I Can Control My Ancestors-Chapter 201 - 11: Campaign Against Bing, Battle with Lu Bu – The Yan Province War Begins
Liangzhou State.
....
The sound of clashing weapons continuously rang out.
Gu Chen and Ma Chao charged at each other back and forth under the eyes of the crowd.
Everyone’s faces were full of shock.
Especially Gu Wei.
Watching Gu Chen, who had clearly gained the upper hand in the field, he even began to doubt his own memory.
Is this really his brother?
How could Gu Chen have grown to such a level in just a few short years?
He even started to doubt his own eyes, his face full of emotion.
Ma Chao was equally shocked at this moment.
Gu Chen’s progress was too fast; how long had it been, and he was already able to suppress him?
The more Ma Chao thought, the angrier he became, and his attacks became increasingly fierce.
But Gu Chen remained completely composed.
Attacking and defending in measure.
After exchanging several more blows with Ma Chao, he seized the opportunity to flick Ma Chao’s spear out of his hand, piercing it directly into the ground.
Silence!
Complete silence!
Ma Chao stared blankly at the silver spear stuck in the ground, and after a brief moment of astonishment, he shook his head helplessly.
"The young master is truly extraordinary."
He couldn’t help but exclaim.
No matter how proud Ma Chao was, he had to admit defeat at this moment.
Gu Chen’s progress was too quick.
This change was something Ma Chao could clearly feel.
"Meng Qi is also extraordinary." Gu Chen smiled, stepped forward, pulled out Ma Chao’s silver spear, and casually tossed it back to him.
Ma Chao caught the silver spear with ease, his face showing no anger, instead bursting into hearty laughter.
If it were someone else, he might have fought to the death.
But the Gu Clan’s offsprings are different.
In a frontier like Liangzhou State, the tales of the Gu Clan far exceed those of the Central Plains, always shrouded in a layer of mystery.
Losing to a member of the Gu Clan, Ma Chao could accept that.
The two dismounted together, returning to the camp with the others to discuss important matters.
Their next move was to attack Bingzhou State.
——The situation in the world today had changed drastically.
Gongsun Zan was utterly defeated;
His control over Youzhou State was too weak.
Yuan Shao, following the advice of his strategist "Ju Shou," not only divided the powerful clans within Youzhou State.
He even formed an alliance with the Xianbei, creating chaos outside of Youzhou State.
Most importantly, Lu Bu’s allegiance completely nullified the effectiveness of Gongsun Zan’s White Horse Righteous Followers.
The White Horse Righteous Followers were Gongsun Zan’s strongest asset.
When this elite cavalry lost its effectiveness, the morale of his troops was greatly affected.
Under such circumstances.
Gongsun Zan suffered defeats in battle after battle, ultimately besieged in Guangyang Commandery, choosing to die rather than surrender, perishing by self-immolation.
Yuan Shao completely unified Youzhou and Jizhou States.
Using the momentum from this battle, he began to reclaim Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Army, once again occupying the majority of Bingzhou State, his power soaring.
And in the land of Qing Province, there were also changes.
——Lu Zhi passed away!
He was already advanced in age, and years of campaigning on the battlefield, in such times, was greatly detrimental to one’s lifespan.
Coupled with the pressure from Yuan Shao’s prolonged campaign in Qing Province.
Ultimately, he succumbed to time, passing away in Jinan Commandery.
On his deathbed.
He entrusted the position of Governor of Qing Province to Liu Bei, hoping that he could fulfill his dream of reviving the Great Han.
And Liu Bei did not disappoint Lu Zhi.
He had already captured Pingyuan Commandery and was advancing toward Jizhou State.
The most crucial point is——
He had formally allied with Cao Cao!
Yuan Shu would certainly not allow Yuan Shao to dominate single-handedly.
That was just his nature; after Yuan Shao resolved the crisis in Jizhou State, Yuan Shu summoned Sun Jian back, aiming to have Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, along with Liu Bei, exhaust each other.
Meanwhile, he set his sights back on Yu Province.
For Yuan Shu, this was indeed a good strategy.
Whether it was Cao Cao or Liu Bei, a major battle was inevitable between them and Yuan Shao.
But a strong assault on Yu Province would surely incur the displeasure of the Yingchuan Xun Clan.
Yuan Shu’s reputation among the people was indeed unsavory.
He originally delighted in luxury, and such traits would naturally magnify as his power grew, displeasing scholarly families like the Yingchuan Xun Clan.
But how could someone like Yuan Shu care about what others thought?
Because of this.
The influential families of Yingchuan completely abandoned the idea of supporting Yuan Shu and instead formed discreet ties with Cao Cao of Yan Province.
Cao Cao’s talents were recognized by everyone during this period.
Sun Jian’s bravery was already famous across the land.
Yet Cao Cao managed to render Sun Jian unable to make progress in Yan Province, proving his extraordinary nature.
And compared to Yuan Shu.
Though Cao Cao came from humble origins, his character and reputation were much better.
Moreover, coming from a humble background had its advantages.
It meant there were more opportunities under his command.
By this time, who in the world couldn’t see that a major change was imminent?
Deciding where to place bets was a vital question for all influential families.
As for the lords of the four regions, they were constantly in motion.
The rumor of the "Heirloom Seal of the Realm" being lost had now completely spread across the entire land.
Although Liu Dai still held the position of the Emperor, he had essentially lost it.
Families, clans, they no longer cared about him.
Even ordinary people throughout the land no longer regarded him as the Emperor.
In some places, the "Zhao Ning" era name had already been reinstated.
Countless people were secretly searching for the offspring of Emperor Ling, "Liu Bian" and "Liu Xie."
——Especially the Liu Clan lords!
If Liu Dai could become Emperor, then why not them?
