Hebei Zhen Mansion.
The moonlight is still bright tonight, and the ripples in the Zhang River are so beautiful. When they arrived at the door, Yuan Xi no longer allowed Xu Chu and the others to escort him. He straightened his clothes, and with a hint of uneasiness, Yuan Xi reached out and knocked on the vermilion door.
I thought it was uncertain whether I could open the door, but unexpectedly, as soon as I slapped my hand on the door panel, the door opened with a "squeak".
"Please send word to your lady that Yuan Xi wants to see you..." Yuan Xi coughed, bent down and gave a salute, holding a jade pendant in his hand and said pretendingly.
"Hehe... The young master is indeed here!" A clear and sweet voice came into his ears. Yuan Xi hurriedly raised his head, and through the moonlight, he realized that the person who opened the door was not a servant or a maid, but actually his own goddess - —Zhen Mi.
Zhen Mi was wearing a light blue dress, which looked fairy-like and charming under the moonlight. She was looking at Yuan Xi with joy at this moment. Following Zhen Mi was a maid who was about fifteen or sixteen years old. When she smiled, she showed a pair of small tiger teeth, which was really cute.
"Giggle... Fortunately, sir, you are here, otherwise my lady would have been so disappointed. It was just dark today. It was such a big party. Miss, she went to the door and looked around seven or eight times..."
"Lv Zhu, stop talking nonsense and make tea in the room!" After being teased by the little maid, Zhen Mi couldn't stand it any more. She blushed and pretended to be angry, scolding Lu Zhu to enter the room.
"Even if the lady doesn't say anything, people will come into the house!" Lu Zhu made a face, suddenly pushed Zhen Mi into Yuan Xi's arms, then smiled "gege" and ran into the study quickly.
Seeing the beauty coming to embrace her, Yuan Xi hurriedly reached out to greet her. He gently held Zhen Mi's soft arms with both hands, and couldn't help but feel excited. "Why is this girl so naughty? Mi'er, are you okay?" Zhen Mi's face turned even redder, and she hurriedly broke away from Yuan Xi's hands and muttered: "No...it's okay. This girl has become more and more rude to me as I have spoiled her." She's still messing around with me in front of outsiders, just to see if I don't take care of her properly later."
"Haha... Mi'er gives this jade pendant to you." Yuan Xi said. This jade pendant is all crystal clear green and has a first-class color. You can tell at a glance that it is a priceless treasure. In the Han Dynasty, jade was considered beautiful.
Facing Yuan Xi's fiery gaze, how could Zhen Mi not understand what he meant? She felt a little flustered and shook her head: "This piece of jewelry is crystal clear and looks to be of extraordinary value. How dare Mi'er accept such a valuable young master for no reason?" A gift...Besides, Mi'er doesn't have any gifts yet..."
However, Yuan Xi did not answer, staring into Zhen Mi's soul-stunning eyes, and said affectionately: "We have an engagement. Since I said it is yours, from now on, this will be yours." Got it!"
Yuan Xi smiled and then said, "Giving you to me would be the most beautiful gift in the world."
Zhen Mi said shyly, "I'm helpless." But she was indeed secretly happy. Yuan Xi hugged Zhen Mi gently and was speechless for a moment.
Time unknowingly came to the end of October in the fifth year of Chuping (194).
From the compiled documents and reports, Yuan Xi learned about some situations in various places. First, Gongsun Zan strengthened his control over the counties in Youzhou and vigorously liquidated Liu Yu's old troops. They also recruited civilians on a large scale to build city defenses and collect and hoard grain. This caused resentment among the people of Youzhou.
After Yuan Shu was defeated in Yanzhou, he returned to Yuzhou, but was attacked by Cao Cao one after another. Yuan Shu sent his generals to defend Runan with all their strength, while he led his troops to retreat to Shouchun, Huainan County.
Cao Cao took advantage of his victory to occupy four counties in Yuzhou. His territory suddenly increased greatly. He was accumulating military power and assumed an aggressive posture. He expected to launch an attack on Runan in Yuzhou in the coming year.
After Yuan Shu's defeat, the flying general Lu Bu led his troops to defect to Zhang Yang who occupied Hanoi. Zhang Yang then sent Lu Bu to garrison in the Taihang Mountains north of Hanoi, and his troops were directed towards Shangdang in Bingzhou. After Yu Du fled Wei Jun, he headed west and led his troops to Hanoi to join Zhang Yang.
In Guanzhong, Guo Si, Li Que, Yang Feng and others seemed to be in harmony with each other. The edicts issued by Liu Xie and Yang Biao fell into the sea without any response. The princes were busy annexing and expanding.
But what concerned Yuan Xi was that Ma Teng, the general of the Western Conquest, had a personal request from Li Que, but he fell out with Li because he was not satisfied.
Regarding Jiangdong, it was different from the historical situation in which Liu Yao was appointed governor of Yangzhou by an edict issued by Emperor Xian. After Sun Jian withdrew his troops from Xuzhou, he returned to Wu County to strengthen his troops and began to expand to Danyang, Kuaiji and other places in full swing.
In Xuzhou, although Tao Qian had been ill for a long time, he was not dead. He entrusted Liu Bei with important tasks and asked Liu Bei to station troops in Pengcheng to prevent Cao Cao. Yuan Xi also exchanged letters with Mi Zhu several times.
The north wind was blowing coldly. Yuan Xi stood by the courtyard and looked at the fallen leaves. He shuddered unconsciously. As a southerner in his previous life, he still couldn't get used to the late autumn in Hebei.
The sound of light footsteps came, and Trainer Bu gently put a cloak on Yuan Xi's shoulders, and then stood aside obediently.
Yuan Xi held her catkins as tender as bamboo shoots and was about to go into the house to do the Duke of Zhou's business. The spring night was short.
Xu Chu, who was on duty at this time, walked quickly to the courtyard and said: "Sir, Mr. Yuan has sent someone to summon you to come over and discuss matters in the study."
Yuan Xi gently patted Trainer Bu's cheek and signaled her to go back to the house first, while he took Xu Chu to Yuan Shao's study.
At this time, Guo Tu, Xun Chen, Xin Ping, Xu You, Ju Shou, Feng Ji, Shen Pei, Cui Yan, Chen Lin and other civil servants and counselors were all there. Guo Tu and Xin Ping obviously didn't look good. Sure enough, at Yuan Shao's signal, Chen Lin circulated an urgent report to everyone.
Yuan Xi read the brief document in just a few glances. The general idea was that Yuan Tan was ambushed by Zhang Yan and suffered heavy losses.
You must know that in the first two months, Yuan Tan, Zhu Ling, and Zang Hong, with the cooperation of Wen Chou's partial division, fought in consecutive battles, and once drove Zhang Yan to his lair in Chaoge Luchang Mountain. It can be said that they were in the limelight.
The emergency report was brief, but Yuan Xi figured out the overall situation through contact, which was that Yuan Tan was greedy for power and would not let go of Zhang Yan. And Zhang Yan led Yuan Tan's troops in circles in Luchang Mountain. Until the month before last, Zhang Yan suddenly robbed Yuan Tan's army of food and fodder. When the mountain was blocked by heavy snow, Yuan Tan's troops suffered many casualties. If Wen Chou hadn't rescued him in time, , maybe the whole army will freeze to death and starve to death.
Yuan Tan failed miserably for the sake of greed this time. It can be said that he stole the chicken but lost the rice. But Yuan Xi was not happy. After all, Zhang Yan was also the Yuan family's enemy, and it was also the Jizhou army that suffered the loss.
Looking at Yuan Shao with a look of color on his face. Xin Ping defended: "This defeat is not the fault of man, but a snow disaster from heaven. The eldest son and the others have already defeated many Black Mountain bandits and achieved great victory. Why did they enter Luchang Mountain without any trouble and avoidance of hardships? Isn't it to eliminate the Black Mountain bandits?" This hungry wolf standing next to the house has a commendable heart and an exemplary deed! Therefore, although the eldest son and the others have had their faults, their merits outweigh their faults."
It was originally a defeat, but after Xin Ping said this, it made people feel that it was excusable.
But Feng Ji didn't think so. He stood up and said: "The eldest son lost the army food in front, and the heavy snow closed the mountains behind. It can only be said that the snowstorm trapped the eldest son. However, regardless of whether there was a snowstorm or not, the eldest son's negligence led to the loss of food and grass. That’s the key to defeat.”
Shen Pei has always regarded himself as an upright scholar, and he also objected: "Gong is merit, and fault is fault. The eldest son made meritorious deeds in the first place, but made mistakes later that led to the death of thousands of soldiers. Such a big mistake must not be left uninvestigated."
Guo Tu sneered and said, "Who can guarantee victory in a hundred battles on the battlefield? Aren't famous generals like Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi also suffered defeats? Last time, the second young master could take the blame and make meritorious service. Why can't the first young master make up for his fault?"
The judge and Feng Ji were speechless for a moment, but Yuan Xi knew that Yuan Shao would not punish Yuan Tan severely, so he said: "I think Mr. Xin and Mr. Guo are right. My eldest brother is chasing Zhang Yan to the death for my Yuan family to eliminate this scourge. The merits and demerits of the front and back can be offset, and a heavy punishment may break the hearts of the soldiers at the front."
Yuan Shao was pleased that Yuan Xi could intercede for his eldest son. After all, all fathers wanted their sons to be in harmony.
"Don't mention this matter again. Just follow the public principles. The merits and demerits are equal to each other and there will be no further investigation." So Yuan Shao said decisively.
Yuan Xi added: "This time General Wen Chou broke through the heavy snow blockade from the trail, and then relieved the siege of the Black Mountain bandits. He rescued the eldest brother and the others. This is a great achievement and should be commended and commended."
Yuan Shao nodded in agreement to Yuan Xi's proposal, and asked: "In your opinion, should we send additional reinforcements to completely annihilate Zhang Yan, or should we call back Xiansi and the others to withdraw and repair?"
Jushou said: "My lord, early winter is coming, and the mountains are blocked by heavy snow. We will have to fight more frequently. The soldiers will be killed or wounded in the cold wind and snow. It will not be a day's work to wipe out the Black Mountain bandits. Moreover, after the spring begins, Gongsun Zan will have to expedition to the north. Or will he? It would be best for the eldest son’s troops to be transferred back to rest.”
Naturally, Guo Tu and Xin Ping had no objections, and they could not say anything when meeting discipline and Shen Pei, so Yuan Shao ordered the mobilization of Yuan Tan's troops back to Wei County. When everyone retreats. Only the master Bo Chen Lin is left. Yuan Shao left Yuan Xi behind and took him to the stables.
Yuan Xi found that there were more horses and more people in the stables in the Prefectural Shepherd's Mansion, and more than a dozen servants were busy working, so he asked, "Father, are these newly purchased horses?"
Yuan Shao pointed to the good horses on the side. He smiled and said to Yuan Xi: "I sent some retainers out some time ago. I guess I took advantage of the lax inspections in various places and asked them to bring back a group of good horses from the three counties of Wuhuan and Xiliang."
"Since it is a good horse, and now the battle with Gongsun Zan is imminent, why not send it to the camp for breeding?" Yuan Xi asked doubtfully.
"The good breeding horses have been sent. These are good horses that I keep for my own use. Xianyi, go and pick five of them to use. These are gifts from your father." Yuan Shao ordered.
Chen Lin took out an account book. On the side, he pointed out to Yuan Xi the place of origin and age of the horses.
"Does the Second Young Master know how to read horses?" Chen Lin asked.
Yuan Xi nodded and said, "In ancient times, those who were good at looking at horses used cold wind to talk with their mouths, numb faces to their cheeks, their children to look sharply, Wei Ji to look at their mustaches, Xu Ji to look at their trousers, their breasts and ribs to attack the brown ones, and their green faces to control. Chen Bei looks at the looks. Legs and legs. Qin Ya is in front of the Prime Minister, and Praise to the King is in front of the Prime Minister. All these ten people are all good workers in the world."
He was quite satisfied with his son Yuan Xi's knowledge, so Yuan Shao smiled and said: "Then go ahead and choose a horse, and let me see if I find a good horse."
Yuan Xi was naturally not polite. After thanking him, he took Xu Chu to pick a horse. The groom next to him fetched the pole and helped pick the horse.
Yuan Xi first selected more than ten horses with good appearance according to the art of horse appraising, and then asked Xu Chu to hold the horses' backs hard.
The horses were in pain and neighing loudly. Yuan Xi listened to whether the horses' whistling sound was loud enough. If the horse's legs don't collapse but can withstand such a push from Xu Chu, it is a good horse that has been chosen. In this way, five good horses were selected in succession.
Chen Lin looked at the account book for a while and said: "Young master has really good eyesight. These five horses are all good horses bought from Xiliang."
Yuan Xi actually really wanted a horse, a divine horse like Chitu, but that was something that could only be met by chance. The next best thing was a green-leaf horse like Cao Ang's, which could also be called a good horse.
There are only a small amount of horses in Jizhou. Bingzhou horses and Youzhou horses are mostly the ancestors of the Mongolian horses in later generations. They can be regarded as excellent war horses as cavalry mounts, but those horses are not very tall and are not enough to be used as mounts for generals.
While several people were talking, a clear and loud neighing sound came from the single room of the stable in the distance.
"It sounds like it's a good horse." Yuan Xi asked Chen Lin in surprise, "Why didn't Mr. Kong Zhang tell me that there was such a good horse? But he kept it privately!"
"Xianyi, it's not Mr. Kong Zhang's fault." Yuan Shao said at the side, "That horse was bought from a merchant in Xiliang with a lot of money. It is also a powerful horse, but that beast has seen people. Just kick and bite it, but no one can stop it."
Yuan Xi became interested and said: "If I can control the child, will father give it to me?"
"Haha, Xianyi, you can take it yourself." Yuan Shao laughed.
Several people came to the single room with the groom, and the groom reminded: "Sir, sir, this beast has injured several people in a row, so you need to be more careful."
Yuan Xi looked over and saw a black horse with long, drooping mane covered in mud. If you look closely, you can see that the foot is more than one foot long from head to tail, and about eight feet high from hoof to back.
The head is like a rabbit, the eyes are like copper bells, the ears are small and the hooves are round, the tail is light and the chest is broad. However, Yuan Xi's appearance looks like a good horse that is not inferior to Chitu. The horses of this era are equivalent to today's sports cars.
Yuan Xi stepped forward excitedly, but as soon as the horse saw someone coming in, it raised its front hooves and kicked wildly. Fortunately, Yuan Xi's skills were not weak and he quickly retreated to avoid the hoof. Yuan Xi sneered and asked Xu Chu to be called. Yuan Xi gave Xu Chu instructions for a while.
Xu Chu agreed, took off his shirt and quickly came to the Lima. The black horse raised its hoof and wanted to kick someone, but Xu Chu dodged while shouting. The Li horse then rushed forward and opened its mouth to bite. But the next moment, Xu Chu, who came around behind it, grabbed the long mane and held it down with all his strength.
The Li horse neighed for a long time, and its four hooves raised up with force and almost pushed Xu Chu away. Then Yuan Xi saw it accurately and grabbed the hair near its head with his hands. He and Xu Chu worked together to hold Li Ma down, and Yuan Xi used the pole to wrap around its neck. After a long while, the horse and the man were exhausted and stopped moving.
Yuan Xi quickly asked the groom to get the bridle and saddle to put on the Li horse, and then he was able to subdue it.
Yuan Shao looked on and nodded, sighing, "Haha, attacking in the east and attacking in the west, and working together to surround it, it is in line with the way of warfare. My son does have some tricks. But this can only tame it for a while."
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Father, what's the problem? The child must first be starved for three or two days. Then he can be tamed. If he doesn't obey the teachings, he'll be beaten. If he's taught, he'll be fed good horse feed. If he still doesn't, he'll be beaten. If you are disciplined, prepare a dagger. This cycle will not last more than a month, and the child will be able to tame it."
Wu Zetian was in front of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin. When Li Shimin asked him how to tame the lion Cong, the method he said was exactly the same as that used by Emperor Taizong Xuanwu Yuan Xi.
Yuan Shao was thoughtful, his eyes flickered, and then said: "I hope it can help you go into battle to kill the enemy. Every good horse has a name. Xianyi, please give it a name."
Yuan Xi thought for a while. He said: "King Zhou Mu has eight horses, one of which is Yueying, which means running day by day. I think this great horse of Dawan is very powerful and must run very fast, so it is called Jueying."
The Dawan Li horse seemed to neigh in unison. Later, after the construction of the imperial mausoleum of Emperor Taizong Xuanwu and Yuan Xi, Jueying became one of the eight horses buried with him, and was known in history as the "Eight Horses of the Qianling Mausoleum".
Koto.
Just as Wu County fell into a bloody battle, Shanyin County in Kuaiji County also fell into a fierce bloody battle, but the attacking party was the most elite Jiangdong soldiers led by Sun Jian himself.
The Jiangdong Army attacked Shanyin County for five days. Rivers of blood flowed under the city gate, and corpses piled up like mountains. There were Jiangdong Army soldiers and Kuaiji County soldiers. However, the Shanyin City was on the verge of collapse under Guo Yi's strong leadership. Underneath it, it was still standing completely, which made Sun Jian a little worried.
In the evening, the fierce fighting that had lasted for a day began to stop. Both sides began to cook, and bursts of smoke shrouded the sky over the battlefield.
In the Chinese army camp, Sun Jian had a gloomy look on his face, and there were still some blood stains on his armor. He had obviously just retreated from the battlefield. He personally went into battle twice but failed to capture Shanyin County.
"Guo Fuping, it seems that you are planning to fight me, Sun Wentai, to the death in this battle!" Sun Jian's eyes glowed with a cold light.
After several days of strong attack by the Jiangdong army, the troops and horses of Kuaiji in Shanyin County had been severely weakened. Guo Yi should have surrendered, but Guo Yi's attitude showed his determination to fight to the death. He could see Guo Yi's determination.
He and Guo Yi are old acquaintances. Although they have some quarrels, they have not reached the point of fighting to the death. But what Guo Yi shows now is: if you want to take Shanyin, you have to step on his corpse.
"In this case, a certain family will give you a ride!"
Sun Jian slapped his palm on the desk, with a look of murderous intent on his face.
"My lord, there is a Jin scout who claims to be from one hundred households in Wu County, Wu County. He claims that he has an urgent message from Zhou Yu and wants to see you immediately!" At this time, a soldier came in and reported.
"Gong Jin urgently reports? Invite him in!" Sun Jian was stunned, and suddenly he had a bad feeling in his heart.
"Pan Zhang pays homage to the lord!" A thin young man walked in, knelt down respectfully and said.
"Did Gong Jin ask you to come here because of what happened in Wu County?" Sun Jian knew that at this critical moment, if it was not an emergency, Zhou Yu would not send him a letter urgently.
"Lord, this is a letter from Lord Gong Jin!" Pan Zhang took out the letter hidden inside his clothes and handed it over with both hands.
"Damn it, someone was careless!"
Sun Jian opened the letter and took a closer look. His expression suddenly changed, his eyes were red, and he lowered his head and shouted: "Guo Yi, it turns out that this is what you had in mind. Okay, great!"
A total of 20,000 soldiers from Shuiji County raided Wu County, and Wu County would definitely not be able to stop it. This made him suddenly shaken and shouted: "Send the order, beat the drums immediately and gather the troops!"
"My lord, the Grand Governor...let me...remind...you, Kuaiji...can't...give up. He has the only way...to let Wu County block it for half a month. You...must completely...take down Kuaiji within half a month..."
Pan Zhang trembled under Sun Jian's pressure, and had to say what Zhou Yu personally told him to tell Sun Jian.
"What?"
Sun Jian's eyes widened, he stared at Pan Zhang and said, "Are you going to let a certain family watch their wife and children fall into the hands of their enemies?"
"Lord, calm down!"
Several soldiers saw it and hurriedly came up, pulled Sun Jian and hurriedly persuaded him.
call!
Only then did Sun Jian take a deep breath and began to calm down. There was still a hint of coldness in his eyes. He knew that it was too late to retreat now, and he had fallen into Guo Yi's trap.
This is to encircle Wei and rescue Zhao. Guo Yi just wants him to retreat. He can't retreat, but Wu County can't let them just let Wang Lang capture it. Sun Jian pondered for a moment and said: "Let Ling Cao come to see this general immediately!"
"No!" A soldier walked down. Not long after, after a few days, Ling Cao, who served as the vanguard general, walked in with a passionate fighting spirit on his face: "Fuck, meet my lord!"
"Ling Cao, there is no need to be polite. To make a long story short, something happened in Wu County. Kuaiji's navy and infantry, a total of 20,000 soldiers and horses appeared in Wu County. Wu County plus the county soldiers with insufficient combat effectiveness, there are only 7,000 people. I will give it to you Two thousand cavalry and two thousand infantry, you immediately return to Qiantang, then turn around Sun Jing's garrison of two thousand troops, six thousand troops and horses, and rush to Wu County."
Sun Jian was very optimistic about Ling Cao. He was a fierce general. He said in a low voice: "This matter must be kept secret, otherwise it will destroy morale. To the outside world, you will go south to support General Zu Mao. Do you understand?"
Ling Cao's face was shocked. Sun Jian entrusted him with such an important matter, which made him slightly moved. He immediately said firmly: "Lord, don't worry, Cao promises to complete the task. Work day and night, no matter what, we will definitely rescue the wife and the young master."
"Go ahead and set off as soon as it gets dark!" Sun Jian was worried about his wife and children and said, "We must protect Wuxian County!"
"No!" Ling Cao nodded.
In the early morning of late October and early November, Sun Jian concentrated his forces and launched a final attack, finally breaking through the Shanyin city gate in one fell swoop. The troops of Kuaiji County under Guo Yi were routed. His two powerful generals, Zu Lang, were killed in the battle, and Song Mu was captured.
In the misty morning fog, I could only see a large flag with the word 'Sun' rising above the city of Shanyin, fluttering in the wind, which was very eye-catching.
Everyone in Shanyin knows that things have changed in Kuaiji.
