At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 219 The rain is coming
Xu Shu's words made Zhou Qi suddenly enlightened.

Yuan Shu was capricious. Although Zhou Qi was determined to be in the south, he always regarded Yuan Shu as a pawn to resist Yuan Shao and suppress Cao Cao's development.

However, this chess piece may not fall into Zhou Qi's plans at every turn as he wishes.

He pondered for a long time and continued to ask: "Where does Yuan Zhi think Yuan Shu will attack if he goes south?"

Xu Shu said: "If I were Yuan Shu's adviser, I would definitely persuade him to seize Jiangxia County."

Zhou Qi asked: "Why not attack Xiangyang or Lujiang, but instead attack Jiangxia?"

Xu Shu took out a map, first pointed to the location of Xiangyang, and said: "Xiangyang guards the natural barrier of the Han River, and it is at the horns of Fan and Deng. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack."

"If my lord were Yuan Shu, how could he attack this place?"

Zhou Qi couldn't help but nodded when he heard this.

Xu Shu continued: "Lujiang County is the place where the lord started, and the people are attached to it. Lu Bu's previous defeat in Lujiang is a lesson learned from the past."

"As for Jiujiang County, the famous general Xu Gongming is guarding it. Yuan Shu is afraid of General Xu's reputation and may not dare to stroke the tiger's beard lightly."

"Looking at Jiangxia County, although it was acquired by the Lord long ago, the Zhou family of Pei State had killed too many people in the territory before. Even after so many years, many people may still hold grudges."

"And Jiangxia connects Jingzhou and Yangzhou. If it is taken, it can cut off the connection between the two states and form a pincer attack on Xiangyang with Nanyang."

Zhou Qi was silent for a long time after hearing the words.

After asking Xu Shu, he discussed privately with Xi Zhicai and Tian Feng for a long time, and finally decided to raise troops to attack Yizhou.

only.

Zhou Qi's attack on Yizhou this time did not involve all the soldiers and horses in Jingzhou and Yangzhou. In order not to put a greater burden on the people of Jingzhou and prevent the north of Yangzhou from becoming empty, he only dispatched [-] soldiers and horses this time.

If we can successfully capture Yizhou by sending [-] troops, it would be great.

Even if he failed, because there were not many soldiers and horses, the money and food consumed was relatively limited, so Zhou Qi would not be injured.

If he misses this opportunity, Zhou Qi may really regret it for the rest of his life.

In the end, Zhou Qi brought Tian Feng and many civil servants and generals under his tent, but left Xi Zhicai and Dian Wei to guard Xiangyang.

However, it was said that Jia Xu and others were rewarded. When Gan Ning's subordinates saw that their boss was only granted the title of Zhonglang General, they immediately said unhappily: "Now that the princes are rising together, many people have been granted the title of general. With such merit, he was only awarded the rank of Lieutenant General."

"General Chariot and Cavalry is too stingy!"

Obviously, the speaker came from a rough background and was not familiar with the official positions in the imperial court, nor did he understand the military ranks of Zhou Qi's generals.

When Gan Ning heard this, he slapped him and cursed: "Stop talking nonsense!"

"Did you know that there are only two people under General Chariot and Cavalry who have been honored as General Zhonglang?"

"One of them led more than a thousand men to a surprise attack on Changsha County. He helped the generals of chariots and cavalry to turn the tide on the Jingzhou battlefield. He defeated the Jingzhou army with a small number and a large number, and recruited rebel troops on the spot to besiege Liu Biao in Hanshou."

"This man single-handedly rewrote the entire battle in Jingzhou and laid a solid foundation for the cavalry general to capture Jingzhou."

"He is a famous general under General Chariot and Cavalry, and so is Xu Huang and Xu Gongming."

"It is precisely because of such great contributions that Xu Gongming, as the first person to follow the chariot and cavalry generals, was awarded the title of Zhonglang General."

Hearing the words, the people around him couldn't help being shocked, and shouted out loud: "Even if we are as far away as Ba County, we have heard of General Xu's name, but we never thought that he is just a mere lieutenant general."

Gan Ning smiled and scolded: "What do you mean by a mere lieutenant general?"

"Do you know that when the Yellow Turban Rebellion spread all over the country, the imperial court used Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun to lead the army to put down the rebellion, but only gave them the title of Zhonglang General?"

Only then did the people on the left and right know the value of General Zhonglang. They couldn't help but be overjoyed and congratulated each other: "Congratulations, brother, for receiving this award, you can really reach the sky in one step!"

One of them asked: "Brother said before that two people under General Chariot and Cavalry will be granted the title of Zhonglang General. Besides General Xu, who else is there?"

Gan Ning smiled and said: "The other person is Huang Hansheng from Nanyang, Liu Biao's old subordinate in Jingzhou."

"Speaking of Huang Hansheng, he is not only brave but also proficient in military affairs. He was Liu Biao's first general. As early as when Liu Biao entered Jingzhou, he had been named Zhonglang General."

"General Chariot and Cavalry first attacked Jingzhou. Although the offensive was blocked, Jingzhou only relied on the danger of mountains, rivers and cities."

"Only Huang Hansheng has repeatedly defeated the generals under the chariot and cavalry generals. He has great military exploits and is powerful in Jing and Yangzhou."

"It's just that this person was awarded the title of General Zhonglang, most likely just because he had been granted the title of General Zhonglang before. As the No. 1 military general in Jingzhou, if the general of chariots and cavalry does not reward him generously, it may not be able to appease the civil and military hearts of Jingzhou."

Hearing this, Zuo Zuo curled his lips and said: "Liu Biao treated Huang Zhong very well, but he surrendered to the general Chariot and Cavalry. It seems that his character is not very good."

Gan Ning scolded him: "Stop talking nonsense!"

"Huang Hansheng is a loyal man, but Liu Biao's man can't employ people. He suspected that General Huang was secretly having an affair with General Chariot and Cavalry, so he took away his military power."

"Even when General Chariot and Cavalry attacked Jingzhou for the second time, General Huang had never been on the battlefield."

"Until Liu Biao and all the civil and military officials in Jingzhou surrendered, Huang Hansheng was unwilling to surrender. However, it was the general of chariots and cavalry who came to persuade him personally, and he was able to obtain this good general."

When the man heard this, he immediately said with shame: "It seems that I have misunderstood General Huang. He is suspected by Liu Biao, but he is still loyal. He is really a righteous man!"

Gan Ning took a deep breath and said, "It was Mr. Jia's plan that led Jingzhou soldiers and horses to Ba County this time. I was named Zhonglang General, but I feel a little guilty."

"However, General Chariot and Cavalry is so kind to me that I can't refuse it. I will definitely repay it with death!"

"You should restrain your temper in the future and don't be as unscrupulous as before. You must know that the law is ruthless. If you violate the laws established by the cavalry general, I will not be able to save you!"

Seeing Gan Ning's stern expression, everyone in the tent looked stern.

However, they also knew that as Gan Ning was worshiped as Zhonglang General and became the third general under the Chariot and Cavalry General, they, who were born bandits, would follow suit and rise to prominence in the future.

"Report, General Xiang Hong has led [-] troops as the vanguard and arrived in Jiangzhou!"

At this moment, a scout suddenly came to deliver the news. Gan Ning couldn't help but look solemn after hearing this. He hurriedly finished dressing up and led his men to greet Xiang Hong.

Since Gan Ning was preparing to join Zhou Qi, he had specifically inquired about a lot of information about General Chariot and Cavalry and his civil servants, and knew how important Xiang Bode's position was under General Chariot and Cavalry.

It is no exaggeration to say that although Xiang Hong's official position is not as good as that of Xu Huang, Huang Zhong, and Gan Ning, he is far more trustworthy than the three of them.

When he learned that Xiang Hong was coming with his troops, Gan Ning couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief.
Although under Jia Xu's plan, Gan Ning relied on his influence in Ba County to summon his old troops, united with some local powerful and powerful families, recruited many desperadoes, and barely controlled Jiangzhou.However, Liu Zhang was not slow to respond. When he learned that the governor of Bajun and many officials had surrendered, and after the Jingzhou army entered Bajun, he immediately appointed Yan Yan as the new governor of Bajun.

Yan Yan was born into a prominent family in Linjiang County, Ba County. When Gan Ning captured Linjiang, he escaped from the city and fled all the way to Dianjiang City.

At that time, due to lack of manpower, Gan Ning focused all his attention on the cities along the river from the Yangtze River to Jingzhou in Jiangzhou, and did not have much energy to take care of the entire Bajun area.

Yan Yan was well-known in Ba County. After fleeing to Dianjiang, he directly recruited volunteers and reinforced the city wall with the magistrate of Dianjiang, and soon established a line of defense in Dianjiang.

At the same time, they went to Chengdu to request support.

Liu Zhang learned of the great changes in Bajun and Yan Yan's reputation in Bajun, so he appointed him as the governor of Bajun and sent Zhao Wei, Zhang Ren, Liu Wei, Lingbao, Deng Xian, Wu Yi and others to lead Fifty thousand soldiers went to support Yan Yan.

After Yan Yan was appointed as the governor of Bajun, he re-appointed the magistrates of various counties in Brazil and asked them to recruit volunteers and allocate grain and grass to Dianjiang.

The so-called land of Brazil refers to Brazil County after Ba County was divided into three parts in history after Zhao Wei suggested it.

The reason for this is similar to Zhang Zhao's original suggestion to Zhou Qi. The area of ​​Baxi County is too large and the strategic location is too important. If it is not split, the power of Baxi County Governor will be too heavy.

But now, Liu Zhang has not succeeded to the throne for a long time, so Bajun has not been divided yet.

Most areas in Brazil are located west of diving.

Diving, also known as Qujiang in later generations, is the largest tributary on the left bank of the Jialing River, a tributary of the Yangtze River, also known as Quhe.

It is not without reason that the land of Bashu is called the land of fertile fields and abundant abundance.

In Bajun alone, there are five major rivers passing through it, making the land fertile and water abundant, making it an excellent place for farming.

Among them, Jiangzhou is the intersection of two major rivers, and Dianjiang is the intersection of three major rivers. Their strategic locations are extremely important.

This is why, after Yan Yan learned about Gan Ning's rebellion, he immediately fled to Dianjiang. After Liu Zhang learned the news, he also immediately sent a large army to support Dianjiang.

The reason why Zhou Qi insisted on leading troops into Bajun was not really determined to capture Yizhou, but because he wanted to defeat Liu Zhang's main force in Bajun so that he could completely occupy Bajun.

Otherwise, just relying on Gan Ning and others, a rebellion of this scale may be easily extinguished by Zhao Wei, just like in history.

If this was the case, Jia Xu's efforts to persuade Gan Ning to rebel were all in vain.

Seeing that the [-]-strong army led by Zhao Wei and others was about to arrive at Dianjiang, if the troops from Jingzhou had not yet arrived, Gan Ning would not be able to defend Jiangzhou with the few troops he had.

Fortunately, Xiang Hong and others took a boat to go westward, and they traveled along waterways all the way, so they were able to go so fast.

South of Jiangzhou City.

Jia Xu, Gan Ning, Chen Wu, Ling Cao and others looked at the densely packed warships on the river, with smiles on their faces.

Xiang Hong, wearing armor, was the first to disembark from the boat. He first saluted Jia Xu, then looked at Gan Ning and asked, "Are you Gan Xingba of Bajun?"

Gan Ning stepped forward and saluted: "I am here to pay my respects to the general!"

Xiang Hong hurriedly returned the gift and said: "If General Gan had not surrendered this time, I would not have led the army to Jiangzhou so easily."

After the two exchanged greetings, Xiang Hong pulled the person next to him and said, "This is Zhang Yun, the nephew of Zhennan General Liu Jingsheng. He is proficient in water warfare and is highly regarded by the Lord."

"Thanks to Colonel Zhang's help this time, I was able to reach Jiangzhou so quickly."

When Gan Ning heard this, he couldn't help but wonder: "Liu Biao is just a prisoner of a higher rank. Why does the general of chariots and cavalry still use his nephew?"

But in front of Xiang Hong and Zhang Yun, Gan Ning didn't hesitate to ask more questions, so he stepped forward to greet Zhang Yun.

After finishing the ceremony, Gan Ning hurriedly said to Xiang Hong and Zhang Yun: "You two have come from afar, please come with me into the city."

Xiang Hong agreed, but Zhang Yun said slightly apologetically: "I have to return to Jingzhou to pick up the rest of the troops. I cannot stay here longer. Please forgive me!"

After all, warships are limited, and transporting 3000 people to Jiangzhou at one time without affecting the Xiangyang navy is almost reaching its limit.

If the army did not travel by water, its marching speed would be much slower.

The reason why there is no large-scale recruitment of civilian ships is not only to avoid affecting people's livelihood, but also because traveling against the current, civilian ships have small loads and slow travel speeds.

Gan Ning knew that the military situation was urgent, so he did not force Zhang Yun to stay, but said goodbye to him.

After taking Xiang Hong back to the city, Gan Ning found Jia Xu and asked with some confusion: "Sir, do you know that since Zhang Yun is Liu Biao's nephew, why can General Chariot and Cavalry feel free to use him?"

When Jia Xu heard this, he smiled slightly.

Naturally, he would not say that Zhou Qi used Zhang Yun to appease Jingzhou, but said with a smile: "The chariot and cavalry general has a broad mind, and he can naturally do what others cannot."

"Jingzhou has returned home, and the chariot and cavalry generals have treated Zhang Yun very well. If Zhang Yun rebels, he will be like a lonely man. What should we fear?"

"In fact, not only Liu Jingsheng's grandson Zhang Yun, but also his eldest son Liu Qi and his son Liu Pan are serving under the lord's account at this time."

"The master's mind is beyond the reach of ordinary people, and it is beyond our ability to predict."

When Gan Ning heard this, he couldn't help but be shocked in his heart, and thought to himself: "The chariot general has great courage, he is really a hero."

Jia Xu interrupted Gan Ning's train of thought and said sternly: "It will take some time for the army led by General Chariot and Cavalry to arrive. The general should strengthen the city's defenses and conduct a thorough inspection of the city."

"Otherwise, even if Xiang Bode leads three thousand soldiers and horses to help, when Liu Zhang's army arrives, it may be difficult to defend Jiangzhou!"

Jia Xu's words are not alarmist.

The lessons learned from Lu Bu's mistakes in Lujiang County are right in front of us.

Bajun was under the rule of Liu Yan, and Yan Yan was well-known in Bajun. After the Yizhou army besieged Jiangzhou, there was no guarantee that someone would cooperate with others to help Yan Yan conquer Jiangzhou.

Gan Ning looked deeply solemn and said, "Sir, I know your foresight!"

At this moment, a scout suddenly came to report: "General Qi, Yan Yan and Zhao Wei are leading [-] land and sea troops and are heading towards Jiangzhou. They are already less than twenty miles away from here!"

Jia Xu and Gan Ning's expressions changed slightly. They didn't expect the Yizhou army to arrive so quickly.

If Xiang Hong had come one day later, Jiangzhou might not have been saved.

The two looked at each other and hurried to meet Xiang Hong to discuss how to deal with it.

(End of this chapter)