Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 169 Dominate the world
Qingzhou, Shouguang County.

Yuan Tan led an army of 20,000 to set up camp outside the city. He stood in front of the camp gate, looking at the "Taishi" flag flying over the top of Shouguang County, his face very gloomy.

"In just ten days, Shouguang was conquered. Who on earth is this Taishi Ci? Why is he so brave?"

After he received the news that Kong Rong of Beihai had started a rebellion, he immediately led a large army to suppress it. However, he was still a step too late. When he arrived, three cities had already been lost.

If Shouguang County is included, that’s four!

Conquering four cities in ten days, what an amazing achievement!

The key point is that he had never even heard of the commander named Taishi Ci on the opposite side, and had no idea where he came from!

"My Lord, I have heard of this person."

At this time, Cen Bi, a general under Yuan Tan, spoke up, "Taishi Ci, courtesy name Ziyi, is from Huang County, Donglai. He is skilled in archery and is a hero of both wisdom and courage, as well as integrity."

"In the past, Kong Wenju was besieged by the Yellow Turbans. In order to repay Kong Wenju for taking care of his mother, he broke into the besieged city alone, then broke out with the news and asked Liu Bei to lead his troops to rescue him."

"The last time Kong Wenju went to Xu County and Yecheng to pay homage to the emperor, he also accompanied him all the way."

Yuan Tan was slightly surprised when he heard this. He broke into the besieged city alone and then broke out. This kind of courage and spirit is truly extraordinary.

It's a pity that such a hero was willing to be used by Kong Wenju.

Yuan Tan had some intention to recruit him, and after thinking for a while, he said to Cen Bi, "I will write a letter in a moment, and you can have someone deliver it to Taishi Ci in the city."

"If he is willing to surrender, I will forgive all the past mistakes and even make him a general to lead an army alone."

This time he led an army of 20,000, which was no match for Taishi Ci's mere 5,000 soldiers.

However, he did not want to waste his troops at will. It would be best if he could repel the enemy without bloodshed, and at the same time recruit this powerful general under his command.

"Leading an army alone?"

Cen Bi was a little surprised and said, "My Lord, Taishi Ci is just a rebel who started a rebellion. Isn't it a bit too much to treat him so well?"

Yuan Tan glanced at Cen Bi and said calmly, "If you can capture four cities in ten days, I will let you lead an army alone."

Whether you are against the party or not, ability is the most important thing.

The only person worth looking at under his command is Cen Bi, and there is a lack of capable generals who can stand on their own.

When he thought of this, Yuan Tan couldn't help but think of the brave generals under his father Yuan Shao, including Ju Yi, Yan Liang, Han Meng, and Chunyu Qiong, and his heart was filled with excitement.

"As long as I inherit the throne in the future, they will all serve me! Yuan Xi, Yuan Xi, thank you so much this time!"

Yuan Tan's eyes sparkled and the corners of his mouth turned up.

This time, Yuan Xi launched a mutiny and killed Yuan Shang, and severed his father-son relationship with Yuan Shao, which meant that he lost two competitors and became the biggest beneficiary all of a sudden!
Before this incident, he was actually somewhat uncertain whether he could inherit the throne, because he had been adopted by his uncle Yuan Ji early on, and nominally had no qualifications to inherit the throne.

But now, no matter what Yuan Shao thinks in his heart, no matter what outsiders think.

He is the only heir!

"Master!"

Just as Yuan Tanhai was immersed in the beautiful idea of ​​inheriting the throne, a scout came running in: "There's news from Linzi County that an army of tens of thousands is coming from Xuzhou and entered Qingzhou two days ago!"

"A scale of tens of thousands?!"

Hearing these four words, Yuan Tan felt his scalp tingle and his expression changed drastically. He asked anxiously, "Is the leader of the army Lu Bu? How much territory has been lost now?!"

Xuzhou is Lu Bu's territory. Since this army came from Xuzhou, it must be Lu Bu's army!
The first thing Yuan Tan thought of was that Lu Bu was going to attack Qingzhou!

The scout reported: "The leader is not Lü Bu. The flag he is flying has the word 'Zhang' on it. He must be Zhang Liao, a general under Lü Bu."

"He didn't attack any cities along the way, and he didn't even bring too much logistical baggage. It seems that he just planned to pass through. He is about to pass through Linzi."

"Crossing the border?" Yuan Tan was stunned at first, then horrified. Without hesitation, he shouted to Cen Bi, "Order the army! Head to Linzi immediately!"

"We must not let Zhang Liao's army pass through Qingzhou!"

As early as half a month ago, he received a letter from his father Yuan Shao, asking him to stay in Qingzhou and keep a close eye on Cao Cao. He must not let him send troops into Jizhou, otherwise the army on the front line might be in danger of destruction.

However, there was no movement from Cao Cao's side, and it was Lu Bu who sent out troops instead!

"My father is now leading the troops at the front to resist Gongsun Zan. Is Lu Bu trying to take advantage of the opportunity to launch a sneak attack? How dare he do that! He will be reviled by people all over the world!"

Yuan Tan hurried towards the military camp.

Now he has no time to attack Shouguang County. If he allows Zhang Liao to lead his troops across the border and enter Jizhou, he can hardly imagine what will happen!
……

Shouguang County, on the city wall.

After Taishi Ci received the news from his soldiers that Yuan Tan's army had retreated, he hurried to the city wall and climbed up to look.

It was seen that Yuan Tan's army, which was originally stationed outside Shouguang County, had already evacuated one after another, and they even had no time to pack up their camps before retreating in a hurry.

"It was Zhang Liao who led his troops across the border."

Seeing this scene, Taishi Ci immediately understood what was going on. Only this could make Yuan Tan retreat in such a panic.

So now...what should he do?
If they did not move their troops and allowed Yuan Tan to retreat, Zhang Liao would most likely be stopped by Yuan Tan who was returning to defend the city.

If he went ahead to pursue and delay time, Yuan Tan would certainly be completely enraged. Moreover, he only had 3,000 combat-ready soldiers. Going against Yuan Tan's 20,000 troops would be like hitting a rock with an egg.

Taishi Ci narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at Yuan Tan's army that was getting farther and farther away, spread out his cloak, turned around and walked towards the city wall, and gave a light order.

"Gather all the soldiers in the city."

"Follow me to chase the enemy!"

The order issued by the emperor was to start a rebellion to attract Yuan Tan's attention and create an opportunity for Zhang Liao's army to pass through. He has achieved this, so it is okay for him to keep his troops in place now.

But he didn't want to.

Since the prime minister is willing to assist the emperor of Yecheng, he must do his best to perfection, so as to live up to the prime minister's trust!
Not long after, Taishi Ci left the wounded to guard the city and led 3,000 capable troops out of the city to pursue the retreating Yuan Tan!

Soon, Yuan Tan discovered the movement coming from the rear of the army. Looking back on his horse, he saw Taishi Ci's army chasing after them and was immediately shocked.

"Is Taishi Ci crazy?"

The enemy troops chasing after him were estimated to be no more than a few thousand people. Such a small number was no match for his army. They could barely defend the city, let alone engage in a head-on battle.
But no matter what he thought, Taishi Ci had already led his army to attack them and directly bit their rear.

A fierce battle broke out instantly!
Taishi Ci led a team of 100 cavalrymen and charged straight into the rear like a sharp knife, killing indiscriminately and destroying formations without any scruples. For a time, the rear of the Qingzhou army was in chaos, with heavy casualties.

"How dare you!"

When Yuan Tan saw this scene, he was furious and murderous. He immediately stopped retreating and decided to defeat Taishi Ci first.

However, just as he had arranged his troops and was about to launch an encirclement and suppression, Taishi Ci did not continue to fight them, but turned around and led his troops to retreat.
, leaving behind only hundreds of corpses and the Qingzhou army that had come up empty-handed. It felt like a mad dog suddenly rushed out and bit you, and just when you picked up a stick and were about to hit it hard on the head, it suddenly let go and ran away.

At this time, do you choose to chase or not? Yuan Tan’s answer is:

"Continue to retreat!"

Yuan Tan looked at the departing Taishi Ci with hatred and ordered the army to continue retreating. He didn't have time to deal with Taishi Ci here and had to hurry back to Linzi!

But not long after the Qingzhou army retreated, Taishi Ci actually led his troops to chase them again, using the same trick to attack the rear of the Qingzhou army, and then retreated again when they were preparing to counterattack and encircle them!

"Ahhh! Kill him! Kill him!"

"How dare you humiliate me like this!"

Yuan Tan was furious at being teased again and again, and immediately ordered his army to pursue and kill him, but Cen Bi quickly stopped him.

"Master, you can't do that! We have to go back quickly to stop Zhang Liao's army from crossing the border!"

"We can't let Zhang Liao lead his troops into Jizhou!"

"His goal is to delay you, so you should continue to lead your army back, leaving me with 5,000 soldiers to stop Taishi Ci's army. You must not stay any longer!"

Cen Bi advised, he saw through Taishi Ci's plan.

Even though Yuan Tan felt extremely unwilling, he knew that Cen Bi was right. Taishi Ci just wanted to delay him and not let him go back. If he turned around and gave chase, he would be fulfilling Taishi Ci's wish!

So he divided 5,000 troops and left them to Cen Bi.

He led an army of 10,000 to continue the evacuation.

"Has it been discovered?..."

When Taishi Ci saw that the Qingzhou army was divided into two parts, one staying and the other continuing to evacuate, he realized that his idea had been seen through.

But isn't it too much of an insult to him to leave such a small number of people behind to cover the rear?
Without hesitation, Taishi Ci led his troops to attack again.

Three thousand people versus five thousand people, the advantage is on my side!
Cen Bi had long been eyeing Taishi Ci, who was invincible on the battlefield. When he saw him leading his troops to attack again, a burning desire to fight suddenly appeared in his eyes.

"I want to see how capable you are!"

Cen Bi snorted coldly and raised his spear to fight Taishi Ci!
Taishi Ci did not recognize Cen Bi, but seeing the mighty armor on him and his murderous look, he guessed that he was the enemy general.
Treat it with a bit of caution.

After dodging a stab shot from Cen Bi, he simply knocked his weapon away with a casual strike, and then knocked the terrified Cen Bi off his horse.

"How can such a weak person hold the position of a general?"

Taishi Ci looked at Cen Bi lying dead on the ground and could not help but frowning, feeling extremely confused.

Can't even last one round against him?
"General Cen is dead! General Cen is dead!"

"Run away!"

When the Qingzhou soldiers saw their commander dead, they panicked and their morale dropped drastically. They lost their fighting spirit in an instant, gave up resistance and fled.

Morale is the most important thing for an army. Without morale, no matter how many people there are, they will be a mess!
Taishi Ci quickly defeated the Qingzhou army. He ignored the fleeing remnants and continued to pursue Yuan Tan's army.

……

Eight days later, in Yecheng, at the southern suburbs parade ground.

Yuan Xi stood on the reviewing platform, looking at the three thousand volunteers standing in square formations on the parade ground, and nodded with satisfaction.

"It finally looks good."

It had been some time since he recruited these 3,000 volunteers, and he had put a lot of thought into building this new army into a qualified one.

He spent a huge amount of money to equip them with weapons and armor, and personally directed their training, just to enable them to become combat-ready as quickly as possible so that they could be put to good use.

Hard work pays off, and now they seem to have some momentum, which is much stronger than the scattered and guerrilla appearance they just had during training.

"As long as I recruit more followers and bring the number up to 10,000, His Majesty will certainly value me, trust me, and appoint me as the Grand Commandant!"

"Then I'll see who dares to say that I'm not a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty!"

Yuan Xi thought with full confidence.

At the same time, he remembered the letter Xu You had written to him a few days ago, saying that Yuan Shao was pinned down by Gongsun Zan's army and would not be able to return to Yecheng in a short time.

With such a good opportunity, he had to seize the time, sell off his property and recruit volunteers.

But at this moment, he suddenly noticed smoke and dust billowing on the road in the distance. Looking closely, he saw that it was a huge army rushing towards Yecheng!

"Yuan Shao is fighting back?!"

Yuan Xi was horrified, but he soon discovered something was wrong, because the army rushing towards him from afar was not the Jizhou army he was familiar with, but a group of unfamiliar troops all wearing black armor!
The flags raised in the team did not have any names he was familiar with.

But it’s “Zhang”!
The army marched forward in silence. Even from a long distance, Yuan Xi could feel the murderous aura rising into the sky and the bloody killing intent. This was definitely an elite army!
"Return to the city! Return to the city immediately!"

Yuan Xi did not have time to think about where the army came from, and without hesitation ordered the volunteers in the parade ground to return to Yecheng from the south gate.

The three thousand volunteers under his command could never be a match for this huge army!
Many of the volunteers had only been trained for a short time and were still a mess. Seeing such a murderous army coming, many of them were immediately frightened. After hearing the order, they rushed to the South Gate, causing a group of people to block the city gate and unable to enter!

However, at this time the army behind him had already arrived!

"It's over!"

Yuan Xi's face turned pale and his heart was filled with despair. Not only would all his followers die, but even Yecheng would be captured by the enemy!
Just when Yuan Xi was terrified, the army like a black torrent stopped outside Yecheng. The mighty army maintained its formation in an orderly manner without any disorder, exuding an indescribable murderous atmosphere, which formed a sharp contrast with the chaotic followers.

But what attracted Yuan Xi's attention even more was the armor and equipment of this group of soldiers. They were all of the same standard, much better than the equipment he gave to his followers, and even better than the equipment of his original Tiger Camp!
After the army stopped, a burly general at the head rode forward, looked at Yuan Xi, and said expressionlessly, "Make way."

"You, you are a general under Lord Wen's command?"

When Yuan Xi saw this man, he recognized him instantly. He was one of the generals who came to Yecheng with Lu Bu!

In other words, the army in front of us is Lu Bu’s army!

This general is Zhang Liao!
He did not answer Yuan Xi's words, but emphasized his tone and repeated: "Make way!"

Yuan Xi did not dare to say much, and quickly ordered the many frightened followers to make way, allowing Zhang Liao to lead the army into Yecheng.

He was vaguely aware of it in his heart.

Yecheng no longer belongs to Yuan Shao.

The era of Yuan Shao has ended.

The emperor in the palace - is about to truly begin to rule the world!
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(PS: Today's two chapters are transition chapters to the next climax. One or two chapters will be updated in the early morning. I can't tell the exact time, but you will definitely see it after you get up.)
(End of this chapter)