Great Han Empire

Chapter 811 The Heroes of Troubled Times Compete in the Central Plains
Jiang Qi defeated Yuan Yongcheng.

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After the northern border army captured Xingyang, Zhang Yun led his army to Aocang.Soon, Zhang Xiu also led the army to arrive.

Just as the two were discussing with Wang Dang the strategy to defeat the enemy, Yan Liang's letter was sent to Aocang.Yan Liang said in the letter that the general has arrived in Handan, and the Central Plains War is about to begin.The purpose of opening up the Henan battlefield is to attract Yuan Shao's main force to Henan, so that the army can quickly capture and occupy most of the counties and counties in Yanzhou after crossing Henan.Yan Liang ordered Zhang He to command all the troops to defeat Jiang Qi at all costs, forcing Yuan Shao's main force to return to Henan.

Zhang He and the generals were very excited.No one expected that the pace of the imperial court's attack on the Central Plains would be so fast.Now that the purpose of the war has been clarified, the worries of the generals in the past were immediately swept away, replaced by pride.

Zhang Yun immediately assembled an army of about 3000 people, crossed the Bianqu, and put on a posture to fight Jiang Qi to the death.

Jiang Qi was short of troops, so he had to retreat slowly, planning to rely on the small town of Yuanyong to stand firm and wait for reinforcements.

Without hesitation, the Northern Xinjiang Army immediately launched an attack.Zhang He led 5000 former troops in hot pursuit and entangled Jiang Qi.Wang Dang and Zhang Xiu each led their armies and drove straight in from the enemy's two wings, intending to encircle and suppress them.

Jiang Qi saw the crisis, and immediately made a decisive decision, ordering all the ministries to abandon the luggage and retreat at full speed.

Yuanyong City is only more than 100 miles away from Bianqu.Jiang Qi's retreat speed was already fast, and when he realized that something was wrong, he was less than sixty miles away from Yuanyong City. At this moment, the whole army ran wildly, and arrived at Yuanyong City after a few hours.

The northern border army was unable to catch up and missed a good opportunity, so they had to surround Han Meng who was blocking the attack.Han Meng led [-] soldiers to form a formation with baggage carts, resisted tenaciously, and refused to surrender.

Zhang Yun didn't want to waste time, he waved his hand, "Kill me!"

More than 2 Northern Border Army soldiers rushed forward, and Han Meng and his [-] soldiers were like a wrecked ship in a stormy sea, and they were submerged by the billowing waves in a blink of an eye.

The Northern Xinjiang Army pursued the victory and surrounded Yuanyong City in the early hours of the second day.

Jiang Qi lost food, grass and supplies, Yuanyong City was small and hard to defend, and was at a disadvantage in terms of military strength, precarious.

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Yuan Shao had no choice but to rush back to help, otherwise Jiang Qi's army would be wiped out.

Yuan Shao ordered high-ranking officials to lead [-] troops to stay behind in Baima and Puyang, and led [-] troops to rush to rescue Yuanyong City.

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At the end of March, Qingzhou, Beihai State, Gaomi City.

Gao Shun was ordered to lead [-] troops into Qingzhou and join Zang Ba in Linzi.Afterwards, the two joined forces and quickly rushed to Gaomi, Beihai with an army of [-] to join Guan Hai's army of [-].

The Yellow Turban Army suffered heavy losses after their defeat in Zhengrong Valley.In the process of reorganizing the army, Guan Hai accepted Gao Shun's suggestion and sent all the old, weak, sick and disabled to various counties and counties to farm, leaving only [-] strong and strong.At this time, with the efforts of Beihai and Laiwu county governments, the "Ji Dian Shu Tian" in Nanqingzhou was promoted smoothly, and these yellow scarf soldiers who were sent to various counties and counties were properly resettled.Guan Hai was extremely grateful and admired Gao Shun for this.

Guan Hai and a group of Yellow Turban soldiers were very excited when they heard that Xuzhou was going to be attacked. They all geared up and vowed to take advantage of the opportunity of the Northern Xinjiang Army's help to avenge Guan Cheng, Wu Ba and tens of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers who died tragically in Zhengrong Valley last year. blood hatred.

"How many troops does Guan Yu currently stationed in Langya have? Have you found out yet?" Gao Shun looked at the excited faces of Guan Hai, Chang Xi (xi) and the others, and said solemnly, "Last year, Zhengrong Valley was defeated, and you were defeated by underestimating the enemy. , I fell into Guan Yu's trick to lure the enemy. This time we attack Xuzhou, we can only win but not lose, otherwise Nanqingzhou will be handed over to Guan Yu."

"About 20 people." Under Guan Hai's signal, Chang Xi stood up and walked in front of Gao Shun, pointing to the map on the case table and giving a rough overview of the deployment of Guan Yu's troops.Chang Xi is in his twenties, tall and heroic, speaks clearly, maturely and steadily, with a hint of sadness on his brows, "Judging from our several battles with him last year, this man uses troops..." Chang hesitated for a moment, but did not continue. Say.Sitting across from him was a well-known titan in northern Xinjiang. He had followed the great general in the southern and northern wars and made outstanding achievements. Talking about how to use troops in front of him seemed to be overconfident.

Gao Shun seemed to have seen through his thoughts, and smiled slightly, "Go ahead. We don't know Guan Yu except Mr. Zang."

Zang Ba, who was sitting on Gao Shun's left, shook his hand, "I have rarely fought side by side with Guan Yu, and I know little about his military characteristics."

Gao Shun gave him a meaningful look, smiled and said nothing.

Gao Shun has been stationed in Gaotang for the past two years, and has had a lot of contact with Zang Ba, and found that this man is very loyal, and he belongs to the kind of person who is willing to put a knife on both sides of his friend.This is probably the main reason why Zang Ba became the commander-in-chief of the Qingxu area.Without the prestige of controlling the bandits, how can you become Kou Shuai?Zang Ba's character has a great influence on his conduct.

According to Zang Ba's subordinates, Zang Ba was very isolated in Xuzhou and had few friends, but he had a best friend who was Guan Yu.Guan Yu is also a very loyal person. After he followed Liu Bei to Xuzhou, because he and Zang Ba had similar temperaments, they soon became close friends.Years of fighting on the battlefield has deepened the friendship between the two, and they have become brothers in life and death.In recent years, Liu Bei and Zang Ba lived in peace, and Guan Yu played a great buffer role.

After Zang Ba occupied Qingzhou, Liu Bei immediately let Guan Yu lead the army to station in Langya, just to use the personal relationship between the two to maintain the stability of the Qingzhou-Xu border.Although this intention was not realized, Qing and Xu fought frequently, but Zang Ba of Bei Qingzhou never participated in the attack.

After the defeat of Zhengrong Valley, Guan Hai and some generals of the Yellow Turban Army were very dissatisfied with Zang Ba's repeated use of the Yellow Turban Army to attack Xuzhou.Guan Hai even publicly complained in front of Gao Shun, saying that Zang Ba had the intention of dominating Qingzhou by killing people with a knife.Aware of the seriousness of the problem, Gao Shun went to Beihai several times to appease the soldiers of the Yellow Turbans in order to ease the tense relationship between North and South Qingzhou.

Zang Ba never mentioned Guan Yu in front of Gao Shun, and kept secret about the relationship between the two.This time he went south with Gao Shun to fight Xuzhou, but he still didn't reveal a word.He even rejected the imperial court's appointment specifically for this reason, and strongly recommended Gao Shun as the commander-in-chief of the army to command the Xuzhou battlefield.Gao Shun pretended not to know, and didn't ask.

Seeing that Gao Shun was very friendly, Chang Xi became more courageous.He pondered for a while, and said slowly: "Guan Yu used his troops, he was as quiet as a virgin, and moved like a rabbit, there was no trace between the movement and the stillness."

Zang Ba looked dignified, and there was a flash of admiration and surprise in his eyes.

Gao Shun looked at Zang Ba calmly, then reached out and patted the map, and asked Chang Xi with a smile, "Do you have a plan to defeat the enemy?"

Facing Gao Shun's smiling face, Chang Xi felt a little nervous, stroking the handle of the knife with both hands nervously.

"Tell me what you want." Gao Shun encouraged, "When I was your age, I only knew how to slash and kill with a knife, and I was far less knowledgeable than you."

Chang Xi's face was slightly red, and he said a little excitedly, "After the battle of Zhengrong Valley, I thought about it for a long time. The key to defeating Guan Yu lies in the movement and the stillness. If we can turn the movement into the stillness and the emptiness into reality, Guan Yu will surely win the battle." count."

Gao Shun nodded repeatedly and praised him greatly.

"Master Guan, would you like to take the lead in this attack on Xuzhou?" Gao Shun changed the subject and turned his gaze to Guan Hai.

Guan Hai was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Zang Ba who seemed nothing had happened, then at Gao Shun who was full of expectation, "hummed" a few times with great dissatisfaction, and said reluctantly, "Yes. Good." The voice was so soft that even himself can not hear.

Gao Shun waved at him.Guan Hai was helpless, stood up and walked in front of Gao Shun, bowed and asked, "What is your command?"

Gao Shun sat up straight, leaned close to Guan Hai's ear and whispered a few words.

Guan Hai first stared with thick eyebrows, his face was angry, and then his anger turned into joy, he nodded again and again, and the corners of his mouth curled up a bit of mockery.

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At the end of March, Xuzhou, Langya County, and Kaiyang City.

The news that the Yellow Turban Army sent troops to attack Xuzhou again quickly spread to Guan Yu.

"My lord, the Yellow Turban Army in Qingzhou has made a comeback, and its strength seems to have increased instead of diminished." Qin Chang pointed to the map and said, "The Yellow Turban Army conquered two cities in two days, and Dongwu and all counties fell. Puju (ju) County, the coming is not small."

Guan Yu dropped the letter in his hand, squinted his eyes and snorted coldly, "A gang of mobs can't be killed. Urgently report to Cao Bao in Juxian County, ask him to send more scouts to investigate carefully to see if Zang Ba from Beiqingzhou is here. .”

Qin Chang looked at Guan Yu in surprise, "My lord, he didn't take part in the previous two invasions of Xuzhou by the Yellow Turban soldiers. This time..."

"He will definitely come this time." Guan Yu said with certainty, "Yilu, Qingzhou is indeed occupied by Zang Ba and the Yellow Turban Army, but have you ever thought about it? Who has more prestige in the Yellow Turban Army? After all, Zang Ba is Kou Shuai, not the commander of the Yellow Turban Army. Back then, the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army was defeated by Jibei and fell apart. Sun Guan, Wu Dun and others immediately took refuge in Zang Ba, but although Why didn’t Cheng, Wu Ba and others go to seek refuge? Also, why did Zang Ba stay in North Qingzhou, while Guan Cheng was guiding Qingzhou? Who is the master of Qingzhou?”

Qin Chang understood a little bit.

"Look at Yilu..." Guan Yu pointed to the map on the table, "North Qingzhou is located between Hebei and South Qingzhou, and South Qingzhou is located between North Qingzhou and Xuzhou. Compared with the Yellow Turban Army, Zang Ba's survival The chances are much greater.”

"In order to survive, Zang Ba stepped on two boats. On the surface, he obeyed Cao Cao in the Central Plains, but secretly had close contacts with Hebei. Although this practice is disgusting, he won time for development."

"The enmity between the Yellow Turban Army and Cao Cao is as deep as the sea. If it wants to survive, it can only turn to Hebei for help. If these aids want to be transported to South Qingzhou, they must pass through Zang Ba's North Qingzhou. As the saying goes, when the geese pass, the Yellow Turban Army Without enough aid, they had no choice but to attack Xuzhou. Of course, for the Yellow Turban Army, attacking Xuzhou is an offense instead of a defense. East) is still very favorable.”

"Your Excellency, what you mean is that the Yellow Turban Army, squeezed by Zang Ba and threatened by Xuzhou, had no choice but to attack Xuzhou in order to survive, but now..." Qin Chang said doubtfully, "Guan Cheng and Wu Ba are both dead. In fact, Guan Hai, Chang Xi and others with very low qualifications can't compete with Zang Ba. In fact, Beiqingzhou is already owned by Zang Ba, so why does he want to fight Xuzhou?"

Guan Yu pointed to Hebei, "Guan Hai and Chang Xi's lack of seniority and prestige does not mean that they have no strength to compete with Zang Ba. Behind them is a powerful Hebei. Hebei does not want Zang Ba to monopolize Qingzhou, let alone Zang Ba Become the second Tian Kai to fight against himself, so Hebei will fully support the Yellow Turban Army and Zang Ba to divide Qingzhou equally. In this case, Zang Ba wants to monopolize Qingzhou. When Jianghuai was besieging Yuan Shu, he attacked Xuzhou with the Yellow Turban Army, and then completely buried the Yellow Turban Army on the Xuzhou battlefield."

Guan Yu smiled contemptuously, looked at Qin Chang and said, "Yilu, the Yellow Turban Army has almost lost its strength since it defeated Zhengrong Valley last year. How can it still have the strength to attack Xuzhou? It must be Zang who came to attack Xuzhou this time." Ba, and even some northern border troops."

"Northern Army?" Qin Chang said in surprise, "The Northern Army will go north to the desert to attack the Hu people this year, and it is unlikely that they will enter Qingzhou."

"I'm talking about the northern border army stationed in Gaotang." Guan Yu said, "If both Zang Ba and the Yellow Turban Army die on the battlefield in Xuzhou, Qingzhou will be at your fingertips." Guan Yu glanced at Qin Chang, "If you are Li Hong , are you willing to miss this golden opportunity?"

Qin Chang shook his head again and again, "Your Excellency is far-sighted and thought too thoroughly. However, based on the personal relationship between Your Excellency and Zang Ba, this battle can be won without a fight..."

Guan Yu thought for a while, then sighed softly, "Yilu, you are too wishful thinking. People in the Qingxu area privately call Brother Xuan Gao Kou Shuai. Kou Shuai, Kou Shuai..." Guan Yu repeated it several times, " As you read it and think about it, you will know what is behind these two words."

Qin Chang was at a loss.

"Send the order, the army will immediately assemble and rush to Ju County."

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At the end of March, Xiacai City (now Fengtai, Anhui) on the north bank of the Huaishui River in Jiujiang County, Yangzhou.

The news of the northern army's attack on Henan quickly spread to the Yanzhou army camp. Cao Cao was overjoyed, "It's really God helping me."

"Urgently tell Liu Bei, Sun Ce, and Zhou Yu to attack Jiujiang County immediately."

"Order all the ministries to cross the river immediately and attack Shouchun."

At the end of March, Cao Cao's army attacked Shouchun from the direction of Xiacai, Liu Bei's army attacked Yinling from the direction of Yicheng (now Huaiyuan, Anhui), Sun Ce's army attacked Liyang (now Hexian County, Anhui), and Zhou Yu's army came from Lujiang County. Attack Hefei.

Jianghuai wars are raging.

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Shouchun City.

Yuan Shu lay on a soft couch in the courtyard, staring intently at the little buds growing on the willow trees by the pond.

The breeze blows, and a faint fragrance fills the garden, refreshing.

This is my last spring.He suddenly thought of He Jin's mother, Lord Wuyang. After being killed by Dong Zhuo, Lord Wuyang became the flower fertilizer for the garden.I don't know if Cao Cao killed himself, would he tear himself into pieces and throw him under these beautiful flowers and plants.It's not bad to be able to make flower fertilizer after death.Anyway, they are all dead, and sooner or later this flesh and blood will turn into mud.

Yuan Shu raised his head slowly, looking at the blue sky.

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(End of this chapter)