Youzhou, Fanyang County.
This county guard is actually a bit strange. After finding out that Yuan Shao's 500,000-strong army had already reached Youzhou and was less than a hundred miles away from Fan Yang.
He neither warned Youzhou Gongsun Zan nor prepared for a battle. He just read books and admired flowers while waiting for Yuan Shao's army to arrive.
Looking at this, it was clear that he wanted to surrender. This is no wonder. After all, although Liu Yu was relatively soft on the Hu people in the north, he was very good to the people under his command, so he was fully loved by the people. If Gongsun Zan hadn't had strong soldiers and horses, and Liu Yu was not good at fighting, it would be hard to say whether he would win or lose.
Although Gongsun Zan unified Youzhou, in fact it was just a formality. Youzhou has eleven counties and more than ninety counties. Many of them have just converted and are still dissatisfied. Gongsun Zan didn't have time to replace it, so this situation made Tian Kai very worried. Those who are worried that when Yuan Shao's army arrives, they will not resist, but open the city and surrender. At that time, they will be embarrassed.
Tian Kai's worries were necessary and came true. The governor of Fanyang County planned and did this. Before Yuan Shao's army could reach Fan Yang, preparations for surrender could be made, so it was a bit strange.
The prefect intends to surrender, and his soldiers naturally have no desire to fight. When Zhao Yun and Zhang He arrived at Fan Yang with 50,000 advance troops, there was no resistance at all. Yuan Shao's army easily captured the entire Fanyang County without a single blow, and successfully occupied a bridgehead in Youzhou.
After Zhao Yun and Zhang He entered the city, they comforted the county guard and the people in the city and took over the city's defense and public security. On the other hand, they asked the messengers to convey the news here to the lord as soon as possible and ask for instructions on the next step. action.
When they received the news that Zhao Yun and the others had captured Fanyang County without any effort, Yuan Shao had already arrived at the junction of Jizhou and Youzhou with his remaining 250,000 troops.
After learning the news, Yuan Shao immediately asked the army to stop and set up camp on the spot, waiting for orders. But he asked Yan Liang to invite two military advisors, Tian Feng and Guo Jia, to come to his tent to discuss matters.
Yan Liang took the order and left, and soon Tian Feng and Guo Jia arrived together. Yuan Shao ordered Yan Liang and Wen Chou to guard the door outside the camp and not let anyone else in to disturb our discussion.
After Tian Feng and Guo Jia sat down, Yuan Shao informed them of Zhao Yun's message, and then asked for their opinions.
"Zilong and his companions' advance was so smooth, it can be said that it completely surprised me. It seems that my plan also needs to be revised. I wonder if the two gentlemen have any good suggestions?"
Originally, Yuan Shao thought that this march into Youzhou would inevitably involve a hard battle. Siege warfare was indispensable and might be the main method of warfare. That's why we assembled an army of 300,000 people, ready to devour the entire Youzhou.
Seeing now is different from what I thought, it’s a bit too easy. It seemed that my plan was no longer suitable, so I had to make changes and seek the opinions of my advisors.
Although I don't know what Yuan Shao's plan was before, seeing his lord leading the army with such great fanfare, I can get a glimpse of it.
Seeing that Yuan Shao was looking forward to making suggestions, Tian Feng stepped forward without hesitation and reported: "My lord Mingjian, Youzhou has just been recovered not long ago, and Gongsun Zan is unpopular, so his rule will definitely be unstable. So this time our army won Fan Yang without any bloodshed." , is the clear proof."
At this point, Tian Feng paused deliberately. Seeing that Yuan Shao was listening with interest, he agreed very much and continued.
"I thought we could let Xi Zuo spread rumors that Liu Yu was not dead, but was injured and was recovering in Yecheng. Our army here was invited by him to come to Youzhou to punish the people and attack Gongsun Zan. In this way, Gongsun Zan’s rule will be in chaos. The lord leads the army to attack, but he will destroy himself without attacking!"
"Okay, okay, Mr. Yuan Hao is really right. He has the same idea as me. Such a big thing will definitely happen, Youzhou is just around the corner!"
After hearing what Tian Feng said, Yuan Shao said three good words in a row, which showed that he was very happy and agreed with Tian Feng's suggestion.
Yuan Shao saw that what Tian Feng said was in his heart, and he wanted to give an order to do what Tian Feng wanted. Later, I caught a glimpse of Guo Jia's disapproving expression, and my heart moved, and I unconsciously asked Guo Jia for advice.
"I don't know if Fengxiao has any good opinions. Don't hide them and say them out together?"
When he heard Yuan Shao's roll call and saw that Tian Feng was also waiting expectantly for his answer, Guo Jia didn't hesitate and said immediately.
"What Mr. Yuan Hao said is absolutely true. Jia Ye believes that we should send agents to spread rumors and create chaos. This can reduce unnecessary troubles and speed up the Lord's unification of Youzhou."
Seeing Yuan Shao and Tian Feng listening carefully, Guo Jia changed the topic and said, "But these are far from enough. Gongsun Zan is a headstrong man, brave but without a plan, who likes to show off his courage. After knowing that his subordinates were causing trouble, he must have been very angry. There will definitely be trouble between the army and our field battle. Besides, Gongsun Zan made his fortune through the army, and Youzhou has no shortage of people who can recruit and fight well. I estimate that he can summon an army of 200,000 by the way, and there will be no problem. So the lord is a bit optimistic. , the real war has just begun!”
After listening to Guo Jia's words, Tian Feng felt that he was indeed a little optimistic and had underestimated Gongsun Zan's strength. Yuan Shao was also a little proud, but fortunately Guo Jia reminded him in time. So I admitted my mistake and asked for advice again.
"Fengxiao should look further ahead, otherwise I would have almost made a mistake. Thanks for the reminder. I don't know what we should do next?"
Guo Jia was very confident and said with a smile, "Don't worry, my lord. From what I see, Gongsun Zan is nothing more than that. If he keeps the walls clear and defends the city, it's hard to say whether he will win or lose. Now he abandons the city and chooses to fight with us in the field." In my opinion, you are just seeking death. My lord, you can rest assured that Gongsun Zan will be defeated this time!"
Yuan Shao was very happy with these confident words, and said a little proudly, "It's all under your control, sir. I have a filial piety, so I can sit back and relax!".
"Hahahahahaha"
"Hahahahahaha"
After saying that, he laughed, which made Guo Jia roll his eyes, but he still laughed.
Seeing that his presence was low, Tian Feng had to stand up and added, "Although Youzhou must be destroyed, Gongsun Zan will not sit still and wait for death. When he is in a hurry, he can easily jump over the wall, so we have to guard against him. I think the lord should On the one hand, he strengthened the defense of grain and grass, and on the other hand, he sent a large number of shadow guards to spy on and intercept messages to prevent Gongsun Zan from colluding with the princes, barbarians or the Montenegrin army to cooperate inside and outside."
After hearing Tian Feng's reminder, Yuan Shao also reacted and had to say, "Mr. Yuan Hao's reminder is correct. We must guard against this aspect."
So, the three of them planned how to deal with Gongsun Zan's army and the ensuing battle. The discussion ended very late. After the meeting, Yuan Shao informed his subordinates and implemented it according to the plan.
