coldly, "You have never mentioned that you were recruited by Liu Bei since you joined the General's forces. If Xing Shan hadn't exposed you today, the General would have been kept in the dark by you."

Slander by Meng Dai repeatedly, Zhang He lost his temper: "Supervisor Meng, I've said it before, I don't know that scoundrel. Even if I did, this is clearly Liu Bei's scheme to sow discord. As a supervising officer, how could you not even see through such a mere scheme?"

Gao Lan chimed in, "If General Zhang wanted to surrender to Liu Bei, he would have done so long ago. Why wait until today? Supervisor Meng, don't fall for Liu Bei's divisive tactics."

Meng Dai said nothing more, but stepped back to Yuan Shao's side and whispered, "My lord, although Liu Bei may be using a divisive tactic, we must still be on guard."

Meng Dai was a military officer who temporarily took charge of the central army camp for Yuan Shao when he was in the Western Garden Army. He was also a retainer of Yuan Shao and an absolute confidant of Yuan Shao.

Compared to Zhang He, Yuan Shao trusted Meng Dai more.

Most importantly, like most of the military generals under Yuan Shao who came from powerful and aristocratic families, Zhang He's troops all recognized him and not Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao was weighing whether or not to take this opportunity to annex Zhang He's troops.

After a long while, Yuan Shao temporarily abandoned the idea.

If we were to annex Zhang He's troops at this time, it would easily arouse suspicion among the generals in the army.

"Supervisor Meng, who gave you the right to suspect the general without cause?" Yuan Shao turned around and berated Meng Dai: "Liu Bei wants to use a divisive tactic, how could I fall for it? As the supervisor, you are ignorant of the treacherous scheme, so you shall be punished with thirty strokes of the cane as a warning to others."

Meng Dai's expression changed drastically. After meeting Yuan Shao's cold gaze, he quickly lowered his head and admitted his guilt: "It was my recklessness. I will go and accept my punishment immediately."

Seeing Yuan Shao punish Meng Dai, Zhang He quickly said, "General, please calm down. On the battlefield, if we reprimand Meng Dai, we risk incurring Liu Bei's wrath."

Yuan Shao never intended to actually punish Meng Dai. Seeing Zhang He back down, he let Meng Dai remember the incident and punish him later when they returned to Ye City.

With Feng Ji absent, Yuan Shao had no one to discuss countermeasures with.

Seeing that Liu Bei refused to leave the city, Yuan Shao had no choice but to temporarily retreat and set up camp to wait for an opportunity.

Chunyu Qiong arrived from the rear, escorting grain and fodder.

Yuan Shao inquired, "Is there any movement in Yanzhou? Has Cao Cao shown any signs of deploying troops?"

Chunyu Qiong shook his head: "I asked Yan Liang of Baimajin, and he said that Cao Cao has been busy with the autumn harvest and there is no sign of him sending troops."

"Strange! What exactly does Liu Bei want to do?" Yuan Shao frowned. "He neither fights nor retreats; what is his intention?"

Chunyu Qiong suggested, "Why don't we launch a full-scale attack on Chaoge?"

Yuan Shao shook his head: "I did not bring any siege equipment this time, and I observe that Chaoge is well-defended, making it difficult to capture in a short time. If I exhaust my soldiers here, and Cao Cao suddenly attacks Dongjun, and Liu Bei sends troops from Luoyang, wouldn't that be falling into Liu Bei's trap again?"

Completely baffled, Yuan Shao could only instruct Chunyu Qiong to maintain close contact with Yan Liang at Baima Ferry.

As Yuan Shao confronted Liu Bei in Chaoge, the leaders of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Heishan also saw an opportunity.

"The Imperial Uncle actually managed to lure Yuan Shao's army out of Ye City!"

"In this way, we can plunder the grain of Wei County to our heart's content."

"Send orders to all villages to rush to Wei County and seize grain, so as not to let the Imperial Uncle's good intentions go to waste."

September 12th.

After Liu Bei and Yuan Shao had been locked in a stalemate for several days, more than 100,000 Yellow Turban soldiers and civilians, including Yu Du, Bai Rao, and Sui Gu, launched a raid on Wei Commandery to seize grain.

Upon receiving the news, Zuo Zizhangba, Liu Shi, Qing Niujiao, Huang Long, Zuo Xiao, Guo Daxian, Li Damu, Yu Digen, and others, who were north of Luchang Mountain, also led more than 100,000 Yellow Turban soldiers and civilians to launch a grain-grabbing offensive against Zhao County.

Further north is Zhangyanzhai.

Zhang Yan was also extremely excited: "The Imperial Uncle is indeed the Imperial Uncle! He easily tricked Yuan Shao out of Ye City. We can't fall behind. Send orders to all the camps, we're going to Changshan to cause trouble!"

In a short time, large numbers of Black Mountain Yellow Turbans appeared in Wei Commandery, Zhao Commandery, Changshan Commandery, and Zhongshan Commandery, specifically targeting powerful families and clans to seize grain.

The Yellow Turbans numbered a staggering 600,000!
Yecheng.

Upon receiving the news, Feng Ji was shocked: "How is this possible? How could Liu Bei possibly have most of the Yellow Turban rebels of Black Mountain serving him?"

Although Feng Ji knew that Liu Bei would collude with the Yellow Turbans of Black Mountain, he never expected that most of the Yellow Turbans in Black Mountain would be helping Liu Bei!

What shocked Feng Ji even more was that these Yellow Turbans did not attack the city, but instead directly seized the farmland outside the city, and even deliberately bypassed Ye City!

(End of this chapter)