Three Kingdoms Eschatology

Chapter 167

In the early morning, Yuan Shang was still sleeping soundly in the gentle countryside with his beautiful wife Zhen Mi in his arms.But the servant called him urgently from outside the bedroom door.Yuan Shao appointed him to guard Yecheng. After the Jiulitun incident was introduced to Yecheng, the guards of Yecheng would naturally be the first to inform him of the news.

"What's the matter? Disturbing people's cleanliness early in the morning." Yuan Shang, who was awakened, shouted sullenly.

"Third Prince, please forgive me! But the matter is so important, the little one has to rush to report to the Third Prince! Otherwise, the small one will be even more guilty."

Yuan Shang seemed to be in a hurry, so he could only continue to say, "What is it? Tell me now!"

The man had no choice but to shout through the door: "His Royal Highness, the Han army has appeared in the southern suburbs of Yecheng!"

Yuan Shang was surprised: "What!?"

At this time Zhen Mi also woke up, gently removed Yuan Shang's hands that were on her body, and said: "Your Highness's state affairs are important, don't be lingering with the bed."

Only then did Yuan Shang get out of bed in a hurry, put on his clothes and belts and wash up, and then went out.Zhen Mi turned over on the bed and fell asleep peacefully.

Hearing the news of the attack on the southern suburbs of Yecheng, Yuan Shang's first reaction was "the people below must have made a mistake."After repeated confirmation, he thought that the black bandit who was driven away in the early years had returned.

It wasn't until the guards reminded him that the opponent was a heavy cavalry with both men and horses in armor, that he believed that the Han army was really attacking, and it was impossible for the Black Mountain Army to equip such heavy cavalry.

Just when Yuan Shang couldn't make up his mind and was at a loss what to do.Another servant came to report-seeking to see each other every time.Feng Ji was appointed as his young master by Yuan Shao, and he also got the details at this time, so he rushed to see him.

Feng Ji hurriedly said to him: "Your Highness, if you don't lead troops to pursue the Han army at this time, when will you wait? This is crucial to your future career. If Your Highness doesn't take any action, I'm afraid the Holy Majesty will have some ideas On the contrary, if His Highness can severely defeat the attacking Han army, the Holy Majesty will definitely look at him differently."

Yuan Shang said with a perplexed expression on his face: "But I don't know how many people the Han army has come. The outcome is unpredictable... and Yecheng can't afford to lose."

Feng Ji sighed, and explained patiently: "Your Highness, please rest assured that the Han army that penetrated into my hinterland cannot possibly have many soldiers and horses. Moreover, they must travel lightly and go deep alone without backup. As long as Your Highness brings thousands of us Zhao Tieqi will be coordinated by the garrison forces from all over Jizhou. Once they are bitten, they will be eaten last. In this way, His Highness has made a great contribution, and the future crown prince..."

When Yuan Shang heard this, his eyes lit up, and he immediately ordered his left and right: "Pass my military order, and immediately gather the Yecheng Yulin Guards and the five battalions of city defense elite cavalry to pursue the Han army who plundered my hinterland."

When Yuan Shang arrived at Jiulitun.He only saw the lingering smoke, the burned village, and the crying soldiers and their families outside the village.Seeing Yuan Shang coming with troops, they all rushed forward, knelt down on the ground, and begged Yuan Shang to avenge them and give them relief.

After Yuan Shang asked about the whereabouts of the Han army, he didn't pay any more attention to these people.With more than 4000 fine cavalry, continue to chase southeast.Along the way, I saw many military settlements that were destroyed like Jiulitun, and continued to follow the instructions of the surviving soldiers.

In the end, Yuan Shang discovered that the Han army was generally heading in the direction of Puyang.Feng Ji, who was with the army, thought for a while and said to Yuan Shang:

"Your Highness, this group of cavalry of the Han army has no follow-up supplies, relying on the grain and grass they carry with them can run up to five hundred miles. Therefore, they must cross the Yellow River from Puyang, and then join forces with Cheng Yuli, who is still firmly guarding Juancheng, to liberate Juancheng. After the siege, enter Juancheng to get supplies."

"Dare to ask the teacher, how should we deal with it?"

Feng Ji stroked his beard a few times, and then he said with confidence: "Please send a quick ride to inform the defenders at Puyang Ferry and our troops who are besieging Juancheng, and ask them to strengthen their guard against the Han army's sneak attack, especially take care of the ferry. In addition, notify Dingtao's judge in the south, and let him mobilize heavy troops to go north to the Puyang Juancheng line, and wait for the opportunity to encircle the Han army with our troops. In this way, we will surely gain something."

Yuan Shang nodded: "Just follow the teacher's plan."

……

Thirty miles west of Puyang Ferry, there is a small camp.It is located on the grain road to Dingtao.There are only [-] yuan army infantry stationed, usually as a resting place for the supply team.

On this day, the soldiers in the camp were eating flatbread and drinking hot water.A large group of cavalry has quietly approached in the distance.This group of cavalry did not come at a gallop, but jogged in small steps, apparently to save horsepower.

The soldiers on the watchtower of the camp didn't pay attention at first. This place was originally on the communication line, and it was common for a large number of troops to pass by.But when the team of cavalry approached the camp, the sentry found out that something was wrong.Just looking at the armored mounts and weapons, one can tell that this cannot be Yuan Jun's cavalry.

When the guards issued the warning sound of "enemy attack, be on alert", the opponent had already started to speed up and gallop towards the camp.

When these heavy cavalry were still thirty battles away from the camp, the arrows in the camp rushed out one after another, tinkling on the armor of the troops and horses, some fell to the ground, and some arrow clusters shot into it. The armor cannot go deep.

These heavy cavalry rushed three battles away from the camp in an instant, and threw flying claws at the wooden fence wall of the camp across a trench that was no more than five feet away.Then rode the horse and galloped in the opposite direction.With a series of crackling sounds of "crack...crack" a series of boards breaking, a section of the wall of more than twenty battles was pulled down to the ground.

The heavy cavalry behind also galloped over.At the collapsed wall of the village, with a single leap of his horse, he jumped over the five-foot-wide ditch and rushed into the camp.The infantry in the camp frantically defended against the enemy with their spears, but were mercilessly pierced into their bodies by horses.Then the heavy cavalry swung the mace again.Outside the camp, nearly a thousand Qingqi flying feathers were divided into several strands, circling in circles, shooting at Yuan Bing who was trying to escape from the camp...

The battle lasted for less than half an hour, and the fire burned in the camp.Xu Rong was riding his horse to fight on the outside, thinking in his mind, he had already traversed the hinterland of Jizhou for [-] li, but he still had some food and grass, whether he should withdraw immediately after the battle.

At this time, a scout came to report, and the cavalry of Yuan Jun's brigade was found five miles behind.Xu Rong immediately ordered: "Send our military order, the whole army gathers, and evacuates at full speed to the bank of the Yellow River in Zhengdong."

With the sound of the horn, Xu Rong cavalry scattered around the camp, who were resting, chewing horse meat, eating dry food, and drinking cold water, immediately got on their horses.They assembled and galloped eastward.

After a while, Yuan Shang's army rolled in.Looking at the burning camp, Feng Ji said: "They have just left, let's hurry up and catch up." A few surviving Yuan soldiers were brought to Yuan Shang and Feng Ji.When I asked, I realized that the other party was heading due east.

Feng Ji said suspiciously: "It shouldn't be. Twenty miles to the east of this place is the bank of the Yellow River, more than thirty miles southeast of Puyang. How can we find a ferry to cross the Yellow River there?"

Yuan Shang said anxiously: "Don't worry about that much, let's catch up!"

Chapter 168

Xu Rong rode his horse to stop on the bank of the Yellow River, looking calmly at the water of the Yellow River heading east.But in fact, his heart was full of ups and downs.

After all, this is an unprecedented battle between the navy and cavalry.Any omission in any link in the middle will lead to the catastrophe of their own army.According to the plan, the Viking fleet should be cruising in this section of the river at this time.But the surface of the Yellow River is still empty.

A scout beside Xu Rong released a peregrine falcon.The peregrine pierced the sky, and then circled in the air.Then the peregrine falcon heard a low-frequency sound wave, fluttered its wings, and rushed towards a reed sway on the bank of the Yellow River.

"Commander, the peregrine falcon has gone down, our people should be there!" the scout in charge of driving the falcon said excitedly.Xu Rong also calmed down a little.

Sure enough, a moment later, a large number of Viking ships emerged from the reeds.Walk along the river to the bank where Xu Rong is stationed.The soldiers behind Xu Rong cheered.

At this time, it is the end of spring and the beginning of summer, and the southeast wind blows.Therefore, for Viking ships, it is very convenient to go up and down on the Yellow River waterway east of Tongguan.Soon, all the men and horses of Xu Rong's army boarded the boat, went upstream, and disappeared into the skyline on the surface of the Yellow River.

Only half an hour later, Yuan Shang and Feng Ji rushed here with a large number of people.However, what they faced was only a vast river and some abandoned things of Xu Rong's army generals.Yuan Shang was still not reconciled, and ordered the scouts to search up and down the coast, but naturally found nothing.

Feng Ji still insisted that Xu Rong crossed the Yellow River, and must have prepared a batch of things for crossing the river here before.

No wonder he thought so.The Yellow River is different from the Yangtze River in that the river bed is extremely shallow and the sediment is very thick.There are countless sunken objects of various ages deposited in the sediment, resulting in countless shoals and "artificial reefs" in the river.

Therefore, unless it is a wet season, it is almost impossible to carry out large-scale shipping on the Yellow River waterway.This is also the reason why since the Yellow River exits Tongguan, there are only a few ferry crossings such as Mengjin, Yanjin, Baima, and Puyang.

The news of Xu Rong's army burning and looting in Hebei quickly spread to Yuan Shao and Jushou.When Yuan Shaogang heard about this, his face turned pale with shock.He knew very well that if the Han army acted like this for a long time, the situation in Guandu would be reversed.

Yuan Shao immediately summoned Jushou from the old city to Guandu to discuss countermeasures.Even the trial match of Dingtao, more than 200 miles away, was summoned by him.

……

Guandu, in Yuan Jun's big camp, in the big tent of the Chinese army.

Yuan Shao glanced at all the people in the tent, and saw that all the civil servants and generals under his command, including Ju Shou, had arrived, so he said in a cold voice:

"A few days ago, a Han army claiming to be the Liangzhou Army crossed the Yellow River from nowhere, plundered the hinterland of Hebei Province, marched for hundreds of miles, and then disappeared on the bank of the Yellow River south of Puyang. During the period, they looted and burned I have transported food twice, attacked more than a dozen military settlements, and even approached the city of Ye once. What do you think about this?"

Yuan Shao didn't expect that Yan Liang, a military general, would speak first, and he said:

"Your Majesty, don't worry. The Han army just took advantage of the wide defense line of our army, crossed from the gap between our army camps to the bank of the Yellow River, and sneaked across the Yellow River. Taking advantage of the unpreparedness of our Hebei defenders, the surprise attack succeeded. From now on, as long as the Hebei defenders Strengthen security. We and other frontline soldiers will strengthen patrols between battalions and battalions, which should be able to prevent such things from happening again."

Yuan Shao himself and the staff and advisors at the side all shook their heads when they heard this.There are obviously too many loopholes in these remarks, and they are not worth refuting.For example, how did the Han army with thousands of riders sneak across the Yellow River?How did they disappear on the bank of the Yellow River south of Puyang hundreds of miles away?According to what Yan Liang said, it can't be explained at all.

Yan Liang saw that there was no one to refute him, and after thinking about it carefully, he also felt that there was something wrong with what he said, so he shrank his neck and stopped talking.

At this time, Feng Ji, who rushed to Yuan Shao's camp at Guandu and personally reported the matter to Yuan Shao, cupped his hands and said:

"Reporting to the Holy Majesty, I believe that this Han army should have come from Henan County, sneaked into the defense area of ​​Jucishi from Chenggao, and then sneaked across the Yellow River in the upper reaches of Yanjin. Cross the Yellow River. Then go back to the division through Shenshangshu's defense zone."

As soon as everyone heard it, they immediately whispered to each other.According to Feng Ji's words, it is obvious that the responsibility has been shifted to Ju Shou and Shen Pei.

But Yuan Shao immediately asked: "Feng Aiqing, you didn't explain clearly what you said. How did the Han army cross the Yellow River in our defense zone when our army controlled the crossings and ferries on both sides of the river?"

Feng Ji obviously has been thinking about this for a long time, and he replied confidently:

"My Majesty, although the Yellow River is not suitable for navigating medium and large ships during the non-wet season, but at this time of the season, it is possible to use empty ships. The Han army must let the boatmen use the empty ships to go down the river from Henan County. Find a section of the river that is suitable for sailing in the area, and pick up the Han riders to cross the river. Then continue to go down the river with empty boats, and after a few days, do the same in the Puyang area, and drive the Han riders to the south!"

As soon as everyone heard it, they immediately whispered to each other, and many people nodded frequently.Even Yuan Shao felt suddenly enlightened.

The judge suddenly sneered, and retorted: "But in that river, no ships abandoned by the Han army were found. How can this be explained?"

Feng Ji replied: "This is easy to explain. It may be returning from the river, or it may be sinking at the bottom of the river."

"The fleet has passed such a long river, has no one noticed?"

Feng Ji still responded freely: "This is not surprising! There are no people on both sides of the Yellow River. Even our army only has soldiers stationed at a few ferry crossings. And these ferry crossings are now the rear of our army. The garrison will not always be vigilant on the river surface. , The Han army fleet crosses the river at night, which can completely avoid our army's eyes and ears. Of course, the Yellow River is not suitable for night navigation, but it may not be necessary for the Han army to find some skilled old boatmen!"

The judge continued to question: "But after I received the urgent report from you from Hebei, I sent scouts to investigate around. There was no sign of half of the Han army north of Dingtao and south of the Yellow River. After they crossed the river Could it be possible to go to the sky and enter the earth?"

Feng Ji smiled strangely, and said meaningfully: "I don't know how Shen Shangshu did the investigation, so naturally I have nothing to say."

What he said was nothing more than implying that the trial match had concealed the military situation. "You!..." Shen Pei was so speechless for a moment that he couldn't speak.

Seeing that the two of them were in a tense situation, everyone in the tent remained silent and secretly glanced at Yuan Shao.Unexpectedly, Yuan Shao seemed to stay out of the matter, and remained silent.

Finally, Ju Shou, who had been silent for a long time, spoke, and said in a calm tone: "Feng Shaofu's speculation is indeed reasonable, but there is still a doubtful point."

"Oh? Dare to ask the governor of Ju, what is the doubt?" Feng Ji still looked confident.

Chapter 169

Ju Shou continued to speak calmly: "As we all know, since the start of the war, our army has collected all the ferries at the ferry on the other side of Mengjin, and stationed [-] elite soldiers here to confront Mengjin Cao's army, so they need to monitor the Yellow River at all times..."

Feng Ji impatiently interrupted Jushou's words: "However, the Liangzhou Army of the Han Dynasty can still recruit ships in the Weishui River or the upper reaches of the Yellow River in Tongguan. They can use the night to avoid our army's surveillance."

Ju Shou continued to say calmly: "Don't be anxious when you meet the young master. Please listen to the end of the sentence. Even at night, our soldiers at the ferry on the other side of Mengjin will throw a round of rocket lighting into the river every quarter of an hour to check the river surface. No abnormality. It is absolutely impossible for the Han army to pass by this fleet without being noticed by our army."

When Jushou said this, Yuan Shao nodded and said: "That's right, if there are a large number of ships west of Tongguan Hongnong diverted eastward, the Mengjin defenders will definitely notice and report to the widow as soon as possible."

Seeing what Yuan Shao said, Feng Ji was speechless for a while, and everyone in the tent fell into doubt again.

When everyone thought that Ju Shou's rebuttal to Feng Ji had been achieved, the words were finished.But Ju Shou continued: "However, there is indeed a fleet of ships coming out of Henan County, but those ships should come down from Luoshui!"

As soon as Ju Shou's words came out, the audience was in an uproar.Even Feng Ji was stunned, not understanding why Ju Shou spoke for himself again.

The examiner didn't have time to think about why Jushou changed the subject so quickly, he quickly asked: "The Luoyang area has become an abandoned city since Dong Zhuo coerced Emperor Han to move the capital. There are not many people, so where are there so many ships? Even if there is a war It's too late to start building!"

Ju Shou nodded and said, "That's right, these ships are not from Luoyang, but from Shangluo County, which is under the jurisdiction of Mu Fengyu in Liangzhou, Han Dynasty."

The examiner laughed and said, "Brother Jushou, you are confused. Luoshui does lead to Luo County, but how is it possible to sail on that kind of river? Of course, small boats and bamboo rafts are possible. But what I am talking about is that they can carry a large number of soldiers and horses." ship!"

Ju Shou suddenly raised his voice and said: "These boats can not only come down from Luoshui, but also they can sail freely in the Yellow River waterway with a full load of soldiers and horses! Therefore, it is true that there are boats coming from the east of Henan County. But not every What Shao Fu said - it is only used as a ferry, and the Han army needs to pass through our defense area on land to advance and retreat. In fact, others can launch an attack from any point on the Yellow River, and retreat only needs to retreat to the boat."

At this time, the atmosphere of the audience has changed from uproar to shock.Yuan Shao looked serious, and asked Ju Shou: "Ju Aiqing, is this your speculation? Or do you have any real evidence?"

Ju Shou bowed again to Yuan Shao and said, "Your Majesty, I have real evidence for the existence of these ships, but it is my speculation that the ships came down from Shangluo County."

After speaking, he whispered something to the guards in the account.After a while, the guard led a few soldiers back into the account, and escorted the three men in ragged clothes.

Ju Shou pointed to these three people and said: "Your Majesty, these three people are three deserters who came across on the road when a certain came to Guandu. They were looking for a ferry along the river at that time, intending to flee back to Hebei, but they were captured by the minister's guards on the spot. The three of them ran into the fleet of the Han army by chance."

At this time, the three deserters fell to their knees on the ground, kowtowing like garlic. "Holy Majesty, spare your life!" "Long live, spare your life!" The voices begging for mercy were endless.

Yuan Shao frowned, waved his hand and said, "Wait, let me report what you have seen and heard first."

The three of you just said a word, and I described the scene I saw that day in detail.Only then did everyone believe that Ju Shou's words were true, but Yuan Shao's expression became more and more serious.

At this time, a voice suddenly came from outside the tent: "Report! Your Majesty, the Huainan Army's urgent message has been delivered!"

"Submit it!" Yuan Shao said in an annoyed mood.After he finished reading the military report, his whole head was buzzing.Then he shook the letter paper and said to the ministers:

"It's true that blessings never come together, and misfortunes never come singly! When Yuan Shu in Huainan was defeated and retreated to Jizhou, he was intercepted and killed by Guan Yu, Liu Bei's mighty general! Now, what should we do!"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the tent was panicked.Only Ju Shou said calmly: "Your Majesty, don't panic. Although Yuan Shu was defeated, the army besieging him will not pose a threat to us for the time being. A certain judge is that they are busy dividing up the territory and population. What's more, Sun Ce has Yan Baihu as his elbow and armpit." Feng Yu, we also nailed him in Guanzhong."

Yuan Shao was infected by Ju Shou's emotions and calmed down.Asked: "In Juqing's opinion, how should our army respond now? Do we need to return the army to Hebei?"

Jushou sighed and said: "At this stage of the battle, it is impossible to retreat. If we retreat forcefully, the whole army will be defeated. Now we can only continue to fight. The good news is that Cao Cao is harder than us. But First of all, we must stop the Liangzhou Han army from plundering our hinterland. Otherwise, we will collapse before Cao's army."

Yuan Shao asked in a harmonious voice: "I think Juqing already has a plan to defeat the enemy. Tell me quickly and let me listen."

Ju Shou sat up straight, and responded to Yuan Shao: "The granaries of these Han troops must be located in Luoyang, so we only need to capture Luoyang. We can send one of the troops under the command of the minister to pass through Chenggao and enter Luoyang. In addition, please His Majesty ordered the senior cadres of Bingzhou to find a way to allocate some troops to attack Tongguan and enter Luoyang. Such a flanking attack will definitely capture Luoyang. Destroy the granary and foundation of this Han army ranger."

Yuan Shao clapped the case and said: "Just follow Juqing's plan and send troops to attack Luoyang immediately."

But Ju Shou immediately persuaded: "Wait a minute, Your Majesty need not be so anxious. We still need to wait."

Yuan Shao was puzzled again: "Then what are we waiting for?"

"Wait for this part of the cavalry of the Han army to dispatch again. These cavalry are the elite of Feng Yu. If we fight hard, it will cost a lot of money. If we wait for them to emerge from their nests, we will take out their nests. Cut them off They are like lonely ghosts. It will be a breeze to destroy them at that time."

Yuan Shao patted his thigh and said, "Juqing is indeed the widow's ovary, this plan is very clever!"

The meeting came to an end, Yuan Shaojun began to secretly deploy, and a large number of troops quietly assembled towards Chenggao.Lookout posts began to be built along the Yellow River.A mobile cavalry was also deployed on both sides of the strait.Just wait for Xu Rong's army to carry out the next looting activity, and catch them all.

A messenger on horseback rode his horse to Bingzhou in a hurry, conveying Yuan Shao's "edict" to Bingzhou by relay.At the same time, Yuan Jun and the Xiongnu had built several pontoon bridges on the banks of the Yellow River in the east of the river.Rolling iron cavalry and endless soldiers crossed the Yellow River from the bridge and entered the territory of Guanzhong.

Chapter 170 The Bait Throwed to Tongguan

In the summer of the second year of Jian'an, the Guanzhong Plain was extremely dry.As long as there is a wind, billows of dust can be stirred up on the bare loess road.

At this time, ten miles away in the northern suburbs of Chang'an City, flying dust filled the air and covered the sky.But it was not because of the wind, but because of the two groups of soldiers and horses fighting here.The Xiongnu and Yuan Jun are attacking a camp here.Only by pulling out this stronghold can Chang'an be perfectly besieged.

The sound of screaming and killing, and the sound of arrows piercing through the air can be heard endlessly.This fort was captured by Hua Xiong from Zhang Xiu, so its ditches and barriers are still the traditional front ditches and rear walls.It was not the trench with the front wall and the back ditch that Feng Yujun was used to.

Although the Yuan-Hungarian coalition forces repeatedly attacked, they still couldn't get past the ditch and the barrier behind the ditch.The ditch and the ditch are full of corpses of Yuan Jun or Hun infantry.

Whenever Yuan Jun or Xiongnu infantry crossed the trench along the springboard and climbed up the barrier.They will always be shot down by random guns, spears and arrows.Individual soldiers who jumped into the camp also disappeared like mud and stones into the sea.

Guo Yuan, who was watching the battle from a distance, gradually tightened his brows.At this moment, he felt that it was actually much more difficult than he imagined to pass the pass.After crossing the river with the Xiongnu, together with Zhang Xiu's remnant soldiers, the total strength was as many as [-].It's just that so many troops have made food supply a problem.

Before the Xiongnu and Yuan Jun crossed the Yellow River westward, Feng Yu had already sent a fast horse to Hua Xiong.Let him seize the time to transfer the population.In fact, before Feng Yu's edict arrived, Hua Xiong had already started doing this.