Ji Province, Hejian Kingdom
Leccheng, Yuan Shao’s military camp.
Inside the central command tent, Yuan Shao gradually calmed down amid the chorus of generals requesting permission to fight.
“That madman Zhang Jing!”
His face dark, Yuan Shao spoke in a low voice:
“Gongze, who is currently defending Ganling, and how many troops does he have?”
“Reporting to my lord.”
Guo Tu cupped his hands respectfully and replied with a grave expression:
“Ganling is guarded by Zhu Ling. Under his command are three battalions of troops. Under normal circumstances, even an army of fifty thousand would find it difficult to capture Ganling.”
“However, the Qihuo Army possesses a powerful siege weapon.”
“It is said to be extremely formidable.”
“Therefore, if Yan Province launches a full-scale offensive, Ganling may not be able to hold out.”
“If Yan Province breaks through Ganling and allows its troops to plunder freely, the losses inflicted upon Ji Province could be impossible to estimate.”
Ganling was the only major stronghold of Qinghe Kingdom.
If the Qihuo Army captured it, they could advance northwest directly into Wei Commandery, Julu, and other regions.
At present, Yuan Shao’s main army was stationed in Hejian Kingdom.
Meanwhile, they were also preparing to move against Changshan Commandery.
Should Ganling fall to Yan Province, a single mistake could cost many of those present their families.
Because their families all resided in Ye City of Wei Commandery.
Coincidentally, a smooth imperial highway of roughly eight hundred li connected Ganling directly to Ye City.
Changshan Commandery, meanwhile, was only about seven hundred li from Ye City.
Under such circumstances, even Yuan Shao dared not gamble recklessly.
“Yuanhao.”
Yuan Shao rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
“How many combat-ready troops do we currently have? And who is defending Ye City?”
“Reporting to my lord.”
Tian Feng answered respectfully:
“Our army has won successive victories. Morale among the troops is extremely high, and many young men have eagerly enlisted.”
“According to the figures compiled several days ago, our total military strength has exceeded one hundred and sixty thousand.”
“After excluding local garrisons, we still have more than one hundred and ten thousand combat-ready soldiers.”
“As for Ye City, it is defended by Governor Li Cheng.”
“He commands only ten thousand troops.”
After finishing his report, a trace of concern appeared on Tian Feng’s face.
The garrison of Ye City was simply too small.
After eliminating the threat posed by Yu Du and the Heishan Army, Yuan Shao had concentrated the majority of his forces around Bohai and Hejian in preparation for a decisive campaign against Gongsun Zan.
Only now did they realize that the defenses of their own heartland were alarmingly weak.
“Ye City’s garrison must be reinforced.”
Yuan Shao swept his gaze across the assembled officials and said seriously:
“Ganling cannot be neglected.”
“Nor can Zhang Yan in Changshan be left unchecked.”
“Faced with such a situation, what strategies do you gentlemen have to teach me?”
Once Yuan Shao established the topic, the strategists below immediately perked up.
One after another, they stood and offered their opinions.
As time passed, however, the generals gradually became drowsy from listening.
By the time evening approached, Yuan Shao still had not reached a decision.
………
Yan Province, Jiyin Commandery
Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai were walking along the official road leading toward Yuncheng.
After many days of travel, the two now looked little different from ordinary refugees.
“Fengxiao, this is all your fault!”
Xi Zhicai raised his water flask, took a drink, and complained weakly:
“I told you we should take the Kangfu Road.”
“But you insisted that going through Yuncheng would save time.”
“Well, we certainly saved time!”
“But the two of us have practically turned into wild men!”
Along the way, when they passed through Chenliu, they had at least seen signs of human habitation.
Those people had been resettled there by Yuan Shu’s officials.
But once they entered Jiyin Commandery—
it truly felt as though a thousand li held no crowing chickens and a hundred li produced no cooking smoke.
Not a single soul could be seen on the official road.
They had slept outdoors and eaten whatever they could find all along the journey.
Had they not been traveling together, they might not have endured it.
“And you didn’t object back then, did you?”
Guo Jia had a blade of wild grass hanging from his mouth.
With his hands clasped behind his head, he rolled his eyes at Xi Zhicai.
“This road may be frighteningly deserted, but we’re trying to make good time.”
“How can we afford to be picky?”
“Besides, look at the journey so far.”
“We haven’t run into a single bandit.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“If we’d gone by Kangfu, Yuan Shu’s territory is crawling with bandits.”
The decision to take this route had been his.
Therefore, even if he had to cry his way through it, he would see it to the end.
Besides, according to what he knew, Yuncheng should not be far away.
“Good thing it hasn’t rained.”
Hearing his friend’s flimsy excuses, Xi Zhicai replied:
“Otherwise, in the condition we’re in, we’d probably never make it to Yuncheng.”
“We’d end up as two mounds of dirt somewhere along the roadside.”
“Now that’s exaggerating, Zhicai.”
Guo Jia waved it off casually.
“We’re students of military strategy.”
“Reading the stars is second nature to us.”
“You know that’s one of the basic skills of the Yin-Yang school of military studies.”
“If someone can’t even do that, then imagine leading an army and getting caught in rain halfway through a campaign.”
“They’d be laughed at for the rest of their lives.”
“Rather than worrying about rain, I’m more concerned about wild beasts in the mountains. If the two of us happened to run into one, that would truly be—”
ROOOAAARRR—!!
Before Guo Jia could finish speaking, a thunderous tiger’s roar erupted from several hundred paces ahead.
The sound shook the surrounding wilderness.
Gulp.
Guo Jia stopped in his tracks the moment he heard the roar.
His face instantly turned pale.
As he swallowed hard, fine beads of cold sweat appeared across his forehead.
“Fengxiao, please stop working your magic!”
Xi Zhicai said nervously, unable to resist complaining.
“It’s one thing for you to be right about everything all the time, but even this? You actually predicted this too? I’m impressed!”
“Roar! Roar!”
“So what do we do now?”
Guo Jia’s expression stiffened.
Grinding his teeth, he said:
“It sounds like there’s more than one.”
“We’re less than ten li from Yuncheng, and this area is nothing but rolling hills. How could there possibly be tigers here?”
“Fengxiao, run!”
Xi Zhicai grabbed Guo Jia by the arm.
Staring fixedly ahead, he saw two enormous tigers burst onto the official road and charge straight toward them.
“Brothers!”
“This time we absolutely can’t let them get away!”
“Damn it, we’ve been chasing these two beasts for three days already, haven’t we?”
“If we let them escape again, how are we supposed to face the brothers back home?”
“Move! After them!”
“Zhicai, wait—look!”
Just as Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai darted toward the side of the road, they heard voices coming from the distance.
“There’s someone else over there!”
Xi Zhicai also noticed the commotion.
His spirits immediately lifted.
“They’re hunting them!”
“Those two big fellows are running for their lives!”
“General, there seem to be civilians over there!”
“I see them too—shoot!”
“Be careful not to hit the civilians!”
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
To the utter horror of Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai, arrows began flying toward their direction in rapid succession.
“Motherf—”
“Run!”
Before Guo Jia could finish cursing, Xi Zhicai grabbed him and dragged him away.
“Folks up ahead, don’t be afraid! We won’t hurt you!”
“Don’t run, good people! We don’t kill civilians!”
“Roar—!”
Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai paid absolutely no attention.
Don’t be afraid?
The arrows were already flying over their heads!
“Roar—!”
Just as the two men were reaching the limits of their strength, the last tiger let out a final anguished roar.
The commotion behind them gradually subsided.
“Zhicai… are they still chasing us?”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
“Then let’s rest. I can’t run anymore.”
“Same here.”
After that brief exchange, the two collapsed onto the ground one after another, gasping desperately for breath.
“Seeing that you’re both still alive, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.”
— The end of the Chapter–
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