Han Ji

In October of the eleventh year of Xingping, Zhongshan.

Yuan Shang spent more than half a year in Zhongshan, living a life akin to being in prison. The governor of Zhongshan gave him a residence but no soldiers. The soldiers in the city were nominally under his command, but in reality, he could only mobilize a few.

He sent someone to contact the Wuhuan, but the messenger was intercepted by Qian Zhao. He contacted Cao Cao, but Cao Cao did not reply. He contacted Yuan Tan, but Yuan Tan himself had lost the city of Xindu and fled to Qingzhou.

Before Shen Pei left, he instructed him to stabilize his old subordinates after arriving in Zhongshan and wait for news from the Wuhuan. However, he failed to stabilize his old subordinates and received no news from the Wuhuan.

Shen Pei is now imprisoned in Ye City, Feng Ji is imprisoned in Ye City, and he only has a few personal guards and a clerk left by Feng Ji by his side. There is a jujube tree in this courtyard, and its shadow moves from east to west and then from west to east. He watches it from morning till night every day.

At the end of October, Qian Zhao's special operations battalion intercepted Yuan Shang's last batch of messengers south of Zhongshan. The letter was addressed to Wuhuan Chanyu Tadun, stating that Yuan Shang was willing to cede the three western commanderies of Youzhou if Tadun sent troops.

After reading the letter, Qian Zhao put it in his pocket and returned to Ye City. This letter later landed on Jia Xu's desk, and after reading it, Jia Xu said he was still dreaming.

Qian Zhao found Liu Bei and said that Yuan Shang could no longer stay in Zhongshan. Several counties around Zhongshan had already submitted their declarations of allegiance to Ye City, and the governor himself was also observing the situation.

Yuan Shang has no troops under his command. If he stays any longer, he'll either be sold out by the governor of Zhongshan or captured alive by us. Liu Bei asked, "Where is he going?" Qian Zhao replied, "Youzhou." Youzhou is Yuan Xi's territory.

Yuan Xi was Yuan Shao's second son and had been guarding the border in Youzhou. His relationship with Yuan Shang wasn't good, but they were brothers after all. Yuan Shang was now desperate and had no other choice but to go to his second brother.

In early November, Yuan Shang set off from Zhongshan northwards. He did not bring any troops (nor could he bring any), only a few personal guards and a carriage.

The carriage contained his luggage, a few pieces of clothing, a sword left by Yuan Shao, and some bamboo slips. The horses were given to him by the governor of Zhongshan; he was given two, one to ride and one to carry his belongings.

The governor of Zhongshan escorted him to the north gate, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Take care, young master." Yuan Shang glanced back at him, mounted his horse, and rode away. It was about five hundred li from Zhongshan to Ji County, the capital of Youzhou. The official road had been in disrepair for years, and some sections had been damaged by last year's floods, causing cart wheels to get stuck and requiring people to push them out.

Yuan Shang traveled for seven or eight days, passing through desolate villages, overgrown fields, and littered roads with the remains of starving people. Hebei had been ravaged by war for years; people had died or fled, and the land was now barren.

It was already dark when they arrived at Ji County, and the city gates were closed. Yuan Shang had his personal guards announce that he had come to surrender to Yuan Xi. It took quite a while before the city gates opened.

Yuan Xi was waiting for him at the entrance of the governor's mansion. Yuan Xi was a few years older than him, with a long, thin face, thick eyebrows, and thin lips. When they met, they stood and looked at each other for a while. Yuan Shang called out "Second Brother," and Yuan Xi patted him on the shoulder without saying anything, leading him inside.

Yuan Xi settled Yuan Shang in a secluded courtyard south of Ji County. The courtyard had a well and trees, and although it was smaller than the house in Zhongshan, it was kept clean.

Yuan Xi had the cook prepare a meal, including chicken and fish. The two brothers sat down to drink, and Yuan Xi, holding a wine bowl, asked Yuan Shang, "Where is Shen Pei?" Yuan Shang replied, "He was captured by Liu Bei and imprisoned in Ye City."

Yuan Xi was silent for a moment, then asked how many men he had left. Yuan Shang said no, the governor of Zhongshan hadn't given him any. Yuan Xi asked if they could return to Ji Province. Yuan Shang said, "Second brother, we can't go back." Yuan Xi put his wine bowl on the table and looked out the window at the dark sky.

December, Ye City. It snowed, but not heavily, just a thin layer on the ground, which was easily blown away by the wind.

Liu Bei stood under the eaves of the governor's mansion's backyard, holding a rough bowl filled with hot porridge. He drank the porridge, placed the bowl on the railing, and stared blankly at the jujube tree in the yard.

Jia Xu walked up from behind, holding a newly arrived military report in his hand.

"Yuan Shang has arrived in Ji County. Yuan Xi has taken him in. The two brothers are guarding the Liaodong vassal state and several cities in Liaoxi in Youzhou. Their forces are small, totaling less than eight thousand. We have scouted the Wuhuan leader Tadun's side. He has disagreements with several tribal leaders and will not send his main force for the time being. But as long as the Yuan brothers are in Youzhou, Hebei is not completely pacified."

Liu Bei said, "Youzhou is a border region, sparsely populated. Eight thousand soldiers are scattered along that long border, with only a few hundred men guarding each city; they can't be concentrated. To attack him, speed is crucial. We should advance from south to north, not giving Yuan Xi time to gather his forces."

Jia Xu suggested that we first deploy defenses in the north. This doesn't mean we should attack immediately, but rather that we should first arrange our troops. Ye City is nearly a thousand miles from Youzhou, separated by several prefectures including Hejian, Bohai, and Anping.

These areas had just submitted, and the people's hearts were not yet settled, so the rear must be secured. He suggested that the northern defense forces be deployed in four parts: Zhang Fei would guard Ye City and also be in charge of the defense of Wei Commandery, Zhao Commandery, and Julu; Zhao Yun would guard Bohai and also be in charge of the defense of Hejian and Anping, while keeping an eye on Cao Cao in Qingzhou; Guan Yu would lead his troops to rest and reorganize in Ye City, serving as the main force for the northward march; and Zhang He's Jizhou camp would continue to clear out defeated soldiers and bandits in eastern Jizhou to ensure the smooth flow of grain supplies.

In addition, the Qianzhao Special Operations Battalion has already dispatched three teams into Youzhou. One team is keeping an eye on Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang in Ji County, another team is waiting for the Wuhuan's movements in the mountains northwest of Liaodong Dependent State, and the third team has infiltrated the vicinity of Yuyang to ascertain the strength and weakness of the military preparedness of various cities.

Liu Bei agreed. Zhang Fei returned to the governor's mansion from the eastern camp that very day and spread out the garrison map of Wei Commandery on the table. Liu Bei pointed to the map and said, "You are in charge of the troops in Wei Commandery, and you should also take charge of Julu in Zhao Commandery."

Zhang Fei patted his chest and said, "Brother, don't worry. With me in Ye City, not even a fly can get in." After receiving the order, Zhao Yun selected 3,000 cavalrymen from the 8,000 transferred from Luoyang and brought them to Bohai.

He set up camp on a high ground twenty li north of Xindu, from which the official road towards Qingzhou could be seen. He dispatched scouts to patrol along the river from the high ground, reporting back daily. Zhang He continued his mopping-up operations in eastern Ji, eliminating several groups of fleeing soldiers who had retreated into the mountains.

Some of the routed soldiers, lacking food and salt, gradually could not endure it any longer. Some volunteered to surrender, and Zhang He allowed them to register their names at the registration office and were assigned to a refugee camp for resettlement.

Qian Zhao's special operations battalion split into smaller units and entered Youzhou. Each team consisted of about ten men, disguised as merchants, hunters, and refugees. Qian Zhao himself also changed into civilian clothes, rode a skinny horse, and headed north from Ye City.

Along the way, he passed through Hejian and Anping, which had recently submitted to the Japanese, and then through Fanyang, arriving at a place forty li south of Ji County. He sat down in a wine shop in a small town, ordered a bowl of wine, and listened to the people around him chatting.

The people around him were talking about Yuan Xi's grain requisition in Ji County, which had caused grain prices to triple compared to the previous year. Qian Zhao finished his drink, paid the bill, and led his horse north.

In the same year, Jiangdong.

Sun Quan was reviewing the autumn harvest accounts sent by various prefectures in the main hall of the Wu Commandery Governor's Office. Zhang Zhao stood beside him, holding another scroll of bamboo slips, which contained scout reports from the Yue tribes.

"The Yue people in Poyang have rebelled again," Zhang Zhao said. "This time, the leader is a man named You Tu, who has gathered several thousand men. The governor of Poyang has too few soldiers to control them."