Yuan Xi left the Zhen family and went to the armory in Ye City to mobilize troops, where he ran into Zhang He.
When Zhang He saw Yuan Xi, he quickly came over and whispered, "These days, He heard that the Young Master was busy dealing with the locust plague, so I didn't dare to bother you."
He lowered his voice: "Last time, regarding the two carts of goods, He did not expect that the value would be so precious. The compensation for the dead and wounded soldiers, as well as the rewards for the entire army, only used a little more than half a cart."
"Regarding the rest, when will the Young Master be free, so that He can send it back to your residence?"
Yuan Xi smiled upon hearing this, "Brother Junyi is too polite. Wealth is but an external thing, how can it be more important than human life?"
"Brother Junyi helped me greatly last time. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to defeat the Xuzhou army. Just accept this small amount of wealth."
Seeing that Yuan Xi insisted on not accepting it, Zhang He couldn't refuse, so he had to thank him.
He remembered the events in Fei County and shook his head, "More than a year ago, that Governor of Yu Province, Liu Bei, was still the Chancellor of Pingyuan. When he followed Tian Kai in Pingyuan State to fight with the Eldest Young Master, I was also present, but I didn't go into battle at the time."
"That day, the Eldest Young Master was beaten back into the formation. At the time, He didn't think much of the opposite side, but it wasn't until a few days ago when we fought that I discovered some problems, which were very different from before."
Yuan Xi became interested and said, "What's different?"
Zhang He said, "In the Battle of Pingyuan, the two mounted archers behind Liu Bei, what were they called..."
"Guan Yu and Zhang Fei."
"Oh, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, the Young Master knows the enemy like the back of his hand. In He's opinion, from their riding posture to their attack patterns, both seemed quite unskilled, with many flaws, obviously not having experienced many battles, and their horsemanship was not very proficient."
"At that time, He thought to himself that if he personally went into battle, in a one-on-one fight, he could defeat them in less than fifty rounds,"
"At that time, we used our superior numbers to drive Liu Bei's army back to the east bank of the Yellow River. I never encountered an opportunity, so I didn't pay much attention to the opposite side."
Speaking of this, Zhang He's face revealed a hint of disbelief, "But outside Fei County, this idea of mine completely changed."
"As soon as we exchanged blows, I felt something was wrong."
"Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, compared to a year or two ago, were completely different!"
"Whether it was from their moves or their aura, they were like completely different people from before."
"A year ago, I thought I could still defeat them, but outside Fei County, I only had the power to parry!"
Yuan Xi understood after hearing this, "You mean, they have improved very quickly in the past year or so?"
Zhang He's expression was solemn, "Exactly, they didn't seem to be hiding their strength before, it's just that their strength was insufficient, but now it's like they've been reborn, their strength has increased dramatically!"
"I originally had at least several years of experience in battle more than them, but they surpassed me in just a short year. I am truly ashamed."
Yuan Xi thought to himself that it turned out that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were potential-type players, no wonder their reputation was not obvious when they followed Liu Bei in the early stages, but they became more and more powerful later on.
I have to be more careful if I encounter them again in the future!
He said to Zhang He, "Isn't the General's strength also constantly increasing?"
Zhang He's face was somewhat disappointed: "When a person's martial arts reach a certain level, progress will slow down, which is limited by personal talent."
"But Guan Yu and Zhang Fei obviously have a much higher upper limit than me."
Yuan Xi nodded slightly. Indeed, sometimes the difference in talent between people is really unreasonable.
However, thinking about how Liu, Guan, and Zhang are all experts who practice together every day and promote each other, this condition is indeed unique.
He comforted, "General, don't be discouraged. The battlefield is not a pure competition of martial arts, but a comprehensive reflection of strategy, morale, and logistics. Even Marquis Wen, who had extraordinary martial arts, has suffered defeats several times, hasn't he?"
Zhang He praised, "What the Young Master said is true. Marquis Wen is indeed powerful. When he attacked the Black Mountain Army, he led dozens of riders to charge into the formation, and he had gains for more than ten consecutive days, which completely shattered the morale of the Black Mountain Army. He cannot compare to that."
He then sighed, "It's a pity that Marquis Wen is too arrogant and indulges his troops in looting the people, which has greatly damaged the reputation of the Yuan family, so he was expelled."
Yuan Xi understood that in order to gain a reputation for benevolence and righteousness, Yuan Shao's army discipline was relatively good compared to the warlords at the end of the Han Dynasty, especially in terms of restraining looting of the people, which was done fairly well.
He said, "It was also amazing that Marquis Wen was able to leave in the midst of heavy ambushes and encirclement."
Zhang He looked around and whispered, "Doesn't the Young Master know?"
"Marquis Wen was able to escape, it is said that it was related to Gao Shun."
Yuan Xi and Zhang He chatted about this and that for a long time, just waiting for this sentence.
Regarding Gao Shun, Yuan Xi also asked Yuan Tan and Gao Lan, but they were vague.
He looked puzzled: "I haven't been in Ye City for three years, and my information is not accurate. Please enlighten me, General."
Zhang He hesitated for a moment, but having taken Yuan Xi's wealth, he couldn't refuse at this moment, so he had to whisper, "I don't know much about the inside story, but I used to work with Gao Shun, so I know some news."
"But what is certain is that Gao Shun is from the Gao clan of Chenliu, and belongs to the same clan as Gao Gan and Gao Lan."
"Gao Shun's martial arts are okay, but compared to our Four Pillars, he can't be said to have an advantage, but his strength lies in training soldiers."
"You also know that a person like him can't get military merit and can't easily get ahead. Within the Gao clan of Ji Province, he is not as good as Gao Gan and Gao Lan."
"Later, when Marquis Wen fled from Ji Province, Gao Shun also disappeared with him, and the pursuers did not catch up. Many strategists suspected that Gao Shun provided Marquis Wen with information and left together."
Yuan Xi thought to himself that it turned out to be like this, so things matched up.
Just as Cao Cao trusted the Xiahou clan, Yuan Shao also vigorously promoted and appointed members of his wife's Gao clan. Later, even Bing Province was entrusted to Gao Gan.
It's no wonder that Gao Shun's status under Lu Bu was extraordinary, yet he was still subject to suspicion.
Lu Bu's generals were mostly from Bing and Liang provinces, and most of them were cavalry. Gao Shun, a pure infantryman, stood out as an anomaly.
Moreover, the soldiers of the 'Camp Crusher' were fully equipped with armor, which was even more unusual. Since Lu Bu was defeated by Li Jue and Guo Si, and fled with only a hundred or so riders, he had mostly lived as a dependent. Where would he get the money and supplies to build such a strong, well-equipped force?
There were not many lords in the world who specialized in training infantry. Even if they had armor, they would be reluctant to use it on infantry. Cao Cao's Qingzhou soldiers, most of whom wore cloth, were considered powerful.
Only Yuan Shao, who was based in the richest Ji Province and had the greatest power, could afford to raise such a force, based on Qu Yi's 'First to Ascend' shock troops.
It was even possible that the 'Camp Crusher' included former members of the 'First to Ascend'!
Yuan Xi felt that things were gradually connecting together.
No wonder the Yuan clan was so secretive about this matter. It was likely that when Gao Shun left with Lu Bu, he took away a still-training elite infantry unit from the Yuan clan, causing Yuan Shao a significant loss.
This could also explain why Gao Shun was later subjected to suspicion under Lu Bu, and even had his military power taken away for a time. The fact that Cao Cao executed him without asking any questions was likely due to his origins.
It seems that if I want to poach from Lu Bu, Gao Shun might be a brick I can pry loose.
With Yuan Xi's nature of plucking feathers from every passing goose, how could he help Lu Bu for no reason?
Although Lu Bu had repeatedly been defeated, his foundation was always strong. Zhang Liao, one of his Eight Generals, was someone Yuan Xi had long coveted.
And Gao Shun, who was above the Eight Generals, had an extraordinary position. His seven hundred 'Camp Crusher' soldiers were extremely famous and were his trump card.
Rather than letting Cao Cao take over Lu Bu's forces completely after his death, it would be better to find a way to grab a piece for myself. In any case, I can't let Cao Cao benefit!
Yuan Xi and Zhang He talked for a while longer before Yuan Xi finally said, "I will rely on the General for this trip to Pingyuan."
This time, Yuan Xi's two thousand soldiers were still commanded by Zhang He, while Yuan Tan's twenty thousand soldiers were commanded by Yan Liang, Gao Lan, and others, with each person having four to five thousand soldiers.
It seemed that Zhang He was at a disadvantage, as more soldiers meant greater merit.
However, since Zhang He dared to accept, it was partly because of the wealth Yuan Xi had sent, and partly because Zhang He also guessed that Yuan Xi would transfer the elite soldiers from Beixin City this time.
Zhang He had felt something was wrong when he saw the thirty riders last time. Their average quality and martial prowess far exceeded the Ji Province cavalry, so Zhang He guessed that following Yuan Xi this time would allow him to achieve even greater merit!
Zhang He asked, "How many soldiers will the Young Lord transfer from Beixin City this time?"
Yuan Xi calculated, "About a hundred cavalry and three hundred infantry. That should be my limit."
Zhang He was slightly disappointed: "The two cavalry generals from last time?"
"They won't be coming."
Zhang He was even more disappointed.
Yuan Xi said, "However, I will send another capable general over, who is no less skilled than the previous two."
Zhang He was somewhat satisfied now, but five hundred soldiers were still a bit few.
Forget it, I'll see what happens then. Zhang He always felt that he had not completely seen through Yuan Xi.
The weather turned cold, entering late autumn. The ground in Ye City was covered with fallen leaves, appearing unusually peaceful, and Ji Province was also peaceful.
But the surrounding provinces were in turmoil.
Lu Bu and Cao Cao fought several major battles around Juancheng.
Lu Bu had previously stored grain, making him more confident than Cao Cao's army, but even with this advantage, he could not defeat Cao's army.
However, Cao Cao's food supply was also running out.
At this time, Yuan Shao sent a messenger to Cao Cao again, saying that as long as Cao Cao was willing to submit to Yuan Shao and send his family to Ye City, he would immediately send troops and grain.
Cao Cao was hesitating in the Juancheng government office, and his subordinate strategists were arguing incessantly, but this time, even Xun Yu and Xi Zhicai were helpless.
Suddenly, a person stood up and said, "I will go and collect grain."
When Cao Cao saw him, his expression eased, and he said, "Zhongde, what is your plan?"
The strategist who stood up was Cheng Yu. He said, "I will return to Dong'a to find a solution."
Cao Hong coldly snorted, "There is no grain in Dong'a. Zhongde, are you perhaps thinking of running away?"
Now that the city was short of food, everyone was panicking, and desertions were increasing day by day, so Cao Hong could not restrain himself at this time.
Cao Cao shouted, "Silence!" Cao Hong immediately shut his mouth.
Cao Cao turned to Cheng Yu: "Zhongde, I trust you, but there is no grain in Dong'a."
Cheng Yu's expression did not change: "There are living people."
Everyone's expression changed greatly, and Yu Jin felt a wave of nausea.
Cheng Yu cupped his hands and said, "Now we have reached the end of our rope, only this can support us. I hope the Lord will decide."
He looked around: "Or does anyone else have a solution?"
Everyone lowered their heads.
Xun Yu slowly said, "Zhongde, that is your hometown."
Cheng Yu coldly said, "If we lose, what will be the consequences?"
Everyone was even more speechless.
Cao Cao sighed, "Then I will rely entirely on Zhongde."
The next day after Cheng Yu left, news came that thirty thousand troops from Ji Province had launched an attack on Qing Province!
As soon as this news came out, several parties were caught off guard.
Cao Cao's side felt like they had swallowed a fly. They had not accepted Yuan Shao's conditions, so the Yuan clan simply went straight to attack Qing Province, completely ignoring the devastated Yan Province.
Even more uncomfortable than Cao Cao was Liu Bei in Xu Province.