I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Wang Jing personally poured wine for Xun Zhan, which made Xun Zhan feel flattered: "Marquis Qi is so polite, I really can't bear it."

"Extraordinary people have extraordinary abilities. Sir, your tongue is sharper than swords, so you are worthy of the responsibility."

Wang Jing smiled slightly, but his eyes were unfathomable and flashing with an inexplicable light, which surprised Xun Zhan when he saw it.

"General, you are too kind to praise me. I am just a scholar and do not deserve such praise."

Holding the wine bowl in both hands, Xun Zhan concealed his inner uneasiness by drinking lavishly.

While Wang Jing was secretly observing him, he was also secretly observing Wang Jing. Although Xun Zhan was a famous Confucian scholar, he also inherited some of the traditions of the diplomats and was able to use his thinking power to spy on other people's hearts.

However, he secretly used the secret art of vertical and horizontal to spy on Wang Jing's mind, but what he saw was a power of thought that was as vast as the ocean and as towering as a mountain, which gave him a feeling of being unfathomable.

It was obvious that Wang Jing's spiritual cultivation was far superior to his.

Wang Jing waited for Xun Zhan to finish the wine in the bowl before tapping the table with his fingers and looking directly into Xun Zhan's eyes with an even more oppressive gaze.

The sharp sight seems to have the magical power to penetrate people's hearts.

Wang Jing smiled and said to Xun Zhan meaningfully, "Sir, you deserve this praise. With just one city, you have successfully gained a tactical advantage. This ingenious strategy of retreating to advance must have been planned by you, right?"

"Marquis Qi is joking. As the saying goes, one step back will open up a new world. It is better to resolve a feud than to create one. My lord sent Bohai City away only to make friends with General Gongsun. He did not want the two families to go to war, which would lead to the massacre of the people and the suffering of the people."

Xun Zhan sat still, hiding his true emotions and thoughts, displaying his extraordinary spiritual cultivation and emotional control abilities.

Wang Jing didn't believe a word Xun Zhan said, and said calmly: "You can control your expression, but you can't control your heartbeat."

With the improvement of his spiritual cultivation, Wang Jing's perception has become inhumanly strong. Even through the air, he can easily hear Xun Zhan's heartbeat and pulse and tell whether he is lying.

Xun Zhan was silent for a moment, then asked calmly, "So Marquis Qi is planning to expose my tricks in front of General Gongsun?"

Xun Zhan had even made preparations for the possibility of the matter being exposed, as he still had other ways to escape safely.

Wang Jing tapped the table with his index finger and smiled playfully: "Why should I expose you? Gongsun Bogui has an arrogant personality, and now he has defeated Zhang Rao and is full of ambition. Even if I expose your plan, he will never give up the plan to attack Jizhou, so why should I waste my breath on this useless thing?"

"Then why did Lord Qi come here today?"

"It's a demonstration."

Wang Jing looked as if it was a matter of course.

Xun Zhan was a little dumbfounded, and then his expression turned cold: "General, are you deliberately trying to tease me?"

"You're wrong. I'm really demonstrating to you."

Wang Jing straightened his expression and said that he was not joking: "When you go back, tell Yuan Benchu ​​that I will deploy troops in Henei and Dongjun. Tell him to pray that he does not reveal any flaws, otherwise I will take advantage of him and it will be too late for him to regret."

The autumn wind is blowing outside the window, but the atmosphere in the tavern is getting colder.

Xun Zhan wanted to laugh after hearing Wang Jing's frank threat, but he couldn't. Instead, he felt a chill and uneasiness that went through his bones.

Xun Zhan has seen many arrogant and domineering people.

That kind of person often has no self-awareness, is stupid and arrogant, and you don't need to take it to heart at all. You can kill the other person with just a few tricks and schemes.

But Wang Jing was different. A simple threat made Xun Zhan feel like a rat trying to pull a turtle and had no idea where to start.

The pressure brought by Wang Jing was like a mountain pressing down on his head, making it difficult for him to breathe.

On the contrary, Wang Jing, who came to pick a fight, looked relaxed at this time, casually put his hands on his knees, and said in a floating tone: "Jieqiao must be the battlefield you chose, right? Relying on such a favorable location, Yuan Benchu ​​can indeed win a small victory, but if he wants to completely defeat Gongsun Zan and dominate Hebei, it will take five years. Now, it depends on who of us can complete the strategic layout faster."

As he spoke, Wang Jing's eyebrows raised and his eyes were clear. Although his tone was as calm as the spring breeze, it seemed to conceal the tyranny and coldness of winter, making Xun Zhan feel the bone-chilling chill.

The man in front of me, who had just reached the age of twenty, was already so terrifying!
No matter in terms of martial arts or wisdom, he is one of the strongest in the world. Who in the world can stop him from sweeping across the world?

Whether he was willing to accept this cruel fact or not, Xun Zhan already had a premonition that Wang Jing would become a strong rival of Yuan Shao in his fight for world domination in the future.

Every step the opponent takes is perfect and the strategic goals are clear.

When Xun Zhan thought about how his plans and arrangements were seen clearly by others, he felt very upset. At this moment, he pursed his lips and said nothing.

Ignoring the constipated look on Xun Zhan's face, Wang Jing smiled faintly and continued to speak: "Yuan Benchu ​​needs to unify Hebei, and I also want to rectify Henan. Now it depends on who of us will deal with our opponent first and participate in this battle for dominance in the Central Plains with a flourishing attitude."

After saying this, Wang Jing stood up and left.

The tall and straight figure, like a towering mountain, stood in front of Xun Zhan, making him anxious but helpless.

With just a verbal attack, Wang Jing successfully put Xun Zhan into a dilemma. Originally, he was secretly happy that he had completed the layout of Gongsun Zan's army, but now Wang Jing directly played his card and declared that he would interfere in the chess game of the Hebei War, which made Xun Zhan very uncomfortable.

Once the Northern Army intervened, even if Yuan Shao's army could win the Battle of Jie Bridge, it would have to guard against attacks from Wang Jing afterwards and would have to leave its main force to defend Yecheng, making it difficult to pursue the enemy and achieve complete victory.

"Marquis Qi, your reputation is well-deserved. With just a few words, you have successfully delayed the progress of our army of tens of thousands. What a terrifying strategy."

Xun Zhan looked at the direction where Wang Jing left, feeling extremely angry.

Although he knew in his heart that Wang Jing was most likely just making empty threats, he could not afford to gamble on this outcome, and Yuan Shao could not afford the consequences of losing the gamble.

So facing the threat from Wang Jing, neither Xun Zhan nor Yuan Shao had any choice.

After leaving the tavern, Wang Jing saw Gongsun Yue waiting outside. At this moment, Gongsun Yue was looking around and asked, "Yuan Xu, what did you talk about with Xun Youruo?"

"Nothing, I just asked him to pass on a few words to Yuan Benchu."

"Oh? What does Yuan Xu want to say to Yuan Benchu?"

"threaten."

Seeing Wang Jing saying this calmly, Gongsun Yue suddenly showed a look of astonishment on his face: "You are threatening him directly like this?"

"Yeah, what else?"

Obviously, Wang Jing did not take the threat to Yuan Shao seriously. He was just planning to try his best. It would be best if he could delay Yuan Shao. Even if that was not possible, he could at least force Yuan Shao to be distracted and unable to concentrate on dealing with Gongsun Zan.

For Wang Jing, the most ideal situation is to keep the northern part of the Central Plains divided. Whether it is Gongsun Zan or Yuan Shao, whoever unifies the core area of ​​the Central Plains north of the Yellow River will pose a threat to his own plan.

The most favorable situation for the Northern Army would be if both sides continued to lose blood and waste their strength.

"It's over now, and I should leave now."

When Gongsun Yue heard Wang Jing wanted to say goodbye, he subconsciously wanted to keep him: "General, it's rare for you to come here, why don't you stay a little longer?"

However, Wang Jing still insisted on going back to Yanzhou to take charge: "Yanzhou has just been pacified, and there are many things waiting for me to deal with. I have to go back."

"Okay then." Gongsun Yue sent Wang Jing ten miles out of the city.

Wang Jing waved at him and said, "Go back and apologize to Brother Bogui for me. If there is a chance, let's drink together again and get drunk."

As soon as he finished speaking, the horses' hooves flew, and Wang Jing led his sword guards south along the north wind. Their figures soon disappeared at the end of the official road.

After returning, Gongsun Yue told Gongsun Zan the news of Wang Jing's departure: "Brother, Marquis Qi has left."

"Wang Yuanxu is gone?"

Gongsun Zan frowned. Ever since he took advantage of the situation in the troubled times and became a local lord in Liaoxi, his personality has changed a lot. He is no longer the rough, heroic and righteous hero of the past.

The once passionate border guard began to have ambitions to dominate the world, and occupying Jizhou was a key step on his road to dominance.

"It's okay to go."

Gongsun Zan sighed softly. Although he had never said it before, Wang Jing's sudden arrival did put a lot of pressure on him. He was afraid that Wang Jing also came to plot against Jizhou.

Facing Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan still has the confidence to fight him.

But if he were to face Wang Jing, Gongsun Zan would not be confident at all, because Wang Jing's battle record was too impressive, and he dared to kill Dong Zhuo single-handedly. Gongsun Zan really did not want to provoke such a fierce man.

Now that Wang Jing had finally left, he could finally put his uneasiness aside. Then Gongsun Zan remembered that Wang Jing seemed to have met with Xun Zhan in private, so he immediately stopped Gongsun Yue and asked, "Do you know what the conversation between Wang Yuanxu and Xun Youruo was about?"

Gongsun Yue shook his head and said that he had no way of knowing. "Although I don't know the actual details of the conversation, when Xun Zhan left the tavern, his expression was gloomy and he didn't say a word. I think he was in a bad mood. Qi Hou once mentioned to me that he was just simply threatening Yuan Shao. I don't think he lied to me."

"I hope so. If possible, I don't want to be an enemy of Marquis Qi."

Gongsun Zan looked towards the west and sighed deeply. Now he was really unwilling to stand against Wang Jing and be the enemy of the powerful Northern Army.

Yuan Shao, who was far away in Yecheng, also did not want to confront Wang Jing.

A few days later, Xun Zhan, who had returned from a diplomatic mission to Gongsun Zan's army, also brought back Wang Jing's words and told them to Yuan Shao.

bang~
Yuan Shao, who had hosted a banquet to welcome Xun Zhan and celebrate his success, kicked over the table in anger, drew his sword and roared: "Wang Jing, you are really going too far!"

Yuan Shao, who had always been gentle and elegant and had the demeanor of a talented person from a noble family, was so angry and furious for the first time. He was obviously greatly irritated by Wang Jing's words and actions, and lost his composure for a moment.

There is an old saying that goes, When the lord worries, the ministers work hard; when the lord is humiliated, the ministers die.

Yuan Shao called back his two generals, Yan Liang and Wen Chou, and stood up suddenly, clasping his hands and inviting him to fight: "My lord, Wang Jing is so arrogant, how can we let him be so presumptuous? Before fighting Gongsun Zan, it is better to gather the troops, contact the heroes from all directions, and take Yanzhou first. Then we will see what expression Wang Jing will have!"

The generals were all straightforward, and Yan Liang and Wen Chou were even more violent. Relying on their martial arts skills, they could not tolerate Wang Jing's contempt and offense.

The two of them even wanted to rush out in full force immediately and head south to fight a decisive battle with Wang Jing.

"How can you let an impulse lead you to such a big mistake?"

Tian Feng, an attendant of the imperial guard, stood up and scolded Yan Liang and Wen Chou. He had a very high status and was implicitly the head of the local civil servants in Jizhou, so he was not polite to Yan Liang and Wen Chou.

After Yuan Shao captured Ye City by turning the tables and took control of the position of Governor of Jizhou, he heard of Tian Feng's reputation, so he brought generous gifts and humble words to recruit Tian Feng.

Tian Feng was also optimistic about Yuan Shao's future, so he accepted the call and was appointed as Beijia Congshi. Yuan Shao trusted and respected Tian Feng very much, and at least showed an attitude of respecting talented people.

There was no way. Lu Zhi's health had begun to deteriorate. Yuan Shao needed a famous scholar who could control the officialdom of Jizhou, and Tian Feng was the most suitable candidate.

After Tian Feng joined, he did help Yuan Shao greatly. At least the local noble families in Jizhou were loyal to Yuan Shao. Therefore, the two sides now have a close relationship. Even military affairs are now led by Tian Feng. Yuan Shao attaches great importance to his opinions: "Yuan Hao, in your opinion, how should our army respond now?"

Tian Feng was upright and pointed out Yuan Shao's shortcomings bluntly: "Now that Hebei is not settled, our army cannot defeat the northern army. Therefore, the current priority is to defeat Gongsun Zan's army to lay the foundation for the unification of Hebei and stabilize people's hearts and morale."

It must be said that Tian Feng, who came from a noble family and was extremely talented, had already seen the situation in Hebei clearly at this time. He knew that Wang Jing's army was strong and sharp, and the Northern Army had won victory after victory on the battlefield and its morale was high. It had become an invincible king's army.

In contrast, Yuan Shao had just conquered Jizhou, and the people's hearts had not yet completely won over him, so he urgently needed a military victory to secure his position as governor.

Under such circumstances, fighting the powerful Northern Army would be the stupidest choice.

Because once he failed, even if it was just a small defeat, it would very likely have an avalanche effect, causing the entire Jizhou family to become alienated from Yuan Shao and think that Yuan Shao was not capable enough.

The human heart is a very delicate thing, especially in troubled times. It doesn't matter if you have bad character, but if you are weak and fragile, no one will choose to hang out with you.

This is the case with Jizhou right now. The aristocratic families chose to bet on you, Yuan Shao, because of the reputation and prestige of the Yuan family of Runan. Everyone is optimistic that you, Yuan Shao, can achieve hegemony.

Once you fail to meet the expectations of the family, you will be ruthlessly abandoned by the family.

Therefore, Tian Feng believed that Yuan Shao should gather all his strength to defeat Gongsun Zan. The best result would be to severely damage or even eliminate Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers, and then take advantage of the situation to capture Qingzhou and Youzhou and occupy all of Hebei.

"My lord, as long as our army defeats Gongsun Zan, takes over the three states, and enjoys the fortune of the former Yan, Zhao, and Qi, and then devotes all the manpower and material resources of Hebei, connects with the princes and heroes outside, and gathers the noble families inside, there is a 50% chance that we can overwhelm Wang Jing and win the battle."

Every word Tian Feng speaks from the bottom of his heart, and every word he writes is full of profound insights.

Unfortunately, Yuan Shao was indecisive and caught in two dilemmas: "Gongsun Bogui is not an easy man to deal with. It is hard to predict the outcome of a battle with him. Moreover, if Wang Yuanxu sends troops to attack Yecheng while I am away, wouldn't our army be in danger?"

"My lord, why do you have to be so cautious? Wang Yuanxu's threats are nothing more than empty threats in Feng's eyes. The Northern Army is indeed sharp, but its numbers are not strong, and its defense is insufficient. How can it have the spare strength to attack Yecheng? My lord, you only need to leave a few elite soldiers to defend it, and you will be safe. Now the most urgent task is to gather troops to defeat Gongsun Zan first. Then our army can choose to advance or retreat at ease."

Tian Feng’s suggestion is very pertinent.

However, the tone of his speech was too direct. In front of so many people, he actually said that Yuan Shao was "hesitant and cautious". This was tantamount to a slap in the face for Yuan Shao, who was very concerned about his reputation.

Therefore, Yuan Shao's expression changed and he felt secretly unhappy.

The counselors Feng Ji and Guo Tu saw that Yuan Shao was in a bad mood, and took the opportunity to speak out against Tian Feng: "Yuan Hao, don't talk nonsense. The lord is thoughtful and far-sighted, how can you just comment on him?"

"You said Wang Jing would never send troops, but what if he did? If Yecheng fell and our army failed to defeat Gongsun Zan's army, wouldn't we be in a dead end?"

The two of them were talking to each other, trying to help Yuan Shao refute Tian Feng in order to gain Yuan Shao's favor.

As expected, Yuan Shao's face became much better when he heard that Feng Ji and Guo Tu supported him. He was secretly delighted. At the same time, he felt that what Feng Ji and Guo Tu said made some sense. He made a decision immediately: "Gong Ji, I will leave 20,000 soldiers here. You will guard Yecheng for me, and the rest of you will follow me to the battle!"

"Yes!"

Yan Liang accepted the order solemnly, and the others also followed the command and began to prepare for the war.

However, when Tian Feng left the governor's mansion, his expression was very ugly.

The time for a decisive battle was clearly right before our eyes, but our lord insisted on dividing our troops.

Tian Feng was so angry at Yuan Shao's stupid behavior: "My lord is so foolish that he actually listened to the words of a villain. He has fallen into Wang Yuanxu's trap. How hateful!"

Although he complained, Tian Feng knew very well that Yuan Shao's army was at the point of attack. No matter how unhappy he was, he could only try his best to deploy his troops according to the combat power at hand and pin his hopes on Qu Yi, praying that he could defeat Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers and even kill Gongsun Zan in battle to solve the trouble once and for all.

Otherwise, if the war reached a stalemate, with Wang Jing watching from across the Yellow River, the situation would be very unfavorable for Yuan Shao's army. (End of this chapter)