Three days later, after Yuan Xi achieved victory, news came from the north that Yuan Shao's army had defeated Guantao and Wei counties.
Yuan Tan, Zhu Ling, and Yan Liang in the middle also took advantage of the fact that only Zhang Yan's general Huang Long with 10,000 troops was left in Handan, and they fought for three days to recapture Handan in one fell swoop.
No news came from Wen Chou on the left, but with the three-party victory, the left wing could no longer affect the overall situation.
The officers and soldiers are elite, the equipment is advanced, and their combat effectiveness is by no means comparable to that of the Black Mountain Bandits. Coupled with the 6,000 rebel Tao Sheng troops, the strength of the two sides was almost one to one. The Black Mountain bandits were immediately at a complete disadvantage. After several rounds of hand-to-hand combat, they lost several thousand people. The hills in the north of Yecheng were almost stained red with blood.
At dawn, the battle finally ended. The scene of the battle in the north of Yecheng was devastated. Bodies were piled up in the valley, broken flags hung low, and seriously injured horses screamed on the ground, but no one paid attention.
"The traitor Yu Du has suffered a lot of harm this time!"
Seeing that the officers and soldiers became more and more courageous as they fought, Zhang Yan could only sigh helplessly and ordered the entire army to retreat and retreat to the north of Yecheng along another trail in Yecheng. A real man can bend and stretch, and he will not fight for a day or a night.
Under the command of Zhang Yan, the Montenegrin Army began to retreat, leaving the most elite troops behind, and they strangled together. Although the officers and soldiers killed many Montenegrin bandits, they were unable to overcome the last line of defense. In the end, Zhang Yan was still The main force escaped.
Zhang Yan was injured and returned to the camp. Facing the difficult Qingzhou Army, Zhang Yan was helpless. When he received news of defeats in various places, he felt that the situation was over. In desperation, he mobilized the remaining troops from all walks of life and retreated to the northern part of Chaoge Mountain in Sili.
In fact, Zhang Yan had no choice but to hibernate on the Taihang Mountains for the time being, observe the changes, and then devise good strategies.
Fortunately, most of the losses suffered by the Black Mountain Army were not from Zhang Yan's direct lineage. Zhang Yan's direct lineage only lost 20,000 to 30,000 men during the Battle of Yecheng. The Black Mountain Army, which is dissatisfied with Zhang Yan, will be more conducive to Zhang Yan's control because of its weakened strength.
Five days later, the two armies of Yuan Shao and Yuan Tan also arrived at Yecheng. Yuan Xi ordered Yecheng to be cleaned up, and he found someone to renovate the Prefecture Mufu in preparation for Yuan Shao's arrival.
Yuan Shao was very happy after entering Yecheng. He held a banquet in the Prefecture Mufu to entertain all the generals and civil servants.
At the banquet, Yuan Shao's direct descendants Xun Chen, Shen Pei, Feng Ji, Xu You, Xin Ping, Ju Shou, Guo Tu, Cui Yan, Chen Lin, Han Meng, Jiang Qi, Gao Lan, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou sat at the head and left.
On the left below are Yuan Tan, Yuan Shang, Xin Pi, and Zang Hong and Zhu Ling who defected to Yuan Tan.
On the right below are Yuan Xi and his direct descendants. Guo Jia, Gu Yong, Xu Huang, Zhang Liao, Zhao Yun, Tai Shi Ci, Zhou Cang, Hao Zhao, and Tao Sheng, who had made great achievements, were all present.
Among them, Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi naturally give people a distinct feeling. This can be clearly seen even by ordinary civil and military personnel, let alone the overlord Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shao frowned. Although he valued Yuan Xi, Yuan Tan was also his son, and the palms and backs of his hands were all flesh. It was impossible for him to reject Yuan Tan blindly. What Yuan Shao wants in his mind is to build a foundation for eternity, and then Yuan Shang will inherit his position, while the two brothers Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi defend Yuan Shang and jointly protect the Yuan family's foundation. Another option is for Yuan Xi to take the throne.
However, he could not make up his mind about these two choices at the moment, so he could only balance the forces of all parties for the time being. Yuan Shao was confident that he could control the balance.
Li Yuan, Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty, also thought so. He wanted to strike a balance between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, but balance meant party struggle, endless internal fighting and strife. If Emperor Xuanwu Yuan Xi and Emperor Taizong Li Shimin were not outstanding, then The Yuan family and the Li family will die from internal strife.
The Liu Yuan and Liu Cong Group in the late Western Jin Dynasty died of endless internal strife, and were eventually picked by Shi Le.
Yuan Shao secretly noticed in his heart, he stood up, picked up the wine cup and said: "Look at how ruined Ye City is! Fortunately, you all worked together to defeat Zhang Yan and recover Wei County. Your achievements have been presented to others. , and rewards will be awarded later.”
Everyone stood up to greet him and drank a cup of wine together.
Chen Lin stood up, took out a document, presented it to Yuan Shao, and replied, "My lord, this is the reward list decided upon by you and several gentlemen."
Yuan Shao waved his hand and asked Chen Lin to read it out. Chen Lin nodded slightly, cleared her voice, and read the award document once.
Yuan Xi listened carefully and found out that among the civil servants, Jusue, Xin Ping, Feng Ji, Guo Tu and Shen Pei received the most rewards, followed by Xu You, Xun Chen and others. Among the generals, Han Meng, Wen Chou, and Yan Liang were the most numerous, followed by Jiang Qi, Gao Lan, and Zhu Ling.
Yuan Tan, Yuan Shang, Gao Gan and others also received very generous rewards. Tao Sheng, who presented the city, was a major contributor to the recapture of Ye City. He was named Zhonglang General and received a special commendation from Yuan Shao.
On Yuan Xi's side, he himself was granted the title of General Zhendong and was given 300 households in Wei County. Xu Huang was named General of the Conquering Rebellion, Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao, and Tai Shici were named Generals of Miscellaneous Numbers, Hao Zhao was named General of the Side, and Zhou Cang was named General of Pi.
Guo Jia, Gu Yong and other civil servants were also awarded military posts and commended. In addition, each person has a reward of varying amounts of food.
Yuan Xi didn't care much about official titles, because they, the generals and officials of the Qingzhou Army, had their own system, and their level of importance did not depend on their official positions, but on his own appreciation. But Yuan Shao's reward can still greatly boost morale. With such a reward. Only generals fight bravely. After all, they are all human beings, and humans have desires.
After Chen Lin read out the list of awards, everyone stood up and saluted. Yuan Shao smiled and asked everyone to sit down, and said, "The Black Mountain bandits have fled now, but Gongsun Zan has occupied Youzhou in the north, and the situation is still serious and urgent. I have made an agreement with Liu Bo'an's old troops and the Wuhuan people to wait until spring starts next year. Later, let’s attack Gongsun Zan together!”
"My lord, we still have a lot of things to do before we attack Gongsun Zan." Jushu came out and said, "The Black Mountain bandits have invaded Wei County and brought harm to all industries in this county. How to appease the people and restore all industries is a top priority, otherwise next year Where do the military expenditures come from?”
"What Mr. Gongyu said is true." Yuan Shao praised. "Don't share these things among you. Tomorrow I will go to inspect the farming and craftsmanship in various places. I must not hinder the Northern Expedition next year."
"In addition, the Black Mountain bandits cannot be tolerated." Jushu said again, "After this battle, the Black Mountain bandits' strength has been damaged, but they still have a certain fighting capacity. What should we do if they come back when we attack Gongsun Zan next year?"
"The Black Mountain bandits are really hateful. They will kill them all and suppress them endlessly. If we can take advantage of this great victory to completely eliminate them, it will be a great disaster to our army! What do you think?" Yuan Shao asked.
Xin Ping's thoughts changed. Said: "What my lord said is true. Eliminating this serious trouble is the top priority at the moment. I suggest that I send the eldest son's troops from the middle to pursue and kill him."
At Xin Pi's signal, Yuan Tan stepped out and said, "Haier is willing to take our troops and go to conquer the Black Mountain bandits."
Yuan Shao stroked his beard and nodded slightly. When Feng Ji heard this, he also came out and said: "My lord, the Black Mountain bandits have been causing harm for many years, and the officers and soldiers from all sides have been able to suppress them, which shows that their fighting power is very good. The Qingzhou soldiers under the second son's command are brave and good at fighting. They have made outstanding contributions in the battle of Wei County, so they sent the second son Go and have a better chance of winning.”
Guo Tu thought for a while and understood Xin Ping's intention, so he argued: "The Second Young Master's troops are indeed brave, but they fought hard in Jixian and Yecheng and the soldiers were exhausted. It is not appropriate to send out frequent expeditions. The First Young Master's troops are also our Jizhou elite. Soldiers. With Zhu Ling, Zang Hong and other heroes assisting them, why worry about being unable to defeat the Black Mountain bandits?"
Guo Jia whispered to Yuan Xi next to him: "They are trying to gain credit for the eldest son. Although the eldest son has regained Handan, your achievements this time have completely overshadowed him. Xin Ping and the others are afraid that you will make great achievements again, so Support the eldest son to go up."
Historically, Li Jiancheng was afraid that Li Shimin would take too much credit. Under Wei Zheng's plan, he personally conquered Liu Heitai, who was defeated by Li Shimin. This was the same reason as Guo Tu encouraged Yuan Tan to attack Zhang Yan.
Yuan Xi shook his head secretly. Yuan Tan was probably no match for Zhang Yan, but Zhu Ling and Zang Hong were rare generals. If two people assisted him, they might not be able to defeat Zhang Yan miserably.
In history, didn't Li Jiancheng and Wei Zheng drive Liu Heitai, who was defeated by Li Shimin, out of Hebei again? But it's hard to say whether his eldest brother will be as lucky as Li Jiancheng. After all, the Montenegrin Army didn't have any injuries, right? .
The two rivals, Shen Pei, Feng Ji, Guo Tu and Xin Ping, kept asking for orders from Yuan Xi and Yuan Tan. The atmosphere of confrontation at the banquet was already obvious.
Guo Jia came close to Yuan Xi again and said softly: "Sir, the Black Mountain Army is good at escaping into the mountains and forests and is not easy to destroy. Mr. Once you have done a lot of meritorious deeds, there is no need to fight with them anymore. After all, too much is too much, so you should support the eldest son and take away those rewards."
Yuan Xi knew that he was retreating in order to avoid becoming the target of public criticism. He stepped forward and said, "Father, I also think it is feasible to send my eldest brother to pursue and encircle Zhang Yan. Our Qingzhou soldiers suffered a lot of casualties in this battle, and we urgently need to replenish our troops and armor." , to prepare for next year’s war.”
Yuan Shao nodded and said, "Xiansi, Xianyi, you two brothers should work together to contribute to our great cause in Jizhou. As long as we, the generals, the subjects, the fathers and brothers, etc., work hard, what difficulties can we hinder? Xian I want you to lead your own troops, as well as General Wenchou’s 10,000 troops, to pursue Zhang Yan, and we must get rid of this scourge!”
Although Yuan Tan was suspicious, he still accepted the order and nodded to Yuan Xi.
Yuan Xi added: "Father, our soldiers fought bravely to defeat Yecheng this time, especially the battle at Baimenpo Ferry. If General Han Meng and the others had not fought to the death with blood, the attack on Yecheng would have failed. But after the hard battle, There have been many casualties among the soldiers, and I request that the food fief be converted into cash to provide compensation to the families of the fallen soldiers."
As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the audience burst into applause, especially Cui Yan, Chen Lin, Xu You, Shen Pei, and Feng Ji. Cui Yan was talking about the situation, but Chen Lin, Xu You and others just followed the trend and flattered him.
Yuan Shao was happy to hear this, he stroked his beard and smiled and said, "You are ridiculous, showing sympathy to your subordinates is what you should do as a general. Xianyi, you should be rewarded for your meritorious service, otherwise how can you show that rewards and punishments are clear? This is how much money is needed to care for the soldiers. Ask Mr. Zhengnan and the others to make a list, take out some money and silk from the treasury, distribute it, or reduce their family's taxes."
After hearing this, Yuan Xi and the generals came out to thank him. Being able to comfort the fallen soldiers will further boost the morale of the generals, and what Yuan Xi needs is reputation in the army.
at last. In the joyful atmosphere created, everyone returned happily.
After the banquet, Fengji and Shenpei caught up with Yuan Xi and others on the side road of the Prefecture Mufu. Yuan Xi signaled everyone to go back to the military camp first, while he stayed with his personal guards. He pulled the two of them to a side courtyard.
Feng Ji asked anxiously: "Second Young Master, I just gave you the opportunity to make new achievements, why did you give it to the First Young Master?"
Yuan Xi thanked him and said, "Thank you two gentlemen for asking for my order, but our army really shouldn't be ordered to encircle and suppress Zhang Yan."
Yuan Xi then restated what Guo Jia said.
Shen Pei narrowed his eyes and nodded. He said, "Guo Fengxiao's analysis makes sense. Who can see the achievements of encircling and suppressing Zhang Yan? Unless Zhang Yan's head is beheaded, otherwise it is not a trivial military achievement. The next year's crusade against Gongsun Zan will be different. That can be seen by the lord. of."
After hearing this, Feng Ji looked at Guo Jia in a different light, and asked again: "Now the city is guarded by your Qingzhou Army, Second Young Master. You should tell the lord about changing the defense area as soon as possible. You can also take the opportunity to ask the lord for some food."
Yuan Xi agreed repeatedly, and after bidding farewell to the two of them, he immediately came to the main room where Yuan Shao lived.
Yuan Shao was slightly drunk at this time. He was lying on the couch. Mrs. Liu and the maid were bringing him sobering soup and serving him to drink it.
Yuan Shao saw his son coming in. He quickly put down the soup bowl and asked, "Xianyi, what's wrong with you? Why don't you go and rest?"
"Father, in such a hurry, I forgot to tell you about the change of defense in Yecheng. Father, when will our Qingzhou soldiers withdraw from Yecheng and return to Qingzhou?" Yuan Xi asked carefully.
"Is this what you are talking about?" Yuan Shao waved his hand, "This matter is not urgent. We will discuss it with Zhengnan and the others tomorrow. With your brave Qingzhou soldiers stationed in Yecheng, there is nothing I can't worry about."
If it were Cao Cao, Li Shimin, and other kings, the most taboo thing would be for their heirs to respect themselves. This shows that Yuan Shao is indeed a good father, but he is still not very successful as a king.
Mrs. Liu, who followed Yuan Shao back to Yecheng, immediately became anxious when she heard that the Qingzhou army was about to withdraw, and said, "Xianyi, you just returned home not long ago, are you going to Qingzhou again?"
Yuan Xi apologized: "Mother, military affairs are like this, how can I be alone and do nothing?"
"That's not the case." Yuan Shao said, "Just wait for your generals to lead their troops back to Qingzhou to garrison. The Northern Expedition will begin next year, so you can stay and accompany your mother."
Yuan Xi was shocked, although Yuan Shao made this suggestion to please Mrs. Liu. But at the thought of losing military power. Even temporarily, he felt uncomfortable.
"Xianyi. Don't you want to accompany your mother?" Yuan Shao asked. Although the words were not harsh, Yuan Xi could hear a hint of temptation. After all, since he has great power and achievements, Yuan Shao will also worry about his disobedience. If he were not his son, he would really be suspected.
"Father, mother, in that case, I will order my subordinates to return to Qingzhou first, and then mobilize them northward next year to help my father attack Gongsun Zan." Yuan Xi said cheerfully.
Yuan Shao nodded secretly and said, "Well, you don't need to go back to the camp. Stay at home and discuss the change of defense tomorrow."
Accompanied by Mrs. Liu, Yuan Xi came to the courtyard where he used to live. The leader of the Black Mountain Army, Sui Gu, was in a desperate situation, and the Qingzhou Army captured the Prefectural Mufu Mansion quickly, so apart from the looting of valuable things, it did not cause much damage. Yuan Xi asked someone to get another batch of furniture, so it could still be a place for people to live here.
As soon as he arrived at the gate of the courtyard, the short and honest Zhu Gongdao came up to him and complained, "Master, you are back!"
"Major General!" Several tiger guards nearby also gathered around.
Yuan Xi nodded to them. When these people were in Hejian, he stayed to protect Mrs. Liu and take care of the Bu trainer. Today, they also returned to the Prefecture Mufu with Mrs. Liu.
The rest of the guards were guarding outside the courtyard, while Yuan Xi and Mrs. Liu entered the inner room. Under the dim light, the fair and soft Bu Lianshi was sewing embroidery. When she heard the noise outside the courtyard, she felt mixed feelings. After a while, she got up and opened the door of the main room, just in time to meet Mrs. Liu and Yuan Xi.
"Madam, Master." Trainer Bu quickly saluted.
Mrs. Liu hummed softly and led Yuan Xi into the inner room. When Trainer Dai Bu stood aside, Mrs. Liu said: "You have done well these days, and you seem to be serving others, but the young master is different from ordinary people. He is busy with military affairs and often cannot take care of some daily matters. If you dare to be negligent in the slightest, I won’t be polite if you are blamed!”
Trainer Bu saluted and said yes. Under Mrs. Liu's training these days, she only obeyed her master's words. Mrs. Liu warned Yuan Xi for a while and then went back. Yuan Xi and Bu Lianshi were left behind.
"Master, I'll bring you some water to wash you up." Trainer Bu didn't dare to look at Yuan Xi, who hurriedly picked up the basin.
"Wait!" Yuan Xi grabbed her catkins and said, "Don't rush to get water for now."
Trainer Bu was shocked and looked at Yuan Xi weakly and helplessly. Little did he know that this move was arousing Yuan Xi's evil fire.
Yuan Xi raised his hand and carried her to the couch next to her, and then he couldn't wait to press on Master Bu, feeling the tender skin as white as jade. Trainer Bu turned away slightly and endured all this silently.
In the end, even she couldn't tell whether it was pain or pleasure. There was no sound in the room until the lights went out.
Trainer Bu was lying next to Yuan Xi, and she felt Yuan Xi's well-proportioned sleeping breath. She tentatively left Yuan Xi's arms. He gently came to the pile of Yuan Xi's robes beside the couch.
She groped for a while and found Yuan Xina's steel-smelting sword. She held the steel sword in both hands and came to the couch. The moonlight shone into the room through the window. She looked at Yuan Xi's face, which looked softer and softer against the moonlight.
this moment. Although the steel sword was heavy, her hands were even heavier. Several times in a row, she could not move even half an inch. Whether the man in front of her was an enemy or a benefactor, even she couldn't tell clearly at this moment.
At first, she hated Qingzhou Army and captured Tancheng. They are invaders and robbers. Although Yuan Xi executed the young general, her grandfather would not have died if Yuan Xi had not ordered the attack on Xuzhou. During the few days she was with Mi Zhen, she made it clear that she wanted to get close to Yuan Xi, the leader of the Qingzhou Army. Waiting for revenge.
When Yuan Xi wanted to take her body, this hatred became even more profound. But after Yuan Xi left, as a weak woman in this era, her heart actually felt loose.
Secretly, she kept looking for reasons why she shouldn't hate Yuan Xi, and gradually the boundaries between benefactor and enemy became blurred. But this perfect opportunity tonight made her pick up the fine steel sword by some strange combination of circumstances.
"What's wrong? It shouldn't be difficult to pull out that sword, right?" Yuan Xi's voice suddenly sounded in the silence.
Trainer Bu was so frightened that she let go of her hands and the steel sword immediately fell to the ground with a loud sound.
Looking at the panicked trainer Bu, Yuan Xi's eyes were cloudy and uncertain. Just when the step trainer was at a loss. Yuan Xi hugged her slender waist and pressed her on the couch again.
"Why don't you draw your sword?" Yuan Xi asked, staring into her eyes.
Trainer Bu said nothing. He just looked away, tears sliding down his cheeks. Yuan Xi sighed, "Your grandfather's death was caused by my failure to restrain the soldiers, but that was not my intention."
After a while, Yuan Xi saw that she had no expression at all, and then said: "Mother may be a bit harsh on others. Have you suffered these days?"
Trainer Bu shed more and more tears, soaking his jade-white cheeks, making him look pitiful.
"Now that you are mine, I will treat you well." Yuan Xi said and held her in his arms again. Trainer Bu sobbed and gradually fell asleep in his arms.
The next day, after discussions between Yuan Shao, Yuan Xi, Shen Pei, Ju Shou and others, the Qingzhou Army began to switch defenses with Yuan Shao's direct lineage. The entire defense switching process lasted for half a day. The Qingzhou Army was stationed in the camp outside the city.
Two days later, the food supplies for the Qingzhou Army were in place. Xu Huang and others began to lead the Qingzhou Army southward and returned to the Qingzhou Plain to station. Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao's four thousand elite cavalry and the tiger guards led by Xu Chu were left behind.
Yuan Xi, Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao and Gu Yong came to the east of the city in person to bid farewell to Xu Huang, Guo Jia and others. Nearly 40,000 Qingzhou troops marched to the plains in batches, and in the end only a few generals Xu Huang remained.
Xu Huang drank the farewell wine and mounted his war horse, "Young Master, I will definitely train these horses and men well. Young Master, let's see what they do in Youzhou next year!"
Guo Jia also nodded to Yuan Xi, "I will bring the young master's letter to Mr. Yuan Hao and the others, and make arrangements to handle things in Qingzhou. See you next year!"
Yuan Xi said goodbye to them until they could no longer be seen. Without their assistance, he would indeed be under house arrest in Yecheng, unable to let go.
I remember that Li Yuan, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, also hid Li Shimin for a period of time. However, later Li Jiancheng could not clean up the situation, so he had to reinstate Emperor Taizong Li Shimin. After all, it is better than Jiangshan Yi.
Emperor Taizong Xuanwu and Yuan Xi were in a similar situation. It was not until Yuan Tan's crusade against the Black Mountain Army was defeated that Yuan Shao relaxed his control over Yuan Xi. Later, as Yuan Xi's power grew, he could not get rid of his big tail and could no longer control him. His growth can only be tolerated.
