Han Ji

In November, Liu Bei summoned Ma Chao and Zhang Xiu to Luoyang.

Ma Chao came from Liangzhou, accompanied by five hundred Qiang cavalry guards. The Qiang horses were tall and strong, their hooves clattering on the bluestone streets of Luoyang. The people of Luoyang had never seen Qiang people before, and they craned their necks to look.

Ma Chao rode at the very front, with a purple face, a high nose, and sharp eyes, wearing a dark red battle robe. When he dismounted, he tossed the reins to his personal guards and strode into the Prime Minister's residence.

Zhang Xiu came from Wancheng, alone on horseback, with only a few attendants. He was half a head shorter than Ma Chao, but with broader shoulders, and always had a smile on his face, though the smile never reached his eyes.

The two met in the courtyard of the Prime Minister's residence. Ma Chao glanced at Zhang Xiu, who bowed slightly in return. Without exchanging a word, they entered the study together.

Liu Bei was already waiting in the study. Guan Yu was also there. A map was spread out on the table, a detailed map of southern Yu Province and northern Jing Province.

Liu Bei cut to the chase. "The southern front is in your hands, both of you."

Ma Chao stood still, and Zhang Xiu nodded slightly.

"Cao Cao is in Qingzhou, and his next move could be south or west. Liu Biao is in Xiangyang; although he's a conservative ruler, we can't let our guard down. Wancheng is a key town on the southern front, situated between Cao Cao and Liu Biao. I'm giving you 30,000 troops; you two will hold the southern front for me."

Ma Chao said, "Thirty thousand is enough. If Cao Cao comes, I'll fight him; if Liu Biao comes, I'll fight him too."

Liu Bei looked at Ma Chao. "Mengqi, let me tell you something. Your cavalry is elite, but cavalry cannot defend a city. If Cao Cao comes to attack the city, you cannot go out and fight him in the open. You must defend the city and wait for me to send reinforcements from the north."

Ma Chao clasped his hands in a fist salute. "This subordinate understands."

Zhang Xiu said, "If Liu Biao doesn't move, I won't move either."

Ma Chao and Zhang Xiu set off that very day. Ma Chao's Qiang cavalry assembled outside the north gate, the dust kicked up by their horses turning the pancake stalls at the city gate yellow. Zhang Xiu mounted his horse, glanced back at the city walls of Luoyang, and then turned his horse south.

They traveled together for about three or four days, and their relationship grew closer than when they set off.

Upon reaching Wancheng, Zhang Xiu divided his troops and sent them to Xinye, while Ma Chao remained in Wancheng. The two stood outside the south gate of Wancheng and exchanged a respectful bow. Ma Chao said that if anything happened in Xinye, they should light the beacon fires, and Zhang Xiu replied that once the beacon fires were lit, he must act quickly.

Ma Chao said he definitely would.

November. Ye City.

Qian Zhao's intelligence team had been stationed in Ye City for almost half a year. Every day, they sent intelligence to Luoyang by carrier pigeon and fast horse. He knew the situation in Ye City very well: how much grain was left in the granaries, how many arrow towers had been built on the city walls, and Yuan Shao's health.

Yuan Shao's health had been deteriorating. He hadn't recovered since returning from Guandu. On his last day at Guandu, he rode for too long and started vomiting blood after returning to Ye City.

The physician said it was due to pent-up emotions in his chest and prescribed aconite as medicine, causing him to drift in and out of consciousness. Qian Zhao's intelligence report stated that Yuan Shao now only sits on his bed for one or two hours a day, spending the rest of his time coughing. His coughing up phlegm is streaked with blood.

Shen Pei kept the news under wraps. Apart from Shen Pei, Feng Ji, and Yuan Shao's two sons, no one was allowed into Yuan Shao's bedroom. Most people in Ye City only knew that their lord was ill, but not the severity of his condition. Daily military and political orders were still issued in Yuan Shao's voice, but the handwriting had begun to resemble Shen Pei's.

But it couldn't be hidden from Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang.

Yuan Tan was the eldest son and should have naturally assumed the role of regent after Yuan Shao fell ill. However, Shen Pei objected. Shen Pei favored Yuan Shang. Yuan Shang was the youngest son, resembling Yuan Shao in his youth—handsome and with a similar temperament: suspicious, easily angered, but outwardly gentle. Shen Pei felt Yuan Shang was easier to control than Yuan Tan, and Feng Ji shared this view.

Yuan Tan wasn't without his own men. Xin Ping and Guo Tu were among them. Xin Ping was from Yingchuan and had drafted many important documents for Yuan Shao in his early years. Guo Tu advocated attacking Liu Bei at Guandu, and although his position was affected after the defeat at Guandu, he remained by Yuan Tan's side.

Qian Zhao's intelligence report specifically mentioned that Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang's troops had begun to strengthen their defenses in their respective garrisons. Yuan Tan's men were in the east city, and Yuan Shang's men were in the west city. The garrison in the city was also divided into two factions, each refusing to cooperate with the other.

That night, Qian Zhao personally descended to an abandoned beacon tower north of Ye City. The beacon tower was situated on high ground, from which one could vaguely see a few lights in Ye City.

He took out the last secret report from his pocket and finished writing it under the moonlight. At the end of the report was a line that read: Yuan Shao is seriously ill, his sons are vying for the throne, and Ye City will surely be in chaos.

He rolled the secret report into a bamboo tube, sealed it with sealing wax, and tied it to the leg of a carrier pigeon. The pigeon took flight and disappeared southward into the moonlight.

In early December, the weather in Ye City became even colder. A light snowfall had left the mud on the city streets frozen solid.

Several charcoal braziers were burning in Yuan Shao's bedroom. He lay on a couch, covered with two blankets, his face ashen, his eyes closed. Shen Pei knelt before the couch, while Yuan Shang stood beside him.

"My lord, you must decide on the matter of succession," Shen Pei said in a low voice. "Liu Bei has left troops in Hebei. He will come again next spring. Ye City cannot be without a legitimate heir."

Yuan Shao opened his eyes a crack. He glanced at Shen Pei, then at Yuan Shang. His gaze then settled on Yuan Shang's face. His lips moved slightly, and he raised his hand, gesturing slightly towards Yuan Shang.

Shen Pei took a step forward while still kneeling. "Does my lord mean to establish Yuan Shang as his heir?"

Yuan Shao tapped his finger lightly on the blanket.

Shen Pei stood up, turned around, and knelt down before Yuan Shang. "Greetings, Young Master."

Yuan Shang helped him up, his voice low. "Please rise, Lord Shen. My father is still alive; let's not discuss this now."

But the news spread that very night. The person who spread it was Feng Ji. Feng Ji pulled Shen Pei aside and said that this matter had to be handled quickly. Shen Pei then wrote a will overnight, in Yuan Shao's tone and with a very similar handwriting, stating that Yuan Shang should be appointed as his successor and continue as the governor of Ji Province. After the will was drafted, Shen Pei forged Yuan Shao's private seal at the end and put the bamboo slips into his sleeve.

The next day, as soon as the news spread, Yuan Tan smashed his teacup on the spot. He was in his mansion in the eastern part of the city, with Guo Tu and Xin Ping standing beside him. Yuan Tan paced back and forth twice, his feet stepping on the broken porcelain shards.

"Establish Yuan Shang? Father is too ill to speak clearly, yet Shen Pei dares to use his dying wish to establish Yuan Shang? Is Ye City the Ye City of the Yuan family, or Shen Pei's Ye City?"

Guo Tu said, "Young Master, this cannot be tolerated. If Shen Pei dared to forge the imperial edict, he would dare to purge us all after Lord Yuan's death. While our lord is still alive, we must find out the truth about the will."

Xin Ping said, "It's no use asking now. Shen Pei is all-powerful in Ye City, and Feng Ji is helping him. The eldest son only has his own 3,000 soldiers in the city, while Shen Pei has more than 10,000 guarding the city."

A direct confrontation is futile; the only option is to retreat to Cangting. Liu Bei's army has already withdrawn, and Cangting is, after all, the closest stronghold to Ye City.

Yuan Tan stopped. "Alright. Retreat to the granary."

That night, Yuan Tan led his three thousand men out of the east gate of Ye City. The captain guarding the east gate was one of Yuan Tan's men and did not stop him. By the time Shen Pei received the news, Yuan Tan had already been gone for almost an hour. Shen Pei stood on the city wall, looking eastward, and said nothing.

When Yuan Tan arrived at Cangting, he rebuilt his camp. This place had just been attacked by Liu Bei the previous year, and half of the camp was still in ruins, but the foundations of the earthen walls remained.

Yuan Tan ordered the earthen walls to be rebuilt and the moats to be deepened. At the same time, Guo Tu began to contact Qingzhou for him. Xiahou Dun, a subordinate of Cao Cao, had occupied Pingyuan County, and Guo Tu felt that he could use Cao Cao's power to fight against Yuan Shang.

Qian Zhao, perched on a hill outside the city, witnessed everything clearly. The night Yuan Tan left the city, his carrier pigeon was sent out.