At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty

Guo Peng guessed that with Cheng Yu's character, he must like to do everything by himself, and he will not let go of his power.

Guo Peng doesn't like this way of handling things. He must catch what should be caught and let go of what should be released.

You, the prime minister of the empire, do you still want to ask ordinary people about the theft of a few copper coins?Are you Zhuge Kongming?

Guo Peng scolded Cheng Yu twice, Cheng Yu was honest, and never sent similar letters, but that was the case, Guo Peng also knew that Cheng Yu was really under a lot of pressure.

After much deliberation, Guo Peng decided to transfer 20 of his clerks back to help Cheng Yu, and then let them supervise Cheng Yu instead of Guo Peng, and he was not allowed to work for more than five hours a day.

It was rare for a great talent from a poor family to sit with his butt, and if he didn't protect it well, Guo Peng really couldn't bear it.

When it comes to talents from humble landlord families, Guo Peng has also discovered and cultivated a lot over the years.

However, most of them are talents from a county, and there are very few talents from a county, let alone talents from a state or the central government.

However, during the period of marching, Zhao Yun recommended a talent to Guo Peng.

This person's name is Zhang Ji, and his surname is De Rong. He is Feng Yi from Gaoling. He was born in a humble landlord family in Sanfu.

When there was no chaos in Chang'an, he made good political achievements and received awards. When he was about to be promoted, the chaos of Li Jue and Guo Si started, and the land of Sanfu was brutally poisoned.

Later, Chang'an was hit by a great plague. Nine out of ten people were killed, and the remaining one either fled to Liangzhou or Hanzhong. Zhang Ji was among them and led the people from his hometown to escape in the direction of Liangzhou.

It wasn't until the establishment of the Hongnong court and the disappearance of the plague that Zhang Ji brought the villagers back to Gaoling and rebuilt his hometown amidst the ruins.

When Ma Teng, Han Sui and Zhang Ji were fighting in Chang'an, Zhang Ji led the villagers to hide in the mountains. When Zhao Yun led his army to Gaoling and came here on behalf of the Wei army, Zhang Ji heard about Zhao Yun's reputation and went to the mountains. On behalf of the villagers, I came to meet Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun was very surprised that there were still officials here protecting the people and building their hometown, so he immediately asked Zhang Ji about what he had experienced.

After listening to it, Zhao Yun deeply felt that Zhang Ji was brave, resourceful, courageous and insightful, so he decided to recommend Zhang Ji to Guo Peng.

Guo Peng then met with Zhang Ji and learned of this young official who never forgot his hometown and villagers no matter the wind or rain.

Guo Peng asked some of Zhang Ji's views on the Kansai region, as well as his views on Ma Teng, Han Sui and others, and unexpectedly found that this young man still had some opinions.

He has his own views on the construction and planning of the Kansai area after the war, and he has a deep understanding of the geographical environment around Chang'an, so he has some practical skills.

Guo Peng became interested in talent, so he took Zhang Ji by his side to train him carefully, and planned to let him be a county magistrate after this battle to test the waters to see how capable he is, whether he can adapt to the situation and so on.

Fighting belongs to fighting, and you must have ability. If this matter is done well, Guo Peng doesn't mind promoting this young man vigorously.

Guo Peng is also the only one who has the leisure to promote talents while fighting wars.

But even so, Guo Peng has never slacked off on military affairs.

After night fell, I personally led a team to inspect the barracks, and when I got up early in the morning, I also personally led a team to inspect the camps and war preparations of each barracks.

The onslaught on Chang'an City still has not stopped, but now it has been replaced by trebuchets as the main attack.

Sometimes the bombing lasted for a whole day, and the smashed city was restless, and the smashed towers were in chaos.

Sometimes even after the sky darkened and the siege stopped, everyone would come for one or two rounds while eating and resting, catching the Liangzhou soldiers who were resting off guard.

Sometimes it is better to have another round or two when the sky is just dawn, so that the Liangzhou soldiers who are not awake are suddenly awakened, and they are worried that something terrible will happen.

This cycle goes on and on, and the Liangzhou soldiers in the city are always living in heavy anxiety and uneasiness. The short time is good, but the situation will be very different after a long time.

There were frequent deserters, and they fled to the west city gate in the middle of the night, followed the rope down from the west city gate, and then ran all the way back to their hometown in Liangzhou, escaping from this terrible Shura field.

Even the Liangzhou soldiers who grew up in the Shura field could not bear this kind of torture, which shows how treacherous and cruel Guo is.

The low morale in Chang'an City has already troubled Ma Teng and Han Sui, and Guo Peng's attacks regardless of day and night have also made them embarrassed.

Then, Ma Chao, who had ended his grounding, took the initiative to invite Ying, wanting to make up for the crime.

He proposed to lead an elite cavalry by himself, and when Guo Peng used the catapult in the early morning or at night, he immediately opened the city gate and rushed out to attack, attacked suddenly, destroyed their catapult, and let out a fierce breath.

Chapter 559 Eight Ma Teng please make peace

Ma Teng did not refuse Ma Chao's request.

He agreed to Ma Chao and handed him a cavalry force of 1000 men, intending to let Ma Chao pay for his merits.

Ma Chao did the same.

But Guo Peng did not expect that the preparations were too complete, as if he had guessed that Ma Chao would come, he lined up the guard formation steadily, and Ma Chao's cavalry fell on their backs after a shower of arrows.

Ma Chao had no choice but to face defeat, and ran back quickly, at least to save most of the cavalry.

This time I really lost my face, I lost nothing at all. I lost to the same person again and again. It can only be said that my skills are not as good as others. Ma Chao, who is proud and arrogant, has to admit Guo Peng's ability to command troops Indeed above him.

Guo Peng was able to level the princes in the chaotic land of the Central Plains and unify the Central Plains and Hebei. This ability is really not a boast. He really has real talents and learning, and he is clearly superior to Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.

As expected of a disciple of Lu Zhi, a famous scholar in China...

Guo Zifeng, who has come to this day as the son of a county magistrate, is so terrifying.

Ma Teng and Han Sui sighed.

Faced with such a situation, with the passage of time, seeing Guo Peng's unabated offensive, Ma Teng and Han Sui had to admit that Guo Peng's logistics ability was as unique as his military ability, and it was difficult to counter .

While feeling desperate, the two also decided to choose a suitable time to withdraw their troops and stop fighting Guo Peng for the time being.

It was their misfortune to encounter such an enemy.

"Guo Zifeng's power is too strong for us to fight against. If this continues, the entire army will be wiped out here sooner or later. We can't continue to hesitate. Wen Yue, it's time for us to withdraw our troops."

Ma Teng looked at Han Sui and sighed.

Han Sui's expression turned ugly, but he had to admit that Ma Teng was right. Guo Peng was too strong for them to fight against. If they continued to fight, they could only die in Chang'an City, and there was no other way out.

To retreat and return to Liangzhou while Guo Peng has not sealed all the escape routes, so that he might be able to preserve his strength, Xu Tu said later.

They didn't want to believe that Guo Peng still had the logistical ability to chase from Chang'an to Liangzhou. If that was the case, they wouldn't feel at a loss if they fell.

There is no shame in fighting such an opponent and being defeated and eliminated.

After making up their minds, the two began to make plans, how to retreat, how to escape Guo Peng's pursuit and so on.

They discussed to see if they could negotiate a truce with Guo Peng. Wouldn't it be best for them to let Chang'an go, and Guo Peng let them go back to Liangzhou, and the two sides would have nothing to do?

So Ma Teng and Han Sui sent someone to convey this idea to Guo Peng.

They said that this battle has been fought so far, and everyone has suffered a lot of casualties and is very tired. If the fight continues, it will not be a good thing for anyone. If Guo Peng is willing, they are willing to withdraw from Chang'an City and the Sanfu area. Back to Liangzhou.

And Guo Peng needs to ensure their safety, not to chase them, and let them return to Liangzhou safely, and they will not invade each other from now on, and the two will be safe.

Guo Peng didn't find it strange at all when he got such news, he just thought it was natural and expected that Ma Teng and Han Sui made such a decision.

"Ma Teng and Han Sui intend to make peace. They want to give up the land of Sanfu and return to Liangzhou. They beg me not to continue attacking them and let them go. Do you think this is good or bad?"

The Chang'an offensive and defensive battle has been going on until the end of May and almost June. The Chang'an garrison has lost more than [-] people. Those who died in the battle died of starvation, died of illness, and had no medicine to save them. It's gone.

Guo Peng also killed more than [-] people and injured more than [-]. Although most of them could be cured and returned to the team, the expenditure on medicinal materials was also a large sum, and the burden on the logistics team was indeed not small.

Therefore, most people think this is an acceptable option. Let them give up Chang'an, withdraw from Sanfu, and return to Liangzhou, and Guo Peng's pre-war plan will be fully realized.

According to the Sili, occupying the land of Kansai, from now on can gain a foothold in Kansai, and expand the land for [-] miles. This is a great military victory.

Xun You supports this view, and feels that from a tactical point of view, it is certainly possible to continue to attack Chang'an, but the loss will be too great. The current situation may not be the best choice.

Guo Peng nodded, thinking it was right, but still wanted to hear some other opinions, so he turned his attention to Lu Su.

"Zijing, what do you think?"

This is how many times Guo Peng asked Lu Su for his opinion. Guo Peng seemed to appreciate this little-known poor scholar in Xuzhou, which made many people feel strange and a little jealous.

Lu Su didn't panic. He had been worried since just now. When Guo Peng asked him, he said, "Wei Gong, I think it's right to do this. We should end the battle of Chang'an as soon as possible and prepare for the next battle." Get ready."

"The next battle?"

All the generals in the military tent were talking about it, and so were the counselors.

Zhao Yun looked at Lu Su strangely: "Where is the next battle coming? Is it to enter Liangzhou?"

"No, it's not to attack Liangzhou, but to defend Sili."

Lu Su shook his head and said, "The army under Liu Jiyu defending Hanzhong is going north."

Guo Peng nodded slightly.

This is what he wants to hear.

Lu Su's overall view is really excellent.

Xun You didn't think of this until Lu Su brought it up, so he also looked at Lu Su with a little surprise, thinking that this young man's thinking pattern is quite good.

It is very rare to always think of things that ordinary people cannot think of.

Lu Su continued to expand on this topic.

"As far as we know, two months ago, the battle of Hanzhong was over. Liu Jiyu's general Pang Xi led the army to capture Hanzhong. The former Hanzhong prefect Zhang Lu died in battle and set himself on fire. The whole territory of Hanzhong was occupied by Liu Jiyu. Liu Jiyu occupied Hanzhong After that, the Northern Expedition will inevitably be chosen.

And if we and Ma Han's army fight here for too long, we will lose too much military power, Kansai will be damaged, and recovery will be difficult. If we don't save more food and grass now, let the army be trained, and build some military facilities, When the Shu army goes north, we will have a very difficult time dealing with it. "

As soon as Lu Su finished speaking, he was interrupted by Cao Hong who couldn't wait.

"Wait a minute, Lu Zijing, why do you say that Liu Jiyu will definitely go to the Northern Expedition? How do you know that Liu Jiyu will definitely go to the Northern Expedition?"

Cao Hong was very dissatisfied with Lu Su's seemingly arbitrary statement, and spoke out against it.

Lu Su said unhurriedly: "General Cao, I am not without grounds for saying this, because after Liu Jiyu conquered Hanzhong, he didn't do nothing and rested his troops to support the people. Ma, and, go to the name of King of Shu and change to King of Hanzhong."

Cao Hong also had a general understanding of that period of history, knowing that the King of Hanzhong was Liu Bang's title before he proclaimed himself emperor.

However, there were still many generals in the tent who didn't know about this matter, so Lu Su gave a general explanation and added a little historical knowledge to them.

"In the past, Emperor Gao, the great ancestor, was entrusted in Hanzhong by Xiang Yu before becoming emperor, and became the king of Hanzhong, but Emperor Gao did not rest on his laurels, but actively sought opportunities to return to the Central Plains.

So Emperor Gao took Han Xin as a general, built plank roads, crossed Chencang secretly, sent troops to the Northern Expedition to capture the Guanzhong land, occupied the Qin land, used this as his foundation, and competed with Xiang Yu for hegemony in the world, and finally established the Great Han. "

After supplementing the historical knowledge, Lu Su looked at the people in the tent, saw their suddenly enlightened expressions, and knew that he didn't need to say anything more.

Chapter 560. 560 Nine Han Kingdoms, is it over?

People who have mastered the necessary historical knowledge seem to have made the most basic judgment on the current situation.

So at this time, Zhang Zhao also spoke.

"Liu Jiyu changed his name to King of Hanzhong. This is the clearest signal. Wei Gong, Liu Jiyu called himself King of Hanzhong, this is to announce to the whole world that he will occupy Guanzhong, return to Chang'an, proclaim himself emperor under heaven, and inherit the throne of the Han Dynasty. "

Zhang Zhao said loudly: "Duke Wei, this is unusual, this is very unusual! From what I can see, this is Liu Jiyu who wants to become emperor!"

As soon as he said that, the civil servants and generals who were full of tents were shocked, and they all looked at Guo Peng in shock.

But seeing Guo Peng's calm expression, they all felt at a loss.

"Liu Jiyu is a family member of the Han family. His father Liu Yan was once the patriarch of the Han family. In terms of blood, he is also very close to the royal family. If he wants to be emperor, it is not impossible in name. Why are you so surprised? ?”

Guo Peng glanced around at the civil servants and military generals, seeing their confused faces, he was secretly happy.

"Wei Gong, what contribution does Liu Jiyu have to the country? What prestige does he have? How can he be able to proclaim himself emperor and command the world?"

Turning his eyes, the bright Chen Gong immediately said, "When the Han Dynasty fell, did Liu Jiyu stand up to save the Han Dynasty? Did he attack Dong Zhuo? Did he attack Li Jue and Guo Si? Did he attack Duan? Simmer and Zhang Ji yet?

He didn't do anything, he lived in a corner of peace, and was his Yizhou shepherd in Yizhou. He had no merits for the country, and made no contribution to the people of the world. Even if such a person occupies Chang'an and proclaims himself emperor, will anyone believe him?Will anyone support him? "

Chen Gong's statement aroused the unanimous indignation of most people, and they all believed that Liu Zhang did not have the qualifications to proclaim himself emperor.

When the country was in crisis, he didn't make any contribution. Now that the emperor is gone, and the emperor's position is still in the air, he stood up and chose to pick up the leak, trying to take advantage of it. Is there such a good thing in this world?

If you really want to talk about the emperor, isn't Guo Peng more suitable than him?

Guo Pengcai was a meritorious official who made great contributions to the Han Dynasty.

Crusade against the rebellious Yellow Turban, crusade against the rebel Zhang Ju Zhang Chun, crusade against the disobedient Xianbei, crusade against the disobedient Karasuma, crusade against the disobedient Xiongnu, crusade against the rebellious Dong Zhuo, crusade against Yuan Shao who did not honor the Han Dynasty, and crusade against the false emperor Yuan Shu, crusade against Duan Yan and Zhang Ji who killed the emperor.

One by one, being loyal to the country and supporting the Han Dynasty, isn't this what everyone has seen with their own eyes?

Almost everyone under Guo Peng's command believed that if it hadn't been for Guo Peng's hard work in the world for more than ten years, fighting against the forces of disobedience in the world, and trying his best to maintain the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty would have perished long ago.

There is no need to wait for the previous Hongnong Mutiny, the Han Dynasty will have perished long ago, and the world will be divided into countless small countries faster, and it will be even more chaotic than it is now.

In terms of merit, ability, character, and achievements, if Guo Peng was a Han family member, he would have been eagerly embraced by everyone as the emperor to inherit the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty, but Guo Peng's surname was not Liu.

But, after the collapse of the Hongnong Central Court, many people's psychology has changed, and they have certain strange views.