A ferry crossing on the opposite bank of the Hedong Puban Ferry.

"Lord Commander, the ships are ready. We have collected more than fifty warships and more than fifty boatmen."

"They have been operating boats on the Yellow River for many years and are very experienced, so they can navigate the Yellow River's waves as if they were on flat ground."

A subordinate reported to Shen Lian on the progress of the ship collection.

From Puban Ferry to Mengjin Ferry, one can travel three to four hundred li downstream in a day, departing in the morning and arriving at sunset.

Shen Lian nodded: "Tell these boatmen that the fee will be doubled for this trip."

"Yes, sir!" the subordinate replied and left.

Looking at the densely packed ships on the shore, Chen Lian calculated the transport capacity for this trip.

A single warship can carry twenty people, so fifty warships can transport a thousand people.

Our lord has been besieged in Mengjin for a day now; it's a race against time!

Sending a thousand soldiers to Mengjin first will surely ensure the safety of our lord.

If these thousand soldiers are still not enough, the strategist will surely devise corresponding countermeasures and face the situation calmly!

Now that the ships are ready, it's unclear when the reinforcements from Jiuzong Mountain will arrive.

"They're here! Our troops are here!"

Just as dusk was approaching, dust filled the western plains, obscuring the sun, as if countless soldiers were galloping towards them.

Two thousand warhorses galloped across the loess plateau, their momentum overwhelming.

The thunderous sound of hooves was like rolling thunder, breathtaking and awe-inspiring.

The caravan appeared on the horizon and arrived in front of Chen Lian in less than a quarter of an hour!

General Zhang, I never expected it to be you!

Shen Lian initially only planned to transfer 1,000 troops to Pei Yuanshao at Jiuzong Mountain, and then he would lead his own troops to Mengjin to support Liu Wei.

Unexpectedly, it was Zhang Liao, one of Liu Wei's four generals, who arrived with two thousand cavalry, much to Shen Lian's delight.

“I happened to be escorting a caravan to Gaonu when I learned that my lord was trapped in Mengjin. So I led two thousand Beiwei soldiers into Guanzhong to come and provide assistance.”

Zhang Liao said in a deep voice, "My plan is to cross the river from here, enter Hedong, go east along the Yellow River, and meet up with our lord on the other side of Mengjin."

"General, if we take the land route east of the river, it will take too long. I have prepared more than fifty boats. You can take a boat down the river and arrive at Mengjin in less than a day."

Shen Lian quickly led Zhang Liao to the ferry to watch.

"That's good, but our weapons and armor are all hidden in the coal to avoid detection. I'm afraid we can't transport many troops at a time."

“General Zhang, do not worry. The two thousand troops can march in batches,” Shen Lian suggested. “We can transport men and weapons by ship and get to the battlefield quickly.”

"As for the warhorses, they will travel by land east of the river to reach the other side of Mengjin."

Zhang Liao nodded in agreement.

So he ordered the soldiers to rest, and Zhang Liao personally led a thousand men to board the ships before nightfall, advancing as far as they could.

Meanwhile, the other thousand men and their warhorses were trying to cross the river to the other side.

Everything is proceeding at full speed.

......

Liu Wei was unaware that his men were racking their brains to ensure his safety, speeding up their march, and eager to get to his side to protect him.

At this moment, he, along with the seventeen riders of Yanyun and Wang Fangyi's guard battalion, watched He Jin and Yuan Shao's every move from the hilltop.

He Jin did not launch an attack that afternoon.

It seems he is devising a strategy of encirclement.

However, the hill was quite large, and He Jin discovered that even 1,300 men could not completely block it; there was still a large gap in the northeast corner.

He Jin planned to send the remaining five hundred cavalry to block them, but Yuan Shao strongly opposed it.

He felt that five hundred cavalrymen were no match for the enemy, and that going to block them would be exposing his weakness to the enemy.

When it came to military operations, He Jin believed he was no match for Yuan Shao, so he followed his advice and ordered his infantry to remain in place while urging Cao Cao, who was leading troops from Luoyang, to speed up.

The messenger returned two hours later with news that Cao Cao was on his way with a thousand soldiers.

However, Jian Shuo, a young eunuch, was also on his way, leading two thousand soldiers from the Western Garden Army, as well as two captains, Feng Fang and Xia Mou.

When the two armies met, Jian Shuo stepped forward to speak with Cao Cao, saying that His Majesty had sent him to persuade Cao Cao to make peace, and advised Cao Cao to return to his camp and not get involved in the matter.

Upon hearing that the emperor had dispatched the Western Garden Army and his former superiors to intervene in the matter, Cao Cao withdrew his troops.

"What does Mengde mean by this? Isn't he trying to ruin my important plans?"

Upon hearing this news, He Jin was furious.

Cao Cao is still unreliable!

Yuan Shao frowned as well, but he defended Cao Cao: "General, Jian Shuo's arrival with his troops must be on His Majesty's orders to mediate the conflict. He is Mengde's former superior, so he must also be acting on imperial orders. Mengde's return to Luoyang was out of necessity!"

"Why are you speaking up for him?"

He Jin said irritably, "I value him so much, but he's unreliable when it really matters."

"Then tell me, what should we do now? If we don't deal with Liu Wei before Jian Shuo arrives, we'll never have a chance to eliminate this major threat!"

“Once Liu Wei arrives beyond the Great Wall, he and the Prince of Chenliu will support each other from both inside and outside, which will threaten and affect the Crown Prince’s succession.”

Yuan Shao looked into the distance: "We are currently facing off against Liu Wei, and we are short of infantry. If we want to first completely surround him and then advance step by step, we are not manpower enough."

"Fortunately, the ferry has already left, so Liu Wei has no boat to cross the river!"

"Furthermore, after observing for a long time, I discovered that Liu Wei's actions in Mengjin were intentional."

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!