Chapter 415

Chapter 415: The Donglai Incident

Is it impossible for a strategist to ascend the throne? Final Volume: The Rise and Fall of Royal Power, Unification of the World, Chapter 415: The Donglai Incident

Indeed, Xuzhou has sent troops!

If Yuan Shang was merely unsettled by this news, then Yuan Tan should now be as grave as still water.

Kong Rong, the Prefect of Beihai, had just returned from Ye City after pledging loyalty to the Son of Heaven there. Due to the Emperor’s reliance on this exemplary figure, he was temporarily kept within Ye City’s borders. But then, Xuzhou troops invaded from Beihai State.

Even worse, this happened just as his father had given him that instruction, before he could even act on it!

Before he set off for Ye City, Yuan Shao’s first order to him was to have Jiang Qi monitor Xin Ping. If Xin Ping, due to Xin Pi’s defection, chose to loosen Qingzhou’s defenses while Yuan Tan was away, allowing the enemy to invade, so that both he and his brother could secure a foothold in the Da Yong court, Yuan Tan was to kill him without hesitation.

However, if Xin Ping held his ground and maintained Qingzhou’s defenses against Xuzhou, they could proceed with their next move.

Yuan Tan, recalled to Ye City, heard his father praise his years of defending Qingzhou and was assured that being adopted by Yuan Ji would not affect his inheritance of his father’s power. Which of the three brothers would rise would depend on their own abilities.

Now, with the Ye court in turmoil, if he could use Qingzhou to counter Qiao Yan, the merit he would gain would be enough to establish his reputation before everyone!

Yuan Shao suggested that upon returning to Qingzhou, Yuan Tan should join forces with Xin Ping, using Xin Ping’s supposed intent to defect as a pretext to lure Xuzhou troops into Qingzhou, ambush them, and weaken Xuzhou’s power.

After all, many Xuzhou generals were eager to make a name for themselves.

Ma Chao, from Liangzhou, had been fighting across various regions but lacked a significant victory.

Sun Guan, a former bandit from Taishan, if he didn’t want to end up like his former superior Zang Ba, who was sent to the harsh lands of Yangzhou, also needed a military achievement to secure his position.

Zhou Yu, Huang Gai, and Jiang Qin, transferred from Yangzhou to Xuzhou, and Yan Yan and Zhang Ren, sent from Yizhou, wouldn’t mind adding another victory to their records by capturing Qingzhou after securing Xuzhou.

The complexity of the military leadership might provide them with an opportunity.

But now, the enemy has arrived, and it’s Jiang Qin and Sun Guan, who could be the weak link to be broken first.

But what use is it if they haven’t set up the trap yet!

In the face of the enemy’s sudden attack, their defenses were torn apart, and by the time Yuan Tan received the news in Dongpingling, it was too late to mobilize Donglai and Qi County’s troops to encircle them.

“The Gaomi garrison defected because Sun Gan, a disciple of Zheng Xuan, joined Sun Guan and others in battle. That place, which my father didn’t even let me interfere with, has become a base for these bandits. Nearby Yi’an has also fallen into their hands. Once they move north to Jiaodong and Dangli, our connection with Donglai County will be completely severed, and Beihai State may not be safe either. Mr. Zhongzhi, what should we do now?”

Faced with this sudden turn of events, Yuan Tan no longer dared to consider luring the enemy deeper. The only thing he could think of was how to maintain his control over Qingzhou.

Seeing Yuan Tan’s sudden despondency compared to his previous high spirits, Xin Ping sighed silently.

The Grand General in Ye City is now teetering between calmness and madness.

Calm, because he still knows to limit the scale of conscription to prevent the old farmer’s question from having a deeper impact in Ji Province.

Calm, because he knows that unless Qingzhou changes hands, Xin Ping would never defect to the enemy.

Calm, because he knows that with his current abilities, he can no longer mobilize Ji and Qing Provinces as a single entity under his command. Using the competition among his three sons is the only way he can make a desperate move.

But mad, because some methods might work when both sides are evenly matched, but under such disparity, they would only become a laughingstock!

However, discussing Yuan Shao’s decision now is meaningless.

After all, it’s just a plan that hasn’t been implemented yet.

“The eldest son must not move now. If we focus all our attention on intercepting this invading force within Qingzhou, and if troops from Yanzhou and Xuzhou come from Pingyuan and Jinan, cutting off our connection with Ji Province, we would be in dire straits.”

Xin Ping’s stern tone made Yuan Tan pause and swallow hard, “Yes, that’s right.”

Even if the worst happens and we lose Donglai and Beihai, we can still retreat to Ji Province. But if the western part of Qingzhou is lost, he would have no way to turn the tide, and even his life might be left on Qingzhou’s soil.

Right, we must not move now!

“Order Jiang Qi to…”

“No, I will go,” Xin Ping interrupted Yuan Tan, “I will go to Beihai State and decide where to cut off Jiang Qin and Sun Guan’s retreat. Let them penetrate deep into Qingzhou; as long as they can’t return, we can slowly encircle and kill them!”

“Also, send a message to Ye City as quickly as possible, ordering Kong Rong to return immediately and use his influence in Beihai to rally the people for a counterattack.”

“There’s one more thing I need you to do quickly.”

Yuan Tan, deeply aware that worrying about Xin Ping possibly defecting during this military operation was less important than trusting his current arrangements, quickly replied, “Please tell me, Mr. Zhongzhi, I will do it immediately.”

“The Grand General gave you his side sword, originally representing your authority as the Governor of Qingzhou, but given the current crisis, we must make other arrangements.”

“Please immediately send someone with the side sword to Qinghe County in Ji Province to borrow troops to assist in the Qingzhou campaign.”

Yuan Tan hesitated for a moment, “This…”

Would acting without authorization and the sudden change in Qingzhou’s situation cause his father to lower his opinion of him, putting him back on the same level as his two brothers?

But if he can’t protect Qingzhou, forget about acting without authorization!

He immediately changed his tone, “I will send someone right away.”

Bohai County in the north still faces threats from Youzhou, so Qinghe County is indeed the most suitable place to borrow troops at this moment.

However, as they quickly made these arrangements, their opponents had no intention of playing a game of capturing cities one by one.

Jia Xu, the old fox, knew that Qiao Yan didn’t plan to overexert her manpower before the autumn harvest. So when she wrote to him, using a provocation to urge him to act against Qingzhou, he was already planning today’s move.

Sun Guan and Jiang Qin, heading north, were not the most outstanding among the generals left in Xuzhou. But precisely because of this, their cooperation with Sun Gan, a disciple of Zheng Xuan who had once joined Qiao Yan’s intelligence organization, made it difficult for anyone to notice them on the defensive line.

But this team was tasked with a crucial role.

After capturing Gaomi, Sun Guan and Jiang Qin opened the brocade bag Jia Xu had given them and saw instructions to pretend to continue north after taking Yi’an, drawing a line in central Qingzhou, but in reality, not attacking any more cities and heading straight for the Donglai camp.

They need not worry about the Gaomi and Yi’an they had captured. Once their battle report reached Xuzhou, someone would come north to take over the defense there.

“The Donglai camp?” Jiang Qin muttered suspiciously.

“The Donglai camp in Changguang!” Sun Guan’s eyes lit up.

Being much more familiar with northern Xuzhou and this part of Qingzhou, he immediately explained to Jiang Qin:

“During the Guangxi era, the Yellow Turban rebels rose again in Ji and Qing Provinces. One group, led by Yu Du, Bai Rao, and Sui Gu, attacked Wei County in Ji Province and was defeated by Ju Gongyu. Some were absorbed by him, while others fled south to Yanzhou and became part of General Cao’s forces.”

“Another group, led by Guan Hai, attacked Beihai. After several fierce battles with Yuan Shao’s forces, some soldiers fled to Xuzhou, where under Tao Gongzu’s orders, they were intercepted by me and Xuan Gao. Some went north across Bohai and, along with other remnants in Ji Province, reached Youzhou, where they were either killed by Gongsun Zan or became his subordinates.”

“Guan Hai’s situation was the most unique. He led those willing to follow him out of Qingzhou, taking Zheng Kangcheng to Leping in Bingzhou.”

“Later, the remaining Yellow Turban forces in Beihai were, under Yuan Shao’s orders, stationed in Changguang to be used as a military colony, given the area’s abundant water resources.”

Jiang Qin realized, “So Mr. Wenhe means that this group of people could potentially be recruited by us?”

Sun Guan replied, “We can try! Mr. Wenhe didn’t ask the Emperor to transfer Guan Hai from Bingzhou, probably because he was worried about the awkwardness of their meeting. It’s better for us to send troops from Xuzhou and have former Yellow Turban members in our army persuade them to surrender.”

“Although we haven’t served under the Emperor for long, we can still explain the situation in the eleven provinces to them.”

Sun Guan’s reputation as a “Taishan bandit” and his former Yellow Turban subordinates made him a suitable candidate for persuading the remaining Yellow Turban forces in the Donglai camp, much more so than Ma Chao, who had previously harassed Qingzhou’s borders.

He indeed had the desire to make a name for himself, so upon understanding Jia Xu’s plan, he couldn’t help but feel eager.

However, Sun Guan didn’t know that Jia Xu hadn’t requested Qiao Yan to transfer Guan Hai because, in Qiao Yan’s original plan, to prevent Jia Xu from having difficulty capturing Donglai, she considered sending a fleet from Youzhou. But Jia Xu, considering the available personnel under his command, thought they might as well try another approach.

Use Sun Guan!

He was a general that Qiao Yan might have somewhat overlooked, but Jia Xu, being in Xuzhou, had noticed him.

Loyalty was not a concern.

Since Zang Ba, under the persuasion of Lu Su and Pang Tong, defected to Qiao Yan and, along with reinforcements from southern Xuzhou, attacked Liu Bei’s subordinates, Sun Guan had been extremely grateful that Zang Ba made this choice.

Sun Guan, having assisted Pang Tong in successfully intercepting Chen Deng, earned a position as the Commandant of Langya in Xuzhou. He no longer had to worry about the disparity in strength between the Chang’an and Ye courts, fearing that he might die in battle one day. With Qiao Yan’s rise from Grand Marshal to Emperor, he became a true loyalist.

Over the past year, Sun Guan had seen enough to understand the state of affairs under Qiao Yan’s rule, or rather, under the current Da Yong dynasty.

Now, Sun Guan had another thought about whether he could persuade the remaining Yellow Turban forces in the Donglai camp to surrender.

People like them, if given a chance to live, who would want to be bandits?

Putting himself in their shoes, in the current clear disparity of power, weren’t there people in Ji and Qing Provinces who wanted to find a way out for themselves?

Everyone could see that Qiao Yan hadn’t launched an attack immediately after the proclamation confrontation, not because she couldn’t, but because she was waiting for a better opportunity.

Perhaps she was waiting for more people to make their own choices first.

Those who absolutely couldn’t surrender to her were mostly like Yuan Shao, entangled in conflicts of interest, but the common people weren’t.

Did they want to become sacrifices under the strong bows and crossbows?








Of course not!

They all want to survive, and if they can live better and more like humans under her rule, that would be even better.

They couldn’t move before, couldn’t follow Guan Hai on such a long and risky journey to Bingzhou, because most of the Qingzhou Yellow Turban rebels had families. If they migrated without any guarantees, there would inevitably be large-scale casualties, and they might even be intercepted while passing through Yanzhou.

But now, their hope for survival and their reinforcements are not far to the south in Xuzhou, and people with similar situations have come to help them. It’s like a godsend opportunity.

All they need to do is head south to Langya in Xuzhou or assist Sun Guan and Jiang Qin in holding Donglai County for a few months. Of course, they can surrender!

But just as Sun Guan thought of this, he heard Jiang Qin say, “The logic is sound, but Donglai isn’t just home to remnants of the Yellow Turbans; there are also Yuan Shao’s troops. It’s not suitable for us to start with persuasion now. It’s better to first use our current momentum to crush a government army in Donglai, then proceed with persuasion.”

After all, they don’t have Lu Su’s ability to read minds or his eloquence, nor do they know if there’s a newly chosen leader among the troops stationed here who could lead the rest to defect after being persuaded.

They must first establish the reputation of the Da Yong army!

Despite Sun Guan being only the second-in-command of the Taishan bandits and Jiang Qin not having much battle experience under Sun Ce, their previous battle in Gaomi showed them the collapsing morale of the Qingzhou garrison. They believed Donglai wouldn’t be much different.

“If that’s the case, I have a suggestion,” Sun Gan said, listening to their analysis of Jia Xu’s orders.

“Our news of capturing Gaomi and Yi’an must have spread throughout Qingzhou. The Donglai garrison, whether they receive Yuan Xiansi’s orders or not, will surely send troops to prevent us from cutting off their retreat and slowly annexing them. And these troops won’t be the old Yellow Turban remnants.”

Sun Gan pointed west and said, “Let’s wait for these reinforcements from Yi’an to Gu River!”

The Donglai garrison probably thought their main action should be to march north or intercept Yuan Tan’s reinforcements, but they never expected that their first target wasn’t the land, but the people!

So this classic tactic of attacking halfway across the river can still be tried in Qingzhou!

The Donglai garrison, who had worked with Yuan Tan for a long time, never expected that the Xuzhou troops they encountered didn’t play by the rules. Led by Sun Gan, a native of Beihai, they deliberately avoided farmland on their way to Gu River, so this ambush, initiated by outsiders, went unnoticed by the Donglai garrison.

When Sun Guan and Jiang Qin led their soldiers to attack, the two ambush teams on either side of the river decisively split the supposed reinforcement troops in half.

The bandit-like aura of the two generals, with the advantage clearly on their side, created an indescribable momentum.

The Donglai garrison, unsure how Yuan Tan would respond to Xuzhou’s military actions, felt uneasy as they marched west. In the chaos of this sudden battle, they felt an overwhelming sense of despair.

But before he could shout the words “We surrender, stop!” that were already in his throat, Jiang Qin’s long sword had already struck him down from his horse.

The victory at Gu River made Sun Guan and others’ move to persuade the Donglai camp to surrender much easier than if they had tried emotional appeals.

The most mistreated among the Donglai garrison looked at this seemingly divine army, seeing a few familiar faces among them, now full of vigor. Though they still held their weapons, they stood stunned.

When they heard that the Son of Heaven of Da Yong planned to end the years-long east-west standoff within the year, their faces first showed confusion, then quickly turned to joy at Sun Guan’s words.

Surrender…?

Some among them could read a few words and had obtained a couple of issues of the Leping Monthly Report through Jia Xu’s infiltration into Qingzhou.

Merchants from Qingzhou who had come from Guanzhong or Xuzhou would talk about the outside situation when trading with them.

Though their feet couldn’t leave the land that bound them, their imaginations had long flown beyond.

And now, this invitation suddenly appeared before them in such a grand manner, no longer requiring them to risk their lives crossing mountains and rivers, offering a chance to change sides?

As Sun Guan loudly recounted their advance from Gaomi to Gu River, someone suddenly shouted, “General Sun, no need to say more. Tell us what we should do if we surrender!”

Sun Guan exchanged glances with Sun Gan and Jiang Qin, then said, “Ignore the coastal counties of Donglai for now, just intercept and observe. Gather those willing to surrender to Da Yong here as quickly as possible, select the capable fighters, and we’ll head west to Jiaodong, forcing the Yuan army back west of Wei River!”

If they had followed the enemy’s expectations and captured cities step by step, they wouldn’t have achieved such efficiency.

But now, the situation is quite different.

Not to mention the troops eliminated at Gu River, who were the most loyal to the Yuan clan in Donglai, the fleeing soldiers also spread the influence of this battle. Moreover, the soldiers, mostly from Beihai and Donglai, would find it easier to open city gates than the Xuzhou garrison.

Though they are still in Changguang, needing a few days to arrange the newly surrendered soldiers and population, and waiting for Jia Xu to send reinforcements to make the manpower turnover in Qingzhou more convenient, the war situation in eastern Qingzhou is already leaning in their favor.

“Wei River…” Sun Gan muttered this previously agreed-upon boundary before coming to Changguang, a subtle look flashing in his eyes.

“Is there something wrong with Wei River?” Jiang Qin asked.

On the Qingzhou map they had drawn earlier, Wei River was the most suitable temporary boundary with Yuan Tan for troop deployment, as it lies west of Gaomi, originating from Mount Jiwu in Xuzhou, flowing north through Qingzhou, and into the Bohai Bay, geographically forming a complete barrier to Yuan Tan’s eastward advance.

“During the Chu-Han contention, a battle took place at Wei River. Han Xin defeated the Qi-Chu alliance here, killing Chu general Long Ju and capturing King Tian Guang of Qi, a crucial battle in the Chu-Han conflict.”

“At that time, Han Xin was west of Wei River, where Yuan Xiansi is now, while King Tian and Long Ju were east of Wei River, where we are. Han Xin used the method of damming the river to defeat the enemy, successfully flanking Western Chu. Due to the importance of this battle, Wei River was later called the River of Reviving Han.”

Jiang Qin: “…Now that we’ve just gained land and people, isn’t it inappropriate to say such ominous things?”

Sun Gan laughed, “What are you thinking! The River of Reviving Han can now become the River of Overthrowing Han. I mentioned damming the river; do you think Yuan Xiansi and Xin Zhongzhi could defeat us with such a method?”

“Besides, even if I’m no match for Xin Zhongzhi, do you think Jia Xu and His Majesty would let us fall into isolation after capturing these three cities?”

Jiang Qin scratched his head, realizing he was being overly anxious. He then saw Sun Gan take two cages from the carriage that had arrived slowly from the rear, each containing three gray pigeons, handling them with great care.

Especially the three in the second cage, Jiang Qin felt Sun Gan looked at them as if they were worth hundreds of taels of gold.

“The former is to be sent to Chang’an for His Majesty, the latter to Youzhou. The latter batch is hard to raise and was transported to Xuzhou by sea, involving considerable risk.”

“But now, to ensure the lands we’ve captured don’t return to Han, and to avoid disappointing those who believe we can quickly conquer Qing and Ji provinces, we must use them!”

As Sun Gan attached message tubes to them and let them fly away, the sound of their flapping wings was drowned out by the voices below, sending the news of victory in an exceptionally simple manner.

But as the gray shadows disappeared, Jiang Qin suddenly felt a surge of fighting spirit stronger than ever before!

What River of Reviving Han, River of Han’s Fortune!

Now, the Mandate of Heaven lies with Da Yong, and the people’s hearts are with His Majesty. They must not make any mistakes in the Qingzhou standoff, giving Xin Pi and Yuan Tan a chance to counter!

Meanwhile, in Youzhou, Lu Lingju, having received Qiao Yan’s order to mobilize troops, handed over the command of the Liaodong garrison to Lu Yi and Yan Rou, leading her troops to Zhuo County, where she joined forces with Lü Bu.

Lü Bu was quite envious that his daughter could personally participate in His Majesty’s coronation ceremony, but being too proud to admit it in front of her, he instead spoke with a calm and proud tone about the psychological impact his six or seven southward attacks had on Yuan Shao and his men over the past three months.

Lu Lingju: “…”

It’s hard to say if Yuan Shao had any psychological trauma, but Lü Bu seemed to be having a lot of fun.

As she dismounted and walked with Lü Bu towards the camp, she replied, “If you really scared the Yuan garrison out of their wits as you said, you should have already marched to Ye City by now, not set up camp here.”

Lü Bu raised an eyebrow, “Even among the short, you can find a few tall ones. Yuan Shao still has some luck, encountering an old man loyal to him and a stubborn general defending the city. These two really have some skills.”

Lu Lingju paused.

She felt it wasn’t her imagination; when Lü Bu mentioned the “stubborn general defending the city,” there was a hint of admiration in his usually arrogant tone.

But this admiration was different from his respect for His Majesty and his respect for Zhang Liao since his early defeats under his command.

It was more like the mutual respect between heroes forged in battle.

For Lü Bu, a straightforward guy, to admit this and be held back for so long, the opponent must be quite capable.

Lu Lingju’s eyes sparkled, and she suddenly said, “Since you say so, I really must see for myself.”

Hearing this, Lü Bu quickly reminded her, “Don’t forget His Majesty’s orders.”

Lu Lingju was indeed dispatched early, but before Qiao Yan gave explicit orders to march, they shouldn’t officially move south.

Despite her merit in rescuing the emperor and aiding his rise, the principle of military orders being as firm as mountains is something even the unruly Lü Bu wouldn’t forget. This isn’t something that can be offset by unique military achievements.

Acting rashly would do no good for a young general like her, already in a high position!

She has a longer road ahead.

Lu Lingju smiled, “I know. His Majesty said to retreat if there are casualties, but he didn’t say we can’t abduct someone while casualties occur, right?”

Seeing Sima Yi passing by the camp, Lu Lingju suddenly shouted, “Zhongda! Any way we can abduct another General Gao this time?”

Last time it was Gao Lan, this time it’s Gao Shun, both General Gao.

But this time, we definitely won’t return him to Yuan Shao!