Scheming
Because Fan Xuan and the entire upper echelon of Youzhou knew that if they didn't set out to aid the emperor soon, they would be branded as hypocrites. After all, they had delayed for far too long.
They couldn't afford to worry about the situation in Youzhou anymore. They had no choice but to grit their teeth and set out. Even most of the soldiers guarding the border were called away.
Of course, Governor Fan and General Zhou both believed that with Gu Jiusi—the man who had donated his family fortune for the people—in Qingzhou, Qingzhou wouldn't let the people of Youzhou go hungry.
They were counting on Gu Jiusi being the sort of kindhearted man who couldn't stand to see the people of Youzhou suffer.
Governor Fan and General Zhou's Youzhou army was indeed formidable. On top of that, most of its troops were cavalry, making them unstoppable on the vast plains. King Liang's main force was focused on Qingzhou and the imperial capital and put up little resistance, so the Youzhou army fought its way right to the foot of Hulao Pass.
King Liang hadn't expected that merely playing a game of cat and mouse would turn such a favorable situation into the desperate mess it was now.
Jingzhou had already been captured by Liu Xingzhi, who was prepared to defend it to the death. King Liang knew there was no way he could return to Jingzhou.
The Qingzhou army to the east had also taken up a defensive position. He could afford not to worry about them; as long as he defeated the Youzhou army, he would still have a chance to turn things around.
So he decided to head for Youzhou and seize the Youzhou army's home base, forcing its troops to collapse without a