"Gongsun Zan, open the door and surrender immediately, and my lord will spare your life!"
"If you keep dawdling, believe me, I'll poke three hundred holes in you."
Outside Yi County, a cold wind howled, military flags fluttered, and snowflakes drifted down.
Although it is already the beginning of spring, the weather in the north is unpredictable. Just a few days ago, the sky was clear and blue, but in the blink of an eye, dark clouds loomed over the city, the cold wind howled, and light snow began to fall.
Liu Wei led his generals Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, along with Tian Chou and Liu Bei's five hundred troops, and set off from Fanyang. They traveled day and night and arrived at Yi County, which was located at the border of Youbeiping County and Hejian Prefecture.
The Seventeen Riders of Yanyun and Murong Ping accompanied Liu Wei as his personal guards.
Upon arriving in Yi County, Liu Wei was greeted by Zhang Liao, who was stationed there to confront Gongsun Zan. Zhang Liao voluntarily handed over command of the two thousand cavalrymen and returned the seal of the General Who Guards the North.
After the introduction, Qian Zhao and Tian Chou learned that although Zhang Liao was only sixteen years old, he was one of the four generals under Liu Wei, and his official rank was higher than Liu Bei's. They couldn't help but feel envious.
He thought he must take advantage of this opportunity to go on the expedition with Liu Wei to show his abilities.
After a brief discussion, Liu Wei ordered Zhang Liao to mobilize his entire army and challenge the enemy outside Yi County.
Zhang Fei was eager to make a name for himself.
Since Brother Liu Bei said that as long as Liu Wei agrees to increase the money, they can take action against Gongsun Zan.
As soon as the troops were arrayed, Zhang Fei spurred his horse to the city walls and shouted.
On the city wall of Yi County, Gongsun Zan and his subordinates Yan Gang, Shan Jing, Zou Dan, Guan Jing, Gongsun Fan, Gongsun Yue, and others looked down at the mere 2,500 cavalrymen below the city and burst into laughter.
Gongsun Zan was in his prime, with a heroic and dashing appearance, and was known as the White Horse General.
While on the plains, Liu Wei ordered Zhang Liao to lead two thousand cavalrymen to Yi County first, partly to boost Liu Yu's morale, and partly to keep an eye on Gongsun Zan in Yi County.
Gongsun Zan was appointed as the Colonel of the Surrendered Barbarians, nominally under the command and control of Liu Yu, the Governor of Youzhou.
However, faced with the rebellion of Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun, and the invasion of the Wuhuan and Murong Xianbei, Gongsun Zan not only chose to be passive and wait and see, but also took the opportunity to expand his army.
Originally, as a captain, his command of two thousand cavalrymen was already the limit.
Yet he also took in refugees, recruited many famous scholars, and built a force of ten thousand men.
Yi County, such a small place, can no longer contain this big fish.
He repeatedly asked Liu Yu to give him the two commanderies of Youbeiping and Liaoxi as his territory, and to promote him to the rank of General of the Barbarians. In return, he would send troops to help Liu Yu quell the rebellion and drive out the Wuhuan and Xianbei people!
However, when Liu Yu invited Liu Wei to Youzhou to help him in Luoyang, Liu Wei had already told him not to pay any attention to Gongsun Zan's demands and to wait for Liu Wei to arrive and make a decision.
Therefore, Liu Yu chose to ignore Gongsun Zan's opportunistic actions.
This enraged Gongsun Zan, who decided to cause trouble!
Just as he bribed Liu Yu's officials Wei You and Gongsun Ji, preparing to seize Youzhou when Liu Yu was fighting the rebels.
However, he learned that Liu Wei, the King of Yunzhong, was serving as the General of Zhenbei and had been invited by Liu Yu to Youzhou to oversee the suppression of the rebellion.
Gongsun Zan was even more furious!
Only then did he stop Zhang Liao's two thousand cavalrymen from passing through.
When news came from Fanyang that Liu Wei had killed Wei You and two others and ransacked their homes as soon as he arrived, Gongsun Zan already knew that Liu Wei was coming to make a move against him!
They thought Liu Wei would bring a large army, but to their surprise, he only brought 500 soldiers.
A spoiled prince is a spoiled prince. Liu Wei's recapture of the Hetao region and expulsion of the Southern Xiongnu were probably done by others, and the credit was ultimately given to him.
Once those two thousand cavalrymen are defeated, Liu Wei will have no choice but to slink back to Fanyang.
Gongsun Zan and his subordinates naturally looked down on Liu Wei.
"My lord, we have tolerated them for too long. Today they actually took the initiative to challenge us. I request to go into battle and let them see the might of our Hebei soldiers!"
At this moment, a tall, burly general standing beside him shouted loudly.
Upon inspection, Gongsun Zan recognized the general as Yan Gang, his most formidable commander.
"Uncle, wait a minute! That guy challenging us from below the city looks familiar!" Shan Jing exclaimed.
Zou Dan exclaimed, "Yes, this person looks like Liu Bei's third brother, that black-faced butcher Zhang Fei!"
"Good heavens, Liu Bei has betrayed me too!" Gongsun Zan, who had finally calmed down, became angry again.
This prince's methods seem to be deliberately targeting him at every turn!
First, they sent cavalry to Yi County, then they killed Gongsun Zan's inside man, and now they've sent Liu Bei's third brother to challenge them.
I had previously heard Liu Bei lament in private: "A true man dwells between heaven and earth; how can he remain subservient to others for long?"
Guan Jing took the opportunity to apply eye drops, saying, "Liu Bei is quite ambitious, but I didn't expect him to betray us so quickly!"
Gongsun Zan's face turned extremely ugly. He suddenly drew his sword and slashed fiercely at the city wall, sparks flying everywhere.
"Pass on my order: Guan Jing, Gongsun Yue, and Gongsun Fan shall lead four thousand troops to defend the city."
“Yan Gang led two thousand White Horse Cavalry in the center, while Shan Jing and Zou Dan each led three thousand infantrymen to guard the left and right.
"Follow me out of the city, set up a grand formation, and prepare for battle!"
"Brother, are we really going to fight?"
Gongsun Yue and Gongsun Fan, his two younger cousins, advised, "The one coming from the other side is the current prince, the General Who Guards the North!"
"If we kill him, wouldn't that be starting a rebellion?"
snort!
Gongsun Zan snorted coldly and said, "The world, after a long period of division, will unite; after a long period of unity, will divide again!"
"With eunuchs and relatives of the empress dowager wielding power in the court and rebellions raging across the land, the Han Dynasty is already teetering on the brink of collapse. Before long, heroes will spring up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain!"
"We recruit soldiers and expand our power not only for self-preservation, but also so that one day we can contend for the Central Plains."
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
