Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 700 Revenge
During the fierce battle, Gongsun Zan discovered Yuan Shao's general flag. He decided to take a risk. "Follow me and capture Yuan Shao alive!" Gongsun Zan shouted and led hundreds of elite cavalrymen to rush towards Yuan Shao's general flag.

Yuan Shao was shocked when he saw Gongsun Zan rushing towards him. The guards around him rushed forward to protect him, but Gongsun Zan's cavalry was unstoppable and soon broke through the guards' defense line.

"My lord, let's go!" Seeing that the situation was not good, the counselor Feng Ji hurriedly pulled Yuan Shao's reins and prepared to retreat.

At this moment, a sharp arrow shot from Gongsun Zan's camp and headed straight for Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao was terrified and subconsciously lowered his head. The arrow flew past his scalp and hit the flagpole behind him.

"That was a close call!" Yuan Shao secretly rejoiced in his heart. He knew that if he had not reacted quickly, this arrow would have taken his life.

Gongsun Zan was upset when he failed to shoot Yuan Shao. But at this time, he was already surrounded by Yuan's army and it was not easy to break out.

"Brothers, charge out!" Gongsun Zan brandished his iron spear and fought desperately, trying to carve out a bloody path.

Just when Gongsun Zan was in trouble, his reinforcements arrived. It turned out that Gongsun Zan had arranged a reinforcement army as a backup before he sent out his troops. Seeing the critical situation on the battlefield, the reinforcement army immediately came to support.

Yuan's army saw Gongsun Zan's reinforcements arrive, and their morale was affected to a certain extent. Gongsun Zan took the opportunity to organize his army to counterattack, and Yuan's army gradually could not resist and began to retreat.

"Chase! Don't let Yuan Shao get away!" Gongsun Zan shouted and led the army to chase Yuan's army.

Yuan Shao saw that the situation was not good, so he quickly led his army to retreat. Gongsun Zan chased him all the way to the north of Jie Bridge before stopping.

Both sides suffered heavy losses in this battle. Although Gongsun Zan failed to defeat Yuan Shao, he successfully captured Yijing and dealt a heavy blow to Yuan's army on the battlefield. Yuan Shao had to temporarily give up the attack on Cao Cao and return to defend Jizhou because of Gongsun Zan's sneak attack.

After returning to Youzhou, Gongsun Zan began to consolidate his defenses in Yijing. He knew that Yuan Shao would never give up and would definitely attack again. He had to be fully prepared to meet Yuan Shao's next challenge.

Yuan Shao retreated to Jizhou in disgrace, his heart full of anger and resentment. He never thought that Gongsun Zan would dare to attack him while he was dealing with Cao Cao, and he suffered a great loss in the Battle of Jie Bridge. The gate of Jizhou City slowly opened, and Yuan Shao looked at the familiar streets in the city, feeling frustrated. He was once full of vigor and ambition to dominate the world, but now he had to face this embarrassing situation.

After returning to his residence, Yuan Shao threw himself heavily on the chair, his eyes bloodshot, staring straight ahead, replaying the scenes on the battlefield in his mind. After a while, he stood up suddenly, kicked over the table next to him, and roared: "Gongsun Zan, I swear I will not be a human being if I don't avenge this!"

At this time, counselors Guo Tu, Xu You and others hurried over. Guo Tu looked at the mess in the house and said cautiously: "My lord, calm down your anger. The most urgent task now is to discuss how to deal with Gongsun Zan's next attack."

Yuan Shao took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, and said, "Everyone, tell me, Gongsun Zan will definitely not give up. How should we defend ourselves?"

Xu You stepped forward and said, "My lord, Gongsun Zan's sneak attack was successful this time, and his morale is high. He has also occupied the strategic location of Yijing. Yijing is strategically located and is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If he uses this as a base to continuously harass us, Jizhou may never have peace."

"Then in your opinion, what should we do?" Yuan Shao asked with a frown.

"We need to first stabilize Jizhou's defenses and strengthen the fortifications of each city." Xu You said slowly, "Especially the border cities bordering Youzhou. We need to send more troops, dig deeper moats, raise the city walls, and store enough food and arrows. At the same time, we need to form an elite patrol team to patrol the border area day and night. Once we find the movement of Gongsun Zan's army, we will report it to the city immediately."

Yuan Shao nodded slightly, thinking that what Xu You said made sense. At this time, Guo Tu put forward a different view: "Mr. Xu's words are certainly important, but I think we can't just passively defend. Gongsun Zan's occupation of Yijing poses a threat to us, but his forces are scattered in various strongholds. We can concentrate our superior forces to raid his weak links and disrupt his deployment."

"Mr. Guo, are you planning to attack proactively?" Yuan Shao looked at Guo Tu in confusion. "We have just suffered a defeat and our morale is low. I'm afraid it would not be wise to attack proactively at this time."

"My lord, it is precisely because we have just suffered a defeat that we must take the initiative to attack." Guo Tu explained, "If we take the initiative to attack, it can boost our army's morale, and secondly, it can make Gongsun Zan unable to figure out our strength and dare not attack easily. Moreover, we can choose to attack Gongsun Zan's weak defense and catch him off guard."

Yuan Shao fell into deep thought. He paced back and forth in the room, weighing the two people's suggestions. After a long time, he stopped and said, "Mr. Xu's defensive strategy and Mr. Guo's proactive attack strategy both make sense. Let's do this. Xu You, you will be responsible for organizing people to strengthen the defenses of Jizhou, especially the border cities, and it must be completed in the shortest possible time. Guo Tu, you select an elite force and keep them on standby at all times to find Gongsun Zan's weak points and prepare for a surprise attack."

"Yes, sir!" Xu You and Guo Tu responded in unison.

Yuan Shao turned to look at Yan Liang and Wen Chou and said, "Yan Liang, Wen Chou, you two must step up the training of soldiers and improve the combat effectiveness of our army. We suffered a loss at the hands of Gongsun Zan this time, and we must not lose again next time!"

"I obey your command!" Yan Liang and Wen Chou responded loudly, their eyes full of unwillingness and fighting spirit. They also wanted to avenge their previous defeat in the next battle.

In the following days, Jizhou City was busy. Xu You personally supervised the work, leading soldiers and civilians to reinforce the city walls and dig deep moats day and night. He also added many watchtowers and beacon towers on the city walls to detect the movements of the enemy in time. At the same time, he organized people to transport a large amount of food and arrows to the border cities to ensure sufficient supplies.

Guo Tu selected 5,000 elite soldiers from the army and led them to conduct strict training. He formulated a series of tactics, such as surprise attacks and ambushes, based on the characteristics of Gongsun Zan's army, and asked the soldiers to practice them repeatedly. Yan Liang and Wen Chou were also busy. They supervised the soldiers' training on the training ground every day and taught them various combat skills and tactics. Under their strict requirements, the soldiers' combat effectiveness was significantly improved.

Yuan Shao was also not idle. He personally inspected various cities and boosted the morale of the soldiers. "Brothers, although Gongsun Zan has temporarily gained the upper hand, we in Jizhou are strong and powerful. How can we be afraid of him! As long as we work together, we will definitely defeat him and take back what belongs to us!" Yuan Shao's voice echoed on the city wall. The soldiers heard it and their morale was boosted. They shouted slogans to express their determination.

However, defending Jizhou was not an easy task. Jizhou had a long border with Youzhou, and a large number of troops and supplies were needed to fully defend it. Moreover, Gongsun Zan's army was good at riding and shooting, and had strong mobility. They often harassed the border areas, making it difficult for Yuan Shao to defend.

One day, the border patrol team received news that a cavalry unit of Gongsun Zan was burning, killing and looting in the border area again. After Yuan Shao learned about it, he immediately ordered Guo Tu to lead an elite force to encircle and suppress them. After receiving the order, Guo Tu led 5,000 soldiers to the border quickly.

When they arrived, Gongsun Zan's cavalry had already looted everything and were preparing to retreat. Seeing this, Guo Tu immediately ordered a pursuit. "Brothers, don't let them get away! For the sake of the people on the border, kill them!" Guo Tu waved his spear and led his soldiers to charge at Gongsun Zan's cavalry.

When Gongsun Zan's cavalry saw Yuan's army coming, they immediately dispersed and used their mobility to engage Yuan's army. Guo Tu knew that he could not fall into their trap, so he ordered his soldiers to maintain formation and advance steadily.

The two sides launched a fierce chase in the border area. Although Gongsun Zan's cavalry was highly mobile, the Yuan army was large in number and well-trained. Under the command of Guo Tu, the Yuan army gradually gained the upper hand. In the end, Gongsun Zan's cavalry saw that the situation was not good and fled.

"Humph, you want to run? That's not that easy!" Guo Tu looked at the fleeing Gongsun Zan cavalry and snorted coldly, "Keep chasing, and make sure to destroy them all!"

The Yuan army continued to pursue and chased them all the way to the city of Yijing. When Gongsun Zan learned that his cavalry was being pursued by the Yuan army, he immediately led his army out of the city to rescue. When Guo Tu saw Gongsun Zan personally leading his army out of the city, he knew that his goal had been achieved, so he ordered the army to withdraw.

"Retreat!" Guo Tu gave the order, and Yuan's army retreated quickly. Gongsun Zan wanted to pursue them, but was worried about an ambush, so he had to give up.

After returning to Jizhou, Guo Tu reported the battle to Yuan Shao. After listening, Yuan Shao nodded with satisfaction: "Mr. Guo, you did a good job! Although we failed to destroy Gongsun Zan's main force this time, we did give him a warning."

"This is all the result of our lord's good command and the soldiers' bravery in killing the enemy." Guo Tu said modestly.

Yuan Shao smiled and said, "Next, we must continue to strengthen our defense and look for opportunities to deal a fatal blow to Gongsun Zan."

With the efforts of Yuan Shao and his advisers and generals, the defense of Jizhou gradually stabilized. But Yuan Shao knew that Gongsun Zan was a strong opponent and the contest was far from over. He had to stay alert at all times and wait for the next decisive battle.

In that era of ever-changing situation and the rise of many heroes, there were five empires coexisting on the continent, with a strange and tense situation. Under the rule of Jia Changsheng, or Jia Shisan, the Sui Empire occupied vast areas such as Goguryeo, Baekje, and the grasslands outside Youzhou. With its strong national power and powerful soldiers and horses, it became a hegemon that could not be underestimated. Jia Shisan owned this huge empire, but he was still very interested in the changes in the Central Plains. This time, he transformed himself into Jia Shisan and quietly came to the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms. He transformed himself into one of the 19 princes, occupied Luoyang, and watched the fight between the 18 princes in a detached manner.

Luoyang, this ancient and legendary city, has become even more mysterious under the control of Jia Shisan. On the city wall, flags fluttered, and the military flags of the Sui Dynasty and the original Han flags of Luoyang complemented each other, highlighting the complex situation of this land. Jia Shisan stood at the highest point of Luoyang City, overlooking the city, thinking to himself: "These 18 princes have their own ulterior motives. When Yuan Shao and Cao Cao clash, I'm afraid a good show is about to be staged."

At this time, the conflict between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao had intensified to the point where it could not be reconciled. Yuan Shao, a noble prince, occupied Jizhou, Qingzhou, Youzhou and other places, and had many advisers and generals under his command. He was very powerful and had always wanted to dominate the Central Plains. Cao Cao, on the other hand, used the emperor to control the princes, occupied Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Xuzhou and other places, recruited talents, and his power was growing, which posed a serious threat to Yuan Shao's hegemony.

Yuan Shao's counselor Tian Feng frowned and said to Yuan Shao: "My lord, Cao Cao is becoming more and more rampant. He is 'holding the emperor hostage to control the princes' and expanding his power legitimately. He has become the biggest obstacle to our hegemony. Now his foundation in Yanzhou and Yuzhou is gradually becoming stable, with sufficient food and grass, and his military strength is constantly increasing. If we don't make plans early, he will become a big problem in the future."

Yuan Shao stroked his beard and nodded slightly, with a fierce look in his eyes: "How could I not know Cao Cao's ambitions? But at this moment, if we rashly go to war with him, we may lose the strength of our army."

At this time, Guo Tu stepped forward, clasped his hands and said: "My lord, although Cao Cao is strong, our army has many soldiers and generals. Why should we be afraid of him? Moreover, our army's morale is high now. If we send out troops now, we will surely defeat Cao Cao in one fell swoop."

Yuan Shao pondered for a moment and finally made up his mind: "Okay! Pass the order down, prepare the army and march towards Cao Cao."

When Cao Cao learned that Yuan Shao was raising an army to attack, he quickly summoned his advisers to discuss countermeasures. Xun Yu looked serious and said, "Yuan Shao has many soldiers and generals, but his military discipline is lax and there are many internal conflicts. My lord, you are wise and brave, and you are deeply loved by the people. You also have the emperor in your hands, so you are legitimate. You just need to hold the key points and find their weaknesses, and you will be able to defeat the enemy."

Cao Cao nodded in agreement: "What Wen Ruo said is absolutely right. But I need to send someone to contact Gongsun Zan. If we can unite with him to fight against Yuan Shao, our chances of winning will be greater." So Cao Cao sent an envoy to Gongsun Zan's army.

After meeting Gongsun Zan, the messenger presented Cao Cao's letter, which was sincere and expressed his willingness to join forces with Gongsun Zan to fight against Yuan Shao. After the success, they would share Yuan Shao's territory. Gongsun Zan already had a grudge against Yuan Shao, and now seeing Cao Cao's initiative to show goodwill, he was moved. His adviser Guan Jing advised: "General, Cao Cao is a cunning man and should not be trusted. But Yuan Shao is also a great enemy of us. If we can take this opportunity to weaken Yuan Shao, it will also be beneficial to us. You might as well agree to Cao Cao first and act according to the circumstances."

After careful consideration, Gongsun Zan finally decided to join forces with Cao Cao to jointly attack Yuan Shao.

When the news reached Luoyang, Jia Shisan smiled slightly: "Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Gongsun Zan are all powerful heroes of the time. This fight will definitely be a fight between dragons and tigers. I will just sit on the mountain and watch the fight, waiting for the opportunity."

(End of this chapter)