Chapter 1018: The Change in Ye City (1)
Chapter 1018: The Change in Ye City (1)
September 25, 2017
Jingzhou, Ye City, within the Governor's Mansion.
Yuan Shao stared blankly at the map before him, a map of the vast Han Empire, and his gaze was fixed on the region of Bingzhou.
It wasn't that he had any sinister plans or ambitions for Bingzhou at this moment. The current Yuan Shao was not the same as the one in historical records or the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
He had to reluctantly admit that with his current strength, not only was he unable to covet Bingzhou, but without Lu Hai Kong's humiliation during the coalition against Dong Zhuo, he would have been defeated by Baron Yuan long ago.
Under such circumstances, he secretly hoped that Lu Hai Kong would come out unharmed from the siege of the three heroes. If possible, he was even willing to lend a helping hand to Lu Hai Kong. However, to his regret, although he had managed to establish a foothold in Ye City, the forces under his command were insufficient to achieve this.
Gazing at the map for a long time, Yuan Shao heaved a soft sigh, "When will I be able to break free from this awkward situation and truly control Jingzhou, possessing an army as formidable as that thief Lu Hai Kong?"
Yuan Shao's tone grew increasingly despondent, clearly lacking confidence in himself.
He then retracted his gaze and began to roll up the map. Just as he was halfway through, a deep voice from outside interrupted him.
"My Lord, Mr. Guo Tu requests an audience!"
Yuan Shao was taken aback. Why was Guo Tu visiting him so late? But he quickly regained his composure, "Let him in!"
...
The day after Yuan Shao's meeting with Guo Tu, a general in the military camp of Ye City received a letter.
Upon reading the letter, the general's face paled, and he slammed the table, about to call for his soldiers. However, before he could utter a word, he froze, his mouth agape, unable to speak for a long while.
This general was none other than Gao Gan, one of the two remaining top generals under Yuan Shao.
Though Gao Gan wasn't one of the Four Pillars of Hebei and lacked historical fame, he was indeed a formidable warrior. Especially in this world, after experiencing defeat at Huolao Pass, he had worked tirelessly to improve himself. Within just six months, his martial prowess had surpassed level 90, making him a top-tier general across the realm.
Despite his improved martial skills, Yuan Shao's attitude towards him had subtly changed since his humiliating defeat against Hua Xiong during the campaign against Dong Zhuo. Although he wasn't neglected, Yuan Shao didn't value him as much as before.
In contrast, Yuan Shao showed more favor towards Qu Yi, who had bravely faced Lu Hai Kong. Despite arriving at the same time and possessing similar talents, Yuan Shao clearly preferred Qu Yi over Gao Gan.
Naturally, Gao Gan hadn't paid much attention to this initially. However, recently, there had been constant whispers sowing discord between him and Yuan Shao.
Whether it was due to his mindset or not, Gao Gan increasingly felt that Yuan Shao's gaze upon him carried a hint of distrust and suspicion.
This situation alone was already distressing for Gao Gan, but just then, he received a letter. Upon reading it, his entire scalp tingled with suppressed anger.
The letter was written in delicate and elegant handwriting, clearly penned by a woman.
Indeed, the writer was a woman named Guo Yun, a distant relative of Guo Tu and a true lady from a respectable family.
Gao Gan had met this lady just a couple of months ago, and their encounter was somewhat coincidental. However, Gao Gan didn't find it coincidental; instead, he believed it was fate's arrangement.
Ever since meeting Han Yun, this rough-and-tough man had fallen head over heels.
To his delight, Guo Yun also held affection for him, and within a month or two, they had developed a romantic relationship.
Due to this romance, Gao Gan had been living a blissful life, paying little heed to Yuan Shao's increasing vigilance towards him. He wore a constant smile, appearing as if he had just bathed in the spring breeze, almost like a fool.
Gao Gan had even considered seeking Yuan Shao's help in proposing marriage to Guo Yun. However, he never expected to receive a letter from Guo Yun today, and it wasn't good news. The letter stated that Guo Tu intended to betroth her to Qu Yi!
"No, I can't let Yun'er marry that bastard! I must ask my lord to let her marry me!"
Gao Gan stared at the letter for a long moment before finally losing his composure. He rushed straight to the Governor's Mansion in Ye City.
It turned out that this guy was also a hopeless romantic, as he went straight to Yuan Shao to plead for Guo Yun.
However, Gao Gan was acting like a hot-blooded youth, his mind clouded by passion, rushing to find Yuan Shao without considering the consequences.
Initially, Yuan Shao, though unsure of Gao Gan's intentions, greeted him warmly. But when he learned that Gao Gan was there to poach Qu Yi, Yuan Shao became furious!
In his heart, he had a measuring stick, and it clearly showed the difference between Qu Yi and Gao Gan. In Yuan Shao's eyes, Qu Yi was honest, upright, and possessed exceptional military training skills, far surpassing Gao Gan, who seemed to have some ambiguous relationship with Baron Yuan. Hearing that Gao Gan wanted to poach Qu Yi, Yuan Shao was determined to stop him.
At this time, Yuan Shao's situation wasn't ideal, as he only had these two top generals. Even if he was angry, he dared not show it too much and eventually persuaded Gao Gan to leave with kind words.
After sending Gao Gan away, Yuan Shao pondered, seeking a solution that would satisfy both parties.
However, before he could come up with a plan, another problem arose. Someone had leaked the news to Qu Yi.
Upon hearing this, Qu Yi flew into a rage. How dare Gao Gan try to cuckold him! He couldn't bear it.
Qu Yi immediately led his troops to confront Gao Gan, demanding an explanation. The two men faced off in Gao Gan's military camp, and if not for Yuan Shao's timely arrival, a large-scale bloodbath would have ensued.
In the 16th year of the reign of Emperor Ling, the 9th month, and the 1st day, the version without errors!
Although Yuan Shao had arrived and stopped the fight, the challenge before him was far from over.
There was only one woman, and both of his top generals wanted her. One for his reputation and the other for love, leaving Yuan Shao in a dilemma. He never imagined that the biggest problem he faced was his subordinates fighting over a woman.
This issue gave Yuan Shao a massive headache, and for a while, he had no solution. He could only temporarily calm the two hot-headed men.
After finally soothing these two brutes, Yuan Shao returned to the Governor's Mansion, only to be summoned by Guo Tu, who scolded him and then passed the problem to Guo Tu, demanding a solution that would please both parties.
As Yuan Shao met with Guo Tu, an unexpected visitor arrived at Gao Gan's camp.
Ye City, Gao Gan's Military Camp—Despite the late hour, Gao Gan couldn't sleep.
He was restless, feeling utterly frustrated. Not only had his love life been disrupted, but he was now seen as the third party in someone else's relationship. What worried him even more was that during his confrontation with Qu Yi, Yuan Shao had scolded them both, and when Yuan Shao left, his gaze towards Gao Gan was filled with undeniable disgust.
So, despite the late hour, Gao Gan sat there holding a wine jar, showing no signs of sleep.
"Who's there?"
Suddenly, Gao Gan, who was hugging the wine jar and drinking, paused, his hand reaching for the nearby weapon, his entire body on high alert.
As he became vigilant, a figure emerged from the shadows.
Seeing the person before him, Gao Gan's grip on the wine jar loosened, and he threw it aside. He brandished his weapon, assuming a fighting stance.
"How did you get here?"
"It doesn't matter how I got here. What matters is, do you still want your little lover?"
The visitor looked at Gao Gan with a mocking smile,
"By the way, I advise you to put down your weapon. After all, if we fight here and someone sees us, it won't be good. If Yuan Shao misinterprets the situation, it will be even worse for you."
As he spoke, the visitor stepped into the candlelight, revealing a young face. It was none other than Zhang He!
(End of Chapter)
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