Puyang.
Then, under Yuan Xi's surprised gaze, Yuan Shao hurriedly said: "Xianyi, you go to Yecheng with my father!"
Looking at Yuan Shao's majestic back, the three sons looked at each other.
Maybe Yuan Shao didn't know that it was his high regard for Yuan Xi that caused the subsequent struggle among the princes to seize the rightful son, just like Li Yuan's high regard for Li Shimin. It would be strange if there were no conflicts among the disciples if they were not suitable and long-term.
After a long while, Yuan Shang smiled and said: "Well, Yuan Xi, my father first took you to Luoyang, and now he takes you to Hebei. My brother, I am really envious of you, haha."
I don’t know if Yuan Shang is sincere or just trying to cash in. At least, Yuan Xi didn't think he was so noble.
Yuan Xi also had a frown on his face. It was not Yuan Xi's affectation, but his instinctive embarrassment, but he was secretly watching Yuan Tan's reaction. This eldest brother never wants to see me.
Yuan Tan looked at his second brother Yuan Xi strangely, and remained silent without saying a word, nor was he as frivolous as his third brother Yuan Shang.
He just said congratulations lightly, then turned around and left quietly. Sometimes we put aside our position and look at it. In fact, without Yuan Xi's aggressiveness, maybe Yuan Tan would have been a city defender like Li Jiancheng. It is a pity that he met Yuan Xi, an ambitious man like Taizong Emperor Li Shimin.
After Yuan Tan left, Yuan Shang snorted and said to Yuan Xi: "Second brother, come with me. I have something good for you." Yuan Shang's face changed really quickly.
Yuan Xi followed his third brother Yuan Shang back on his fast horse in a daze. None of the Yuan brothers are easy-going. Even Yuan Shang, I think he has something extraordinary, otherwise Yuan Shao would not be doting on Yuan Shang alone.
Yuan Shang took Yuan Xi directly into the mansion, went to the backyard, and said softly to his concubine Yu Youxiao: "Xuanji, quickly bring my Xuanjia over."
Yuan Xi's eyes heated up and he said quickly: "Third brother, that is your treasure. My father personally protected you. I can't have it."
Yuan Shang turned around and said dissatisfied: "Why don't you give me face, my second brother? You and I are both brothers, and you are not a martial artist. Although you have some martial arts skills, you don't know what dangers you will encounter when you go to a place like Yecheng. With black armor to protect your body and ordinary weapons, you will be fine. Third brother, I am waiting for you and your father to come back safely."
"Third brother, I..."
"Man, what are you doing to your mother-in-law?" Yuan Shang glared at him and said, "Let you wear whatever you want. When you come back, we will get together and have a drink."
Yuan Xi silently took the black armor that Yu Youwei took out, stroked it, and said deeply, "Third brother, please take care of yourself at home. Second brother, I'm leaving right now."
Yu Youwei waved his hand silently. Yuan Shang looked at this second brother whom he "extremely respects" and turned to leave. He is such an ever-changing person. I think Yuan Shang is much better than Li Shimin's third brother Li Yuanji. Sometimes Yuan Xi I don’t understand this brother either.
Yuan Xi turned around and stared blankly at him walking away, silent in thought.
Yu Youwei asked: "Second brother, you are just here to take a look, and stay away if anything happens. Do you understand?"
"Brothers and sisters, I know everything. After I leave, Wu Gu and my mother will ask you to take care of them." Yuan Xi waved his hand and walked out of the mansion.
The third brother Yuan Shang is still a bit martial, just like Li Shimin's third brother Li Yuanji. But power will corrode everything, and there’s really no telling what will happen in the future.
As soon as Yuan Xi left Yuan Shang's mansion, he immediately rode a horse and rushed home quickly. Something unexpected happened today. He hadn't even had time to inform his family and his things hadn't been packed yet.
He quickly returned home. As soon as Yuan Xi entered the door, he said to Yuan He who was standing outside the door: "Yuan He, I am going to Hebei with my father. You should keep an eye on me at home. You must pay attention to my wife's safety."
"Second Young Master, don't worry. Unless I'm gone, no one can hurt Madam." Yuan He wanted to say more, but when Yuan Xi finished his instructions, he had already arrived at the Second Hospital, so he could only shut up.
But I was thinking in my heart, it was really strange that the second young master was led by the lord to Yecheng... instead of the eldest young master Yuan Tan.
Yuan Xi trotted directly to Sanjin Courtyard and said to Gao Yue, who was sitting in the yard chatting and sunbathing, "Wugu, help me pack some things quickly. I'm going north to Yecheng soon."
Gao Yue felt anxious and quickly stood up and said: "Husband, you are fine, why did you go to Yecheng?"
"Pack your things first." Yuan Xi pulled Gao Yue, who ran over, and walked toward his house. As he walked, he said: "This happened so suddenly, and I was not prepared. I was originally discussing something this morning, but I didn't expect it." I’m the only one going.”
Gao Yue hurriedly helped him pack his things, then looked back and asked, "Are the eldest brother and third brother going too?"
Yuan Xi shook his head and said: "This is what's weird about me. Neither of them went, but I was asked to go alone. However, this is good news for me, but I will have to offend my wife for a while."
It was just a few pieces of clothing that were packed away. He quickly finished packing, put on the black armor, and then put on the armor hanging on the wall. Suddenly, a majestic, handsome young man in white robe appeared in front of Gao Yue.
Gao Yue's eyes turned red when she saw this, she hugged Yuan Xi and said, "Wugu wants her husband to make contributions, and Wugao doesn't want to leave her husband."
Yuan Xi smiled bitterly. He also hoped that this was a peaceful and prosperous age. In that case, he could pick up girls, fight cockfights, travel around, and be a dandy.
But in my memory, the troubled times were coming, and I couldn't escape. For the sake of the future, I had no choice but to bite the bullet. Only Emperor Taizong Li Shimin can protect the people and things he cherishes.
"Be good and obey me at home, you know?" Yuan Xi pulled the sad Gao Yue over and held him in his arms.
"Tsk, the armor was worn too early." Yuan Xi muttered.
Gao Yue's face turned red immediately, and the moved atmosphere was swept away. Gao Yue lightly punched him and said angrily: "You are the only one who knows how to do weird things."
After a pause, Gao Yue said again: "You are away from home. This time you go to Yecheng. It is very dangerous outside. Even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about Wugu. When something happens, you must think more about Wugu." Gu, come back safely as soon as possible."
"Don't worry." Yuan Xi hugged the two of them warmly for a while and said with a smile: "If this continues, I don't want to leave."
Gao Yue muttered: "Don't you think so, you want to leave?"
Yuan Xi deliberately made a sad face and said: "I have a beautiful lady at home to accompany me. Only a fool wants to go to the battlefield. I am helpless. Besides, if troubled times come in the future, I am not doing this for my wife. I want a better life." , and are you working hard on security?"
"Okay, okay, I know you worked hard." Gao Yue looked up at her husband, raised her head and kissed him gently on the mouth, and said with a chuckle: "Husband, come back soon!"
It was almost time. Yuan Xi let go of Gao Yue, picked up the package and walked out.
June of the second year of Han Dynasty (191).
Gongsun Zan, the prefect of Peking, led 20,000 infantry and cavalry to attack Jizhou. Han Fu sent 30,000 generals to attack, but the initial battle was unfavorable.
Yecheng, Prefecture Mufu.
Han Fu greeted Xun Chen who came to visit quite politely. After all, the reputation of the Xun family lies there. "It's rare for Mr. Youruo to come to my place. What's the matter?"
Xun Chen smiled slightly and said, "I'll relieve you from your worries."
"Sir, can you stop Gongsun Zan's attack?" Han Fu asked with some interest.
Xun Chen looked worried and said: "Gongsun Zan led the troops of Yan and Dai to take advantage of the victory and march southward. All counties responded one after another, and the army was unstoppable. Yuan Shao led his army to move again, with immeasurable intentions. I am really worried about the general."
Han Fu panicked and asked, "In this case, what should we do?"
Xun Chen said slowly: "You can judge for yourself. Being generous and benevolent can win the loyalty of heroes in the world. Can you compare with Yuan Shao?"
"Not comparable."
Xun Chen asked again: "So, can he be as calm as Yuan Shao in the face of danger, decisive in the face of trouble, and extremely wise and brave?"
"Not comparable."
Xun Chen asked again: "For several generations, he has spread his kindness widely and benefited every family in the world. Can he be as good as Yuan Shao?"
Han Fu hesitated for a moment and then said, "Not comparable."
Xun Chen felt that his goal had been achieved, "Yuan Benzhu is a hero among the people of this era. The general is inferior to him in three aspects, but has been superior to him for a long time. He will definitely not succumb to the general. Jizhou is the world. It is an important area rich in products, and if he joins forces with Gongsun Zan to seize Jizhou, the general will immediately fall into danger."
After such analysis, Han Fu suddenly felt that something was going wrong, and he said urgently: "Sir, help me."
Xun Chen then said solemnly: "Yuan Benchu is an old friend of the general, and he once formed an alliance to fight against Dong Zhuo. For this reason, he gave up Jizhou to Yuan Shao. He must be grateful for your kindness, and Gongsun Zan will not be able to compete with him. In this way , the general will have the reputation of giving in to the wise, and he himself will be more stable than Mount Tai."
Han Fu was timid and didn't say anything, but he already gave way in his heart.
After thinking about it for a few days, Han Fu sent a letter to Yuan Shao and explained his intention to give in.
Han Fu's chief historian Geng Wu, Biejia Minchun, and Zhizhong Li Li received the news and hurriedly dissuaded him.
Geng Wu persuaded: "The Jizhou area can gather a million troops, and the food stored in it can last for ten years. Yuan Shao is just a lonely guest army that lacks supplies. It relies on our breath, like a baby in his arms, and cannot be fed by him. He will immediately He will starve to death, why should we give Jizhou to him?"
After much thought, Han Fu made up his mind, "I was originally a disciple of the Yuan family, and my talents were not as good as those of Yuan Shao. I knew that I was not capable enough and let them be virtuous. This is an act praised by the ancients. Why do you oppose it?"
Geng Wu sighed and said: "Jizhou is over!" So more than ten people abandoned their posts and left. Geng Wu and Guan Chun alone came to the side hall to conspire.
Yuan Shao was extremely excited after receiving the letter from Han Fu to abdicate the throne, and immediately discussed the issue of acceptance with a group of close associates.
Three days later, Yuan Shao led 20,000 troops and stationed them near Yecheng.
Han Fu held the seal in hand and led a group of civil and military officials out of the city to meet Yuan Shao. Yuan Xi reminded: "There must be opponents of Jizhou's recent surrender. Father should strengthen his defense."
Yuan Shao then recruited Yan Liang, Wen Chou and a group of personal guards to prevent any changes. Naturally, Yuan Xi followed Xu Chu into the city.
Yuan Shao was very polite to Han Fu after meeting him, and he was extremely respectful to all the old troops in Jizhou. Just when Yuan Shao and Han Fu came to the city gate, more than a dozen men shot out from beside them.
Han Fu asked the two leaders in surprise: "Geng Wu and Guan Chun, why are you doing this?"
Geng Wu and Guan Chun drew their swords and shouted: "Kill Yuan Shao!"
Without waiting for instructions, Wen Chou stepped forward on horseback, carrying a long gun and dancing like snowflakes of the gun shadow.
Several of Geng Wu and Guan Chun's subordinates were stabbed to death before they even got close. Wen Chou stared at Geng Wu and stabbed him straight with his spear.
The latter wanted to shoot, but Wen Chou was so powerful that the ring-headed knife in his hand was knocked away. Wen Chou cut off his head with a ferocious smile. During the battle, Yan Liang immediately went to chop Guan Chun to death.
Yuan Shao's face was gloomy, and Han Fu was even shivering. After a while, Yuan Shao returned to his smiling face and comforted everyone.
Han Fu's old subordinates such as Jushou and others were very impressed by Yuan Shao's demeanor.
In the same month, Yuan Shao entered Jizhou and took Han Fu as his powerful general. Tian Feng, Jushuo, Xu You, and Fengji were in charge of state affairs, taking all of Han Fu's power.
Han Fu was afraid of worries and asked Yuan Shao to let him leave. Yuan Shao agreed, so Han Fu went to seek refuge with Zhang Miao, the prefect of Chenliu County.
In this way, Jizhou was initially controlled by Yuan Shao. Yuan Shaojun got all the money and food from Jizhou and recruited more than 100,000 soldiers and horses. Some military generals and civilian officials also joined Yuan Shao's command after being recruited and recruited.
At this time, Yuan Shao's men were well equipped with both civil and military personnel. His advisers included Ju Sue, Tian Feng, Xun Chen, Xu You, Shen Pei, Feng Ji, Guo Tu, Xin Ping, etc., and his generals included Zhang Tai, Gao Lan, Han Meng, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and Chunyu. Qiong, Zhu Ling, Ju Yi, Zhang Liao, etc. Suddenly the strength increased greatly.
Once he takes control of Jizhou, Yuan Shaojun will have to deal with the threat from Gongsun Zan.
At this time, Gongsun Zan was General Fenwu and was granted the title of Marquis of Ji. Gongsun Zan was able to defeat Wuhuan and other northeastern nomads until they were too afraid to invade again. His strength is self-evident.
Gongsun Zan worked hard to attack Han Fu, but he didn't want to become someone else's wedding dress. He was angry and resentful that Yuan Shao treated him as a gunman, so he gathered the elite cavalry "white horse followers" who were not dispatched even when he attacked Dong Zhuo, and joined the other elite soldiers. More than 30,000 troops were stationed at Jieqiao, Hebei Province.
Gongsun Zan himself appointed Yan Gang as the prefect of Jizhou, Tian Kai as the prefect of Qingzhou, and Shan Jing as the prefect of Yanzhou, and appointed county heads and magistrates.
After hearing the news, Yuan Shao urgently mobilized more than 50,000 troops to garrison Guangchuan County (now northeast of Zaoqiang County, Hebei Province).
For a time, gunpowder smoke filled the land of Hebei.
On the outskirts of Chenliu City, Cao Cao's army camp was located.
At this time, Cao Cao also recruited a new army with the support of a group of powerful clansmen.
After receiving the news from Hebei, he summoned Xiahou Dun, Xia Houyuan, Yue Jin, Li Dian, Cao brothers Cao Ren, Cao Hong and other close friends as well as his best friend Bao Xin to discuss.
Cao Cao narrowed his slender eyes and asked, "What do you think of Yuan Benchu's entry into Jizhou and the war with Gongsun Zan?"
Bao Xin had always been very convinced of Cao Cao. He said disapprovingly: "Yuan Shao, as the leader of the alliance, has used his authority to pursue personal gain. He will cause chaos on his own and become the second Dong Zhuo. If we restrain him, we will have no power and will only make enemies." . We can go to the south of the Yellow River to develop our forces for the time being and wait for the situation to change."
Cao Cao nodded. He very much agreed with Bao Xin's view. However, although he had many leading generals, he still lacked counselors who could make decisions. This time, he must recruit some talented people.
It happened that Heishan, Yudu, Bairao, Suigu and other subordinates of ten thousand people attacked Dongjun, and the prefect Wang Hu could not resist.
Cao Cao took the opportunity to lead his army into Dongjun, attacked Bairao in Puyang, and defeated Bairao.
So Cao Cao established himself as the governor of Dongjun and set up the county headquarters in Dongwuyang. Cao Cao, the hero of troubled times, also had a foothold.
Yuan Shaojun camp in Guangchuan.
After the Battle of Hulao Pass, Yuan Xi had been practicing cavalry shooting and assassination with Zhao Yun and others. With the careful guidance of these first-class generals, he immediately started working hard and made rapid progress.
After Yuan Shao incorporated the Jizhou Army, he also supplemented him with a batch of horses, soldiers and weapons at Yuan Xi's request. After reorganization, Yuan Shao's army's organization also tended to be standardized.
At this time, the basic unit of the army was troupe, with 500 men per troupe and 1,000 troops per troupe, in a two-to-five system. The headquarters has a battalion establishment of 5,000 people, and the second battalion is the army.
Excluding the Tiger Guard, the number of soldiers under Yuan Xi's command totaled more than 3,500, which could barely be counted as one battalion. Yuan Xi himself held the title of captain, and his teacher Zhang Hong assisted him in leading the drills. Zhao Yun, Xu Chu, and Xu Huang were all army commanders, leading a team of men and horses respectively and responsible for specific drills.
Among them, Xu Huang was promoted to captain and became his deputy. In addition to commanding the tiger guard, Xu Chu also commanded a group of five hundred infantry. Zhao Yun directly led a cavalry of nearly a thousand people. The remaining soldiers were led by Xu Huang.
Yuan Xi had his first battalion eliminate spears, and both infantry and cavalry were mainly equipped with spears. He knew that although the army still used both spears and lances at this time, the elimination of spears was a historical trend.
In addition, half of the soldiers led by Xu Huang were equipped with precious hand-held crossbows, the other half were equipped with strong bows, and all were equipped with ring-hand knives for close combat. Zhao Yun's troops are also equipped with bows, and for close combat they use halberds and spears.
In terms of infantry, Yuan Xi also obtained more than 300 Peizhang Crossbows through communication from all parties. You must know that the Peizhang Crossbow is the most powerful individual long-range weapon in this era. Its range is more than 200 steps, while the range of the longbow is only about 100 steps.
In addition to the three hundred crossbowmen, the infantry also included halberdiers and spearmen equipped with half-armor.
In addition, the infantry are also equipped with a number of shields. The scouts were selected from the cavalry. There were more than 500 people in the baggage camp, and they were also equipped with equipment such as ring-headed knives, shields, mules and horses.
In this way, although Yuan Xi's troops are not large in number, they are considered rare elites. What they lack is actual combat.
Yuan Xi knows that his advantage now is that he is in the army, so that he can make friends with some generals earlier and better, and establish military prestige, which is beyond the reach of his eldest brother Yuan Tan and his third brother Yuan Shang who are still in Yanzhou.
Don't you see Li Shimin? Li Shimin's team was built through disputes. Now Yuan Xi is following suit and cultivating his own power during the conquest.
But things did not go as smoothly as planned. Among the military generals he wanted to win over, Zhang Tai, Gao Lan, Han Meng, Ju Yi and others only treated him with courtesy. Yan Liang, Wen Chou and others treated him because of their humble background and Yuan Xi's courtesy. He was quite fond of it.
It was even more difficult for the civil servants. Ju Shou and Tian Feng were the most talented people in Yuan Shao's camp, but Tian Feng was upright and aloof and looked serious to everyone. Ju Shou was more or less familiar with him, but he was not too close.
Jushou, courtesy name Gongyu, was formerly Han Fu's subordinate. He was taken under Yuan Shao's command when he annexed Jizhou. He is currently working in the army. According to historical records, he "rarely has great ambitions but is good at strategy" and is also a famous counselor in the history of the Three Kingdoms. Gao Ying, the prime minister of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, was such a talent.
Xun Chen and Xu You are both fox-like characters, especially Xu You. After receiving the property, they were very affectionate with him on the surface, but how much they were sincere is unknown.
Guo Tu and Xin Ping were even colder towards him. Historically, the best friends of his third brother Yuan Shang, Shen Pei and Feng Ji, now also have a lukewarm feeling. It seems that there is still a long way to go to win over good connections.
I also lack a few advisers who can make suggestions. After all, no matter how capable my teacher Zhang Hong is, his energy is limited. And I only know some general historical trends and have learned some military strategies, but he is really inferior to some intelligent people. Come on, there are still many shortcomings.
Moreover, in the future, with our own chaos, history will also deviate from the established track, and our own advantages will live up to our existence.
But some things also depend on chance. Even if a big man finds talented people, they may not pay attention to you. For example, Tian Chou, whom Yuan Shao recruited not long ago, refused to give face to the cavalry general and Jizhou Mu. Yuan Shao was very angry.
Yuan Xi knew that the opportunity was coming, if the historical narrative is correct.
He must also train his own team early like Li Shimin did. Otherwise, when the time comes to face the battle for inheritance, we will be really passive.
Gongsun Zan's military camp.
Gongsun Zan took Liu Bei's hand affectionately and said, "It is better to have a good brother to help you than ten thousand elite soldiers."
Liu Bei knew that these were his polite words, but did not take them seriously. At this time, Gongsun Zan became powerful as his former senior brother.
Liu Bei's instinct told him to come here to see if he could get anything out of it. At the very least, he wanted to get some soldiers to go back and develop his own power. After all, he is now alone, but how can his ambition be compromised by a mere county magistrate.
Liu Bei said: "Brother Bogui has a strong army, and Bei is just the icing on the cake."
Gongsun Zan took him to his seat and said, "If you lead me to conquer Hebei, I will definitely enable my virtuous brother to return home in glory."
Liu Bei said gratefully: "I just want to report to the country to help brother Bogui, why do I want fame and fortune?"
Gongsun Zan laughed loudly and said: "If you have Xuande, why worry about Yuan Shao's injustice?"
Then Liu Bei was assigned more than a thousand soldiers to let his three brothers follow orders in the army. Liu Bei happily agreed, and then the three brothers returned to the camp.
Zhang Fei said dissatisfied: "It's just a thousand soldiers. Why should I be so happy?"
"My dear brother, you need to be careful what you say here no more than at home." Liu Bei was afraid that his words would be lost because he had a loud voice after all.
"Third brother is right. I thought that General Gongsun could give us some troops based on his old friendship. I didn't want it to be just a thousand troops." Guan Yu said unconcernedly.
Liu Bei was a little resentful and sighed: "Who told me to wait until I am from a humble background? It will be difficult for me to move forward before I achieve some achievements. I think Yuan Benchu and Yuan Gongdao are just people in name only. They are just relying on the prestige of their family, but they are stronger than others." There is nothing we can do, if we want to achieve success and revive the Han Dynasty, we can only force ourselves to laugh in front of others."
"Old Zhang is just holding his breath!" Zhang Fei said angrily.
Liu Bei advised: "You need to be patient in everything. My brother will eventually come forward. You two good brothers should not do anything. Once you fight, just do what you can. It is important to accumulate strength."
Guan Yu narrowed his eyes and said, "I know."
Zhang Fei also snorted.
