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

Chapter 382 Chunyu Qiong offers advice

Ling County, Yuan Shao's temporary palace.

Ling County was the place where Yuan's army garrisoned grain. Yuan Shao originally did not garrison troops here, but always stayed at the front line with his soldiers.

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As the weather suddenly turned cold, coupled with the high humidity in the south, Yuan Shao was not in good health. In this weather, he occasionally felt cold and coughed immediately.

He was already suffering from coughing up blood. If he hadn't taken good care of his body over the years and abstained from alcohol and meat, he might not have been able to survive now.

The worsening of the cough also made Yuan Shao's hemoptysis more and more serious.

As a last resort, Yuan Shao had no choice but to send Xin Pi to the Chu army to discuss the truce, and he took the lead in withdrawing to Ling County.

Even if Zhou Qi finally disagrees with the truce, Yuan Shao will not stay on the front line for a short time.

Although the temporary palace in Ling County is not as luxurious and comfortable as the Royal Palace in Yecheng, it is much better than the military camp on the front line.

If Yuan Shao is healthy, he can naturally fight steadily, manage Xuzhou first, and then use his strong national power to crush Chu.

But he saw Yuan Shao wrapped in thick clothes, alone around the stove, frowning, obviously worried.

Even so, there were still coughing sounds from time to time in the bedroom.

"Your Majesty, Xin Yilang wants to see you!"

Yuan Shao first sent Chun Yuqiong and Zhuge Liang to fight in Nanyang, and later he personally led a large army to besiege Fan City. After a long fierce battle, Yuan Jun still failed to capture Fan City. Yuan Shao then devised a plan to hide the enemy and take advantage of Liu Bei's fear of breaking up with Zhao. , dispersed soldiers and horses in various counties and counties in Xuzhou to harvest crops, and then captured most of Xuzhou in one fell swoop.

If we look at the results alone, being able to capture Xuzhou within three years is not a small achievement.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

He was so eager not only because of his poor health, but also because the soldiers were unwilling to fight due to the cold weather.

Unfortunately, Yuan Shao's hemoptysis became more and more serious. If Chu could not be conquered for a long time, he was worried that he would not survive the day of victory.

What's more, if he had not been able to severely damage Chu State during his lifetime, then on the day of his death, the Chu army would most likely launch a large-scale Northern Expedition, and the situation in Zhao State would be difficult to estimate by then.

Yuan Shao waved his hand and motioned Xin Pi to come to the stove to warm himself, and then asked: "I'm going to meet Zhou Ziyi. Does he agree to a truce?"

Yuan Shao was recuperating here, and his condition improved slightly.

"I originally planned to take advantage of my health to lead the southern expedition to destroy Chu State in one fell swoop and lay the foundation for Zhao State to unify the world."

"I never thought that Zhou Ziyi was too difficult to deal with. Nearly three years have passed since the war broke out. Except for the capture of Xuzhou, he still has not accomplished anything."

Truce is indeed what Yuan Shao is most concerned about right now.

Not long after, the tired Xin Pi entered the house and bowed to Yuan Shao: "I have met your Majesty!"

It's just that Yuan Shao never took Liu Bei seriously, so after capturing Xuzhou, he didn't feel much sense of accomplishment. Instead, he was upset because he failed to capture Yangzhou.

Later, Yuan Shao trained his navy at Sihu, north of Pei County, and then besieged Tan County.

Until Tan County was defeated and Yuan Shao went south to confront the Chu army at the Huaihe River, nearly three years have indeed passed.

It is precisely because of worries about the future that Yuan Shao is in such an urgent mood.

The eunuch's voice at the door made Yuan Shao's frown slightly relax, and he shouted in a deep voice: "Xuan!"

Xin Pi said: "I have fulfilled my mission. This trip has indeed convinced the King of Chu to allow a temporary truce between the two countries until the spring plowing next year."

Hearing this, Yuan Shao let out a long sigh of relief.

After the truce, at least a lot of money and food can be saved this winter, and Yuan Shao himself can take good care of himself.

His current state is not suitable for working too hard.

However, Yuan Shao did not dare to neglect, and while making a truce, he still ordered Zhang He and Gao Lan to closely monitor the Chu army's movements.

Zhang He was originally guarding Runan. Since Yan Liang and Wen Chou died in battle, only two of the four pillars in Hebei were left. Yuan Shao had no choice but to transfer Zhang He, a brave general, to the front line.

However, after Yan Liang and Wen Chou died in battle, Yuan Shao also had some doubts about the generals of the Hebei faction, feeling that they were not as capable as he imagined.

Coupled with the strong recommendation of counselors from the Yingchuan faction such as Xin Pi, Xin Ping, and Xun Chen, Yuan Shao himself also wanted to balance the forces in the army, so he once again re-employed Chunyu Qiong. He also handed over the defense of Ling County to Chunyu Qiong.

Half a month passed in a blink of an eye, and as the New Year drew closer and closer, heavy snow fell in the sky.

Due to the cold weather and freezing conditions, soldiers on both sides were reluctant to go out for activities. Even Yuan Jun's navy stopped training, and both sides of the Huaihe River suddenly became much quieter.

As for Yuan Shao himself, his health has improved a lot due to his careful care these days. On this day, Yuan Shao was drinking tea by the stove. Chunyu Qiong, who was still wearing snowflakes on his body, rushed over excitedly and said to Yuan Shao: "Your Majesty, I have heard the news that King Zhou Ziyi of Chu has already passed away." Return to Xiangyang secretly to celebrate the New Year."

Yuan Shao, who suddenly heard the news, immediately became energetic and said: "Since he returned to Xiangyang secretly, where did you find out the news?"

Chunyu Qiong said: "After the defeat in the Battle of Nanyang, I have thought about it over and over again and concluded that the reason why the battle was lost to Zhuge Liang was because he failed to know himself and the enemy."

"If the general had known that Zhuge Liang, Huang Zhong, Wenpin, and Yan Yan were leading an army to ambush in Ye County, he would never have underestimated the enemy and fell into the trap."

"The general learned from the pain, so he secretly cultivated, bribed and placed them in the Chu army. Only then was he lucky enough to get such important news."

Chun Yuqiong's face shone brightly and she said happily: "It must be that Zhou Ziyi relied on the truce between the two armies and thought that there was no war, so he secretly returned to Xiangyang, leaving the Chu army in Guangling County without a leader."

"It's snowing heavily now, and the Chu army is leaderless and unprepared. If Your Majesty lets the last general and a group of troops secretly sneak into Chencang, bypass Huaiyin and Xutai where the Chu army is most heavily guarded, sneak across the Huaihe River from Huaipu, and then set up camp on the south bank of the Huaihe River, Then a pontoon bridge was built over the Huaihe River.”

"If this is the case, our country's hundreds of thousands of troops can cross the Huaihe River. At that time, Guangling and Jiujiang counties will have no danger to defend, and they can be won in one battle."

"If you capture Guangling and Jiujiang counties, and your Majesty sends heavy troops to blockade the Yangtze River, then all the east of the Yangtze River will fall into your hands!"

Seeing Chun Yuqiong's excited look, Yuan Shao couldn't help but feel a little moved.

If it were normal, he might be more cautious, but now Yuan Shao is not in good health and coughing up blood often breaks out, so naturally he can't wait.

Yuan Shao was silent for a while and then asked: "There are also Chu army camps south of Huaipu. If you want to cross the river quietly, you will need a large number of ships to transport troops and horses. I'm afraid I won't be able to hide it from the Chu army on the other side."

Although Yuan Shao was moved, he still did not lose his mind and asked the key question in this plan.

The key to Chunyu Qiong's plan is to sneak across the Huaihe River. If the Chu army discovers Yuan's movements in advance, not only will this plan fail, but the armistice agreement will also become invalid.

Chunyu Qiong said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Since the two countries signed the armistice agreement, the Chu troops south of the Huaihe River have begun to take turns going home to visit relatives. The number of Chu troops south of Huaipu is less than 30% of the usual number."

"In addition, it's freezing cold and no war has broken out for a long time. Soldiers from both sides are holed up in the camps. There are not even soldiers patrolling the riverside."

"If we brave the heavy snow and quietly cross the river at night, we don't need to let the whole army cross the Huaihe River. We only need to send an elite team to attack the Chu army camp on the south bank of Huaipu, and then build a pontoon bridge, and the subsequent troops can cross the river safely!"

Yuan Shao was very moved, but he still retained some sense and said: "This is a serious matter. I will call the civil and military officers of the army to discuss it before deciding whether to sneak across the Huaihe River!"

That afternoon, the important civil servants and generals of Yuan's army who were scattered across various places were summoned.

When Yuan Shao told all the news and strategies that Chunyu Qiong had secretly discovered, everyone had different expressions.

Counselors from the Yingchuan faction such as Xin Pi, Xin Ping, and Xun Chen, as well as other generals from the Yingchuan faction, naturally supported Chunyu Qiong unreservedly after they felt that this plan was highly feasible.

Neutral factions such as Fengji actually agreed with this strategy.

In fact, even Ju Shou, the leader of the Hebei faction, did not speak out against it.

Although once Chunyu Qiong's plan fails, the truce between the two sides will be terminated immediately, and war will inevitably continue to break out between the two countries.

However, Xin Pi went to discuss the truce before because Yuan Shao was seriously ill.

The truce itself did more harm than good to Zhao, who was embarking on a large-scale southern expedition.

Yuan Shao's health has improved greatly now. Even if Chunyu Qiong's plan fails and the war resumes, it won't be a big deal.

What's more, Jushou thought about it and thought that if the news Chunyu Qiong got was true, then this plan to sneak across the Huaihe River might really succeed.

Seeing that everyone agreed with his plan, Chunyu Qiong, who had experienced the defeat in Nanyang and had been in decadence for a long time, suddenly felt high-spirited.

If Yuan Jun can really attack Guangling County in this battle, then Chunyu Qiong's contribution will be immeasurable. Coupled with his personal relationship with Yuan Shao and his status in the Yingchuan faction, his future status in Zhao State can be imagined.

"The general will think that this plan is not advisable!"

Just when Chun Yuqiong thought the overall situation was decided, a loud voice sounded in the hall.

Chunyu Qiong was angry and looked up, but saw that the person speaking was the famous Hebei general Zhang He, and his face suddenly darkened.

He and Zhang He belong to different factions, and their relationship is not very good.

Zhang He had guarded Runan for many years. Although he did not achieve much success, he still restrained the two famous generals Xu Huang and Zhang He, and prevented Zhou Cheng's troops from Jiangxia from making rash moves, which can be said to be an outstanding achievement.

On the other hand, Chunyu Qiong was defeated by Zhuge Liang in Nanyang after being entrusted with important tasks.

Originally, Chun Yuqiong should have been beaten to the end, but Zhang He should have been reused.

However, due to some complicated reasons, Chunyu Qiong was re-employed again, and her status was higher than that of Zhang He. On the other hand, Zhang He did not receive any reward, which only intensified the conflict between the two parties.

(End of this chapter)