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

Chapter 244 Calculation, Exchange

"The military affairs are busy, and I can't get away for the time being, but Yun Chang wants to go to the general to plead guilty."

Liu Bei looked at Guan Yu and said seriously.

Although Guan Yu was aloof and arrogant, he was not an unrepentant person. He immediately nodded and said: "I don't need to remind you, brother, I will go to the general to apologize."

Tan County, the temporary residence of the general.

Compared to Liu Bei and others who were extremely busy, Zhou Qi was able to steal half a day of free time and play chess with Xi Zhicai in his mansion.

At his current status, even fame and fortune have become a passing thing. There is no need to pay too much attention to it. Instead, he will give up the opportunity to make meritorious deeds to his subordinates.

This is why Zhou Qi is so relaxed and comfortable even though the city is clearly shouting to kill Zhentian.

"Lord, the general has brought Yuan Tan over!"

Just when Zhou Qi and Xi Zhicai were gradually falling behind in the game, Dian Wei, covered in blood, walked in and said in a deep voice.

Zhou Qi suddenly stood up, his sleeves brushing against the chessboard inadvertently, causing the black and white chess pieces to become a mess.

Seeing this, Xi Zhicai could only smile bitterly and shake his head.

Zhou Qi, however, pretended not to know, walked quickly to Dian Wei and asked, "What are the casualties of the soldiers?"

When Dian Wei saw that his lord did not ask about the result of the battle, but was the first to hear about his own casualties, he could not help but feel a warm current in his heart, and then said: "No one in the Lieutenant General was seriously injured in the battle, and only a few were slightly injured."

"As for the ordinary soldiers, there were not many casualties."

When Zhou Qi heard this, a smile appeared on his face, and then asked: "Did you encounter any trouble when you captured Yuan Tan?"

Dian Wei hesitated for a moment, but finally said: "Guan Yunchang first killed Yuan Tan in one step, and then he saved Yuan Tan from his sword. During this period, the two sides were at war with each other."

"Fortunately, at the critical moment, Ambassador Liu had people shout in unison on the city wall, telling us to capture Yuan Tan alive, so the conflict was calmed down."

If it were any other monarch who knew what Guan Yu had done, he would definitely be furious.

However, Zhou Qi knew Guan Yu's character very well and knew the relationship between him and Zhang Fei, so he could understand Guan Yu's mood.

He said to Dian Wei: "I already know about this. Dian Jun should go wash up and change his clothes. He will temporarily imprison Yuan Tan so that he can entertain him."

Dian Wei took the order and left.

Xi Zhicai also stood up, walked to Zhou Qi's side, and said with a smile: "My Lord, guess when Guan Yu will come to the General's Mansion to plead guilty."

Zhou Qi stroked his beard and said, "Liu Xuande acted so abnormally. It seems that Zhicai's previous guess was not wrong."

"If it is true as previously guessed, Guan Yu will come to the mansion to plead guilty in less than half an hour."

In fact, even before tonight, Xi Zhicai had already concluded through various clues that Zhang Fei might not have died in the battle.

Zhou Qi was a little unbelievable at first, but after hearing Xi Zhicai's speculation, he became more convinced.

If Zhang Fei really died in battle, he would have sent envoys several times with heavy gifts to seek permission to see Zhang Fei's body. With Yuan Shao's background and pride, he would have fainted long ago.

Compared with hanging Zhang Fei's body to attract hatred, sending it back decently can better show Yuan Shao's broadmindedness, and it is also easier to destroy the fighting spirit of the soldiers in the city.

never thought.

Faced with Liu Bei's reasonable request, Yuan Shao not only flatly refused, but also violently killed Zhang Fei.

Although this move can achieve small profits in the short term, it may not be beneficial to Yuan Shao's reputation. Instead, it will arouse Liu Bei's hatred and the desire of the soldiers and civilians in the city to resist.

If the person who was hung was really Zhang Fei's body, Yuan Shao would never do such a thing.

In the final analysis, there is no deep hatred between the two sides.

Moreover, there will inevitably be casualties in the battle between the two armies, and Yuan Shao is not sure whether he will ask Liu Bei for the body of his general in the future.

From this point of view, Yuan Shao obviously went too far in doing this.

Xi Zhicai concluded from this that Zhang Fei might not be dead.

It was precisely because Yuan Shao couldn't hand over Zhang Fei's body and couldn't find a suitable reason that he resorted to this trick and used a fake corpse in order to confuse the person with others.

Although Xi Zhicai had this guess, he told Zhou Qi about it.

Zhou Qi thought about it again and again, but finally did not tell Liu Bei.

He was not sure whether Xi Zhicai's guess was accurate.

If Liu Bei knew that Zhang Fei was not dead, he would definitely want to rescue him, but there is no guarantee that he would lose his mind again and do something outrageous.

Just like the previous defeat, if Liu Bei hadn't been confused and emotional, he would never have fallen into the trap set by Xun You.

Zhou Qi and Xi Zhicai finally decided on the strategy of false surrender and lured Yuan Tan into the city, which was not without the intention of avenging previous shame.

Just as Xun You thought, the timing chosen by Zhou Qi and Xi Zhicai was too coincidental.

Just when Yuan Jun was in a dilemma, suddenly a pie fell from the sky. Even if there might be risks, Yuan Shao and Xun You wanted to try it.

The reason why Yuan Tan was chosen was to get Zhang Fei back.

This is why Zhou Qi asked Huang Gai to find Yuan Tan's subordinates directly and handle the surrender first through Yuan Tan.

Whether they can capture Tan County and break Yuan Jun's current predicament will almost affect the future situation of the entire world.

Although Yuan Tan is the eldest son of Yuan Shao, he also knows his father's preference for Yuan Shang, so he will definitely seize this opportunity to make meritorious deeds and want to personally lead the troops to invade Tan County.

As such.

This time Yuan Shao defeated the Zhou and Liu coalition forces, Yuan Tan was the first to succeed, and it will be of great help to him in his future fight for the throne.

Zhou Qi and Xi Zhicai concluded that as long as Huang Gai found Yuan Tan first, the other party would definitely ask to personally lead the troops into the city.

as predicted.

Even with Xun You's objections, Huang Gai was brought by Yuan Tan after all, so it would be unjustifiable not to allow him to participate in this battle to seize the city.

As for the other generals of Yuan's army, they did not dare to compete with Yuan Tan, so they were allowed to serve as the vanguard general to seize the city.

Zhou Qi asked Dian Wei to try his best to capture Yuan Tan alive, not only in exchange for Zhang Fei's life, but also to return Yuan Shao's favor.

After all, Zhou Qi still owes Yuan Shao a lot.

In order to fight for the world, he can break up with Yuan Shao, but his past kindness cannot be forgotten.

But Zhou Qi would not watch Yuan Shao's son die in Tan County.

Besides.

Zhou Qi had a more profound plan, which was to strengthen Yuan Shao's determination to abolish the elders and establish the younger ones through Yuan Tan's defeat.

As such.

When Yuan Shao dies one day, the Yuan brothers will inevitably fight, and Zhou Qi will be able to reap the benefits.

In history, even though Yuan Shao was defeated in Guandu, his foundation was actually still there and he won the hearts of the people of Hebei.

On the other hand, even though Cao Cao won by chance, he killed [-] surrendered prisoners because of the lack of food in the army, which resulted in resentment against the soldiers and people of Hebei.

If Yuan Shao could calm down and return to Hebei to reorganize his troops, he would be able to unite his troops as one, and he might not be able to continue to compete with Cao Cao.

Unfortunately, the proud Yuan Shao could not withstand the blow after all. After the defeat, his health deteriorated and he eventually vomited blood and died.Until this time, Cao Cao was still unable to move north to capture Yuan Shao's territory.

When Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang attacked each other for territory and split Hebei, this gave Cao Cao an opportunity.

If Yuan Tan really died in Tan County at this time, it would relieve Yuan Shao's worries. Zhou Qi would naturally not allow this to happen.

Of course, these calculations are only known to Zhou Qi himself and cannot be told to anyone.

The result was not what Zhou Qi expected.

In less than half an hour, Guan Yu had already come to the General's Mansion to plead guilty.

Zhou Qi looked at Guan Yu, who was shirtless and carrying a cane on his back, and asked deliberately: "What does Yun Chang mean by this?"

Guan Yu knelt down on one knee, held up the cane with both hands, and said with a face full of shame: "In order to kill Yuan Tan, I almost fought with Dian Jun. I am really ashamed."

"If the general had not had the foresight to ask Dianjun to protect Yuan Tan in advance, if the general had really killed Yuan Tan, how would the third brother have survived?"

"Guan Yu came here to plead guilty and ask the general to punish him!"

Zhou Qi stepped forward to help Guan Yu up, unbuttoned his coat and put it on Guan Yu. He took Guan Yu's hands and said, "Yun Chang is eager to avenge his brother. How can I blame you?"

"Previously, Gu Rang Dianwei kept Yuan Tan, not only because he missed his old friendship with Yuan Shao, but also in exchange for benefit."

Guan Yu looked shocked and said: "Even I just learned that Yide is not dead. How could the general know in advance?"

Zhou Qi smiled slightly, then pointed at Xi Zhicai and told him all his previous guesses.

Zhou Qi ignored Guan Yu's look of horror and continued: "The reason why I didn't inform Xuande and Yun Chang before was not only because I was worried that my guess would be wrong, but also because I knew that you and the Yide brothers were deeply attached to each other."

"If Yide is really still alive and being imprisoned in Yuan Camp, it would be unsightly for you to know."

"It was in order to rescue Yide and avenge his previous ambush that Zhicai made a plan to lure Yuan Tan into the city to capture him."

"As long as Yuan Tan is in hand, why worry about Yide not being able to return to the army?"

When Guan Yu heard this, he suddenly realized.

He then turned to Xi Zhicai and bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you sir for doing so many things for Yide in private."

Xi Zhicai hurriedly returned the gift and said, "Our two families are allies and we share weal and woe. Why does the general need to be so polite?"

At this time, Guan Yu was really convinced by Xi Zhicai.

He finally realized how extraordinary the existence of a top counselor was.

Liu Bei does not lack good generals now, but what he lacks is counselors like Xi Zhicai who can strategize and see through everything.

Unfortunately.

Although Chen Deng, Chen Qun, Mi Zhu, and Zhuge Jin were all quite talented, they were still inferior to top counselors.

After Guan Yu said goodbye to Zhou Qi, he went to meet Liu Bei and told him everything he knew. Liu Bei was also shocked and stunned.

Until the end, Liu Bei sighed deeply and said: "It's a pity that such talented people are not under my command!"

But he said that after Yuan Shao returned to the camp, he was worried about Yuan Tan's safety and couldn't sit still.

While he was worried, he suddenly reported that Liu Bei had sent Mi Zhu over. Yuan Shao hurriedly received him and asked, "Where is your envoy coming?"

Mi Zhu smiled and said, "I came here to relieve the king's worries."

Yuan Shao looked unmoved, but sneered: "Even if you were lucky enough to win a small victory last night, I still have an army of 30 under my command. Sooner or later, I will surely break through Tan County and capture Zhou Ziyi and Liu Xuande alive."

"The one who should be worried is not the lonely king, but you."

Mi Zhu chuckled softly and said, "May I ask your Majesty, how long can the food and grass in the army last?"

When Yuan Shao heard this, he couldn't help being shocked, but he said calmly on the surface: "Gu occupies the land of five states. The land under his rule is vast, there are many household registrations, and there are countless grains and grass."

"As long as Gu is unwilling to withdraw his troops, even if we fight for another three to five years, we will be able to supply food and grass."

When Mi Zhu heard this, he sneered again and again and said: "Since the king is not sincere, I will just leave. If the king can really besiege the city for three years, then I will take the initiative to surrender the city!"

After saying this, Mi Zhu flicked his sleeves and prepared to leave.

When Yuan Shao saw this, he immediately burst into laughter and said, "I am just chatting and laughing with your envoy, why is Zizhong angry?"

Mi Zhu said: "Your Majesty is dishonest, why should I stay and humiliate myself?"

Yuan Shao sighed slightly and said: "To be honest, the army only has enough food and grass for one year."

Mi Zhu sneered: "Is your Majesty talking and laughing again?"

Seeing the other party's expression, Yuan Shao knew that Zhou Qi and Liu Bei must have figured out his truth, so he could only laugh and said: "The army only has three months of food and grass left, which makes your envoy laugh."

Mi Zhu said: "I'm afraid it's been less than ten days."

Yuan Shao's smile suddenly froze on his face.

Mi Zhu, however, took advantage of the victory to pursue the victory and asked: "Our army won a great victory last night, and the morale of the army and the people is strong. Does the king think that Tan County can be captured in just ten days?"

Yuan Shao remained silent.

Mi Zhu continued: "Instead of your army running out of food and grass and retreating to Hebei in disgrace, why not take advantage of the time when there is still food and grass for you and me to shake hands and make peace, okay?"

Yuan Shao did not answer, but asked: "How is my son now?"

Mi Zhu smiled and said: "The general, considering the old friendship with the king, immediately dispatched his general Dian Wei to take the young master Tan to his residence. He will be treated with courtesy, so the king can rest assured."

Yuan Shao breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

As long as Yuan Tan is in Zhou Qi's hands, he believes that with Zhou Qi's character, Yuan Tan will never be in danger.

Mi Zhu took the opportunity to ask, "Your Majesty, Zhang Yide is still alive. Can you please let me see him first?"

Yuan Shao naturally did not refuse Mi Zhu's request.

Finally, Mi Zhu saw an unkempt Zhang Fei in a very strong cell.

After the two met, they hugged each other and cried.

Before leaving, Mi Zhu comforted Zhang Fei: "Third general, please be patient for a little longer, and I will be able to take you back soon."

Zhang Fei smiled bitterly and said, "It was someone who dragged my brother down."

Seeing Zhang Fei alive, Mi Zhu felt relieved. Then she visited Yuan Shao again and said, "Today we will exchange prisoners in front of the two armies and then discuss the withdrawal of troops. I wonder what your Majesty thinks?"

Yuan Shao naturally refused to accept anything.

In this way, the two armies formed a formation under the city. After capturing their positions, they each released Yuan Tan and Zhang Fei to return to their own formations.

It is worth mentioning that before sending Zhang Fei back, Yuan Shao had someone freshen him up and change his clothes, so he looked slightly thinner but no longer as embarrassed as he was in prison.

The captives each return to their own formation.

Both sides also had a tacit understanding to call off their troops and make a truce, without a major battle.

(End of this chapter)