Free Web NovelChapter 142: Jizhou Changes Hands
While Long Chen was busy in the three counties of Yangzhou, a major event occurred in the north that could change the situation of the Han Dynasty!
The Prefect of Bohai Commandery, Yuan Shao, successfully took control of the entire Jizhou!
Unlike Long Chen, who only conquered one commandery, Yuan Shao obtained an entire province!
And it was none other than Jizhou, the wealthiest among the thirteen provinces at the end of the Han Dynasty.
Jizhou was the largest province in terms of economy and population in Hebei.
Its capital was located in Gao Yi of Changshan State (which was later moved to Ye City in Wei Commandery during the Three Kingdoms period). ƒreewebɳovel.com
Jizhou had a total of nine commanderies and a hundred counties, with nearly a million households and approximately six million people, excluding the population of the aliens.
If the population of the players in Jizhou were included, the population would double again.
By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the strength of Jizhou even surpassed that of Yuzhou, which was closer to the political center.
Moreover, Jizhou suffered less devastation from wars compared to other provinces, except for Julu Commandery, where conflicts were relatively rare.
This also meant that the strength of Jizhou had not declined significantly over time, unlike other provinces.
Now, with Yuan Shao, the descendant of four generations of nobility, occupying Jizhou, it marked Yuan Shao officially becoming the most powerful prince in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.
Unlike during the campaign against Dong Zhuo, where he only had reputation, now he possessed terrifying power.
He also officially became the lord that the majority of the players in "The Great Lord" pledged allegiance to and followed.
For a while, Yuan Shao enjoyed great glory!
However, while Yuan Shao was happy, Gongsun Zan in the north of Jizhou was not! In fact, he was extremely angry.
Do you know why?
The reason is that although Yuan Shao wanted to obtain Jizhou, the former Inspector of Jizhou, Han Fu, was loyal to him. If Yuan Shao were to forcibly occupy Jizhou, he would inevitably face public condemnation.
Therefore, he adopted a cunning plan!
It was called "borrowing a knife to kill someone"!
He secretly communicated with Gongsun Zan in Youzhou, discussing together to attack Jizhou and split the territory evenly in the end.
Gongsun Zan, with his simple and honest military mentality, actually believed it.
Immediately, preparations were made to attack Jizhou.
However, Yuan Shao played a trick.
He secretly informed Han Fu of Gongsun Zan’s plan to attack Jizhou.
Han Fu naturally panicked. Who didn’t know the title of General of the White Horse of Youzhou!
Moreover, Gongsun Zan had Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and other brave men under his command, making him even more afraid that he wouldn’t be able to resist.
Upon inquiring his subordinates, most of them were clients of the Yuan family and naturally sided with Yuan Shao.
Under great despair, Han Fu could only choose to give up Jizhou and let Yuan Shao stop Gongsun Zan’s army.
With no other choice, Han Fu had to do so, and the final result was self-evident.
Without wasting a single soldier, Yuan Shao occupied Jizhou, which ranked among the top three provinces in the world.
Gongsun Zan suffered a loss and sent his younger brother, Gongsun Yue, to demand an explanation.
As a result, no explanation was given, and instead, Gongsun Yue was secretly killed by Yuan Shao.
In the end, Gongsun Zan was extremely angry and resentful, and he raised troops to attack Jizhou.
The two sides met at Pan River.
The final result of this battle was beyond doubt, with Gongsun Zan suffering a major defeat.
His White Horse Riders were defeated on Pan River by the eight thousand vanguards of Juyi, under the command of Juyi, a senior general under Yuan Shao (historically eight hundred). They returned in defeat.
These vanguards were no simple soldiers!
They were the elite troops under Yuan Shao’s command, and they were also third-tier special crossbowmen.
Each of them wielded a heavy crossbow, with tremendous killing power.
Although the White Horse Riders were invincible in battle, they could only retreat in defeat under the terrifying power of the arrows.
Yangzhou.
Jiujiang Commandery.
At this moment, Long Chen sat at the head of the table, carefully examining the bamboo slips in his hand.
The above content vividly depicts the war situation between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan in the north.
After finishing reading, Long Chen put down the bamboo slips and asked Xizhi Cai, who was seated below him.
"Strategist, what are your thoughts on this news?"
Xizhi Cai, now looking much more vibrant than before, with rosy lips and white teeth, unlike his previous gloomy demeanor.
He seemed much more handsome now.
With a loud sound, Xizhi Cai folded his folding fan and bowed respectfully, congratulating, "My lord, this is indeed a great joy!"
Watching Xizhi Cai’s smiling face, Long Chen scratched his head, not knowing what he was up to.
Then he waved his hand and asked, "What’s there to be happy about? Gongsun Zan is also somewhat of an ally to us, isn’t he?"
"Now that he’s at war with Yuan Benchu of Jizhou, isn’t that a disaster?"
Xizhi Cai shook his head and chuckled, "My lord, don’t you want to acquire fine horses from Youzhou?"
Long Chen nodded, but he was even more puzzled.
Incomprehensibly, he asked, "Indeed, but what does this have to do with the matter at hand?"
"Moreover, if Gongsun Zan is at war with Yuan Shao, won’t the journey be even more fraught with dangers? Even if I want to buy horses, the route won’t be safe!"
Xizhi Cai lifted the wine flask from the table, took a sip, and then bowed, saying:
"My lord, do you know what Gongsun Zan lacks the most right now?"
Without waiting for Long Chen’s reply, he continued, "What he lacks the most are war supplies, such as spears, iron armor, shields, arrows, and so on..."
Upon hearing this, the astute Long Chen already understood the implication. His eyes brightened, and involuntarily leaning forward, he exclaimed:
"Strategist! Are you suggesting that since Gongsun Zan lacks these supplies, we can take advantage of this opportunity to raise prices, thus enabling us to purchase more Northern fine horses?!"
Xizhi Cai nodded slightly, his lips curling upwards, and he bowed, saying:
"My lord is indeed clever, understanding it at once."
"Indeed, besides, there’s also the issue you mentioned earlier about the road being safe."
"I believe our two financial ministers, Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, under your command, can handle it."
"They used to be merchants specializing in trading Northern warhorses for profit, so they must be very familiar with many routes."
"With their help, the task of importing Northern fine horses will undoubtedly be much more efficient."
Listening to Xizhi Cai’s words, Long Chen nodded repeatedly.
Muttering to himself, he said:
"What you said is absolutely right! Absolutely!"
With the strategy of a five-star adviser like Xizhi Cai, Long Chen felt that the path ahead was extremely clear and the future was very bright!
"Good! In that case, pass on my orders!" Long Chen said solemnly.
Immediately, the guards beside him knelt down on one knee, clasping their fists respectfully, awaiting orders.
"Summon Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, lead three thousand elite soldiers to Youzhou to trade with Gongsun Zan."
"Bring five thousand spears, five thousand shields, five thousand suits of armor..."
Long Chen listed the military supplies needed for the trade, estimating that these supplies should be enough to trade for one thousand Northern fine horses (green level).
Long Chen didn’t dare to trade too much at once, deciding to test the waters first.
If successful, he would increase the quantity later.
Furthermore, he was worried that trading too much at once would attract the attention of bandits along the way.
After all, in the chaos of the current era, bandits and Yellow Turbans were numerous along the way, with various forces large and small.
Therefore, the possibility of accidents for the caravan was too high!
Moreover, Long Chen didn’t have the manpower to escort the caravan himself.
His current generals all needed to train the sixty thousand soldiers in his territory.
Therefore, he could only send some special troops and the elite soldiers of Yangzhou to protect the caravan.
