lcionline Chapter 687 Death of Gongsun Zan
Chapter 687 Death of Gongsun Zan
No matter how much respect Lu Cheng had for Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, when he raised the banner of revenge for Liu Yu, he still received the response and support of the people in the western counties of Youzhou. Even the people of Youbeiping County of Gongsun Zan were looking forward to the Liaodong army defeating Gongsun Zan.
The reason is very simple. Gongsun Zan did not know how to govern the local area and had few talented people under his command. He only knew how to expand the military force but did not know how to sympathize with the people. He constantly conscripted able-bodied men and increased taxes, and the people had long been suffering.
In addition, with the people of Liaodong as a comparison, if Gongsun Zan had not sent troops to restrain and guard the passes along the way, the people of Youbeiping would have fled to Liaodong in large numbers long ago.
As Lu Cheng passed on orders to various places, generals Taishi Ci, Zhou Tai, and Jiang Qin led their troops to advance by land and sea, crossed Liaoxi County, and attacked Youbeiping County.
At the same time, Zhang Liao of Yanmen County in the west also led his troops out of Yanmen and attacked Youzhou to the east.
In order to hone the newly formed heavy cavalry, Lu Cheng asked Dian Wei to lead the troops to deal with Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers.
Gongsun Zan had just occupied Ji County and had not yet completely gained a foothold when he was faced with a pincer attack from the east and west. He hastily dispatched troops to fight and sent out all the able-bodied men he had just conscripted.
Such an army was naturally no match for the elite Liaodong Army. The front line was quickly defeated, and many cities surrendered. The situation took a sharp turn for the worse, leaving Gongsun Zan no time to react.
When Taishi Ci and Dian Wei led their troops to attack Youbeiping County, Zhang Liao in the west had basically taken over Dai County and was preparing to attack Shanggu County.
The strong against the weak, the many against the few, the deliberate and unintentional, the result is already determined.
Faced with the one-sided situation, Gongsun Zan was completely powerless to turn the tide and could only lead his troops to focus on defending his own stronghold, Youbeiping County.
On this day, outside Pinggang City, Youbeiping County.
Gongsun Zan glanced at the powerful Liaodong army opposite him, then looked back at the White Horse Volunteers and the remaining 20,000 Peking Army behind him, and knew that today would be the last battle of his life.
After a long sigh, Gongsun Zan spurred his horse forward and said, "Lu Cheng, do you dare to come out and answer me?"
In the Liaodong army formation, Lu Cheng, wearing a white robe and silver armor, riding a red rabbit horse, walked out of the army formation with a silver spear in hand: "Gongsun Bogui, when you killed Liu Youzhou, did you ever think that this day would come?"
Gongsun Zan snorted coldly: "Lu Cheng, why do you have to pretend to be a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty? Do you think that the heroes of the world don't know your ambitions? When Liu Yu was here, you and I both refused to obey him. When dealing with the Xianbei and Wuhuan, you and I also stood on the same side. Why do you come to be my enemy today?"
Lu Cheng just laughed and said, "Gongsun Zan, it is useless to say more today. In troubled times, the princes attack each other. There is no right or wrong. It's just a matter of who wins and who loses. Whether to fight or surrender, make a quick decision."
Gongsun Zan laughed loudly, his voice full of endless sadness: "Yes, the victors are the kings and the losers are the bandits. Today, there are only the White Horse Generals who died in battle, but no Gongsun Zan who surrendered! White Horse Volunteers, follow me and charge!"
The leader of the White Horse Volunteers, Yan Gang, raised his spear and shouted, "Wherever justice leads, life and death will follow! Heaven can bear witness, and the white horse is the witness!"
Lu Cheng also raised his spear: "Where are the Black Armor Guards!"
Dian Wei, wearing a layer of black armor and riding a black horse, holding a pair of halberds, rushed forward with his horse under his horn: "Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Behind him, there were a thousand heavily armored cavalrymen wearing hydraulically pressed plate armor and riding armored war horses. Each of them held up a heavy lance more than ten feet long and began to accelerate forward silently.
The "click, click, click" sound of armor friction and horse hooves mixed together, bringing up billowing smoke and dust, like a huge black dragon, charging towards the White Horse Volunteers on the opposite side.
General Gongsun Zan, the White Horse, took the lead and rushed straight towards Lu Cheng.
Lu Cheng simply squeezed the horse's belly lightly, and the Red Hare leaped forward to meet Gongsun Zan.
As the two sides approached, Gongsun Zan saw the always calm expression on Lu Cheng's face, and he became furious. He immediately burst out with the greatest strength of his life, raised his spear, jumped on his horse, and stabbed towards Lu Cheng.
However, at the moment when the horses of both sides met, Lu Cheng simply swept the spear with one hand, easily knocking the horse lance in Gongsun Zan's hand away, and then slashed with the sharp spear blade straight across Gongsun Zan's neck.
Afterwards, Lu Cheng stood on his horse, turned his horse's head, and left the battlefield in the middle. He clasped his fists and bowed to Gongsun Zan behind him: "Farewell, General Bai Ma!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gongsun Zan fell off his horse and was silent.
At the same time, a thousand black-armored cavalry passed by Lu Cheng and rushed into the oncoming Baima Yicong, launching a ruthless crushing attack.
Yan Gang, the leading general of the Baima Yicong, had no time to mourn the departure of his lord before he was bumped into Dian Wei who was riding a horse and was beheaded by Dian Wei with one blow.
With just one charge, the Baima Yicong were split into two halves, leaving behind a field of corpses trampled into mud by the heavy cavalry.
"Gongsun Zan is dead! Those who surrender will not be killed!"
Faced with such a fierce enemy, many of the remaining White Horse Volunteers chose to surrender, while some once again launched a desperate charge towards the heavy cavalry: "Where justice leads, life and death follow! Heaven can bear witness, and the white horses are witnesses! Kill!"
Gongsun Zan had fought against the Hu people at the border for many years and had managed to keep the area peaceful, so he still had some loyal soldiers under his command.
For those who are willing to die, the best outcome is to fulfill their wishes.
The battle soon came to an end, and the remaining 20,000 Peking troops surrendered without any resistance.
The battle ended quickly, the auxiliary soldiers began to clean up the battlefield, the medical team began to save the wounded, and Taishi Ci led his troops into Pinggang City and planted a new flag on the top of the city.
"My Lord, what should we do with Gongsun Zan's body?"
"Let's give him a good burial."
"promise!"
After Gongsun Zan's death, most of the remaining cities in Youzhou surrendered voluntarily. The Liaodong Army quickly occupied the entire Youzhou and connected with Yanmen County in Bingzhou.
After taking over the entire Youzhou, the Liaodong Army did not stop its advance, but instead headed south, attacking Hejian State and Zhongshan State along the way.
At the same time, Zhao Yun in Bingzhou in the west also led his troops eastward and marched towards his hometown, Changshan State.
Jizhou had nine counties and 100 towns, with a population of 91 households or about 593 million people. It was one of the most populous provinces in the world, with vast arable land, sufficient food, and many aristocratic families.
Among them, Bohai County, the most populous county in Jizhou, has a population of over one million.
The current governor of Bohai is Yuan Shao Yuan Benchu.
After the princes fought against Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao returned to Bohai, recruited talents, recruited soldiers and expanded his military forces. At the same time, he sent people to contact Ju Yi, a general under Han Fu, hoping to form an alliance with Ju Yi to eliminate or drive away Han Fu and seize Jizhou.
When Lu Cheng led his troops to attack Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shao realized that Lu Cheng was also eyeing Jizhou, so he quickened his pace.
When the Liaodong Army had just pacified Youzhou, Yuan Shao also sent troops to Hejian State.
For a time, Jizhou was attacked from all sides. Jizhou Mu Han Fu, considering his status as a disciple of Yuan family, decided to give Jizhou to Yuan Shao after being persuaded by his advisers.
At the same time, as the Liaodong Army marched into Jizhou, the Black Mountain Army active in the Taihang Mountains in Zhongshan, Changshan, Zhaojun, Shangdang, and Henei also sent envoys again to express their willingness to submit...