Ji Han Liu Zhang

Zhongyang County, the main camp of the Shu army.

"Gao Gan and Yan Liang agreed very readily." Gan Ning said happily.

It was thought that as two hostile parties, Gao Gan and Yan Liang might not agree to their proposal to exchange the head of Zuo Xian Wang Liu Bao for Cai Yan, but what Gan Ning did not expect was that Gao Gan's envoy quickly brought back the news and agreed to the deal very straightforwardly.

Jia Xu sat at the table and analyzed the situation, saying, "Left Wise King Liu Bao has always been known for his virtue and was very popular among the Southern Xiongnu people. This time Liu Bao died on the battlefield and his head was separated from his body. The Xiongnu Chanyu Huchuquan sent envoys several times before to buy back Liu Bao's head. This is a clear proof."

"Now we are exchanging Liu Bao's head for Cai Yan. Huochuquan will be overjoyed. Gao Gan and Yan Liang, the two leaders, will not reject this. After all, in the current war, Gao Gan and Yan Liang still need to rely on the Xiongnu for strength. They will naturally agree to it. So this transaction can be said to be the best of both worlds."

Here, when Huochuquan sent an envoy to redeem Liu Bao's head, Gan Ning refused to give in. Firstly, he did not care about gold and silver. Secondly, he wanted to deliver Liu Bao's head to Chang'an. Thirdly, he did not want to have any dealings with the Huns, so Gan Ning did not agree to Huochuquan's request to redeem Liu Bao's head.

And now, even if you have given an order, Gan Ning would certainly not be reluctant to give up the head of a barbarian. He would just follow the order.

After listening to Jia Xu's analysis, Gan Ning nodded and said, "No matter what, if we do the things that Lord Ming has instructed us to do, then we will live up to the Lord Ming's entrustment of this matter to us."

Gan Ning then ordered the secretary in the tent: "Go and tell the Xiongnu envoy to change the troops tomorrow and end this matter as soon as possible."

"Yes." Shuzuo took the order and left.

When the secretary lifted the curtain of the big tent, Gan Ning glanced outside the tent and saw the autumn rain falling continuously as if it would never stop. It has been raining for more than ten days now.

"Alas." Gan Ning retracted his spying gaze and sighed, "The autumn rain continues, and the roads are muddy. We can't fight this battle against Taiyuan County."

"Let's see what your Excellency decides." Jia Xu was comfortable and calm. He was waiting for a reply from Chang'an. He had already reported the continuous autumn rain in Taiyuan County to Liu Zhang.

"It's probably to ask us to retreat." Gan Ning pondered, "The autumn rain has been falling for more than ten days, and the roads are completely impassable. Winter is approaching, and the cold is gradually biting. This battle is not easy to fight, and it is impossible to fight."

"Winter is approaching, so we should prepare for winter clothes early." As a strategist, Jia Xu began to prepare: "Otherwise, if there is an early snowfall, without winter clothes to keep out the cold, most of the soldiers will be frostbitten and unable to fight."

"Of course." Gan Ning agreed. He seemed to remember something. "I heard that there is a kind of cold-resistant wood plant in Chengdu in recent years. It is called Jibei. It was brought back by Zhang Yi from Jiaozhou. It is very effective in keeping out the cold. There are a batch of them in Kulitun, Chang'an Prefecture. Why don't we ask you for Jibei as a cold-resistant plant?"

"You can try." Jia Xu responded.

After he finished speaking, the central army tent fell into silence. The autumn rain continued and the fighting had stopped. The officers had nothing to do and the soldiers were not allowed to use their swords or guns. The people in the camp were more or less bored.

On the second day, Gan Ning went out of the camp in the rain, carrying the head of Zuo Xian Wang Liu Bao in a wooden box, and reached a deal with the Xiongnu Chanyu Huhuquan in front of the camp gate, in exchange for Cai Yan, the daughter of Cai Yong.

"Thank you, General. I am deeply grateful and will repay you with a gift of grass." Cai Yan spoke clearly and elegantly, exuding the temperament of a lady from a noble family.

"No need to thank me." Gan Ning waved his hand and said, "Besides, the person who made the decision was my master. If I want to thank you, I should go to Chang'an and thank my master."

Gan Ning declined Cai Yan's gratitude and attributed the credit to Liu Zhang. He did not have much conversation with Cai Yan. He only let Cai Yan stay in the camp for one night and then sent someone to send Cai Yan to Hedong, and from Hedong to Chang'an in Guanzhong.

After that, apart from dealing with a few trivial matters in the camp every day, Gan Ning would always look at the sky, hoping that the clouds would clear and the rain would stop so that he could have a good battle with Yuan's army.

Unfortunately, the weather did not go as planned. It rained continuously, resulting in small amounts of rain, but when it accumulated, it flooded many low-lying areas in the Shu army camp.

"Drop, drop, drop! It's almost winter and it's still raining. It's time to snow." Gan Ning was busy arranging people to dig trenches for drainage, while cursing the evil God from time to time.

Zhang Ren had a calm expression. He was always calm and composed, unlike Gan Ning who was fiery-tempered. Facing the autumn rain that came to stop the war, he just waited calmly for the day when the clouds would clear and the sun would shine brightly in the sky.

When it was October of the fourth year of Jian'an and the winter officially arrived, the annoying autumn rain finally stopped. Today was a rare good day with the rain stopping and the bright sun shining in the sky.

Gan Ning stepped on the still moist ground with a happy look on his face. The cessation of the autumn rain made him feel very good. It meant that after waiting for another three or five days, when the soil was a little dry, he could have a good fight with Yuan's army.

However, Gan Ning's joy lasted only one day. On the second day after the rain stopped, a north wind began to blow, and leaden clouds gathered. The sky and the earth in the daytime suddenly became as dark as at night.

Not long after, as Gan Ning was praying for good weather, a heavy snowfall came unexpectedly. It snowed intermittently from morning to dusk, and the accumulated snow was already above people's ankles.

"This winter coat made of Jibei is indeed very effective in keeping out the cold. It is on par with fur coats." Jia Xu was not in a bad mood because of the bad weather. He was wearing a Jibei coat, which made him look a little bloated. He praised Gan Ning with a smile on his face.

Earlier, at the request of Gan Ning and Jia Xu, Jibei jackets were transported from Chang'an for the soldiers to keep warm. Now that the wind and snow were falling suddenly, Jia Xu did not delay at all and distributed the Jibei jackets early. He also put on one and felt the comfort and warmth of the Jibei jackets.

"Well, Jibei keeps you warm. It's worth it for Zhang Yi to travel all the way to Jiaozhou." Gan Ning said perfunctorily. His eyes were dull as he stared blankly at the flying snow.

First there was autumn rain, followed by wind and snow. After Chang'an learned of this news, an order to withdraw troops was sent from Chang'an. Gan Ning was somewhat unwilling, but he still obeyed the order and began to prepare for the withdrawal.

Jia Xu thought that the order to withdraw was within his expectations. In the rain, wind and snow, it was impossible to fight a war. The best way was to retreat cleanly.

However, there is a process for retreating troops. They cannot retreat all at once, but must retreat in batches. At the same time, they must set up one or two measures to prevent the enemy from following and pursuing. Under Jia Xu's plan, the Shu army broke camp and set up an ambush at Guanjuejin, which is the Queshu Valley in later generations, with the intention of ambushing and pursuing Yuan's army.

The news of the Shu army's escape and withdrawal was naturally discovered by Gao Gan, Yan Liang and others who were closely watching the Shu army camp. After a long stalemate, the Shu army retreated without a fight.

Gao Gan and Yan Liang did not miss this opportunity. They sent their barbarian vassal troops to follow and pursue, thinking of trying their best to see if they could gain some advantage and gain some gains so that they could give an explanation to Yuan Shao.

However, as usual, Gao Gan and Yan Liang suffered a small loss again. The barbarian vassal army they sent out to pursue them was ambushed and defeated by the Shu army, and fled back.

Gao Gan and Yan Liang could not help but feel fortunate that they had the barbarian vassal army as the vanguard, otherwise they would be the ones who suffered. The lives of the barbarians were worthless and would not be reported in the military reports of battle casualties, so they would just accept this small loss.

After this incident, Gao Gan and Yan Liang adopted a cautious attitude and kept their scouts and light cavalry far away. When they were following the Shu army, they would stop at the first sign of trouble to avoid repeating the mistakes of the barbarian vassal army.

Almost as if they were sending the Shu army out of the country with courtesy, Gao Gan and Yan Liang pursued the Shu army out of Queshu Valley and set foot on the edge of Hedong. The two men stationed their troops there and did not move forward. Instead, they sent envoys to Yecheng to ask Yuan Shao what he thought.

At this moment in Yecheng, General Yuan Shao was in a state of hesitation. He was wondering whether to go south or west, and which side he should give priority to dealing with, Cao Cao or Liu Zhang.

It was because Yuan Shao's advisers had many different opinions and each insisted on their own views that Yuan Shao was unable to make a decision. As a result, since the defeat of Gongsun Zan last year, it has been almost a year, that is, the entire fourth year of Jian'an, and Yuan Shao has not taken any action.

It was only when the Shu army invaded Taiyuan County that Yuan Shao sent Yan Liang and Gao Lan to resist the invasion of the Shu army, and there were no other major movements.

'Westward?'

'Go south?'

Liu Zhang of Guanzhong, who was known as a virtuous member of the royal family and controlled the fertile lands of Guanlong and Bashu, would certainly be a great threat and should be eliminated first. This was the view of Ju Su and Shen Pei, who served under Yuan Shao.

However, Xun Chen and Xin Ping, who were from Yingchuan, believed that because of the dangerous Tongguan and Puban in Guanzhong, it would be difficult to conquer even with an army of 100,000. It would be better to take refuge and go south to the Central Plains to attack Cao Cao.

Moreover, if the Hebei army was blocked at Tongguan and Puban, and Cao Cao made some unusual moves and led his troops to attack Yecheng, it would be a great disaster. After all, there were no major obstacles from the Central Plains to Yecheng, except for the Yellow River, which was relatively dangerous.

However, the Yellow River is not as vast as the Yangtze River, and there are many ferry crossings. When the Hebei army marched westward, it was difficult for the military commanders left behind to take precautions everywhere and fully guard all the ferry crossings on the Yellow River.

On the contrary, Xun Chen and Xin Ping's suggestion to move south was that with Shangdang and Henei in the hands of Yuan Shao, there were strategic locations to defend against the eastward advance of the Shu army, but by deploying more than 20,000 troops, the Shu army could be stopped.

Most of the Hebei troops can go south together, cross the river, and march towards Xu Du smoothly. Their military power will be so great that they will shock the Rong people. In addition, Yuan Shao came from Runan and has many disciples in his hometown. When the time comes, all of them will respond to his call. How can Cao Cao resist him?

By then, Yuan Shao would defeat Cao Cao, seize the emperor, move the emperor to Yecheng, use the emperor to command the princes, and occupy the Central Plains, controlling 60 to 70 percent of the world. Even if Liu Zhang, Liu Biao, and Sun Ce conspired together, they would not be Yuan Shao's opponent.

Just when Yuan Shao thought that Xun Chen and Xin Ping's suggestions were feasible, Ju Su and Shen Pei expressed their opposition. Ju Su believed that although the road from north to south was smooth, Cao Cao had few troops and the southern army was elite, so they might fall into a stalemate. By that time, the Shu army would be dispatched in large numbers, and there would be great concerns as the two sides fought each other.

Shen Pei believed that Cao Cao was holding the emperor hostage and controlling the ministers, doing everything in the name of the emperor. If Yuan Shao attacked Xu Du, Cao Cao would use the emperor's order to call on the princes from all directions to attack him together, and accuse Yuan Shao of having no manners as a subject, and saying that he was a traitor like Dong Zhuo, Li Yuan Shao and Guo Zhenyu. Yuan Shao would lose his righteousness and his army would be at no benefit.

According to the exchanges of words and sharp words among the advisers, going south has its advantages and corresponding disadvantages, and going west has its benefits and corresponding risks.

For a moment, Yuan Shao asked himself. He thought that Liu Zhang in Guanzhong posed a greater threat to him than Cao Cao. However, Guanzhong was a land with many barriers on all sides and it was not easy to take it. Cao Cao was a smaller threat. In addition, there were no major obstacles between Hebei and the Central Plains. It seemed that he should deal with Cao Cao first.

The big threats are difficult to deal with, while the small threats seem easy to take down. Yuan Shao was caught in a dilemma: should he first attack and destroy Liu Zhang in Guanzhong, who posed a greater threat to him, or first eliminate Cao Cao in Xudu, who posed a smaller threat and was easier to destroy?

Just when Yuan Shao was hesitating, a piece of news from Taiyuan County changed his decision to go west and south.

"Report, Governor Gao and General Yan have brought us a victory report, saying that they have been attacking the Shu army for more than a month and have been in a stalemate until now. The Shu army finally retreated, and now Gan Ning and Zhang Ren's troops have retreated to Hedong." The messenger who brought the news shouted loudly.

"Good, very good." Yuan Shao clapped his hands and praised: "Gao Gan is indeed my nephew, and Yan Liang is the pillar of Hebei. They played a great role in defeating the Shu army this time. I should reward them and confer titles of nobility on them."

At the same time, Yuan Shao said to Xun Chen and Xin Ping who advocated marching south: "Gentlemen, although the Shu army is strong, it is no match for our Hebei troops. This time, we will defeat the Shu army and see whether they are strong or weak."

When Xun Chen heard Yuan Shao's slightly sarcastic words, although he had some objections to Gao Gan and Yan Liang's military reports in his heart, it was because from the various military intelligence reports recently sent by Taiyuan County, the retreat of the Shu army was mostly due to the weather, with rain, wind and snow, which was why the Shu army retreated, and not as Gao Gan and Yan Liang said, that the two of them had repelled the Shu army.

But Xun Chen was not as upright and tough as Tian Feng. When Yuan Shao was in high spirits, he had no intention of pouring cold water on him, so he did not say anything.

Xin Ping opened and closed his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but after thinking for a while, he finally closed his mouth and said nothing.

After all, Gao Gan, who reported the victory, was Yuan Shao's nephew, and they were close relatives. Yan Liang was Yuan Shao's favorite general, and his relationship with Yuan Shao was closer than his. He should not and would not be inappropriate to doubt the authenticity of Gao Gan and Yan Liang's victory reports in front of so many civil and military officials.

Xun Chen and Xin Ping lowered their heads and looked at each other, then their eyes staggered. They were both thinking that if the upright Tian Feng had not been imprisoned because of Feng Ji's slander and had been able to attend the current meeting, he would have bluntly exposed the loopholes in Gao Gan and Yan Liang's military reports and exposed the falsehood of Gao Gan and Yan Liang's victory reports in person.

It was rare that Xun Chen and Xin Ping, who disliked Tian Feng and didn't really deal with him, remembered Tian Feng's good points. (End of this chapter)