Ji Han Liu Zhang

Chang'an, on the city wall.

"More than 6,000?" Liu Zhang stopped on the top of the city wall, looked at the mountains and rivers outside the city, and sighed.

Xun You heard this and said respectfully, "The document recruiting local militiamen has arrived in Longyou. People in Longyou are very excited and eager to participate, fearing that they will not be selected and will not be able to help you conquer Hedong."

Liu Zhang started walking along the tower. Xun You also started walking, half a beat slower than Liu Zhang. He followed Liu Zhang and kept talking: "According to Peng Ying, the governor of Tianshui, there are 10,000 volunteers who can join the army. However, considering that there are too many people, there may not be enough food and grass. So after discussing with Peng Ying, Ma Chao selected 6,000 strong men from the 10,000. The rest were given some rewards and sent back to their hometowns."

"From this we can see that your benevolence and virtue are well-known in Longyou and have won the hearts of the people." Xun You said this at the end, and sighed naturally.

"Yeah." Liu Zhang nodded in response. He knew that the people from Longyou were eager to join the army. On the one hand, it was because of his great reputation. He helped the common people and brought peace to Guanxi, so he was supported and respected by people.

On the other hand, there was a rumor that had recently spread in Chang'an and had now spread throughout Longyou. The rumor was that Ma Chao's sister Ma Shu and his eldest son Liu Xun had arranged a marriage.

For the nobles in Longyou, they could get a reward or two at best for their hard work in conquering Hedong for Liu Zhang, but if they were fighting for the future of their family, they would risk their lives.

After all, the marriage between Liu Xun and Ma Shu has been decided, and Longyou may have a clan in the future. By then, these wealthy families in Liangzhou will be the close relatives of the new dynasty, and it is not impossible for them to have a long line of descendants.

Liu Zhang suddenly stopped and asked Xun You, "Is Yi County still there?"

Xun You shook his head and sighed, "Gongsun Zan's reputation is superior to that of the Xianbei and Wuhuan. Because he is good at riding white horses, he is known as the White Horse General. He can be said to be a hero of Youyan."

"But they are not good enough to face Yuan Shao." Xun You cut to the chase and talked about the situation in Yi County. "Yuan Shao's army attacked Yi County, using ladders and tunnels. Although Gongsun Zan has thousands of tall buildings, they are useless. Now Gongsun Zan's life is hanging by a thread. Within a month, I believe Yuan Shao will be able to capture Yi County and behead Gongsun."

"Hasn't Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Army arrived in Yi County yet?" Liu Zhang asked, asking about the news of Gongsun Zan's cronies, the Black Mountain Army.

Xun You half-closed his eyes and answered, "Although the Black Mountain Army is said to have a million people, most of them are women, children, the elderly and the weak. There are only tens of thousands of soldiers who are good at fighting. Moreover, they are vagrants and do not engage in production. They only live by looting... The Black Mountain Army has few soldiers and little food. The soldiers are not well trained and the food is insufficient. Therefore, the Black Mountain Army has repeatedly fought with Yuan's army, but the results are few. They were defeated many times by Yuan Shao's general Qu Yi, but it was difficult to open up the road to Yi County and rescue Gongsun Zan."

"It seems that Gongsun Zan is doomed to die." Liu Zhang sighed lightly. Gongsun Zan in history was very famous and was known as the White Horse General. In the eyes of modern people, he is a hero who fought against foreign invaders and competed with Yuan Shao for hegemony in Hebei.

But if we look into the real history, we will find that Gongsun Zan, who controlled the Youzhou Tuqi, a powerful army in the world and had an advantage at the beginning, was defeated repeatedly by Yuan Shao. After the consecutive defeats, he lost his fighting spirit, built a tall tower to trap himself, and finally burned himself on the tower.

In the final analysis, it was because Gongsun Zan had powerful military force but no political wisdom. This can be seen from the fact that Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu, who was very popular in Youzhou and Wuhuan. After Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu, Youzhou rebelled, and Liu Yu's former officials jumped out one by one to fight against Gongsun Zan, and the Wuhuan outside the Great Wall also jumped out to oppose him.

Gongsun Zan started his career in Youyan, and his foundation was unstable. Even if he had a powerful army, he only needed to be defeated in one battle before he would suffer a series of defeats.

Xun You nodded in affirmation: "Gongsun Zan was besieged by Yuan Shao in Yi County. There are many trenches outside, just like a dragnet. Gongsun Zan can't escape easily. From your point of view, he will definitely die."

"Gao Gan has besieged Anyi for more than a month. How is the situation?" Liu Zhang bypassed Gongsun Zan and talked about the affairs of Hedong. The prefect of Hedong, Wang Yi, was finally defeated by Gao Gan. Gao Gan defeated Donghuan and besieged Anyi. It has been more than a month now.

Xun You's expression eased, and he reported: "Wang Yi was not as good as Gao Gan, but because he had always been kind to the county and was supported by the people, the people of Anyi all helped Wang Yi to defend the city. Now Anyi is still here, and so is Wang Yi."

"That's good." Liu Zhang nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want to see Anyi being captured by Gao Gan and Hedong being occupied by Gao Gan.

At the same time, Gao Gan had been attacking Anyi for more than a month, and his troops must have been old and tired. If Liu Zhang took advantage of this time to send troops, it would be a good opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Furthermore, Hedong prefect Wang Yi had been in two minds before and was unwilling to easily submit to Liu Zhang, fearing that he would lose the power to control the military and political affairs of Hedong. Now Anyi was in danger, and this month, Wang Yi had no choice but to send an envoy to ask Liu Zhang to send troops to rescue it.

Wang Yi's move, on the one hand, gave Liu Zhang an excuse to interfere in the affairs of Hedong; on the other hand, after expelling the senior officials in the future, Liu Zhang could have a good discussion with Wang Yi about the ownership of Hedong. By then, facing Liu Zhang, his savior, Wang Yi's bargaining power would be greatly reduced.

With this in mind, Liu Zhang ordered: "Let Lou Fa and Fa Zheng make some moves to give Gao Gan a hint that our army will rescue Anyi, so that Gao Gan will not dare to attack Anyi with all his strength, and at the same time Wang Yi will also have the determination to hold on."

"Yes." Xun You responded, then he went down the city wall to carry out Liu Zhang's orders.

As for Liu Zhang, he stayed on the top of the city wall, quietly watching the sunset and the weary birds returning to the forest. It was a scene of "Don't say it's too late, the sky is still full of rosy clouds."

A few days later, Ma Chao, who had gone to Longyou to recruit soldiers, returned from Longyou and arrived in Chang'an. Following Ma Chao were more than 6,000 brave men from Liangzhou.

Hedong was in a hurry and time waited for no one. After inspecting the Liangzhou army on the top of the Chang'an city wall, Liu Zhang issued an order to urge Ma Chao to lead the army to Hedong.

So, at the end of June, Ma Chao led 6,000 infantry and cavalry, crossed the Yellow River from Pubanjin, and set foot on the land of Hedong, about to face his first military campaign.

Following Liu Zhang's orders and shouldering the important mission of revitalizing the Fufeng Ma family, Ma Chao silently swore in his heart to the river when he crossed Pubanjin: "If I cannot defeat Gao Gan and take all of Hedong on this trip, I will throw myself into the river and never see you again. The river can be my witness to this oath."

After making the oath, Ma Chao headed towards Anyi without hesitation, preparing to meet a high-ranking official - the nephew of Yuan Shao, the leader of the alliance of princes, and a descendant of a noble family from Chenliu.

……

Outside Anyi City, in the central army tent of Yuan's army, Gao Gan paced back and forth in the tent, revealing that he was very upset and could not even sit still. Gao Gan was restless because of the recent situation in Hedong. He had previously defeated Donghuan and marched all the way here, besieging Wang Yi, the former governor of Hedong, in Anyi County, the capital of Hedong County. The situation was very good and Hedong was about to fall into his hands.

Unfortunately, bad news always comes at inopportune times. The Shu army stationed in Pubanjin set out to provide assistance to the besieged Anyi County. As the Shu army moved, he had to divert his forces to deal with the Shu army, so as to avoid the Shu army suddenly attacking when attacking Anyi, which would put him in a situation where he was trapped both internally and externally.

At the same time, Wang Yi of Anyi County saw Shu army scouts strolling outside the city with flags, and his determination to hold on became stronger. He refused Gao Gan's surrender and hoped that the Shu army would rescue him.

As a result, Gao Gan was unable to capture Anyi, and unable to repel the Shu army. He was caught in a dilemma, and he wasted his time here without making any achievements or establishing any career.

Until now, only today, scouts reported that a large group of Shu troops crossed the river from Pubanjin and entered Puban City. The number of their troops should be no less than 5,000.

What was the intention of the Shu army that rushed to Puban City from Guanzhong at this time and place? Gao Gan knew it well enough that the Shu army was coming for him, to relieve Anyi from its predicament and rescue Wang Yi, the former governor of Hedong.

"How hateful." Gao Gan stopped and said angrily. If the Shu army did not come, even if there was no shortage of food and grass in Anyi City, without reinforcements from outside, the people in the city would not be so determined to hold on. He only needed to attack for ten months and Anyi City would be his.

But the Shu army came just in time, and their arrival was so coincidental that his plan to capture Anyi became a bubble, like a flower in the mirror or a moon in the water, which could be seen but not attained.

"My Lord," Guo Yuan said, "The Shu army has come, including the troops of Lou Fa stationed in Pubanjin. There should be 7,000 to 8,000 people. If we consider the enemy's leniency, there may be 10,000 people... Our army has recently conquered Donghuan, recruited warriors, and received help from the Xiongnu. However, the number of soldiers is only 15,000. If Wang Yi is on the Shu army side, the two sides are evenly matched. We should be careful in dealing with them."

"I know that." Gao Gan looked towards the northeast and sighed, "It's a pity that Gongsun Zan has not been killed yet, and Yi County has not been breached yet. Most of my uncle's troops can only be used to besiege Gongsun and block Heishan, but they have to give me some of their troops. Otherwise, if there are tens of thousands of people, I can besiege Anyi while attacking the Shu army in Puban."

"Let's not talk about this." Gao Gan shook off his hopes and focused on the current battle situation: "First, our army has been attacking the city for a long time, and the soldiers are tired and need to rest for a few days. Second, the Shu army has just arrived and is in high spirits. Let's gather our forces first and defend the city without engaging in a fight."

"Your Excellency is right." Guo Yuan complimented.

"Besides," Gao Gan said with a smile, "Wang Yi was reluctant to give up his post as governor of Hedong and was unwilling to enter the court, so he stopped me from taking the post of governor of Hedong... Now that the Shu army is here, they are probably using the name of rescue to plot against Hedong. They may have a dispute with Wang Yi. We can wait and see for a few days."

Guo Yuan's eyes lit up, and he nodded in response: "Your Majesty is right. We want to take over Hedong, so shouldn't the Shu army do the same? Even if Wang Yi is reluctant to give up the power of Hedong, it is to be expected that he will clash with the Shu army."

"Hmph." Gao Gan walked out of the tent, looked at Anyi City, and snorted with an expression of dismay.

……

Hanoi.

As Prefect Zhang Yang listened to the report from Chief Clerk Xue Hong, his face gradually turned grim. It was because what Xue Hong reported was about the situation in Hedong. According to spies, Hedong Prefect Wang Yi was besieged in Anyi County by Gao Gan, and the situation was extremely critical.

Zhang Yang, who was adjacent to Hedong and a neighbor of Wang Yi, would naturally feel hurt when he heard this kind of news. If Gao Gan could capture Hedong today, he might lead his troops to attack Henei in the future. This was all natural.

Xue Hong finished talking about the situation in Hedong, and at the end, he brought up something he had heard: "My Lord, I heard that the Grand Marshal of Guanzhong was unhappy with Gao Gan's attack on Hedong and wanted to send a large army to rescue Wang Yi. And according to the information passed on by our spies in Hedong, the Shu army stationed in Pubanjin has indeed made some movements."

"In your opinion, how will the situation in Hedong develop?" Zhang Yang asked Xue Hongdao.

Xue Hong pinched his long beard and pondered for a while before giving his thoughts: "In my opinion, the Shu army and the Yuan army will fight each other in Hedong in the future. As for who will win or lose, I cannot predict it clearly."

"However," Xue Hong added, "regardless of who wins or loses, whether it is the Shu army or the Yuan army, Hedong will no longer belong to Wang Yi."

Zhang Yang lowered his head slightly, and after a while he raised his head and said with a worried look: "You are right. The Yuan army is powerful, and the Shu army is also powerful. The land of Hedong will no longer belong to Wang Yi. It is not something Wang Yi can control."

Through Xue Hong's inference of Wang Yi's life path, Zhang Yang felt that his future was also bleak. With states and counties under his control and more than tens of thousands of people, he looked very powerful at the moment.

But after all, he only occupied a county. He was not as good as the Yuan family, the Shu army, or Cao Cao. He was a wolf, but he was surrounded by tigers. He was currently surrounded by tigers and he might fall into their mouths one day and never be able to escape.

Especially since the imperial court had issued an order to recruit him to the court, so that the former governor of Shu Army, Xun You, could take his place, he almost lost his position as the governor of Henei.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yang was relieved and said, "Gao Gan was greedy for the position of Hedong prefect and led his troops to attack Hedong. Fortunately, Xun You did not covet my position as Henei prefect, otherwise Henei would be in turmoil." Zhang Yang was relieved when he heard about Xun You's memorial to decline the position of Henei prefect.

Although Zhang Yang was not afraid of Xun You's coming, after all, the military and political affairs of Henei were all controlled by him. Even if Xun You came, it would be difficult for him to take away his power.

But considering that the Grand Marshal Liu Zhang was standing behind Xun You, if Xun You gave up the post of Henei Prefect, it would save Zhang Yang a lot of trouble and save him a lot of worry.

"Your Excellency is right. If Xun You comes here, there will be trouble." Xue Hong echoed, and then he said worriedly: "But Xun You refused this time. Whoever is appointed as the governor of Henei next time, whether he will be as sensible as Xun You is indeed hard to predict."

"It's all Cao's fault." Zhang Yang said angrily, "He relied on his power to oversee the government and his merits in welcoming the emperor to stir up trouble and cause trouble for no reason, bringing a storm to Hanoi." (End of this chapter)