On Yuyang City, Zou Dan asked his subordinates to carry Tian Yu down for treatment. He turned around and saw the overcrowded streets behind the city wall filled with refugees. The sadness between his brows could no longer be suppressed.
Yuyang has a total of more than 28,000 infantry and cavalrymen, and together with the local braves, it is just enough for 30,000. He sent letters three times to Gongsun Zan asking for food and troops, but the only reply he received was to reinforce the city defenses and defend the city.
It seemed that Yuyang was in danger. Is there any hope for the Gongsun family? He didn't know. He would just take it one step at a time.
Gongsun Zan is no longer as brave as he used to be. If he were the same person back then, Gongsun Zan would immediately mobilize all his troops to give the invading enemy a brutal blow. But since Gongsun Zan's power expanded, especially after he occupied Youzhou, he became more arrogant and arrogant.
Gongsun Zan forced food and labor, and took in concubines to enjoy his life, and began to alienate those old tribes. The white horse hero who made the barbarians frightened is no longer what he used to be.
It is true that its rise is rapid and its demise is sudden. Is this scene very familiar? Yes, wasn't it the case with Dong Zhuo in the past few years? There was Dong Zhuo before him and Gongsun Zan behind him. He who traveled a hundred miles was only half a mile. , the ancients sincerely did not deceive me.
Zou Dan also received news that the Jizhou army was marching north to Zhuojun, which made it even more impossible for Gongsun Zan to send troops for reinforcements. If it weren't for those refugees, Yuyang City would have been able to hold on for three to four months or even longer.
But he couldn't just watch as his subordinates' children were slaughtered before his eyes. The additional food consumption of the more than 50,000 people meant that they could only survive for less than two months.
The choice before Zou Dan was to defend the city until the moment of his death, or to gather all the troops of Yuyang to fight to the death with the Wuhuan and Xianbei coalition forces. Other than that, there was no other choice.
Zou Dan let out a long sigh, maybe for himself or for the Han people in Yuyang City. . . .
Outside Yuyang City.
Wuhuan soldiers began to set up camp, and they closely monitored the movements of Yuyang City. At dusk, an army also came from the southeast of Yuyang, but it was Yan Rou's three-ethnic coalition.
Yan Rou hurriedly arrived at the Wuhuan army's tent. Tadun and all the leaders of his tribe were in the tent. A whole lamb is being roasted inside, and the aroma of wine and meat hits your nostrils.
"Ouch! Isn't this Lieutenant Yan? I have received the news that you have conquered Pinggu." Tadun raised his hand and greeted, "Come up and sit down quickly. I just slaughtered a lamb and I happened to catch up with you. Lieutenant Yan, how long are you waiting for? Haven’t you tasted our authentic Wuhuan craftsmanship?”
Yan Rou took a long breath to calm down and said in a deep voice, "Master Tadun. Didn't you promise not to harm those Han people? Why did you drive away all the rough Han people!"
"Captain Yan, why are you here in such a hurry?" Tadun smiled and said unconcernedly, "I promised not to harm Lord Liu Yu's subjects. But the cities and counties north of Yuyang , they are all places where Gongsun Zan has power, and many of Gongsun Zan’s soldiers are from there. If we don’t rob them, who can we rob them? Besides, it can also damage the enemy’s morale and morale, so why not do it!”
"Nonsense!" Yan Rou cursed in his heart, but he still held back and retorted, "Sir, what you said is wrong. Master Liu is a Youzhou shepherd, and all the Hu and Han people in Youzhou are his subjects. Where does Gongsun Zan’s theory of governing the people come from?”
Tadun laughed loudly. He argued, "As he is from Youzhou, he is not Lord Liu Yu's enemy? Gongsun Zan's subordinates are all from Youzhou. Then shall we not avenge Lord Liu?"
Yan Rou's thoughts turned quickly. This Tadun was very ambitious. After Liu Yu's death, he almost occupied the land of three counties. He was also sought after by the people of the Wuhuan tribe. It was spread everywhere among those tribes that Tadun was a new generation of grassland hero. Rumors of the Lord.
Such people's ambition is to restore the glory of their ancestors, Maodun Chanyu, and sooner or later they will become a threat to Youzhou and even the entire Han people in the world. But now Tadun is colluding with Yuan Shao. Tadun cannot be solved by his own strength.
Tadun looked at Yan Rou and remained silent. Thinking that he acquiesced to his actions, he said proudly: "General Chariot and Cavalry sent people to deliver the news that they are attacking Zhuo County. They want us to hurry up and besiege Jixian County."
"Has the Jizhou army attacked Zhuojun?" Yan Rou asked.
"Not yet, but I believe it will be soon." Tadun said, "Not long ago, Lieutenant Yan, didn't you also think that it would be troublesome to capture Yuyang, which has a strong city? It's better now. Although I can't take advantage of the chaos to capture the city. , but once those tens of thousands of people are driven into the city, can he, Zou Dan, immediately come up with so much food to feed them?"
"Is it true that Gongsun Zan will not send troops to help Yuyang or Zhuojun?" Yan Rou asked doubtfully.
Tadun smiled wildly. Contempt said, "This is the place I have discussed with General Chariot and Cavalry. Which side can he save by sending troops from both sides? By the time he makes a decision, we will have already reached Guangyang."
Yan Rou and Ta Dun didn't belong to each other, so he could only advise Ta Dun on his behavior, so he said, "My lord, are you so confident that you can force Zou Dan out for a decisive battle?"
"We all guessed wrong before. I heard that Gongsun Zan has transported all the grain he collected to Jixian County. There should not be much grain in Yuyang." Tadun said slyly.
Then, Tadun said in a sarcastic tone, "And you Han people talk about benevolence and righteousness the most. How long can he have enough food if he accepts tens of thousands of people? If we are Wuhuan and Xianbei people, we don't know." Even if these tens of thousands of people are hungry, they can still eat."
What Tadun said, in the original historical time and space, the Five Husties disrupted China really happened. The Central Plains collapsed and China collapsed.
Ji County, Guangyang.
Gongsun Zan did not live in Ji County. Instead, they brought a large number of main forces to garrison in the small city originally built in the southeast of Jixian County.
It is said to be a small town, but it is actually an artificially constructed military fortress. Gongsun Zan forced the people to renovate the small town, replacing the earth walls with stone walls three feet high.
More than ten trenches were dug in the city wall to surround the central yāng, and mounds six feet high were piled in the trenches, and barracks were built on the mounds. The mound in the center of the trench is the highest, and Gongsun Zan lives among it. There was also a large amount of grain, supplies and armor stored in the city.
At this time, Guan Jing handed an urgent message for help to Gongsun Zan and said anxiously, "General, the situation is not good! Pinggu has been lost, and the three counties south of Zhuojun have been cut off from news for more than ten days. This Yuyang prefect Zou Dan sent another message. Call for urgent help."
"I understand." Gongsun Zan placed the letter asking for help next to the desk and pretended to be silent.
"Father, Yuyang and Zhuojun are like this, why don't we send troops?" Gongsun Xu asked doubtfully.
Gongsun Zan looked at Gongsun Xu, Wang Men, Guan Jing, and several other generals who were present, and asked, "Then tell me, should we send troops to rescue Zhuojun, or should we send troops to rescue Yuyang?"
Everyone was speechless and fell silent. Zhuojun is the front and Yuyang is the back. No matter which side is lost, Jixian will be exposed to the enemy's front. Attack from both sides?
After Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu, he expanded his troops to various places in Daijun and Shanggu. As a result, Xian Yufu and others climbed up to shout. Liu Yu's old troops in these places rioted one after another, and cooperated with Xian Yufu and others to kill the county officials appointed by Gongsun Zan.
Once Gongsun Zan's troops were dispersed, only more than 50,000 infantry and cavalry were left in Guangyang. Excluding the troops left behind, no matter which side rushes to support, they are all too stretched to achieve a decisive effect. It seems difficult to make decisions on their own.
"General, you can't hesitate any longer!" Guan Jing urged, "We must gather all our troops, abandon Guangyang, and rush to support Yuyang to attack the Wuhuan people. After the Hu people are destroyed, we will occupy Yuyang to fight against the Jizhou army. As long as we continue Contact the Black Mountain Army and other forces to attack from behind. The Jizhou Army will not be able to hold out for long. This way our army will have a great chance of winning."
"This Ji County in Guangyang is the most prosperous place in Youzhou. How can we give up so easily! If we and the Hu people are at loggerheads and the Jizhou army attacks from behind again and loses the city barrier, how should we respond?" said the general. Wang Men asked rhetorically.
Gongsun Zan grunted, asking him to give up the city defense he had worked so hard to build, but he was really reluctant to do so. Now he has no confidence that he can defeat the Wuhuan people quickly. Wang Menzheng expressed his feelings.
In his opinion, it relies on tall city walls. Improve the dungeon defense system. There was still enough food, so he was not afraid of the siege by the Jizhou army and the Wuhuan people. He had the same idea as Dong Zhuo at this time.
"General, you can't hesitate any longer!" Guan Jing was anxious, and he persuaded again: "Those guarding generals are our brothers who have been born and died with us for many years. General, are you just going to watch them die under siege? General, please think twice!"
"Bastard! Do you want to die!" Gongsun Zan said angrily, "They are my brothers who have been through life and death. I am not impatient? But if we rush to rescue this one today and rescue that one tomorrow, and save one of them, then everyone will just wait for reinforcements. Rather than fight hard.”
"General, please calm down. Mr. Guan is also a little impatient. After all, he has good intentions." Wang Men said, "But as long as various places rely on city defenses to resist desperately, they will consume a large number of enemy troops. When they run out of food and grass, they will naturally retreat. "
Guan Jing sighed and said, "Isn't the general afraid that the soldiers will be disappointed? When the time comes, there will be a mutiny in the army and it will not be impossible for them to defect on the battlefield, general!"
"Guan Jing, I know you are worried. But I have my own sense of proportion." Gongsun Zan said, "order the entire infantry army to step up training on city defense equipment. Mobilize the entire cavalry army. Raid the Jizhou Army in Zhuo County!"
Five days later, we arrived at the foot of Zhuoxian County.
More than 50,000 Jizhou troops are gathering in an orderly manner.
The four armies of Yuan Shao, Ju Yi, Yuan Tan, Yan Liang, etc. attacked for more than ten days and occupied several counties in the southern part of Zhuo County. Now more than 50,000 infantry and cavalry have surrounded Zhuo County.
The Jizhou army was well prepared, with catapults, ladders, ballistas and other equipment available. Jizhou's army is equipped with many bows and crossbows, so it will not suffer any disadvantages when it comes to attacking fortresses. For a long time, the rain of arrows covered the sky and the sun, and the stones thrown by the lever catapult hit the city wall, making the sound deafening. The defenders of Zhuo County suffered many casualties, and more importantly, their morale dropped severely.
On the city wall, Ji Yong, the governor of Zhuojun, put on his armor himself. Braving the rain of arrows, he climbed to the city and dispatched soldiers to defend him, but this guy liked to seek glory from his sellers, and he even defected to Gongsun Zan.
"Sir, there are too many soldiers in Jizhou. Our six to seven thousand people can't stand it!" A deputy general nearby shouted.
Another burst of arrows shot down, and Ji Yong knelt down. He said sternly, "If you can't stand it, give it to me. Our children are all in Ji County. If the city is destroyed, you and I will have no chance of survival."
The deputy general slapped the wall angrily and said angrily, "General Gongsun doesn't believe us anymore. Don't tell me, sir. I have been with him for many years since the Zhongping period!"
In addition to ordering a tight defense, Gongsun Zan also kept the family members of generals with military rank above captain in Jixian as hostages.
In fact, this method is also a commonly used political method. Cao Cao and Zhu Wen of the Five Dynasties are such masters. However, once one's own side is in a disadvantageous situation and forced by a high-pressure situation, it may sometimes be counterproductive, such as the current Gongsun Zan.
There was also the Zhu family in the Five Dynasties. When Li Siyuan conquered Bianliang, these family members became a threat and dismantled Liang Jun's trump card.
Ji Yong snorted and said coldly: "What are you complaining about? The general is out with his troops, so he should have left his family members with the commander."
The deputy general said nothing, but his heart was full of contempt. Ji Yong was originally the county magistrate. As soon as Gongsun Zan attacked Jizhou, he led his troops to surrender. Later, he was promoted many times. After Gongsun Zan occupied Youzhou, he was immediately appointed as the prefect of Zhuo County because of his meritorious service.
Yuan Shao hated Ji Yong so much that others could surrender the Jizhou army, but he, Ji Yong, could not. Therefore, the lieutenant general believed that Ji Yong was using them as backers, so he secretly kept an eye on them.
At this time, Zhuo County County Lieutenant Zhang Du came to Ji Yong's side and asked, "Sir, I have sent several letters asking for help. What is General Gongsun's reply?"
"Reinforce the city defense and defend Zhuoxian!" Ji Yong glanced at him and asked sternly, "What? Do you want to surrender the Jizhou Army?"
"General Dare not!" Zhang Du said quickly, "General Gongsun should also send troops to help. The Jizhou army has been led to Zhuoxian by us, so it is time to surround the Jizhou army."
Ji Yong quietly made up his mind, took a shield, stood up, and shouted: "I still have ten thousand armored warriors in Zhuo County, so why be afraid of Yuan Shaopi! Guys, cheer up!"
Although Ji Yong shouted this, the morale of the soldiers was not aroused. They only blocked the arrows mechanically, and then fired back to kill Jizhou soldiers who emerged from the city.
Suddenly, a soldier shouted: "What is that to the west! It looks like our cavalry!"
The soldiers on the city wall, as if they were waiting for the slightest hope of survival, ignored the threat of arrows and raised their heads to look at a group of cavalry emerging from the west.
"It's our people, it's our cavalry!" When the cavalry approached, the soldiers shouted one after another. Ji Yong and Zhang Du also seemed overjoyed to see hope.
Below the city, Yuan Shao was riding on his horse, watching the soldiers attack the city. Suddenly the trumpet sounded loudly as a warning. The flags waving in the west indicate that a large group of ground cavalry will attack there.
"Wen Chou, take two thousand riders to see what's going on." Yuan Shao frowned and ordered.
Wen Chou agreed. He mounted his war horse, mobilized two thousand cavalry, and quickly rushed to the west with the cavalry to prevent any unexpected events. The other infantrymen under the city received the warning and formed their own formations for defense. Yuan Shao took Yan Liang, Han Meng, Jiang Yiqu and other generals to stay in the Chinese army and watch.
A horse came running from the rear. As he approached, a general got off his horse and reported, "My lord, I was attacked by Gongsun Zan's cavalry when I was escorting grain to the country. All the grain, men and horses were gone."
Yuan Shao was stunned for a while, then he said angrily, "Zhao Rui, your subordinate said that there are more than 4,000 cavalry. How come you are the only one who comes back and everything is broken? What a waste!"
Zhao Rui lost his helmet. The armor on his body was also stained with blood, and he continued, "My lord, Gongsun Zan's cavalry seems to have come out in full force, with a total of five or six thousand horsemen!"
Yuan Shao had no time to blame Zhao Rui, because more than 5,000 cavalry got through the gap in the infantry phalanx from the west and went straight to the city's siege equipment and Yuan Shao's central army in two directions.
Jizhou's army reacted quickly, especially Yuan Shao's army, who were elites in all battles. They immediately formed a dense phalanx. Protect Yuan Shao and others tightly.
"Lord, mobilize the surrounding soldiers to surround the cavalry. If we can encircle and annihilate them, our army will have no future troubles!" Jushou said anxiously. He expected that this was Gongsun Zan's last mobile force.
Yuan Shao waved his hand and ordered, "Bring out Ju Yi from the camp and trap the cavalry for me!"
When the Jizhou army saw the flags and orders, they gathered in a semi-arc shape. Although Gongsun Zan's cavalry failed to attack Yuan Shao directly, the equipment under the city suffered disaster. More than half of them were burned and destroyed.
The city of Ji County is very open, and five thousand elite cavalry can attack and attack, often breaking through the cracks in the Jizhou army's formation. The cavalry of Gongsun Zan's army were well versed in the art of cavalry warfare. They did not directly attack the Jizhou army's formation, but used roundabout tactics to carry out cavalry attacks.
The Jizhou army can often only get them at the end. And because it was a siege battle, only two thousand of the five thousand cavalry of the Jizhou Army came out of the camp to cover. The rest of the cavalry were busy saddling their horses.
Yuan Shao's army implemented a siege. More than 50,000 people set up camp around Zhuoxian, which also led to a certain amount of dispersion of troops. Gathering 50,000 people together is not something that can be done in a short time.
Wait for Ju Yi to lead his troops out of the camp. They still could not encircle the highly mobile Gongsun Zan cavalry, but were overwhelmed by the chaos of fire and destroyed two thousand-man phalanxes.
Ju Yi came to the Chinese army with more than a thousand soldiers. Reported, "Lord, when our troops are all gathered here, the cavalry will withdraw. This is a common strategy used by the cavalry led by Gongsun Zan."
"Then how can you trap them to death?" Yuan Shao looked at Ju Yi and asked eagerly.
"My lord, if you believe me, let the soldiers around the central army pretend to be in chaos and disperse, let the cavalry surround the central army, and then let the soldiers around them surround them again!" Ju Yi said.
Yuan Shao frowned, this was asking him to use the Chinese army as bait.
"General Ju Yi, how can you let your lord be in danger!" Jushou objected after listening to Ju Yi's suggestion.
"Instead of letting my lord stay here, my lord can quietly leave with other troops, leaving only the Chinese army's flag. Our thousands of pioneer warriors can stop them." Ju Yi explained. Ju Yi marches and fights in a certain way, although he is aloof.
Yuan Shao thought about it and agreed to Ju Yi. He took off his armor and left the flag. He followed a pair of cavalrymen to the side and the Chinese army flag was commanded by Ju Yi. After a while, under Ju Yi's control, chaos broke out around the Chinese army, and the tight defense line was loosened.
In the distance, Gongsun Zan's general Wang Men was galloping with his cavalry. He hadn't felt this way for a long time. Recently, he had been suppressed and beaten by Yuan Shao's Jizhou army. It was too frustrating.
The cavalry's archery and riding skills of Gongsun Zan's army were no less than that of the Xianbei Wuhuan cavalry, and their equipment was even better. They broke out of the encirclement of the Jizhou army several times, and then detoured to attack the flanks of the Jizhou army.
Wangmen had already led a team to defeat a grain transport team of the Jizhou Army. The results were good, and he was about to lead his army to retreat. However, there was chaos in the Jizhou Army, and Wangmen hesitated.
If the banner of the Chinese army is defeated, the Jizhou army will be completely in chaos. Then his five thousand cavalry, together with the defenders in the city, can completely defeat this Jizhou army. Do you want to take a risk?
Wang Men yelled and decided to try this once. He believed that it was possible to escape with his troops without hitting a single hit. But what he didn't expect was that he was about to encounter Ju Yi, who was proficient in riding combat.
Wangmen led his five thousand cavalry to form a team, and then passed through the center of the Jizhou Army in an arc. After a burst of cavalry fire, they formed a team to fight back.
Ju Yi's thousand "warriors who arrived first", plus the original thousand soldiers of the Chinese army who put up their shields to block the arrows, after a while they retreated slightly, slowly retreating and apparently moving more than a hundred steps in an instant.
Wang Men quickly led his troops to attack, trying to defeat the central army of Jizhou Army in one fell swoop and cut down the banner of the central army.
When Wangmen's cavalry caught up, they realized they had been deceived. It turned out that the ground more than a hundred paces away was full of small horse traps.
As soon as the horses in front stepped into the small pit, it was difficult to get up quickly. The horses behind could not control their speed and immediately loaded on their companions in front. In an instant, the more than two thousand cavalrymen in front fell into a sluggish predicament.
Ju Yi shouted loudly, and two thousand infantrymen swarmed forward, took out their loaded crossbows and fired at the stagnant cavalry. After three rounds of powerful crossbow shots, a thousand "first-in" teams rushed forward in coordination. They held shields in one hand and sabers or halberds in the other. The more than two thousand stagnant cavalry in front suddenly became their prey. .
The surrounding Jizhou army began to change, and the originally slightly chaotic formation quickly closed in on the Chinese army. There is a strong momentum to surround those cavalry. The Wangmen in the back were all upset.
He did not expect that the infantry in the Jizhou Army were so fierce, as if they were specifically designed to restrain the cavalry. But the situation did not allow him to think too much. The king's gate gave an order and the trumpet sounded loudly. The remaining nearly three thousand cavalry quickly rushed to the east to attack the unclosed military formation in order to survive with a broken arm.
At the critical moment of life and death, the nearly three thousand remaining knights of the Wangmen showed their strong strength. They attacked without fear, even if there was a spear formation in front of them, because once they stopped, there would be a dead end waiting for them, and they could only give it a try.
Finally, the Jizhou Army in the east could not withstand the impact of the iron hoof, and was forced to break through the encirclement by Wangmen's troops. However, the Wangmen who fled eastward suffered a lot of losses in the breakout, leaving only more than 2,000 riders.
Wen Chou and Han Meng received orders, and each led two thousand Jizhou cavalry to pursue the king's clan crazily.
After fleeing for a long time, Wang Men's whole body was weak and he was slumped. Before starting the army, Gongsun Zan ordered him to cut off the Jizhou army's food route and then sneak attack the besieging Jizhou army to boost morale. But he was greedy for credit and committed an irreparable mistake. Although he achieved good results, more than 2,000 cavalry were left in ruins, and it was obvious that he could no longer make sneak attacks behind enemy lines.
Horns sounded from time to time behind him, and Wang Men cursed. The Jizhou cavalry was chasing after them, and they really refused to let go like hungry dogs.
But in terms of individual cavalry strength, Gongsun Zan's Youzhou Assault Cavalry was obviously superior. Wen Chou and Han Meng chased for a long time, but achieved limited results.
"General Wang, the boundary of Fangcheng is just ahead. Should we go straight from here to Jixian, or should we rush to Guangyang and then return to Jixian?" asked the deputy general next to him.
Wangmen hesitated for a while, Fangcheng was also besieged, and he might have fallen now, while he was thinking about it.
"No, enemy attack! Be alert!" the deputy general shouted, and he saw groups of figures emerging from the weeds ahead.
Sure enough, arrows shot out from the grass all around, and thousands of soldiers stood up. Their uniforms and armor were not exactly the same as those of the Jizhou Army. Wangmen exclaimed: "Qingzhou Army!"
