Han officials

Chapter 155: Slightly Effective [2/2]

At the same time, Gongsun Zan and his party fell into silence.

He had a resolute expression and cold eyes, and he looked like a Han sword tempered by the wind and frost of the north.

The cold light is shining and the sharpness is revealed.

Looking at the scout in front of him who remained calm and composed, Gongsun Zan couldn't help but frown even deeper.

He really didn't expect that Wei Zhe would be so vigilant in Youzhou.

This made Gongsun Zan subconsciously feel a little uncomfortable, even though Wei Zhe might not be on guard against him.

In comparison, Liu Bei and others who came with Gongsun Zan had much simpler ideas.

Especially Liu Bei, who had not yet fully recovered, and he looked at the elite scouts in front of him with only admiration in his heart.

He even couldn't help but sigh inwardly, no wonder Wei Zhe was able to repeatedly destroy countries and capture kings in Liaodong, now it seems that his reputation is well-deserved, and he didn't know where this powerful son of a border county learned such military tactics!

On the other side, Wei Zhe did not let Gongsun Zan wait for long, and soon the military order came.

"Captain Gongsun, please come in." A military officer was seen leading the way.

When Gongsun Zan and his party arrived at the front of the camp and dismounted, looking at the heavily guarded and well-organized camp in front of them, everyone subconsciously couldn't help but feel a little more solemn.

When the curtain of the general's tent was slowly lifted, Gongsun Zan immediately entered with his sword drawn.

"I, General Gongsun Zan, pay my respects to General Zuo!"

As Gongsun Zan performed the ceremony, the collision of armors made a crisp sound.

I have to say that this man is worthy of being a brave general from the border county. He really looks like a typical Youzhou warrior.

In comparison, Wei Zhe, dressed in a green robe and wearing a martial crown, has a bit of a scholarly temperament.

"Bogui is here." Wei Zhe waved his hand and said, "No need to be polite. Please sit down."

After Gongsun Zan sat down on a couch nearby, Wei Zhe didn't ask about his purpose. Instead, he asked, "What's the situation outside the Great Wall recently? Are there any unusual movements by the Wuhuan in the three counties?"

Gongsun Zan was a bit surprised to hear this, but he replied without hesitation, "Since Zhang Chun surrendered, the Wuhuan tribes have been quite peaceful. However... the eastern Xianbei have been experiencing frequent unrest recently."

"Can you find out the reason?" Wei Zhe asked immediately.

"We have some gains, but we haven't confirmed their authenticity yet." Gongsun Zan said uncertainly.

After Tan Shihuai's death, the Xianbei he founded was divided into several parts, but the remaining forces were still powerful.

After the rebellion of the Western Xianbei, the area south of the desert split into three major tribal alliances from Yunzhong to the east.

The largest of these was Budugen of the Central Xianbei, who commanded tens of thousands of followers and was located in the Yunzhong and Yanmen Commanderies beyond the Great Wall. The second largest was Kebi Neng, a descendant of the Eastern Xiaozhong tribe, whose sphere of influence was primarily distributed in the grasslands beyond the Great Wall around Dai Commanderies and Shanggu.

In comparison, Helian Yong, who was originally appointed as the "Lord of the East" by Tan Shihuai, has the least power.

However, Suli's previous attack on Xuanxu was unsuccessful, and Taishi Ci led his men to steal his home, causing him to suffer heavy losses, which gave Helian Yong an opportunity.

Not long after, Suli died tragically, and his troops were divided up by Helian Yong, Mijia and Queji.

Perhaps the growth of his strength gave Helian Yong confidence again, so he has been provoking Kebi Neng frequently recently, wanting to unify the Xianbei outside the Great Wall in Liaoxi, Youbeiping and Yuyang.

Influenced by this, the Xianbei tribes have naturally become restless recently.

As Gongsun Zan finished speaking, there was a sudden silence in the general's tent, with only the whistling of the wind outside the tent.

After a moment, Wei Zhe slowly said, "Bogui is thoughtful."

It was only then that Gongsun Zan revealed his intention. He spoke clearly and eloquently, "I heard that the general was going to attack Dong Zhuo, and I wanted to follow him. However, urgent matters at the border prevented me from leaving. I will offer you five hundred war horses as a token of my gratitude."

As soon as these words came out, Wei Zhe couldn't help but look at him in surprise.

He didn't expect Gongsun Zan to be so generous.

But Wei Zhe soon realized that Gongsun Zan was repaying him a favor!
After all, if Taishi Ci had not taken action in Guanzi City, Liaoxi County, Gongsun Zan’s life or death would have been in danger.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe's eyes looking at Gongsun Zan suddenly became a little complicated.

This guy is quite clear about gratitude and resentment. If he were in a peaceful era, he might really become a famous general in the border counties.

But if a man of his temperament sat on the position of a local lord, he would be a bit naive. So Wei Zhe rubbed the jade seal in his hand and sighed again: "Bo Gui is thoughtful."

However, compared to before, Wei Zhe's tone this time was much more complicated.

At the same time, Liu Bei, who was guarding outside the tent, suddenly felt mixed emotions while listening to the conversation inside.

After all, he was on equal footing with Wei Zhe back then, but now he is only fit to stand outside the tent holding a spear.

The gap here is really a bit sad.

Just as Liu Bei was feeling sad, the conversation in the tent was coming to an end.

When Wei Zhe sent Gongsun Zan out of the tent, he saw Liu Bei guarding nearby.

Seeing this, Wei Zhe smiled and nodded at Liu Bei: "Xuan De is here too? It's been ages since we last met. How are you?"

Liu Bei had not expected that Wei Zhe, now the Left General, would still be so approachable. He was touched for a moment and said quickly, "Thank you for your concern, General Zuo. Everything is fine."

Wei Zhe couldn't help but sigh when he saw this. He knew that there was a thick barrier between the two of them.

So Wei Zhe didn't say much. After encouraging Liu Bei a few words, he watched them leave.

As for the war horses, they were naturally accepted. After all, five hundred was not a small number.

This convenience is only available in the northern border counties, otherwise Gongsun Zan would not be able to afford it even if he spent all his money.

A few days later, when Wei Zhe led his troops to the outskirts of Ji County, Liu Yu did not show up.

However, the old man did order someone to deliver a batch of food and fodder, which made Wei Zhe couldn't help laughing.

It was also from Ji County that heroes from various counties in Youzhou came to join the cause.

Wei Zhe identified their strengths and weaknesses and selected the best ones to recruit into the army. In just half a month, he had gained more than a thousand volunteers.

You must know that these are not young and strong men who have just put down their hoes, but are genuine good family men from Yan and Zhao.

Some of the volunteers were even the sons of powerful families in counties and prefectures, and they joined the army with their own bows, horses and other equipment.

Judging from the basic qualities of the men in Youzhou, these more than a thousand followers are probably no worse than the Sanhe Knights.

This made Wei Zhe so happy!
It’s not because of such a small number of troops, but because of the families behind these more than a thousand volunteers.

And just as Wei Zhe was marching and recruiting people along the way, the impact of his trip finally became apparent.

……

Changshan State, Zhending County.

A young man, eight feet tall and handsome, said goodbye to a middle-aged man, "I don't know when I'll be back. Take care, brother!"

Unexpectedly, the middle-aged man smiled and said, "Zilong, just go and don't worry about your family."

After hearing what his brother said, the heroic young man mounted his horse and left with more than a hundred people.

This person is Zhao Yun, also known as Zhao Zilong, the heroic leader of Zhending County.

Because Zhao Yun's ancestors were poor, he was not even from a humble family, so he had always been unappreciated.

Originally, the Yellow Turban Rebellion was a good opportunity to make a name for himself, but unfortunately, Zhao Yun was just a country boy at that time, his muscles and bones were not strong enough, and he could barely protect himself.

When Zhao Yun grew up, Jizhou became a stagnant place again, forcing him to hang out in the countryside with his childhood friend Xiahou Lan. Not long after, he became a hero of Zhending.

But the life of a knight-errant was not what Zhao Yun wanted after all.

Therefore, when the news of the princes' attack on Dong spread, Zhao Yun finally could not hold back.

However, he neither defected to Yuan Shao, the governor of Bohai, nor to Han Fu, the current governor of Jizhou.

Because in the eyes of the young and energetic Zhao Yun, neither of them is a true hero.

In comparison, Wei Zhe, who had quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Xiaquyang and had expanded territory, captured kings and destroyed countries in border counties in recent years, was more to his liking.

So when Zhao Yun heard that Wei Zhe was heading south and about to enter Jizhou, he set off decisively...

(End of this chapter)