This year, Liu Bei was thirty-four years old, Cao Cao was thirty-nine years old, Guan Hai was forty-six years old, and Zhang Fang was twenty-five years old.
As a general of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Bei established his government in Jinyang, and with the assistance of Chen Chong in Chang'an, he led an army of 140,000 from four states to conquer the Qi and Han Dynasties, which could be described as overwhelming power. Although Guan Hai was restored to the rank of Grand Sima of the Qi and Han dynasties, the Qi and Han dynasties were actually torn apart, and both the Baibo and Heishan armies were alienated from him. Even so, even if the three armies were gathered together, there would only be about 90,000 troops, far less than Liu Bei.
Under this situation, the Qi and Han armies from the north and south did not dare to engage in a decisive battle with Liu Bei's army, and their retreat could not cut off Liu Bei's food route. They could only watch the Han army attack the city day by day and strangle the Montenegrin army to death. The situation is clear, and almost all knowledgeable people dare to conclude that as long as the Han army persists for ten more days, this year's war will end with a complete victory for the Han army.
But the result was beyond everyone's expectations. General Liu Bei suddenly sent an envoy. He first ordered all the troops to stop attacking and hold on to the camp. Then he sent envoys to Guan Hai and Zhang Fang respectively, carrying a letter from Liu Bei. The letter said: "The place where the sun and the moon are located Zhao, I was born a great Han, and all the people in the north and south of Surabaya are Han people. Now I have raised troops from Jinyang, the Huns have surrendered, and the Liang bandits are running around, sweeping the north and south, and cutting off the ugly ones. Therefore, I have been blessed by the emperor to accept the position of assistant government and carry out great prosperity. .
In Russia, there was an act of usurping the throne and overstepping the control, which made Tianyan thunderous and angry. Therefore, he issued an edict to punish the thieves, raised weapons and troops, and raised troops here. The majestic king's master, with fine armor and shining sun, millions of people, camped for hundreds of miles, chatting and laughing together. Working hard from top to bottom, they are determined to take over my homeland. Since ancient times, the land of Qilu has been a royal land. Emperor Shizong was granted Zen status and his ancestors were revived. How can you allow me to get involved? How can you win despite being exhausted and defeated?
However, when the two armies are fighting, it is the common people who have the hardest work. Two years of fighting, thousands of miles of wilderness, and no bones left. Don't you feel sad every time you think about it? Confucius was benevolent and did not harm innocent people. Mencius was righteous and put the people first. Although he was stupid, he was willing to act effectively. It is advisable for a king to give up his honorific title, submit to the imperial court, and accept official duties, just like the story of Zhang Yan. Be prepared to spare no effort in making good wishes, so that the siege of the city can be postponed. You can take the people away and return to Linzi to appease the people. From now on, the east and west are the masters, and there is no pain of war. Isn't it wonderful? "
After Guan Hai got the letter, he laughed and said: "I didn't expect that Liu Xuande was quite knowledgeable in writing during his military life." He was deeply upset that the assassination failed, so he handed the letter to his assistants for circulation and asked the envoy to wait outside. As soon as the envoy left, he said: "I failed to assassinate Liu Bei. Logically speaking, he should be extremely angry and immediately order the city to be destroyed. How could he break the siege and let me withdraw?"
Teng Dan frowned and said, "Could it be that the assassination was actually successful, and the puppet government was pretending to be powerful and wanted to force us to retreat, but in fact there was already chaos in the army?"
Speaking of this, Guan Hai was very moved. If Liu Bei really died, the morale of the Han army would definitely be shattered. He could raise his troops for a decisive battle, so why should the other party let him go? But as soon as he had the idea of a decisive battle, the blood that surged to his head suddenly cooled down. What if Liu Bei was not dead and wanted to use a trick to force me to take action? Once there is a decisive battle, you can't just leave if you want. Moreover, the withdrawal of the siege may also be a fraud. What if when he withdraws his troops, the Han army attacks him halfway? This is something he cannot help but consider.
After listening to Guan Hai's concerns, Tao Qiuxiu said: "Ming Gong's concerns are indeed reasonable, but this is easy to handle." He glanced at Guan Hai and said slowly: "After the assassination, there are still hundreds of followers. Imprisoned in the puppet camp? We don't know the success or failure of the assassination, but they must know it. We can use this to reply to the letter and ask the puppet government to release them. If the assassination succeeds, they will definitely not dare to release them. If the assassination fails, these hundreds of people It's not of much use, Liu Bei will not begrudge it, so we might as well agree first, and then we will withdraw together when Zhang Shuai and others withdraw."
After hearing this, everyone felt it was reasonable, and Guan Hai said, "Then I'll leave the reply to you." Tao Qiuxiu immediately pulled off a piece of white cloth, swiped it like the wind, and quickly finished writing it. Guan Hai stamped it and wrote it. The letter was returned to the messenger.
When the envoy returned, Zhang Fang's reply had arrived first. Zhang Fang said that as a subordinate of Guan Hai, he did not dare to act alone. As long as Liu Bei could persuade Guan Hai, he would naturally agree. After Liu Bei received Guan Hai's reply, he felt reassured. He said to his officials: "This matter has become eighty-nine."
Kong Zhen's words before his death made Liu Bei immediately understand the cause and effect. Therefore, he never caused trouble to the Taiping Taoists who were accompanying him. He only sent Fa Zheng to lead the crowd to supervise, and there was no shortage of food every day. Since Guan Hai had made the request, he was obviously sincere in withdrawing his troops, so Liu Bei did not hesitate and released the followers on the same day. Before they left, considering that the weather was getting colder, in addition to dry food and water for the road, Liu Bei even gave each of them an extra winter coat.
When the group of people arrived at Feicheng, Guan Cheng understood the cause and effect, and was quite unbelievable. He asked himself: "Two months ago, he killed my people like grass, and today he is willing to sincerely let us go?" So there are still Hesitant. But people who came back said that Sheqiu had been besieging the city for a long time, and there was not much food and grass in the city. People could often be seen escaping and surrendering. Those descendants were so hungry that they were swollen. It was said that only some rice was added to the two meals a day in the morning, and they couldn't hold on any longer.
Now that the Black Mountain Army has reached this point, Guan Hai decided to agree to return eastward. He summoned the generals for discussion and said only: "Liu Bei is fine, and Zhang Fang is hungry and cold. What should I do if I don't leave? Let's go!" The generals also felt that there was nothing better. method, so they all agreed. As long as Liu Bei is not dead, the Han army will not collapse, but Zhang Fang is already on the verge of destruction. If he continues to fight, Qi and Han will never be able to win this war that is destined to fail.
Guan Hai decided to reply to Liu Bei. In the letter, he tried to exaggerate his military power, but this only exposed his weakness. Worried about being ambushed, he wrote in the letter: "My land in Jibei is being invaded by you. If you must return, you can go a hundred miles away."
The reply was delivered to Liu Bei's account. Liu Bei did not read it himself, but asked Xu Shu to read it to him. He stood outside the house and looked at the not-so-young mulberry tree in the pavilion. After hearing Xu Shu finish reading, Liu Bei did not reply immediately, but took out the Huangtian Talisman left by Zhang Jue from his chest. After staring at it for a long time, he showed a sad smile and said softly to Xu Shu: "I have fulfilled my promise. Yes. Just do as he says!"
Unexpectedly, when the military order was passed down, Cao Cao, who was besieging Gang County on the southern road, was extremely dissatisfied and refused to withdraw his troops. And he even said in public: "Now that the city is so close, but the general has abandoned it like worn out shoes, how can we be worthy of the soldiers who fought bloody battles on the battlefield? How can we be worthy of the heroes who have sacrificed their lives for the country in the past few years? How can we be worthy of trusting the general?" Your Majesty, you are so disloyal and unjust, I will never obey the imperial edict!"
After hearing this, Liu Bei frowned and wrote back: "Why are we raising our troops? It's just peace in the world and peace and harmony for the people. Now that the puppet dynasty is declining, it is the time to win the hearts and minds of the people. How can we judge the gains and losses in one battle alone? Now I let it go. Returning from Haidong, we can not only capture the two cities of Shegang, but also let the three states know my faith. How can we call it chaos? If you and I kill all the people in Guandong, even if we have thousands of miles of land, what value will it have? I hope you will think about it. Be careful."
But after replying to the letter, Cao Cao still refused to obey. Liu Bei also became angry and simply ordered Guan Yu: "You and I will break camp and return west tomorrow, and let him attack the city by himself!" After that, he began to work on related matters.
Liu Bei's Northern Route Army numbered as many as 90,000 people. When it moved, it was so huge that it was like the earth was shaking and the mountains were shaking. There were smiling sergeants everywhere. After all, this year's war ended early, and it was only the beginning of October. The soldiers couldn't help but be happy when they thought that they no longer had to climb the wall with ants, nor did they have to suffer from the cold in winter, and could even spend the rest of the year in peace. There was no trace of what Cao Cao said. They were so excited about their love for each other that things that used to take a whole day and night were now arranged in four hours.
Before leaving, Liu Bei sent Wei Yanbu to the rear and placed some salt, rice and other items in the north of Sheqiu City for the Black Mountain Army leaving the city. When Yang Feng led the Black Mountain Army, wearing armor and riding horses, and slowly left the city, Liu Bei's Han Army had already left. As for the road, there was no trace of the Han army. Only on the road at the horizon, a few people could be seen riding horses, observing their retreat.
Soon, Yang Feng brought out all the troops. Most of these people were in ragged clothes and swollen from hunger. When the north wind blew, many of them shivered and groaned. At this time, there was a faint sound of horse hoofbeats from the north, which made them very vigilant, and they quickly formed a formation near the city. But not long after, Yang Feng saw clearly the flag of the incoming people, which was Guan Hai's troops.
After the two armies merged, they all breathed a sigh of relief and sent an envoy across Surabaya to contact Zhang Fang in Gang County. As soon as the envoy crossed the river, they discovered that there was still a Han army in Gang County that had not withdrawn. Judging from the flag, it should be Cao Cao's. Department. Just when Guan Hai and others were confused, the Han army withdrew again.
Guan Hai only said that Cao Cao's rear retreated slowly, and he really didn't want to stay here anymore. So he quickly sent his troops to build a pontoon bridge to welcome Zhang Fang across the river, and then hurriedly retreated to Taishan County. On the way back, he sent a letter to commend Yang Feng and his party, making Yang Feng the chariot general, Han Xian the hussar general, and Dugu Qubei the great chanyu.
As soon as Guan Hai left, Feicheng, Lu County and other places also surrendered to the Han army one after another. At this point, Yanzhou was generally pacified. In front of the Han army are the tall Mount Tai in the east and Yuan Shu in the south who is determined to regain the lost territory.
During the period after negotiating peace with Baibo's army, Yuan Shu made repeated attacks from Runan. He first sent 30,000 men to attack Chen State, and then 40,000 men to attack Yingchuan. Chen King Liu Chong was unable to resist.
Fortunately, Liu Bei returned with his army, but Yuan Shu did not dare to stroke his beard, so he had to withdraw his army and return to Shouchun. However, after this war, Yuzhou was in turmoil and banditry, and many refugee bandits took the opportunity to rob various counties, making the already poor people even more difficult.
The person who carried out the case, Bian Rang, heard about the difficulties in Yuzhou, so he followed the newly appointed governor of Yuzhou, Huangfu, to visit Liyou County. He saw the hungry people walking like zombies in the winter, howling with their mouths open. He was moved and wrote: "The cold clouds are far away, covering the bushes. The mountains are high and high. The wind is rustling and the roads are fluffy. The rivers are solid yet steep and deep. I feel sad for the people's livelihood, and the tears are falling horizontally and uncontrollably."
Five years have passed since Dong Zhuo usurped power, but people's hearts have changed. Where are they headed?
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