People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 227 Crisis
Upon hearing Tian Feng's words, Yuan Shao frowned immediately. No one likes to hear discouraging words. It is naturally irritating to think about failure before even fighting.

However, Yuan Shao now has some understanding of Tian Feng. This guy is an out-and-out defeatist strategist. This is not the first time such a situation has occurred. Although it sounds a bit harsh, he can still tolerate it. After all, what he says makes sense.

"What Yuan Hao said makes sense. I will naturally not underestimate Xuan Xia. However, a news report has arrived from Bohai saying that Xuan Xia has gathered 20,000 troops and marched south from Bohai. It seems that they are going to enter Qingxu and support the Yellow Turbans in Qingxu. I am afraid they will not be able to come back in a short time. Our army does not need to worry too much." Yuan Shao smiled faintly and was not too worried about Xuan Xia's support.

Guo Tu, Xun Chen, Pang Ji and others all stood up and expressed their wise opinions. Even Tian Feng did not say anything.

If there is any threat now, it can only be that Xuanxia will send troops to Changshan again. But as long as Xu Chen's main force is not there, they will not think that the other Xuanxia troops will pose much of a threat.

But Yuan Shao did not feel happy for long, as he heard a message coming from a messenger.

"Bingzhou Mu, I have already discovered the movements of the Xuanxia Yellow Turbans. A month ago, the Xuanxia Yellow Turbans defeated Ying Shao's army in Taishan County in just one day, and joined forces with the Qingxu Yellow Turbans. Now, they have gathered more than 300,000 people and walked out of Taishan!"

Upon hearing the news, Yuan Shao's face froze. The actions of the Xuanxia Yellow Turbans seemed to be much faster than he thought.

Did Qingzhou and Xuzhou just watch the Yellow Turbans pass by?

What kind of a loser is Ying Shao, who was defeated by the Yellow Turbans in just one day?
Yuan Shao almost cursed out loud. At this juncture, he certainly didn't want Xu Chen to come back and ruin his good fortune. Even if he didn't seek a quick victory, he couldn't fight too slowly.

Now he only needed to contain Gaoyi in front of him and ensure smooth logistics for the other armies. As long as they successively conquered Changshan and Zhongshan, he could turn around and attack Gaoyi from both sides and achieve success in one battle.

This battle plan is indeed safe, but it will take some time. If Xu Chen returns early, it will be difficult to deal with.

Although Yuan Shao did not like Tian Feng's habit of assuming failure, he had to admit that he did not underestimate Xuan Xia's strength. Without Xuan Xia, the Yellow Turbans would never have been able to defeat Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan and occupy Youzhou.

The rest of the counselors also fell silent. The situation had changed and they needed to plan new responses.

At this time, the messenger also said the following information: "This 300,000-man army was moving slowly, and was eventually blocked by Kong Rong and Tao Qian at the border of Qingxu. They should have been fighting for a long time now, but I don't know what the situation is."

When the messenger finished speaking, Yuan Shao's face suddenly darkened, and he suddenly had the urge to chop the guy in front of him to death.

Can't the military information be told in one breath? Why do you have to gasp so heavily?
The rest of the people also frowned and looked at the messenger, obviously unhappy.

Fortunately, the other party was just a small soldier after all, and Yuan Shao would not do anything to them. He just waved his hand and let him retreat.

It's good news after all. Kong Rong and Tao Qian were not indifferent to that bald Xu. As long as they can delay the other party for a while, it will be enough for them to solve the problems of Changshan and Zhongshan.

"God is really helping me. I don't expect Kong Rong and Tao Qian to annihilate the Yellow Turbans, but as long as they can delay for a while, that will be enough!"

Yuan Shao laughed loudly. This was really great news for him. "This way, we don't have to worry about anything. Just let the generals take charge of the city. My main force will guard this place. Once the generals have completed their work, we will join forces to attack it!"

Shen Pei stepped forward and said with a smile: "The Yellow Turbans overestimated their own capabilities and ventured into dangerous territory. They deserved this fate. Now they have to pay the price for their arrogance. Changshan Zhongshan should spit it out."

Xun Chen also cupped his hands and said, "Xuan Xia's main force cannot move, so our army only needs to follow the plan and we will win."

Guo Tu's mustache trembled, and he laughed: "Congratulations to the governor. After recovering Zhongshan and Changshan, we will have all of Jizhou, which can be the foundation of our hegemony!"

When Guo Tu finished speaking, everyone looked at him for a second, then looked at Yuan Shao, but no one said anything.

Yuan Shao smiled but said nothing, neither denying nor confirming it, but this was actually a kind of tacit agreement.

The word "hegemony" was spoken so openly that neither Yuan Shao nor other civil and military officials thought it was strange. No one cared about the status of the Han Dynasty anymore, and the princes were not even willing to conceal their ambition to fight for the world.

While they were enjoying the future with confidence of victory, Xu Chen was dealing with the troubles at hand.

Just as the messenger reported, after he led more than 300,000 people out of Taishan County, he was soon blocked by the armies of Kong Rong and Tao Qian in Laiwu.

Tao Qian and Kong Rong did not foolishly confront the Yellow Turbans head-on, but maintained light contact and continued to exert military pressure in order to slow down Xu Chen's pace.

The army of more than 300,000 was indeed a huge burden for the Yellow Turbans at that time. Xu Chen and his men were unable to get rid of Kong Rong and Tao Qian, but they were also unable to speed up, so that they were now stuck in Laiwu and could not advance or retreat. As time went on, a huge problem became more and more serious.

"The enemy has more than 300,000 soldiers trapped here. There is no need to fight hard. After a while, they will fall without any attack!"

In the camp of officers and soldiers, Zhu Zhi accompanied Tao Qian and Kong Rong to inspect the camp and observe the movements of the Yellow Turbans. He was very confident and gave his own judgment. The consumption of 300,000 people was incalculable every day. Now that quite a while had passed, he speculated that the Yellow Turbans had reached their limit.

His judgment was also recognized by Kong Rong and Tao Qian, and they were very satisfied with the current situation.

The Yellow Turbans' dilemma of being unable to advance, unable to fight, and unable to retreat was very obvious. Even without Zhu Zhi's explanation, they could see it clearly. All they lacked now was time.

"General Zhu's magic weapons are of great use. If we can wipe out the villain Xu Chen here, it will help us get rid of a great threat in the future. This is General Zhu's great achievement!" Tao Qian stroked his beard with a smile, not stingy with his praise for Zhu Zhi.

Kong Rong also smiled: "It is said that the Yellow Turbans in Youzhou are fierce and elite, but now it seems that they are just so-so. General Zhu can easily deal with them with a little trick."

Zhu Zhi shook his head and said he dared not, then said: "It's not that I am powerful, but the Yellow Turbans brought a large number of women and children, which is tantamount to tying their own hands and feet. It can only be said that they are courting their own destruction."

Tao Qian and Kong Rong looked at each other and laughed: "Whether General Zhu is powerful or the Yellow Turbans are destroying themselves, it doesn't matter. What matters is that they die here. Xuanxia is a great threat to the world and must be eliminated!"

Xuan Xia's current reputation has been heard of even in a faraway place like Xuzhou. After all, the Natural Sutra had already attracted the attention of the imperial court many years ago.

Now that Xuanxia has been established, its influence has grown even stronger. However, Xuanxia is too far away from them and they have no connection with it, so they don't pay too much attention to it.

But if Xuan Xia came to them on his own initiative, they would definitely not mind taking action to try to extinguish this force.

Such a force that is blatantly malicious towards the gentry naturally carries hatred. The Yellow Turbans came suddenly before, and Kong Rong and Tao Qian were unable to react in the first place, so they could only let the Yellow Turbans march into the hinterland in a swagger. But if they want to come out again, it depends on whether they are willing to do so.

Especially after hearing that Xuan Xia defeated the Taishan officers and soldiers and captured Ying Shao in one day, Tao Qian and Kong Rong became even more restless. Such a fierce butcher from the aristocratic family should not be allowed to live.

With almost no hesitation, the two sides immediately joined forces and launched a blocking operation against the Yellow Turbans.

After this period of siege, they have clearly felt that victory is in sight. Perhaps in another three to five days, the Yellow Turbans will collapse due to logistical pressure.

In response, Tao Qian and Kong Rong could only sneer in their hearts. They really thought that they could sit back and relax just by letting you come in so openly, but they didn't know that you were stepping into a deadly place.

There is actually nothing wrong with the judgment of Kong Rong, Tao Qian and Zhu Zhi. The Yellow Turbans are indeed facing tremendous pressure now.

Wang Dang's stern face had not softened for several days. Even Ju Shou, who was usually calm, was worried recently. As the leaders of the Yellow Turbans, they naturally understood what Tao Qian and Kong Rong knew even better.

On the contrary, Xu Chen still looked calm, as if no matter what happened, he would not lose his composure at all.

"Master, are you really not worried? If the reinforcements are slow to arrive, we might really die here!"

In the military tent, Wang Dang was feeling uneasy and had already walked around Xu Chen many times. Finally, he couldn't help but came in front of Xu Chen, put his hands on the table and asked.

He was so anxious. Looking at the dwindling food supplies, his eyebrows almost turned white with anxiety.

Looking at Xu Chen's calm appearance, he was puzzled. How could Xu Chen still sit still at such a critical moment?

Isn’t Xu Chen worried?

Of course Xu Chen was worried, but even if he was worried, he couldn't show it. If even he, the leader of the sect, was panicked, then others would be even more likely to panic. Even if he was just pretending, he had to hold on.

Xu Chen had certainly considered the current situation and had specially made a backup plan. As long as there was no problem with the plan, it would not be difficult to resolve the current crisis.

However, no plan can be foolproof, and Xu Chen would of course worry about whether any accidents might occur.

At this time, the role of the secretary was highlighted. Although Ju Shou was a little unsure, he still took the initiative to stand up and appease Wang Dang.

"General Wang, please calm down. There is no point in being anxious in the current situation. We have anticipated extremely unfavorable situations. Even if it really comes to that, we can still force our way through successfully. It's just that the price we have to pay may be very high. There is no such thing as everything going smoothly in this world. Our army can enjoy success, but we must also have the quality to withstand setbacks."

After hearing what Ju Shou said, Wang Dang realized that he had lost his composure. He could only shake his head and sit aside in silence.

In this tense and uneasy atmosphere, Tian Shitou ran into the tent and shouted happily: "Master, reinforcements are coming!"

(End of this chapter)