My brothers are all warriors capable of taking on ten thousand men; I'll roam freely in the Thr

In Youzhou's winter, war and snow intertwined, making the already precarious situation even more chaotic and cruel.

In Ji County, Liu Yu devoted himself with astonishing energy and determination to the arduous work of providing relief to refugees and reforming officialdom.

He was like a repairman, trying his best to mend the broken lives of the people of Youzhou, which had been torn apart by the rebellion.

With limited food supplies, he tightened his belt and even used his reputation and connections to borrow money from old friends in neighboring states.

When officials were incompetent, he personally took charge, inspecting and supervising their work, and did not hesitate to use swift and decisive measures to replace and punish them.

Thanks to his efforts, the situation of refugees freezing and starving to death in parts of Ji County was initially brought under control, and order began to be restored little by little.

However, just as Liu Yu was engrossed in domestic affairs and people's livelihood, unsettling news came from another front.

Confident after the great victory at Shimen and eager to completely annihilate the main force of the rebels, Gongsun Zan led his elite troops deep into the rebel stronghold of Liaoxi Commandery, intending to capture and kill Zhang Chun and Qiu Liju in one fell swoop.

Initially, the advance went smoothly and some small gains were achieved. However, due to underestimating the enemy and being unfamiliar with the terrain, they were eventually surrounded by the main force of the Wuhuan tribes led by Qiuliju and Supuyan, along with some remnants of the rebel army, in the vicinity of Guanzicheng in western Liaoning.

Although Gongsun Zan's troops were fierce and brave, they were outnumbered and outgunned, their supply lines were cut off, and they were trapped in an isolated city, their situation was extremely precarious.

Urgent requests for help flew to Ji County like snowflakes, and also reached Zhuojun, which was closely monitoring the situation in northern Xinjiang.

Ji County, the prefectural capital.

Liu Yu frowned as he looked at the pile of requests for help on his desk, caught in a dilemma.

It wasn't that he didn't want to save Gongsun Zan; after all, Gongsun Zan was a general appointed by the imperial court to quell the rebellion, and his troops were a rare mobile field force in Youzhou.

However, the reality is cruel.

The state government's limited grain reserves have been largely used to provide relief to the continuous stream of displaced people, sustaining the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people.

With granaries nearly empty, where would they find any surplus grain to support a large-scale, long-range military rescue operation?

Deploying troops?

The military strength of Ji County and the surrounding counties was already insufficient, and most of it was used to maintain public order and resettle displaced people. Rashly drawing troops from these areas could cause internal strife.

More importantly, in Liu Yu's strategic balance, the weight of quickly stabilizing the internal situation, restoring people's livelihood to win popular support, and undermining the foundation of the rebels far outweighed that of a risky military rescue.

He believed that as long as the people were at peace, the rebels would lose their targets for coercion and their source of plunder, and their power would naturally decline.

Gongsun Zan's rash advance violated the principle of prudent suppression of the rebellion.

Finally, after much deliberation, Liu Yu made a difficult decision.

Troops will not be dispatched for rescue for the time being; all efforts will be focused on ensuring relief and internal stability.

At the same time, he adopted the advice of strategists such as Wei You and adopted a two-pronged approach.

On the one hand, they dispatched eloquent envoys with gifts and promises to secretly visit various Wuhuan tribes, especially Qiuliju and Supuyan, in an attempt to win them over and sow discord between them and Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju.

On the other hand, in the name of the imperial court and Liu Yu himself, a huge reward was offered for the heads of Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun, with the intention of dismantling the core of the rebel army from within.

This decision, while driven by practical necessity and long-term strategic considerations, inevitably sowed the first deep rift between Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan.

When Gongsun Zan, trapped in Guanzi City and yearning for reinforcements day and night, learned that Liu Yu had used grain to provide relief to "insignificant" refugees instead of rescuing his own "patriotic" army, one can imagine the resentment and hatred he felt.

The irreconcilable conflict between the "White Horse General" and the "Benevolent Governor" was thus foreshadowed.

Zhuojun, the residence of the Marquis of Zhuo.

Ji Xuanyuan also received an urgent military report from Liaoxi, as well as a notification from the prefectural government that they would temporarily suspend rescue efforts and instead offer rewards for pacification.

He put down the documents, walked to the huge map of Youzhou hanging in the sky, his gaze falling on the location of Guanzicheng in Liaoxi, and his fingers unconsciously tapping the edge of the map.

The charcoal fire in the hall was warm, but it couldn't dispel the chill in his pensive expression.

Faint sounds of commotion could be heard outside the city; it was the sound of refugees from all over pouring into Zhuojun.

The rampage of Zhang Chun's rebel army and the Wuhuan cavalry in Qing, Xu, and Ji provinces caused a new and even larger wave of refugees.

Interestingly, many refugees did not simply flee south or seek refuge in the interior. Instead, drawn by the reputation of "General Ji" for her benevolent rule and strong army, they flocked north to Zhuojun, regarding this border region as their last hope and refuge in the chaotic world.

Zhuojun has now received nearly 100,000 refugees, but fortunately, the Ji Xuanyuan family is large and powerful, with territory, money and grain, and can still provide relief.

"Yun Chang, Yi De, Jing Si, come here." Ji Xuanyuan called out without turning around.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Li Cunxiao, who had been standing by, immediately stepped forward.

"How is the newly trained cavalry doing now?" Ji Xuanyuan asked, his gaze still fixed on the map.

Guan Yu stroked his beard and reported in a deep voice: "Brother, the newly trained 3,000 cavalrymen were all selected from the existing infantry who were skilled in riding and archery or had strong physiques, supplemented by strong men from the north recruited from among the refugees. They have been training for two months, and are fully equipped with high saddles, double stirrups, and horseshoes. They are familiar with basic riding skills, formations, mounted combat, and the divine crossbow for mounted archery. Although they have not fought in a major battle, they are more than capable of being used for charging into enemy lines and breaking through enemy lines."

Zhang Fei eagerly added, "Brother, with the increasing number of refugees, I've taken the opportunity to recruit many more promising young men! Our Jingnan Army infantry, including both existing and new recruits, now exceeds 20,000! At this rate, expanding to 30,000 before spring will be a piece of cake!"

Li Cunxiao looked at Ji Xuanyuan expectantly: "Brother, is there going to be a battle? Second Brother and the others are having a great time fighting in the north, and we're training our troops here every day. We're itching to get involved! I also want to be like Second Brother and the others, to be ennobled and promoted to general based on my military achievements!"

Ji Xuanyuan turned around, a faint smile on his face, and handed over Guan Zicheng's battle report: "Take a look for yourselves."

The three men gathered around to look, and Zhang Fei was the first to shout, "That brat Gongsun Zan is surrounded? Heh, let him show off! He went too far alone, serves him right!"

Guan Yu carefully examined the details of the battle report, his phoenix eyes narrowing slightly: "The besieging enemy consists of the main forces of Qiu Liju and Su Puyan, plus the remnants of Zhang Chun's troops, their strength is probably no less than forty or fifty thousand. Although Gongsun Bogui is impatient, his troops are battle-hardened border troops with considerable fighting power. If they can be trapped and killed, the strength of the rebels should not be underestimated. The terrain of Guanzicheng... is indeed easy to besiege but difficult to relieve."

Li Cunxiao scratched his head: "Brother, should we go rescue him? It seems that Governor Liu has no intention of sending troops."

Ji Xuanyuan walked to the window and said slowly, "During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Gongsun Zan and I were comrades-in-arms, and his troops are still an important military force of the court in Youzhou. If we sit idly by and watch them be annihilated, the rebels' arrogance will surely intensify, which will be detrimental to the overall situation in the northern frontier."

"It is reasonable for Governor Liu to focus on domestic affairs and appeasement. However, in chaotic times, relying solely on benevolence and pacification may not be effective. Sometimes, the sharp edge of a sword is more persuasive than words."

He paused, then his tone became decisive: "It's time to send these three thousand newly trained cavalry out to see the blood and hone their skills. Yunchang, Yide, and Jingsi, I hereby appoint the three of you to command these three thousand new cavalry. Prepare immediately, and depart in three days to reinforce Guanzi City!"

"Yes, sir!" The three men perked up and answered in unison.

"remember."

Ji Xuanyuan instructed, "The primary objective of this mission is to relieve the siege of Guanzi City, defeat or disperse the besieging rebel army, and rescue Gongsun Zan's forces. There is no need to engage the enemy in close combat; we should focus on mobile assaults and make full use of the advantages of our cavalry's equipment and mobility. The Divine Crossbow can be used to harass the enemy and break their formation. When engaging the enemy, Yunchang will be in charge of the central army's deployment, Yide will lead the vanguard to break their formation, and Jingsi will seize the opportunity to flank or cover the rear. The three of you can discuss the specific tactics in detail on the way. I will have someone escort the provisions and equipment behind us."

"Don't worry, brother!"

Guan Yu clasped his hands in a fist salute, his eyes gleaming with determination: "We will certainly not fail in our mission!"

Zhang Fei grinned broadly: "Hahaha, finally I can stretch my muscles!"

"Big brother, just wait for our good news!"

After seeing the three brothers off, Ji Xuanyuan returned to his desk, his gaze falling on another letter that had just arrived.

The letter was written by Liu Yu himself, and the words were sincere. He first congratulated Ji Xuanyuan on opening his government and being granted a marquisate, and then detailed the current hardships of the people and the suffering of the displaced people in Youzhou. He expressed his hope, in a subtle but clear way, that Ji Xuanyuan could temporarily suspend his military actions and cooperate with the state government's policy of appeasement and conciliation, concentrate his efforts on pacifying the displaced people and restoring production, and jointly stabilize the overall situation in Youzhou.

Between the lines, there is a deep sense of concern from an elder and admonitions based on traditional principles of governance.

Ji Xuanyuan gently put down the letter, walked to the charcoal brazier, and reached out to feel the pulsating warmth, but his eyes were as deep as a cold pool.

He understood Liu Yu's concerns.

However, he could not fully agree with Liu Yu's approach.

Historically, Liu Yu attempted to influence the Wuhuan and Xianbei peoples with benevolence and integrity, but ultimately his fierce conflict with Gongsun Zan and his underestimation of the complexity of the Hu tribes led to tragedy.

Gongsun Zan's brutal killings, while temporarily subduing the border tribes, also intensified hatred and were unsustainable.

He, Ji Xuanyuan, is choosing the third path.

We must both punish and appease.

But the order cannot be wrong.

Wolf packs on the grasslands only revere teeth sharper than their own and obey alpha wolves stronger than themselves.

Empty talk about benevolence and righteousness, and giving without giving, will only make them think you are weak and easy to bully, and they will take advantage of you.

Only by first inflicting pain and fear upon them, making them clearly aware of the cost of provocation, and letting their ambitions be utterly crushed in the face of iron and blood, can we then truly establish order and win temporary peace and obedience by offering them a way out and then showing them leniency.

This was not his original idea, but a strategy that combined historical lessons with the wisdom of later generations.

A strong military deterrence is the cornerstone, while flexible political and economic means are the adhesive.

Today, the military forces under his command are steadily growing stronger.

In the northern border, Xiang Yu, Lü Bu, and others have quickly assembled an elite cavalry force of over three thousand men, thanks to the large number of warhorses they have captured.

With the addition of the three thousand newly trained cavalrymen from Zhuojun, he now commands a mobile cavalry force of over six thousand men, a formidable force capable of altering the course of local battles in this era's border region.

Moreover, his expansion of the military did not stop, and he was completely independent in resource allocation and technical equipment, without relying on state government supplies.

Liu Yu wanted to restrict him?

Perhaps in history he could have used his power as governor to restrain Gongsun Zan by cutting off his food supply, withholding his pay, and restricting his military deployments.

But now, Liu Yu is only a governor, with limited power.

Ji Xuanyuan was not an ordinary prefect who needed to rely on the whims of the state government.

He was the Marquis of Kaifu County and the General of the Northern Central Army, possessing independent financial resources, a stable base, an advanced military industrial system, and an army with astonishing combat power that obeyed only his orders.

Liu Yu's persuasion was more of a difference in ideas and a moral appeal, but lacked any real power to restrain him.

Everyone thought that Ji Xuanyuan was another Gongsun Zan, a radical militant.

Little did he know that what he was going to do was to achieve the same deterrent effect on the battlefield as Gongsun Zan, to learn from Liu Yu's benevolent governance, and then to combine the two to create a more stable and lasting pattern in the northern frontier.