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

Chapter 391 The Second General Surrenders
Zhang He was covered in blood and managed to defeat the Chu army, buying enough time for the main force of Yuan's army to retreat.

He had just reunited with Gao Lan and had no time to take off his armor.

A gust of cold wind blew, and the clothes that had been soaked in blood began to freeze on the outside. Zhang He shivered all over, feeling bitingly cold.

He did not immediately run into the camp to change clothes to keep warm, but thought: "In such weather, I can't bear it even if I wear thicker clothes than ordinary soldiers, let alone the soldiers under my command."

Thinking of this, he immediately said to the lieutenant beside him: "Send the order, order the soldiers to change clothes quickly, and then go to the camp to keep warm. And let people make hot soup to reduce the number of sick soldiers."

In the cold winter and in a war period, the consequences of falling ill would be disastrous.

As a good general in Hebei, Zhang He has always been considerate of the soldiers and has extraordinary eyesight. Only then was he able to immediately think of settling down the soldiers who had just returned from the fight.

Hearing this, the deputy general showed a look of embarrassment on his face and said: "When we were attacking the city before, the Chu army poured cold water down from the city wall from a high position, so that many soldiers' clothes were soaked through."

"It's freezing cold today and the clothes are so thick that they can't be dried even if they are left to dry for several days. I'm afraid most of the soldiers don't have any clothes to change."

Zhang He was shocked when he heard this and asked hurriedly: "Why not let the soldiers bake their clothes during the night truce?"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and then he gritted his teeth and said, "The Jujian Army was ordered to do so at the critical moment and commanded calmly, which prevented hundreds of thousands of troops from being defeated in one fell swoop."

Zhang He connected everything together, and then he couldn't help but feel a chill running down his spine.

"Such a foolish king will be captured by the King of Chu sooner or later!"

Gao Gan said softly: "The Jujian Army advised your Majesty to abandon Guangling County and withdraw troops as soon as possible. Your Majesty wanted to seize half of the military power on the grounds that the Jujian Army was afraid of war. The Jujian Army was furious and contradicted His Majesty in person, scolding His Majesty if he had not earlier If you make a decision, your entire army will be destroyed.”

"We fought bloody battles to cut off the rear of the army, but in the end we are no match for the treacherous villain!"

After thinking about this, Zhang He was extremely anxious and planned to send someone to quickly warn Yuan Shao, telling the navy to be careful to avoid being attacked by the Chu navy.

Although he was somewhat aggrieved by Zhang He and others, he knew better who he was loyal to.

When Zhang He heard this, he sneered and said: "Your Majesty is sending us to attack Liyang now. Doesn't it mean that we will die?"

Zhang He gritted his teeth and asked, still hoping for a chance, "Didn't the Ju Supervisor Army advise His Majesty?"

"boom!"

Gao Lan was shocked when he heard this and shouted hurriedly: "Jun Yi, be careful what you say! If someone else hears it and reports it to Your Majesty, wouldn't your life or mine be at risk?"

If the grain and grass had not been burned, Zhang He would have ordered a retreat to a place where wood could be obtained, and then he could recuperate and then fight again.

"What a careful calculation, what a vicious strategy!"

After hearing this, the senior official received the edict, handed it to Zhang He, and sighed: "I know there are many difficulties involved, but your majesty has already issued the edict, so please ask the two generals to take charge."

Zhang He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and veins popped out on the back of his hands. He was obviously extremely angry, but he still suppressed his anger.

When Zhang He and Gao Lan heard this, their expressions changed drastically.

Now it seems that worse things are yet to come.

He suppressed his anger and accepted the edict. After handing over the military power, he and Gao Lan went to count the troops of his headquarters.

If they move to another place, Zhang He will continue to send troops to harass, constantly draining Yuan Jun's physical strength and energy, and preventing them from withdrawing troops in peace.

He originally thought that it was bad enough that all the grain, grass and baggage were burned in Xutai.

Zhang He said with a gloomy face: "What's wrong? It must be Xin Binasi who came before His Majesty to slander us, causing us to be jealous!"

"Jun Yi, don't you think this matter is quite strange?"

Without food, grass and things to keep out the cold, Yuan's army would be defeated sooner or later.

"As for the troops and horses in the rear, just leave them to my general's command."

He can be sure that the Chu army, which has been recharging its strength for a long time, will never give him a chance to breathe.

Gao Lan looked at Zhang He, who was trying to suppress his anger, and couldn't help but ask.

The lieutenant general said: "When the Chu army retreated, the walls were clear. Not to mention the straw in the farmhouse, even the nearby vegetation was burned down, so we were unable to obtain enough things to keep warm."

Zhang He's heart sank to the bottom when he heard this.

"His Majesty was so angry that he cut off all his official positions and sent him to prison."

"Besides, our army is short of clothes and food now, and there is an army of Chu chasing after us. If we can't protect ourselves, how can we break into the city and seize food?"

"The troops and horses of the Jujian Army are now under the command of Xin Zuozhi and Feng Yuantu."

But now, Yuan Jun's food and grass are cut off, and he can only retreat as soon as possible, otherwise he will starve to death in Guangling County if he is not frozen to death.

However, before Zhang He sent anyone to leave, he saw high-ranking officials coming and said solemnly to Zhang He and Gao Lan: "Your Majesty has issued an edict that today's grain and grass have been burned, and our army is in urgent need of replenishing grain and grass. The Chu army arrived at Liyang There is a huge grain garrison in the city, so I ordered Generals Zhang and Gao to lead their troops to attack the city and seize the grain and grass to relieve our army's difficulties!"

Zhang He hurriedly said: "Liyang is the old city of Yangzhou. The city is tall and well-defended. Not to mention that we have less than 10,000 troops. Even if we recruit 100,000 troops to attack the city, it will be extremely difficult to defeat it in a short time!"

"The weather is so cold now and the soldiers don't have enough wood for heating. How can they bake their clothes?"

Gao Gan's words were like a thunderbolt in the ears of Zhang He and Gao Lan. The two looked at each other and saw despair on each other's faces.

As Yuan Shao's nephew and a surname of Chenliu in Yanzhou, Gao Gan was not considered a member of the Yingchuan faction. Instead, he was a relative of the emperor. He was often aloof in factional disputes, so he did not have much hostility towards Zhang He and others.

Zhang He was even able to conclude that the Chu navy would definitely regain control of the Huaihe River to cut off the retreat of the main force of Yuan's army.

He was already sure that the Chu army had planned everything before him. They first faked defeat and gave up Guangling County, and then lured the enemy deep into the army to attract the main force of Yuan's army to Shouchun.

Zhang He, who had figured everything out, couldn't help but gritted his teeth and said.

When the Chu army was about to burn Yuan's army's food and grass, the Shouchun defenders deliberately drenched the Chu army's clothes with cold water. Since the Chu army had long fortified its walls and cleared the country, Yuan's army, who was unable to dry his clothes, would be his biggest enemy. Bad weather.

Gao Lan remained silent.

Zhang He's expression changed, and then he suddenly lowered his voice and said, "I think the Yuan family is exhausted. On the other hand, His Highness the King of Chu has great talents and has the qualifications to be a powerful leader. Even direct ministers like Yuan Hao can be entrusted with important tasks."

"Mencius said: If the ruler regards his ministers as his hands and feet, then his ministers will regard him as his belly; if his ministers regard his ministers as dogs and horses, his ministers will regard him as a fellow countryman; if his ministers regard his ministers as earth and mustard, then his ministers will regard him as a bandit."

"We are worthy of the State of Zhao, but His Majesty is more suspicious of us, and now he wants to kill us."

"Before, the Ju Supervisor Army spoke for us in the court, so that we could have a place in Zhao State. Now even the Ju Supervisor Army has been dismissed from office and imprisoned. Even if we do not die in the battle to attack Liyang this time, sooner or later we will Died in internal strife in the court. "It is said that a good bird chooses a tree to live in, and a good minister chooses his master to do his job. Since the Yuan family treated each other like this, why don't we abandon the dark side and surrender to His Highness the King of Chu?"

"I have had some friendship with Mr. Yuan Hao before. If Yuan Hao takes care of me, with His Highness the King of Chu's talent and strategy, and with the abilities of you and me, why worry about not being able to do something great?"

Gao Lan was very moved when he heard the words, but he still hesitated and said: "That being said, our family members are all in Hebei. If we just take refuge in Chu State, how can they survive?"

Zhang He was silent for a long time, then gritted his teeth and said: "The Chu State has a big plan in this battle. It is not yet known whether Yuan Benchu ​​can return to Hebei. We can send people to Hebei in advance and let the family members hide first. After the Yuan army is defeated, as long as His Highness the King of Chu Tell me, who dares to harm the lives of your family members?"

Seeing that Zhang He meant what he said, Gao Lan no longer hesitated and said immediately: "That's what Jun Yi said!"

Zhang He was overjoyed and immediately said: "As the saying goes, things can be accomplished with secrets, and words can be used to reveal defeats. Surrendering to Chu is a big deal, and there is no guarantee that some of my subordinates will not be willing to go with them. You and I will secretly call in our confidants, and then gather all our generals to discuss the matter. . If anyone refuses to obey, behead them all!”

Zhang He was also a decisive and decisive general. Since he had decided to join the Chu State, he would naturally not be merciful.

Gao Lan said: "It would be great if we could persuade everyone to return to Chu together. If not, it will not be too late to kill people to establish their authority!"

After finishing their plan, the two men immediately led their troops to leave Dazhai, pretending to go south to attack Liyang.

The army marched for two days. Due to the lack of food and clothing, all the soldiers complained. Zhang He took the opportunity to summon his generals and said to everyone: "Liyang is the old capital of Yangzhou. The city is tall and well-defended. With our small strength, what can we do?" Can it be captured?"

"Besides, the army is short of food and clothing, and it's freezing cold now. We've already lost dozens of brothers after two days of marching."

"If we continue like this, I'm afraid we will have lost most of our brothers in the army before we reach Liyang!"

When all the generals heard this, they all had expressions of embarrassment on their faces, and some even said angrily: "We followed the generals in a bloody battle. Not only did we not get the rewards we deserved, but we were deliberately sent to die. This is simply too much!"

The first person to speak was naturally Zhang He's confidant general.

Someone started to complain, and naturally many people followed suit.

They were already dissatisfied with Yuan Shao's arrangements, and now that the march was so difficult, and even these generals did not have enough to eat every day, they naturally became more and more complaining.

Seeing that the generals' emotions were aroused, Zhang He and Gao Lan were secretly happy.

But Zhang He stepped forward, stretched out his hands and pressed them in the air to signal everyone to be quiet, and then said in a deep voice: "You brothers have been following Zhang for many years. Which one of you has not experienced hundreds of battles and made great achievements in battle?"

"Even though I'm fighting on the front line, I can't stand up to the treacherous sycophants in the court."

"Such virtuous men as Jujianjun were dismissed from office and imprisoned due to criticism from traitors and traitors. Do we still want to die for such a fatuous monarch who does not care about the life and death of his soldiers?"

Zhang He's words immediately changed everyone's expressions.

Zhang He put his hand on the hilt of his sword, looked at everyone with lightning eyes, and shouted sternly: "A good bird chooses a tree to roost in, and a wise minister chooses his master to serve. Mr. Yuan treats us like dogs and horses, and we can choose another wise master!"

"His Royal Highness the King of Chu is a man of great talent and strategy, and is very good at employing people. I want to lead my troops to surrender. Can all brothers go with me?"

"Absolutely not!"

As soon as Zhang He finished speaking, a general shouted loudly: "The monarch and his ministers have nothing to do with the two masters. Besides, your majesty is wise, but he was only temporarily deceived by the villain. The general led us to seek refuge with the Chu State at this time. Doesn't it mean that he wants to trap me? It is disloyal." ?”

It has to be said that Yuan Shao has been quite famous in Hebei for many years.

Seeing that after someone spoke out against it, several generals were ready to make a move, Zhang He immediately looked at his trusted generals.

"Qiang!"

The sharp sword was unsheathed and made a clanging sound.

"laugh!"

The sharp knife penetrates the flesh.

"puff!"

The sharp blade was pulled out and blood spurted out.

"Pfft!"

The general who had objected just now felt the pain coming from his heart. Finally, his vision went dark, and his body immediately fell straight up.

The murderer held a blood-stained sword and shouted sternly at the crowd: "General Zhang has always treated us well. If anyone dares to disobey General Zhang, first ask if the knife in his hand is appropriate!"

As the man finished speaking, hundreds of fully armed soldiers immediately gathered around, staring at everyone eagerly.

When the generals saw this, they couldn't help but be shocked. They hurriedly prostrated themselves on the ground and said: "I am willing to surrender to Chu with the general!"

The words are divided into two parts.

However, Zhang He and Gao Lan's move to lead the army southward confuses Zhou Qi and his subordinate Wenwu.

Logically speaking, Yuan Jun, who was in such a situation, should try his best to retreat, right? Why did he suddenly divide his troops and go south?
It's not like no one guessed that Zhang He planned to attack Liyang and seize grain and grass.

But with just these thousands of soldiers and horses, how could they defeat Liyang when they were short of food and clothing?
Although he was doubtful, Zhou Qi did not dare to neglect, and immediately asked Zhang Liao to lead 3,000 cavalry to rescue Liyang, and looked for an opportunity to eat thousands of Yuan's troops under Zhang He.

Zhang Liao was originally stationed in Lujiang County. Since the main battlefield was moved to Yangzhou, Zhou Qi also transferred him here.

Zhou Qi believed that with Zhang Liao's ability, no matter what Zhang He's plan was, it would end in failure.

Zhang Liao had stationed troops in Lujiang County for many years. Although he had ensured the stability of northern Yangzhou, he still wanted to make military exploits after all.

Now that he finally had the opportunity to lead the army alone, Zhang Liao was naturally very excited. After ordering his troops and horses, he led his army to catch up with Zhang He's troops.

Zhang Liao was planning to use his cavalry to harass Yuan Jun, but suddenly he saw a cavalryman riding up with a white flag.

Zhang Liao was confused and hurriedly ordered his men to intercept the Yuan Jun knight. Only then did he learn that the knight actually came to ask for surrender on behalf of Zhang He and Gao Lan.

When Zhang Liao heard this, he couldn't help being shocked and said to himself: "Although Yuan's army had its food and grass burned, its foundation was not damaged. Zhang He and Gao Lan are both famous generals in Hebei and hold high positions in Zhao. Why did they suddenly surrender?"

"Is there some fraud here?"

Zhang Liao became suspicious and did not dare to accept the surrender rashly. He hurriedly sent someone to report back to Zhou Qi, and asked Zhang He and Gao Lan to come to his army in person to discuss the surrender.

In Zhang Liao's view, regardless of whether Zhang He and Gao Lan sincerely surrendered, they might not dare to come to his army in person.

All he had to do was delay for a while and wait for His Highness King Chu's reply.

(End of this chapter)