The Three Kingdoms: The Oath of the Peach Garden, the Rise of the Han Dynasty

The people had long been yearning for change, and the army had lost its will to fight.

As soon as Guan Yu's army entered the territory of Ji Province, Zhang Liao led the vanguard with eight hundred light cavalry.

After just a few battles, the tens of thousands of Yuan troops responsible for containing the northern part of Ji Province either fled or surrendered.

After dealing with the prisoners and surrendered soldiers, the Youzhou army marched straight down to Hejian.

In every county town they encountered, before they could even set up ladders or fill in moats, the city gates would creak open on their own.

The county constable, holding the household registers, led the county officials and commoners to kneel on both sides of the city gate, their heads bowed low:

"The entire county of Gaoyang surrenders! We respectfully welcome General Guan!"

Zhang Liao was stunned for a moment!

He thought there would be a long battle first, but the city was surrendered just like that?

He sent men to take over the city's defenses, and a messenger arrived on horseback to report to the central army.

Guan Yu nodded arrogantly, stroking his long beard, unsurprised:

"Yuan Shao is dead, and the people's hearts are scattered."

The order was issued: in all the counties and prefectures that passed through, those who surrendered would not be punished, and granaries would be opened to distribute grain, with the people being given priority for relief.

Anyone who dares to plunder the people shall be executed!

As soon as the order was given, wherever the army went, they surrendered without a fight.

From Gaoyang onwards, in several counties along the way, either the garrison commanders fled overnight with their valuables, or the county officials led the people to open the city gates.

Either the soldiers and civilians should simply bind the garrison commander and open the gates to surrender.

They hardly encountered a single decent tough battle.

Many of the people here have benefited from Gongsun Zan's southward journey!

At this moment, they returned the favor owed to Gongsun Zan to Liu Bei.

Less than half a month later, Guan Yu's army arrived at the county town and finally encountered a tough opponent.

The prime minister of Hejian Commandery held out in the city.

Guan Yu stroked his beard: "Surround the city, and send troops to pacify the disaster-stricken people in the other counties!"

In just two months, Jizhou underwent another major change after its initial transformation.

With Yuan Shao dead, Ji Province was leaderless, and Liu Bei dispatched troops everywhere to quickly take control of the various counties.

Almost all of them, except for the various prefectures and the Bohai Prefecture, surrendered, either voluntarily or involuntarily!

The powerful families and garrison commanders of the various prefectures are still observing! They know that Liu Bei will not be able to take Ye City or breach the prefectures in a short time.

As soon as Yecheng falls, they will surrender immediately; they are still loyal to the Han Dynasty!

As long as Ye City is held and Liu Bei is forced to withdraw his troops, then they will also be subjects of the Great Wei!

……

When the news reached the walls of Ye City, Zhang Fei slapped his thigh and put down the whip he had been using to discipline his soldiers.

"Second Brother is so fast! It hasn't been long, and he's already reached Hejian!"

We're still struggling to conquer Ye City!

"Walk!"

……

While the fighting raged in the north, Yuan Shu in the south also made his move.

With 50,000 troops, led by Ji Ling as the vanguard, they marched north in a mighty force, intending to swallow Yanzhou whole.

In Yuan Shu's mind, since everyone shared the surname Yuan, once Yuan Shao died, the powerful families of Yanzhou would inevitably side with him.

If we occupy Yanzhou and Qingzhou, we can then march west and compete with Liu Bei for the world. It's not impossible that we can succeed.

But ideals are often far from reality.

When the vanguard Ji Ling arrived at Rencheng Kingdom, he thought the defenders would open the city gates to welcome him, but instead, a hail of arrows rained down from the city walls.

"You've rebelled!" Ji Ling roared from below the city walls. "My lord is the Zhong Emperor! Why haven't you opened the gates to welcome him?"

The defending general and the powerful families on the city wall completely disregarded them!

"What emperor? A traitor!"

We have received the Han's favor for generations; how could we possibly follow the traitors?

Ji Ling was so angry that he ordered his troops to attack the city. After three days of attacking, the city wall hadn't even been scratched.

When the news reached Yuan Shu's central army, Yuan Shu was stunned and couldn't come to his senses for a long time.

"What? The people of Yanzhou dare to defy me?"

What kind of talk did Yuan Shao give to these powerful families!

They're all Yuan!

But the powerful families of Yanzhou knew this perfectly well.

Following Yuan Shu is 100% tantamount to becoming a traitor. Liu Bei will turn around and settle scores with you, and you might not even be able to keep your family business!

By guarding the prefecture and protecting Yuan Shao's legacy, he could at least be considered a Han official and preserve the family's legacy.

Who's stupid?

If Yuan Shu hadn't declared himself emperor, they could have considered it, since they were all Yuan anyway.

For a time, Yuan Shu's army was stuck on the border of Yanzhou, unable to advance or retreat.

Each prefecture closed its gates and held its ground, neither surrendering nor fighting to the death, simply stalemate.

Yuan Shu was so angry that he jumped up and down in his camp, and simply ordered an attack on the city and the territories to be seized!

……

Beneath the walls of Ye City, Zhang Fei led the vanguard battalion in an attack for another day.

The siege ladders were erected and then collapsed, the battering rams were knocked down and then retreated, and the area beneath the city walls was piled high with the corpses of the attacking soldiers.

The rolling stones and logs on the city wall were raining down like they were free, and the arrows were as dense as raindrops.

As the sun set, Zhang Fei withdrew his troops, so angry that he slammed his spear into the ground, creating a crater.

"Shen Pei, wow! He's really tough!"

Lu Bu also had a grim face, his halberd stained with blood. "The city walls are high and thick, and the families of noble families are all in the city. They are actually fighting to the death to defend their homes."

Forcing it will cause too much damage.

Left with no other option, Zhang Fei continued to whip his soldiers.

While the two were getting impatient, the scene inside the city was quite different.

The governor's mansion was filled with the smell of medicine.

Yuan Shang lay in bed; Yuan Shao had beaten him too badly!

Shen Pei stood guard by the bedside, his brows furrowed in worry.

Yuan Shao is dead, and the Third Prince is his only hope.

But now that the Third Prince is so badly injured, morale in the army is low, and Yuan Tan is making moves again.

"Sir," the lieutenant came in to report, his voice low, "the eldest son's men are again conspiring with the other generals, saying that the third son is seriously injured and that the eldest son should take charge."

Several captains were secretly making contact, intending to... surrender the city.

"Dare!" Shen Pei's eyes flashed with sternness. "Pass on the Third Young Master's order: anyone who dares to surrender will be executed!"

Anyone who dares to collude with others will be executed!

Anyone who dares to act recklessly under Yuan Tan's command will be punished for treason!

"As for the Third Prince's serious injuries? Wasn't Yuan Tan seriously injured? Yuan Tan was beaten even more severely by the King of Wei!"

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Tomorrow, help the Third Young Master to the hall and summon the generals to discuss matters."

We must stabilize public morale.

The next day, Yuan Shang was helped up and forced to attend court.

His face was pale, his body was weak, and he didn't even dare to sit down properly!

Leaning against the desk, he couldn't utter a word for a long time, only feeling constipated and extremely uncomfortable!

The generals below looked at each other, each with their own thoughts.

Yuan Tan's faction looked even more unconvinced, glancing sideways at Shen Pei on the steps.

Shen Pei stood beside the steps and shouted sternly:

"All generals, listen to my command! The late emperor has just passed away, and the third prince has succeeded to the throne of Wei and will be in charge of all the armies in Hebei."

Anyone who dares to have disloyal thoughts will be dealt with according to military law!

Now that Liu Bei's army is at the city gates, the most urgent task is to defend Ye City.

Let's wear down Liu Bei before discussing anything else!

A few scattered responses came from below the hall, lacking confidence.

Shen Pei knew perfectly well that the city of Ye was currently holding on thanks to its strong defenses and ample food supplies.

Even though he heard that Liu Bei had divided his troops into four different places, violating a major taboo in military strategy, he dared not make a move!

Any movement will cause internal chaos!

……

Upon learning that Yuan Shu was heading north, Liu Bei immediately led Li Chang, Jia Xu, and Cheng Yu to station his troops on the banks of the Yellow River.

Standing on the riverbank, looking at the vast red land and the fleeing people in Hebei, Liu Bei frowned deeply.

"Jizhou has suffered a disaster, and the people are suffering terribly."

Li Chang, fanning himself with a feather fan, sighed, "When a dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer!"

Jia Xu stroked his beard and said, "Yuan Shu is mediocre, and the powerful families of Yanzhou are all watching and waiting. He is not worth worrying about."

However, in Yecheng, Shen Pei remained loyal to the death, making it difficult to subdue him for the time being.

A forced siege would result in heavy losses.

But they still had to feign intimidation towards Yuan Shu. For a moment, they were also stuck there.

However, at least the people of Jizhou saw a glimmer of hope for survival.

Li Chang suddenly raised his head, exchanged a glance with the two men, and then turned to Liu Bei:

"Brother, why don't you take your troops and supplies and go to various places to appease the people and persuade the cities to surrender?"

Yuan Shu won't be able to take Yanzhou anytime soon, so the three of us will guard it.

"Alright! Fourth brother, I'll leave it to you!" Liu Bei agreed without even thinking!