Han Ji

Yuan Shao did not answer. He stared at the map on the table for a long time. The four provinces marked on the map were still there, but he knew that many places were now just names. Yuan Tan reorganized his remaining troops, replaced several derelict commanders, and redeployed the defenses of Ye City.

A few days later, a subordinate general reported that the family of the charioteer who had died at Guandu was weeping outside Ye City. Yuan Shao sent Shen Pei to handle the matter. Shen Pei returned shortly after leaving, saying that there were too many people blocking the city gate. Yuan Shao was silent for a moment, then stood up and walked out himself.

An old woman sat on the ground, clutching an old linen garment left behind by a fallen soldier. Her mouth was open, but no sound came out, and tears streamed down the wrinkles of her face.

Yuan Shao stood at the city gate. His hands gripped the gate frame, his knuckles white. Some looked up at him, their eyes empty. Others lowered their heads, no longer looking at him.

He stood there for a moment, then turned and walked back. His footsteps echoed through the city gate.

Back at the governor's mansion, he summoned Ju Shou. Ju Shou had also returned; he had injured his leg during the breakout at Guandu and was now limping. He hadn't slept for three days; his eyes were sunken and he had heavy dark circles.

Yuan Shao said, "Supervisor Ju, I didn't listen to what you said."

Ju Shou said, "My lord, now is not the time to talk about this. What we need to do now is hold onto the remaining people. With troops in hand, there is still a chance. Youzhou is still here, Bingzhou is still here, and most of Jizhou is still here. Hold on, and there is still a chance."

Tian Feng got separated from his group during the retreat from Guandu. People were sent to inquire, but there was no news of him on any of the routes. Ju Shou said he might have been captured or died in the chaos of battle.

A few days later, those who had escaped from the south reported that Tian Feng had been rescued by Liu Bei's patrolling soldiers at Guandu. He had been knocked down by a horse in the chaos of battle, wounding his leg, and was taken to the prisoner-of-war camp. Jian Yong recognized him as Tian Feng during a headcount in the prisoner-of-war camp and transferred him to the wounded and sick camp, giving him a bed patched up with tattered tent cloth. When Ju Shou heard this news, he remained silent for a long time.

"He's still alive," Ju Shou said. Shen Song brought over a pot of hot water. He poured the water into a cup, but didn't drink it; he just watched the steam slowly dissipate.

Yuan Shao sat behind his desk, his back ramrod straight. He reorganized the unit numbers of the scattered troops, merged the missing battalions, and ordered Shen Pei to redistribute the remaining weapons and armor from the treasury. He then summoned Yuan Tan and ordered him to personally oversee the digging of the moat outside Ye City by three feet. Yuan Tan acknowledged and left.

Yuan Shao picked up his pen and began writing a troop mobilization document. The pen tip traced across the bamboo slips, each character written with great force.

In mid-October, Liu Bei led his main force back to Luoyang. Zhang Fei was left to guard Guandu.

On the day he returned to Luoyang, many people stood on both sides of the official road outside the city gate. Liu Bei rode on horseback, not wearing armor, but dressed in a clean blue robe. He glanced at both sides of the road; some were weeping for their fallen family members. Others were shouting, because they had won the Battle of Guandu.

As the horses entered Luoyang, Guan Yu rode on his left and Zhao Yun on his right. Zhang He followed behind, with his surrendered troops bringing up the rear. Their weapons had been returned, and they were wearing the armor of Liu Bei's army.

Zhang Fei stood on the earthen wall of the Guandu camp, watching the main force walk away. Jian Yong stayed behind to help him count the amount of food and supplies for the garrison troops and drew a new defense zone map.

Zhang Fei pointed to a section of the map and said, "Move forward three li from here and set up another sentry post." Jian Yong added, "Gao Lan is also here; his cavalry can be used for flank support." Zhang Fei nodded.

Luoyang. The Prime Minister's Residence.

After Liu Bei returned to Luoyang, he did not undertake any major renovations to his residence. He only changed the plaque on the original General's Residence, and the inscription above the main gate was changed from "General's Residence" to "Prime Minister's Residence." Jia Xu said this was for the best; outsiders would know that even after winning the war, life continued as usual.

Jia Xu said, "My lord, Yuan Shao has retreated to Ye City. He still has 30,000 to 40,000 remnants of his army, weakened but not yet dead. Cao Cao is conquering Qingzhou, capturing several cities in succession. Sun Ce also seems to be making some moves in Jiangdong."

Liu Bei asked, "How much will Cao Cao eat?"

Jia Xu said, "He might be able to take over the southern part of Qingzhou. Further north, Yuan Shao still has the territories of Youzhou and Bingzhou, which Cao Cao can't conquer for the time being."

Liu Bei asked, "What should we do next?"

Jia Xu said, "Wait. First, we must rest and reorganize the troops; they are exhausted from this battle. Second, we must thoroughly repair the supply route from Yuzhou to Guandu so that we won't go hungry again in the next battle. Third, we must build granaries at the Guandu and Liyang ferry crossings to prepare for a northward advance. Fourth, we should use Zhang He. He served in Jizhou and still has connections within the army. When you, my lord, come to attack Hebei, Zhang He will be a ready-made vanguard."

Jia Xu placed the chess piece on the map, at the location of Ye City.

"Once Hebei is conquered, the empire will be essentially settled. Jingzhou and Jiangdong are secondary. Liu Biao is a conservative ruler who dares not make a move. Sun Ce is young and still consolidating Jiangdong."

Liu Bei pressed his hand on the map, his knuckles turning white, at the image of Ye City. He said there was no rush, they should rest first. He then asked if Sun Ce should send an envoy, to which Jia Xu replied that Sun Ce had only recently captured Yuzhang, and it was good enough that he wasn't provoking them. Maintaining good relations was sufficient.

Zhang He was allocated a small courtyard in Luoyang. The courtyard wall was made of rammed earth, and the gate was narrow; one could touch the crossbeam above the door frame if one looked up. In the courtyard stood a jujube tree, all its leaves had fallen, and its branches stretched out bare.

He placed the weapons and armor in the corner of the room and began organizing the roster of his former troops. After surrendering, more than 1,800 people were willing to continue following him. He rewrote the roster. He copied it until midnight, then put down his pen, stood up, and went out into the courtyard. He stood there for a while, then returned to the room and put the roster into a wooden box.

A few days later, Liu Bei summoned him to the Prime Minister's residence. The two stood in front of a map. Liu Bei pointed to the location of Ji Province.

"Junyi, you've been to Jizhou. You're familiar with the terrain of Hebei. When we advance north, you'll be the vanguard."

Zhang He clasped his hands in a fist salute. "When I was in Hebei, some of my old troops were still around. I can draw a detailed map of the strengths and weaknesses of the cities of Ye, Handan, and Nanpi. I can mark where the city defenses are strong and weak, where the granaries are, and where the water sources are outside the city walls."

Liu Bei turned around and looked at him. "You are a surrendered general, so you must be extra careful in your actions in the army. If you do well, no one will bring up your past. If you do poorly, people will bring up your origins."

Zhang He said, "This subordinate understands."

Liu Bei handed him a newly compiled military tally. "Your old troops are now under your command."

Zhang He took the military tally and rubbed his fingers together. The tally was heavy and cold. He knelt on one knee.

"My life belongs to you, my lord, from this day forward."

Liu Bei helped him up. "I want you as a person, not your life. Live well and fight for me in Hebei."

Zhang He's eyes reddened. He stuffed the military tally into a hidden pocket behind his breastplate, tapped his fingers against his armor, making a dull sound.