Great Han Empire

Chapter 686
In April, Jicheng.

Gongsun Zan sighed deeply after reading the battle report sent by Guangyang defender Shan Jing.

Qu Yi's army had already begun to attack Guangyang City. In the past two days, more than 400 soldiers from Youzhou had been lost.Although the loss was not large, the powerful offensive of the Northern Xinjiang Army made the generals and soldiers of Youzhou panic.

Many of these Youzhou soldiers came from the Yellow Turban Army of Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju. They all participated in the Battle of Jicheng that year.In that battle, the Northern Border Army defeated Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju, and killed the cavalry of the Karasuma people and fled in embarrassment. The bravery of the Northern Border Army left a deep mark on their hearts.Facing their former opponents again today, these soldiers who have been farming for several years are very afraid and have no confidence in defeating their opponents.

The morale of the army was not high, but Gongsun Zan was not very worried.Since Liu Yu escaped from Jicheng, he spread the news that Liu Yu was shot and wounded by Karasuma people in the army.Gongsun Zan told the soldiers that the northern army bribed the Karasuma people to attack Jicheng, and Master Liu led the army to block it. Unfortunately, he was shot and wounded by the shameless Karasuma people during the battle.He encouraged the soldiers to fight for Master Taifu and Youzhou, and defeated the Northern Border Army and Karasuma people.Liu Yu has always been very good to the Tuntian soldiers, and he has great prestige among the Tuntian soldiers. These Youzhou soldiers are willing to fight to the death to protect Youzhou and Taifu.Only a very few people knew the truth about the battle that took place in Jicheng not long ago. The general soldiers of the Youzhou Army didn't even know that the Karasuma people came to save Liu Yu, let alone that Liu Yu had already fled to Juyongguan.

What Gongsun Zan is most worried about now is the issue of survival.If he wanted to stay in Youzhou and survive tenaciously in Youzhou, he had to defeat the Beijiang army, but he didn't have the confidence to defeat the Beijiang army.

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Now the Karasuma people in Liaoxi and Liaodong have rebelled, and the Karasuma people in Shanggu and Daijun must have been recruited by Yan Rou. If Li Hong orders the Huns to be recruited to fight, then there will be tens of thousands of Huns in the Northern Border Army. So much, I can't resist it.There are only two ways in front of him, either immediately withdraw into Liaoxi and Liaodong, and rely on the terrain advantage to fight against the northern army for a long time; Qu Yi and Zhao Yun, who were attacking from the front, were defeated and severely damaged the northern army, forcing them to give up their plan to capture Youzhou.

These two methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. Gongsun Zan discussed with the subordinate officials several times, but he did not make a final decision.If the army abandons the central counties of Youzhou and retreats to west and east Liaoning, it will be very difficult to counterattack in the future, because west and east Liaoning are very barren and lack of supplies. County as well.However, if the Youzhou army wants to defeat Qu Yi and Zhao Yun, they must gather all their troops, so as to gain an advantage in strength. But now Yan Rou, Liu He and Karasuma are in Juyongguan. Once they take the opportunity to leave the pass, the Youzhou army will be attacked by the enemy , the situation is serious.

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At the end of March, Tian Kai and Liu Bei from Qingzhou sent people across the sea to get in touch with Gongsun Zan.Tian Kai told Gongsun Zan in the letter that he and Liu Bei would cross the river to attack the Northern Border Army in the near future, trying to regain the northern part of Pingyuan County, and use this to contain the strength of the Northern Border Army. He hoped that Gongsun Zan would take the opportunity to counterattack and drive the Northern Border Army out Youzhou.

At the same time, a letter from Yuan Shao was sent to Youzhou.In the letter, Yuan Shao took the initiative to show his favor to Gongsun Zan, expressing his willingness to clear up the past and get back together.Yuan Shao carefully explained the situation in the Central Plains and Hebei to Gongsun Zan, and denounced Li Hong's usurping act.Yuan Shao said that if Li Hong takes Youzhou and the three states of Hebei are occupied by him, his strength will grow rapidly, and the Dahan Sheji will be usurped by him.In order to save the great Han society from danger, I am willing to work together with my brother Bogui to kill the Han thieves.Yuan Shao promised that in April this year, he would send troops to attack Jizhou from the direction of Hanoi, and attack Kansai from the direction of Hangu Pass, so as to contain the troops of the northern border army, and cooperate with Tian Kai and Liu Bei to take back Pingyuan County.

The Northern Xinjiang Army was engaged in bitter battles on multiple battlefields at the same time. Not only were the troops tense, but the food and supplies were also very tense.Brother Bogui can take this opportunity to gather heavy troops to defeat the northern border army and completely occupy Youzhou.

This news made Gongsun Zan very excited. He immediately decided to give up retreating to Liaoxi and Liaodong, and instead devoted himself to planning a strategy to defeat the northern army.

He discussed with Guan Jing for a long time, and they agreed that Yuan Shao's words were very credible.As a matter of fact, once Li Hong occupies Youzhou, he will control all the three states in Hebei, and Li Hong's strength will develop very rapidly.Li Hong has strength, of course he will not settle down in Hebei, he will lead the army to sweep the world, and Yuan Shao will bear the brunt of it, Li Hong's first target to be eliminated.Yuan Shao is also an ambitious person. He not only wants to defeat Li Hong, but also wants to dominate the world. Therefore, the most urgent thing for Yuan Shao at the moment is to restrict Li Hong's development and attack Li Hong's strength.

The most important thing to restrict and attack Li Hong at present is to prevent Li Hong from occupying Youzhou.If Gongsun Zan sticks to Youzhou, it will be like stabbing a sharp knife in Li Hong's back, and Li Hong will be restless.Without stability in Hebei, Li Hong would not dare to cross the river, and Yuan Shao would have enough time to develop his strength.Once Yuan Shao's wings are full, he can unite states and counties from all over the world to attack Hebei.Li Hong had Yuan Shao in his front and Gongsun Zan in his back. He was beset by enemies, and sooner or later he would be defeated.In order to achieve this goal, Yuan Shao will definitely help Gongsun Zan defend Youzhou at all costs.

Since there was someone to help, Gongsun Zan would of course fight to the death.

He immediately decided to garrison Changping with a force to block the enemy in the direction of Juyongguan, and to face Qu Yi with the main force.Considering that Tian Kai and Yuan Shao's two armies would not attack until mid-April, Gongsun Zan planned to defend the city first, and then launch a counterattack after Jizhou was attacked and the northern border army's food and grass forces were tense.

Guan Jing opposed the arrangement of the main force in Jicheng. He believed that if the northern army wanted to take Youzhou, it had to attack Yan Rou from Juyongguan back and forth to form an advantage in strength.Qu Yi is not a lunatic, he will not use the existing 4 people to attack a city that is defended by 7 to [-] people.Guan Jing insisted on placing the main force in Changping, first severely inflicting Yan Ruan and Karasuma people who came out of the pass to support, and then counterattacked Koji who was besieged with no restraints.

After much consideration, Gongsun Zan agreed to Guan Jing's suggestion.

But the battle situation did not develop as Gongsun Zan and Guan Jing imagined.It is almost mid-April now, but there is no movement in the direction of Juyong Pass. Yan Rou and Karasuma seem to be scared out of their wits, hiding in the pass but not coming out.Does the Northern Xinjiang Army have other strategies to defeat the enemy?Thinking of Li Hong's unpredictable use of troops, Gongsun Zan was very disturbed.

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Guan Jing hurried in.

Gongsun Zan handed the battle report to Guan Jing, frowned and said, "Shi Qi, I think there is something wrong with the Northern Border Army's attack. Although they attack several times a day, so far there has been no real threatening attack. Could it be that the Northern Border Army has attacked again? Waiting for reinforcements?"

Guan Jing was worried, "The northern army is about to hit Jicheng, but Qu Yi is still in such a hurry, there must be a reason. Yan Rou from Juyongguan has not seen any movement for a long time, I wonder if she is waiting for the Huns?"

Gongsun Zan looked worried, "Morale, just to be on the safe side, let's retreat to You Beiping first..."

"I can't withdraw. If we withdraw at this time, the army's morale will be scattered." Guan Jing waved his hand to stop him. "We'll wait. As long as there is a war in Jizhou and the northern army can't take care of both ends, our chance will come."

Gongsun Zan hesitated for a long time, and finally said, "It's better to evacuate 1 people to Youbeiping first. At this moment of life and death, don't count on others to help, but rely on yourself to be safe."

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In mid-April, the central Xianbei, Lightning River.

An army of iron cavalry galloped along the north bank of the Lightning River, and the huge roar shook the world.

Suddenly, a few melodious and desolate horn horns sounded from the distant river embankment. The sound of the horn sounded like piercing through rocks and clouds, and instantly spread across the endless wilderness.

Immediately afterwards, horns were raised everywhere in the iron cavalry army, and the sound of horns went straight into the sky one after another.

The speed of the cavalry army suddenly dropped.

A knight wearing a red cloak jumped out of his horse, like a burning cloud of fire, flying in the green sky.A group of personal guards followed closely behind, and the rapid sound of horse hoofs swept away into the distance like thunder.

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"Marshal, Master Yan is here." Que Kun pointed to the distance and shouted back happily.

Xiong Ba squinted his eyes, looked at the roaring red flames in the distance, and smiled at the corner of his mouth, "Let's go, let's go up."

Yan Rou saw Xiong Ba from a distance, raised her hand and shouted: "The commander came early..."

Xiong Ba reined in his horse and stopped, laughing loudly: "The general has an order, how dare I disobey it?"

Yan Rou laughed, "Marshal, you are being polite. I also ask Marshal to help raise the food and horse feed needed by the army."

Xiong Ba smiled and said: "We have prepared everything your lord needs. On the way to White Sandalwood City, all the tribes will do their best to provide food and horse fodder for your cavalry army." Then he pointed to Que Kun said, "Que Kun and I will accompany you all the way to White Sandalwood City."

Yan Rou thanked repeatedly, "The general said that when the battle in Youzhou is over, I will thank Mr. Kebi Xiong and the leaders of the tribes."

Xiong Ba hurriedly gave way, and then asked with a smile: "Can I ask your lord something?"

"I know everything."

"Has the general had any children?"

Yan Rou laughed, reached out and patted Xiong Ba's shoulder vigorously, "The general is working hard."

A look of disappointment appeared on Xiong Ba's face, he hesitated for a moment, and asked again: "Is the general's wife okay?"

Yan Rou frowned and looked at Xiong Ba, "Marshal, you don't think the general is treating Madam badly, do you?"

Xiong Ba smiled awkwardly, but there was a look of inquiry in his eyes.

"Marshal, don't worry, the general likes the two wives very much. Last year, after the general arrived in Jizhou, he took the two wives to Handan shortly after, and he dotes on the two wives. Don't worry, the two wives will be together sooner or later. To give birth to a child for the general, but only if..."

Xiong Ba raised his eyebrows.

"The premise is that the northern border can't be chaotic and can't fight wars." Yan Rou smiled, "If the general is too busy and fights all day, then of course he won't have time to accompany the two ladies."

"War? The general is still fighting? The Yellow Turban Army hasn't been pacified yet?" Xiong Ba asked in surprise.

"The Yellow Turban Army has long been pacified, and the general no longer fights." Yan Rou stretched out her hand to stroke her beard, and laughed, "I'm just making an analogy. Don't worry about it, Commander. After fighting Gongsun Zan, I want to go home too." gone."

The two tacitly looked at each other and smiled.

"My lord, why did Uncle Leopard beat Gongsun Zan?" Que Kun, who was standing aside, suddenly asked, "Uncle Leopard and that white horse Gongsun Zan are both from Youzhou, and they are both generals of your Great Han Kingdom. Why did they fight each other?"

"You want to know?" Yan Rou turned to look at him, her expression became very serious.

Que Kun knew that he had made a slip of the tongue, and subconsciously shook his hand.

"It's okay to tell you." Yan Rou said loudly, "Gongsun Zan said to the general, I think that Xianbei woman is very beautiful, the general should give her to me. The general was furious, you dare to steal my woman? I Killed you. So the two started fighting. Tell me, do you want to kill Gongsun Zan?"

Although Que Kun knew that Yan Rou was teasing him, he still opened his eyes unconsciously after hearing this, waved his hands and scolded: "I cut him off. My lord, I will go to Lulongsai with you, I want Cut off his head with your own hands."

Yan Rou burst out laughing, "You're not bad, you know I'm going to Lulongsai."

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In mid-April, Yuyang County, Quanzhou (today Jinwuqing).

Quanzhou is located in the southernmost section of Yuyang County, about [-] miles away from Bohai County in Jizhou.

Yan Liang led an army of [-] troops into Yuyang County suddenly, and surrounded Quanzhou City overnight.

There is salt and iron near Quanzhou City, and there is a salt and iron official, which is very important to Youzhou.After Gongsun Zan withdrew from Longcou, he purposely stationed [-] defenders here.The county magistrate of Quanzhou saw the densely packed Northern Xinjiang army outside the city, and was so frightened that he leaned on the city wall and remained silent for a long time.Isn't the main force of the Northern Xinjiang Army attacking Jicheng?Why did he suddenly kill Quancheng?He looked at Lieutenant Ma Zheng of Youzhou Military Academy standing behind him, and asked in a trembling voice: "My lord, has General Gongsun been..."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Ma Zheng said loudly, "This northern border army came from Bohai County. Look at their battle flags. This is the army of Yan Liang, the number one warrior in northern Xinjiang."

The county magistrate shivered involuntarily, "My lord, what shall we do?"

"Fight." Ma Zheng said with a sneer, "Northern Xinjiang sent a partial division to take down Quanzhou first, and then follow Gushui northward to take down Yongnu. This will completely cut off the way for Lord Gongsun to retreat to the west of Liaoning. If we don't hold on In Quanzhou City, Lord Gongsun will be surrounded in Jicheng." Ma Zheng turned around and shouted, "Hurry up, send people out of the city immediately, and report to Lord Gongsun."

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In the middle of April, in Handan, the general went to the palace.

Wang Dang urgently reported to Zhang Yan.Tian Kai and Liu Bei stationed troops in Gaotang, and the war was imminent.

Zhang He reported urgently.Hanoi Zhang Yang and Han Hao attacked the Yellow Turban Army in Heishan, but Yu Du couldn't resist and was retreating to the territory of Wei County.I have led the army to move towards Montenegro, ready to support.

Gao Ranshu told Zhang Yan.Under the order of the adults, Captain Zhou Hua led [-] soldiers to escort Yanzhou governor Jin Shang to the south of the river.

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(End of this chapter)