"What a Zhang Yan! He actually dared lead his troops into Yuan Shao's camp and set it ablaze!"
"He truly has enough audacity to fill the heavens!"
Gongsun Xu was full of admiration. He instantly felt that all the provisions he had given Zhang Yan had been well worth it. The man really did get things done after accepting payment!
He turned to Gongsun Fan, his eyes shining. "Second Uncle, Yuan Shao's camp is in utter chaos right now. Why don't we lead our troops out and catch them off guard?"
Gongsun Fan withdrew his gaze at those words, suppressed his delight, and shook his head. "No. Yuan Shao has tens of thousands of troops, after all. Setting fires can only throw them into confusion for a while."
"If we had attacked at the same time the fires were set, we could have achieved something. But it's already too late to muster our troops now."
Mustering troops took time. By the time they had assembled their army, Yuan Shao's forces would have put out the fires. Charging over then would be no different from marching to their deaths.
"What a pity."
Gongsun Xu was deeply disappointed.
Gongsun Fan smiled. "Be content! The fires look fiercest at the rear, where Yuan Shao keeps his provisions and supplies. That fellow Zhang Yan does have some wits."
"With his provisions and supplies burned, Yuan Shao certainly won't be able to launch an attack anytime soon. As long as Zhang Yan keeps harassing his supply lines from behind, the pressure on us will ease considerably."
Gongsun Xu nodded slightly, a smile appearing on his face.
Hopefully, we can hold out until winter.
Meanwhile, Ma Teng hurried to Ye City with his two sons, offering all three of them as hostages to demonstrate his