Great Han Empire

Chapter 641
Duan Xuan, the lieutenant stationed in Guangzong City, heard that a surprise soldier from the Youzhou Army had suddenly occupied Jieqiao, and that the main force had already moved south, so he immediately organized troops and launched a counterattack to Jieqiao.

Today, the Northern Frontier Army is attacking the Youzhou Army at the Kailu Pavilion. If the army does not receive armaments for a long time, the casualties of the soldiers will not only increase greatly, but Gongsun Zan may also break out of the encirclement.For this reason, Duan Xuan was so worried that he swung his troops to attack.Although there are only more than 1000 soldiers from Cao Ying in the city, they have sharp and sufficient ordnance, which greatly makes up for the lack of troops.

The fierce offensive of the northern border army made the Youzhou soldiers stationed at Jieqiao miserable.Seeing that Jian Yong couldn't resist, he hurriedly ordered some soldiers to cut down big trees from the forest under the embankment, pile them on the embankment and set them on fire, so as to stop and delay the attack of the northern army.

When the two sides were fighting fiercely, Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei rushed to Jieqiao with their cavalry.

Duan Xuan saw the battle flag of the Youzhou Army and the roaring army of iron cavalry from a distance, and knew that Gongsun Zan had broken through, so he had no choice but to retreat back to the city with the army.

Jian Yong greeted him profusely with sweat, and when he saw Liu Bei among the crowd, he breathed a sigh of relief, but seeing that there were not many left of the four thousand infantry who followed Liu Bei to the rescue, he couldn't help feeling very sad. uncomfortable.More than 100 people including Guan Yu and Zhang Fei escaped after snatching unowned horses from the battlefield, otherwise their lives and deaths would be uncertain.

Gongsun Zan was worried that he would be chased by the cavalry of the Northern Xinjiang Army, so he asked to go straight north and retreat in the direction of Anping.Liu Bei objected, because the army had no food and grass, and it would take a delay to withdraw from Anping to Hejian and Bohai.

"Go all the way." Gongsun Zan shouted, waving his whip, "Go, go north, go north."

=

Dusk, Qingting.

Zhang Yan led the army to Qingting as quickly as possible, and surrounded all the defeated Youzhou army in the south.

Hearing that Gongsun Zan had escaped with his cavalry, Zhang Yan couldn't believe his ears.He sat on the horse for a long time, then slowly turned over and got off the horse, walked heavily to the slope beside the road and sat down, looking extremely depressed.

Using the general and Qu Yi's soldiers to lure the enemy head-on, and using Zhao Yun's iron cavalry to encircle the enemy, and strive to wipe out Yuan Shao's Jizhou army and Gongsun Zan's Youzhou army, this strategy was first proposed by myself.My original intention was to solve the Jizhou issue in World War I, recruit the Yellow Turban Army from all over the country and resettle the refugees as soon as possible, so as to ensure that the court can stabilize the country in the shortest possible time.

Although I have great doubts about whether this strategy will succeed in the end, when it comes to the decisive battle, I am very eager to win, not because I can make meritorious deeds, but because of the refugees and experienced people all over Jizhou counties and counties. Disaster for the Yellow Turbans.I am eager to realize my dream in the land of Hebei, to build a world that can feed and clothe the people and keep them away from disasters and wars.The peaceful world advocated by the great virtuous teacher is too far away from this real world. I no longer dream about it. I just hope that I will no longer see the suffering and helpless refugees, and no longer see the Yellow Turban Army fighting everywhere.

However, today's facts tell me mercilessly that my strategy has completely failed.Although the Northern Frontier Army severely injured Yuan Shao, nearly wiped out the Youzhou Army, and occupied Wei County and Ganling State, Yuan Shao and his Jizhou Army were still there, and Gongsun Zan and his Youzhou Army were still struggling.The Northern Xinjiang Army still has to fight hard, and the flames of war in Jizhou will continue to spread.

How did Yuan Shao choose the right time to escape from the siege?I originally planned to join forces with Zhao Yun, encircle and raid Linqingting with an army of [-] to [-], and strive to wipe out and defeat Yuan Shao's [-] Jizhou army, and drive Yuan Shao out of Jizhou, but Yuan Shao ran away first and fell short.In this way, the strategy of encircling the Jizhou Army and Youzhou Army and attacking Yuan Shao first and then Gongsun Zan was unsuccessful in the first place.

Why did Gongsun Zan always choose Jieqiao as the direction to break out?The General and Qu Yi have done their best.The combined army of the general and Qu Yi only had 3 people.They resisted 3 Youzhou Army with [-] people. In the case of insufficient troops, they fought again and again, and finally almost wiped out the Youzhou Army. This is already a miracle.

If this battle failed to wipe out Gongsun Zan, the responsibility still lies with him.I have been worried that the troops will be too damaged, and I plan to wait until Gongsun Zan has run out of food and grass, and the army's morale is in turmoil before launching an attack.Because he was reluctant to launch a decisive battle for a long time, the general couldn't force himself. As a result, the Youzhou Army's reinforcements marched in two directions, forcing Zhao Yun's iron cavalry to divide their troops to stop them.Unexpectedly, Gongsun Zan, like Yuan Shao, also chose the most appropriate time to launch the second breakout battle.

Gongsun Zan escaped, Yuan Shao also escaped, and the situation in Jizhou became more complicated.

The General was right in his criticism of me.In my heart, I was actually thinking about the Yellow Turban Army. I always wanted to save the lives of the soldiers, but now it was just the opposite. In future battles, I would instead let more soldiers lose their lives.

In the original strategy, if Yuan Shao was attacked first, the army would suffer huge losses, so in order to prevent Gongsun Zan from breaking through the encirclement, the northern army would immediately concentrate all forces to encircle and wipe out Gongsun Zan. At that time, he did not care about the loss of the army. Why? After Yuan Shao ran away, he hesitated about the decisive battle instead?Could it be because he thought that the Northern Border Army was strong enough to encircle and wipe out Gongsun Zan?

=

Yang Yi came on a flying horse and ran up the hill in a hurry.

"My lord, Gongsun Zan has escaped, and there are still thousands of Youzhou iron cavalry." Yang Yi said pantingly, "I heard that Tian Kai and Liu Bei took reinforcements to occupy Jieqiao and attacked the general from the direction of Jieqiao. The general was attacked by the enemy. so……"

Zhang Yan's attitude was dull and he didn't respond.It doesn't make sense to say anything now.If the army launched the encirclement and annihilation of Gongsun Zan earlier, this situation would not have occurred.

"My lord, the great general is here." Seeing that Zhang Yan was in a bad mood, Yang Yi didn't dare to disturb him, and turned to leave.At this time, he saw Li Hong leading a group of iron cavalry across the battlefield, coming in a hurry.

Zhang Yan felt shameless and knelt down to apologize.

Li Hong helped him up, "Brother Feiyan, we won the battle of Jieqiao. At the cost of more than 2 people, we basically wiped out [-] troops in Youzhou, severely damaged Yuan Shao, and captured Weijun and Ganzhou. Lingguo. Brother Feiyan has made great contributions to our achievement of such a record, so what is our fault?"

"In the battle at Jieqiao, first ran away from Yuan Shao, and today ran away from Gongsun Zan. None of the issues related to the overall situation have been resolved." Zhang Yan was heartbroken, "If I can make up my mind and launch a decisive battle as soon as possible, how can I..."

Li Hong shook his hand and interrupted him, "Brother Feiyan, some things cannot be resolved by fighting, especially the big issue of saving the country." He approached Zhang Yan and whispered, "Gongsun Zan, I ordered him to let go. of."

Zhang Yan was startled, "General, you..."

"Let's go, let's talk." Li Hong patted Zhang Yan and said with a serious expression, "We must agree on how to fight future battles."

The two walked in the twilight and talked for a long time.

=

In the early morning of the eighth day, Zhao Yun, Jiang Wu, and Liu Ming led [-] cavalry and suddenly launched an attack on the shelter.

Tian Kai had been prepared for a long time and led his soldiers to abandon the camp and flee.Because the river was so muddy, it was difficult for the horses to move, so the pursuit had to be stopped.

Facing the empty camp, Zhao Yun, Jiang Wu and Liu Ming couldn't laugh or cry for a while.

After many years of fighting, this was the first attack on an empty battalion.The famous Du Liao General Zhao Yun and Beijiang Iron Cavalry fell for Tian Kai.If this matter gets out, people will laugh out loud.

Zhao Yun was worried about the loss of Jieqiao, so he hurried back with Liu Ming and his army.He ordered Jiang Wu to lead the army to patrol along the Dahe Gudu area, especially to take strict precautions against the Youzhou reinforcements in Gaotang and Panhe.

=

On the ninth day of the lunar new year, the Northern Xinjiang Army gathered under Ganling City, preparing to launch an attack on Ganling City.

The generals of Hussars will discuss in the camp of the General Hussars.

General Li Hong of the Hussars commented on the Battle of Jieqiao that he won a complete victory and achieved all the goals before the war.

Then Zhu Mu gave a comprehensive explanation of the ins and outs of the Jieqiao battle.There are several key factors in the victory of the Northern Xinjiang Army in the Jieqiao Battle.One is that the [-] infantry reinforcements of the Northern Xinjiang Army secretly rushed to Julu City in mid-December last year, and they have not been discovered by the Jizhou Army and Youzhou Army.This is a very lucky thing.Second, Yuan Shaoneng led his army to leave Qingyuan City and approach Ganling City.If Yuan Shao persisted, Zhang Yan's army would most likely be discovered by Yuan Shao after they attacked Yecheng, and then Yuan Shao would turn around and attack Zhang Yan, and the encirclement plan would fail immediately.The generals of the northern border and the Youzhou army fought to the death at Jieqiao, and neither Weijun nor Ganling could take it down.The third is that Zhang Yan's army took Yecheng in one day.This was something no one had estimated beforehand.If Yecheng cannot be taken for a long time, the strategy of encircling it will become a theory on paper.

There were also several unexpected events in the Jieqiao battle that the Northern Xinjiang Army did not expect.One was that the Yellow River thawed ahead of schedule, and Qingzhou soldiers quickly crossed the river to support them, causing the Northern Xinjiang Army to divide their troops to block the attack.Second, Yuan Shao escaped from the encirclement.Yuan Shao escaped from the siege, and the first target of the Beijiang Army's encirclement and annihilation disappeared. This immediately led to great differences and disputes among several generals of the Beijiang Army over the encirclement and annihilation of Gongsun Zan.The third is that Gongsun Zan chose the direction of the breakout very accurately at the boundary bridge where the Northern Xinjiang Army's strength is weakest, which was also unexpected by the Northern Xinjiang Army.Gongsun Zan continued to attack Jieqiao, always using Jieqiao as the direction to break out.The Northern Xinjiang Army fought to the death when its forces were at an extreme disadvantage, and suffered huge casualties as a result.

Zhu Mu then introduced the number of casualties on both sides of the war.Before the Northern Frontier Army started the battle, there were 3000 troops from Zhang Yan, [-] troops from Qu Yi, [-] cavalry troops from Zhao Yun, and [-] troops from the Hussar General's camp, making a total of [-] troops.After several battles in Xifeng Pavilion, Yunting Pavilion, Qingting Pavilion, Bifeng Pavilion, Jieqiao, Yecheng, Dongwucheng and Beiqiu directions, there were [-] casualties.

In more than ten days, the Northern Xinjiang Army wiped out about 12 enemies, including more than 8 Jizhou Army and Youzhou Army and more than 3 prisoners.

=

Since the location of Yuan Shao and the Jizhou army cannot be accurately known now, Yecheng has to send more troops to prevent Yuan Shao from launching an attack on Wei County.Hussar General Li Hong ordered Qu Yi to lead the army back to aid, and at the same time escorted more than 3 captives back to Yecheng, and selected strong and strong men to recruit into the army.

Li Hong ordered Zhao Yun and Liu Ming to lead the army northward, and Peng Lie followed up and quickly occupied Anping Kingdom.Jiang Wu and Mustafa led the cavalry to guard Gaotang and Panhe.Zhang Yan, Wang Dang, and Yu Digen led an army to attack Ganling.

"When will we attack Bohai County?" Wang Dang asked anxiously.

"Take down Ganling City first." Li Hong smiled, "Then General Zhang Yan will attack Bohai Sea, General Zhao Yun will attack Hejian, and strive for a quick victory."

Li Hong urged the princess and the imperial court to ask the imperial court to send people to Jizhou immediately. On the one hand, they appease the counties and counties to rebuild government offices, and on the other hand, they resettled the refugees to garrison the fields, and strived to complete the April spring plowing in Weijun, Anping, and Ganling.

Li Hong wrote an urgent letter to Tai Fu Liu Yu, explaining in detail the current situation in Jizhou and the cause and effect of the Jieqiao War, and implored Liu Yu to return to the court to take charge of state affairs at an appropriate time.As for Gongsun Zan, Li Hong believed that he must be punished with serious crimes and punished severely.

Li Hong urgently wrote to Xu Rong, General Longxiang, who was far away in Kansai. The situation in Jizhou is complicated, and the war may last for a while. Although I have secured half of Jizhou, starting from the safety of northern Xinjiang, it is better for you to get out of Luoyang as soon as possible.

=

In March, Kansai, Hongnong City.

On the Hongnong Ferry, cars and horses gathered, and the flow of people was like a tide.On the river, there is a constant flow of boats coming and going.

Standing on the city tower, Xu Rong pointed to the bustling ferry in the distance, turned around and asked, "Zitai, can you finish transporting all the supplies today?"

Tian Chou stood behind him and replied respectfully: "It is absolutely possible. The ten subordinates sent by the general to the southern counties to buy grain have all returned smoothly. Since there were too many counties and counties affected by the war last year, everyone went to the south. They bought grain, so the price of grain in the south rose again and again. The price of grain rose, the money ran out, and there was no grain to buy, so they had to come back early." Then he laughed, "If the Yellow River hadn't opened in advance, the people in the east of the river would have The tank boats came to help, but we couldn’t get up sooner than we wanted.”

Xu Rong looked up at the blue sky, nodded with a smile, "After the Yellow River opened, the wind was strong and the waves were violent, so the boat bridge was withdrawn immediately. I was very anxious at that time."

"Niu Fu has been attacking since the end of February. He attacked very fiercely, and we kept on defending. The casualties were too great. I must withdraw the army, but I also need to ensure the clear road between Beijiang and Luoyang. It’s unobstructed, so it’s difficult for me.” Xu Rong walked along the city wall and said, “This time, thanks to the governor of Hedong, Wang Yi, and the general of Diannong Zhonglang, Zuo Yan, otherwise, how could there be so many tank boats in a short period of time? Come to Hongnong with the folk husband to help?"

Tian Chou followed behind him, and said leisurely: "Your Excellency, you should also thank Master Yuan Shu. Master Yuan is also responsible for the smooth entry of these grains and supplies into northern Xinjiang. This winter and spring, the two adults Sun Ben and Liu Xun He led the army to successively defeat the Yellow Turban Army He Yi and Liu Pi in the area of ​​Chen Guo and Runan, thus ensuring the smooth flow of the Chi Road in Yuzhou."

"Yuan Shu is mainly for himself." Xu Rong said, "He had a falling out with Liu Biao, and he couldn't buy grain from the south of Jingzhou, so he had to go to Yuzhou and Yangzhou to buy grain. What I'm worried about now is Yuan Shu. I don't know when he and Liu Biao will go to war. .”

Tian Chou chuckled, "Your Excellency seems to be very anxious. I estimate that Yuan Shu will definitely do something before April. Of course, the premise is that Your Excellency must completely hand over Yuzhou to him."

"I will not only give him Yuzhou, but also Luoyang." Xu Rong stroked his short beard and stopped, "Zitai, look, is it possible for Zhengqing (Gao Lan) to return to Luoyang now?" ?”

"I also think Mr. Gao should be back." Tian Chou looked at the busy boats on the river, with a look of worry on his face, "I'm just worried that Sun Ben won't be able to defend Yangdi, and Yuan Shu won't be able to beat Liu Biao. In this way..."

"The Yuan brothers shook hands to make peace?" Xu Rong laughed, "No. As long as I give Luoyang to Yuan Shu, the two brothers will definitely fight."

=

Xu Rong turned to look at the turbulent Yellow River, letting the battle flag fluttering in the wind slap his cheek.

"Tomorrow, we will leave here. By then, there will be no boats on the river, the ferry will be deserted, and Beijiang will lose contact with us."

"Your Excellency, you really don't want to send reinforcements back?" Tian Chou asked in a low voice.

"Duan Yan's attack on Hedong is purely a diversionary attack, and he will not go all out. Zhang Baiqi will definitely be able to defend." Xu Rong said very confidently, "I have limited troops and will not return to help. As for the troops stationed in Hedong, We must use this period of time to hone it well, so that the army can be replenished immediately after it retreats to northern Xinjiang. I have written to Zhang Baiqi, asking him to recruit [-] to [-] field soldiers as much as possible to participate in the battle in Pubanjin area I will rush to report to the eldest princess and the imperial court about this matter at the end of February, and it is estimated that Zhang Baiqi has received the imperial edict by now."

At this time, Chen Wei, Xu Rong's underling, hurried over, "My lord, an urgent letter from General Hu Lie."

"Wen Xin, what's the urgent matter, Mr. Hutou?" Xu Rong looked at Chen Wei and asked casually.

"Master Yan has arrived at Mianchi on time according to His Excellency's order." Chen Wei replied respectfully, "Master Yan would like to ask when the army will rush to the front line of Zhushui River."

Chen Wei was in his twenties, with a heroic appearance and a heroic look in his brows.He is a native of Yangdi in Yingchuan, a disciple of Sima Hui (Sima Decao, known as Mr. Shui Jing), a famous scholar in Yingchuan.After Kong Ni's death, more than half of the family members in the mansion left.When Tian Chou was in Yangdi City, he was very friendly with him. He tried his best to persuade him to go to northern Xinjiang and recommended him to Xu Rong.Since Xu Rong left Gongsun Du, there has been no Sima in his tent, so he immediately wrote to invite him.Chen Wei was greatly moved when he saw General Long Xiang's letter of invitation in person, and he followed suit immediately.

When Xu Rong heard this, he smiled slightly, "You write to Master Hutou for me, and tell him to go up to Xiaoshan to ambush immediately."

=

(End of this chapter)