Han Ji

December. Luoyang.

Liu Bei was in his study at the Prime Minister's residence reviewing reports on land reclamation from various regions. Jian Yong delivered a thick stack of reports, which he was examining one by one when the carrier pigeon he had sent returned. When his personal guards brought in the bamboo tubes, they still carried the chill of winter.

Liu Bei removed the sealing wax and poured out the silk scroll. Qian Zhao's handwriting was messy, clearly written outdoors by moonlight. The scroll contained several things: Yuan Shao had been ill for several months and was no longer able to manage affairs.

Shen Pei and Feng Ji forged an imperial edict to establish Yuan Shang as heir. Yuan Tan withdrew from Ye City overnight and stationed his troops at Cangting. Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang were now at odds. Ye City was divided into two factions, each wary of the other.

After reading the silk scroll, Liu Bei placed it on the table. Then he stood up, walked to the map, and pointed to the location of Ye City. He stood there for a while, then turned to his personal guards and said, "Summon Jia Xu and Guan Yu."

Jia Xu entered first, followed by Guan Yu. Jian Yong and Zhao Yun also arrived. Liu Bei handed the silk scroll to Jia Xu, who read it and then passed it on to Guan Yu.

Jia Xu said, "Yuan Shao is seriously ill, and the two Yuan brothers are fighting amongst themselves. This is an opportunity. If Yuan Shao dies, the two Yuan brothers will fight for the throne, and the Yuan family will fall into chaos. We don't need to rush to attack. Let them fight for a while first. The fiercer their fighting is, the less effort it will be for us to take over. But we must also prepare to cross the river immediately. Once they have fought each other to a sufficient extent, then we can launch our attack."

Liu Bei turned to Jian Yong: "Xianhe, how are the provisions and ships?"

Jian Yong opened the account book. "There are 40,000 shi of grain currently stored at Liyang Ferry, enough to feed 50,000 soldiers for four months. There are also 20,000 shi in reserve at Guandu Ferry. Gan Ning's navy built 120 new grain transport ships during its winter reorganization last year. Together with the existing ships, they can transport 8,000 people at a time."

Guan Yu said, "This humble general is willing to be the vanguard."

Zhao Yun said, "Eight thousand cavalrymen are ready to set off at any time."

Zhang He said, "I still have quite a few former subordinates in Jizhou. I can send someone in first to make contact."

Liu Bei straightened up. "No rush. Keep an eye on Ye City first. Qian Zhao will continue to report back. We won't move until Yuan Shao is dead. Once Yuan Shao is dead, we'll cross the river immediately."

May of the tenth year of Xingping (202 AD). Ye City.

Yuan Shao died in the early hours of that day. Qian Zhao's scouts later said that in the latter half of the night, there was a sudden burst of crying in Ye City, and torches illuminated the walls of the governor's mansion.

Shen Pei ordered the city gates to be closed, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving, and also dispatched troops to guard the street entrances around the governor's mansion. The entire city of Ye was placed under martial law.

Yuan Shao died at the age of fifty. Before his death, he could no longer speak clearly and could only lean against his bed, his lips moving and his gestures weak. Some say that his last words were Yuan Tan's name, while others say that he only called out one name before exhaling his last breath.

Shen Pei knelt before the bed for a long time, then stood up and wiped his face with his sleeve. He had Feng Ji draft a second will, announcing Yuan Shang's succession as governor of Ji Province and commander-in-chief of all military affairs in Hebei. The handwriting on that will was identical to Yuan Shao's approval before the Battle of Guandu; the scribe Shen Pei had chosen had a very steady hand.

The city walls of Ye City were now adorned with Yuan Shang's banners. The banners were white with black characters; the character "Yuan" remained the same, but the name below it had changed. Shen Pei ordered the garrison to post notices at the city gates, announcing the passing of Lord Yuan and the succession of his son, Yuan Shang, according to his will. All garrison troops in the various prefectures were to obey the orders of Ye City.

The message reached Cangting that evening. Yuan Tan stood at the tent entrance, clutching the silk scroll in his hand until his knuckles turned white. Guo Tu stood beside him, and Xin Ping was also there. Yuan Tan didn't cry; he tore the silk scroll to shreds and threw it on the ground.

"A forged imperial edict, it must be a forged edict. I didn't even see my father one last time, and they dare to say that his dying wish was for Yuan Shang to be appointed?"

Guo Tu said, "Young Master, we can't wait any longer. Yuan Shang and Shen Pei control Ye City. They have the city and the grain. If this drags on, the other counties will turn to them. We must take Ye City now, before Yuan Shang can consolidate his power."

Yuan Tan asked, "How many of us are there?"

Guo Tu said, "Cangting has 8,000 troops stationed there, and Dongjun has another 5,000 that can be transferred. That's a total of 13,000. Yecheng has 20,000 troops. But Yecheng is not a monolithic city; there are still the eldest prince's old subordinates inside. Send someone into the city to make contact and coordinate an attack from within."

Yuan Tan sent men into the city to contact his former subordinates. But Shen Pei acted beforehand. He knew Yuan Tan had spies in the city, and taking advantage of the new death order closing the inner city, he discovered more than a dozen undercover agents within two days and imprisoned them all. Yuan Tan's men were blocked before they even reached the city gates.

Yuan Tan did not receive any reinforcements from the city. He decided not to wait any longer and led his troops from Cangting towards Ye City. Yuan Shang also sent out his troops, and the two armies met at Chiqiu, southeast of Ye City.

The brothers' armies didn't actually clash; they faced each other across a small river for a day, with only a few dozen dead in the minor skirmishes. Yuan Tan's troops were few and dared not charge; Yuan Shang's army was mostly newly formed, and Shen Pei didn't want to start a civil war so soon after assuming power. Both armies withdrew; Yuan Tan retreated to Cangting, and Yuan Shang returned to Ye City.

Luoyang, June.

Qian Zhao's urgent report arrived at the Prime Minister's residence one day in early June. When his personal guards rushed in, Liu Bei was reviewing grain requisition documents from various regions. He signed his name at the end of the bamboo slips, put down his pen, and opened the bamboo tubes.

The silk scroll was short, and Qian Zhao's handwriting was even more illegible than before: Yuan Shao was dead. Shen Pei forged an imperial edict to install Yuan Shang. Yuan Tan retreated to Cangting. The brothers were locked in a standoff.

Liu Bei placed the silk scroll on the table and remained silent for a while. Then he stood up and walked to the map.

When Jia Xu entered, he was still clutching that chess piece he never let go of. He finished reading the silk scroll and placed the chess piece on the table. "My lord, the time has come."

"Pass on the order." Liu Bei's voice wasn't loud, but his enunciation was firm. "Guan Yu will be the vanguard, leading 10,000 elite troops to cross the river at Liyang immediately. After crossing, do not linger in battle; advance directly between Cangting and Yecheng. Remember, the goal is to block the road between Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, not to attack the city. Block Yuan Shang and prevent him from getting out."

Guan Yu clasped his hands in a fist salute. "Yes."

"Zhang Fei led 8,000 infantry and cavalry on the left flank, crossed the river at Guandu, and encircled Ye City from the direction of Lie Ren, cutting off the reinforcements coming from Qingzhou."

"Zhao Yun led 8,000 cavalry on the right wing, crossed the river at Yanjin, and circled around to the northwest of Yecheng, towards Shexian. He blocked Yuan Shang's escape route to the north, and if any Wuhuan cavalry came south, he intercepted them on the spot."

"Zhang He will lead his 5,000 cavalry as the vanguard. You've served in Ji Province, so you know every canal and abandoned road between Cangting and Yecheng better than I do. You will scout out the entire route for Yunchang and Yide."

Zhang He clasped his hands in a fist salute. "This humble general obeys the order."

"Jia Xu served as the military advisor. Jian Yong remained in Luoyang to manage the grain transport routes and ensure the uninterrupted transfer of military supplies at each ferry crossing."

Jian Yong opened the account book and wrote it down.

"Pass the order to keep watch on the movements in Yecheng and Cangting. At the same time, begin eliminating Yuan Tan's sentry posts and spies around Cangting. Those sentry posts he placed in Yuanwu must be taken down before our main force advances."

The messenger turned and ran out, his boots making a loud clattering sound on the bluestone slabs.

At the same time, all the ferry crossings in Luoyang sprang into action. Fleets gathered from upstream to downstream, their masts gleaming white in the sunlight. Soldiers, carrying spears and shields, lined up to board the gangplanks.

The horses' hooves echoed heavily in the empty cabin. Guan Yu stood at the Liyang ferry, the river wind making his green robe flutter loudly.

Zhang Fei, at his camp on the opposite bank at Guandu, planted his spear in the ground and personally supervised the loading of grain carts onto ships. Zhao Yun, at Yanjin, reorganized his eight thousand cavalry, ordering his men to tighten the saddles again.

Two days later, the army began to cross the river. On the mudflats on the north bank of the Yellow River, shouts of men and neighing of horses mingled together, and everywhere there were soldiers carrying weapons and waiting in line for their journeys.

Liu Bei stood on the high slope of the south bank, watching his army slowly engulf the north bank. The soil on the north bank was yellow, the soldiers were blue, the boats were black, and the Yellow River water shimmered white in the middle.

He recalled a sentence a young student from Yingchuan had told him many years ago when he was studying in Luoyang: "If Hebei is not peaceful, the world will not be at peace."

Hebei is now just across the river. Yuan Shao is dead. His two sons are glaring at each other. Liu Bei mounted his horse and wrapped the reins around his wrist.

He said to Jia Xu beside him, "Let's go." The horse began to walk downhill, its hooves stepping on the gravel, which rolled into the Yellow River, the splashing water quickly swallowed by the waves.