Jixian County, Yuan Shao's residence.
At this time, Yuan Xi came to Yuan Shao's camp and reported the intercepted intelligence to his father Yuan Shao.
He added, "My son intercepted the information. On the 19th of this month, when Gongsun Zan sees the torches outside, he will open the west gate, go out of the city to join the Montenegrin reinforcements, and attack my brother and I together. Our army can use the plan to lure Gongsun Zan." Open the city gate, then rush into the city and capture this strong fortress of Yijing!"
Yuan Shao fell into deep thought after reading the note. After a long time, he asked: "Xianyi, do you want to say that the above is true?"
"Yes, father." Yuan Xi said, "More than 100,000 troops besieged the city. Gongsun Zan didn't want to sit back and wait for death, so he had to ask for help from outside. Among the powerful people in the north, only Zhang Yan, who had a problem with us, dared to send troops to rescue. Lu Bu was a cold-blooded person. He is only interested in profit, just like a jackal. As long as he is promised benefits, he can even kill his adoptive father, let alone send troops to Youzhou? I hope my father will make a clear decision. "
Jushou, Fengji, Guo Tu, Xu You, Xun Chen, and Chen Lin are all here, and they are also planning their own plans. Yuan Xi's words shocked the four people into booing. Apparently the number of 100,000 Black Mountain bandits shocked many people present.
Since the Chuping period, Jizhou has repeatedly attacked the Black Mountain Bandits entrenched in the Youshan Mountains of Jizhou. However, they did not expect that the Black Mountain Bandits could still maintain a military strength of 100,000. I am afraid that this strength is even now, and even my father Yuan Shao, who has four states, cannot And.
"My lord, we have sent a large number of scouts to reconnoiter the enemy's situation. I believe there will be news soon. Moreover, although the Black Mountain bandits have 100,000 troops, we are told that they can do nothing. The Black Mountain bandits have already feared me like a tiger after years of attacks by our army. After hearing this, My color changes; now I reluctantly come to the rescue, just because my lips are dead and my teeth are cold. The Black Mountain bandits have come from afar and the troops are exhausted. If our army spreads the news of Gongsun Zan's destruction, then the morale of the bandit army will definitely collapse and they will not dare to fight." Jushou led the people. Looking at the expression in his eyes, he couldn't help but frown, and then he relaxed and said, after all, the number of people and combat power are not the same.
Yuan Shao paced back and forth, frowning and said, "It's difficult to handle. Zhang Yan has a large number of people. If he attacks our army's rear in a large scale, how should we deal with it?"
"Father, this is a great fighting opportunity!" Yuan Xi admonished according to Guo Jia's words, "We can send Wuhuan Hu cavalry to attack Zhang Yan, then change this secret letter and send dead soldiers into the city. , which made Gongsun Zan think that reinforcements had arrived, and induced him to come out for a decisive battle."
"Yes, the Second Young Master's strategy is very good. The thirty thousand Wuhuan Huqi will not be of much use in attacking the city. They are a waste of food and grass. It is best to send them out to intercept the Black Mountain bandits. King Wuhuan Tadun Tadun is brave and courageous. My lord can If I send an envoy with the promise of huge profits, Tadun will definitely be put to my use, and my lord can send the best soldiers from his clan to go south to resist the Black Mountain bandits." Jushou nodded in agreement, and then said, "My lord can send a letter to Gao Lan and others in Yecheng. , ordered him to send troops to attack the Black Mountain bandits' lair. If the Montenegro bandits knew that their lair was being attacked, they would definitely return to the army to rescue them. Our army can set up ambushes along the road without seeking total annihilation, but it is still possible to leave more than 10,000 of his troops behind. This is given to him. In my humble opinion, please make a decision, my lord.”
"Humph, even a mere remnant of the Yellow Turbans dares to come here and run rampant." After Jushou's analysis, Yuan Shao's remaining concerns were gone, and his huge psychological advantage over the Black Mountain bandits was revealed. Since the accidental loss of Yecheng in the fourth year of Chuping, the Jizhou Army has pursued and intercepted the Black Mountain Army entrenched in the Jibing Mountains, with brilliant results. The Black Mountain Army, which originally ran rampant in the Central Plains, has since detoured from Jizhou City.
Today's 100,000-strong army is at best young and strong, and it would be good to have 30,000 to 40,000 capable warriors. You must know that the Black Mountain bandits, as remnants of the Yellow Turbans, have retained the style of the Yellow Turban thieves to a large extent.
The remnants of the Yellow Turbans, like the Montenegrin Army, often took their old and weak family members with them to migrate and fight. This makes their teams often number in the hundreds of thousands, but the number of soldiers who can actually participate in battles is often less than 30%, or even only 10%.
Yuan Shao was not an unintelligent person. He figured out the key and immediately relaxed. The dull atmosphere in the tent suddenly became lively. He ordered, "Instruct Guo Tu to persuade Tadun to lure him to send troops. Order, Gao Lan of Ye City." Send 30,000 troops to attack behind them."
As Yuan Shao issued orders one by one, Chen Lin, the chief bookkeeper of the account, quickly recorded them and handed them over to his deputy Gao Rou to pass on the orders. "Promise" everyone agreed in a loud voice, and the few who received the military order went away prepared not to mention it.
Yuan Shao sent someone to pass the order to Tadun, Yan Rou and Yecheng Gaolan, and discussed with a few people the strategy to seduce Gongsun Zan.
garrison city.
Guan Jing anxiously came to the foot of the tall building. Outside the door of the tall building were rows of Gongsun Zan's personal guards. He was blocked here. Two quarters of an hour later, Gongsun Zan slowly came to the door of the tall building.
"General, it was the Major General and the Black Mountain Army who sent the news." Guan Jing's expression was filled with joy that was beyond words.
Gongsun Zan quickly took a wax pill. He couldn't wait to squeeze it open and carefully identify the words on it. After a while, Gongsun Zan took a long breath and said, "God is really helping me. In three days, the Black Mountain Army and Lu Bu will lead their troops to attack the Jizhou Army camp. At that time, we will also lead our troops out of the city to attack Yuan Shao!"
"General. Are these the Major General's notes? Is there any agreed code?" Guan Jing asked cautiously.
Gongsun Zan nodded and said, "There is a mark in the upper right corner. It is unmistakable."
"It stands to reason that the attendant who went out with the Major General came back to deliver the message, but the messenger said he was from Zhang Yan's side." Guan Jing said doubtfully.
Gongsun Zan waved his hand and ordered, "Bring the person here and I will interrogate him personally!"
Guan Jing agreed. He asked his subordinates to bring in a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion.
The middle-aged man touched the ground with one leg and said, "When the villain is in trouble, General Liang Lan will stay under the tent of the general. I have seen General Gongsun."
Gongsun Zan snorted coldly and said in horror, "How dare you come to deceive this general!"
With a "hurrah" sound, several soldiers nearby drew their sabers, and Sen Han's blades all pointed at Liang Lan.
Liang Lan cupped her hands into fists. He said, "I don't know what kind of spy the general is talking about. I am here to deliver a message on the order of General Zhang."
"I ask you, why didn't my son Gongsun Xu come to deliver the message in person?" Gongsun Zan said with piercing eyes.
"When Major General Gongsun broke out, he was intercepted by the Jizhou Army. When he arrived at General Zhang's place, he was already alone. The Major General told me about the secret passage leading into the city and asked me to come and deliver the message." Liang Lan answered fluently.
Gongsun Zan suddenly snorted coldly and said sternly: "You lied! Every time Zhang Yan sends a messenger, there is another set of codes, which will definitely be a token of contact for you?"
Liang Lan was shocked, cold sweat soaked his back and clothes, but he immediately replied: "The previous contacts were confidential. I don't know this. But maybe this time General Zhang saw that there was a secret letter written by the Major General. There is also a secret passage for communication, so I will no longer hand over the token."
Gongsun Zan stared at him closely, but Liang Lan had no fear on his face and always looked humble and cautious. Gongsun Zan looked at the secret message in his hand, nodded again, and said, "Go down and rest first."
Liang Lan agreed and followed a few soldiers down to rest.
Guan Jing stepped forward and asked: "General. Is there something wrong with that person?"
Gongsun Zan shook his head. He said, "I have Xu'er's secret message, and I know the secret passage leading outside the city. There should be no lies."
"How many troops does the Black Mountain Army say? When will they attack the Jizhou Army camp?"
Gongsun Zan looked at the trench where the fierce battle was taking place in the distance, and said quietly, "The Montenegrin Army has 80,000 troops, and they will raise fire as a signal when night falls." But he had an ominous premonition, maybe. . .
At night, Youzhou in July is covered with thick clouds and the stars are dim. Occasionally, there are a few rays of cool wind blowing away the scorching heat. The Jizhou coalition forces beside the trenches and walls in the city were sparsely dispersed. The fire beside the trench attracted countless flying insects, and the soldiers leaned in groups and dozed off. The hard fighting for days made them very tired.
The garrison soldiers in the camp were all holding pottery bowls and devouring the food. The general next to them distributed the dried meat in the barrels to the soldiers' bowls.
"Let me eat them all. I'll fight hard later." The general shouted while dividing the meat.
"Damn it! Give me another bowl of broth, and I will die a full man!"
A school captain walked in outside the camp. He waved his hand and shouted: "Get up, pick me up and get out of the city!"
The garrison soldiers swallowed the remaining food in the bowl, helped each other put on their armor, picked up their weapons and ran out of the trench to assemble.
Gongsun Zan walked in front, and his horses and Changsha were carried by his own soldiers. The ditch was dark and filled with defenders. They marched until they were a hundred steps in front of the Jizhou army and stopped.
On a camp near the city wall, a dozen defenders stared intently at the dark night outside the city. They are afraid of missing that momentary signal in the blink of an eye.
"Look, there's a torch lit!" "Quick! Light a fire and let the general see it." The defenders were busy for a while, lighting up the fire on the camp to notify Gongsun Zan.
"General, there's a fire on the fortress behind!" a lieutenant reminded.
"Haha... Zhang Yan's troops are finally here. Shan Jing and Gongsun Fan, you two each lead 10,000 troops, join Zhang Yan, attack Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi, and defeat Yuan's army together!"
"Nuo" "Nuo" Gongsun Fan and Shan Jing took the order and left.
Gongsun Zan narrowed his eyes and said, "Others, follow me up!"
Looking at the torches coming from the distance, I felt very excited. With a wave of his hand, he attacked Yuan Jun in a sneak attack. He was full of joy and wanted to kill Yuan Jun by surprise, but he didn't expect that he was falling into a trap step by step.
After receiving the order, the defenders shouted in unison for a while and then bravely approached the Jizhou soldiers beside the trench. "Whoosh! Whoosh!" A row of crossbowmen climbed onto the ground and shot down the Jizhou soldiers and Hu soldiers beside the trench.
"Kill!" "Come out!" The defenders rushed towards the incomplete city walls and gates amidst the shouts of killing. This time Jizhou soldiers and Hu soldiers were attacked, and their hasty resistance was obviously no match for Gongsun Zan's army, which was like a tiger emerging from its cage. A quarter of an hour later, Gongsun Zan's army swarmed out of the city. The cavalry mounted their horses and the infantry raised their spears. They had only one goal - the Jizhou Army Camp!
Another row of feather arrows was shot out, and there were quite a few Jizhou soldiers behind the fence. The surrounding area illuminated by the torch was bright, and shouts of killing could be heard from the other side of the Jizhou military camp.
Gongsun Zan gave the order and the soldiers destroyed the camp gate.
"General, did our army's raid go too smoothly?" the deputy general asked doubtfully.
Gongsun Zan frowned, but after a while he waved his horsewhip and said, "The Jizhou army was beaten suddenly. They must have been caught off guard. The whole army rushed in and burned their food, grass and baggage!"
The soldiers received the order and set fire to the camp while charging and killing.
A hundred-man general asked his subordinates to pile the grease and hay brought by them to the camp. He threw the torch in his hand, and the fire spread instantly.
But gradually Gongsun Zan's soldiers realized something was wrong, and the Jizhou army fled very fast, disappearing in an instant. The camp caught fire very quickly, and the fire quickly got out of control, burning many of our own troops.
Gongsun Zan had just entered the camp on horseback. He quickly jumped off his horse and came to a tent. After wiping it on the ground, Gongsun Zan's face turned frighteningly pale and he exclaimed in shock, "Oh no! The ground is full of fire. Oil, fell into the trap!"
The deputy general next to him was also very frightened and ordered his subordinates to withdraw without Gongsun Zan's instructions. But the fire spread very quickly, and the soldiers crowded and scrambled to escape.
Unknowingly, the perimeter of the camp was filled with Jizhou coalition troops. Not only Jizhou soldiers, but also Qingzhou soldiers and Xianbei Hu soldiers surrounded the Jizhou military camp.
In a short time, 16,000 men and horses arrived in front of Yuan Ying. There was only silence in the stockade, and the atmosphere was strange and frightening.
"The situation is not good, there may be an ambush!" Gongsun Fan was shocked, turned his horse's head, ordered the troops to retreat, and said, "The whole army retreats quickly!"
Gongsun Zan stood up straight on his horse and said loudly, "Listen here, you will be burned to death if you stay here. Everyone rush out together and there will be no return!"
Gongsun Zan's army was also forced to fight for his life. After raising his shield, he charged at the enemy with all his strength and risked his life.
With a sound of "Hula", there was a shout from the stockade, and the ambush troops came out. The crossbowmen in the formations of Jizhou Army and Qingzhou Army all moved forward. In an instant, thousands of arrows were fired, and a dense rain of arrows forced Gongsun Zan's army to retreat. ! Thousands of crossbowmen fired arrows at random, shooting down a large number of men and horses. Gongsun's army began to be in chaos and turned around in panic.
However, Gongsun Zan's personal soldiers were supervising the battle from behind, and the soldiers were rushed to break out of the encirclement. The crossbowmen of the Jizhou Army and the Qingzhou Army did not stop and retreat until their arms were sore and their arrows had been fired. After most of the more than 20,000 people attacked by Gongsun Zan's army were killed or injured, they finally reached the enemy's formation.
"Crack!" Rows of prepared spearmen waved their sharp blades that glowed coldly. Both sides fought together. Under the command of Zhang Liao, Gongsun's army was blocked from retreating. The two sides immediately strangled into a mass, the sound of killing was loud, and the torches lit up the sky.
For a time, Yuan Jun was unstoppable and invincible!
Seeing that his troops were ambushed, Gongsun Zan was extremely anxious. However, a team of nearly 20,000 people was still fighting to the death. He could only order his troops to break out desperately and not let Yuan Jun rush over and encircle him!
The "Xiongqi" commanded by Zhao Yun cut off Gongsun Zan's retreat from the rear and were crushed one after another. In the blink of an eye, Zhao Yun broke through the perimeter one after another and reached Gongsun Zan's middle army. They strangled together with the oncoming Gongsun Zan army. Hand-to-hand fighting broke out next to the camp.
I saw a fire breaking out outside the city, and the sound of killing was loud. Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and Han Meng from the east, south, and north sides urged their men to attack the city with all their strength. Suddenly, ladders were flying, siege engines rumbled, and Yijing City was covered in a sea of fire on all sides.
Gongsun Zan only had more than 35,000 men left. After sending 18,000 troops out of the city for a sneak attack, only 17,000 men were left in the city, which was a serious shortage of troops.
Five thousand of these defenders were fighting in the streets at the west gate with Yan Liang and Wen Chou's troops who had broken into the city. There were also three thousand patrolling the streets and alleys in the city to prevent Yuan soldiers from breaking through the tunnels.
The remaining nine thousand people were distributed to only about three thousand at each city gate, and the defense on the city wall was seriously empty.
The arrows and crossbows shot down were sparse, posing a much smaller threat to the attackers than before. The attackers easily crossed the moat, put the ladder on the city wall, and braved the arrows to attack the wall. storm.
Yan Liang, who is nine feet tall and has a majestic appearance, is dressed in armor and carries a machete, leading the charge. Climbing the ladder, he was the first to reach the top of the city. With a loud shout, the sword fell out and chopped down four or five soldiers. The rest of the soldiers were so frightened that they retreated!
"Hold my way and drive the enemy off the top of the city!"
Tian Kai, who was in charge of the defense, roared hysterically. Seeing that he still could not stop the fleeing soldiers, he drew his sword and personally assassinated the two fleeing soldiers. With the owl's head in his hand, he shouted angrily: "Whoever dares to retreat again will do it like this!"
To shoot a man, shoot a horse first; to capture a thief, capture the king first.
Yan Liang naturally understood this truth, shouted loudly, waved the steel knife in his hand and rushed towards Tian Kai...
"The army is everywhere and is invincible. If we continue to resist stubbornly, we will only lose our lives!"
Before he finished speaking, Yan Liang was seen charging into the defenders like a ferocious beast. Wherever he went, flesh and blood flew everywhere, like a tiger like a flock of sheep, invincible.
In an instant, he cut down seven or eight soldiers, rushed straight in front of Tian Kai, Zhan Wusanhe, chopped Tian Kai over with one sword, cut off his head, and shouted: "The guard has been executed, whoever surrenders will be spared death!" "
Three to four hundred powerful soldiers of Yuan's army have been boarded on top of the city one after another, and the remaining troops are pouring in like a tide. Now that the general is dead, the situation is over.
Gongsun's army either knelt down and surrendered, or fled for their lives. Yan Liang cut off the suspension bridge with his own hands, and let the army behind cross the moat and enter the city.
Just as Yuan Jun captured the west and south gates, Yuan soldiers in the tunnels also broke out of the ground. They dug through the ground from houses, alleys, and streets, and shouted and killed them. Without much effort, Nearly a thousand Yuan troops emerged from various caves, shouting and plundering everywhere, cooperating inside and outside to cooperate with the army outside to attack the city.
All of a sudden, the city of Yijing became ablaze, and the shouts of killing were deafening. Looking at the flames of Yi Jing in the distance, Gongsun Zan said sadly, "This is God's death for me, Gongsun Zan, and it is not a crime of war!"
When Gongsun Zan saw nearly tens of thousands of Yuan soldiers, they were surrounded like a tide. They were defeated like a mountain, and the situation was over. He shouted to the sky unwillingly, and then ordered to his close followers: "Come with me! If you don't want to die, charge with me!" "
After saying that, he held the sword in one hand and the horse in the other, got on his horse, and fought back toward the fire.
"The man riding the white horse is Gongsun Zan. If you capture him alive, Mr. Yuan will definitely give you a heavy reward!"
A school captain who had participated in the crusade against Dong Zhuo recognized Gongsun Zan in the flames of the war. He shouted, clapped his horse and wielded his sword, and led his men to stop Gongsun Zan, hoping to capture him alive and achieve great success.
"Ignorant person, how can you and other rats stop me, 'General White Horse'?"
Gongsun Zan gritted his steel teeth angrily, widened his eyes, and rushed forward waving his horse spear. Fighting without a fight, he stabbed a hole in the captain with one spear, lifted it up in the air, and smashed it at the soldier so hard that his brains exploded and he was immediately smashed. One person dies.
"I think I, Gongsun Zan, am also a famous general. How can I catch you alive? If I die, I will die on my own. You are not worthy."
As he said this, a trace of determination flashed in Gongsun Zan's eyes. He rode his horse forward, slashed and stabbed with his horse's spear, killing more than a dozen soldiers. The rest could not resist, so they had to scatter and dodge, letting Gongsun Zan charge forward.
"drive!"
Gongsun Zan mounted his horse and whipped his whip to attack his city. Later he would personally send his family on the road, and then set fire to the entire mansion and all the granaries. Even if he loses, he will not let Yuan Shao take advantage!
Unfortunately, Gongsun Zan could not break out. In a flash of cold light, the sword in Gongsun Zan's hand had pierced his chest. The bright red blood flowed along the blade of the sword and onto Gongsun Zan's hand, dripping to the ground. It was extremely charming...
After saying this, he slowly pulled out the sword, and a stream of blood spurted out, staining Gongsun Zan's armor red. The famous general Gongsun Zan slowly fell to the ground, his eyes unable to close...
At this time, the fire also came over
It was not until the sky brightened that the fires around the Jizhou military camp were finally extinguished, but the smell of burnt body parts could not be dispersed. This was war.
Yuan Xi covered his nose and rode around to look around.
The shirtless Xu Chu shouted, ran over with a charred corpse, and asked in surprise, "Major General, do you think this is the corpse of Gongsun Zan?"
