Emperor Zhaolie of the late Han Dynasty: Rising to power in Liaoxi

Chapter 123 Gongsun Zan: Bad Luck

"Break through?"

Xia Yu gave a bitter laugh and pointed outside the tent: "The valley is blocked on all sides by the Xianbei. They are well-rested and waiting for us. We only have less than five thousand exhausted soldiers left, and we've even lost our horses. How can we charge?"

Gongsun Zan leaned down, his fingertips tracing across the map, a ruthless glint in his eyes: "A direct assault will inevitably lead to certain death. The only option is to take a risk and use a feigned surrender."

He looked up at Xia Yu and said decisively, "The Xianbei are certain that we are at our wits' end, and they will surely become arrogant and underestimate us."

.

"The two of us then pretended to be at odds with each other as generals, and publicly reprimanded you for being stubborn, arrogant, and underestimating the enemy, which led to your defeat. We then threatened to bind you and surrender you to the Xianbei."

"The Xianbei people are always greedy for credit. If they can capture you, the Great Han Protector of Wuhuan, it will be an enormous achievement for them. They will definitely believe it to be true, and the encirclement will inevitably be exposed."

"At that time, I will lead the White Horse Cavalry as the vanguard, and you will lead the remaining troops behind. Catch them off guard, charge straight into the center of the army, and kill their generals. We will surely break through the encirclement!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Yu was first taken aback, then a glimmer of hope ignited in his eyes.

He knew this was the only way out, and immediately gritted his teeth and nodded: "Alright! Let's go with this plan!"

"If we manage to break through the encirclement, I will certainly report to the court and have you credited with the greatest merit!"

The next morning, a fierce argument suddenly broke out in the Han army camp.

Gongsun Zan, accompanied by dozens of White Horse Cavalry, stormed into Xia Yu's main tent, overturned tables in front of everyone, and pointed at Xia Yu's nose while shouting angrily.

The voice echoed throughout the entire camp, even reaching the Xianbei scouts on the opposite side of the valley: "Xia Yu, you scoundrel! If it weren't for your stubbornness and refusal to heed my advice, insisting on advancing rashly, we wouldn't be trapped here to die!"

"Our soldiers are starving to death, yet you remain humiliated in your tent! How can I, Gongsun Zan, die with you!"

Xia Yu also slammed his fist on the table and stood up, cursing back incessantly. The two argued more and more fiercely, even drawing their swords at each other. Soldiers in the tent rushed forward to pull them apart, and the entire Han camp was thrown into chaos.

That afternoon, Gongsun Zan sent a trusted envoy to the Xianbei camp to surrender to the Xianbei general.

"My general Gongsun has had enough of Xia Yu's stubbornness and incompetence. He is willing to bind Xia Yu, open the camp and surrender, only asking that the Xianbei lord spare the lives of his soldiers and give them a way out."

The Xianbei general, who already saw that the Han army was at its wits' end, and upon hearing of the infighting between the two, was already quite convinced.

Upon hearing that they could capture Xia Yu, the Han Protector of Wuhuan, alive, Gongsun Zan was overjoyed. He immediately made a decision and arranged with the envoy that the next morning, Gongsun Zan would bring Xia Yu to surrender, and the Xianbei army would open their camp to accept the surrender without harming him.

Little did he know that this was the very grave that Gongsun Zan had prepared for him.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the gates of the Han camp slowly opened.

Gongsun Zan led the way, followed by his White Horse Cavalry escorting Xia Yu, who was bound hand and foot, as they slowly walked towards the Xianbei camp.

Upon seeing this, the Xianbei commander completely lowered his guard and personally led several thousand Xianbei cavalry out of the camp to accept the surrender, his face full of smug grins.

Just as the two sides were no more than a hundred paces apart, Gongsun Zan suddenly shouted and pointed his lance forward!

"kill!!"

The soldiers "escorting" Xia Yu behind him instantly tore off the ropes binding him. Xia Yu mounted his horse, took the long sword handed to him by his personal guard, roared fiercely, and led his troops straight to the right wing of the Xianbei.

Gongsun Zan, leading the remaining White Horse Cavalry, charged straight at the Xianbei central army like a white lightning bolt!

The Xianbei people were caught off guard and were thrown into chaos instantly.

They thought they were there to accept surrender and were not prepared for battle at all. The Han army's desperate attack threw their formation into disarray.

Gongsun Zan's spear flew, causing men and horses to fall wherever he went. He charged straight at the Xianbei general, and in just two rounds, he knocked him off his horse and killed him on the battlefield.

With their commander dead, the Xianbei cavalry were leaderless and scattered in all directions.

The once impenetrable encirclement was forcibly torn open with a huge gap.

"Break through! Full speed ahead!"

Gongsun Zan led the way, while Xia Yu led the remaining troops to the rear. The Han soldiers were determined to die, and everyone fought bravely.

Finally, at sunrise, they broke out of the Weichang Valley and completely escaped the Xianbei's siege.

Of the original five thousand soldiers, less than three thousand remained after the breakout, all of them emaciated and in a sorry state.

Xia Yu, panting heavily, looked at the pursuers he had shaken off behind him, then at the blood-soaked Gongsun Zan beside him, and breathed a sigh of relief, his face showing the relief of surviving a disaster.

"Good! Good! Bo Gui, you deserve the greatest credit for this breakout!"

"Upon my return, I will immediately submit a memorial to Luoyang, requesting a generous reward!"

Gongsun Zan showed no joy, only heartache over the losses of his troops.

After traveling south for two more days, the army finally arrived at the border of Youbeiping.

Gongsun Zan reined in his horse, gazing at the distant official road with a furrowed brow.

Just then, a courier horse galloped along the official road in the distance. Upon seeing Xia Yu's banner, the rider immediately fell off his horse, crying out, "Commander Xia! Something terrible has happened!"

Xia Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he demanded sharply, "What's the panic! What happened?!"

"During the days you were besieged, the Xianbei leaders Suli and Mijia took advantage of the weakened defenses of Youbeiping, leading over ten thousand cavalry to break through the Youbeiping border, advance deep into the heart of Youzhou, and besiege Jicheng!"

"Three urgent reports from the Youzhou Prefectural Governor's Office were sent to Luoyang in one day, causing great alarm in the capital!"

The cavalryman, panting heavily, added through tears, "And—"

"Fortunately, Liu Bei, the Commandant of Liaoxi Commandery, led his troops a thousand miles to come to our aid."

"First, we lifted the siege of Changli, a vassal state of Liaodong, then broke the siege of Jicheng, killed several Xianbei generals in battle, seized the Xianbei's valley camp, and drove all the Xianbei people out of Youzhou!"

"Now the entire Youzhou is praising Commandant Liu's illustrious military achievements!"

One sentence, like a bolt from the blue, left Xia Yu stiff and pale.

He thought that breaking through the encirclement would be a great achievement, but he did not expect that his underestimation of the enemy and reckless advance would lead to his encirclement, which directly resulted in the emptiness of Youbeiping.

Allowing the Xianbei to advance unimpeded, besiege the capital of Youzhou, and shake the capital city was already a heinous crime. How could there be any possibility of redemption?

Moreover, he had impeached Liu Bei repeatedly, accusing him of overstepping his authority, forming alliances with foreign tribes, and suppressing and harassing him at every turn.

But now, it was Liu Bei, whom he had been targeting at every turn, who cleaned up the mess he had made and relieved the crisis in Ji City.

He became a national hero in the eyes of the people of Youzhou, but he himself became the culprit who caused the border troubles.

Shame, indignation, despair, and jealousy—all these emotions intertwined and surged to the top of my head.

Xia Yu suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his vision went black, and he fell off his horse, instantly losing consciousness.

Gongsun Zan sat on his horse, his face ashen, his hand gripping the lance cracking, his knuckles turning white.

He fought desperately, narrowly escaping death to break through the encirclement, but in the end, he not only received no credit, but was also accused of "causing the enemy to invade the border."

Liu Bei, on the other hand, took advantage of this chaos to make a name for himself in one battle, becoming a pillar of Youzhou and a force to be reckoned with in the northern frontier.

Gongsun Zan looked up to the sky and sighed: "Truly, my luck is terrible!"

Resentment, jealousy, and confusion surged within me.

But he said nothing in the end. He just gritted his teeth, ordered the remaining troops to be gathered, and rushed back to Youbeiping overnight.

>