Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 915: Fighting under the City
Yuan Xi rode on the horse and said to Lu Lingqi: "The wind is strong, cover your face, otherwise your face will be blown in a few days."

Before Lu Lingqi put on the helmet, she wrapped a linen cloth around her head. After hearing this, she pulled down the cloth strip from her cheeks, placed it across her mouth and nose, then tucked it into the hair on the other side to fix it, and said with a smile: "Husband, I forgot where I was from.”

"I was very familiar with these when I was a kid."

Yuan Xi laughed dumbly: "That's right, I'm just doing my own thing."

He raised his riding crop, pointed forward, and said, "The Yin of Yanmen is ahead."

Previously, he led the army to Daijun through Beixin City, and did not pass through Gaoliu, the seat of Daijun. Instead, he went directly from the border of Daijun and Changshan County of Jizhou to Guanyin, the seat of Yanmen County in Bingzhou.

When he was in Changshan County, Yuan Xi sent Zhao Yun out to open up the roads in the Zhending area and set up checkpoints and sentinels. The reason for this was because after Cao Cao captured Wei County, he had already invaded the adjacent Changshan County. If Knowing that Yuan Xi has sent troops, he may not come to harass the grain road and cut off Yuan Xi's retreat.

This is also the reason why Yuan Xi brought Zhao Yun with him, just to guard against any changes in Cao's camp.

The target of Yuan Xi's troop dispatch this time was the five northern counties of Bingzhou located along the Yanshan Yinshan Mountains in the pass. According to the march route, from east to west they were Yanmen, Dingxiang, Yunzhong, Wuyuan, and Shuofang.

These five counties are located in the north of Bingzhou, and in the south are Shangdang, Taiyuan, Xihe, and Shangjunnan. Among them, Gao Gan occupies the two counties of Shangdang and Xihe and part of Taiyuan County. If Yuan Xi can occupy the five northern counties of Bingzhou, including Taiyuan County As the center, the die-hard Southern Huns in the Taiyuan Basin who refused to defend had nowhere to escape.

When the Southern Xiongnu went south to plunder Guanzhong, they used the Jinyang Passage to dispatch troops very conveniently and quickly. This was also the most important southward pass for the Five Hus to invade China in later generations. Once it was obtained by Northern Yuan Xi, it would cooperate with the Black Mountain Passage and belong to Cao Cao's power. The Sili will have no danger to defend.

"Perhaps how to take down Guanyin is also a test that Qubei deliberately left for the lord. He wants to see how the lord responds."

Although everyone had horses, it was obvious that cavalry could not attack the city. Yuan Xi sent people out to see if they could cut down wood and make siege equipment. On the other hand, they searched for any tribes nearby.

Yuan Xi chose to take the Yinshan route on the back. Although the march was hard, the territory he occupied was solid, and he worked step by step to block the southern Huns' northward escape route. At the same time, occupying the Hetao Plain not only gave Yuan Xi a place where he could rest and recuperate. With the huge granary, the Southern Xiongnu in Taiyuan County no longer had the capital to fight.

And even if they can win, the southern Xiongnu in Taiyuan will flee to the five northern counties. By then, these people will become rogue bandits and in turn harass You and the border, which will cause endless troubles.

"If my lord fails to fight well, or behaves like Cao Cao after going to the city, I'm afraid Qubei will think that my lord is not capable enough to take on a big job."

Of course, there is another way to attack Taiyuan, which is to go west through Yangquan in the Black Mountains. However, the pass out of the mountain has always been the focus of defense by the Southern Huns. If Yuan Xi attacked by force, he would be facing the entire Taiyuan County enemy, which may not be easy to fight. In the end It is very likely to turn into a meat fight.

Of course, it's also possible that Qubei hasn't sent someone to say goodbye, or there's even a worst-case scenario where Qubei has changed his mind.

That's why Yuan Xi rushed to send troops to pacify Bingzhou as quickly as possible so that Cao Cao had no time to react. Otherwise, if Yuan Xi were Cao Cao, he would definitely mobilize the Xiliang army to go north from Sili to cause trouble.

Not long after, Zhang He, who was the vanguard, came back and said that the city was closed to Guanyin. After hearing this, Yuan Xi knew that the defenders here were not from the same group as Qubei, otherwise they should have left the city and surrendered.

Tian Yu thought for a while, then laughed and said: "It is not easy to humble this person. Although he was persuaded by the Lord at the beginning, he is extremely rational and is not the kind of person who trusts others without looking at the evidence."

This strategy is essentially still a siege, but it treats Taiyuan County as a big city. The reason for this is still due to the unique geographical situation of Bingzhou. To the east is the barrier of Taixing, to the west is the great river, to the north is the desert and Yinshan Mountains, while Gouzhu and Yanmen are the inner dangers. , in the south are Shouyang, Dizhu, Xicheng and Wangwu mountains, which stand beside the river. In the south, Mengjin Tongguan is the gateway to them all, forming a self-contained whole.

Yuan Xi thought to himself that things did not go so smoothly, even if it were him, if someone called him, how could anyone trust him with his life in the hope that the person who came was a good person?
He waited until Tian Yu on the wing arrived to meet up, and ordered him to find someone to write a bilingual letter in Chinese and Xianbei, and have him shoot into the city and wait for a response.

But the benefits of acquiring Bingzhou are also extremely high, especially Jinyang, the seat of Taiyuan, is also the seat of Bingzhou. It is surrounded by mountains and is located in the center of the Taiyuan Basin, where Jinshui and Fenshui also converge. It can be said to be the center of the four fortresses. , controlling the capital city of the Five Plains. With the help of these mountains, rivers and the highways formed by the impact of rivers, Jinyang's troops could quickly reach various places in the Central Plains, including Yecheng, Luoyang, Chang'an and other places. Therefore, in later generations, Jinyang controlled the mountains and rivers and occupied the The shoulders of the world are praised as the foundation of Hedong.

After experiencing two meat-grinding battles with Yuan Xi and Cao Cao last year, the casualty figures were quite shocking, so much so that Yuan Xi was unlikely to bear such a price anymore, at least not in a short time.

Therefore, in this era, it is not easy to capture the city of Bingzhou with pure cavalry, especially the Taiyuan County seat in Jinyang. After all, Bingzhou was the seat of the Jin Kingdom during the Warring States Period. Even if the city has not been repaired for so many years, But the foundation is still there.

Yuan Xi didn't care, he wanted to capture this place whether he went to Bei or not, so after a few brief discussions with Zhang He, he led the Chinese army towards the city.

Even in the later Republic of China period, transportation development was far better than that of the Han Dynasty two thousand years ago. However, at that time, warlords such as Yan Xishan were firmly in Shanxi, and it was still difficult for outside forces to penetrate.

One day later, the spies came back and said that there were only a few small tribes nearby and there were very few cattle and sheep. It was said that most of the people had entered the city in advance.

Five miles below the city, he met up with Zhang Liao who had been stationed earlier. After a simple order of troops, the number of soldiers who arrived first totaled more than 15,000.

While waiting, Yuan Xi and Tian Yu said: "It's strange. Logically speaking, going to humble places to connect with various tribes would not be so careless in the first Yanmen County."

Yuan Xi thought for a moment, then laughed and said, "When you say that, it's really possible."

"Maybe he's somewhere watching how I respond?"

"This does give me an interesting question."

He summoned Zhang He and Zhang Liao and said, "If you face off against the enemy this time, what are your chances of winning?"

Zhang Liao spoke first, "The southern Xiongnu generals are among the second and third rate. The last general can guarantee victory."

Zhang He is not as senior as Zhang Liao and speaks more cautiously. "When I was in the Jizhou Army, I met several Southern Huns generals who were mediocre, but I didn't have much contact with them. I don't know how the others were like."

Yuan Xi nodded, "The purpose of attacking the city this time is to prevent the other party from developing any resistance as much as possible, so we may have to be a little merciful. If we want to capture him alive, can the two of us beat him?" Zhang Liao and Zhang He looked at each other and clasped their fists at the same time. Said: "I will do my best in the end!"

In Yinguan City, a group of tribal leaders were discussing matters.

The first person to do this was Yan Xian, the temporarily elected chief of a large tribe in the Southern Huns. He ordered people to expose Yuan Xi's beliefs. When everyone heard Yuan Xi's request for Kaicheng to surrender, someone said angrily: "This The fierce tiger bullies people too much!”

"There are only over 10,000 people, but they dare to attack us!"

"I have 300,000 elite cavalry in Bingzhou. If you pull out even half of them, you can drown them!"

Someone said: "With 300,000 people, how many can fight?"

"What's more, they dare to use troops in the ice and snow now. Most of our mares are pregnant and giving birth. How can we have so many cavalry?"

The man from before said angrily: "The ice and snow are not conducive to long-term fighting. It's the same for everyone!"

"Moreover, they traveled a long distance, and their horses have long been weakened. They must be strong from outside. As long as they lead the army to counterattack, they will definitely be defeated and flee."

"That's good," the man behind said leisurely, "Why don't you try it yourself?"

The man was also a fierce general of a certain tribe. He couldn't bear to be provoked. He immediately stood up, raised his head and drank a large bowl of milk tea in front of him, and then strode out, "I only bring a thousand people with me!"

"Wait until I come back for dinner!"

Everyone did not try to dissuade them and waited quietly for the news. Within a moment, the sounds of fighting resounded outside the city.

Someone said: "Should we go out and help?"

Yan Xian narrowed his eyes, "Since he has courage, let's see how he performs."

After a while, everyone heard the sound of fighting outside the city with golden drums beating in unison, but within a moment, the drums died down.

While everyone was wondering, the man slowly walked back. When everyone saw it, they all stood up and asked in confusion: "Have you left the city or not?"

The man said a few words in a low voice, "Going out."

After questioning, everyone suddenly realized that this man wanted to fight one on one when he left the city. As a result, a general came out from the opposite formation, and without three moves, he was knocked off his horse and captured alive.

The man was still unconvinced and asked to do it again. As a result, another general came out of the opponent's formation, but he still failed to make a three-combination, and the man was captured again.

At this time, the two generals said: "According to the order of the lord, I will let you go back this time and give a message to the leaders in the city. If you are not convinced, you can come out to challenge us. As long as we lose a game, we will run away immediately."

The man came back in shame and said what he said. Yan Xian said to everyone: "The Youzhou Army is very loud. Which of you has confidence?"

"As long as we can win a battle and relieve the siege, I am willing to make him the leader if he can accomplish this feat."

Everyone is asking: Why don’t you go?

Yan Xian added: "I also won this lottery. If anyone can win, on behalf of the tribe, I will give him 500 cattle and sheep, 500 strong slaves, and 500 women. How about it?"

At that moment, some people were immediately excited. This was no longer a small number, so many people came out to challenge, hoping to get the jackpot.

However, less than half a day later, more than a dozen people came back one after another, all dejected because they all suffered a miserable defeat, and most of them could not even survive the first round.

Yan Xian frowned and said, "Are the two generals on the opposite side so powerful?"

"Isn't it Zhao Zilong who is famous in the North?"

Someone shook his head and said, "It's not him. There is a man named Zhang Liao who is from Bingzhou."

Yan Xian nodded and said, "I know he is a general under Lu Bu and a native of Bingzhou. He is really powerful. Where is the other one?"

"I heard it's one of the Four Court Pillars in Hebei, named Zhang He." someone replied.

Yan Xian lost his voice and said: "Isn't this the general of Jizhou?"

"Used to be a pioneer?"

"How many powerful people did Fierce Tiger have this time?"

(End of this chapter)