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

Chapter 242

Although Jushou and Xun You felt that the timing of Sun Ce's surrender was too coincidental.

However, no matter it was Huang Gai's injuries or his flawless recovery, the two of them could not find any flaws.

The most important thing is that they can feel that Huang Gai really hates Yuan Shu and wants to avenge Sun Jian.

Nowadays, Yuan Shu, Zhou Qi, and Liu Bei have formed an alliance and share weal and woe. If Sun Ce and others want to kill Yuan Shu and avenge Sun Jian, they can only defect to Yuan Shao or Cao Cao.

However, Cao Cao is now weak, and the only wise choice is to defect to Yuan Shao.

Therefore, from a practical and logical point of view, there is almost no doubt that Sun Ce and others want to join Yuan Shao.

"Since there is no problem, let Huang Gong go back and raise a fire tonight as a signal. Let Sun Ce lead his troops to open the city gate, and we will lead the army to seize the city!"

Having said this, Yuan Shao became very energetic, and then asked: "Who is willing to be the vanguard in this battle?"

"The child is willing to go!"

As soon as Yuan Shao finished speaking, Yuan Tan took the lead and took the initiative to ask for a fight.

If Sun Ce's surrender is true, then it is almost certain that the combined forces of Zhou and Liu will conquer Tan County tonight.

Huang Gai was the first to be discovered by Yuan Tan and introduced to Yuan Shao, so he naturally did not want to miss this great opportunity to make meritorious deeds.

The other generals originally wanted to win over the vanguard generals who captured the city, but seeing that the eldest son had taken the lead, they suppressed their restlessness.

However, Xun You advised: "The so-called son of a rich man cannot sit down in the hall."

"The eldest son has a high status, so why should he risk his troops to seize the city?"

"What's more, although there is no flaw in Sun Bofu's surrender, it is too coincidental after all, so we should still proceed with caution."

Yuan Tan said in a deep voice: "If I, the eldest son of my father, dare not take the lead, who of the other soldiers will be willing to die?"

"My father has many talents under his command, and his military advisors are also very resourceful. Even you didn't see any flaws. How could Sun Ce's surrender be a fraud?"

"I have made up my mind, and I ask my father to agree!"

Seeing his son so heroic, Yuan Shao couldn't help but think of his own youth. He couldn't help but smile and stroke his beard and said: "In that case, you will be the vanguard in this battle!"

Although Yuan Shao loved his third son Yuan Shang more, Yuan Tan was also his eldest son after all. If he could be allowed to conquer the city and perform meritorious service, Yuan Shao would be happy to see it succeed.

After everyone agreed on the plan, Yuan Shao immediately summoned Huang Gai and said, "I plan to join forces with Sun Bo Fu inside and outside tonight and lead the army to attack the city. What do you think?"

Huang Gai had a look of surprise on his face and said, "It's my wish, but I don't dare to invite you!"

Xun You asked, "Which gate is Sun Bofu and his men guarding? From where should we attack the city?"

What Xun You said was actually a test.

No matter Zhou Qi or Liu Bei's subordinates, there is no shortage of strong generals who are good at fighting. Although Sun Ce is also brave, he does not have many subordinates.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, Sun Ce was not qualified to guard the sect alone.

If Huang Gai was indeed deceitful and asked which gate Sun Ce and his men were guarding alone, Xun You would be able to conclude that this must be Huang Gai's plan to fake surrender.

Unexpectedly, Huang Gai said truthfully: "To be honest, the young general only has a thousand soldiers and horses under his command, and he is not taken seriously by Liu Bei, so there is no chance to stand alone."

When Xun You heard this, the uneasiness in his heart subsided slightly, and then he continued to ask: "In this case, how can Sun Bofu open the city gate and cooperate with the king Li Ying Wai to capture Tan County?"

Huang Gai smiled and said: "Sir, don't worry. Now Zhou Qi and Liu Bei's generals are guarding two gates each. Behind the south gate, Donglai Taishi Ci leads an army to guard at midnight, and the young general is the deputy general."

"If it were the likes of Guan Yu and Zhao Yun, the young general would naturally be more afraid of him. However, even if Taishi Ci is brave, he is no match for the young general."

"After the defense was changed in the middle of the night, the major general made a sneak attack and killed Tai Shici. His soldiers were not afraid."

"As long as we can quickly open the city gate and welcome the king and his soldiers into the city, we won't have to worry about being wiped out by the soldiers and horses in the city."

When Yuan Shao heard this, he couldn't help stroking his hands and laughing, and said: "In that case, then in the middle of the night tonight, we will raise a fire at the south gate of Tan County as a signal, and we will see you there or not!"

At this time, Huang Gai said seriously: "Please come to the appointment in time, your Majesty. Otherwise, once time is delayed, the generals under Liu Bei and Zhou Qi will lead their troops to kill. The young general and his thousands of subordinates will not be able to resist for long."

Yuan Tan patted his chest and said, "General Huang, please don't worry, I will personally lead the troops into the city for this battle, and we will definitely not miss the time!"

Huang Gai was overjoyed when he heard this and immediately said, "If the young master comes in person, great things can happen!"

Xun You's eyes moved slightly and he said with a smile: "In that case, General Huang can return to the city early and tell Sun Bofu all about what he is planning today, so that he can make preparations early."

Xun You's words were again digging a hole to test Huang Gai.

Now because of Yuan's army's attack on the city, the four gates of Tan County have not been opened for a long time, and it is daytime. With the tight defense of the city's defenders, there is no way Huang Gai can sneak into the city quietly.

Once Huang Gai agreed, he planned to return to the city now, which meant that there was definitely something wrong with the other party.

Huang Gai smiled bitterly and said, "The military advisor didn't know that, when the Major General was guarding the city last night, he secretly hung me from the city wall with a basket without telling Tai Shici."

"It just so happens that a certain person is also injured. He can recuperate at home as an excuse not to report to the military for the time being. Otherwise, I'm afraid his flaws would have been exposed long ago."

"It's dawn now, and the city's defenders are heavily guarded. How can we return to the city without hiding the truth from them?"

"We have to wait until midnight tonight, until the major general finds an opportunity on the city wall to put down the basket, and then I will dare to return."

When Xun You heard this, his doubts disappeared and he immediately asked: "If Sun Bofu doesn't return to the city early and Sun Bofu doesn't make preparations in advance, will there still be time to capture the city tonight?"

Huang Gai smiled and said: "Military advisor, don't worry. The Major General's subordinates are all former members of Marquis Wucheng, so their loyalty is not a problem."

"As long as I return to the city and tell the Major General everything about today's plan, seizing the city will definitely not be a problem."

In this way, Huang Gai was left in Yuan Jun's camp, with good wine, meat and the best military doctors to serve him. It was not until late at night that Huang Gai quietly reached the south gate of Tan County.

By the time Huang Gai reached the bottom of the south gate, the city wall had already been replaced.

"Cuckoo!"

"Cuckoo!"

"Cuckoo!"

Huang Gai first hid under the city wall and imitated the bird's call three times. It didn't take long for a response to come from the city wall, and then a basket slowly fell down.

Huang Gai said goodbye to the Yuan Jun scouts who escorted him, and was then pulled to the city wall.

In the dense forest in the distance, Yuan Tan was hiding here with [-] Yuan Jun. Listening to the scout's report, his eyes couldn't help but show excitement.

He knew that Tan County would be conquered by him soon.

By that time, Zhou Qi and Liu Bei will definitely be defeated, and the time when his father will sweep the world and unify the nine states will not be far away.

At this time, Yuan Shao and all the civil and military personnel under his command did not rest, but took advantage of the cover of night to hide ten miles away from the south gate of Tan County.

After Yuan Tan enters the city, they will also go to rescue him.

Where Yuan Shao was stationing troops, even Xun You, a civil servant, also followed him at this time.

Just because this battle to seize the city is related to the future trend of the entire world, although there is nothing wrong with Huang Gai's surrender, Xun You still feels a little uneasy in his heart.

It was too much of a coincidence after all.

Moreover, this matter developed too smoothly, so smoothly that Xun You felt unbelievable.Although he felt uneasy, just as Zhou Qi was not sure whether Yuan Shao was really in a coma, Xun You was not sure whether the uneasiness in his heart was a bit unfounded.

If it had been two months ago, even though Yuan Jun had difficulty conquering Tan County, his morale was still high and he had sufficient food and grass.

Even if Xun You doesn't see any flaws, he may still try his best to persuade Yuan Shao to act with caution.

However, after more than half a year of offensive and defensive battles, Yuan's army was exhausted, and it was difficult to supply food and grass. If he could not find another good opportunity to conquer Tan County, Yuan's army would have no choice but to return to Hebei in despair.

This was Yuan Shao's first large-scale use of troops after he unified Hebei, just like Zhou Qi's first attack on Liu Biao in Jingzhou.

If he returns without success, the impact on the warrior spirit of Yuan Shao and his subordinates will be immeasurable.

Xun You knew this, so when Huang Gai came to surrender, even though he felt faintly uneasy in his heart, he still did not try his best to dissuade him, but wanted to give it a try.

He just objected and let Yuan Shao's eldest son Yuan Tan serve as the vanguard general.

It's a pity that both Yuan Shao and Yuan Tan have great hopes for this battle. Xun You is unwilling to pour cold water on everyone, so he can only let Yuan Tan do it in the end.

"On the south gate city wall, a torch has been raised three times in a row!"

Xun You suddenly heard the news and was pulled back from his thoughts.

Yuan Shao was wearing armor and holding a sharp look, with an excited look on his face. He turned to his generals and shouted: "This is the day to make great achievements. Please follow me into the city and capture Zhou Qi and Liu Bei alive!"

Following Yuan Shao's order, hundreds of thousands of troops broke out of their camps and rushed toward Tan County.

at the same time.

Yuan Tan, who was ambushing in the dense forest outside the city, just saw the fire in the city as a signal, and heard the faint cry of killing.

Yuan Tan was overjoyed and hurriedly led his troops towards the south gate.

"Crench!"

"Crench!"

as predicted.

After Yuan Tan led his army to the south gate of Tan County, Sun Ce, covered in blood, had already led his soldiers to open the city gate.

Yuan Tan originally remembered Xun You's instructions and wanted to send people into the city to investigate first, but he saw that Sun Ce's men were still fighting with the Xuzhou army in the city.

"Our sneak attack did not kill Tai Shici. The eldest son quickly led his troops into the city to help us!"

At this moment, Huang Gai's anxious voice sounded, and Yuan Tan couldn't help but be shocked.

He looked at the fire and saw that Sun Ce and Taishi Ci were fighting together. Sun Ce's more than a thousand troops were retreating steadily.

Yuan Tan was worried that Sun Ce would be defeated and the city gate would be closed.

He ignored caution and immediately waved the spear in his hand and shouted sternly: "Follow me into the city!"

"kill!"

Twenty thousand Yuan troops followed Yuan Tan and charged towards the city.

With the influx of a large number of Yuan troops, Taishi Ci knew that he was outmatched and hurriedly led his troops to retreat.

Sun Ce came over panting and said: "Taishici is a fierce general under Liu Bei's command, the eldest son, please don't let him go!"

Yuan Tan understood this and immediately led his troops to hunt down Tai Shici.

At the same time, more and more Yuan troops poured into the city. After all [-] Yuan troops entered the city, a sharp look suddenly flashed in Sun Ce's eyes.

"close the door!"

Following Sun Ce's order, the heavy gate suddenly closed. Before those Yuan Jun who had just entered could react, many rolling logs and stones were dropped on the city wall, blocking the city entrance tightly.

Yuan Tan, who was leading his troops to pursue Taishi Ci, was shocked and angry when he learned the news. He hurriedly abandoned Taishi Ci and led his troops back to the south gate.

At this time, Sun Ce had already led his soldiers and horses to climb the city wall and defend it from a high position.

Yuan Tan shouted sharply: "Sun Ce, what do you want to do?"

Sun Ce let out a "poof" and shouted: "Do you really think that someone will abandon Liu Shijun and lead his people to surrender to the national thief Yuan Shao?"

"You have fallen into the general's scheme, why don't you dismount your horse and accept your surrender!"

When Yuan Tan heard this, he couldn't help being shocked and angry. He regretted not listening to what County Xunyou said and not being cautious.

If he had not been eager to pursue Tai Shici with meritorious service, but directly controlled the city gate after entering the city, he would not have fallen into this situation.

However, now is not the time to blame oneself, Yuan Tan sneered: "We are in the city, how can a mere rolling log or stone stop my [-]-strong army?"

After speaking, Yuan Tan directly asked his men to move the stones and rolling wood at the door, hoping to open the city gate and welcome Yuan Shao into the city.

"Yuan Shao killed my third brother, and I will kill his eldest son today to avenge Yide!"

Unexpectedly, as soon as Yuan Tan finished speaking, many Xuzhou soldiers holding crossbows suddenly appeared on the city wall, and the leader was Liu Bei.

"Fire arrows!"

Following Liu Bei's order, the Xuzhou soldiers who were ambushing on the city wall bent their bows and set arrows, and the arrow rain suddenly fell down.

The space inside the city was small and unobstructed. This time Yuan Tan led his troops into the city and did not let the soldiers carry shields.

Therefore, after several rounds of arrow rain, countless corpses suddenly fell on the streets of the city.

If the personal guards had not protected Yuan Tan, he and he would have been shot to death by random arrows.

"Go to the city and kill!"

Yuan Tan was horrified, knowing that if he continued to crowd in the small city gate, all his soldiers would be killed by random arrows.

At this time, it was already too late to move the thunder stones and rolling logs away from the city gate.

Without a shield for defense, Yuan Jun who went to remove the obstacles would only turn into a cold corpse and block the city gate.

Now, only by going the opposite direction, leading the troops into the city, and relying on the streets, residences, and soldiers and horses in the city to start street battles, can we have any chance of victory.

"kill!"

"Capture Yuan Tan alive!"

"The descendants do not kill!"

Unexpectedly, Yuan Tan was about to lead his troops into the city when he saw Dian Wei, Xu Chu, Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Tai Shi Ci charging towards him with a group of elite troops each.

At the same time, Zhou Qi was playing chess with Xi Zhicai in the temporary general's residence and said: "Zhicai's plan can be said to be a courtesy to Yuan Shao."

Xi Zhicai smiled and said: "It's thanks to my lord's sharp eyes that he discovered Huang Gongfu, a genius who pretended to surrender, otherwise it would not have been possible."

After speaking, the two looked at each other and laughed.

(End of this chapter)