"General Wen!" Yuan Tan was horrified. Seeing the faint smile on Wen Chou's lips and the enormous wound, how could he not understand what had happened? He burst into anguished tears—Hebei's renowned General Wen Chou was dead!
Following the suggestions of Sheni Pei, Xun Shen, and Xuu You, Gao Gan, Jiangh Yiqu, Jiangh Qi, and the Lyu Brothers immediately supported Yuan Tan in succeeding Yuan Shao's official position and title. They gathered Yuan Shao's, Tian Feng's, and Wen Chou's corpses, held funeral rites, and retreated to Xindu as Ye City was no longer safe. The Xuanyuan Cauldron would also need to be relocated.
Simultaneously, Yuan Tan, to prevent Liu Bei from launching another attack, ordered his subordinates to negotiate with Liu Bei and collect the bodies of fallen ministers while actively preparing for war. According to Sheni Pei's advice, they planned to transform their entire territory into a massive fortress to guard against potential threats.
