Silver Fox of the Three Kingdoms

In Liaodong in December, it was still snowing heavily.

The rustling snowflakes are flying, covering the earth, making the whole world pure white.

The Han army dispatched Qingqi, crossed the Shanhai Pass, and traveled hundreds of miles to Tuhe.

Tuhe is the area around Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province in later generations. At that time, Jinzhou, Huludao, and Yi County belonged to this area.

Gongsun Yuan did not garrison troops here, but from Tuhe to the east, Bintu, Changli, Fuli, Wuwu, Xiandu, Liaotun and other places, there are sentry posts in Liaodong to visit horses.

In history, when Sima Yi went straight to Liaodong, Gongsun Yuan got the news in advance, and sent his troops Bei Yan, Yang Zuo and others to the Liao Tunnel to stop them, but they were defeated by Sima Yi, and then Xiangping was surrounded, and finally the Kingdom of Yan was destroyed.

Therefore, after the Han army arrived at Tuhe, they did not act immediately.Instead, they waited for a few days and sent some people to pretend to be merchants to find out the location of the sentry post, get rid of the sentry post, and continue heading east.

At the same time, Xiangping County.

On the orders of Gongsun Yuan, Lun took the envoys of the Han Dynasty to wander around the city.

Gongsun Yuan wished that the envoy would stay in Liaodong as long as possible to delay time, so he did not restrict his actions.

Otherwise, if the envoy did not send someone back to report to the court for a long time, the court would probably suspect that he had murdered the envoy, and sending a large army to attack would not be worth the loss.

Therefore, Gongsun Yuan did not dare to hurt the envoy, and he did not dare to imprison the envoy.Instead, let Lunzhi offer food and drink to the envoy, pretending to discuss terms.

In the past few days, Lunzhi took the envoys to see Gongsun Yuan or wander around the city every day. It was not until late December that Lunzhi had some time to go to Yang Zuo's mansion.

It was already evening, the sky was dark, in the small building in the backyard of Yang Zuo's mansion, two people were kneeling and sitting on each other, some food and wine were placed in front of the table, the wine was actually strong wine produced in Nanyang.

Due to the cold climate in eastern Liaodong, spirits are very popular among the local people.It is said that these wines were shipped from Jiangdong, and Gongsun Yuan also liked to drink them very much. He purchased more than 1 catties from Jiangdong.

Yang Zuo raised his wine glass and said, "Brother Lun, why did you come to see me suddenly today?"

Lunzhi sighed and said: "Recently, I accompany the court envoys every day, and I feel uneasy. The court is powerful and cannot be defeated by Liaodong, so I can only continue to procrastinate like this."

"It's not an option to delay like this."

Yang Zuo took a sip of the wine, put down the wine glass in his hand and sighed: "It's a pity that Duke Ming didn't listen to persuasion. If he can surrender to the court, it won't be a bad thing."

Lunzhi pretended to be frightened and said: "Brother Yang, don't want these words, if you let Ming Gong know."

"Ha ha."

Yang Zuo sneered and said, "Brother Lun, don't pretend to be with me. Isn't Jia Fan your close relative and friend? I remember that you were only able to become an official when he recommended you."

Lunzhi fell silent immediately.

The two of them were drinking together, and after a while, Lun Zhi suddenly said: "Could it be that General Yang also had this intention?"

Yang Zuo said: "You have been with the envoy all day, the news may have spread."

Lun took a sip of wine, grinned, and gave Yang Zuo a look to let him understand. He certainly couldn't say such things directly. What if Yang Zuo was testing him?

More importantly, in order to avenge his friend, Lun has been planning big things.If things are leaked and exposed in advance, I am afraid that I will not be able to protect myself.

It's just that Yang Zuo is the person who holds the most military power besides Bei Yan. Bei Yan is from Wuhuan and has always been valued by Gongsun Yuan.

If Yang Zuo could turn his back on him, the matter would probably be resolved.

Yang Zuo said in a low voice, "I am willing to join in this matter. Gongsun Yuan's confrontation with the court is tantamount to hitting a stone with an egg. I don't want to die with him in Liaodong."

Lun was noncommittal, and after a while he said slowly: "Brother Yang, you are not afraid that I will report this matter to Duke Ming?"

Yang Zuo sneered and said, "Then Jia Fan misunderstood the wrong person and regarded the beast as a good friend."

When Jia Fan was mentioned, Lun's eyes turned red.

At the beginning, Lunzhi was also underappreciated and poor. Fortunately, he was recommended by his friend Jia Fan, so he was able to make a living under the hands of Gongsun Gong, the prefect of Liaodong.

Unexpectedly, after Gongsun Yuan came to power, he not only put Gongsun Gong under house arrest, but also killed his friend Jia Fan, which made Lun Zhi furious.

After a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, then let's fight together. But you must give me the location of the garrison posts along the way from Liaoxi to Xiangping. I know that you set up these posts."

"can!"

Yang Zuo agreed without hesitation.

In history, he fought against Sima Yi as a vanguard because his soldiers and horses were on the front line at that time.

From the Liaodong vassal state to Xiangping, more than 100 kilometers along the way is his defense zone.

And Gongsun Yuan's main force is under the control of Gongsun Yuan himself and his trusted general Bei Yan, stationed in Xiangping, so if you just want to break through the periphery, you really can't go wrong looking for Yang Zuo.

Lunzhi got this important information and urgently needed to pass it on to the envoy, so he left quickly and went home to hide the information.

The next day, the weather was still cold, the sky was covered with snow and ice, and the mountains in the distance seemed to be carved by silver dragons.

Lun got up early today and went to the post to meet the envoy.

Then he took the envoy to meet Gongsun Yuan as usual, and then wandered around the city for a while. In the afternoon, Lunzhi brought the envoy back to his mansion, pretending to continue chatting about the surrender.

After chatting for a while, the envoy went to the bathroom with an excuse, but Lun didn't follow him.

Because besides him, there were two cronies sent by Gongsun Yuan, one was Han Qi, the cronies general, and the other was Gongsun Yuan's son, Gongsun Xiu.

Although Gongsun Yuan had just taken office not long ago, he was not stupid. He didn't fully believe in Lun Zhi, or in other words, even if he believed in him, he had to insure himself, so naturally he would not give Lun Zhi a chance to chat with the envoy alone.

The envoy lived in the post, and the soldiers of the Han Dynasty brought by himself had been protecting him.

But outside the post office, I don't know how many Gongsun Yuan's sentry spies were watching, and Lun Zhi didn't dare to come to chat with the envoy in the middle of the night.

So he can only think of other ways.

In the hall, they exchanged glasses and drank strong wine produced in Nanyang. Everyone drank a lot of wine, and Han Qi drank the most and was already drunk.

Gongsun Xiu is actually only 16 years old this year, he drank less and his head is still clear.

He didn't have any doubts about the envoy's departure. Everyone drank a lot of wine and went to the toilet is normal. He asked Lun straight: "General, do you think the envoy will accept this matter?"

Lun smiled and said: "This matter is beyond the envoy's decision-making scope. He can only choose to report to the court. Or try his best to continue negotiating terms with us. This is a good time for us to procrastinate."

"But I'm afraid that the imperial court will stop talking with us and send troops directly?"

Gongsun Xiu said worriedly.

Lun Zhi thought for a while and said, "At least this year they won't send troops. If they want to send troops next year, they will have to wait until February and March when the snow melts."

"Yes, son, what are you afraid of?"

Han Qi yelled: "Eastern Liaodong is remote, and it starts to snow every July and August. As long as we find a way to hold off the envoy during this period, the Han army will have nothing to do with us in August or September."

"good."

Lunzhi said: "The best time to attack Liaodong is summer, when the climate is neither hot nor cold. As long as this period is delayed, the rest of the time will be beneficial to us."

"That's fine."

Gongsun Xiu felt relieved.

After a while, the messenger came back, and everyone continued to drink and have fun.

When he left, the emissary said: "Gongsun Fujun's request is far beyond the conditions put forward by the prime minister. I can't make the decision. I also ask you to inform the Fujun. I will send someone back to Youzhou to report the matter to General Zhao." , and then General Zhao will send it to the imperial court for a final decision."

Gongsun Xiu said: "Then there will be a messenger."

"Ah."

The envoy nodded and gave Lun Zhi a look before leaving. Lun Zhi understood and nodded slightly.

At present, only the envoy, Lunzhi, Yang Zuo and Lunzhi's son know about this important event.

Obviously, Lunzhi's son had given the information to the envoy just now, which is great news for the Han army.

Soon the envoy left, and immediately sent people back after arriving at the post.Gongsun Yuan knew the situation and didn't send anyone to stop him, and left without any hindrance.

At this time, Gongsun Yuan thought that the two sides were still negotiating.

It is also normal for the messenger to send someone back to deliver the letter, and he wished that the two sides would come a few more times.

Because the distance from Liaodong to Luoyang is more than a thousand miles, and it takes two or three months to go back and forth. Everyone sends a letter back and forth every time they discuss, and it can easily be delayed for several years, so there is no need to worry.

What he didn't know was that this time the envoy sent someone to send him a reminder.

A few days later, to the east of Fuli Mountain, Wuli County.

Ma Chao's march was very fast. It was more than 400 kilometers from Linyu to Xiangping, and they walked more than half of the distance.

It is difficult to march in heavy snow weather.

They have one person and two horses. In addition to the 20 days of dry food carried by the soldiers, there are more than 1 horses carrying a large amount of beans and forage.

After all, it was winter, and it was already the limit for the soldiers to carry dry food for 20 days, and it was difficult to last.

So this battle is actually more dangerous. If Xiangping is not defeated, then Ma Chao may have to return home in a big defeat.Although there were Zhao Yun's infantry in the rear, the invincible Han army was defeated in Liaodong, which is obviously not a matter of showing face.

So Ma Chao ordered the soldiers to gallop all the way and attack thousands of miles.

After arriving in Wuli County, Xiangping is more than 400 miles to the east. There are only two counties, Xiandu and Liaotun, which are the Heishan County and Tai'an County in later generations.

The winter wilderness stretches as far as the eye can see, the sky and the earth are vast and white, the hills are undulating, and the mountains can be seen towering into the clouds in the distance.

The northeast is mountainous and is a branch of Changbai Mountain.But Liaodong is an exception. From Shenyang to the southwest to Yingkou and Jinzhou, there is a large plain area, which has been a fertile land since ancient times. Han people have worked here since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

At this moment, the Han army has more than 1 cavalry and more than 2 horses, winding along the official road.

The team stretched for several miles, and the front line was five or six miles away from the rear team. There were hundreds of cavalry advance teams.

Ma Chao is in this advance team.

It was still too slow to clean up the scouts with the previous method. He felt that he would lead a few hundred people to be the vanguard first.

The enemy scouts would definitely be confused when they saw these hundreds of people. Some people thought that the envoys would come to inquire about the situation, and they would be caught by them and forced to ask for information.Some people will go back to report immediately, and the small number is also convenient for arresting enemy scouts.

Some villages were scattered on the plain, and many villagers looked at the team curiously.At this moment, several knights suddenly jumped out from a distant village and headed east along the wide official road.

"go!"

Ma Chao saw it from a distance, shouted, and patted his horse to give chase.

The Han army galloped all the way, rushing on the road during the day and resting against the north wind at night, the horsepower and personnel were very tired.

But no matter what, in order to achieve the tactical goal, the enemy scouts cannot be allowed to pass.

Soon the two sides were getting closer, but after a while, Ma Chao and his horses finally slowed down due to excessive physical exertion.

This made Ma Chao very anxious, and he slapped the horse's buttocks desperately.

Seeing that the opponent was running faster and faster, and was about to disappear from sight, more than a dozen Han cavalry suddenly turned out from behind the hill at the end of the road ahead.

Those people saw this appearance from a distance, saw the scene of chasing back and forth, and after observing that the people behind were also wearing Han army uniforms and armors, they immediately patted their horses and started to intercept them.

"Shhhhhh!"

More than ten crossbow arrows fell from the sky, forcing Gongsun Yuan's scout cavalry to rein in their horses and stop.

On the right side of the road is a frozen river, and on the left side is the forest.

Seeing that there were chasing soldiers at the front and back, the opponent panicked and divided his troops to escape. As a result, the frozen river was not as strong as expected. A few cavalry ran up and immediately fell into the ice cave.

The cavalry on the left who were running into the woods did not run away, and were soon caught by the Han cavalry intercepted in front and escorted back.

"General!"

The cavalry approached and reported to Ma Chao.

Ma Chao said: "I am the mighty General Ma Chao, who are you?"

"General, we are the envoys following Angel Liao to Liaodong. The angel ordered us to come back and send General Zhao news of the stronghold along the way and the place where Gongsun Yuan's troops are stationed!"

replied the cavalry.

"it is good!"

Ma Chao was overjoyed and said: "General Zhao leads the army in the rear, let me lead the cavalry one step ahead and raid Xiangping, you lead the way!"

"only!"

The cavalry responded immediately.

It was too time-consuming for Ma Chao to deal with those sentry scouts before, and now half of the food and grass have been used up.

But now with this information, I feel much more comfortable.

Because the closer it is to Xiangping, the more Gongsun Yuan has scout posts, and even thousands of troops are stationed in the Liao Tunnel area.

If you keep going like this, sooner or later, you may miss the other party's scouts and let the other party pass the news back. If you can't kill Xiangping City in a short time, it may become a siege battle. This is too much for Ma Chao. Not good.

Fortunately, the envoy successfully instigated Lunzhi and Yang Zuo and got this important news.Fortunately, Ma Chao and Zhao Yun went directly according to Shen Chen Zhuge Liang's instructions, otherwise, it would really be impossible to catch Gongsun Yuan by surprise.

The army then moved at full speed, scouting posts along the way, all of which were pulled out, and no news was sent back to Xiangping.

Three days later, in the city of Xiangping.

In the early morning, after the city gate was opened, several people pretended to be ordinary people and entered the city. Around the beginning of the meal, Yang Zuo and Lunzhi went up to the west gate.

In the mist, countless dark figures suddenly appeared outside the gate of the west city, and all the soldiers guarding the city saw this scene.

All of a sudden, the soldiers panicked, and someone hurriedly said, "Quickly, close the city gate and sound the horn!"

"Don't blow!"

Yang Zuo issued a military order and said: "This is the Imperial Heavenly Army. Do you want to die? The city gates are not allowed to be closed. Everyone will go down to the city to meet the Heavenly Army!"

He is the number two figure in the army after Bei Yan, so he naturally has military power, and all the soldiers dared not make any moves for a while.

Soon, with the sound of galloping horseshoes, countless cavalry poured into Xiangping City.

At this moment, Gongsun Yuan got up early in the Liaodong prefect's mansion.

It was cold in Liaodong in early January, so he put on thick clothes, ate breakfast under the maid's clothes, and then prepared to go out.

Walking to the door, Gongsun Yuan said with a smile: "Why did you hear the sound of horseshoes on the street outside the mansion just now? Why is it gone now? Did the patrolling soldiers leave?"

The confidant laughed and said, "This is not the time for cavalry to patrol, maybe it's a caravan doing business."

"Ah."

Gongsun Yuan nodded.

Liaodong's commerce is still relatively developed. The Goguryeo people in the deep mountains and old forests in the northeast are rich in products, including ginseng, fur, and wood.

And Xiangping is a trade transfer station. There are countless Goguryeo, Buyeo, and Han people doing business in the city, so there are a large number of caravans coming and going every day, and the sound of horseshoes on the streets every day is not unusual.

At this point, he plans to go to the military camp outside the city. Although Bei Yan is his confidant, he still has to hold the main military power in his own hands, so it is not a bad thing to spend more time in the military camp.

The servant opened the door of the mansion, and Gongsun Yuan stepped out, but the smile on his face froze as soon as he walked out the door.

Because he saw countless Han soldiers densely packed outside the door, holding their bows and crossbows, aiming at his Liaodong prefect's mansion!