Mythical Three Kingdoms

Zhang He eventually dragged Gao Lan away. He was well aware of Gao Lan's suffering, but no matter how much Zhang He feared, he was driven by a strong desire for revenge, which was the foundation supporting his battle!

Soon after, Zhang He and Gao Gan conducted a handover. This time, Gao Gan seemed as if he had given up hope; not only did he not show any complaints, but he also had the mind to advise Zhang He on how to garrison and defend Bingzhou. Moreover, he left behind a true Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, not many, only three thousand men, but with Zhang He's abilities, it was enough to protect himself.

"Wen Hui, why did you have to leave behind the elite Bingzhou cavalry under my command? You know this is one of our few elite cavalry troops," Gao Gan asked his cousin Gao Rou as soon as he left Bingzhou.

"Because General Zhang and General Gao are currently the most outstanding commanders in Jizhou. Whether it's Jiangh Yiqu or Chunyu Qiong, although their reputations are great, in terms of actual ability, among the Four Courts of Hebei, Yann Wen is known for bravery, Zhang Gao for troop command, and Juo Yi, who stands above the four, is famous for his battlefield tactics," Gao Rou simply explained the reason to Gao Gan.

"What's this got to do with us giving them the elite cavalry?" Gao Gan was still puzzled. He had made some achievements in loyalty and governance, but was far behind in power scheme and politics.

"Cousin, do you think you can defend Youzhou with those three thousand elite cavalry?" Gao Rou shifted the topic to ask another question.

"I'm afraid not. If it really is like you estimated, where Gongsun Du appears on the surface but Liu Bei is behind it, then it's definitely indefensible," Gao Gan thought for a moment and said. Gao Rou had already explained the situation to him.

"Then that's it. Since you can't defend it even if you bring them, why send a small force to their deaths? Leave it to General Zhang; this way, you can both strengthen ties with General Zhang and give the people of Bingzhou an explanation. The southward invasion of the Xianbei is inevitable, and now drawing away the border army defending the north..." Gao Rou looked at Gao Gan and stopped speaking.

At this moment, Gao Gan's face was as black as ink. He regretted treating Yuan Tan as a brother. Even when he negotiated part of Bingzhou's territory, although he had thoughts of leaving a way out, he had not done anything egregious and hesitated little. Unexpectedly, Yuan Tan gave him a big betrayal in return.

"Cousin..." Gao Rou looked at the utterly black-faced Gao Gan and slowly spoke.

Gao Rou deliberately revealed everything at this time to force Gao Gan to disobey orders and return to Bingzhou. Moreover, he had set everything up; as soon as Gao Gan returned to Bingzhou, the Xianbei would invade, providing a perfect reason.

Not long ago, Gao Rou had some contact with Cao Cao's side. Although he hadn't seen Cao Cao, he developed an admiration for him. The other person had a personality similar to his own, willing to use any means to achieve their goals. This sense of mutual understanding gave him strange thoughts.

There were also other reasons: Yuan Tan's actions were too blatant, losing that righteousness Yuan Shao had, making Gao Rou no longer optimistic about Yuan Tan. Originally, he hadn't pledged allegiance to the Yuan Family, so this wasn't really switching sides, and doing so caused him no pressure.

"No, let's go to Youzhou. Yuan Tan wronged me, but Uncle did not. Although he let me down, I should still help him guard his estate." Gao Gan pondered for a long time before giving an answer that left Gao Rou extremely surprised. This very ordinary cousin actually made such a choice.

"You might die in battle at Youzhou," Gao Rou remained silent for a long time.

"Isn't that why I have you, my cousin?" Gao Gan's gaze on Gao Rou carried a glimmer of hope.

Gao Rou was silent, then spread his hands and smiled, "I accept having a cousin like you. But you're right, Yuan Tan is Yuan Tan, and Yuan Gong is Yuan Gong. We're repaying Yuan Gong's favor!"

[People's hearts are indeed difficult to predict, but let's leave it at that.] Gao Rou shook his head, looking helpless, and followed Gao Gan to Youzhou. As for the earlier matter of handing over the elite cavalry to Zhang He, Gao Gan forgot to ask, and Gao Rou forgot to answer.

Not long after Gao Gan left Bingzhou, the Western Xianbei launched an invasion war against Bingzhou. The timing was perfectly grasped, except for Lyu Bu stationed in Jiuyuan, who managed to restrain the southward advance of the Xianbei with a powerful victory. Most other places suffered heavy damage almost simultaneously. Thus, the largest-scale Xianbei invasion since Tan Shihuai's death began this winter.

"The Xianbei struck earlier than we estimated, but fortunately, only the Western Xianbei acted, with no coordinated move from the Eastern Xianbei, Wuhuan, or Huns," Chen Xi said, frowning while looking at the intelligence.

"There's something strange about this. Theoretically, this shouldn't have happened. Did Cao Cao push the Xianbei to invade?" Jia Xu voiced his analysis. Although there was no precise intelligence, he had already deduced many things from the clues.

"I'm afraid so. Cao Cao currently lacks sufficient troops. Although he has many generals, he's definitely not an opponent in terms of sheer numbers. If given time, the Xianbei, who are both soldiers and civilians, can gather a massive army. While these troops lack combat power, they can be very destructive if they fight in a dispersed manner. Cao Cao dividing his forces to respond would be a path to death. However, if he doesn't divide his forces..." Liu Ye nodded in agreement. His conclusion was basically the same as Jia Xu's.

"If he doesn't divide his forces, even if Cao Cao annihilates part of it, the rest would have looted far too many resources, and with this guerrilla-like way of fighting, the combat power might be weak, but the destructive power is immense," Lub Su picked up where Liu Ye left off, wrapping himself in a blanket as he spoke.

Lub Su now had his own complete views on domestic construction, and the same went for destruction. He was deeply insightful on the destructive acts of banditry, pillaging, and plundering.

Speaking of which, when legal codes were drafted, he forcibly required severe penalties for banditry, issuing a twenty-year term of forced labor. Lub Su was truly harsh on those who disrupted social order and stability.

"Cao Cao indeed lacks a sense of restraint when handling matters," Li Youu said with a slightly cold expression.

Though Li Youu sometimes lacked restraint himself, he wouldn't stoop to such actions. Possibly, Cao Cao deliberately lured the Xianbei southward by leaking the information of Yuan Shao's army's withdrawal without notifying Bingzhou to make any defensive preparations.

"Have we not discussed what kind of person he is many times? Yet, according to the intelligence from Master Jia, chances are seven out of ten that Cao Cao intends to swallow the Western Xianbei Major Tribe to supplement his agricultural population," Fa Zheng suddenly stated, bringing up the point about the Xianbei and the coordinated Qiang and Hu with the Western Xianbei! (To be continued. If you like this work, please go to qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)