Great Han Empire

Chapter 344 The Swordsman
The Northern Expedition army quickly approached Jicheng.

Because the Han army came too fast, the rebels were caught off guard, and it was impossible to retreat calmly.The leaders of the rebel army gathered together to urgently discuss the countermeasures.Zhang Chunli decided to go out of the city to fight.

"At this time, the army is in panic, and retreating in a hurry will definitely cause chaos." Zhang Chun said excitedly, "The leopards will definitely chase after us when they see us retreating without fighting. The soldiers only care about running for their lives and have no intention of resisting. , collapsed, and there must be very few of our soldiers who could safely evacuate to the west of Liaoning. We were not defeated by leopards, but by our own cowardice."

"We go out of the city to fight, even if we can't defeat the leopard, at least we can beat the leopard so badly that he can't pursue him. In this way, whether it is troops or property, we can return to western Liaoning safely. After returning to western Liaoning, we have enough As long as we can persist in western Liaoning long enough, the leopards will have to go back when Bingzhou falls, and Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan cannot launch an attack on western Liaoning alone because of insufficient strength. Stick to the counties and counties in the middle of Youzhou. When we recover next year, we can still fight over and occupy the entire territory of Youzhou."

Zhang Ju resolutely disagreed, and he retorted: "The leopard's army has high morale, excellent weapons, well-trained, and tens of thousands of Hu cavalry under his command, all of whom are equal to ten. If we fight him, we have no chance of winning. When the army is wiped out, we are completely finished."

Zhang Chun shook his head again and again. Facing the generals, he tried his best to explain: "There is an open plain outside Jicheng. The confrontation between the two sides is based on strength, and there is no trickery."

"The Leopards have an army of 5. Excluding the cavalry who attacked Lucheng and the loss of Changping City, the number of troops coming directly to Jicheng will not exceed [-]. In addition, they have traveled a long distance from thousands of miles, and the soldiers are exhausted. , food and grass are also seriously insufficient, and what is especially unfavorable to them is the critical situation in Bingzhou. When the Huns were in chaos and Xianbei invaded the border and wars were raging, Leopard and his men were very worried and wanted to return immediately. How can we talk about morale? Rainbow? The reason Leopard came so fast was that he wanted to meet up with Liu Yu earlier and get supplementary food and grass from Jizhou. More importantly, he wanted to block us in Jicheng for a quick victory. When there is chaos, leopards may not have good luck. Why can't you see these disadvantages of the leopard army?"

"On the other hand, we have more advantages. In addition to the soldiers and horses defending Zhuocheng and Liaoxi, we still have [-] infantry and [-] Karasuma cavalry in Jicheng. We have [-] troops waiting for work. Compared with Han army, we have an absolute advantage in the number of troops and physical strength. We have sufficient food and grass, and the danger of the tall and strong city of Jicheng. Although the morale of the army is not high at present, the mourning soldiers will win, and we are facing life and death When the time comes, I believe that our soldiers will fight bravely to survive. We have these advantages, why can't we fight to the death?"

"If we win this battle, the leopards will definitely be defeated and flee to Juyongguan, and Liu Yu will have to retreat to Jizhou if he loses his support. In this way, we will have a firm foothold in Youzhou. If we lose this battle, the leopards will lose nothing. It's amazing, he will definitely lose the power to fight again, even if he gets Liu Yu's food and grass support, he will not be able to attack Liaoxi again, and we can pack up the remnants and retreat calmly. If this battle ends in a draw, the leopard will be damaged as well. He could only watch us walk away, and he had nothing to do with us except lying on the sidelines and licking his own wounds."

Everyone felt that what Zhang Chun said was very reasonable, and they were powerless to refute it, but the myth of the leopard's invincibility was like a heavy boulder on their hearts, making them uneasy, lacking confidence and courage.

"We can defend Jicheng." Zhang Ju said, "Why do we have to go out of the city to fight?"

"Defend Jicheng, we will die." Zhang Chun said helplessly, "After the leopards surround Jicheng, with food and grass security, he will supervise the army to attack day and night. Although we can hold on to the city and our lives are temporarily safe, but But the back road was completely cut off by the leopards, and the food and grass were no longer replenished. Under such circumstances, how long can we last? If the Jizhou side sends tens of thousands of reinforcements, we will die without a place to die."

"I agree with Master Zhang's opinion. If we don't maim the leopards, we will have a hard time in the future." Liu Shi said, "If we want to gain a foothold in Youzhou, we still need to occupy Jicheng. Our retreat to Liaoxi and Liaodong is not a long-term solution after all. If we win this battle and beat the leopards back to Juyongguan, we will completely reverse the unfavorable situation in Youzhou, and our life will be easier in the future."

At this time, Qiu Liju, who had been silent all this time, spoke.He is in his 40s, not tall, but as strong as a bull, with a round face and beard, and looks mighty.

"Let's fight. I don't believe it, we can't beat the leopards." Qiu Liju spoke out in support of Zhang Chun, which meant that most of the army's strength was on the main side.

Zhang Ju had no choice but to say to Zhang Chun: "Bo Yun, I'll go back to Liaoxi first, and I'll leave this place to you."

After sending Zhang Ju away, Zhang Chun immediately deployed his troops and prepared to go out of the city to fight.

Xiong Ba also left, and before he left, he advised Zhang Chun not to love war, not to fight to the death with the leopard, but to save his troops as much as possible and withdraw to the west of Liaoxi in order to move forward, "Leopard is a lunatic. Regardless of the consequences, it is better for adults to be more cautious."

Zhang Chun nodded with a smile and said: "I know that when a leopard uses troops, it always wins by surprise, making it hard to defend against. But this time, I must force him to confront me head-on, and I want to see who wins in the end."

"Is your lord a good chance of winning?" Xiong Ba asked worriedly.

Zhang Chun smiled and said: "Whether you can win or not is not important, the important thing is to beat the leopard immobile. After Haoshuai returns, please tell your lord that you must send troops to Yuyang as soon as possible, as a check."

"My lord still doesn't have the confidence to win." Xiong Ba sighed and said, "Don't worry, your lord. We will definitely send troops to Yuyang to attract the leopards to the northern frontier, so that your lord can have enough time to breathe."

===

Jiting is located on the great plain ten miles away from Jicheng, Yimapingchuan.

The army of Dayan Kingdom consisted of [-] infantry in the center and [-] cavalry on the two wings. They stood ready to fight to the death.

Li Hong was a little unexpected.Instead of being frightened by his series of attacks and retreating hastily, the rebels gathered their forces and went out of the city to meet them.Although he was looking forward to this decisive battle, he wanted to force the rebels to fight a decisive battle while the enemy was retreating.At this time, the rebel army is waiting for work at ease, with a large number of people, and with the determination to die, if they rush to fight, they may suffer huge losses, and may even be defeated.The intention of the rebels was obvious, they were driven into a hurry, and they wanted to fight the Han army to the death.Since retreating in a hurry is a dead end, it is better to fight the Han army and win in danger.Li Hong hesitated. He ordered the army to station at the Fengting, thirty miles away from Jicheng, and temporarily stopped advancing.

Li Hong convened a military meeting with the generals of all ministries.The generals' enthusiasm for the battle was very high, and everyone almost spoke in unison, asking Li Hong to attack immediately.

Xian Yufu pondered for a long time, and said to the generals: "The army quickly attacked Juyongguan, captured Changping City, rushed to Lucheng, and arrived at Jicheng. The army is in a desperate situation. The rebel army is dying, and the power must be astonishing. There are only so many of us, and the fight is over, what should we do when we return to Bingzhou?"

"What I mean is to wait a little longer, resolutely not to fight, to give the rebels a little life, and let them vacillate between fighting and not fighting. Over time, the rebels' desire to die will gradually fade away, and the morale of the soldiers will definitely fluctuate. When they have no desire to fight, we can deliver the killing blow."

Yan Rou added: "We can let Master Liu Yu take Zhuocheng at all costs and go north to rendezvous. In this way, our troops will increase and the rebels will be more panicked. At the same time, let Zhao Yun attack Yongnu in advance Now, when the rebels know that their only way of retreat may be completely cut off by us, they will definitely lose their minds and have no intention of fighting again. By then, the [-] rebels will be in danger and vulnerable."

Some of the generals agreed, some disagreed, discussing in low voices.

Li Hong looked at Tian Zhong, and asked in a low voice: "Old man, how many days can the food and grass in the army last?"

"Five days." Tian Zhong whispered, "If you save a little, you can last for two more days."

Li Hong thought for a while and said to Zhu Mu: "Send someone to tell Mr. Liu that if he fails to reach Jicheng in five days, we will run out of food and grass, and the army will have to retreat back to Juyongguan."

"Order Zhao Yun to immediately attack Yong Nu and burn the pontoon bridge on the Gushui River."

"Everyone go back and stick to the camp. Without my order, you are not allowed to fight."

He then said to Pang De: "Ling Ming, you shoot at the enemy camp, saying that I want to see Master Zhang Chun."

Xian Yufu glanced at him and asked, "At this moment, do you still want to persuade him to surrender?"

Li Hong looked lonely and smiled bitterly, "I haven't seen him for a long time, I want to see him."

===

When Zhang Chun saw Li Hong's letter, without further ado, he immediately wrote back to Li Hong and made an appointment to meet.

Liu Shi turned pale with shock, and hurriedly dissuaded him: "My lord, this is a leopard's trick. He must want to kill you. My lord, please don't go."

Zhang Chun stroked his beard and said with a smile: "You don't know him. He is a very good person, honest, loyal, and eager to learn. He is not as bloodthirsty as the rumors say. When we were in Zhongshan Country, we often Drinking and chatting together can be regarded as friends who have forgotten the years. When I was arrested in Luoyang, he came to see me off. I haven’t seen him for more than two years. I want to see him. This kid is now a general. Very majestic." He looked at Liu Shi and asked with a smile, "Do you want to meet with me?"

Liu Shi's face showed fear, and he shook his hands, "To prevent accidents, my lord should bring a few thousand Karasuma cavalry."

Zhang Chun waved his hand and said indifferently: "No, just a few attendants are enough."

===

Zhang Chun's hair on the temples is white, and his face has many wrinkles. Probably because of working day and night, his eyes are dark and red, and he looks very tired.When Li Hong saw it from a distance, his heart felt sour, and he hurried forward to meet him.

"grown ups……"

When Zhang Chun saw Li Hong bowing down, he felt a surge of excitement, and his eyes immediately turned red.He helped Li Hong up and held his hand vigorously, speechless for a while.

"Are you alright, my lord?"

Zhang Chun nodded, then shook his head again, "Have you grown a beard?"

Li Hong smiled.

"You are a general now, don't be so up and down, I can't afford your big gift."

"My lord is an elder, let alone..." Li Hong originally wanted to say that you are also my teacher, but he was so sad that he couldn't say it out.

Zhang Chun and Li Hong walked side by side, telling each other the situation since the farewell in Jizhou.Zhang Chun was full of praise for Li Hong's work in Bingzhou to appease the Yellow Turban Army and appease the refugees.Li Hong said that when he was in Zhongshan, he taught me a lot and benefited me a lot.This matter of farming was also strongly advocated by the adults at the beginning.Now it seems that resettling the refugees and garrisoning the fields can only solve the refugees for a while, not a long-term solution.In order to completely solve the refugee problem, we must find another way.

Zhang Chun said that in order to completely solve the refugee problem, the key is to solve land annexation.If the issue of land annexation is not resolved, farming will fail sooner or later.If you want to solve the problem of land annexation, you need to shake the foundation of the Han Kingdom, "My son, can you do it?"

Li Hong shook his head, looked up to the sky and sighed.

"I often think, if I were still a soldier in Lulongsai, I would not have to bear these responsibilities, and I would not have these troubles and pains. Sometimes I miss my days in Xianbei very much. At that time, I and Behind the commander-in-chief, I am carefree and happy, unlike now..." He looked at Zhang Chun and said sadly, "I am very tired and in pain. I have done many things that violated my conscience. I even If you want to leave here, what am I going to do here?"

"My people, living in this world is a kind of pain. Happiness is just the extreme of pain. It's just a kind of self-indulgence, not the essence of existence." Zhang Chun said with a smile, "After you leave here, you may be happy alone. But are you happy in your heart? Are you willing to let go of everything here?"

"Just like today, you and I are enemies. If you want to come to see me, I want to see you too. This is the joy in pain, the extreme of pain, and you and I can't give up the originality of being a person."

Li Hong's heart ached, and he wanted to cry.

"My son, I'm leaving." Zhang Chun smiled and said goodbye, "See you today, it will be a farewell, you should cherish it."

Without looking back, Zhang Chun got on his horse and rode away.

With tears in his eyes, Li Hong looked at Zhang Chunfei's passing back, and his heart ached like a twist.

===

Liu Yu was shocked when he received Li Hong's letter, and hurriedly commanded the army to attack Zhuojun.

The rebel general Zhao Cheng also received Zhang Chun's military order.Zhang Chun asked him to defend Zhuocheng to the death and block Liu Yu's army from going north.As long as Li Hong's army does not receive food and grass, he will not be able to stay under the city of Jicheng, and he has no other way but to fight himself quickly.

Han Qiong, captain of Bohai County, led the Jizhou army to attack the east gate, Tao Yan, the captain of Dongping county, commanded the Yanzhou army to attack the south gate, Zou Jing, the captain of Qingzhou, and Gongsun Zan, the captain of Youzhou cavalry, commanded the armies of Youzhou and Qingzhou to attack the south gate.The three sides attacked at the same time, and the battle was very fierce.

The next day, Li Hong sent another letter to urge him.Liu Yu became anxious and ran to the city to supervise the battle in person.

When school captains Zou Jing and Gongsun Zan saw Liu Yu coming, they rushed to meet him.

"How? Maybe today?"

Gongsun Zan shook his head solemnly.Captain Zou Jing replied: "My lord, the rebels have reinforcements to support them, and the number of soldiers defending the city has increased a lot. It is very difficult to fight."

Zou Jing is in his thirties, with fair skin, a square face and long beard, a high nose bridge, and shrewd eyes full of embarrassment.

"If we can't win today, we will attack overnight." Liu Yu said anxiously, "No matter what, we will go to Hebei tomorrow."

"General Zhenbei is here again?" Gongsun Zan asked, "Why did he stay under the city of Jicheng and not launch an attack on the rebels? As long as he launches an offensive, the rebels will surely be unable to defend against the enemy. I don't understand why he Do we have to break through Zhuocheng first and go north?"

Liu Yu waved his hand impatiently and said: "General Zhenbei has the idea of ​​General Zhenbei. We have no right to interfere with his affairs when he launches an attack on Jicheng. We just need to take Zhuocheng and join him. If you are capable, take Zhuocheng immediately."

Gongsun Zan snorted dissatisfiedly, and stepped aside.He would not use his own cavalry to attack the city.Liu Yu was dissatisfied with him because of this incident.Yesterday Liu Yu asked him to transfer the cavalry to attack the city. Not only did Gongsun Zan not agree, but he even contradicted Liu Yu a few words. Gongsun Zan said that there were only so few cavalry left in Youzhou, what should we do after beating up everyone?Are the Karasuma people in Liaodong all infantry?Liu Yu was so angry that he stared blankly, there was nothing he could do about it.Liu Yu didn't dare to offend him too much. In the future, he will have to rely on him to fight the Karasuma cavalry in the west and east of Liaoning.

"Where is Liu Bei, the soldier in Pingyuan County? Tell him to come."

Zou Jing hurriedly sent someone to the city to call Liu Bei, who was commanding the siege.Panting and sweating profusely, Liu Bei ran to Liu Yu, "What do you want to say, sir?"

Liu Yu smiled all over his face, patted the dust on Liu Bei's armor affectionately, asked a few words of concern, and then asked, "Before it gets dark today, can you take down the South City Gate for me?"

Liu Bei gritted his teeth, bowed resolutely and said, "I will obey your orders."

===

Liu Bei summoned dozens of veteran subordinates including Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.These people were all brought out from Zhuojun by himself, and they have been loyally following him. Today, he will bring these Zhuojun children to lay down his old city.

(End of this chapter)