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

Chapter 366 Poison Scheme
Outside Tan County City, the shouts shook the sky.

Yuan Shao originally thought that Xuzhou would be within easy reach, so he did not pursue the victory immediately and capture the entire Donghai County. Instead, he wanted to encircle the area to mobilize reinforcements and fight Zhou Qi in Xuzhou.

What he didn't expect was that Zhou Qi could be so calm. Even though Liu Bei only had one city left in Tan County, the Chu State still did not send troops to rescue him.

Seeing that the plan to encircle the point for reinforcements ended in failure, Yuan Shao simply ordered his soldiers to attack the city with all their strength, directly breaking through Tan County and capturing Liu Bei alive.

Unfortunately, Tan County is far more difficult to fight than Yuan Shao imagined.

Especially after the Yishui River was introduced into the city moat, it became a natural barrier for Tan County, which caused great trouble for Yuan's army to attack the city.

Seeing that half a year had passed in a blink of an eye, but Tan County was still as stable as Mount Tai, Yuan Shao finally became a little anxious.

He summoned his subordinate Wen Wu and asked in a deep voice: "The army must not only attack Tan County, but also divide the troops to defend Nanyang, Runan and Xiapi to prevent Chu from attacking."

"In this battle, I have almost exhausted all the strength of the country and consumed countless amounts of money and food every day, but I still cannot conquer Tan County."

"You are all the pillars of the Zhao Kingdom. Do you have any good strategies for destroying the city?"

He pursed his lips and waved his hands to signal everyone to leave for now.

However, because this time and space did not have the incentive of the Guandu defeat, Yuan Shao's hematemesis syndrome did not worsen rapidly, and this was how he managed to survive until now.

Although Liu Bei had a bad background, when Cao Cao massacred the city, he resolutely gave up his territory and came to Xuzhou with only a few thousand people.

Later, an imperial doctor once told Yuan Shao that the other party might have an ulcer in his intestines or a mass growing inside. It would be difficult for ordinary doctors to treat this disease.

However, there was a miracle doctor in Peiguoqiao County whose medical skills were almost superb. He once even helped people disembowel their bodies.

However, for the sake of his health, Yuan Shao could only endure the pain.

However, Yuan Shao ultimately underestimated Liu Bei's ability to win over people's hearts and the vigilance of his subordinates and generals.

Yuan Shao also felt that such a life was dull and boring.

In addition, Liu Bei has been promoting benevolent government in Xuzhou over the years, so he is very popular.

In fact.

Of course, there are also some families who try to climb up to Yuan Shao's high level, but Liu Bei has many talents under his command, and he quickly found out those who planned to secretly connect with Yuan Shao.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Yuan Shao couldn't help but become more and more angry. He felt his blood rushing to his heart, then his throat felt sweet, and his face turned red.

The imperial doctor nodded and said: "Based on your Majesty's current symptoms, you should mainly take a light liquid diet."

This kindness has still not been forgotten by Xuzhou people.

Yuan Shao looked at the handkerchief soaked in blood and couldn't help but reveal a wry smile on his face.

Just today, he felt depressed because the army could not attack Tan County for a long time, so he secretly drank some wine. As a result, he saw that his subordinates and civil servants were unable to do anything to Tan County. He was so anxious and angry that his condition suddenly worsened.

The imperial doctor hurriedly knelt on the ground and said: "Your Majesty, your illness has become more and more serious. You should not work too much now, you need to rest, and you should not have too many emotional fluctuations."

Even if Chen Deng deliberately stayed home sick and chose to remain neutral, he was not instigated by Yuan Shao to rebel.

But Yuan Shao knew full well that his appetite was getting worse and worse. Not only did he often vomit blood, he even had black blood clots in his stool.

If Tan County was really that easy to fight, Yuan Shao wouldn't be so anxious.

It wasn't until everyone left that he hurriedly took out his handkerchief, and then spat out a mouthful of blood with a "wow" sound.

In fact.

If there hadn't been an imperial doctor to take care of his body at any time, I'm afraid Yuan Shao wouldn't be able to support himself now.

Zhao Guo Wenwu looked at Yuan Shao's slightly impatient expression and did not dare to say anything for fear of offending Yuan Shao at this time.

He had suffered from vomiting blood for a long time, but it was not too serious before. But in the past two years, Yuan Shao's symptoms of vomiting blood have become more and more serious, and he often feels dizzy, nauseated and abdominal pain.

In the past six months, Yuan Jun used almost all methods to attack the city, but Liu Bei defeated them one by one.

In fact, during this period in history, Yuan Shao had already vomited blood and died early.

Not long after, the imperial doctor diagnosed and treated Yuan Shao and prescribed some medicine, and then there was a look on his face that was hesitant to speak.

It is impossible to conquer Tan County outsmart. Now we can only attack by force. No one can guarantee that Tan County can be captured in a short time.

Even if Hua Tuo really comes, Yuan Shao may not dare to let him disembowel him.

He comes from a noble family and has a wandering temperament. He has always had high requirements for food, and like Cao Cao, he is very fond of wine.

He was so eager to destroy the Chu State not only to clear the way for his son, but also to get Hua Tuo's idea of ​​​​letting him see a doctor for him.

"Otherwise, even if Hua Tuo comes in person and Bian Que is born again, I'm afraid there will be nothing he can do!"

If Hua Tuo comes to treat Yuan Shao, he may be able to eradicate the stubborn disease.

Yuan Shao was silent for a long time, rubbed his brows feebly, and said, "In addition to taking the medicine you prescribed, do you need to control your diet in the future?"

Ever since I got this vomiting hemorrhage, I have started to avoid eating. I can't eat many of my favorite things, and I don't even dare to drink my favorite wine.

However, Hua Tuo now serves as the dean of the highest medical school in Chu State, and even has an official position and a title. Not to mention that Zhou Qi will not let Hua Tuo come to treat Yuan Shao.

Seeing this, Yuan Shao asked feebly: "If you have anything to say, just say it bluntly. I won't blame you!"

Yuan Shao sighed slightly, then waved his hand to signal the imperial doctor to leave. He walked to the door of the camp and looked at the troops coming and going outside with a bitter smile on his face.

In fact, Yuan Shao even had people secretly contact the aristocratic families in Tan County, hoping to instigate them to rebel, and cooperate with each other inside and outside to help Yuan's army break through the city.

Although he found many imperial doctors to help him treat his illness, the prescriptions prescribed by these people could only improve Yuan Shao's condition, but they could not eradicate the disease.

At this time, Yuan Shao's heart was filled with worries.

He was not only worried about his body, but also worried that he would not be able to survive the day he defeated Zhou Qi.

Even if Yuan Shao is not highly evaluated by history, his ability and courage cannot be denied.

Perhaps many people are a little confused as to why Yuan Shao was so eager to launch the Battle of Guandu when Youzhou was not yet stable. They even thought that Yuan Shao was too ambitious and too eager for quick success.

This may not be the case.

At that time, Cao Cao took advantage of the fact that he had the emperor in his hands and began his crazy expansion. He had occupied Xuzhou, Yanzhou, Yuzhou and most of Sili, Zhanglu, Liangzhou and the rest of Sili in Hanzhong, and even Jiaozhou Shixie. At least nominally, they all expressed their submission to the imperial court. If we only compare based on territory, Yuan Shao does not have much advantage at all.

It's just that Cao Cao rose to power in those few years and fought almost endlessly. In addition, the Central Plains has been prone to frequent wars since the Yellow Turban Uprising. Therefore, although Cao Cao's territory at that time was large, his troops were very limited.

Especially after experiencing the defeat of Wancheng, Cao Cao's strength was greatly damaged.

Moreover, due to the initial decision of Yuzhou and the fact that Runan is the home base of the Yuan family, although Yuzhou belongs to Cao Cao in name, it actually has great hidden dangers.

At that time, Cao Cao was almost at his weakest.

Once he got through that difficult moment, relying on the vast territory he occupied, and being able to hold the emperor hostage to control the princes, even if Yuan Shaoxian had been operating in Hebei for several years, the outcome of the battle between the two sides was still uncertain.

Perhaps Yuan Shao saw this and decided to take advantage of Cao Cao's unstable territory to start a decisive battle with Cao Cao.

In addition to this, there may be factors involved in Yuan Shao's poor health.

There is another very important reason, that is, Cao Cao was in the midst of his second campaign against Zhang Xiu at that time and besieged Zhang Xiu in Rangcheng. Liu Biao even sent troops to occupy Anzhong, cut off Cao's army's retreat, and attempted to attack Cao's army with Zhang Xiu.

Yuan Shao may have thought that since Cao Cao's first expedition against Zhang Xiu was defeated, this time Zhang Xiu would be able to trap Cao Cao in Nanyang County with the strong support of Liu Biao.

If Yuan Shao goes south in a big way at this time, Cao Cao will be attacked from both sides, and the advantage will be mine.

What Yuan Shao didn't expect was that Zhang Xiu and Liu Biao were too helpless. After Cao Cao learned of Yuan Shao's intention to go south, he quickly designed to defeat the Zhang and Liu coalition forces, and then quickly evacuated Nanyang.

When Yuan Shao saw this, he thought that Zhang Xiu had killed Cao Cao's son, nephew, and general Dian Wei. The hatred was as deep as the sea, and the two sides were bound to be incompatible.

Therefore, Yuan Shao sent people to recruit Zhang Xiu to surrender. He wanted the other party to surrender to him, and raised troops from Nanyang to attack Cao Cao from both sides.

But what Yuan Shao didn't expect was that Jia Xu, the sixth brother, actually persuaded Zhang Xiu to join Cao Cao. Cao Cao, the sixth brother, was able to put aside his deep hatred and not only accepted Zhang Xiu, but even married off his own daughters in order to appease Zhang Xiu. past.

The former mortal enemy is now Weng's son-in-law, and Cao Cao's threat from the south is naturally lifted.

What Yuan Shao didn't expect the most was that even Liu Biao, who had always been an ally with him, didn't take advantage of the golden opportunity of the Guandu Battle to send troops to sneak attack Cao Cao.

On the contrary, Yuan Shao was too hasty in raising troops and failed to eliminate the hidden dangers in Youzhou. As a result, Xian Yufu took the Sixth County of Youzhou I to defect to Cao Cao and stabbed himself in the back.

Therefore, Yuan Shaozhi's defeat to Cao Cao was not just a defeat to Guandu, but a coincidence in various aspects.

In the final analysis, it was Cao Cao who played a decisive role in coercing the emperor to order the princes.

Without the banner of the Emperor, Zhang Xiu, Xian Yufu and others may not choose the weak Cao Cao at the critical period. Once one of the two sides chooses Yuan Shao, the situation may be completely different.

What's more, Sun Ce, the little overlord who occupied Jiangdong at that time, was also an ambitious man.

If Cao Cao had not occupied Dayi, Sun Ce might not have taken advantage of the emptiness of Xuzhou and Yuzhou to raise troops to seize them.

From this point of view, the reasons for Yuan Shao's defeat were actually laid when he first handed over the emperor to Cao Cao.

All I can say is, one wrong step, one wrong step after another, it’s just God’s will.

Although Yuan Shao was defeated, at least the timing of his launch of the Battle of Guandu was not a big problem.

It would be somewhat too idealistic to really rest and recuperate for a few years as suggested by Tian Feng and Ju Shou, and then decide the outcome in a single battle.

As scholars born and raised in Hebei, the two did not have that strong desire to expand their territory.

On the other hand, those who came from Yingchuan and Nanyang were almost all eager for Yuan Shao to go south and destroy Cao Cao.

Just like Soochow in later generations, most of the local scholars only wanted stability, had no enterprising spirit, and kept dragging their feet.

Cao Cao, whose territory is almost as good as Yuan Shao's, will only develop faster and become stronger in a few years with the emperor.

At this time, Yuan Shao went south to destroy Chu. From a strategic perspective, there was actually no big problem.

He did not expect to destroy the entire Chu State. As long as he achieved a decisive victory and laid an unshakable foundation for the Zhao State, it was enough.

But now, Tan County cannot be attacked for a long time, and Zhou Qi is not fooled. Even if Liu Bei is in danger, he still has no plan to send troops to Xuzhou.

"In this case, Tan County must be captured as soon as possible!"

Yuan Shao looked up at the scorching sun hanging in the sky, and then ordered the guard at the entrance of the camp: "Go and call Yuan Tu over!"

Not long after, Feng Ji hurriedly arrived at Yuan Shao's tent. After the ceremony, he immediately asked: "Your Majesty sent someone to summon me, but for what purpose?"

Yuan Shao was silent for a long time, and finally sighed: "I didn't want to do this, but since Zhou Ziyi didn't fall into the trap, Tan County must be conquered as soon as possible."

"Although this plan is against the will of heaven and earth, in order to end this troubled world as soon as possible, this is the only way to do it."

When Feng Ji heard this, a smile appeared on his face.

As the first person to follow Yuan Shao, Feng Ji was also a major contributor in helping Yuan Shao capture Jizhou. He could be said to be a confidant that Yuan Shao relied on very much.

In fact, Feng Ji had already given Yuan Shao a strategy to break the city.

It's just that Yuan Shao is not Cao Cao after all, and is more tolerant. After hearing Feng Ji's strategy, he felt that it would harm the peace of the world and would leave a lot of trouble, so he did not adopt it.

Now, Yuan Shao felt that his health was getting worse day by day, and he knew that the war could not be delayed any longer, so he finally made up his mind and prepared to use the most appropriate strategy.

Yuan Shao said: "I wonder when this plan can be implemented?"

Feng Ji pondered for a moment, and then said: "This plan is no different from others. It requires the help of time and geography to be implemented."

"Given the current geographical location of Tan County, although it is somewhat difficult to accomplish this, it is not impossible."

"It's just that the time has not yet come, so Your Majesty still needs to wait patiently."

"But your Majesty, there is no need to worry too much. I watch the sky at night and know that there will be a heavy rainstorm in Donghai County within half a month. At that time, we only need to store water in advance. When the heavy rain comes, we can dig the river embankments and flood Tan County."

"Liu Bei didn't expect that by diverting Yushui into the moat, it would greatly strengthen Tan County's defense, but it would also bring disaster to Tan County!"

If this plan is carried out, the country will be swamped for hundreds of miles and corpses will be everywhere.

Flooding the city is a poisonous plan, almost the same as massacre. It is very likely to bring plague and famine in the future, which is too harmful to the world.

For example, the Huayuankou embankment burst incident in later generations disrupted the Japanese army's combat plan, but more than 800,000 people drowned directly and almost 4 million people were displaced. The subsequent Great Famine caused more than 4 million people to starve. Death, as for how many people died from the plague, it is impossible to count, it is simply terrible.

(End of this chapter)