Dealing with Liu Yu is a troublesome matter. Tian Yu asked worriedly: "My lord, although Liu Yu is a weak scholar, he is very popular in Youzhou. I wonder how the general wants to deal with him?"
"Place it?" Gongsun Zan sneered and said, "Just kill him! Those who are in the way will save themselves from future troubles."
Tian Yu was horrified and said urgently: "You can't do it, general, you must not do this! Liu Yu has such high popularity in Youzhou, so he should be properly arranged, so that he can comply with the people's will and not go out of his way three times." It will take a long time to gather all the troops and people in Youzhou and accomplish the great cause of the grand plan."
Seeing that Gongsun Zan didn't take it seriously, Tian Yu said anxiously: "If Liu Yu is killed, Liu Yu's old military and civilian troops in Youzhou will definitely rise up to resist and think about revenge for him. In this way, even if our army occupies the entire territory of Youzhou, we will face It’s also an endless rebellion!”
Gongsun Zan snorted coldly and said sternly, "It is precisely because Liu Yu's buddies are all over Youzhou and he is left behind. I don't know if he ascends to the top and shouts that day, his buddies will inevitably start a rebellion. This will cause endless troubles!"
After saying that, he ignored Tian Yu's urging and led the horse straight to the Prefectural Shepherd's Mansion. This is one of the reasons why Li Keyong and Liu Rengong of Youzhou lost to Zhu Wen during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. That is because they were superstitious about force and did not have matching political talents.
He has great martial arts and combat power, but without the support of strong national power and popular power, no matter how powerful he is, he is destined to perish. A powerful man like Li Keyong was still subdued by Zhu Wen, not to mention Gongsun Zan, who was not as powerful as Li Keyong.
"General, the Liu Yu family has captured the young one, what should we do with it?" A Yamen will come out of the Prefectural Shepherd's Mansion and report.
"Take them into custody together with Liu Yu, and kill them all on another day!" Gongsun Zan said coldly. I don't know if it was an illusion. He seemed to be more bloodthirsty than before, or he was no longer confident. The less confident he was, the more The more you use rebellion to cover up your inner fear, that's all.
"General, wait a minute!" Tian Yu caught up and urged again: "Liu Yu may have been executed, but what crime did his wife and children have? Killing them for no reason will inevitably arouse the anger of the people. General, please think twice!"
"Guo Rang, you are too angry about book business. I must wipe out the roots and leave his wife and clan to seek revenge on this general!" Gongsun Zan couldn't help but sneer. He could no longer listen to the advice of his subordinates.
"General, our government governs the world with filial piety. We do not harm relatives and do not stop the sacrifice of human beings. How can we face the world by killing them?" Tian Yu stepped forward and continued to persuade. This is the concept of this era, benevolence and filial piety.
Gongsun Zan waved his hand and asked Tian Yu to retreat. He frowned and said, "Guo Rang, you have worked hard all the way. Go down and rest first. I have my own opinions on these matters."
Tian Yu wanted to persuade him again, but Gongsun Zan shouted: "Come here! Call the cavalry out of the city and follow my general to attack the Jizhou army."
Koto.
In the lobby of the Sheriff's Mansion, senior officials of the Sun family and senior generals of the Jiangdong Army had gathered, including Sun Ce, Zhou Tai and Sun Bi, and the navy Huang Gai and Jiang Qin were among them.
Everyone's expressions were serious, even a little downcast, and Sun Jian's expression was a little hesitant. It seemed like something big had happened.
"Everyone is here, Bo Fu, tell me!" Sun Jian glanced at everyone and asked Sun Ce to say.
"promise!"
Sun Ce stood up and said, "Today I received an urgent letter from my friends Lu Fan and Lu Ziheng, sent six hundred miles away from Danyang."
"Zi Heng went to Jiujiang and took refuge with Zhou Ang, the prefect of Jiujiang, and he was also highly used by Zhou Ang."
Sun Ce raised the letter in his hand, his face became solemn, and he continued: "Today, I received an urgent letter from Zi Heng. This letter talked about a major event that happened in Jiujiang and Danyang recently."
"What's the big deal?" Someone asked in a low voice, confused.
"Liu Yao, the governor of Yangzhou who was defeated by our army, imprisoned three brothers, Zhou Ang, Zhou Xin and Zhou Yu, and controlled tens of thousands of troops in Jiujiang County and Danyang County!"
Sun Ce took a deep breath and said loudly: "Zi Heng told me that the three brothers of the Zhou family were originally Yuan Shao's subordinates, but now Yuan Shao is also in a tight war with Gongsun Zan in Jizhou and has no ability to care about them, so they want to favor Liu Yao. As the governor, he used Liu Yao's reputation to control Yangzhou, but he didn't expect Liu Yao to bite him back.
Ten days ago, Liu Yao gathered his most capable civil and military men, and with the help of a banquet, he took down the three brothers of the Zhou family in one fell swoop. Now Zhou Ang and the other three are Liu Yao's prisoners. Liu Yao relied on Zhou Xin's seal. Gathered Danyang's troops and horses. "
"What?"
"How can it be?"
"What a good Liu Yao, Liu Zhengli, good methods!"
When everyone heard this, they were shocked. Everyone stared at Sun Ce with their eyes wide open, somewhat unbelievable.
The three brothers of the Zhou family can be regarded as princes, and their subordinates in Jiujiang and Danyang are very powerful. It is really unexpected that Liu Yao was able to capture them in such a short time.
"Bo Fu, how come our Jiangdong spies don't have any news about such a big matter? Is this true?" Sun Ben, who controlled the Jiangdong Army's scout camp, asked with his pupils slightly contracted.
"Father, uncles, I believe in Lu Fan!" Sun Ce said firmly as he looked at Sun Jian and several other uncles.
"Uncle, Lu Fan made good friends with us in Shouchun. He is my eldest brother's best friend. There is no reason to lie to us."
Zhou Yu also stood up, looked at Sun Bi, smiled slightly, and said: "As for why Jiangdong's spies couldn't find out such important information, one is because the current focus of Jiangdong's army is in Kuaiji County, the rear area of Wu County, and the other is There should be a capable person under Liu Yao's command, and I'm afraid this person is not simple. He hid the news of the blockade not only from us but also from Chen Wen."
"My lord, I'm sorry. I just couldn't think about it at the moment and I was rude." Sun Ben did not doubt Zhou Yu, but he couldn't accept his dereliction of duty, so he apologized quickly.
"Well, I believe that the source of the news is credible. Boyang, I can't blame you. It has been less than two years since the Jiangdong Army returned to Jiangdong, and many things cannot be estimated."
Sun Jian's low voice sounded, comforting the two, and then asked: "The most important thing now is, how should our Jiangdong Army respond?"
"Lord, we must send troops immediately. Liu Yao cannot be allowed to stand firm. Jiujiang and Danyang combined are more powerful than our Jiangdong Army. We must capture Danyang while Liu Yao does not fully control Danyang!" Cheng Pu stood up. With fighting spirit in his eyes, he said respectfully to Sun Jian.
Outside the city of Ji County, Yuan Xi's army assembled.
Xu Chu handed over a large plate of roast pork. He smiled and said, "Young Master, military advisor, this is the venison hunted by the people below. You can try it."
Guo Jia wiped his hands, cut off a piece with a knife and ate it.
Yuan Xi put away the marching map and asked: "By the way, have Zhongkang, Zilong and Wenyuan been sent away?"
Yuan Xi still cares about his generals. Emperor Taizong Li Shimin treated Yuchi Jingde, Qin Shubao and others the same way, so the soldiers did their best for them.
"Don't worry, young master. I'll send it to them." Xu Chu swallowed his saliva and said with greedy eyes, "After eating steamed cakes for several days, my mouth has long been filled with a feeling of confusion. Today I finally started eating meat."
Yuan Xi greeted Xu Chu and gathered around to share the food. But just in the middle of eating, the horn sounded. Smoke and dust rose in the direction of Jixian, and the ground trembled.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Yuan Xi quickly put on his armor and asked a group of soldiers to protect Guo Jia and then take precautions.
Xu Chu led the horses and summoned all the tiger guards to Yuan Xi. Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao also summoned their subordinates to line up.
Yuan Xi gave an order. The five thousand cavalrymen ran quickly and passed each other in columns with Gongsun Zan's cavalry. The knights on both sides took out their strong bows and started shooting at each other.
The sound of "whooshing" became a film, and the arrow rain covered each other. The soldier with poor protection was hit by an arrow and fell to the ground. Trampled to pulp.
After the two met, Gongsun Zan's cavalry divided into two groups, and a large group of cavalry bypassed the right wing of Yuan Xi's army. Another team entangled the main force of Yuan Xi's army. Everything happened in an instant. The cavalry fought very quickly, testing the analysis and decision-making abilities of the generals on both sides.
Yuan Xi picked up his gun and rode his horse to gallop with the group, surrounded by smoke and dust, and the horses neighing. He endured the bumps of the horses. Feeling the unknown danger and excitement, his bones were full of cruelty and bloodthirsty, but Yuan Xi did not pay attention.
The battle between the two armies lasted for half an hour, when both sides stopped to gather strength and prepare to fight again. Guo Jia, Zhao Yun, and Yuan Xi gathered together to analyze the battlefield situation.
Zhang Liao also went around to Yuan Xi and said anxiously: "Young General, the news is wrong. Gongsun Zan's army must have five or six thousand cavalry, not less than our army. Has he mobilized troops from other places and come back?"
"Gongsun Zan has been fighting with the barbarians for so many years, and his level of cavalry fighting is indeed extraordinary. Far from comparable to those of the cavalry in the Central Plains. Wenyuan, you see, our army also suffered a lot of casualties."
Yuan Xi answered the question and said to himself. In fact, he was a little at a loss in his heart.
After several battles, the casualty exchange rate between them and Gongsun Zan's army was almost the same. It became a war of attrition.
The war in this era is not that if you have it, Guanzhang, Zhao, Mahuang will be invincible. No, it requires strength and comprehensive strength to be able to afford it, otherwise Liu Bei would have unified it long ago.
Yuan Xi was glad that he did not rush to attack before he could figure out the number of enemy troops. Seeing the serious casualties among his direct descendants, Yuan Xi was heartbroken, especially this kind of purposeless war of attrition.
Guo Jia saw Yuan Xi's thoughts and advised: "Sir, we can't retreat now! Once the army retreats, Gongsun Zan's army will definitely catch up. We will become passive and the battle situation will become more dangerous."
"Is this a cavalry battle?" Yuan Xi suddenly said: "Shoot the horse first to shoot the man, and capture the king first to capture the thief! I wonder if the cavalry is led by Gongsun Zan? Zilong and Wenyuan, you two also recognize Gongsun Zan and are looking for him. , be sure to kill it in one fell swoop!”
Just as the two men took the order, the horn sounded again, and the enemy troops launched another attack. Yuan Xi's central army was relatively safe under the protection of Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao, but this time Gongsun Zan's cavalry was divided into several detachments, strengthening their mobile surprise force and biting Yuan Xi's army's cavalry phalanx like a pack of wolves.
Yuan Xi felt a lot of pressure. The reputation of Youzhou's sudden cavalry was well-deserved. During the previous battle in Jizhou, Yuan Shao's army had a good location and the cooperation of infantry and cavalry to defeat Gongsun Zan. He also had his elite cavalry "white horse Yi Cong", which was really difficult to deal with.
In the past, most of Yuan Xi's cavalry fought with infantry, but through this battle, Yuan Xi and Guo Jia also saw that their side was inexperienced in cavalry battles.
Fortunately, Zhang Liao was also good at riding as a battlefield general, and Zhao Yun was also good at riding and shooting. After several adjustments, Yuan Xi's cavalry gradually adapted to the small group harassment tactics of Gongsun Zan's cavalry, and cooperated with each other in fighting, and Dao gradually stabilized the situation.
"Major General, look, is that Gongsun Zan!" Xu Chu pointed forward with his sword.
Yuan Xi took a closer look and saw a general in the distance, who indeed looked a bit like Gongsun Zan. There was also a banner with the word "Gongsun" erected there. Yuan Xi said excitedly, "Blow the horn and ask Zhao Yun to go up from the right. Let's go directly Attack it."
Xu Chu and others took the order, and with this elite group, they surrounded Yuan Xi and went straight to Gongsun Zan's place. But when they got closer, they found that Gongsun Zan kept retreating, and other small groups of enemy troops kept dividing their ranks from those of Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao and others.
"No, it was Gongsun Zan who induced our army to attack in order to divide and encircle the enemy!" Yuan Xi urgently ordered: "The whole army obeys the order and moves closer to Zhao Yun's troops on the right!"
Everyone took the order and mounted their horses to kill suddenly. However, the combat power of Gongsun Zan's sudden cavalry was extraordinary. It took several hard battles to break through a small distance, and the cavalry moved a lot in battle. As soon as they moved, the team was divided between Gongsun Zan's troops.
Yuan Xi broke out in a cold sweat. In the past, his battles had been very smooth. He was good at brainstorming and appointing generals. Even if he suffered a small setback, he could often win. This time the cavalry battle between the two armies caused him to encounter unprecedented dangers.
Gongsun Zan's small group of cavalry kept cutting back and forth, which made Yuan Xi and others tired of dealing with it. Just when they were distressed and helpless, there was a burst of sound and smoke from the west, and another army came out. Gongsun Zan's military offensive also slackened, and he was obviously overrun.
Yuan Xi expected that it was the reinforcements from the other two groups. He cheered up his spirit and shouted: "Send a signal and let the whole army move closer to the reinforcements and defeat Gongsun Zan's army together!"
Xu Chu and others were ordered to follow Yuan Xi and move closer to the west. When they got closer, they saw a big flag with the word "Ju". Only then did I know that Ju Yi's reinforcements were coming.
Ju Yi's army cooperated with infantry and cavalry and slowly advanced towards Yuan Xi, forcing Gongsun Zan's army to retreat elsewhere. Finally, he returned to Ji County.
Yuan Xi breathed a sigh of relief, rode forward, met Ju Yi again, a veteran on the battlefield, and thanked him, "General Ju Yi, your kindness in saving me will be unforgettable by me!"
Ju Yi rode on the horse without any expression, and said with a bit of contempt in his tone, "The second young master is serious, we are even, but you are taking a risk by fighting Gongsun Zan easily. He is no better than Tian Kai." , Tao Qian and those people."
Yuan Xi had rescued Ju Yi once before, so Ju Yi naturally regarded this rescue as a favor.
Xu Chu and others looked on and frowned. As a subordinate of Yuan Shao, Ju Yi did not show respect to Yuan Xi, the second son of the Yuan family, but he still had to show the minimum courtesy.
Yuan Xi heard his unkind tone and instantly understood that he was jealous of his achievements in Qingzhou and Xuzhou. Therefore, generals like Ju Yi can only be effective if they are half-full, otherwise they will easily suffer backlash. Cao Cao's evaluation of Lu Bu also applies to this kind of people. If you are hungry, you will use it, and if you are full, you will soar.
Gongsun Zan led his troops back on horseback and temporarily resided in the Prefectural Mufu in the city of Ji County. He asked the soldiers to help him remove his armor, and then threw away his saber in anger.
Zou Dan, Wang Men, Guan Jing, and Gongsun Xu happened to walk in and saw the angry Gongsun Zan.
Gongsun Xu picked up the saber and put it away, and said consolingly, "Father, you didn't fail in this attack. It was a draw at most, so why be angry."
"Can I not be angry? I was about to defeat the Jizhou cavalry, but Ju Yi's guy came out halfway, ruining my good deeds!" Gongsun Zan was very angry. He had always been worried about his defeat at the hands of Ju Yi. Huai, we are old enemies after all.
"General, don't worry. They can only have ten thousand people at most, and our army has gathered more than thirty thousand people now. I also have soldiers repairing the city wall. Even if there is no battle, they will retreat if they run out of food for three to five days." Guan Jing said.
"Father, we are here to tell you that we have captured several officials wearing court uniforms. They said they were envoys sent by the Chang'an court to commend my father and Liu Yu." Gongsun Xu said.
"The envoys sent by the emperor to commend Liu Yu and me?" Gongsun Zan sneered: "Do they know that Liu Yu is already a prisoner under my command! Please pass it on so that I can see who he is."
Gongsun Xu took the order and went down to bring up a middle-aged man wearing civil official uniform.
"I, Taichang Duanxun, have met General Gongsun." said the middle-aged civil servant.
Gongsun Zan looked at him coldly, nodded slightly, and said, "Did His Majesty send you to commend me and Liu Yu?"
Duan Xun frowned. He represented the court and the emperor. The tone of Gongsun Zan's words was really disrespectful, but he still took out a piece of the imperial edict and said, "Your Majesty wants you to serve the country diligently, so he specially promotes you to be a former general and has the title of "ex-general". Marquis Yi. Please ask General Gongsun to accept the order."
Gongsun Zan hesitated for a moment, but still knelt down and saluted and accepted the edict. After all, Emperor Xian was still nominally orthodox.
"General, I have also heard that General, you and Mr. Liu have some misunderstandings. For the sake of being both courtiers, please release him. After all..." Duan Xun advised. He also heard about Youzhou along the way. of the past.
"Let him go?" Gongsun Zan sneered and said, "Sir, do you know that Liu Yu colluded with Yuan Shao and intended to usurp the throne and rebel? I am about to announce his crimes to the world and behead him in public!"
