Han Ji

In the first month of the seventh year of Xingping in 199 AD, before the snow in Ye City had completely melted, Yuan Shao received news of the great victory at Yijing.

Gongsun Zan is dead. Yijing has fallen. The counties and prefectures of Youzhou surrender without a trace. When the messenger rushed into the governor's mansion, Yuan Shao was playing chess with Ju Shou. The chessboard was made of sandalwood, and the chess pieces were made of jade, clearly distinguishable by black and white.

Yuan Shao played white, and Ju Shou played black. The black and white pieces clashed on the chessboard, locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle. A messenger knelt below, covered in snow, his lips frozen purple, holding a urgent report in his hand.

"My lord, Yijing has fallen! Gongsun Zan has committed suicide by self-immolation! All the counties and prefectures of Youzhou have submitted!"

Yuan Shao paused, the white piece falling onto the chessboard, bouncing twice before rolling to the ground. He bent down to pick it up, placed it beside the board, and looked up at the messenger. "The entire territory of Youzhou?"

The messenger said, "Throughout the territory, some of Gongsun Zan's generals have surrendered, while others have fled. Gongsun Du from Liaodong has also sent someone, saying he is willing to obey the lord's orders."

Yuan Shao stood up and walked to the map. The map was huge, densely drawn from the Yellow River to the borderlands, from the Taihang Mountains to the sea. He pressed his hand on the location of Youzhou, drawing lines from Jicheng to Liaodong, and from Liaodong to Daijun. The entire north, from north of the Yellow River to the grasslands beyond the Great Wall, was now his territory.

Ju Shou walked over and stood beside him. "My lord, with the fall of Youzhou, there are no more rivals in the north. But next, my lord must choose a direction."

Yuan Shao asked, "Whom should we attack first?"

Ju Shou said, "Fight Cao Cao. Cao Cao is closest to our lord, and he occupies Yanzhou and Xuzhou, making him a major threat. He has troops and supplies; if we don't fight him, he will eventually come to attack our lord. Moreover, Cao Cao outwardly respects the court, but in reality, he is domineering and tyrannical. Our lord has every right to fight him."

Tian Feng, standing nearby, said, "My lord, Ju Shou is right. Cao Cao is so close, we must eliminate him. Liu Bei is far away in Guanzhong, protected by the natural barrier of Hulao Pass, which cannot be taken in a short time. It would be better to destroy Cao Cao first, seize his troops and territory, and then turn around and attack Liu Bei."

Yuan Shao turned around and looked at Tian Feng. "Liu Bei is far away? Hulao Pass is a natural fortress? I have 200,000 troops, and I can't even take Hulao Pass? Who is Liu Bei? A straw sandal seller who weaves mats. What makes him a general? What makes him an imperial uncle? Does he deserve it? Cao Cao isn't even worthy to carry my shoes. I don't take him seriously."

He went back and sat down, picked up the wine bowl and took a sip.

"I want to fight Liu Bei. If I defeat Liu Bei, I'll seize the emperor and the imperial seal, and the world will be mine. Fighting Cao Cao? Even if I conquer him, I'll only gain a few more cities and soldiers. The people of the world won't submit to me."

Ju Shou said, "My lord, although Liu Bei comes from humble origins, his generals are capable warriors. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Ma Chao are all men who can defeat ten thousand men. Xun Yu and Jia Xu are both talents fit to be kings. Moreover, he occupies Hulao Pass and Hangu Pass, which are easy to defend and difficult to attack. If you attack him, your supplies will have to cross the Yellow River, making the supply line long. If he holds firm and does not come out, your morale will drop if you cannot conquer him after a long siege."

Yuan Shao said, "If he defends, I will attack. If he doesn't come out, I will force him to. With two hundred thousand troops, why should I be afraid of his seventy or eighty thousand?"

Tian Feng said, "My lord, battles are not fought this way. Having more soldiers does not guarantee victory. Liu Bei has a history of winning battles with fewer troops. My lord should not underestimate Liu Bei."

Yuan Shao's face darkened. "I said we'll attack Liu Bei, so we'll attack Liu Bei. Say no more."

Ju Shou and Tian Feng exchanged a glance and remained silent. Guo Tu, standing at the back, darted around and said, "My lord is right. Liu Bei is your greatest adversary. We should deal with Liu Bei first, once and for all. As for Cao Cao, send someone to appease him, give him some benefits, and keep him from causing trouble. After we've eliminated Liu Bei, we can deal with Cao Cao later."

Yuan Shao said, "Alright. Send someone to find Cao Cao and tell him that I'm attacking Liu Bei, and he shouldn't interfere. If he does interfere, then attack him too."

In the third month of the seventh year of Xingping, the spring breeze thawed the ice.

Yuan Shao officially controlled the four provinces of Ji, Qing, Bing, and You. These four provinces stretched from the northern border to the Yellow River in the south, from the sea in the east to the Taihang Mountains in the west. They had a population of five million and an army of two hundred thousand. Their granaries were overflowing, their armories were overflowing, and their stables housed tens of thousands of warhorses.

Yuan Shao stood on the city wall of Ye, looking out at the fields. The wheat in the fields was green, stretching as far as the eye could see. The wind blew, and the wheat rippled and rustled. He wore a brocade robe, a sword hanging at his waist, his hand resting on the hilt.

"Twenty years have passed. From Luoyang to Hebei, from Hebei to the four provinces. Sooner or later, the world will belong to me, Yuan Shao."

Ju Shou stood behind him and said, "My lord, although the four provinces are vast, we still need to make preparations before we can attack Liu Bei."

Yuan Shao asked, "What should we prepare?"

Ju Shou said, "Food and provisions. An army of 200,000 will consume 2,000 shi of grain a day. Adding the fodder for the horses, that's 3,000 shi a day. Transporting grain from Hebei to the front lines is a long journey and incurs great losses. My lord, you must first store grain in Liyang, enough for at least half a year."

Yuan Shao said, "Set up camps. Transport grain from Ye, Handan, and Nanpi. First, send 300,000 shi to Liyang."

Ju Shou added, "There are also ships. The army needs ships to cross the river. Hulao Pass is on the south bank of the Yellow River. If our lord wants to cross the river from Liyang, we will need several hundred ships. Our lord should start building them in advance."

Yuan Shao said, "Build them. Bring craftsmen from Ji and Qing provinces to build ships in Liyang. Build three hundred ships."

Tian Feng, standing to the side, said, "My lord, there is still training to be done. If the navy doesn't train, crossing the river will be suicide. My lord must select soldiers who are good at swimming from various prefectures and train them on the Yellow River. They should train for at least three months."

Yuan Shao thought for a moment. "Three months. Okay. Transfer naval troops from Qingzhou and train them in Liyang."

Shen Pei said, "My lord, there are also siege weapons. The walls of Hulao Pass are strong, and without siege ladders, battering rams, and catapults, it cannot be taken. I request that you supervise the construction of siege weapons, at least three hundred siege ladders, one hundred battering rams, and fifty catapults."

Yuan Shao said, "Build it. As many craftsmen as you need, you can bring them from various provinces."

Feng Ji said, "My lord, there is also the Wuhuan. Tadun Chanyu is beyond the Great Wall and has cavalry under his command. If you ask him to send troops south from Bingzhou, you can tie down Liu Bei's western front and force him to fight on two fronts."

Yuan Shao said, "Alright. Go and contact Tadun, and tell him that as long as he sends troops, I will give him salt, iron, cloth, and grain."

Orders were issued one after another. In the governor's mansion in Ye City, messengers were constantly busy, barely having time to breathe. Grain and provisions were transferred from various prefectures to Liyang, with oxcarts lined up for miles. Craftsmen were brought from Ji and Qing prefectures to Liyang, setting up workshops along the Yellow River and working day and night to build ships. Sailors were brought from Qing prefecture, training on the Yellow River, their shouts echoing through the air.

Yuan Shao stood on the city wall of Ye, gazing north. His eyes were cold, but a smile played on his lips. He wanted to fight Liu Bei. He wanted the world.

In April of the seventh year of Xingping, in Chang'an, at the General's Mansion.

Liu Bei was in his study reading the report on military farming sent by Jian Yong. These past few years, the military farming had been successful, with grain harvests in Sili and Yuzhou increasing year by year. Just then, Li Shun rushed in from outside, knelt on the ground, and held up an urgent report.

"My lord, urgent report from Hebei. Yuan Shao has amassed 50,000 troops in Liyang and continues to reinforce them. He is building ships, stockpiling grain, and training soldiers in Liyang. Scouts report that Yuan Shao's target is Hulao Pass, and that is, my lord."

Liu Bei put down the bamboo slips in his hand and stood up. He walked to the map and looked at the location of Liyang. Liyang was on the north bank of the Yellow River, and Hulao Pass was on the opposite bank. From Liyang, it would only take a day for a fast horse to cross the river and reach Hulao Pass.

"Yuan Shao is really going to attack me."

Xun Yu walked over and stood beside him. "My lord, Yuan Shao is arrogant and self-willed, and looks down on everyone. He doesn't take Cao Cao seriously, thinking Cao Cao is not worthy of being his opponent. What he wants is to conquer the world in one battle. If he defeats you, my lord, and wins the emperor, then he will have the right to rule."