A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

After Cao Cao occupied Qingzhou, Yanzhou, and Xuzhou, it was impossible for him to attack Luoyang, where the emperor was located.

He chose four directions: Yangzhou, where Sun Jian was located; Yuzhou, where Yuan Shu was located; Jizhou, where Yuan Shao was located; and Youzhou, where Gongsun Zan was located.

Regardless of which direction he takes, Yuan Shao is certain that Cao Cao will not stand idly by and watch him unify Hebei.

Regardless of whether he or Gongsun Zan showed any signs of eliminating the other, Cao Cao would absolutely support the weaker side.

Until he is able to annex one of them.

He believed that he would be the biggest obstacle to Cao Cao's unification of the country.

Just as he felt that Cao Cao was the biggest obstacle to his unification of the world.

If he wasn't mistaken, Cao Cao's army was already on its way north.

If he continued to fight Gongsun Zan, he would see no hope of eliminating Gongsun Zan in the short term. While the two sides were locked in a stalemate, Cao Cao might even wipe them both out in one fell swoop.

We must now unite Gongsun Zan's forces to resist Cao Cao.

At the same time, he secretly plotted to bring the entire grassland under his control and then reclaim Bingzhou in order to surpass Cao Cao.

After Wei Wu arrived at Gongsun Zan's camp, Gongsun Zan's strategist Tian Kai also tried to persuade Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao to cease hostilities.

But Gongsun Zan was a pure warrior; otherwise, he wouldn't have raised an army to attack Yuan Shao out of anger.

He still thought he should take down Yuan Shao first.

Whether it's dangerous or not, we'll talk about that later.

It wasn't until Wei and Wu brought news of Cao Cao's army's movements and incorporated the Xuzhou army that Cao Cao left 20 troops to guard Xuzhou and led 50 troops north.

They were less than 200 kilometers away from where they were fighting.

In another 10 to 15 days, Cao Cao's army will arrive.

Can he defeat Yuan Shao within 10 to 15 days?

Can't do it.

If he could do it, he would have done it long ago.

"I can stop the war, and I don't need any compensation from Yuan Shao, but I need him to apologize for the contents of that letter."

Wei Wu and Tian Kai were both silent. You actually raised an army to attack Yuan Shao because Yuan Shao called you a reckless fool!

Is this really something a warlord in a chaotic era should do?

Are you serious? This is a battle for supremacy, not some child's play.

"I have promised on behalf of Lord Yuan. Upon returning, Lord Yuan will publicly apologize to General Gongsun, acknowledging him as a border defense hero, the most outstanding general of the Han Dynasty, and the White Horse General—a title he truly deserves!"

Wei Wu quickly interjected, and as soon as he said that, Tian Kai knew that this matter could only be left as it was.

Gongsun Zan stroked his beard smugly. A border-guarding hero, a top-notch general, the White Horse General, this man before him is someone to be trifled with!

"How about you join my ranks, sir? I am skilled in battle, and you are adept at strategy. The two of us would complement each other perfectly."

"General Gongsun is too kind. I am very pleased to serve under Yuan Gong and have no intention of going anywhere else."

Wei Wu replied.

"What a pity, a pearl cast before swine."

"If one day I conquer Ji Province and trample Ye City, and you change your mind, I will still be willing to invite you as an honored guest."

Gongsun Zan was oblivious to the awkward atmosphere and continued recruiting on his own.

"Let's talk about it when that day comes."

Wei Wu replied dismissively.

After Wei Wu returned, Yuan Shao immediately sent a message to the world, apologizing to Gongsun Zan and praising him as a border hero, a top general of the time, and the elite White Horse Cavalry he personally built, truly deserving the title of General White Horse.

The two sides agreed to a truce and withdrew their troops.

Upon hearing this news, Cao Cao sighed deeply and had no choice but to lead his troops back.

If he continues north, he will force both sides to form an alliance. His army, which has been fighting across the north and south, is already exhausted. If it is attacked from both sides, it will surely suffer heavy losses.

The various warlords across the land were wary of and restrained each other. Even under Dong Zhuo, thanks to Li Ru's massacre, there was a sense of peace, and the world seemed to have settled down.

With the wars in the world temporarily subsided, some people's ambitions began to emerge uncontrollably.

Yuan Shu was the first to take the lead. He wrote to the court in Luoyang, requesting that the court grant him the title of King Zhong.

He also threatened Emperor Shao of Han, Liu Bian, in the Luoyang court, that if Liu Bian did not grant him the title of king, he would personally lead troops to attack Luoyang.

It wasn't just talk; he had even amassed troops on the border of Luoyang, ready to send them north if he didn't receive the imperial edict to confer the title of king.

Empress Dowager He and Emperor Shao of Han dared not speak out against their anger. They issued edicts to several surrounding warlords, ordering them to attack Yuan Shu, but none of them listened.

They were like puppets, like the Zhou emperors of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, merely nominal emperors.

Because of their actions, Yuan Shu's troops crossed the border and headed towards Luoyang.

Empress Dowager He had no choice but to humiliatingly grant Yuan Shu the title of King Zhong.

After Yuan Shu was enfeoffed as a king, other warlords were not to be outdone and petitioned the courts in Chang'an or Luoyang to enfeoff them as kings.

Even Shi Xie, who was far away in Jiaozhou, sent a memorial to the court, requesting the title of King of Nanyue.

Empress Dowager He simply went all out, banning one person, two, three, seven, or even eight—it didn't matter.

Why not simply enfeoff all these feudal lords as kings, in order to gain their nominal recognition of the Luoyang court?

Gongsun Zan was enfeoffed as King of Zhao, Yuan Shao as King of Ye, Cao Cao as King of Qi, Sun Jian as King of Chu, Liu Zhang as King of Shu, and Liu Biao as King of Jing.

Shi Xie's request to be made a king was not approved. Even after so much development, Jiaozhou was still not taken seriously by the Han Dynasty court and was just a place that provided medicinal herbs.

After Empress Dowager He was granted the title of king, numerous kings rose up throughout the Han Dynasty, and the banner of the Han Dynasty almost collapsed.

In the hearts of scholars across the land, the Han Dynasty was no longer the only legitimate dynasty.

The world was divided into two periods: the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, a time of fierce competition among various states.

Unlike the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, in this era of fierce competition among powerful states, one family stood at the highest peak, looking down on everything.

Even amidst the power struggles among princes, the Wei family remained steadfast, observing the changing tides of fortune.

The various schools of thought also felt a familiar atmosphere: the struggle for supremacy among the states, choosing the kings of each state, and accepting their doctrines—they were very familiar with this!