Chapter 255 Guo Tu: As long as Tian Feng agrees, I will oppose
On September 196th of the first year of Jian’an (), outside of Xindu, Jizhou, the autumn wind was bleak, the grass and trees were sparse, and the whole atmosphere was filled with a murderous aura.

On the high platform, Yuan Shao, wearing armor and a helmet, performed a solemn ceremony to offer sacrifices to heaven before going to war.

In the wilderness, soldiers held flags and axes, with banners covering the sky and fluttering in the wind.

Tian Feng, Xun Chen, and Guo Tu, who had rushed back from Bingzhou, all stood side by side on the stage and looked forward to the performance.

Yuan Shao raised his cup high and prayed to the sky, saying: “Since the reign of the traitor Dong, the whole country has been in turmoil, and the princes have brought disaster to the people. First, the Gongsun clan of Youzhou committed treason and I went straight to the north, regardless of the cold and hardship, to punish the traitors and suppress the rebellion.

However, Youzhou had not yet been pacified, and there was also a clan member Liu Xuande who was plotting treason. If one man rebelled, a thousand would point fingers at him. Therefore, the emperor summoned the army of all the people to punish him, and attacked with drums beating, launching a massive war to show the power of heaven.

Shao, the son of Yuan family of Runan, is sending out troops today only to suppress the rebellion and violence, clean up the court, and bring peace to the world. “

After Yuan Shao offered sacrifices to heaven, he turned around and looked at the long rows of large and small military formations lined up below the stage, as well as a team of nearly a thousand officials, clerks and military officers. The Wuhuan Chanyu Tadun also rushed over from Xiu County, and the Xianbei also sent nobles to participate.

Looking at the many faces below, Yuan Shao drew his sword with angry eyes and shouted excitedly: “Today, the three armies of all sizes will march to Pingyuan to fight the traitor Liu Xuande!”

“The soldiers risked their lives to capture Qingzhou. Shao swore in the name of the Yuan family that on the day of victory, there will be a generous reward of land, houses, money, and beautiful maids!”

“Decisive battle, kill the enemy!”

“Decisive battle, kill the enemy!!”

“We must win, we must win!!”

A gust of wind blew the feathered flags, and Yuan’s army cheered with all their might, waving the army’s flags and shouting loudly to cheer.

After the oath, the army set out. Baggage carts were posted one after another, horses were neighing along the way, and the sound of hooves of 6,000 cavalrymen was deafening.

The troops of each camp were marching in formation, with flags and war drums connected in front and behind. Among these soldiers were both recruits from powerful families and soldiers from Ji and You counties, as well as the elite troops who had previously fought against the Gongsun clan, totaling nearly 70,000 people.

In addition, there were 30,000 troops originally stationed in Bohai, with 7,000 Wuhuan cavalry to assist, and 300,000 civilian laborers for transportation. There were also other Yuan troops in the direction of Yecheng. Almost all the military and civilian forces in Hebei were mobilized for this decisive battle. The five counties of Youzhou under its jurisdiction were also constantly transporting beans and fodder to Jizhou for war horses, military horses and other livestock.

Gongsun Zan, who was once a thorn in his side, had been driven to Tuyin County in Youbeiping County. Yuyang County alone was enough to stop Gongsun’s troops, and the Youzhou cavalry, which he feared, could no longer cause any major trouble.

It is no longer possible to attack from both sides together with Liu Xuande and repeat the story of Emperor Guangwu.

I heard that Liu Bei also sent hundreds of thousands of people from Pingyuan County across the river, which undoubtedly increased the consumption of millet. I had been concerned about Liu Xuande before, but now I realize that Liu Bei is just another Xiang Ji. I shed tears and love others, which is the so-called woman’s kindness. How can I accomplish great things?

Normally, Tian Feng likes to promote Liu Xuande’s great power, but what about now?

Seeing this scene, Yuan Shao couldn’t help but feel proud, and he couldn’t help but smile and said to Tian Feng: “Yuan Hao, in your opinion, how do we win this battle?”

Tian Feng couldn’t help but frown when he heard this. He glanced at Xun Chen and Guo Tu, but the two of them looked elsewhere and had no intention of paying any attention to Tian Feng.

Especially Guo Tu bowed his head and gently brushed off the dust on his sleeves, pretending not to see Tian Feng’s gaze. Now he hated Tian Yuanhao so much that he returned to Xindu from Bingzhou a few days ago. Because he failed to persuade the Xiongnu to send troops, he was only scolded by Yuan Gong and asked to withdraw.

Unexpectedly, Tian Feng took revenge on his own, and stood up to analyze and said: “The Xiongnu in Bingzhou have an old grudge against Liu Xuande, and Lord Guo did not achieve any success in his mission to Bingzhou. There are many doubts about this matter. I am afraid that he did not work hard for Lord Yuan’s great cause.”

Guo Tu’s forehead was covered with sweat, and he quickly bowed to Yuan Gong and explained, “Yuan Gong, please listen to me. The new Chanyu of the Xiongnu tribe in Bingzhou, Huchuquan, had a disagreement with his brother Yufuluo in their early years. Even if they wanted to take revenge, they hesitated because Henei is surrounded by mountains, which is not conducive to cavalry marching.

If we take a detour to Hedong, we will have to fight the Baibo bandits and Liangzhou bandits first. By the time we reach Henei, our troops will be exhausted and their retreat will be cut off. Huochuquan is not a fool, so how could he attack so easily? “

“If we go around Taiyuan County Yangqu, Changshan County Guojing, and then to Julu, we need Jizhou to supply them with food and fodder. At present, the food and fodder of each county has been supplied to Wuhuan and Xianbei, so where is the surplus to supply the Xiongnu army? If the Xiongnu army runs out of food and starts looting in Jizhou counties halfway through the journey, what should we do?”

“The Hu people are ignorant of etiquette and are violent. If they are allowed into Jizhou, along with the Xianbei and Wuhuan, they will surely bring disaster to several counties in Hebei if not properly handled. I hope that Lord Yuan will understand this.”

Guo Tu finished speaking, then snorted coldly, glanced at Tian Feng and said: “As a native of Yingchuan, I care about the people of Hebei and the noble families. I am not like some famous scholars who take advantage of others and seek benefits for themselves. It is unfortunate for the scholars of Hebei to have such a fellow countryman.”

After saying this, Guo Tu rolled up his sleeves, looked like a nobody who was not worth discussing with, raised his head and turned his back to Tian Feng.

Tian Feng was so angry that he pointed at Guo Tu with a shaking hand and said angrily: “When did I ask you to lead the Xiongnu into Jizhou? It was you who brought a large sum of money to lobby the Xiongnu Chanyu Huochuquan, and spent more than half of the money but achieved nothing. Who among you present here is not full of suspicion?!”

“How do you explain this?”

Unexpectedly, Guo Tu became even more angry after hearing this. Even his beard trembled, and his face turned green and red as he said, “Tian Yuanhao, you are insulting me too much. Who am I, Guo Tu? How could I covet this money? Do you think I am Xu…”

Before he finished speaking, Xun Chen next to him suddenly started coughing uncontrollably. He quickly took a few steps forward, grabbed Guo Tu’s sleeve, and shook his head slightly to signal him.

Now that the war is imminent, we must not bring this matter up. Some matters can be discussed with Yuan Gong in detail after Liu Xuande is defeated.

Guo Tu also suddenly reacted, and immediately turned sideways to Yuan Shao and complained: “Mr. Yuan, Tian Feng of Hebei is too bullying. In the future, when Huangtang discusses matters, he must be there, not me.”

Yuan Shao tried his best to persuade Guo Tu and finally stopped the conflict between the gentry who followed from Yingchuan and the various ethnic groups in Hebei from escalating.

At this time, we must not offend either side, nor can we watch them confront each other.

After this incident, Guo Tu treated Tian Feng as a stranger whenever he met him, and Xun Chen also became estranged from Tian Yuanhao.

When discussing various matters, whenever Tian Yuanhao offered a suggestion, Guo Tu would refute it from another angle, but was repeatedly denied by Guo Gong. When Guo Tu offered a suggestion, Tian Feng would also give reasons to refute the other party.

Before the two sides fell out, they were dealing with the issue rather than the person, but now they are dealing with the person rather than the issue.

However, both sides quoted classics, stood on Yuan Gong’s side, and were able to put themselves in his shoes, but they also held their own opinions and criticized each other, which gave Yuan Shao a headache.

Hearing Yuan Gong asking about Tian Feng at this moment, although Guo Tu pretended not to care, he quietly pricked up his ears, and made up his mind, thinking about how to refute Tian Yuanhao’s words later.

(End of this chapter)