Just when Yuan Shu moved his troops to Yangdi, he rewarded all the troops. Chen Chong has sent a message to Guandong, ordering Yin Guanyu of Henan to recruit 60,000 soldiers from Henan to guard the eight passes of Luoyang. Cao Cao, the herdsman of Yanzhou, fortified the walls and cleared the fields, moved his troops to support the ditch, and prevented Yuan Shu from going north. General Zhendong Zhang Xian led 20,000 troops to garrison Jibei to monitor the movements of Qingzhou.
At the same time, Chen Chong also communicated with Liu Bei through letters and began to prepare for war. Jinyang Bafu would mobilize troops and the Chang'an court would adjust grain. It was planned to recruit 70,000 soldiers and send troops to Yuzhou in mid-April.
The strategy of Yuan Shu's western expedition was mostly planned by Zheng Hun. Zheng Hun was the younger brother of the famous Confucian Zheng Tai and served in the imperial court. After Dong Zhuo's death, he felt that Guanzhong was difficult to determine, so he led his family members to flee Guanzhong overnight and settled in Wuhu, Yangzhou. When Yuan Shu heard about it, he treated him like a prince many times, and finally invited him to come out last year. When Zheng Hun entered the government, it was the time when Yuan Shu was recruiting talents. Zheng Hun sighed to people: "Yuan Jiujiu is tolerant and magnanimous, and he does not lose the tradition of the Taifu family."
So he made up his mind to serve Yuan Shu. As soon as he entered the government, he analyzed the situation for Yuan Shu, saying that after the Linzi Rebellion, the moth thieves lost power and their defeat was inevitable sooner or later. But people's hearts are still there, but it cannot be conquered in a hurry. It will still take years to overcome it. Now, if we want to achieve hegemony, we can use this as the foundation and three strategies: upper, middle and lower. If you make an alliance with Yuan Shao to rebel against Cao Cao and form an alliance to first pacify Heluo and then Qingxu, this is the best strategy; if you make an alliance with the Mo thieves, go up the river and capture Jingyi, sit south and look north, and act according to the opportunity, this is This is the middle strategy; neither mobilizing troops nor external aid, but waiting for the enemy to arrive is the worst strategy and will lead to defeat.
After hearing this, Yuan Shu felt very embarrassed. He was unwilling to form an alliance with Yuan Shao, and he was unwilling to give up the famous strategy of attacking Heluo directly. After much thought, he made his own decision and changed the alliance partner to the Gengcang Army. He paid a large sum of money to send troops and still wanted to regain Yuzhou in order to capture Heluo.
Zheng Hun was greatly puzzled by this approach. He dissuaded Yuan Shu several times and analyzed the pros and cons for him: Since he has regained Heluo, he must have great justice. If you form an alliance with the moth thieves but claim to revive the Han Dynasty, wouldn't you be the laughingstock of the world? Cao Cao and the moth thieves have a deep hatred. Even if there is a gap with the central government, how can he respond? If Cao Cao does not resist, the two states of Henan and Yan are connected to the border for thousands of miles. How can the army ignore the left and right and attack the eastern capital directly? However, Yuan Shu remained unmoved.
This incident greatly disappointed Zheng Hun. From then on, he changed his previous cautious attitude and turned to eating well and spending the day in a muddle. Privately he said to his clansmen: "Yuan Shu can tolerate people but not employ them, and he can raise people but not listen to tricks, but he still doesn't know how to reflect on himself. Sooner or later we will have to live in seclusion in Jiangdong!"
Therefore, Yuan Shu's army's march plan this time relied mostly on Yuan Shu himself. When he saw the news that the Han army had fortified its walls and cleared the country, and defended the dangerous pass, he didn't take it seriously at all. He also laughed at Zheng Hun and said: "Prior to this, Duke Wen was too worried, saying that it would be difficult to fight with annexation. Who would have thought that after I led my troops to arrive in person, tens of thousands of soldiers from Guandong , are as afraid of me as a tiger, so you know how difficult it is to accomplish great things?"
Regardless of the sarcasm in Zheng Hun's heart, considering that he was now in a mansion, it was difficult to leave in a hurry. It is still said that Chang'an is dispatching troops and generals, and they must be sent out soon. The most important thing in using troops is to take advantage of the opportunity. At this time, it is time to take advantage of the weakness of the Eight Passes to "pace Luoyang quickly and cut off the river bridge."
Unexpectedly, Yuan Shu still refused to listen. He replied: "If I capture Luoyang now, I am afraid that the two thieves will be too scared to send troops to fight. By then, how will I break through the pass and march westward to regain Chang'an?" The implication is that Chang'an is already regarded as a treasure.
After Zheng Hun heard the words, he looked at Yuan Shu as if he were an inhuman being. He couldn't speak for a moment. He bowed again and then slowly left. When he returned to the camp, he sighed and said: "An arrogant and incompetent person was born in the family of the Taifu! It's unfair." ! Heaven is unfair!"
Naturally, Yuan Shu did not take any action. He summoned his generals and ordered Zhu Zhi to lead 3,000 men to station in Kunyang to guard against Liu Biao's actions. He also ordered Qiao Rui to lead 7,000 men to Bo County to monitor Cao's army. Then he told his generals to "make temporary arrangements and wait for the decisive battle." After the generals heard this, they were all very dissatisfied, but each refused to go to their own camp and had a drink. Yuan Shu was either having banquets with the Yingchuan nobles, or traveling with him to the mountains and rivers of Yingchuan, outing and admiring flowers. It was so unpleasant. It seemed that the reinforcements from Jinyang that were about to go south and the imminent war had nothing to do with it.
This just gave the accompanying Sun Ce an opportunity. Previously, he had been with Yuan Shu in the formation and had never had the opportunity to act independently. Once he received the military order, he immediately went to find Zhou Yu, who had also come to Yuzhou, to discuss important matters with him.
Zhou Yu came from a well-known family. He was a descendant of the Zhou family in Lujiang and the son of Zhou Zhongzhi, the Guanglu doctor who had just entered the official position. When Sun Jian attacked Dong, he moved to Shu County in Lujiang, where Sun Ce and Zhou Yu met. The two are of the same age, have similar interests, and are both young men with great ambitions, so they become brothers and plan together. The important thing Sun Ce wanted to discuss with him at this time was also the first step in a long-term plan.
Sun Ce suppressed his excitement and said to Zhou Yu: "Yuan Shu is incompetent and missed the opportunity to fight. He also tried to fight the dragon head. I think his ending will be cut into pieces and thrown into the river to feed the fish. But this is also my achievement. What a great opportunity for success! Gong Jin, do you think I should hesitate and not fight to win over people's hearts, or should I plot and surrender to the imperial court?"
Zhou Yu was the same age as Sun Ce that year, he was only twenty-one years old. He grew up with fair skin, handsome appearance and extraordinary appearance. He was good at music, and even though he was traveling with the army, he still went out with his harp and harp. Listening to Sun Ce's words, Zhou Yu looked thoughtful, gently hooked the strings with his fingers, and slowly played "Fish Playing with Lotus Leaves", the wind of the music was like ripples and water smoke on the leaves.
Sun Ce was originally agitated, but when he heard Zhou Yu's music, his anxiety gradually calmed down. He sat on the banquet and played the music in time with Zhou Yu. After the song was played, Zhou Yu slowly said: "Bo Fu, hesitating without fighting cannot win people's hearts. Anyway, the imperial court , and it is difficult to start a business on your own, which is not a good idea.”
After Sun Ce heard this, he said "Oh". He looked at Zhou Yu before and saw his calm and confident look. He knew that he already had a plan, so he smiled and said, "Then what can Gong Jin teach me?"
Zhou Yu was indeed prepared, and said to him with a smile: "Look at this." After that, he took out a roll of yellow silk from his arms, which was the kind used to convey secret messages from the military and the state. can be used. Sun Ce took it and unfolded it. On it was a letter written by Zhao Wen, the shepherd of Yangzhou, to Chen Chong.
The letter said that Yuan Shu was rebellious and he was held hostage by him, but he still had his heart set on his great responsibilities in the imperial court and did not dare to relax. Fortunately, there are still loyal ministers and young people with lofty ideals in Yangzhou. Sun Ce and Zhou Yushi received the emperor's favor and devoted themselves to helping the country. Although they were temporarily committed to the bandit camp, they really wanted to take the opportunity to make great achievements. The dragon's head can be used as an inner chamber, entrusting his confidants with important responsibilities. He will definitely be able to defeat Yuan's army and restore Yangzhou.
At the end of the yellow silk, Zhao Wen's private seal and fingerprints are printed.
Sun Ce was overjoyed and said, "When did Gong Jin get in touch with Zhao Gong?"
Zhou Yu raised his hand in a low voice and whispered to him: "Among the people Yuan Jiuji arranged to monitor Duke Zhao, there are my fellow countrymen. Before joining the army, I had already made an agreement with Duke Zhao. As long as I send someone to hand over this silk letter, At the imperial court, Chen Shijun has an old relationship with you, Bo Fu, and you are not afraid of not getting a title. By then, you and I will go to Lujiang to raise troops, cross the river south, and we will surely occupy six counties and establish a business!"
Sun Ce nodded repeatedly, clenched his fists and said, "Uncle Ting Jian and I haven't seen each other for several years, and I don't know if he still misses the old relationship!"
Zhou Yu said softly: "General Polu and Longshou were as close as brothers, and they died before Longshou. He knew that the general was loyal to the court and would not be in trouble."
Talking about Sun Jian, the atmosphere in the tent was a little depressing for a while. Sun Ce patted the table and said: "My uncle and uncle couldn't agree on the death of my father. Some people said that it was Uncle Ting Jian who planned it and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to annex. But now it seems that Yuan Gongli But the suspicion is the greatest."
Zhou Yu looked at Sun Ce's eyes and saw a bright light shining in them. Sun Ce suddenly came over and said, "Gong Jin, have you heard that Yuan Gongli will take out a seal from time to time in his house to look at it."
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"It is true, but it is not surprising that the famous clan would like to receive the seal." Zhou Yu gently pulled the string and made a business sound. He said, "The important thing is what kind of seal it is."
"Ha!" Sun Ce sneered, and he said word by word: "I heard that the corner of the seal was filled with gold, and it was colorful. I'm afraid it was the national seal! My father once wrote a letter to home, saying that he accidentally got a seal from Dongdu. . If it is true, well, I will personally cut off Yuan Shu for a hundred pieces!"
Zhou Yu smiled softly and continued to play the piano. At this time, he switched to playing "Wuguan Luozhaoyue". This music was originally magnificent, and Zhou Yu's superb fingering skills. For a while, in the music, there was a vast sky and earth, flowing clouds, and a majestic sunset. Illuminating the atmosphere of the surrounding areas. It was obviously noon, but when the soldiers around heard such beautiful music, they seemed to see a red sunset setting over the Western Mountains. They couldn't help but gather around, so intoxicated that they didn't know the smell of meat.
Seven days later, when Guan Yu was feeling strange about Yuan Shu's movements, Quan Xiu, who was guarding Shenyuan Pass, suddenly secretly reported that someone from the bandit army had come to report the news, and it was extremely important. Guan Yu did not dare to underestimate him, so that night he asked someone to pretend that he was studying at home, while he secretly left the city to meet the envoy outside Luoyang.
The envoy was Sun Ce's general Deng Dang. He handed the yellow silk to Guan Yu. After Guan Yu looked at it, he explained in detail the current generals in Yuan Shu's army and their troops and horses, and talked about Yuan Shu's preparations for a decisive battle with the Han army. Deng Dang's plan was helpless when he told it, and Guan Yu heard it was ridiculous. But after telling the details, Guan Yu couldn't help but not believe it.
After hearing this, Guan Yu stroked his long beard and smiled at Deng Dang: "I know everything you said, and I will also forward this yellow silk to the court. You go back first and tell your general that you have such loyalty as a general." , the general will definitely not treat you badly, and I will send an envoy to reply as soon as the general arrives."
The two agreed on the location and slogan of the secret meeting, and asked Sun Ce to inform Yuan Shu of the movements of the army every ten days. Sun Ce had given instructions on this before, and Deng Dang also agreed.
When Deng Dang left again at night, Guan Yu couldn't help but open the yellow silk paper written by Zhao Wen and read it again. He still felt ridiculous in his heart and couldn't help but said to himself: "According to Sun Ce's words, he has fought a lifetime of war." , this is the first time I have encountered such a fool as Yuan Gongli, is it true or not?"
The implication was that he still couldn't believe it. After all, the general is where the heart of the army lies. If one general is incompetent, the three armies will be exhausted. Yuan Shu comes from a famous family, but there is such a big gap between him and Liu Bei. The victory or defeat has already been decided at the beginning of the war.
