Speaking of the long-standing hatred between Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao, we must start from the time when the eighteen princes attacked Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo was still alive at that time, and Han Fu was constantly being cannibalized by Yuan Shao due to his cowardice. Gongsun Zan relied on force and ignored Liu Yu's strict orders.
, sent people to attack Jizhou. Gongsun Zan's offensive was fierce and shocked Hebei. The counties and counties of Jizhou surrendered one after another. The hatred between the two families began from then on.
Yuan Shao personally led the troops to fight against Gongsun Zan. The two armies clashed twenty miles south of the border bridge. Gongsun Zan arranged a square formation with 30,000 infantrymen, with 5,000 cavalry on each wing. Yuan Shao ordered Qu Yi to lead 800 elite troops as the vanguard, with a thousand powerful crossbows.
To cover, he commanded tens of thousands of infantry behind him. Seeing that Yuan Shao's troops were few, Gongsun Zan ordered the cavalry to charge and trample the enemy's formation. Quyi's soldiers prostrated under their shields, and when Gongsun Zan's cavalry rushed to a place dozens of paces away, they all jumped up.
He rose up and chopped down. Gongsun Zan's army suffered an unexpected blow, and the whole army fell into chaos. The cavalry and infantry were all scrambling to escape. Qu Yi's army became more and more courageous as they fought, and killed Gongsun Zan's general Yan Gang on the battlefield.
The leader of the Black Mountain Army, Zhang Yan, sent his general Du Chang and others to help Gongsun Zan, but they were also defeated by Yuan Shao. The Black Mountain Army and Yuan Shao began to have a grudge.
In the third year of Chuping, Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao went to war. Yuan Shu asked Gongsun Zan for help. Gongsun Zan ordered Liu Bei to garrison Gaotang and Shanjing to garrison the plains. At the same time, he united with Tao Qian to intimidate Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao jointly attacked and defeated Yuan Shu, Gongsun Zan and Tao Qian.
Allied forces. From then on, Yuan Shao drove away Han Fu and took control of Jizhou, and his strength increased greatly. Gongsun Zan did not dare to act rashly anymore. In order to save his life, he once again joined forces with Zhang Yan in an attempt to resist Yuan Shao's threat.
This time, Yuan Shao made a desperate move and wanted to have a decisive battle with Gongsun Zan. Gongsun Zan was a little worried that with his current strength, it would be difficult to defeat Yuan Shao, so he followed the advice of his counselor Guan Jing and hoarded a large amount of grain and grass in Yixian County, just in case.
There was still a way out for him. When the news came from the scouts that Yuan Shao had raised troops, Gongsun Zan could no longer sit still.
Guan Jing, the chief historian, asked: "How many people are there in Yuan Shao? Where do they come from?"
The scout said: "Yuan Shao's army has about 60,000 horses, heading straight from Boling to Fan Yang!"
"Is there any division of troops?"
The scout quickly shook his head: "The troops have not been divided. Sixty thousand troops have gathered together."
Guan Jing let out a long breath, waved the scouts down, turned to Gongsun Zan and said: "General, this Yuan Shao doesn't know how to use troops. He wants to fight us decisively. The 60,000-strong army can only go one way. Youzhou can be saved!"
"Sir, tell me quickly, what are the countermeasures?" Gongsun Zan asked hurriedly. Guan Jing whispered a few words in Gongsun Zan's ear, and Gongsun Zan laughed. His original state of being confused suddenly disappeared, and his face became bright again.
Showing confidence and ruthlessness.
The boundary bridge [note] is actually the bridge over a small river at the junction of Youzhou and Jizhou. The river flows from west to east, and finally merges into the Pan River and flows into the sea. After crossing the boundary bridge, you enter the boundary of Youzhou. When Yuan Shao's army and horses arrived
When they were near the boundary bridge, the vanguard camp came to report that Gongsun Zan had demolished the boundary bridge. Yuan Shao laughed loudly and said to his generals: "This is because Gongsun Zan is afraid! He was so rampant back then and repeatedly attacked our Jizhou. Let him know today."
We are not easy to mess with either.”
Before Yuan Shao finished speaking, a messenger shouted and rushed into the tent: "Report to the lord, a large number of Youzhou troops and horses were found on the other side of the boundary bridge! The number is unknown, and they are all over the mountains and fields. General Zhang He asked whether to attack!"
Tian Feng was stunned: "This Gongsun Zan actually wants to stop us here?"
Wen Chou said: "Across the river is the boundary of Youzhou. It doesn't matter what Gongsun Zan does. My lord gives me an army and horses, and I will go and fight with them for a while!"
"There is no need to use a bull's knife to kill a chicken. General Wen Chou doesn't need to take action. The last general is willing to go!" The one who spoke was Sui Yuanjin. This boy and Wen Chou are the best friends. They have the same temperament. They are both the kind of hard-working guys, and they both like drinking, so
They became a family. Sui Yuanjin married Wen Chou's sister and became Wen Chou's brother-in-law.
Yuan Shao laughed and said: "Our army is brave, Gongsun Zan has nothing to worry about! In this case, I ordered Sui Yuan to advance!"
Sui Yuanjin led five thousand troops and crossed the boundary bridge. He immediately stood on the edge of the boundary river, swung the sword in his hand, and shouted loudly into the woods in the distance: "Listen, you people who don't care about your life, I am a general under the general."
Sui Yuanjin, the one who is not afraid of death can come out and watch me cut off your heads one by one!"
In the woods, a group of infantry held shields in their hands and hid their entire figures behind, and slowly walked out. When they came to the open space, suddenly, a young general with a white horse and a silver spear rushed out from behind the formation.
.This young general has a handsome appearance, a beautiful face, and a strong body. This horse, this gun, this man is no less than the most beautiful man in the world, Zhao Yun and Zhao Zilong.
"The brave man dares to trespass into our Youzhou territory, retreat quickly, or you will die without a burial place!"
Sui Yuanjin laughed loudly: "You're a boy who doesn't even have hair, and you have such a strong tone. Do you dare to fight with grandpa?"
Without saying much, the two started fighting on the other side of the boundary bridge. Yuan Shao led a group of civil servants and generals to stand on the side of the boundary river and watch. Sui Yuanjin's broadsword was like a tiger, opening and closing with full force.
The young general on the opposite side was able to appear and disappear with a spear. He had the demeanor of the white-horse general Gongsun Zan. Yuan Shao asked: "Who is that young general?"
The judge quickly replied: "This is Gongsun Zan's son Gongsun Xu. Like Gongsun Zan, he likes white horses. This son is very proud and arrogant just like Gongsun Zan!"
While they were talking, Sui Yuanjin slashed Gongsun Xu with his sword, and Gongsun Xu raised his spear to meet him. The sword struck the gun shaft with too much force. Gongsun Xu's hands couldn't support him and fell down. Sui Yuanjin laughed loudly: "Unknown young man.
, Today is the day you die!" The strength in his hand increased again, Gongsun Xu tried his best to block the sword, and then a group of war horses turned around and ran away.
How could Sui Yuanjin let him run away? He urged his horse and gave chase. Seeing that he was about to enter the Youzhou army formation, Sui Yuanjin became even more anxious and urged his horse a few more times. Unfortunately, his horse could not compare with Gongsun Xu's good horse, so he could only watch helplessly.
Following Gongsun Xu, he entered the military formation. The Jizhou army shouted and followed Sui Yuanjin and rushed towards the Youzhou army.
Tian Feng's heart skipped a beat, and he was about to ask Yuan Shao to give the order to retreat. He heard a banging sound on the other side of the river, locusts rained in the woods, and bows and arrows poured down from the sky towards the Jizhou army. The river was not wide, and there were many arrows.
Ju Yi shot across the river and rushed towards Yuan Shao. Yan Liang hurriedly waved his weapons to deflect the arrows flying towards Yuan Shao. A group of people protected Yuan Shao and retreated a hundred steps.
Turn back and look at the army horses on the other side of the river. A place ten feet wide and a hundred paces long was filled with bows and arrows. They were so densely packed that no entity could be seen at all. Like a wheat field, all the arrow feathers were pointed upward. Suddenly, a place
He moved a little. Sui Yuanjin, who was covered in arrows and covered in blood, stood up staggeringly. Looking around, Sui Yuanjin shouted: "Ah...!"
Gongsun Xu rode slowly out of the woods alone, stopped beside Sui Yuanjin, raised his head and glanced at the other side of the river, waved his spear, and the tip of the spear passed across Sui Yuanjin's throat. Sui Yuanjin, who was shouting, immediately lost his voice.
Gongsun Xu stabbed Sui Yuanjin's body with a spear, and raised the body high with both arms. The arrows all over his body were like hedgehogs.
Wen Chou was furious and was about to ride out. Yan Liang grabbed the reins of the horse. Gongsun Xu shouted from the other side: "Listen to me, if anyone dares to step into Youzhou, he will be your example!" After that,
He carried Sui Yuan into the woods.
The Jizhou army was defeated in the first battle. The morale of the Jizhou army was low, and many soldiers had already complained. Yuan Shao sat in the tent with a sad face, holding his forehead with one hand and sighing. The corpses on the other side of the boundary river had not been recovered, so Yuan Shao did not dare to send any more people.
Wen Chou was worried that there were ambushes in the woods. Wen Chou asked for a fight many times, but Yuan Shao just refused. Shen Pei suggested: "My lord, we can use big wood to make a big shield to protect the whole body of the soldiers. This can withstand the bows and arrows of the Youzhou army!"
Xu You smiled: "This is the border of Youzhou. Is it possible that all of us have to hide behind shields along the way? What a joke!"
Tian Feng said: "Gongsun Zan's purpose in this battle is to destroy the morale of our army. My lord must not be discouraged. With my lord as the backbone, the Jizhou army will not be in chaos. Victory or defeat is a common thing for military strategists. We can regroup and enter Youzhou again!"
"Lord, I am willing to be a vanguard and avenge my brother!" Wen Chou asked for a fight again.
Jushou shook his head: "General Wen is a cavalryman and has no power to fight back when encountering bows and arrows. We can send foot soldiers as the vanguard. General Ju Yi is the most suitable to arrive at the camp first."
Yuan Shao's eyes lit up and he hurriedly turned to look at Ju Yi. Ju Yi moved but did not answer. Yuan Shao had no choice but to ask himself: "General Ju Yi, capturing Youzhou is a top priority. Do you think you should get there first?"
Are you willing to be the vanguard?"
"Ahem!" Ju Yi coughed lightly: "The first to climb the camp are dead soldiers, and they can only be used in critical moments. I'm afraid it's not appropriate during this march. The armors of the first to climb the camp are all made of iron. They are not only heavy but also stable in action.
It can be of great use during the formation, but it will not only waste physical strength during the march, but also cause injuries to the soldiers. I cannot agree to this!"
Yuan Shao showed dissatisfaction on his face. Jushou said quickly: "What General Ju Yi said is absolutely true. I was wrong! My lord, why don't we send more scouts? This can minimize the enemy's sneak attack and we will be better prepared when the enemy comes."
As a precaution, I will build more wooden shields according to Lord Shen’s wishes, just in case.”
Yuan Shao glared at Ju Yi and snorted: "This is what we have to do!"
The Jizhou army stayed at the boundary bridge for five days and could not move forward. Fan Yang received the news. Gongsun Zan patted Guan Jing on the shoulder and laughed: "Sir, it is indeed a clever plan. Yuan Shao was stopped in one battle. Yuan Shao, a coward, must dare to
When he comes to Youzhou, he will never come back."
Guan Jing was not as happy as Gongsun Zan. Although Yuan Shao did not dare to advance, he did not retreat. Yuan Shao had many advisers. Sooner or later, he would have a solution. It was very difficult to stop Yuan Shao in Fan Yang. Guan Jing did not know why Gongsun Zan suddenly had this idea.
With such a huge motivation, he felt that this was not a good thing: "General, Fan Yang is easy to attack and difficult to defend. Although there is a city wall, there is no moat. Moreover, this Fan Yang city wall has not undergone major repairs since Liu Yu. You cannot fight Yuan Shao here.
, I intend to give up Fan Yang and retreat to Yixian immediately."
"No!" Gongsun Zan shouted loudly: "When have I, Gongsun Zan, ever been afraid of others? Yuan Shao actually dares to come and beat me. I will definitely let him know how powerful I am. Even if I want to retreat, I have to fight Yuan Shao to give orders and beat drums."
Gather the generals, I will fight Yuan Shao to the death!"
Note: Boundary Bridge, an ancient place name, was probably located in the area between Nanpi County and Yecheng in present-day Hebei Province. It was an ancient battlefield where Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao fought in a melee during the Three Kingdoms period. The Boundary Bridge in this article is not the Boundary Bridge in history.