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

Chapter 361 Not sending troops

Zhou Qi, like Boss Cao, has a penchant for collecting powerful generals, especially those who are loyal and loyal. He loves them very much and wishes he could own all the heroes in the world.

He also knew that the possibility of him recruiting Zhao Yun was slim.

If Zhao Yun really accepted Zhou Qi's solicitation, he would not be Zhao Yun.

It is for this reason that Zhou Qi wants to save the country through curves.

It doesn't matter if you can't recruit Zhao Yun, but it's not a bad idea to use some means to keep him in Xiangyang for your own use.

There is definitely no way to keep Zhao Yun here with ordinary means.

It's just that Zhou Qi's reasons are irresistible, and he is also kidnapping Zhao Yun morally.

Although Zhou Qi had promised that Adou's life would never be in danger in Xiangyang, Zhao Yun could stay to protect and teach Adou. As a minister, Zhao Yun had no way to refuse.

What's more, Zhou Qi still had to send troops to rescue Xuzhou as a condition, so Zhao Yun had no choice.

But it was said that Yuan Shao received letters from Wen Chou and Gao Lan and learned that Liu Bei had sent protons to Xiangyang. After discussing with his advisers, he actually did not continue to send Yuan's army to Xiapi County.

"Yun also believes that the young master is safer in Xiangyang than anywhere else."

However, Liu Bei had no choice at this time. After ceding the territory and sending hostages, he reluctantly agreed to keep Zhao Yun in Xiangyang.

With the intelligence route laid out by Chen Wen early, the courier finally arrived at Tan County smoothly.

Looking at Zhao Yun who looked troubled, Zhou Qi asked: "What worries does Zilong have in his heart?"

"If Gu Ruo sends troops to help Xuzhou, he will definitely fight against Yuan's army. At that time, Zilong charged into our army, wasn't he contributing to Xuzhou in another way?"

Having said that, Zhao Yun still felt a little uneasy when he thought that Xuzhou was now at the critical moment of life and death, and if he could not return to Donghai County.

Although he believed in Zhao Yun's loyalty, he was still a little worried about keeping him in Xiangyang for a long time.

Zhao Yun was speechless.

Yuan Jun had the right time, the right people, and the right location, but lacked the right location.

Zhao Yun was silent for a while and said: "Yun came to Xiangyang to escort the young master under the order of my lord, and presented the alliance letter, but he did not get the order to stay in Xiangyang."

Zhou Qi's eyes flashed slightly, and then he said earnestly: "I admire Zilong for his loyalty and bravery. However, Zilong does not have to return to Donghai County to help Brother Xuande."

Fortunately, Zhou Qi was willing to send troops to rescue Xuzhou regardless of the past grudges; what was worrying was that Zhao Yun had to stay in Xiangyang.

"Besides, now that Xuzhou is in crisis, how can Yun be willing to stay in Xiangyang alone? He is willing to return to Donghai County to live and die with Xuzhou!"

"As for the matter of not getting Brother Xuande's order, there is no need to worry too much. When Gu Xiu writes a letter and orders people to be sent to Tan County, Brother Xuande will probably let Zilong stay in Xiangyang to protect Adou."

The reason why Yuan Shao did this was because his advisers believed that most of Yuan's troops were northern soldiers and were not good at water warfare. Even if he started training naval forces in the four freshwater lakes near Pei State, it would still be an extremely long process.

Liu Bei knew Zhou Qi's personality charm.

The messenger received a positive reply and handed Liu Bei another letter. The content of the letter only contained twelve words: strengthen the wall and clear the country, and defend according to danger to tire Yuan's army.

In this way, Zhou Qi asked Chen Wen to send elite people to Xuzhou in disguise, expressing his willingness to form an alliance, but he needed Zhao Yun to stay in Xiangyang.

When Liu Bei read the contents of the letter, he was both happy and worried.

Yuan Shao even gave Wen Chou a secret order: Once the Chu army attacked Xia Pi County in a large scale, they should focus on preserving their strength, and they could pretend to be defeated and abandon the city.

It is for this reason that Ju Shou had already given Yuan Shao advice before Yuan's army marched southward, which was to attack Nanyang first and try to fight the decisive battle with Chu north of the Han River.

In this way, the advantages of the soldiers of the North Army can be brought into play.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Qi went against common sense and Nanyang County, known as the best county in the world, has been known as the "Southern Capital" since the Eastern Han Dynasty. It has unparalleled strategic and symbolic significance.

Zhou Qi didn't even blink at such an important place. After winning the first battle, he abandoned it easily.

It was precisely because of Zhou Qi's decisive move to abandon Nanyang County that Jushou's plans for Yuan Shao before the war came to nothing. As a result, Yuan Jun could only start a tug-of-war with the Chu army in Fancheng.

Some people may also say, doesn't Fancheng also belong to Nanyang County? Isn't the attack on Fancheng also fought on land? How much role can the Chu navy play?
Anyone who thinks this way is totally wrong.

Fancheng and Xiangyang are only separated by a river. With the Han River as a backing, it means that Yuan Shao cannot surround the entire Fancheng.

As long as Fancheng cannot be surrounded, there will be a steady stream of soldiers, horses, grain and grass supplies, which will be transported from various places in Chu State to Xiangyang first, and then sent to Fancheng through the navy.

In this case, it would be difficult for Yuan Jun to conquer Fancheng.

If it were another city, under such a fierce offensive by Yuan Jun, even if there was sufficient food and grass in the city, the rest of the defensive materials would have been exhausted long ago. How could it be defended?
This time Ju Shou suggested that Yuan Shao take Xuzhou first. In addition to wanting to destroy Liu Bei, he also wanted to lure the snake out of its hole and want to fight Chu in Xuzhou.

At that time, the Chu army left their hometown to fight, and faced Yuan's army that was several times their own. Their morale was inevitably inferior to that of protecting their own country's territory, and they also lost their geographical advantage.

At that time, as long as the main force of the Chu State could be defeated, it would only be a matter of time before the Chu State was overthrown.

If troops were sent to assist Xiapi County at this time, it would certainly be able to block the Chu army's northward path, but it would also preserve Chu's national strength in disguise.

Even if Liu Bei could be defeated at that time, it would probably be very difficult to continue the conquest of Chu.

This is why, even though Yuan Shao clearly had an absolute advantage and almost captured most of Xuzhou's territory, he still lingered in Pei State and never launched a general attack on Donghai County.

Yuan Shao is fishing.

As for the bait, it is Liu Bei and Donghai County.

If Zhou Qi sits back and ignores Xuzhou, even if Yuan Shao allows Liu Bei to survive for half a year or even a year, it will be nothing. Xuzhou will still be captured by Yuan Shao.

If Zhou Qi doesn't want Zhao to become powerful and wants to send troops to relieve Xuzhou's crisis, it would be best.

At that time, Yuan Shao happened to have a decisive battle with the Chu State in Xuzhou, and he was able to cleverly bypass the natural dangers of the Huaihe River, Han River, and Yangtze River, and avoid a water conflict with the Chu State.

At this time, Yuan Shao opened the net and was waiting for Zhou Qi to jump into it. However, Yuan Shao did not sit idle during this period. While training the navy, he also asked Chunyu Qiong to continuously transport grain and grass from Hebei to Yanzhou.

Yuan Shao felt that his health was getting worse day by day, and he was determined to destroy the Chu Kingdom during this southern expedition.

Only by storing enough food and grass in advance can we fight a protracted war with the powerful Chu State and clear obstacles for future generations.

Yuan Shao did not know that it was he who deliberately delayed the attack on Donghai County to give Liu Bei enough preparation time.

Liu Bei adopted Zhou Qi's suggestion, built solid fortifications in advance at important city checkpoints, and sent heavy troops to garrison one by one, preparing for a protracted war with Yuan's army.

Liu Bei also risked his life.

Although he lost most of his territory in the local battle, the logistical pressure was not great. Even if the war continued, Donghai County could still sustain it for several years.

On the other hand, even if Yuan Shao occupied the entire Hebei Province and had mountains of grain and grass, the daily consumption would be immeasurable due to the laborious expedition and the large number of troops.

If the two sides really want to spend more time, Yuan Shao may not be able to spend more than Liu Bei.

After the messenger Chen Wen sent to Xuzhou returned to Xiangyang, he also brought Liu Bei's order for Zhao Yun to stay in Xiangyang.

Although Zhao Yun had already guessed this result, he felt a little disappointed after reading Liu Bei's letter.

Fortunately, Zhao Yun was reasonable and knew that this was the best choice, and finally accepted the result calmly.

And as Zhou Qi said, whether it is protecting Liu Bei's eldest son Adou or helping Chu State deal with Yuan Shao, they are all things that are of great benefit to Liu Bei.

He was also worried about the safety of Donghai County, so after receiving Liu Bei's order, he couldn't wait to find Zhou Qi and said: "My lord has agreed to all the king's conditions. I wonder when Chu will send troops to rescue Xuzhou?"

Zhou Qi looked at the slightly impatient Zhao Yun, but said with a smile: "No rush, no rush, Xuzhou will most likely be the main battlefield in the three-party war in the future, and let the Gupai people successfully take over Guangling County, Huailing County, Gaoshan, Xutai, and Dongcheng, only when these places are under control can we have no worries."

When Zhao Yun heard this, although he was anxious, he couldn't force him too much and could only retreat temporarily.

Due to the order signed by Liu Bei, coupled with the fact that Zhou Jin had blocked the Huaihe River, and due to the strong strength of Chu State, in less than half a month, Guangling County and the four cities of Huailing, Gaoshan, Xutai and Dongcheng were defeated. , were completely controlled by Chu State.

Zhou Qi appointed Zhuge Liang as the governor of Guangling County, and asked Ma Chao, Gan Ning, and Wenpin to each lead 10,000 troops to garrison in Guangling County. Wartime command was temporarily handed over to Zhuge Liang.

If it were done in the past, Zhou Qi's appointment would definitely make many people dissatisfied.

But now it's different.

In the Battle of Chunyu Qiong, Nanyang defeated Chunyu Qiong with a small victory and a large victory. Zhuge Liang became famous in this battle. At a young age, he had already impressed the battlefield veterans Huang Zhong, Yan Yan and Wenpin.

Ma Chao also gained the respect of the Chu soldiers by killing Yan Liang.

At this time, Zhuge Liang and Ma Chao were entrusted with important responsibilities, and others had nothing to say.

Knowing that Zhou Qi had only sent 30,000 troops to Guangling County, Zhao Yun was worried about the situation in Donghai County and found Zhou Qi again, hoping that the Chu State could send troops to help Xuzhou as soon as possible.

In Zhao Yun's view, since Guangling County and the four counties of Xiapi have been ceded to Chu State and the delivery has been completed, Zhou Qi should do his best to send troops to help.

Only 30,000 soldiers and horses were sent to garrison Guangling County, and it didn't look like they were going to fight Yuan Jun.

When Zhou Qi learned about Zhao Yun's idea, he couldn't help laughing and said: "If Zilong thinks that the troops sent to Guangling County are too few, there is no need."

"Although Guangling County only has 30,000 soldiers and horses, Zilong must not forget that Wu County, Danyang County, Jiujiang County and Lujiang County, which are close to Guangling County, had soldiers and horses stationed before, just to disperse the defense of Yangzhou. These The soldiers and horses failed to gather."

"Once a war breaks out, tens of thousands of soldiers and horses can be gathered in just these few places close to Guangling County in a short period of time."

Zhao Yun pondered for a moment, but he agreed with Zhou Qi's remarks, but still asked: "I wonder when the king will order his troops to cross the Huaihe River north to rescue Guangling County?"

Looking at the anxious Zhao Yun, Zhou Qi couldn't help but sigh in his heart, and then said seriously: "Zilong, do you know what the current situation is in Donghai County?"

Zhao Yun said: "Some people have inquired and learned that Yuan Shao has been sending troops from Pei County to attack Donghai County and has captured two cities in Donghai County."

Zhou Qi asked back: "Given the strength gap between Zhao and Qi, Yuan Shao was able to occupy most of Xuzhou's territory in a short time, but it took him so long to capture only two counties in Donghai County. Doesn't Zilong feel that Weird?"

Zhao Yun frowned and thought for a long time, and Shou said: "This matter seems strange, but it can actually be explained."

"My lord has implemented benevolent policies and is very popular in Xuzhou, especially the people of Donghai County. They support my lord very much. Knowing that Yuan Jun is coming to invade, everyone must work together to help Xuzhou Army defend the city. Naturally, it will be difficult for Yuan Jun to move forward."

"What's more, winter has arrived and the weather is freezing. Yuan's army's attack on the city will be greatly affected. The soldiers defending the city don't even need to use arrows. They just need to pour cold water on Yuan's army below the city. How many people can hold on?"

What Zhao Yun said is true.

Imagine what it would be like to suddenly pour a basin of cold water from the city during the twelfth lunar month of winter when you are attacking a city.

Productivity in this era was low, and supplies were not as abundant as in later generations, and it was difficult to dry clothes in winter. Soldiers wearing wet clothes would shiver from the cold and lose their combat effectiveness, or fall ill and cause a large-scale influenza in the army. , I don’t know how many people were going to die at that time.

Zhou Qi listened to Zhao Yun's explanation and couldn't help but asked: "With the wisdom of Yuan Shao's subordinates and generals, don't they know how difficult it is to attack the city in winter? But why did they not seize the time to attack Donghai County after occupying Peixian County, but delayed it until the cold In the winter, we symbolically captured two cities with almost no defense?"

Zhao Yun couldn't help but frowned when he heard this.

Zhao Yun is also a fan of the authorities now. He is only worried about the safety of Donghai County, but he forgets to think about why Yuan Jun's behavior is so abnormal.

Fortunately, he is extraordinary after all. After Zhou Qi's advice, combined with the current situation, he thought for a long time and suddenly lost his voice: "Could it be that Yuan Shao did it on purpose, and the real target is Chu State?"

Zhou Qi gently stroked his beard, nodded and said, "That's right!"

Zhao Yun also calmed down at this time, and after figuring out the key, he asked: "Since the king knows what Yuan Benchu ​​is thinking, will he still send troops to rescue Donghai County?"

Zhou Qi nodded heavily and said, "Yes, but not now."

Zhao Yun asked: "So when does the king plan to send troops?"

Zhou Qi walked to the door, looked at the sky, and said: "At least we have to get through this winter first. Qi Gu is waiting for an opportunity. Before the opportunity comes, no matter how dangerous the Donghai County is, we will not send troops!"

Listening to Zhou Qi's cold words, Zhao Yun couldn't help but feel cold in his heart.

(End of this chapter)