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

Chapter 352 Zhao Zilong jumped up with a spear

However, it was said that Taishi Ci managed to escape with only a few horses, and then the situation in Xiapi County suddenly changed.

Those Yuan soldiers who were originally scattered in various places to harvest crops gathered in various places at almost the same time.

After they gathered together, they quickly formed a powerful military force. Except for the two county towns that Taishi Ci had previously divided his troops to guard, all the other county towns were captured successively.

Nowadays, only Xiapi County, which governs Xiapi County, and Liangcheng County, which controls Xiapi County and goes to Donghai County, are still in the hands of the Xuzhou Army.

This was because Taishi Ci had the foresight to assign two thousand soldiers and horses to garrison in advance, otherwise these two cities with very important strategic significance would inevitably fall.

After Taishi Ci fled back to Xiapi County, he sent a letter to Liu Bei in Tan County asking for help, and at the same time urgently recruited the people in the city to help strengthen the city wall to resist Yuan Jun.

at the same time.

Just as the situation in Xiapi County was changing, Pei State was also undergoing great changes. The strategy used by Yuan Jun here was almost the same as that in Xiapi County.

The difference is that there are two generals leading the Yuan army in Pei State, and the chief general is Zhu Ling, a native of Jizhou.

After this battle, Zhu Ling was highly valued by Yuan Shao, but deep in Zhu Ling's heart, there was an incomprehensible knot.

Once the scouts sent out fail to return on time, there is a high probability of being killed.

Zhu Ling faced a dilemma, and finally looked at the city and cried: "How can my husband take care of the family once he is born as a human being?" Then he fought hard to pull him out, captured Ji Yong alive, and killed his whole family.

It's just that Yuan Shao clearly knew that Zhu Ling's family was in the city, and still asked Zhu Ling to attack the city, which could be regarded as killing Zhu Ling's family in disguise.

Xun Yu called Han Meng "sharp but underestimating the enemy". "Rui" here refers to bravery, which belongs to personal force; "underestimating the enemy" refers to character flaws.

Although Zhu Ling chose loyalty instead of filial piety, it was just because he was entrusted with an important task by Yuan Shao. If he surrendered to his master at that time, his reputation would be ruined and he would suffer infamy.

Zhao Yun was born in the north, and once commanded the White Horse Yi Cong under Gongsun Zan. He was an out-and-out cavalry general.

With Han Meng's character, it was okay to charge into battle as a deputy general, but it was obviously deficient to lead troops into battle as a general.

Although Han Meng is an inconspicuous little character in history, he has been defeated almost every time and has no impressive record at all.

When Cao Cao was stolen by Lu Bu and only two cities were left desperate, Yuan Shao did not choose to send troops to rescue Cao Cao at this time. Instead, he wrote a letter to persuade Cao Cao to go north to defect to him, perhaps as revenge for Zhu Ling's defection to Cao Cao.

Zhu Ling and Han Meng used the same strategy to deceive Zhao Yun. They first deliberately caused a conflict in a certain place, and then set up an ambush when Zhao Yun came to calm the matter.

It's a pity that Zhu Ling and Han Meng are not Gao Lan, and Zhao Yun is not Tai Shici.

It's just that Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan were in a stalemate and needed Cao Cao to help him contain Yuan Shu and Liu Bei in Yanzhou, so the two sides didn't fall out.

Zhao Yun retreated calmly. Except for the few scouts who had been lost before, he actually did not lose a single soldier under his command.

Perhaps it was precisely because of Zhu Ling's switch to Cao Cao that there was a gap between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

Since Zhu Ling happened to be from Echeng and was familiar with the humanities and geography there, Yuan Shao ordered Zhu Ling to attack Echeng.

After Zhu Ling took refuge with Yuan Shao, during the dispute between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan, Ji Yong, a native of Qinghe, betrayed Yuan Shao and dedicated the city of Quan to Gongsun Zan. Gongsun Zan sent troops to Quan City to help Ji Yong defend the city.

When Yuan Shu was defeated and surrendered, Xiang County and even the entire Pei Kingdom naturally became Yuan Shao's jurisdiction.

In addition to Zhu Ling, there is another general as deputy general. This person is Yuan Shao's heroic general Han Meng. He is known for his bravery and his military strength is second only to Yan Liang and Wen Chou.

Otherwise, given the relationship between the two, it would have been impossible for Yuan Shao to sit back and watch Cao Cao being destroyed at that time and remain indifferent.

After many years, because Yuan Shao was highly valued, and Yuan Shao had proclaimed himself emperor, and he was dominating Hebei, he had the power to dominate the world.

Zhu Ling is a person who understands current affairs, and naturally has no intention of turning to others at this time.

However, it is said that Zhao Yun took advantage of Yuan Jun's pursuit and advanced instead of retreating. He suddenly turned around and charged out with four of his guards, killing two Yuan Jun generals and more than a dozen Yuan Jun cavalry. Everyone in his path was turned upside down, and there was no enemy under his command. The killing made all Yuan's troops frightened and did not dare to pursue him any more.

However, Zhu Ling's family were all in the city, so Gongsun Zan tied Zhu Ling's mother and younger brother to the city to lure Zhu Ling to surrender.

The reason why Zhao Yun did not mobilize the people to help defend the city was because Xiang County was not under the rule of Xuzhou before, but had always been under the jurisdiction of Yuan Shu from the beginning.

Zhu Ling saw at a glance that Cao Cao was the master of the Ming Dynasty, so he abandoned Yuan Shao and joined Cao Cao. Later, he followed Cao Cao in the north and south, and made great contributions to the establishment of Cao Wei.

Even Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were not as experienced as Zhao Yun in commanding cavalry.

At this time, he and Zhu Ling complemented each other perfectly.

Speaking of Zhu Ling, although he is not as famous as Zhang He who later surrendered to Cao Cao, he still left a strong mark in history. Later, he was awarded the title of general, wife and son, and he was able to live in wealth for the rest of his life.

"Tap Tap!"

Looking at the entire world, except for a few generals such as Lu Bu, Zhang Liao, and Ma Chao, the rest are probably not as good as Zhao Yun in commanding cavalry.

In history, after Zhu Ling was entrusted with important tasks by Yuan Shao, when Cao Cao attacked Tao Qian, he sent three battalions to Commander Zhu Ling and ordered him to lead troops to help Cao Cao.

Either the generals who commanded the troops lacked the bravery of Zhao Yun, or they were not as good as Zhao Yun in the skill of commanding the troops.

After Zhao Yun returned to Xiang County, he did not choose to mobilize the people in the city to help defend the city like Tai Shici did. Instead, he asked Liu Bei for help and built a stronghold ten miles north of Xiang County, surrounded by mountains and rivers.

not to mention.

It was precisely because of Zhao Yun's caution that he did not fall into the encirclement arranged by Zhu Ling and Han Meng. Instead, he retreated with his troops in advance. When Yuan Jun sent cavalry to pursue him, Zhao Yun found an opportunity to kill him. A dozen or so people then retreated calmly.

Zhao Yun has always been cautious. When commanding the cavalry, no matter what the situation is, he will send out scouts in batches in advance and order the scouts to return on time to report the situation.

Zhu Ling in this time and space was not sent by Yuan Shao to Xuzhou to aid Cao Cao because Zhou Qi changed history. Zhu Ling still belonged to Yuan Shao.

After Zhao Yun learned that there was a conflict between Yuan's army and the villagers, he did not dare to neglect it. However, he left a large force to station in Xiangxian County, but he only took a hundred horses to go south.

However, this can only mean that Han Meng is not good at leading troops, but it cannot deny his personal bravery.

In addition, Pei State is close to Runan County, and the influence of the fourth and third sons of the Yuan family cannot be underestimated in Pei State. Therefore, the people here do not reject Yuan Shao's command.

In addition to Yuan Shao, there were two heroes in Pei Kingdom, namely Chu King Zhou Ziyi and Qin King Cao Mengde, both of whom were born and raised in Pei Kingdom.

Many heroes from Pei Kingdom had already gone to join them.

There are four princes in the world today, and any of the other three is a better choice than Liu Bei. In addition, Liu Bei has not been in possession of Pei for a long time, and wars often broke out on the border of Pei, which also led to the dissatisfaction of the people of Pei. Like the people of Xuzhou who support Liu Bei.

The most important thing is that Xiangxian County is the hometown of Zhou Qi and one of the birthplaces of the Zhou family in Pei State. Even though many people have gone to Zhou Qi, the people who stay here still feel sorry for His Royal Highness the King of Chu who came out of Xiangxian County. Have a good impression.

Previously, the King of Chu and Liu Bei formed an alliance, and the people here thought better of it.

When they learned that Liu Bei had torn up the alliance and defected to Yuan Shao, the people of Xiang County would naturally hate Liu Bei from the bottom of their hearts, thinking that he was the kind of villain who would not repay his kindness.

During the time that Zhao Yun was stationed in Xiangxian County, he could clearly feel the malice coming from the people. Even when a seventy-year-old grandfather asked Zhao Yun in public why Liu Bei chose to betray the alliance because His Royal Highness the King of Chu had helped Xuzhou so much, Zhao Yun blushed and was speechless.

If Zhao Yun mobilized the people to defend the city like Tai Shici did, the people would not only not buy it, but might actually anger them.

“The people’s support has been lost, we cannot keep it for long!”

This is Zhao Yun's most sincere thought.

The two thousand cavalry under his command are the treasures of Xuzhou. If they are trapped in Xiangxian County and besieged by Yuan's army, once the people rebel, it will be difficult for these two thousand cavalry to break through.

On the contrary, in Xiazhai, which is located ten miles north of Xiangxian County and surrounded by mountains and rivers. As long as Xiangxian County is not in chaos, Zhao Yun can contain Yuan Jun from outside and can guarantee the defense of the city.

If Xiang County is really going to be in chaos, Zhao Yun will focus on preserving his strength and lead his troops to withdraw without hesitation.

The result was not what Zhao Yun expected.

When Zhu Ling and Han Meng led 10,000 soldiers and horses to attack Benxiang County, the powerful and wealthy people in the city encouraged the people to kill the county magistrate, and then opened the city gate to welcome Yuan's army into the city.

Zhao Yun knew that the situation was over, and was about to lead his troops to withdraw, but saw Han Meng coming towards him with 5,000 infantry and cavalry.

"This Han Meng came so fast!"

After Zhao Yun got the news, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

He was about to take advantage of the speed of the cavalry to abandon the camp and head directly north towards Pei County, and then enter Xuzhou.

What Zhao Yun didn't expect was that as soon as he was about to withdraw, the scouts sent out in advance came to report in panic, telling Zhao Yun that Wenchou had led an army of 20,000 to conquer Xiao County, blocking Zhao Yun's retreat.

Zhao Yun couldn't help being horrified when he heard this, and lost his voice: "Isn't Wen Chou in Ruyang? How could he suddenly appear in Peixian County?"

"And the 20,000 troops are not a small number. How could they enter the territory of Pei State silently?"

As soon as the words came out, Zhao Yun had already guessed the reason.

The fact that Wen Chou was in Ruyang was the news released by Yuan Jun himself. The person who claimed to be Wen Chou might also be pretending to be someone else.

As for the 20,000 Yuan troops who captured Peixian County, it is very likely that they had been hidden in Yanzhou for a long time.

Since Peixian County is close to Yanzhou, Yuan's army can directly attack Peixian County from Yanzhou without entering Pei State in advance. This may arouse Zhao Yun's vigilance.

As for why he failed to detect the movements of the 20,000 Yuan troops in advance, it can only be said that Yuan Shao had done a good enough job of concealing the truth.

No one in Xuzhou expected that Yuan Shao would choose to attack Xuzhou at this time and then fight on two fronts.

And because Yanzhou is the only way for Hebei grain to enter the southern battlefield, although Liu Bei chose neutrality, Yuan Shao still had troops stationed in Yanzhou.

Moreover, the Yanzhou grain transport team was full of people coming and going, and Yuan Jun could pretend to be a civilian and stay quietly at any time.

Now that the road back is cut off, if Zhao Yun wants to return to Xuzhou, he can only venture east and enter Pengcheng Kingdom.

However, Pengcheng State is just like Pei State. Soldiers from Yuan Army have already fled there to harvest food, so it is not safe there at this time.

However, compared to Wen Chou who commanded 20,000 troops in Peixian County, Pengcheng State was obviously safer.

The only problem was that they had to break through Han Meng's line of defense first.

In the past, Zhao Yun planned to withdraw to the north, so he was naturally not worried about the threat from Han Meng, but now he wanted to withdraw to the east, which happened to be the direction where Han Meng led his troops.

If they break through by force, with two thousand against five thousand, even if they are lucky enough to break through, they will inevitably suffer heavy casualties.

"General Qi, Han Meng is less than five miles away from the camp!"

The words of his scout interrupted Zhao Yun's thoughts.

He took a deep breath, his eyes gradually became firmer, and said: "Order the entire army to put on armor, then stay in the camp and stop fighting, prepare fire starters, and set up an ambush in the camp!"

Zhao Yun has decided to take the lead in defeating Han Meng's five thousand cavalry.

If they withdraw at this time, Han Meng will definitely pursue him. If Wen Chou comes to kill from the north again at that time, under attack from both sides, it will be difficult for these two thousand cavalry to survive.

It was just that time was urgent, and the unexpected situation completely disrupted Zhao Yun's deployment. He had to make a dangerous move, intending to use Han's sharp and underestimating character to introduce him into the camp.

Zhao Yun had been fighting Yuan Jun since he was under Gongsun Zan. He knew Yuan Jun's generals very well, and naturally also knew Han Meng's character.

"drive!"

After handing over the matter of setting up an ambush to his lieutenants, Zhao Yun rode up to the gate of the camp with a gun, then ordered people to open the camp and stood there alone.

"Tap Tap!"

The five-mile journey does not take much time at all for the cavalry.

Han Meng was worried that Zhao Yun would run away after getting the news, so he left 2,000 infantry and led 3,000 cavalry to kill him in advance.

"Shut up!"

When Han Meng saw Zhao Yun standing alone at the gate of the camp with a gun drawn, he couldn't help but frown slightly and became even more suspicious.

"Stop the whole army!"

Although Han Meng is sharp and underestimates the enemy, he is not a fool.

There was no movement in such a large camp. Zhao Yun was the only one standing at the gate of the camp with his gun drawn. There was obviously a big problem.

Seeing Han Meng's hesitant look, Zhao Yun couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

The reason why Zhao Yun did this was because the time was too short and the fire starters in the camp had not yet been prepared, so he deliberately planned to delay Han Meng for a while.

After the preparations in the camp were completed, Zhao Yun deliberately exposed his flaws. With Han Meng's sharp and underestimating character, he must have thought that Zhao Yun was bluffing, and then led his troops into the camp.

"Wuna Zhao Yun, the heavenly troops have arrived. If you don't surrender now, when will you wait?"

Although Han Meng was suspicious, he still clapped his horse forward and shouted sharply.

When Zhao Yun heard this, he sneered and said: "If Yuan Benzhu was the master of the Ming Dynasty, I would have gone to join him when I was in Changshan. How could I go to another place and join someone else?"

"If you want to fight, then fight, there is no need to show off your words!"

(End of this chapter)