Ji Han Liu Zhang

The fifth year of Jian'an, the end of June.

After the summer harvest, Yuan Shao assembled his troops, took command of the army, led a thousand skilled generals, recruited 100,000 victorious soldiers, and began his march to Hedong with great momentum and ambition.

At that time, Yuan's army was marching from three routes. One route was from Taiyuan to Hedong, with Gao Gan and Yan Liang as the chief commanders; one route was from Henei to Hedong, with Wen Chou and Gao Lan as the chief commanders; and one route was from Shangdang to Hedong, with Yuan Shao as the chief commander, and he was also supervising famous generals such as Qu Yi and Zhang He. The three routes, with tens of thousands of troops each, would meet in Hedong within ten days.

As the commander-in-chief, Yuan Shao actually went to the battlefield as the vanguard, leading the large group of troops and arriving at the bank of the Fen River in advance, and observed and scouted the Yubi City built by Liu Zhang on the bank of the Fen River.

At this moment, not far from Yubi City, Yuan Shao stood on a mound, surrounded by hundreds of warriors holding halberds to ensure his safety as the commander-in-chief.

When Yuan Shao's eyes were filled with Yubi City, which was built on a high hill with cliffs on three sides and only a slope used as a passage, a hint of worry emerged on his brows and his face did not look very good.

It's a tough nut to crack!

Yuan Shao gave his evaluation of Yubi City. Built on a high hill and rising from the ground, Yubi City was not easy to take down no matter from which perspective.

First of all, Yubi City has cliffs on three sides, and only one side can be used for siege. However, this side is a slope, and attacking the city from above is not a very good choice.

Secondly, Yuan Shao also knew something about the situation in Yubi City from spies. Because Yubi City was close to the Fen River, there was abundant water underground, and more than ten sweet water wells were dug in the city. If the water supply of Yubi City was cut off, the tactic of killing the Shu army with thirst would not be effective.

Furthermore, the Shu army had stored a large amount of food and fodder in Yubi City over the years, enough for the defenders to use for a year, and many fertile fields and vegetable plots had been opened up in the city. It was not realistic to expect to trap and kill the Shu army in Yubi City by besieging them.

"Who is the commander guarding the city? How many soldiers are there?" Yuan Shao looked at Feng Ji and asked.

Feng Ji answered, and he clasped his hands and replied: "My lord, the garrison commander in the city is Lou Fa, a general under Liu Zhang, whose courtesy name is Zichu. According to detailed investigation by spies, the garrison has about 3,000 men."

Three thousand. This number may sound a bit small and not enough in front of his army of tens of thousands. But Yuan Shao knew that to defend Yubi City where there was only one side that could face the enemy, three thousand defenders might be too many.

Moreover, in a battle to defend a city, the more defenders there are, the better. What is most important is that the defending commander and the soldiers are of one mind and their defense is as solid as a rock. Three thousand people are more than enough to defend the city.

"What kind of person is Lou Fa?" Yuan Shao asked. He didn't want to attack a strong city like Yubi. If he could start with the defenders and take the city easily, that would be what he wanted.

Feng Ji replied, "Lou Fa was born in Baxi County. In his early years, he made a living on the Dangqu River. Although he said he made a living, he was actually just a robber. His background was humble and mean."

"According to the detailed information provided by the spies in Guanzhong, Lou Fa was famous for his archery skills, and was able to shoot an arrow through an arrowhead from a hundred paces away. That was why Liu Zhang valued him and brought him under his command. As for Lou Fa's character, he was steady and taciturn, and rarely made mistakes in his work. He was a prudent officer."

"General Qu?" Yuan Shao showed a sarcastic smile on his face. He sneered: "How foolish of Liu Zhang to use such a man to defend such an important city."

As a son of three officials for four generations, Yuan Shao had always disliked people who were rude and arrogant, such as Qu Yi, who made the greatest contribution in the Battle of Jie Bridge. Because Qu Yi had been in Liangzhou for a long time and was influenced by the barbarian customs, Yuan Shao had always disliked Qu Yi. However, due to the chaos in the world at that time, he still needed to use such a reckless man to conquer the world, so he had to hold his nose and endure it for a while.

"Can this man be bribed?" Yuan Shao thought of Lou Fa's background and speculated about his character, and concluded that Lou Fa was of humble origin and greedy for money.

After reading the details of Lou Fa's deeds handed over by Guanzhong, Feng Ji knew that it was impossible to bribe Lou Fa, a general promoted from a minor position by Liu Zhang. However, seeing that Yuan Shao was in a good mood, he agreed.

"Maybe we can give it a try. Young men from poor families like Lou Fa are usually greedy and greedy, and their loyalty is not strong enough. If we lure them with huge benefits, Lou Fa might even surrender with courtesy."

Guo Tu responded, "When the time comes, we will be under Yubi City and march westward to Guanzhong. We will defeat Liu Zhang and keep the country safe and the people happy. Isn't that wonderful?"

When Yuan Shao heard what Feng Ji and Guo Tu said, he smiled and was very pleased. He nodded and said, "Send the envoy Yu Bi to persuade Lou Fa to surrender."

afternoon.

An envoy from Yuan army came to the gate of Yubi city under the escort of a small group of soldiers. When the Shu army heard that he was an envoy from Yuan army, they reported to the commander-in-chief Lou Fa and welcomed the envoy into Yubi city.

The envoy of Yuan army who was walking on the road of Yubi City looked around, took in the surroundings and observed the defense of Yubi City. Although he was led by the task of persuading Lou Fa to surrender, it was difficult to say whether it would succeed or not.

Therefore, the envoy of Yuan army did not miss the opportunity to step into Yubi City. He took the opportunity to scan the defense situation in Yubi City. If the persuasion to surrender failed, he would bring back the defense situation in Yubi City, which would also be a great achievement.

In the eyes of Yuan army's envoys, Yubi City was more like a military camp than a city, because there were no residential houses in the city, most of them were military tents, and there were few residences built on the ground.

However, considering that Yubi City was a city built in a hurry by the Shu Army, and that they only had time to build city walls and gate towers but no time to build houses in the city, the envoy of Yuan Army felt relieved.

Yubi City was not very big, and the envoys of Yuan Army soon arrived at the gate of the county temple in Yubi City. The county temple in Yubi City looked quite shabby, with a shabby atmosphere from the outside to the inside, which made the envoy of Yuan Army, who was born in a noble family, frown slightly.

"This is not a county temple at all, it's clearly a civilian residence, and a residence for the poor and lowly." The Yuan army envoy complained in his heart, but his face was calm. He walked into the county temple under the guidance of the Shu army soldiers and came to the entrance of the county temple's lobby.

Lou Fa, the Lord General of Yubi City, wearing a helmet and armor, had a calm expression on his face and walked out quickly to greet the envoy of Yuan's army. He bowed to the envoy and said, "The envoy has come from afar, and I am sorry for not welcoming you in person."

"How dare I, how dare I." The envoy of Yuan army made a polite remark, and then he and the three wooden boxes he brought were welcomed into the hall by Lou Fa, where they were seated as host and guest, and a few glasses of light wine were served.

Lou Fa first drank a cup with the Yuan army envoy, then he played with the three-legged wine cup in his hand and asked the Yuan army envoy without looking up: "I wonder what advice the envoy has for you?"

"I don't deserve your advice." The Yuan army envoy said humbly, then he coughed lightly and said seriously: "I am here for the general's future."

"What will my future be like?" Lou Fa raised his head, a puzzled look on his face. "I wonder what my future will be like in the eyes of the messenger?"

"Ahem." The messenger coughed as usual to attract the attention of others, and then he said: "The general's future may be a life of prosperity and wealth, or a life of waiting to be killed. It all depends on the general's decision."

"Hiss." Lou Fa leaned forward, as if he was attracted by the words of the messenger. He asked seriously, "I was born in a poor family and have never studied much, but I don't understand the deep meaning of the messenger's words. Please explain it to me."

The envoy saw Lou Fa's posture and expression, and he was delighted. He felt that the task of recruiting Lou Fa would be a sure thing, but he was worried. The envoy of Yuan army sighed first, but the sigh was not for himself, but for Lou Fa in front of him. Then the envoy of Yuan army said: "General, you only have 3,000 soldiers to defend the isolated city, and you hope to stop my lord's millions of people. Is it possible?"

Seeing Lou Fa's thoughtful expression after hearing this, the envoy of Yuan's army added: "As the general said, the general was born in a poor family and it was not easy for him to come this far. Now the Grand Marshal has placed him in an isolated city, where he is waiting to die. It is a pity that all his ten years of hard work are gone in one day."

"If the general insists on his own way and serves such a heartless leader like the Grand Marshal, he will die and his body will not be intact. If the general abandons the dark and joins the light and serves General Yuan, he will be respected by General Yuan because of his love for the wise and his care for the people. He will be rich and glorious in the future... I hope the general will consider this."

After that, the envoy of Yuan army opened the three boxes he brought and placed under the hall one by one. He saw that the first box was full of gold and silver, the second box was full of jade and stones, and the third box was full of brocades.

The envoy of Yuan army opened the three boxes one by one, and then he stood aside and observed Lou Fa's expression. He saw that Lou Fa was indeed attracted by these gold, silver, jade and other stones. His eyes did not move for a moment, and he did not blink.

"As a humble family, you can't resist bribery and are humble at heart." The Yuan army envoy said inwardly, but his face still had a faint smile.

Now the atmosphere was almost set, the envoy of Yuan's army bowed to Lou and said: "General Lou, these things are gifts from my master to you. If you open the city gate and join the light, there will be more valuable gifts for you."

From the perspective of Yuan Jun's envoy, Lou Fa had a conflicted look on his face. He seemed to have made a decision after a struggle: "Please take these things back. I have received great favors from my lord. How can I betray him for a small profit? If I tell others, I am afraid that I will be laughed at by heroes all over the world."

"A small profit, ha, this poor boy really has a big appetite." The Yuan army envoy did not care about Lou Fa's refusal. He thought he heard the true meaning of Lou Fa's words - I can surrender, but I have to pay more!!!

"Hey." The Yuan army envoy waved his hand and said, "There is no reason to take back what my lord has given away. General, even if I am hesitant, please accept these treasures. Otherwise, if I take them back, I am afraid that my lord will punish me."

Lou Fa hesitated for a while, finally nodded and said: "General Yuan is so kind. If I don't accept it, I'm afraid I will lose face for the general. So I will accept it without hesitation." When he finished speaking, Lou Fa's tone was filled with irrepressible joy.

"I'll give you a little sweetness first, I don't believe you won't take the bait." The Yuan army envoy thought to himself, and then he and Lou Fa sat opposite each other and drank happily until night fell, when the banquet ended.

But under the starry sky, Lou Fa personally escorted the Yuan army envoy to the city gate. He said in a courteous tone: "Are you really not going to stay overnight? It seems that I have no courtesy to entertain guests."

"General, please stay." The Yuan army envoy smiled and said, "Although the general and I hit it off right away, I wish we could have dinner together tonight, but I have a master's order. If I don't return overnight, I'm afraid my master will worry."

"Well, have a safe journey, envoy. I will treat you well next time you come." Lou Fa reluctantly gave up the idea of ​​keeping the envoy overnight and only wished him a safe journey.

"General, please stay." After saying "please stay", the envoy of Yuan army walked down from Yubi City under the light of stars and moon, and came to the camp of Yuan army. He reported the details of this mission to Yuan Shao, who had not yet fallen asleep and was waiting for his return.

"There's a chance!" After listening to the envoy's report, Yuan Shao had an idea in his mind. It seemed possible to persuade Lou Fa to surrender. No, according to the envoy, as long as he offered more benefits, it would be a sure thing to persuade him to surrender.

Day two.

The envoy of Yuan army arrived at the gate of Yubi City with ten boxes of treasures. After reporting his name, he was personally greeted by Lou Fa, instead of being dragged to the county temple by soldiers to meet Lou Fa as he did the day before.

The envoy of Yuan's army was personally led by Lou Fa to the hall of the county temple. He did not say much, but opened ten wooden boxes filled with treasures and brocades, and said to Lou: "General Lou, yesterday I spoke for you in front of General Yuan. General Yuan thinks highly of you and only wishes he could meet you. Now General Yuan has prepared a hundred boxes of treasures for you, just waiting for you to meet him. But I don't know if you are willing to go with me to meet General Yuan today."

"I wonder if I could deliver the hundred boxes of wealth and goods to the city first, and then I can go to see General Yuan." Lou Fa asked tentatively.

The Yuan army envoy frowned upon hearing this. He became suspicious, but his expression remained unchanged. He smiled and said, "General, just follow me to see General Yuan. The hundred boxes of treasures will belong to you. Why bother about who comes first?"

Seeing that the Yuan army envoy was on guard, Lou Fa lost his enthusiasm for playing along. He sighed and said, "My heart is with Mingyue, but the envoy is suspicious of me. He prepared a hundred boxes of wealth, but only sent ten boxes. How stingy."

"What do you mean, General?" The envoy of Yuan army felt something was wrong. He listened to Lou Fa's tone and guessed that he had fallen into a spider web trap woven by Lou Fa. However, he did not dare to believe it for a moment. After all, he had promised Yuan Shao that he would bring ten boxes of treasures into Yubi City this time and would definitely bring Lou Fa back for an audience.

"Oh, General Yuan treats people insincerely, and yet he expects me to go and meet him. Isn't that ridiculous?" Lou Fa said bluntly.

The Yuan army envoy made a final attempt to save the situation: "It is not that my lord is dishonest, but my lord wants to meet with the general and give him money, so it is appropriate for him to meet with him."

"The envoy does not need to say more. Please go back. When the hundred boxes of wealth are delivered, we can talk about the audience with General Yuan." Lou said coldly.

The Yuan army envoy who had vaguely sensed that he was being teased by Lou Fa could now conclude that Lou Fa was most likely playing tricks on him in order to defraud money and goods from him.

"General, if you don't want to meet General Yuan today, I will take the ten boxes of treasure back with me first." The envoy of Yuan's army made a move to take back ten boxes of treasure, also to test Lou Fa.

"The envoy can go, but the property cannot." Lou Fa responded.

"General, do you have no intention of surrendering and are just teasing me?" The envoy of Yuan army relied on his status as a child of a noble family and had been pretending to be nice to Lou Fa for a long time, just hoping to gain the credit of recruiting Lou Fa to surrender. But now it seems that not only has the plan to recruit Lou Fa failed, but he has also lost thirteen boxes of money and goods. He couldn't help but get angry and asked harshly.

As soon as the words came out, the envoy of Yuan army suddenly felt regretful and questioned Lou Fa in Lou Fa's territory. If he angered this military general, he would be in trouble. He also didn't know whether Lou Fa knew the rule that when two armies are fighting, envoys should not be killed.

Lou Fa laughed, and he showed a smug smile: "I am really joking with you, otherwise how could I get ten boxes of wealth."

"This damned bastard! A despicable poor boy!" The veins on the forehead of the Yuan army envoy bulged when he heard this, but he knew that a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake, so he should restrain his anger in Lou Fa's territory. However, he was so angry that he could not hold back and threatened: "General, you want to resist a million people from Hebei with only 3,000 soldiers, but you do this unwise thing. I am afraid that there will be no good result in the future."

After saying this, the Yuan army envoy bowed and said goodbye, maintaining the graceful demeanor of a child of an aristocratic family. However, hearing his threatening words, Lou Fa only waved his hand, and two warriors pinned the Yuan army envoy to the ground.

"General, do you want to kill me?" The envoy of Yuan army looked up at Lou Fa and asked with a little panic.

Lou Fa just shook his head, then waved his hand and left with a few words: "Small punishment is a big warning, the messenger should learn from it."

Three sticks of incense later, in the Yuan army camp, the envoy of the Yuan army was heard shouting in pain, "Mingsir, Lou Fa is not hitting my butt, he is clearly hitting you in the face!"

After hearing this, Yuan Shao, who had been looking at the envoy with pity, could no longer hold back. With anger between his brows, he waved his hand and said, "Go and recover from your injuries." After sending the envoy away, Yuan Shao exhaled heavily and said, "What a great Lou Fa and Lou Zichu." (End of this chapter)