Shen Pei was woken up from bed and hurried to Yuan Shao's mansion. When he entered the house, he found that Xu You had arrived early.
The two waited for a while, and then Yuan Shao came out.
The two of them were a little dazed and immediately realized that something was unusual, so much so that they even forgot to compliment Yuan Shao on his recovery.
Because Yuan Shao came out, it means that all the people he was looking for were here, but now there are five great counselors in Yecheng, but the other three, Xun Chen Tian Feng Xin Pi, have not arrived. Why is this?
When Yuan Shao spoke, the two of them understood what had happened and immediately felt the seriousness of the matter.
Yuan Xi rushed thousands of miles to help, but was blocked outside the city gate?
You must know that the former Fanye city had insufficient troops, so it only sent Gao Lan with 3,000 troops to guard Dongwuyang, and Chunyu Qiong with 5,000 troops to attack and harass the city. However, both were defeated by Le Jin Yujin and Xiahou Yuan Cao Chun respectively.
After the First World War, Gao Lan retreated to Dongwuyang, and Chunyu Qiong fled back to Yecheng. Excluding the losses in the battle, Yecheng only had six or seven thousand troops at full strength.
Now Yuan Xi brought troops to help. No matter how many people he brought, it was a timely help. However, his messenger was blocked outside the city for more than a day. In the end, he relied on dead soldiers to report the news. Yuan Shaocai knew it!
This is actually not a big problem. The city gate order cannot let people into the city without the approval of Yuan Shao and several important advisers. But the key point is, why has no news been passed on from Yuan Shao to the subordinates?
Both of them knew that this was the most wrong thing, so they had no time to ask why Yuan Xi planted dead soldiers in Yecheng. They immediately asked Yuan Shao: "In your opinion, what should we do?"
Yuan Shao snorted coldly, "That's why I came to you. Go and find out the matter quickly, and at the same time have someone send a message to Xian Yi, asking him to lead troops into the city as soon as possible."
"At the same time, mobilize the troops and horses in the city to respond to prevent Cao's army from following and raiding the city gate!"
The two of them did not dare to neglect, and quickly took the order and rushed out, each riding a carriage to the city gate.
Shen Pei thought about it in the car. This time Yuan Shao only called himself and Xu You, which definitely represented Yuan Shao's attitude.
Xu You had known Yuan Shao since he was young. Although he did not have the highest official position among Yuan Shao's advisers, he had always been the closest to Yuan Shao, so it was not surprising to find Xu You.
The key point is that among the remaining four people, I was the only one who called me?
Tian Feng has a hot temper, speaks freely, and easily offends others. Yuan Shao dislikes him. He is also too straightforward in his work and is really not suitable for handling such hidden matters at present.
After all, it is possible that someone who colluded with Cao Ying was obstructing Yuan Xi's entry into the city.
Xun Chen is a member of the Xun family. Now the two great counselors of the Xun family are in Cao's camp. The two sides are at war. It is not appropriate for Xun Chen to participate in this matter before it is found out whether he has collaborated with the enemy in private.
But what happened to Xinpi?
Shen Pei thought about it for a moment, and an idea came to his mind.
Is Yuan Shao suspicious of Yuan Tan?
Could it be that Yuan Shao thought that Yuan Xi's obstruction outside the city was not done by Cao Ying's people, nor by Yuan Shang, but by Yuan Tan's group?
Because Yuan Tan is now the most powerful among the three sons of the Yuan family. If he learns that Yuan Shao is seriously ill, will he have other thoughts?
After all, as long as Yuan Shao dies and Yuan Shang's power is not yet established, he will not be able to subdue Yuan Tan. When the time comes for the two to compete, Yuan Tan will have the advantage!
To do this, Yuan Tan must enter the city first, control the dying Yuan Shao, fake orders, and block Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi outside the city, so that he can get the position of the head of the Yuan family!
Yuan Xi's attitude is unclear, and no one knows who he supports. To be on the safe side, not allowing him to enter Yecheng is undoubtedly the best choice.
Xinpi and Xunchen were all people who originally favored Li Chang, that is, they were members of Yuan Tan's faction. This makes sense!
And he is the most supportive of Yuan Shang among the counselors in Yecheng, so Yuan Shao will call him alone tonight!
When Shen Pei thought of this, he broke out in a cold sweat. Only then did he realize that Yuan Tan's power was so great in Yecheng. Yuan Shao was seriously ill at this time. If he didn't handle it well, there would be many variables in the city!
However, he immediately felt relieved. Judging from Yuan Shao's attitude, there was no doubt that he still insisted on Yuan Shang. As long as he didn't make big mistakes, there should be no big problems.
He watched the carriage heading towards the South Gate and subconsciously asked the servant driving the carriage, "Why are you going to the South Gate?"
The servant replied: "Master Xu Mou's servant came over and said that the problem is at the south gate."
Shen Pei thought that this must be after he came out. Yuan Shao had a few more words with Xu You. It seemed that in his mind, Xu You had a higher status.
His face suddenly turned pale. The gate commander of the south gate was his nephew Shen Rong!
The judge immediately became flustered. Is Yuan Shao really letting him do the work, or is he testing his attitude?
Thinking that Xu You also brought dozens of swordsmen, the judge's vest was instantly soaked with cold sweat.
With an anxious mood, he and Xu You rushed to the south gate, called Shen Rong who was still patrolling at the top of the city, asked a few questions, and found that it was indeed Shen Rong's idea, and Yuan Xi's The scouts are still waiting outside the city gate!
Xu You asked Shen Rong how he reported the matter. He found that Shen Rong was hesitating and hesitant, so he turned around and said with a smile, "Zhengnan, what do you think we should do?"
Shen Pei's mouth was sour, he pointed at Shen Rong, waved his hand and ordered the soldiers: "Tie him up first!" Then he sighed to Xu You: "In order to avoid suspicion, it is better to leave the interrogation to Ziyuan."
"Now, should we ask the messenger outside the city to go back quickly and notify the Youzhou Army to enter the city as soon as possible?"
Xu You nodded slightly and said with a smile: "Don't worry Zheng Nan, I will try my best to deal with it."
After hearing this, Shen Rong secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the other party actually wanted to save him.
Unexpectedly, the trial matchmaker was shocked and said quickly: "Zhengnan, I have absolutely no intention of doing this. Please handle it fairly!"
Shen Rong lowered his head and gritted his teeth secretly. He was also a disciple of the Shen family. Did Shen Pei not intend to protect himself?
However, Shen Pei ignored Shen Rong and ordered the soldiers to open the city gate. As soon as the city gate opened, he saw two spies resting against the door opening. Hearing the sound of the city gate, he immediately stood up.
In the camp south of Yecheng, Yuan Xi was walking around inside the tent. Lu Lingqi was lying on the straw bed and opened her eyes. Seeing that Yuan Xi was not asleep yet, she said, "It's better to rest early. There may be news tomorrow." ”
After hearing this, Yuan Xi said to Lu Lingqi: "I woke you up. You should go to sleep first. I can't sleep."
After hearing this, Lu Lingqi lifted off the linen cloth on her body, stood up, patted the straw on her body, and said, "I can't sleep either. The horses are barking outside one after another. I'm afraid the soldiers haven't slept yet?"
Yuan Xi nodded, "I asked the soldiers to take turns to rest to prevent the enemy from attacking."
"According to the spies' intelligence, there is at least a force of ten thousand people from Cao's army about fifty miles away. If the other party launches a surprise attack, it will only take two hours to reach us."
Lu Lingqi whispered: "Why don't you station yourself below Yecheng in advance? Wouldn't that be safer?"
"If the defenders at the top of the city see us fighting with Cao's army, they will come out to help, right?"
After hearing this, Yuan Xi sighed softly, "I have also thought about this idea, but the premise is that Lord Ben Chu is still in charge of the affairs in the city."
"If something unexpected happens, the city must have been divided into two factions, and for which faction, our entry into the city is an unknown variable."
"If they decide that I am a greater threat to the family heads than Cao Jun, even if we arrive at the city gate, they may not open the door."
"I came to relieve the siege of Yecheng. I didn't lead my soldiers to die. If nothing can be done, I can only retreat."
Lu Lingqi felt a little frustrated after hearing this, "I don't understand the twists and turns in the stomachs of wealthy people like you. It's really uncomfortable."
"My husband must have used spies to deliver the message. What if no news comes back?"
Yuan Xi said: "If there are no accidents, the letter will definitely be delivered."
"No matter what the reason is, if no news comes back, then I can only think that the city is no longer suitable for entry."
"If we wait another day and there is still no news, we will retreat to Youzhou first."
While the two were talking, Lu Xun rushed in, rubbing his eyes, "The spies from Yecheng are back!"
When Yuan Xi asked about the situation of the two spies who had just returned, his heart suddenly felt lighter. He could ask Xu You to open the door in person. It seemed that Yuan Shaoshang could take charge!
He immediately waved his hand and said: "All camp, march to Yecheng!"
Within half a moment, Yuan Xijun lined up out of the camp and rushed to Yecheng under the cover of darkness.
Less than half an hour after Yuan Xi broke camp, several spies from Cao Ying rushed into the empty camp. After finding out the situation, they quickly galloped to the west. After running for an hour, they found him in the dense forest to the west. Xia Houyuan and Cao Chunjun were lurking.
After hearing the spies' report, Xia Houyuan sighed: "It's still a step too late."
After they learned that Yuan Xi was camping in the south of Yecheng, they traveled day and night for two consecutive days and lurked more than 30 miles away from Yuan Xi's army at night. They prepared to rest for a few hours before launching a night attack on Yuan Xi's army.
This is the running strategy practiced by Xia Houyuan and Cao Chun in the past two years. It took shape when attacking Lu Bu and has become more and more proficient through continuous battles. The essence is to use the unexpected speed of the enemy to surround the point with time difference and mobilize reinforcements.
Now Yuan Xijun seemed to be a prophet, leaving two hours before they were about to launch a surprise attack. Cao Chun was quite depressed and said, "Is it just a coincidence?"
"If we follow him now, can we stop him before he reaches Yecheng?"
Xia Houyuan moved his hands and feet and sighed: "Fierce Tiger is very troublesome. He often has unexpected counterattacks. You must not underestimate the enemy, otherwise you will suffer big losses."
"Only when we are sure to attack can we hope to defeat him."
After hearing this, Cao Chun disapproved in his heart. He thought to himself that this kind of rushing tactics is all about taking things by surprise. How can there be no risk in a war?
Was Xia Houyuan defeated by the fierce tiger twice and lost his will to win?
When Yuan Xi rushed to the bottom of Ye City, the garrison on the city was crowded with people. Seeing Yuan Xi's army coming, there was a slight commotion at first. It was not until Shen Pei appeared at the top of the city that it calmed down.
The judge asked Yuan Xijun, "Where is Mr. Xian Yi?"
Yuan Xi rode out, came to the city, and said: "Mr. Zhengnan, long time no see."
When the judge saw that it was indeed Yuan Xi, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I will open the door immediately and welcome the young master into the city."
(End of chapter)
