Great Han Empire

Chapter 859 The Heroes of Troubled Times Compete in the Central Plains
At the end of July, in Langya County, Xuzhou, Kaiyang City.

The stalemate on the Central Plains battlefield made Zang Ba more and more uneasy, especially after the meeting between Jiqiu and Chen Deng a few days ago, after Chen Deng's analysis and speculation of the current situation, Zang Ba felt even more frightened.If it weren't for his strong admiration and trust in the general's bravery, he might have expressed his panic on the spot.

After Chen Deng succeeded Guan Yu and went to the East China Sea, Zang Ba's Qingzhou Army had withdrawn from Tan (tan) City and stationed on the front line of Kaiyang in Langya County.Relying on his past relationship with Zang Ba, Chen Deng wrote to Zang Ba repeatedly, urging him to take advantage of the situation to return to the Xuchang court, turn against him, and help the coalition forces defeat Hebei.At that time, the northern army was in a state of invincibility, and Zang Ba received the latest battle situation from Handan from time to time. Of course, he did not take Chen Deng's persuasion seriously. It also gradually changed.At this time, Chen Deng invited him to meet again in Jiqiu.Chen Deng said, we haven't seen each other since I became the prefect of Guangling. Doesn't Brother Xuan Gao want to get together with old friends and catch up?Zang Ba thought for a long time, so he decided to go to Jiqiu.

Chen Deng was born in a noble family in Xuzhou. He is knowledgeable and resourceful, but he is unruly and rebellious. He is known as the madman of Xuzhou. Because of this character, he has never been given the opportunity to be filial.Chen Deng felt that he was not happy, and his behavior was more wild. This situation lasted until Tao Qian came to Xuzhou when he was 25 years old, and he got a chance to make his mark.Chen Deng was first promoted as Xiaolian, then appointed as the magistrate of Dongyang (now west of Jinhu County, Jiangsu Province), and soon Tao Qian was appointed as the captain of Diannong.He implemented a series of agricultural and water conservancy measures in Xuzhou, which greatly restored Xuzhou's wealth in just a few years.Both Chen Deng and Zang Ba are very important to Tao Qian, and Zang Ba is very respectful to Chen Deng, and never cares about Chen Deng's cynicism. The relationship between the two gradually improves and they become friends.Among Xuzhou Gaomen, Chen Deng was the only one who had a close relationship with Zang Ba, a warrior born in the Yellow Turban.

After Chen Deng met Zang Ba, he made a thorough analysis of the current situation. In the end, he concluded that as long as Yuan Shao sticks to the established strategy to defend Guandu and drag the war until the Yellow River freezes this winter, the northern army will undoubtedly lose.Zang Ba suddenly realized the seriousness of the problem.Last month, the imperial court decreed that Zang Hong from Guangling was sent to serve as the governor of Qingzhou, and three prefects were appointed at the same time. In this way, only two prefects of the six counties in Qingzhou were still subordinates to him, and the other counties were all under the control of Hebei.If the Northern Xinjiang Army is defeated and completely retreats to the north bank of the Yellow River, then he will be the first to be attacked by the coalition forces.Did I, as Chen Deng said, should take precautions early, so as not to work hard in the end and ruin the lives of myself and tens of thousands of brothers in vain?But now that Zang Hong and the three prefects have taken office, even if he wants to go back on his word and drive Zang Hong and others out of Xuzhou, he has no time to do it again, unless Chen Deng is allowed to defect and lead his army back to Qingzhou from the Xuzhou battlefield. Come on, Guan Hai, Wu Dun and more than 1 Qingzhou soldiers on the battlefield in the Central Plains will never come back alive.

Thinking of Hebei's spare no effort to help Qingzhou over the past year, thinking of the high hopes placed on him by General Li Hong and Zhang Yan who came to Qingzhou successively, thinking of Cao Cao's hatred for Xuzhou's massacre and Tao Qian's death, thinking of Liu Bei's hatred for himself Zang Ba's heart is caught in a fierce struggle, how should he choose?

Just when Zang Ba was at a loss, the letter from Handan made him keenly sense a hint of crisis.Handan sent a letter saying that if the rebels on the Xuzhou battlefield attacked too fiercely, Zang Ba could lead his army to abandon Langya County and stick to Qingzhou.Handan's offensive and defensive strategy on the Xuzhou battlefield is so negative, does it mean that the Central Plains battle is also heading for the abyss of failure?

Zang Ba locked himself in his study, thinking about the situation day and night, carefully weighing the pros and cons.At this time, I made a slight mistake, but I died without a place to bury him.

Seeing that Zang Ba was getting more and more haggard, Sun Guan and Yin Li didn't understand, but they didn't know what Zang Ba was thinking, and they couldn't persuade him.

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At this time, Zang Hong, the governor of Qingzhou, and Ni Heng, the governor of Yuanyuan County, personally escorted the grain and grass to Kaiyang.

Zang Ba was very surprised when he heard the news.Did Hebei hear something?Zang Ba went out of the city to meet him anxiously.

Zang Hong is well-known in Xuzhou. Although he went to the Central Plains to fight against Dong Zhuo with Zhang Chao, the former prefect of Guangling County, and has never returned since then, the Zang family is a high-ranking family in Guangling County, Xuzhou. When he joined the alliance, he was also the member of the main alliance, and his name has already spread all over the world.Zang Ba has been famous for a long time, seeing him at this time, seeing his handsome appearance and dignified appearance, he admired him even more.

After the three exchanged pleasantries, You Heng stared into Zang Ba's eyes, and asked with a smile: "Master Zang, are you surprised that the two of us have come all the way to Kaiyang?"

Zang Ba kept the smile on his face, calm and composed.He is very familiar with Mi Heng, and he has experienced this person's arrogance for more than a year. The best way to deal with this kind of person is to remain silent and put on a respectful expression.No matter how wildly he spouts, you will always listen attentively and never say a word.After a long time, he repeatedly found himself bored, and his unrestrained spirit naturally restrained a lot.You Heng was also very aggrieved when he stayed in Qingzhou. One Gao Shun and the other Zang Ba, both of them are calm and quiet people. Often you Heng speaks so much that your voice is hoarse, and you can't hear the two of them. Back a word.At the beginning, Wu Xiong still confronted him, but every time he scolded him so badly. Later, Wu Xiong learned to be smart, and ran away when he saw Mi Heng. He couldn't afford to hide.However, dislikes are nothing to hate. A few people still admire Mi Heng's talent. Mi Heng is not only proficient in scriptures, but also has excellent rhetoric and Fu. He is also very clever in handling government affairs. The new tax system is largely due to his many implementation strategies.

"We were worried that Chen Yuanlong (Chen Deng) would drive a wedge between you and Hebei, so we rushed to see you." Mi Heng said without hesitation.

Zang Ba was startled, but the smile on his face did not change at all.

"We are very familiar with Yuanlong." Zang Hong smiled and said, "Like Zhengping (Mi Heng), he has a bad temper since he was a child, but his intelligence is too outstanding. When you got along with him in Xuzhou Not bad, and the reason why you get along well with him is because of your solid personality. Yuanlong knows you very well, and he will definitely not miss this opportunity to use your personality to speak against you."

Zang Ba was taken aback again, suddenly came to his senses, a coolness could not help but pass over his vest.There was no change on Zang Ba's face, but there was a change in his eyes. Mi Heng, who had been staring at him, noticed it immediately, "Has he looked for you?"

Zang Ba hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Have you met him?" Mi Heng's face suddenly darkened, "No wonder I don't think you look right. You haven't fought for more than two months. You should be well. Why are you so haggard? It turns out that you were hit. Yuanlong's estrangement plan."

"It's a fluke." Zang Hong stretched out his hand to pat Zang Ba, and comforted him, "Fortunately, we came quickly, otherwise, if you see him a few more times, things will get out of hand."

Zang Ba's smile gradually disappeared, and his face became ugly.

"I'll tell you one thing." Zang Hong leaned closer to Zang Ba and whispered, "The eldest princess has already gone north to the desert to recruit Hu cavalry. When the time comes, the general of the left guard Xian Yufu, the governor of Mobei Yan Wuwei, the governor of Liaodong Yu Peng, and the Hu cavalry The king will lead about [-] cavalry to the south of the Central Plains."

Zang Ba's eyebrows were frowned, and he was startled, "Hu Qi? Your Highness wants to lead Hu Qi south?"

"Isn't it crazy?" Mi Heng raised his horsewhip, pointed to the north, and smiled triumphantly, "In today's world, in terms of courage and courage, who can compare with our eldest princess?"

"How is this possible? How can you let the barbarians go to the Central Plains to join the war?" Zang Ba's blood surged, and a burst of anger rushed into his forehead, "How can you let the barbarians massacre my fellow citizens?"

Zang Hong smiled wryly, "This is the will of the emperor and the court. To put it bluntly, it is the eldest princess' decision. I heard that the ministers in Jinyang expressed their opposition in unison, but the eldest princess did not give in and went to the desert in person."

"What's wrong with the barbarians? Those barbarians are now my big man's subjects, why can't you turn your head around?" You Heng patted Zang Ba's arm with the whip in his hand, "The general led an army of 20 into the Damo, why? Is it just to get back millions of livestock? Damo is now the Dahan’s desert, the Dahan’s territory, and everything on that territory, including those barbarians, is my Dahan’s property. Why can’t we Use it?"

Zang Ba snorted, feeling extremely dissatisfied, "How can you let the barbarians go south?"

"Since the resurgence of Emperor Guangwu in this dynasty, the southern Xiongnu first became vassals, and then the Qiang tribes and Karasuma tribes successively belonged to them. In order to defend the frontiers, this dynasty has repeatedly recruited Huqi to conquer the Quartet. At this time, it is the time of Sheji At the moment of peril, it is still understandable for the imperial court to order Hu Qi to go south to counter the rebellion." Although Zang Hong himself also had a feeling of resistance, facing Zang Ba's dissatisfaction, he had to defend the imperial court's decision a few words.

"That's using Hu to control Hu. It's a strategy for defending the border, not a strategy for countering rebellion. When the Yellow Turbans rebelled, why did the court recruit Hu Qi to go south to suppress the rebellion?" Zang Ba said angrily, "Although this move can determine the outcome of the Central Plains War Win or lose, but I can't take it."

"If you can't accept it, you can accept it after you have figured it out. If you really can't figure it out, you can impeach the eldest princess. I support you." You Heng waved his hand forcefully, "The reason why we told you this is to strengthen your confidence. In the Central Plains War, we will win."

"This matter has nothing to do with the Xuzhou battlefield. Don't think about it for now, and settle the matter on the Xuzhou battlefield first." Zang Hong persuaded, "We had no right to know about this matter, but the general considered the safety of the Xuzhou battlefield. , That's why we deliberately informed us, and asked us to rush to Kaiyang to tell you. Lord Zang must understand the great general's painstaking efforts."

Zang Ba lowered his head and thought for a while, then heaved a long sigh, "Yuan Long told me that Yuan Shao had made up his mind to stick to the Guandu battlefield until winter came. At that time, the Yellow River was frozen, the transportation of grain and grass was difficult, and Hebei's wealth was on the verge of exhaustion. What if we have [-] cavalry? Could it be that the barbarians abandon their war horses and attack the city?"

"Why not?" Mi Heng smiled indifferently, "The more Hu people die, the safer the northern border, and the safer the northern border, we will have no worries, and the pace of calming down the world will be faster. Don't you know this? Unexpected? Do you think that the imperial court recruited Hu Qi to travel thousands of miles south, so it really has some good intentions?"

Zang Ba and Zang Hong looked at Mi Heng thoughtfully.

"That's why I say you are stupid, you can't even think of such a simple thing." Mi Heng raised his horsewhip and tapped Zang Ba's helmet frantically, "Chen Yuanlong thinks he is smart, and he tricked you. Just use the trick and trick him once. When the time comes, you take advantage of the unpreparedness to eat him in one bite, and then kill Xuzhou in one go, and he will vomit blood to death in anger, haha..."

"Just count?"

"Yes. You take the initiative to contact Chen Deng and put on a painful look. Seeing that the scheme is successful, Chen Deng will definitely intimidate and lure you. You take the opportunity to blackmail him, and you can blackmail as much money as you can. Then you pretend to be persuaded by him. Hand over the pleadings to Yuan Shao and Liu Bei, expressing your willingness to respond internally, lead the army back to Qingzhou, and join forces with Chen Deng to attack Jizhou."

"Attack Jizhou?" Zang Ba's eyes lit up, "Trick Chen Deng to Qingzhou, and then..."

"Then it's the matter of the general." You Heng smiled, "The general can use this matter to make various gestures to lure the enemy. In short, you just need to use the Xuzhou battlefield to trick Yuan Shao into running around, thinking that you have the chance to win. It is a great achievement to be willing to swing an army to a decisive battle." Mi Heng talked eloquently, and when he was excited, he raised his horsewhip and wanted to beat Zang Ba again.Zang Ba got angry, grabbed Mi Heng's whip, and sneered at him, "If you hit me on the head again, I'll break your leg." You Heng was startled, and backed away in a hurry , "Hey, my temper has changed today, and I will lose my temper."

"Okay, okay..." Zang Hong grabbed Zang Ba, "Let's go back to the city and discuss in detail. This time, we must let Chen Yuanlong get sick, and then take the opportunity to bring him to Hebei."

"Yuanlong's illness has not recovered. From time to time, he has chest tightness and can't breathe. If the three of us lie to him together, we may really piss him off." Zang Ba said worriedly.

"He won't die." You Heng said with a smile, "I remember that when Master Huatuo came to Xuzhou one year, he saw a doctor for him and left some prescriptions. He later boasted everywhere, saying that Master Huatuo said He can live to be at least 80 years old." Thinking that Chen Deng was about to fall into a trap, Mi Heng was so happy that he grinned so much.

"Is cheating so much fun?" Zang Ba gave him a dissatisfied look.

"What do you know?" You Heng waved his hand disdainfully at him, "When I was with him in the past, he couldn't speak up to me, and every time I refuted him, he was speechless, so he tried to trick me , made me quite ugly."

"is it?"

"Yes." Zang Hong laughed, pointing at Mi Heng with a look of hatred on his face, "One year, the son of Mr. Fu Wanfu got married unexpectedly, and scholars from Qing, Xu, and Yan prefectures gathered in Dongwu. Then When everyone was young, it was very pleasant to scold Fang Qiu and point out the country together. Drinking inevitably involves gambling, and gambling requires gambling. Drumming and singing. As a result..."

"You will die if you don't speak?" Mi Heng stared at Zang Hong who couldn't help laughing, and cursed viciously.

"What happened later? Afterwards, your lord was fooled by Yuanlong, and you played drums and sang naked?" Zang Ba asked curiously.

"Of course...haha...at that time...there were many female relatives in the lobby at that time, seeing Zhengping naked and holding a small drum singing there, they were scared away, the scene was very funny...haha..." Zang Hong's face was red, and he hugged his belly and laughed wildly, tears came out.

Zang Ba looked at Mi Heng in disbelief, and finally couldn't help laughing wildly. He was worried that the confusion would take the opportunity to go crazy, and ran away with his head in his arms, "Haha...Your Excellency still has such embarrassing things, haha..."

"Ziyuan (Zang Hong)..." Mi Heng roared and drew his sword, "I'm going to kill you..."

Zang Hong followed closely behind Zang Ba, and fled with his head in his arms.

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At the end of July, Xiaopei, Yuzhou (Pei County, Pei County, now Pei County, Jiangsu Province).

After Cao Chun was ordered to rush to Pei County, his original intention was to attack Rencheng along the Sishui River, but because he led cavalry, and Xuzhou supplied him with food and grass according to the number of infantry, the result was a serious shortage of food and grass for the army, so he had to Stranded in camp outside the city.

Soon, he received a secret letter from Cao Cao.Cao Cao told him to preserve his strength. Even if he had to go north to attack Yanzhou, he should try his best to be as hypocritical as possible, and not to start direct contact with the northern army.This secret letter came at the right time. Although Xu Chang repeatedly urged him to go north to attack, Cao Chun always replied with a very innocent tone.Grain, you have to give me [-] cavalry for me to have the strength to fight.

At that time, the Guandu battlefield was in full swing, but Cao Chun and the tiger and leopard cavalry soldiers could only lie on the river embankment to bask in the sun and bathe the horses, feeling bored.

At this time, Ren Jun came in a hurry.Ren Jun and Cao Cao are relatives and often participate in major decision-making.He came to Xiaopei suddenly when he was extremely nervous on the Guandu battlefield, which surprised Cao Chun.After Ren Jun explained Cao Cao's strategy in detail, Cao Chun was dumbfounded. Even with ten heads, he couldn't imagine that the Central Plains War would turn into the situation it is today.

"You ask Xu Chu to bring three thousand tiger and leopard riders back to Guandu immediately." Ren Jun said, "Whether the prime minister can escape from the battlefield at Guandu depends on these three thousand iron riders."

"Then what should we do?" Cao Chun asked suspiciously, "We only have 2000 people. Do you want to occupy Xuzhou with 2000 people?"

"Zhongquan (Xiahouba) has secretly returned to his hometown in Qiao County to gather people, and it is estimated that he can gather 2000 people temporarily."

"That's only 4000 people." Cao Chun exclaimed, "Brother Boda, you won't let me attack Xuzhou with 4000 people?"

"There is still a group of people." Ren Jun smiled and shook his head, "Bo Ning (Man Chong) has been ordered to go south to meet Liu Xun in Lujiang County, Yangzhou day and night."

"Liu Xun, Liu Zitai?"

"Liu Xun first betrayed Yuan Shao and then Yuan Shu. Who would dare to take him in? This time Yuan Shao repeatedly ordered him to lead the army north to the Central Plains, but he just refused to go. Does he dare to go? If he goes, he will die." Ren Jun sneered. "When we attacked Yangzhou last year, Liu Xun was the first to surrender. It was because of his surrender that Li Ye, Qiao Rui, Zhang Xun and others died in Qi (qi), so now he even stays in Yangzhou. If I can't go down, I can only hide in the Anfeng and Anfeng areas like a bereaved dog."

"The prime minister said that when Liu Xun surrendered to us, he believed in us. We can't just abandon him like this. In addition, he has more than 1 people. I heard that he has recently recruited many remnants of the Yellow Turban Army in the Dabie Mountains. , so we can't abandon him now. If Liu Xun is willing to join us in the north, is our army enough to attack Xuzhou?"

Cao Chun nodded, "Liu Xun is desperate, besides going north to attack Xuzhou with us, is there any way for him to survive?"

Ren Jun smiled and reached out to pat Cao Chun on the shoulder, "Look, are we going to Pengcheng now?"

"Should we go now?" Cao Chun hesitated, "Didn't you say just now that we won't be able to do anything until Xu You succeeds in countermeasures and Guandu starts a decisive battle?"

"We don't have enough food and grass, so we can only go to Pengcheng first." Ren Jun smiled mysteriously, "Tell me, will Jian Yong welcome us when we arrive in Pengcheng?"

Cao Chun smiled without saying a word.

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Under July, Yingchuan, Yuzhou, Xuchang.

Xu You's defection caused Xu Chang to panic. After all, Xu You had mastered almost all the secrets of the coalition forces, which was a great blow to the morale of the coalition forces.Although Yuan Shao explained repeatedly in his letters to Liu Biao and Jushou, it could not change the fact that the coalition forces had to change their established strategy and actively seek a decisive battle instead.At this moment, even if the coalition forces continue to implement the policy of delay, they must launch a counterattack within a short period of time in order to contain the main force of the Northern Xinjiang Army, make up for many problems caused by Xu You's defection, and buy time for the coalition forces to readjust their deployment.

Jushou's mood was very low for a while, perhaps because of his sympathy, he did not express any opinion on Xu You's defection, his enthusiasm for the war disappeared all of a sudden, and he often sat alone beside the map in a daze.Liu Biao often comforted him for this.Although delaying the war is also a solution, but the war has been delayed for too long and there are too many variables, who knows what accidents will happen to us?Isn't it an accident that Yuan Shao wanted to kill Cao Cao this time?This kind of accident may cause the coalition forces to collapse instantly, so it is more appropriate to actively seek opportunities for a decisive battle.

"There are many things that are puzzling about this anti-insidious plan." Ju Shou once said to Liu Biao, "Is this an anti-indirect plan by Yuan Shao, or by Cao Cao, or by the coalition forces? After killing Xu You's Nine Clans, is it possible for Xu You to continue to carry out countermeasures for Yuan Shao? If this is Cao Cao's countermeasures, what does Cao Cao want to do? If this is the coalition's countermeasures, then where will Xu You go after the war is over? live?"

Liu Biao looked solemn, and a trace of panic flashed in his eyes.Ju Shou kept staring at Liu Biao, he noticed the change in Liu Biao's eyes, and his heart moved.

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I go to work in the afternoon and no longer update at night.

(End of this chapter)