Wang Yan advanced his troops into Gaoyang, expanding his territory by two hundred li. Before long, his pressure on Yuan Shao yielded results. In May, Kong Rong surrendered, and Yuan Shao annexed Cheongju.
Kong Rong had no choice but to surrender. He had once been able to maintain his independence, but now Yuan Shao had flown into a rage. His letter made it very clear: if Kong Rong did not submit, Yuan Shao would raise an army of three hundred thousand and attack him. Under such circumstances, it did not matter how close Kong Rong was to Cao Cao. Cao Cao had no intention of breaking with Yuan Shao yet, and Kong Rong's own hard power was no match for Yuan Shao's. He could only surrender.
Afterward, Yuan Shao appointed Kong Rong as a Provincial Aide of Ji Prefecture and had him remain in Gaoyi. He became little more than one of the people seated below during deliberations—essentially finished.
That was simply how things were. Losers had to stay far from the core of power; being Confucius's twentieth-generation descendant did not make much difference. Though the Kong Clan possessed some strength, they were not yet the hereditary household of the Duke Yansheng.
On Cao Cao's side, the original Battle of Kuangting was still fought. He drove back the expanding Yuan Shu and seized most of Yu Prefecture.
At this point, Sun Ce began to have ideas of his own. He knew of the grudge between his father and Yuan Shu, and he knew his father had practically been played to death by Yuan Shu. But he had not been mature enough before, so he had no choice but to work under Yuan Shu. Now Yuan Shu had been battered into a miserable state by both Cao Cao and Liu Biao,