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

Chapter 376 Persuading Surrender
"What Wen He means is to hand over Nanyang County to Liu Bei as a place to station troops?"

Looking at where Jia Xu's finger was pointing, Zhou Qi couldn't help but feel a little moved in his heart and spoke.

Jia Xu lightly stroked his beard, nodded and said, "Of course."

Zhou Qi got a positive answer and began to think seriously.

Nanyang County was once the number one county in the world, and since the rise of Guangwu and Zhongxing, it has been known as the "Southern Capital".

As an outstanding astronomer, mathematician, inventor, geographer and writer in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Heng was deeply proud of his hometown of Nanyang. "Da Sinong Baode" wrote: "In the past, our southern capital was the old hometown of Emperor Wei. It was the same as the county, but different from the imperial seal. The relatives were appointed as public, and the Bian crown was crowned as Huang. If Wei allowed it, he would really shine. Light."

Zhang Heng even directly wrote a gorgeous "Nandu Fu", which recorded in detail the customs, geography, rare specialties, myths and legends of the entire Nanyang County.

Nanyang County is located in the Nanyang Basin, connecting the north and the south. It is indeed a rare fertile land with rich resources and fertile land.

As long as Nanyang County is managed well, it will be easy to raise tens of thousands of soldiers and horses.

Moreover, Nanyang County, as the southern capital, has very special political significance. If Nanyang County is handed over to Liu Bei, it will indeed appease Liu Bei's emotions.

"If your Majesty slows down the offensive at this time and sends eloquent people into the city, he may not be able to surrender Liu Xuande!"

"In the past, Liu Xuande was besieged in Tan County. He was troubled internally and externally. In addition, the entire Donghai County was in danger of being destroyed, but he still refused to surrender. He used a secret strategy to escape here. This shows that he is very determined to resist His Majesty."

Abandoning Nanyang County attracted Zhou Qi to cross the Han River again. As long as he firmly occupied Ye County, he could advance, attack, retreat or defend, and he could lead an army to invade Nanyang County at any time.

Shen Pei shook his head and said: "This moment is the same as that moment."

Yuan Shao attacked fiercely for several days, but could not advance even an inch.

Xin Pi retorted: "This plan is not advisable!"

as predicted.

"In addition, Yuan Benchu ​​probably hopes that his lord can reoccupy Nanyang County, and then continue to fight his lord north of the Han River."

"Now Liu Xuande is sticking to Suiling. Because our offensive is very fierce, he can only fight to the end in order to survive, but he may not be willing to be Zhou Ziyi's watchdog."

Thinking of this, Zhou Qi immediately said: "Although Nanyang is good, it is now occupied by Yuan Shao. Even if I want to hand it over to Liu Xuande, I am afraid that I have more than enough ambition but not enough power."

It's just that Yuan Shao was worried that Zhou Qi would mobilize an army, and he didn't want to cause trouble, so he couldn't help but feel a little impatient.

Coupled with the special geographical location of Nanyang County, Liu Bei not only allowed Liu Bei to guard the northern gateway for Chu State, but also had the Han River, Fancheng and Deng County, and he did not have to worry about the other party coveting Jingzhou.

When Huang Zhong led his troops into Nanyang County, Yuan Jun's generals really fled and retreated directly to Ye County, the northernmost part of Nanyang County, and then began to strengthen the city walls, pretending to defend Ye County to the death.

Ye County was the county where Chunyu Qiong and Gao Lan were unable to attack for a long time, and were finally ordered by Zhuge Liang to give up and lure the enemy deeper.

Today's Nanyang, to both Zhou Qi and Yuan Shao, can be regarded as a piece of worthless food, tasteless to eat, and a pity to discard.

Yuan Shaoguo really made a good calculation.

Zhou Qi turned to look at Tian Feng and asked, "What's the plan?"

"Therefore, if my lord wants to retake Nanyang County, there is no need to send more troops. As long as Huang Hansheng leads a partial army to the north, Nanyang County will be easily accessible!"

However, Liu Bei had already been waiting for danger, and Suiling was backed by Hongze Lake. Zhuge Liang, Ma Chao, and Gan Ning could come to support at any time, just like Fancheng at the time. They could advance, attack, retreat, or defend.

After waking up, Yuan Shao couldn't wait to order his troops to attack Suiling.

Tian Feng said with a smile: "It's easy to retake Nanyang County!"

Shen Pei immediately proposed to Yuan Shao: "In my opinion, your Majesty may postpone the attack on the city, and then send envoys to the city to persuade Liu Xuande to open the city and surrender."

Even if this vast area is handed over to Liu Bei, there is no need to worry about the rise of the other party.

Tian Feng said: "Since Yuan Benchu ​​attacked Xuzhou, Yuan's army in Nanyang County has been depleted. It is obvious that even Yuan Benchu ​​himself is not willing to waste more troops to occupy the already depressed and dilapidated Nanyang County."

If Yuan Shao orders the siege to continue, Suiling will be defeated sooner or later.

In the war-torn Nanyang County, almost ten houses are empty, and there is no rooster crow for thousands of miles.

"At this time, if we send people into the city to persuade Liu Xuande to surrender, is there any chance of success?"

"But to this day, although Liu Xuande went south smoothly, he was placed in Suiling and became a pawn to resist the Zhao Kingdom's natural troops. The Chu Kingdom never allowed him to cross the Huaihe River south and used the Huaihe River as a natural barrier to resist us."

However, Suiling's city defense was not as good as that of Fancheng, and the entire Hongze Lake was separated from Xutai. The distance was far longer than the distance between Fancheng and Xiangyang, and support was not as convenient as Fancheng's.

When Yuan Shao heard this, he was greatly moved and immediately said: "Since Zhengnan proposed this plan, how about Zhengnan personally going to Suiling City?"

Good idea though.

Moreover, Nanyang, as a place of the Fourth War, had no danger at all and was not necessarily much better than Xuzhou. Liu Bei could only look up to Zhou Qi here, and the possibility of rising was slim.

However, Nanyang County is now occupied by Yuan Shao. If Liu Bei is allowed to station troops in Nanyang County at this time, it will be a waste of money and Liu Bei will definitely not agree.

"It can be seen that Zhou Ziyu and Liu Xuande are suspicious of each other."

When he learned that Wen Chou had died in battle and all his soldiers had surrendered to Liu Bei, he couldn't help but became furious, his blood and blood attacked his heart, and he vomited blood and fell into coma again.

The most important thing is that Nanyang County has experienced the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the war between the princes against Dong, and wars between Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, Liu Biao and others broke out here. Even Zhou Qi and Yuan Shao fought here.

Zhou Qi suddenly realized this, and then summoned Huang Zhong and ordered him to lead five thousand troops to attack Nanyang County.

"Although Liu Xuande was trapped in Tan County in the past, he still hoped that Zhou Ziyi could help him regain Xuzhou, so he went south to break out at any cost."

Just like in history, Liu Biao first asked Zhang Xiu to help him guard Nanyang, and later asked Liu Bei to help him guard Nanyang. It is the same reason.

Not long after Liu Bei occupied Suiling, Yuan Shao had already led his army to attack.

The words are divided into two parts.

The judge bowed and said, "I will live up to your Majesty's expectations!"

"Ding Ding Ding!"

The sound of ringing gold sounded, and the Yuan army that was attacking the city retreated like a tide.

Liu Bei looked at Yuan Jun who suddenly retreated, and couldn't help but be surprised. He couldn't understand why Yuan Jun, who was on the offensive fiercely, behaved so abnormally.

"Tap Tap!"

Just when Liu Bei was confused, he saw a cavalry running towards the city wall from Yuan's army formation, holding a flag in his hand that symbolized the messenger.

Seeing this, Guan Yu said to Liu Bei: "Brother, could it be that Yuan Benchu ​​wants to send people into the city to negotiate again?"

Liu Bei turned his head and looked at the corpses of the soldiers who died on the city wall. He pursed his lips first, and then said in a hoarse voice: "No matter what, as long as Yuan Jun can postpone the attack on the city, there will be no harm to us." Liu Bei has been stationed in Suiling since , bent on crossing the Huaihe River and relying on natural dangers to resist Yuan Jun.

However, Zhuge Liang never let go.

Liu Bei had no choice but to grit his teeth and fight Yuan Shao here.

However, when he saw more and more of his soldiers dying in battle, he couldn't help but feel a little distressed.

When he was in Xuzhou before, Zhou Qi was used as a pawn to resist Yuan Shao. Since Liu Bei was protecting his own territory, he could accept it. On the contrary, he was happy to have Zhou Qi as a strong support.

But now, Xuzhou has been lost, and Liu Bei is still leading the only soldiers under his command to fight on the front line, so it is inevitable that he will be a little emotional.

No matter what the reason is, as long as Yuan Shao can slow down his offensive and let fewer of his soldiers die in battle, Liu Bei will feel lucky from the bottom of his heart.

He hurriedly stopped his subordinates who were bending their bows and aiming arrows at the judge, and then shouted to the people below: "Who is coming? Tell me your name!"

The judge reined in the reins and said loudly: "I am Shen Zhengnan, the judge of Wei County. I have come to the city on your Majesty's order to discuss important matters with Duke Xuande!"

Liu Bei was cautious and did not order anyone to open the city gate. Instead, he asked Shen Pei to go under the city wall, put down a hanging basket, and pulled Shen Pei up.

"I've met Mr. Xuande!"

After the judge climbed up to the city wall, he bowed slightly to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei returned the gift, and then ordered Guan Yu and others to defend the city. However, he himself took Shen Pei back to his mansion and asked, "The two armies are fighting now. I wonder why you are here, sir?"

Shen Pei did not reply directly, but asked instead: "Since Mr. Xuande successfully broke through the encirclement, why not cross the Huaihe River and rely on the natural dangers to defend Guangling County, but instead station troops in Suiling and fight the decisive battle with our Zhao army here?"

When Liu Bei heard this, he remained silent.

Shen Pei chuckled and continued to ask: "Excuse me, Mr. Xuande, is Suiling City as tall as Tan County?"

Liu Bei said truthfully: "There is a huge difference!"

The judge asked again: "Does Suiling have a line of defense like the moat outside Tan County?"

Liu Bei shook his head: "No."

Shen Pei continued to ask: "Does the city have more people and more food and grass than Tan County?"

Liu Bei said: "It's not as good as that."

Shen Pei said: "Since Suiling is inferior to Tan County in all aspects, why does Duke Xuande stick to it?"

"Although Duke Xuande can rely on the good location of the city wall to temporarily block the Zhao Kingdom's heavenly troops, once the war drags on, Xuande's men will inevitably suffer heavy casualties, and Suiling will definitely not be able to defend it. I wonder if Xuande thinks what I am saying is true? "

Liu Bei was silent again.

Seeing Liu Bei's appearance, Shen Pei knew that the heat was enough, and immediately said: "I have something to say, please listen to me."

"Today, the only ones who can compete in the world are Your Majesty and the King of Chu."

"These two, my lord, come from a well-known family and dominate the north. Scholars from all over the world are vying to join them, and the trend has been achieved. On the other hand, Zhou Ziyi of Chu State was born in a humble background and lived in the south of the Yangtze River. In the end, it was difficult for him to achieve great things."

"Now that the two countries are fighting, if Duke Xuande can turn to my lord, then Chu will have nothing to fear and will be destroyed in a day or night."

"If Duke Xuande insists on making an alliance with Zhou Ziyi, he will only be treated as a guard dog and placed north of the Huaihe River. In this way, no matter who wins or loses between Zhao and Chu, the soldiers under Duke Xuande will suffer heavy casualties."

"My lord is kind and cannot bear that Duke Xuande is used by others. He sincerely wants to do great things with you!"

"If Duke Xuande is willing to open the city and surrender, he will not lose his position as a prince. He will not be replaced by hereditary people, but he will be granted a wife and a son. Wouldn't it be beautiful?"

Shen Pei's divisive remarks can be described as murderous and heartbreaking.

Liu Bei was already a little dissatisfied with Zhuge Liang's attitude, but now that he was persuaded by the judge, he couldn't help but feel a little shaken.

The reason why he was unwilling to surrender to Yuan Shao before was that he still wanted to go south to occupy Guangling County and make a comeback.

But now, Zhou Qi was obviously wary of himself. He refused to let the Xuzhou army cross the Huaihe River, relying on natural dangers to resist Yuan Shao.

If you continue to stick to Suiling, your wealth will be completely exhausted sooner or later.

Seeing that Liu Bei was already a little moved, Shen Pei immediately struck while the iron was hot and continued: "If Duke Xuande is willing to surrender, not only can he retain his troops, but my lord will also change Xiapi County to Xiapi Kingdom and use it as Duke Xuande." The feudal state is hereditary and will never change!"

Being able to have a county as a fiefdom and retain the soldiers and horses under his command is indeed a very generous reward.

You must know that people like Liu Biao, Liu Zhang, and Zhang Lu, after surrendering to Zhou Qi, only had empty titles and no substantial fiefdoms at all, let alone the ability to recruit soldiers and horses.

Faced with such temptation, Liu Bei, who had no place to stand, was naturally moved.

Fortunately, he was also a man who had seen the world. After all, he still did not fully agree, and then said with some hesitation: "Previously, I surrendered to Yuan Benchu ​​and escaped from Tan County. My second brother Guan Yu also killed his general Wen Chou."

"I'm worried that Yuan Benchu ​​will feel resentful!"

Hearing this, the judge's wife burst into laughter and said, "If Mr. Xuande thinks this way, he is a little too underestimated of my master's measure."

"On the battlefield, everyone relies on their ability, no matter what strategy they use, it is natural."

"Since Guan Yunchang, a subordinate of Duke Xuande, was able to kill Wen Chou, it means that he is better than Wen Chou. He lost Wen Chou, but was able to get help from the generals of Duke Xuande. His majesty was too late to be happy, so how could he be blamed?"

Liu Bei was relieved at this, but he still did not agree. Instead, he said: "This is a big matter, and it must be resolved by Bei alone."

"Sir, please wait here for a moment, wait for me to discuss it with Li Wenwu urgently, and then give a reply. Is that okay?"

Shen Pei said: "This is human nature!"

In this way, Liu Bei settled down the judge, and hurriedly summoned his subordinate Wen Wu to explain in detail the purpose of the judge's visit and his words.

Hearing this, everyone had different expressions.

Originally, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei did not agree to surrender to Yuan Shao, but now Xuzhou has been lost, and they were left out by the Chu State. They were forced to camp in Suiling and fight with Yuan's army every day. They were exhausted physically and mentally and could not see the future.

They now also hold great resentment against Zhou Qi, and are worried that they will continue to be used as a gunman and eventually exhaust all the remaining wealth in Xuzhou.

What's more, the conditions given by Yuan Shao were not low. After the two weighed the pros and cons, they said nothing more.

As for the many counselors under Liu Bei, except for Mi Zhu, they all came from aristocratic families. If they had to choose between Zhou Qi and Yuan Shao, most of them would prefer Yuan Shao.

Therefore, except for Zhuge Jin who looked worried and Chen Gong and Mi Zhu who were silent, Zhuge Xuan, Chen Deng and Chen Qun instead persuaded Liu Bei to surrender to Yuan Shao.

(End of this chapter)