Han Ji

The next day, Jian Yong, accompanied by several attendants, set off from Chang'an towards Ye City. He rode a donkey, traveling at a slow pace. Along the way, they passed through Luoyang and Henan, entering the territory of Bingzhou. After ten days of travel, they arrived at Ye City.

Jian Yong entered Ye City and was led to the governor's mansion. Yuan Shao sat in the hall, wearing a brocade robe and holding a wine bowl, just as before. Ju Shou, Tian Feng, Shen Pei, and Feng Ji were also present.

Jian Yong knelt down and performed a grand salute. "Jian Yong, under the command of the Grand General, pays his respects to Lord Yuan."

Yuan Shao said, "Get up. What did Liu Bei send you here for?"

Jian Yong stood up, pulled the imperial edict from his sleeve, and handed it to Yuan Shao with both hands. "Lord Yuan, this is an imperial edict."

Yuan Shao took the imperial edict and read it through. His expression changed, but he remained silent.

Jian Yong said, "Lord Yuan, the Grand General has said that both you and Gongsun Zan are important officials of the court, and it is not advisable for you to attack each other. He hopes that you will cease hostilities and divide Youzhou with Gongsun Zan. Otherwise, the court will treat you as an insubordination."

Yuan Shao placed the imperial edict on the table and looked at Jian Yong. "Disobeying orders? How will it be punished? Will Liu Bei come to attack me?"

Jian Yong said, "Lord Yuan, the General does not want to attack you. The General wants you to make peace with Gongsun Zan. If both sides cease hostilities, it will benefit everyone."

Yuan Shao snorted. "What good will it do me? Gongsun Zan occupies Youzhou, doesn't pay taxes, and doesn't obey orders. I'm eliminating a scourge for the court by attacking him. What right does Liu Bei have to interfere?"

Jian Yong said, "Lord Yuan, although Gongsun Zan has made mistakes, he is still a general of the court. If we kill him, what will the people say about Lord Yuan? They will say that Lord Yuan has harmed loyal and virtuous people."

Yuan Shao's face flushed red. "Persecuting loyal officials? Gongsun Zan doesn't even deserve to be called loyal! He killed Liu Yu; Liu Yu was the truly loyal one. I killed him to avenge Liu Yu."

Jian Yong said, "Lord Yuan, no matter what, Gongsun Zan is a general of the imperial court. The court has issued an edict ordering you to cease hostilities. If you disobey, that would be disobeying orders. Can you bear the charge of disobeying orders?"

Yuan Shao fell silent. He picked up his wine bowl, took a sip, and put it down.

"Jian Yong, go back and tell Liu Bei. I have my own plans regarding Gongsun Zan's matter. If he wants to interfere, he can come and fight him himself. If he dares to come, I'll fight him too."

Jian Yong said, "Lord Yuan, you can't say that. The Grand General is the Grand General of the court, representing the Emperor. If Lord Yuan attacks the Grand General, that's attacking the Emperor. The whole world will oppose Lord Yuan."

Yuan Shao stood up and took two steps. He turned around and looked at Jian Yong.

"Jian Yong, you're Liu Bei's man, of course you'll speak up for him. I don't blame you. But go back and tell him that I'm determined to kill Gongsun Zan. If he's not satisfied, he can come and fight."

Jian Yong cupped his hands in a respectful gesture. "Lord Yuan, I have delivered your message. Farewell."

Jian Yong turned and left. He left the governor's mansion, mounted his donkey, and rode out of Ye City. Once outside the city, he reined in his donkey and glanced back at the city walls of Ye City.

"Yuan Shao, you'll regret it sooner or later if you don't listen."

He rode away on his donkey.

When Jian Yong returned from Ye City, he told Liu Bei what Yuan Shao had said.

"Brother, Yuan Shao won't listen. He says he's determined to kill Gongsun Zan. If you're not convinced, you can go and fight him."

After listening, Liu Bei remained silent. He stood up, walked to the map, and studied it for a long time.

"We won't send troops. But we can't do nothing either. Send out orders to spread the word in Hebei that Liu Bei will cross the Yellow River to the north and personally lead an army of 100,000 to rescue Gongsun Zan. Let Yuan Shao know that although I'm not sending troops, I'm going to scare him. He's besieging Yijing, and he's afraid. He's afraid I'll cut off his rear. If I spread rumors, he'll have to divide his troops to defend the Yellow River. With his troops divided, the forces attacking the city will be smaller. Gongsun Zan can hold out for a few more days."

Jia Xu thought for a moment. "My lord, this plan is feasible. Although rumors cannot repel the enemy, they can restrain Yuan Shao. If he divides his troops to guard the Yellow River, the number of troops attacking the city will be reduced. Gongsun Zan can hold out for a few more days."

Xun Yu said, "My lord, it's not just rumors. We can also have Li Shun spread the word in Ye City that Yuan Shao's subordinates are planning a rebellion. Yuan Shao is suspicious, and he'll definitely be paranoid. Once he's suspicious, he'll slow down the pace of the siege."

Liu Bei said, "Alright. Zijing, you make the arrangements. Have Li Shun spread rumors in Hebei, saying that Liu Bei is going to cross the Yellow River to the north, and that Yuan Shao's subordinates are going to rebel. The more chaotic, the better."

He gestured with his hands clasped in a fist and palm salute. "Yes."

Li Shun acted very quickly.

He planted people in the marketplaces of Yecheng, Handan, Nanpi, Hejian, and other places. These people disguised themselves as merchants, commoners, and beggars, spreading the message in the streets and alleys. The message spread quickly, and in less than ten days, the whole of Hebei knew about it.

"Have you heard? Liu Bei is going to cross the Yellow River to the north. He's taking an army of 100,000."

"One hundred thousand? More than that. I heard it's two hundred thousand. Even troops from Yizhou and Liangzhou have been mobilized."

"Gongsun Zan is his senior brother, how can he ignore it?"

"Yuan Shao is in trouble now. He's facing enemies on two fronts. Gongsun Zan is in front of him, and Liu Bei is behind him."

"That's right. Some of Yuan Shao's subordinates are also plotting a rebellion. I heard that Guo Tu has been exchanging letters with Liu Bei."

When the news reached Yuan Shao's ears, he couldn't sit still any longer.

He summoned Ju Shou, Tian Feng, Shen Pei, Feng Ji, and Guo Tu and questioned them.

"Have you heard? Liu Bei is going to cross the Yellow River to the north to rescue Gongsun Zan."

Ju Shou said, "My lord, this is a rumor. Liu Bei will not come. His troops are in Yuzhou and Sili, which are hundreds of miles from the Yellow River. If he wanted to come, he would have come long ago. He wouldn't have waited until now."

Tian Feng said, "My lord, Ju Shou is right. Liu Bei is bluffing. He dares not come. He has 50,000 troops, while we have 150,000. Can he win?"

Shen Pei said, "My lord, it's better to be safe than sorry. If Liu Bei really comes, all your troops are under the walls of Yijing, leaving your rear vulnerable. If he crosses the Yellow River and takes Ye City directly, you're finished. Ye City is your foundation; if you lose Ye City, everything is over."

Yuan Shao thought for a moment. "Then what should we do?"

Shen Pei said, "Divide the troops. Send 20,000 men to guard the Yellow River crossings. Send men to guard the crossings of Baima, Yanjin, and Liyang. If Liu Bei comes, block him. If he doesn't come, we won't lose anything."

Yuan Shao said, "Alright. Divide the troops."

He divided his forces, sending 20,000 men to defend the Yellow River crossings at Baima, Yanjin, and Liyang. The troop strength besieging Yijing was reduced from 100,000 to 80,000.

Gongsun Zan, inside Yijing City, noticed that Yuan Shao's siege pace had slowed. Previously, they attacked daily, from morning till night without interruption, with siege ladders and battering rams being launched one after another. Now, they attacked every other day, sometimes every two. The shouts of battle outside the city had also diminished.

Gongsun Zan stood on the city wall, looking at Yuan Shao's camp. His hair was completely white, his face was covered in ash, and his armor had several holes in it. But his eyes were still bright.

"Yuan Shao's forces are reduced," he said to his subordinate.

The subordinate general asked, "General, is Liu Bei here?"

Gongsun Zan said, "I don't know. But he divided his troops, something must have happened."

He waited one day. Then another. On the third day, Yuan Shao's army outside the city began their attack again. This time, the attack was fiercer than the previous days. A row of siege ladders were erected, and battering rams pounded the city for the entire morning.

Gongsun Zan stood on the city wall, wielding his sword to cut down a Yuan Shao soldier who had climbed up. His sword was dull, so he replaced it.

"Hold on!" he shouted. "Hold on! Liu Bei will come!"

His taxi drivers were so hungry they could barely stand. Some collapsed on the city wall and couldn't get up. Others were still struggling, but their hands and legs were shaking.

A subordinate ran over. "General, the provisions are gone. Not a single grain of rice left."

Gongsun Zan said, "Kill the horse."

The subordinate said, "All the horses have been killed. The last one was killed yesterday."

Gongsun Zan was silent for a moment. "Kill the dog."

The subordinate said, "Even the dogs have been killed."

Gongsun Zan planted his knife in the ground. He looked at Yuan Shao's camp outside the city for a while.

"Heaven is going to destroy me," he whispered.