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

"This humble general...this humble general obeys!" Gongsun Xu knelt on one knee, his whole body trembling with excitement!

"Continue, I will certainly not fail the Prince of Jin, nor my late father!"

On the day of the expedition, Liu Bei personally saw him off at Ba Bridge, east of Luoyang.

The spring breeze blew through the willow branches and brushed against Gongsun Xu's silver armor.

Liu Bei held his arm and said softly:

"Brother Bogui was determined to pacify the borders and bring peace to the people back then, but unfortunately his ambition was not fulfilled."

Ji Province is in chaos now, and the people are suffering. You should take the White Horse Cavalry and go there to quell this chaos for your father and for all the people of the world.

Remember, we are fighting for the people, not for personal grudges.

"This humble general will remember this!"

Gongsun Xu kowtowed deeply, then mounted his white horse.

Behind him stood three thousand White Horse Cavalry, their white cloaks billowing in the spring breeze, like a wave of snow from the White Horse Cavalry of yesteryear.

In a flash, Liu Bei seemed to return to that winter, seeing the White Horse Cavalry in the snow, the white horse in front of the White Horse Cavalry, and the White Horse General on the white horse.

Guan Jing and Tian Kai, one on the left and one on the right, are both veterans who followed Gongsun Zan in his campaigns back then, and now they are following the current White Horse General!

"Walk!"

Gongsun Xu pulled on the reins, and the white horse reared up.

Three thousand cavalrymen marched in a grand procession along the official road northeastward, gradually merging into the spring dust.

Silver armor reflects the spring, a white horse enters the dragon.

The new White Horse General, carrying his father's pride, heads to the battlefield his father once fought on.

To quell the rebellion for the people of Jizhou!

Liu Bei stood at the bridgehead, watching the departing figures of his troops, and remained motionless for a long time.

The Gongsun Bogui of yesteryear, riding a white horse and wielding a silver spear, is the same person as Gongsun Xu of today.

"The road your brother Bogui couldn't finish, the things he couldn't accomplish, your son has continued in your place."

The spring breeze carried willow catkins, which landed on his shoulder.

The affairs of this world are never the affairs of one person alone. One after another, there will always be those who follow.

……

Zhao Yun led several thousand newly recruited White Horse Cavalry northward from Hanoi, their forces striking directly at the rebel army in Wei Commandery.

The White Horse Cavalry was the elite of the army, with gleaming armor and strict discipline, and they swept through the land with unstoppable force.

Gongsun Xu then led three thousand of his old White Horse soldiers into Wei Commandery, and then headed north to Zhongshan and Changshan.

These two counties had already been swept by Zhang Fei before, and the rebel army was already weak. When the White Horse Army arrived, they either opened the city gates and surrendered or abandoned their fortified villages and fled. They encountered almost no decent resistance.

Within ten days, the two prefectures were pacified.

Gongsun Xu then turned his military force towards Hejian County.

As soon as the army entered the Hejian region, scattered civilians began to stand along the roadside.

But as you get closer, you see that people of all ages are holding water jugs and carrying wheat cakes, standing on tiptoe to look into the queue.

The old man at the head of the group had a white beard and looked at Gongsun Xu, who was riding a white horse and carrying a silver spear, at the head of the group.

Suddenly, he trembled all over, fell to his knees with a thud, and cried out in a trembling voice:

"General White Horse... General White Horse has returned!"

That shout was like water dripping into a hot oil pan, instantly exploding.

"Truly General Bai Ma's troops!"

"Back when General Gongsun attacked Ji Province, he provided us with grain to save our lives!"

The people knelt down one after another, offering grain, water, and wine to the procession.

Gongsun Xu reined in his horse and looked at the dense crowd of kneeling people by the roadside. His nose suddenly stung with tears.

His father, Gongsun Zan, was a powerful figure in Hebei and was known as the White Horse General.

After defeating the Yellow Turbans and Yuan Shao, we seized grain from powerful families and rescued the people. I never expected that after so many years, the people of Hejian would still remember this kindness!

"Fellow villagers, please rise." He dismounted and helped up the elderly man at the front.

"I am Gongsun Xu, and my father is Gongsun Zan. I have been ordered by the King of Jin to quell the rebellion and bring peace to the people."

"It's the young general! Good! Good!" The old man grasped his hand and nodded repeatedly.

"With the young general here, Hejian will be safe!"

When the news spread, the rebels in various counties of Hejian had not even reached the city gates before defeating the main force of the aristocratic families.

Some retired soldiers, along with local people and county officials, bound the family in charge and surrendered the city.

Within a few days, the entire Hejian prefecture was pacified.

It was more than twice as fast as Gongsun Xu had anticipated!

He stood atop the city wall of Hejian County, gazing at the fields outside the city, and knew clearly in his heart!

It wasn't that he was particularly good at fighting; it was the kindness his father had shown him that paved the way for him.

At this moment, looking at the crowd that had gathered around, Gongsun Xu understood the Prince of Jin and Grand Commander Li even more!

Looking at the people, each with genuine joy in their eyes, I felt a mix of emotions, both bittersweet and warm.

This is what his father left him, and it's also what he learned at Jixia Academy!

It's not soldiers or cities, but the longing and gratitude of the people of this region!

It's the will of the people!

……

At the same time, the suppression of the rebellion in Qingzhou was also proceeding at an astonishing speed.

Xu Rong guarded Langya, Qian Zhao guarded Beihai, Zhang Liao was stationed at Mount Tai, and Tian Yu was in charge of Pingyuan. The four generals each led their own troops and launched a coordinated attack.

After Yuan Shao annihilated several waves of rebel forces, the elite troops of the aristocratic families were no longer what they used to be, and their food supplies were running out!

Zhang Liao led 800 cavalrymen in a charge, and in one battle, he crushed the main force of the Beihai rebels; Qian Zhao led his troops to sweep through the fortified villages of various counties, and those who surrendered were spared punishment for the time being, while those who resisted were executed as soon as their fortifications were breached!

Within half a month, all the rebellions in Qingzhou were quelled.

The remnants of various rebel armies, along with the aristocratic families of Bohai Commandery, were all compressed into Nanpi City in Bohai Commandery, which was occupied by Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, and were surrounded by layers of walls like an iron barrel!

On this day, Zhao Yun, Gongsun Xu, Zhang Liao, and Qian Zhao's four armies joined forces at the foot of Bohai City.

The final assault lasted less than an hour before the city gates were breached.

The rebels either fought to the death or surrendered, and all the heads of the powerful families were captured.

But when they took stock of the prisoners, the generals frowned.

"What about Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang?"

Zhao Yun, carrying a long spear, stood in the main hall of the governor's mansion, glanced at the prisoners kneeling on the ground, and asked a question.

The prisoners fell silent, trembling with fear. After a long while, one of the officers finally spoke, his voice trembling:

"About half a month ago, when it seemed like we were about to be surrounded, several dozen assassins protected the two young masters and escaped through the tunnel at the north gate of the city...heading towards Qingzhou."

"Chase!" Zhang Liao immediately turned around and was about to lead his troops in pursuit.

"No need," Zhao Yun waved his hand. "There are garrison troops at every pass along the Qingzhou border; they can't get far."

Orders were issued to all border counties and townships to conduct thorough checks. They were penniless and starving, and would surely be searching for food.

Just as Zhao Yun had predicted.

Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, along with dozens of elite warriors, fled Bohai overnight and headed towards Qingzhou.

They hadn't brought much food with them, and it was all gone in a few days. They traveled through wind and rain, sleeping in the open, their clothes tattered, looking no different from beggars.

They fled to a small village on the border of Qingzhou, where they were so hungry they could no longer walk.

"Go, find some villagers and beg for some food. Just say... just say we are fleeing merchants," Yuan Tan ordered weakly.

After a while, the assassin actually encountered some kind-hearted people who gave him a few bran cakes and half a jar of water.

The two were wolfing down their food, thinking they should take a break before continuing, when a commotion suddenly erupted at the village entrance.

"It's them! I recognize them! It's Yuan Tan who led his troops to rob our disaster relief grain back then!"

"That was our grain, our life-saving food! They stole it all! My parents starved to death that year!"