Han family achievements

Chapter 588 Internal and external troubles
As a result, before Guo Tu could go far, he was called back by Yuan Shang.

Moreover, the entire camp was on alert, with soldiers patrolling and gathering everywhere.

Guo Tu looked all the way and felt terrified.

Yuan Shang was not in the big tent, but standing at the door, looking southwest, and said solemnly: "I just got the news that Huang Zu left Changsha and entered Yuzhang. The governors and garrisons along the way surrendered upon hearing the news. Huang Zu's 10,000-man army is only a hundred miles away from us."

Guo Tu was shocked and said, "The court, are you going to attack the Third Young Master and the Second Young Master at the same time? Guan Yu has 20,000 troops, Huang Zu has 10,000, only 30,000 troops, how dare they?"

Ju Yi said with a gloomy face: "This is not the worst news. The bad news is that our food and grass can't last more than ten days."

Guo Tu's face was as hard as iron. He ignored Ju Yi and raised his hand with Yuan Shang, saying solemnly: "Third Master, Huang Zu only has 10,000 men, and he has a general who is in name only. Send a general to defeat him, which will surely greatly shock the Second Master's reputation and at the same time stop the court's offensive."

Yuan Shang thought about it carefully and asked Ju Yi, "General, are you sure you can defeat Huang Zu?"

Ju Yi thought about Huang Zu's reputation and said in a low voice, "If we go to war directly, it won't be difficult to defeat him. I'm just afraid he has other tricks up his sleeve."

Yuan Shang frowned and said, "General, do you mean that Huang Zu's sudden appearance is due to some other plan?"

Ju Yi said: "The news I got before was that Huang Zu followed Guan Yu to the battlefield. Now he is near Wanling. It makes sense no matter how you think about it."

Yuan Shang thought about it and said, "What do you think, Mr. Guo?"

Guo Tu was quick to notice that his 'Mr.' had become 'Mr. Guo', and he calmly pretended to be thoughtful and said, "It is indeed unusual, but we can't just leave it alone. General Ju is a famous general who defeated Gongsun Zan. He won't be afraid of an old and useless man, right?"

In his octogenarian years? Huang Zu doesn’t count, right?
Ju Yi knew that this was a provocation, so he ignored it and just looked at Yuan Shang.

Yuan Shang looked hesitant, and said hesitantly: "We can't just ignore it, but we can't be fooled... Yuan Xi has already sent out his troops..."

Guo Tu was silent. After such a long time, he had already accurately grasped Yuan Shang's character - conceited, suspicious, cowardly, but also ambitious.

In fact, Yuan Shang had already made a decision.

He just doesn't want to say it himself and doesn't want to take responsibility.

Ju Yi left.

He led an army of 10,000 to meet Huang Zu.

But less than two hours later, another soldier came to report: "My lord, Cai Mao has landed in Kuaiji and has surrounded Kuaiji!"

Yuan Shang's expression suddenly changed, and he said in a lost voice: "So fast?"

Yuan Shang was horrified and asked, "So fast? Didn't we arrange an interception on the shore? How did Kuaiji get surrounded?"

According to Guo Tu's original calculations, landing along the coast of Kuaiji would be tantamount to suicide, and the imperial navy would not rashly land without victory over other land-based official forces.

The soldier said, "I don't know."

Yuan Shang was flustered, but he no longer trusted Guo Tu. He thought for a while and said, "Come on, send 5,000 men to support Kuaiji!"

"Yes!" A personal soldier responded and strode to pass on the order.

Yuan Shang sat there, cold sweat appeared on his head unconsciously, and he became really panicked.

The development of the matter did not go according to Guo Tu's prior calculations at all, and it became increasingly critical.

"Report!"

Before Yuan Shang could think much, another soldier came in and said, "My lord, seven counties in Yuzhang have surrendered to the court. Zhang Fei is leading the troops and preparing to march towards Danyang."

Yuan Shang's face suddenly became terribly gloomy and his eyes were fierce.

This was totally unexpected!

However, he immediately thought of Yuan Xi's sending out 20,000 troops, and thought about it again and again with an uneasy heart, and said, "Send an order to send another 5,000 to resist Zhang Fei."

"Yes." The personal soldier responded and went out.

Yuan Shang was heavy-hearted. He looked through the map in front of him and compiled various battle reports.

Perhaps his mentality has changed. He used to be calm, but now he sees crises everywhere, which makes him feel cold in his heart.

"My lord, someone set fire to the granary!"

Suddenly, a bodyguard rushed in, covered in dust and shouting.

Yuan Shang stood up suddenly and rushed out without saying a word.

Yuan Shang had just arrived when Guo Tu also arrived.

The two men looked at the flames that had just been extinguished, and were relieved to see that only a small part of the granary had been burned.

But soon, the two looked at each other, and their expressions became even more serious.

These series of incidents are definitely not accidental!
"Are there many deserters?" Yuan Shang suppressed his shock and anger and remained calm.

Guo Tu knew that Yuan Shang was now shocked and angry, but he pretended to be calm and said, "In the past few days, there are more than a thousand people."

As the imperial army approached, an extremely "pessimistic" atmosphere permeated Yangzhou. The wealthy and powerful families tried every means to escape, and ordinary people did not want to be implicated, so they left their homes and took their families to seek refuge. Most of the soldiers were young and strong men who were forcibly conscripted, so they naturally did not want to die. Even though Yuan Shang expanded the military court and strengthened patrols, he still could not control the appearance of deserters.

Yuan Shang looked at Guo Tu with an unprecedented seriousness, and said, "Sir, the situation is very bad now. Do you have a foolproof plan?"

Guo Tu obviously sensed Yuan Shang's dissatisfaction with him, but he didn't know how much Ju Yi had found out and what he had said to Yuan Shang. He felt uneasy, but his face didn't change at all. He said calmly: "The court only has 30,000 or 40,000 soldiers and horses available. It's winter now. The second and third sons have a total of 80,000 troops. 80,000 against 40,000. The third son doesn't have even this much confidence, right?"

Yuan Shang's brows were furrowed, his eyes filled with anger that he couldn't hide, but he couldn't vent it.

What Guo Tu said seemed to make sense, but things had come to this point, with the government troops about to arrive, and Guo Tu was still so calm and composed as to say these seemingly reasonable but actually empty and useless nonsense?
Yuan Shang's dissatisfaction with Guo Tu increased again, but he had few people under his command, so he could only bear it, flicked his sleeves, and strode away.

Guo Tu folded his hands over his chest and looked at Yuan Shang's back with an ugly expression.

When Yuan Shao was still alive, Guo Tu used various means to kill, capture or slander those who were dissidents, so that Yuan Shao would trust only him.

After Yuan Shao's death, that night, Yuan Xi fled with Gao Gan, Feng Ji and others. Guo Tu killed all the remaining people, that is, those who were not easy to move when Yuan Shao was alive.

Now, he is the only available strategist under Yuan Shang!
But now Yuan Shang became suspicious of him.

"military adviser,"

A soldier hurried over and said, "Many soldiers are sick. My lord, please go and take care of them."

Guo Tu immediately thought of the winter clothes, took a deep breath, and said, "I know."

As soon as the soldiers left, Guo Tu said to himself in confusion: "It seems that there are too many things happening today..."

……

"Isn't it a little too obvious?" On a hill not far from Wanling, Shi A, holding a sword, asked Huangfu Jianchang.

Huangfu Jian sat on a rock, chewing an apple, looking towards Wanling, and said, "Let Yuan Shang guess whether it's true or false."

Shi Ada frowned and said, "I think we are too hasty. We should do it step by step."

Huangfu Jian chewed his food in big mouthfuls and said vaguely, "So what if they see it? It's for them to see."

Shi A said nothing and looked towards the direction of Wanling.

Just as Huangfu Jianchang was about to speak, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Cheng Yu. He couldn't help but smile and said, "Oh, Chief Cheng, are you here to review the affairs of the Imperial City?"

Cheng Yu had long been accustomed to Huangfu Jian's strange appearance. He came up to him, wiped the sweat off his head, and asked, "Second Master, has Guo Tu replied to your letter?"

Huangfu Jianchang stood up, patted his butt, and said, "Not yet, I guess he's still waiting for a good price."

Cheng Yu snorted coldly and said, "This villain, at this time, actually wants to sit on the fence and wait and see!"

Huangfu Jianchang finished eating the apple in his hand, threw it away, and asked, "Where is Fengji?"

Cheng Yu shook his head and said, "Yuan Xi is a bit like Yuan Shao. He refuses to surrender no matter what. Feng Ji and others are in a dilemma."

Huangfu Jian snorted coldly and said, "They are all villains. At this time, they still want to sit on the fence and wait and see."

Cheng Yu's mouth twitched, and he ignored Huangfu Jian's nonsense and asked, "What's going on in Wujun?"

Huangfu Jian blinked, turned around and looked at him, saying: "Aren't you in the Criminal Department? You have been sent out, and my eldest father is still hiding it from you?"

Cheng Yu smiled bitterly and said, "Second Master, important matters are imminent, so please stop joking."

Huangfu Jian looked at Cheng Yu's serious look, which was somewhat like his good brother. He shook his head helplessly and said, "It's different after entering the government. Okay, I'll tell you. Zhang Liao is ready, but another big shot has come to Wucheng."

"Who?" Cheng Yu was shocked and asked subconsciously.

Huangfu Jianchang took out another apple from his bosom, looked at Wu Jun, and said, "All the Grand Marshal's men have been driven away, so you don't have to think about the Grand Marshal. It's Xun Pushe."

Cheng Yu raised his eyebrows, thinking a lot, and said with a little uneasiness: "Is the Yingchuan Party really going to form an alliance with Liu Bei?"

The court's arrangement was already very clear. Cao Cao's forces were basically eliminated. The one who presided over this battle was Liu Bei, the right Sima who had been reinstated.

And when Xun You suddenly came to Wujun at this time, his intentions were very puzzling.

Huangfu Jianchang was concentrating on eating an apple and turned a deaf ear to the struggles in the court.

Cheng Yu quickly adjusted his mindset and said, "Second Master, how do you think we should fight this battle? The Yuan brothers have 80,000 elite soldiers. These 80,000 soldiers are the ones left by Yuan Shao after many years of fighting. They are not ordinary bandits and their front is very fierce. The Yuan brothers seem to be confronting each other, but they are also supporting each other. It will not be easy to attack either one. If we are not careful, it will become a war of attrition."

The imperial court would never allow a war of attrition to happen.

In the middle of winter, there is already a war of attrition in Liangzhou, which Yangzhou absolutely cannot accept.

Huangfu Jianchang became serious for once, nodded and said, "Eighty thousand elite soldiers are a tough nut to crack. A bloody battle is inevitable."

Cheng Yu looked thoughtful. The thought of a bloody battle was unacceptable.

Yangzhou is already in such chaos. If it turns into a bloody battle or a war of attrition, it will not be in line with the strategy formulated by the court, and will also have an adverse impact on the subsequent pacification of Liangzhou and Yizhou.

But after a moment, Huangfu Jianchang suddenly looked at Shi A and asked, "Have you found the place where Guo Tu and his men hid their property?"

Shi A was startled, then glanced at Cheng Yu and said, "We found three, but not many, and two of them are blind spots."

Huangfu Jian snorted coldly and said, "It seems that they have been living too comfortably in the past few years and have forgotten their original business. Tell them that they will be given five days at most. If they can't find it, they will be beaten with a hundred sticks when they return!"

Cheng Yu knew that Huangfu Jian was used to stealing people's homes, so it was not surprising at all.

But Cheng Yu was not in the mood to care about this now, and said with a worried look: "Guan Yu has already sent out his troops, and Zhang He is not an easy man to deal with. Xiahou Dun has already been defeated once, so Guan Yu must not get into trouble."

Huangfu Jian was longer, and Shi A did not respond.

Cheng Yu has already entered the Criminal Department, and his head is determined by his butt.

But they are the Imperial Palace, responsible only for collecting, analyzing and transmitting intelligence. They will not be involved in the command of the army, and they tacitly keep a distance from the court and the army.

Cheng Yu knew that Huangfu Jianchang must know more than he did. Seeing that Huangfu Jianchang refused to speak, he could only suppress his anxiety and asked Shi Adao, "Old Shi, are you okay?"

Shi Ada frowned, as if he didn't hear anything.

Huangfu Jianchang sighed, and the apple in his hand no longer smelled fragrant.

Shi'a's story is simple at the same time and complicated at the same time.

The second prince in the palace loved playing games and visited sword masters everywhere to learn sword skills. Shi A volunteered to become one of them.

In theory, being a swordsmanship teacher for the prince is a lucrative job with only advantages and no disadvantages.

But the Second Prince was not an ordinary person. He was a prince, but he actually became a knight-errant. He killed people in public when he saw injustice. He was caught on the spot by Henan County and sent to the Censorate.

Although the incident was quickly resolved by the Shangshutai and the person was brought out, the subsequent "accountability" did not stop.

The second prince, Liu Yu, was placed under house arrest in his mansion. His playmates since childhood were dispersed, and the person who taught him swordsmanship was even driven out of the palace.

Shi A was naturally driven out as well.

The good thing is that Empress Dowager He was originally furious and wanted to execute those who "corrupted" Liu Yu, but after Empress Cai's plea, they were spared.

The downside is that your future is gone.

Shi A now follows Huangfu Jianchang, but does not hold any official position. He can only receive a salary secretly. He is truly without any status.

Life is not easy, Huangfu Jian sighed.

He secretly arranged a good future for those who followed him, but if something unexpected happened to this future, he could make up for some of them, but was powerless to do anything about others.

"Report!"

In the brief silence, a plainclothes guard ran up and shouted loudly.

Huangfu Jianchang did not move, just chewing his apple, but his eyes could not help but become serious.

The plainclothes guard came to the side of Captain Huangfu Jian and whispered, "Captain, news from Wujun is that Zhang Liao has personally led 20,000 troops out of Wucheng. Judging from the direction, it should be Wanling."

"Wanling?" Huangfu Jian seemed to be thinking about something.

Cheng Yu looked towards Wanling, puzzled, and asked, "Guan Yu attacked Liyang, and Zhang Liao attacked Wanling? What kind of tactics is this?"

(End of this chapter)