"Xu County!" Everyone whispered.
Yuan Xi smiled and said nothing when he saw the surprised people.
"Actually, by guarding Puyang and Baima, Cao Cao can be held back. Why do we need to take such a detour?" Cui Yan asked in confusion.
"That's not the case!" Guo Jia denied, "There are few soldiers in Yanzhou, but there are still tens of thousands. With the talents of Cao Cao and others, if they are unable to defeat Guandu and retreat to Xu County and Chenliu, it is not impossible that they can hold on for a year. It's possible, but once the war drags on for a long time, anything can happen, just like Tian Dan regaining Qi with one city. So we must go where we don't expect and go where we don't expect."
"The white horse in Puyang is a regular army, and the roundabout way is a strange army. This is exactly how the right and strange should be balanced. Moreover, our army cannot take Guandu to attack Chenliu, capture Chenliu and then besiege Xu County. Military strategists have always preferred clumsiness over speed. , instead of being precise and long-term, how much manpower and material resources will be consumed if the war is delayed for one day." Jushou agreed.
"Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Mi Wei, Xu Huang, Zhang Liao, Zhao Yun, and Chang Tun listen to the order! Lead your troops with me to attack Xu County directly from Hanoi!" Yuan Xi looked around the generals and ordered.
"Here!" "No!"
Hakubazu Ferry.
The river is covered with boats, and there are more than one boat in total. I am afraid that all the boats from Hanoi to Qingzhou are gathered here. It is obvious that the Hebei Army has been planning for a long time.
A pontoon bridge had been erected on the river long ago, and 10,000 cavalrymen marched to Hebei. After landing in Liyang to replenish food and grass, they marched along the river to Hanoi. The 10,000 Qingzhou soldiers behind them all rode on mules and horses, and they followed the cavalry army to Hanoi.
The boats were launched one after another, and more than 10,000 Qingzhou soldiers and a group of baggage were sailed upstream to Aocang, Hanoi.
Xu Sheng stood on the bow of the ship. He looked at the surrounding boats and issued orders from time to time to order the ships to sort themselves out or pay attention to the undercurrent.
Yuan Xi took Guo Jia Jia Xu and several guards to the bow of the ship, and everyone looked at the spectacular scene together.
"In the rapids, the army only needs to go ashore once, and then it can go directly to Aocang." Xu Sheng reported to Yuan Xi.
"Yes, after arriving in Aocang, our army can go straight to Yingchuan! Attack Xudu!" Guo Jia's tone was filled with excitement, and winning by surprise was his favorite.
"There are many mountains between Henan Yin and Yingchuan, and the terrain is very complex. It may be difficult to march without a guide." Jia Xu said worriedly.
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "In the last battle at Luoyang, we surrendered some Xiliang cavalry. They followed Guo Si and Li Que to conquer Yingchuan. They took the mountain road here in Aocang, and when we arrived at Yingchuan, we didn't have to worry about not having a guide. The person next to me is an authentic Yingchuan native."
Guo Jia smiled bitterly and said, "Others returned home in fine clothes, but when they returned home after so many years, Guo actually returned with an army."
Henan, Rongyang.
Chenggao and Rongyang are important places for Sili. When he was attacking Dong Zhuo in the past, Cao Cao suggested that Yuan Shao occupy Chenggao and other places and then besiege Luoyang. As for Rongyang, it has always been the outpost from Guandong into Guanzhong. When Chu and Han were fighting for hegemony, this was an important place that the two sides repeatedly fought for.
At this time, Rongyang's position was still dangerous. After Cao Cao's forces were driven out of Guanzhong by the Yuan and Ma families, this was the intersection of the three spheres of influence of the Ma family, the Cao family, and the Yuan family. However, due to Ma Teng's limited troops, he could only adopt a strategy of focusing on guarding important places such as Tongguan. In this way, Cao Jun Rongyang's defense was very weak.
If we talk about the qualifications of the generals of the Qingzhou Army, then Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang brothers are definitely veterans. They have been Yuan Xi's generals since he led his troops to attack Qingzhou.
The two brothers from the Lu family were considered to be Yuan Xi's confidants. Although they rarely showed their faces in normal battles, they only came to the limelight due to luck during the Liyang counterattack.
But when it comes to escorting grain, grass and baggage, the two brothers are absolutely experienced among the generals of the Qingzhou Army. When Yuan Xi attacked Qingzhou, they began to travel between Jizhou and Qingzhou to escort grain and grass. Until Yuan Xi conquered Wuhuan, the three counties, and escorted grain and fodder. The important responsibility is still the two brothers.
Therefore, such an important battle as the decisive battle in the Central Plains, of course, the two brothers cannot be missing to escort the grain and grass. The reason why they did not show their faces on the Baima battlefield was because they accepted a secret mission early in the morning to deliver a batch of grain to Hanoi!
Grain trucks drove from the vicinity of Rongyang to Guanxian County one after another. After a short rest and replenishment, the Xiaoqi Battalion took the lead in heading to Guancheng as the vanguard. Brothers Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang watched a group of teammates pass by, and after waiting for a long time, Yuan Xi finally arrived.
"Lord. The last general
We were ordered to escort the grain and grass to Rongyang first, and we have delivered them all according to our mission! " Lu Kuang reported.
"How is the situation in Yecheng?" Yuan Xi asked anxiously.
Lu Xiang smiled proudly and said, "Until the end of the day when the general escorts the food and grass out, everything will be according to the master's plan."
Yuan Xi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, without saying anything more, and asked again: "Is there any movement from Cao's army in Rongyang?"
"Rongyang's garrison is very small. When they saw our army approaching, they did not dare to step forward and take a closer look." Lu Kuang said with anger on his face and replied, "My Lord, the urgent report just received from Hedong, Ma Teng's eldest son, Ma Chao, led his troops to invade Anyi. Does the lord know about it?"
Yuan Xi nodded. He said in a deep voice, "When we crossed the river in Hanoi, we already knew that the Ma family would take advantage of the situation and rob it. It's extremely abominable. But Ju Yi, Yan Xiang, Sun Li and Guo Yuan are here. I believe Ma Chao's little pony will not be able to offend him. To the benefit.”
"What my lord said is true. As long as the Central Plains is pacified, Guanzhong will not be able to escape anywhere. So even if we can't resist it, there is no harm in withdrawing from Hedong first." Jia Xu suggested.
"No, I believe in Ju Yi and the others, especially Ju Yi. He is very good at resisting cavalry, and the Ma family is short of food. It should not be difficult to defend Anyi." Yuan Xi said firmly.
"I wonder which way the army will take?" Lu Kuang asked.
"As for the marching route, you can take a circuitous route. From Jing County through Jidang Mountain, arrive at Mi County and then pass through Dajian Mountain and go straight to Yingyin! This way you can avoid the stronghold in the direction of Xu County and be surprised." Guo Jia suggested .
Jia Xu shook his head and said, "According to Fengxiao, the person guarding Xu County is Xun Wenruo, a thoughtful person. How could he not guard the direction of Mi County? Even if there is no ambush, there are sentry posts. But our cavalry will definitely be difficult to attack. To go down to the city, we still need the cooperation of infantry. Therefore, our army must be fast when marching. Even if Xu County is aware of it, we will be here right away. They will not have time to notify Cao Cao in front."
Yuan Xi was silent for a while. Guo Jia's marching route is a dangerous one, if there are no checkpoints in Mi County. You can attack Yingyin and Xu County by surprise. And Jia Xu's marching route is undoubtedly Guancheng and Xinzheng, which is a fast word.
If the enemy knows about it, it will be too late to take precautions. Of course, both routes have advantages and disadvantages, and the two counselors rarely had differences of opinion, which made Yuan Xi unable to make a decision for a while.
Yuan Xi thought of a sentence, no move can defeat him, only quickness can defeat him, "In the art of war, the most important thing is speed, not long. Our army has many mules and horses, and the march is slow in the mountains, so we should go to Xinzheng!"
After Yuan Xi made his decision, Guo Jia couldn't say anything. Everyone passed on the order and started to march towards Guancheng.
Guancheng was called Zhengzhou in later generations and was the provincial capital, but at this time it was just a small town.
"Tick-tock-tock!" As teams of carriages and horses passed by, Wei Wangzhi of Guancheng County could not stand the threat, so he opened the city gate and surrendered to Jizhou.
Yuan Xi was happy to gain such a foothold, let his troops and horses replenish supplies, and ordered Xiaoqi and Wuhuan Tuqi to march at full speed.
What Yuan Xi wants is not only to surround Xu County, but also to completely block Xu County's access to Guandu.
"Cheer! Ce!" Teams of cavalry galloped past.
They passed through official roads and fields, eating and sleeping all the way, and finally arrived at Changsha.
Changshe is an important stronghold in the north of Xu County and the first important place in the northeast of Yingchuan. Anyone who has played Romance of the Three Kingdoms 9 knows it.
Back then, Huangfu Song defeated the Yellow Turban Army here, but today, the Qingzhou Army, with the Qingzhou Yellow Turban as its backbone, once again attacked Changshe. This has to be said to be a dramatic arrangement in history.
In Changshe, the guards Kong Xiu and Hu Ban led their soldiers on the wall, guarding against the sudden attack of Jizhou cavalry.
"It's not good. Didn't the Jizhou Army fight with Cao Gong in Guandu? Are they sent for a sneak attack?" Hu Ban said with a somewhat panicked expression. There are only two thousand people in the city. If there is a large group of Jizhou Army behind them, then they The situation is very dangerous.
"Have you lit up the smoke?" Kong Xiu asked.
Hu Ban said with a bitter face: "There were beacon smoke in the city, but there was no response from the next beacon tower. I'm afraid it was captured by Jizhou Army scouts."
After hearing this, Kong Xiu shook his head and sighed, "Master Xun put us on guard earlier. Unexpectedly, the Jizhou Army sneak attacked us at the door of our house. We can only wait and see whether we will defend or surrender."
These people are all Guan Erye, the desperate ghost who killed six generals.
"Surrender? That's in Xu County
What should I do if my family is small? "Hu Ban asked rhetorically.
Kong Xiu looked at the cavalry galloping by and sighed: "I just hope that the Jizhou army will not besiege the city."
Perhaps God heard Kong Xiu's prayer, and Xiaoqi and Wuhuan's Tuqi galloped past without attacking or besieging the city.
The Jizhou army that arrived later only left more than 2,000 horses stationed outside the city to monitor the soldiers and horses in the city.
"Tick-tock! Tick-tock!" A small group of Xiaoqi finally arrived in Xu County. The gong on the city wall sounded a loud warning, the drawbridge was immediately lowered, and the city gate was quickly closed.
Wuhuan Tuqi did not stop, but kept heading east to control the main road leading to Chenliudi.
The villagers who were busy with farm work in the fields were frightened and panicked when they saw this scene. There was the same sound of iron hoofs back then, and there was also such a cavalry galloping around. The Xiliang cavalry invaded Yingchuan, which cast a great shadow on them. Fortunately, the Jizhou cavalry did not attack like the Xiliang soldiers.
A warning sound is heard. Xun Yu immediately rushed to the city to organize defenses. After these days of hard work, this "talent of Wang Zuo" was very haggard and thin. But the demeanor is still elegant.
"Lord Xun!" Meng Tan, Han Fu, and Qin Qi saluted together.
Mao Jie also rushed to the wall at this time and asked anxiously: "Wen Ruo, why did the Jizhou army not find out until they arrived at the city?"
Xun Yu also looked helpless and said, "It was because the Jizhou cavalry rushed too fast and all the beacon towers along the way were taken down."
"Have you sent the news to the front?" Mao Jie asked again.
"Already sent, but the Lord sent me a letter the day before yesterday, saying that he would march to the Baima front line to monitor the Jizhou army. I'm afraid he won't be able to come back!" Xun Yu said, also a little anxious and at a loss. He is human after all.
"Sir, don't be anxious. The Jizhou army is coming from a long distance, and they will probably not bring too much equipment. As long as the city gate is tightly closed, it will not be difficult to hold on for a month or two. By then, Duke Cao may be able to defeat the white horse thieves! It's not too late for us to rush to help!" "Mao Jie said.
Xun Yu shook his head and said, "Two days ago, I was still thinking about why there was such a flaw in Wuchao in the Jizhou Army. Now it seems that it may be a trap set up by Yuan Xi and others to lure our army into the local trap! Oh, I was careless. !”
Hearing this, Mao Jie frowned and said worriedly, "So it's very dangerous for my lord."
"As long as it is not dangerous, my lord can still retreat to Guandu or Chenliu. But if Xu County falls, our army's defense line will have an opening. The Jizhou army will attack from both sides and cut off my lord's retreat. The consequences are unimaginable!" Xun Yu! Worried.
"As Mr. Mao said, as long as I don't mess up my position, holding on for more than a month will not be a problem!" Han Fu said.
"That's right!" Several generals came together under the auspices of Xun Yu. Xu County has become a fortified city, and with the 7,000 defenders in the city and enough food and fodder, it is possible to hold it for half a year, let alone a month.
Of course, this is true in theory, but in practice it’s hard to say. After all, there are too many variables, right?
"Okay, if you all work together, we will definitely be able to stop the Jizhou army's iron hoof!" Xun Yu also said loudly, even if the battle situation was dangerous, he would still make a gesture to inspire the soldiers.
For a time, the city wall was busy. Soldiers and soldiers were constantly moving stones, rolling wood and wood onto the wall. Materials normally stored were also moved out of the treasury. There was an atmosphere of preparation for war in Xuchang City.
Also flustered and busy was the palace in the city. Ministers rushed to the palace to see Liu Xie.
Yang Biao, Wu Zilan, Zhong Ji, Wang Zifu, Wu Shuo and others rushed to the palace immediately.
"Your Majesty, the Jizhou army is seizing the city!" Wu Zilan said excitedly.
"Your Majesty, should we welcome the Jizhou army into the city?" Zhong Ji asked.
"Oh." Liu Xie responded softly, but he didn't show much concern about welcoming the Jizhou Army.
"Your Majesty, don't you want to welcome the Jizhou Army?" Wang Zifu asked tentatively.
Liu Xie shook his head and smiled bitterly, with helplessness in his eyes as he said, "Over the years, first Dong Zhuo, then Guo Si, Li Que, and now Cao Cao, none of them have done anything to steal the country under the guise of rescuing him. It turns out that I still I was wondering what Xian Yi would do after receiving the imperial edict, but these days I think I have the same thing in mind."
"What's going on?" Yang Biao's eyes revealed a bit of relief.
"No matter which general comes to my rescue, even if they are sincere towards the Han Dynasty at first, I still have few soldiers in my hands."
Quan, as time goes by, it's hard to guarantee that they won't have other ideas. Liu Xie sighed.
Yang Biao couldn't help but nod. The little emperor has finally grown up. He is already twenty this year and is no longer as impatient as before.
Wu Zilan said anxiously: "Your Majesty, Cao Cao is a eunuch who is sinister and cunning. Yuan Xianyi is a queen of a famous family. Sixth, he has been a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty for generations!"
Wang Zifu also advised: "Cao Cao's ambition cannot be tolerated by your majesty. Yuan Xianyi is what we veterans have grown up watching. He is generous and kind, and he is the pillar of the country!"
"Your Majesty, please think twice!" Many ministers below agreed. Most of them were former officials of the Yuan family, and many of them had secret contacts with Hebei.
Liu Xie smiled bitterly, these ministers were so towards the Yuan family. I am afraid that Yuan Xi will also rule the court in the future.
But in his heart, he was still slightly biased towards Yuan Xi. At that time, because of his consistent impression since childhood and the relationship with his sister Liu Yan, Liu Xie believed that Yuan Xi could still be considered one of his own, but Cao Cao was an out-and-out After the eunuch.
"Your Majesty, only through balance can we regain power!" Yang Biao said.
Liu Xie was shocked and asked, "What does the captain mean?"
"If you don't want to help each other, take the opportunity to gather your troops!" Yang Biao suggested.
"Master Yang. This is your fault. The Yuan family is very loyal, but you treat the Yuan family like this!" asked a Yilang below.
Yang Biao just wanted to refute. Huangfu Li hurriedly ran in, saluted and said, "Your Majesty, Cao Cao's troops led Qin Qi to surround the palace, saying they wanted to protect His Majesty."
"Ah!" "This is so audacious. You dare to surround the palace without His Majesty's order!" The ministers below were talking a lot, and Liu Xie and Yang Biao's faces were also turning red and white.
If the Yanzhou Army is on guard, the Dihu Ben Yulin Guards, composed of the sons of powerful men, are no match at all. Although Wu Zilan, Zhong Ji and others held the titles of "General" and "Changshui Colonel", in fact, the Forbidden Army had long existed in name only at this time. Basically, there are only a few soldiers in the establishment, let alone weapons and stomachs.
"Alas!" Liu Xie sighed. Showing a dejected look.
The streets and alleys in Xuchang City were filled with soldiers and civilians, and strong men were organized by Xun to help transport supplies and equipment.
The people also quickly packed up their shops and rushed to buy some food and daily necessities.
The "gambling shop" closed its door, the shopkeepers packed up the goods, and the shopkeeper hurriedly left the shop with his servants.
This shop owner is in his thirties, and although he looks ordinary, he is usually smart and capable. Many ministers and scholars from the court patronize his shop. He was naturally the leader of the craftsman sent to Yanzhou by Yuan Xi, who had conquered Luoyang and congratulated Austria.
