On the third day of June, Liu Bei gathered troops from nine counties including Shangdang, Taiyuan, Xihe, Hedong, Yanmen, Dingxiang, Shangjun, Hedong, and Hongnong in Jinyang, plus Xianbei and Xiongnu righteous followers, a total of 90,000 troops. Depart from Pingcheng.
Although the purpose of this trip was to relieve Gongsun Zan, Liu Bei was not in a hurry to go eastward. This time, Liu Bei's battle line was too long. Along the way, he not only had to face Yuan Shao, but also had to consider Kebineng to the north and Tadun to the east. If he was not careful, his retreat would be cut off and he would be attacked on three sides. Dilemma around. From an overall perspective, this battle tested Liu Bei far more than Gongsun Zan.
Fortunately, Duan Yan responded to the situation and had temporarily captured Gaoliu, Macheng, Ningxian, Guangning and other important places in Yanshan before the war, and also captured Juyongguan, the northern gate of Youzhou. Therefore, Liu Bei stationed in Macheng for a while, repairing fortifications to defend Xianbei, and writing to Yuan Shao to persuade him to return south.
The letter was written by Sun Qian, and the text is as follows:
"The husband and the shepherd are the most important ministers of the country. The late emperor saw that the nine states were in chaos, fighting for years, the land was ruined and the people were anxious, so he only did special things. He set up a shepherd in the three states and ordered wise men to guard them, hoping to guard one side and rest from the suffering. Han Fu, the former shepherd of Jizhou, was deeply virtuous, noble, loyal to the public, and not concerned with private matters, so he received an important task and promoted Jizhou in Hebei. In the name of a high-ranking family, he did despicable things, armed himself with self-respect, and invaded privately. If you are forced, you will gain the scepter, your loyal ministers will be killed by the cutting knife, and the chaos will start in Hebei. How can you not live up to the wishes of the late emperor and the heroism of the great master?"
"Although the imperial court knows that Han Gong has been wronged, the time is cold and chaotic, and Guanxi is in decline. With the legacy of the king's four generations and the virtuous hope of the past ten years, for the time being, he is encouraged to entrust you with the post of state pastor and the responsibilities of his confidants. There is more than enough. Later, Zhao Situ patrolled the east to resolve the conflict between the two states and quell the chaos in Hebei. What was the goal? It was just to restore people's livelihood, use the power of thinking and thinking, and guard against changes in security."
"Now that you have raised an army to go north to make enemies of the country and attack the ministers of Sheji, it is no different from what Lu Wan and Lu Fang did. When the emperor heard about it, he was deeply disappointed, so he ordered me to lead the elite soldiers of the old war in the north, a hundred thousand soldiers. The sharp troops marched eastward to conquer the two Hus. It should be noted that Liangzhou was in chaos and was defeated in a battle. Yuan Shu was rampant and fled to Nanshan. He took control of Linzi and was in danger. These three were all dominant for a while. The land of several states is now alive. , it can be seen that the king's master is so dignified that he cannot be defeated by his fate."
"However, life does not last long, and people are not gold and stone. Soldiers are not good deeds and cannot be started rashly. Life and death are sudden and cannot be recovered. I also think about the people's livelihood in Hebei and the peace in the middle land. Once the slaughter is over, only the bones are left. Therefore, I have the thought of peace in advance. , If you break the siege and return south, you will return to control Ye. It is not necessary to take the responsibility lightly. I will leave the responsibility of Fang Bo to help Xinghua."
After the letter was brought by the envoy, Liu Bei stepped up arrangements for the defense of the northern front. He first led 3,000 men by Wang Ling to garrison Gaoliu, rebuilt the mansion of General Huwuhuan Zhonglang, and recruited Daijun and Shanggu Wuhuan. He also ordered Wei Huan to lead 5,000 men to garrison Macheng, Liu Mi to lead 3,000 men to garrison Tunning County, and Gao Zhun to garrison Guangning, with 3,000 men. Zhang Fei led 6,000 soldiers and horses to sit in Juyang and command the generals to protect the grain and grass supplies. Eastern Transport. The Xianbei people's cavalry went to explore the mountains and forests every day, and they often saw heavy carriages and horses passing through the mountain roads. The carriages and horses were filled with wheat flour and corn, which made them envious and agitated. However, the Han soldiers guarding the road walked like mountains. The crisp sound of the arrow clusters on the packhorse and the occasional cold light also made them feel chilly.
Xianbei's senior officials were extremely excited when they learned that the Han army was transporting supplies in Shannan. They discussed that they heard that Liu Bei was undoubtedly the richest among the Han tribes. If they could rob one or two of his grain teams, they would not have to worry about spending the winter this year. So they all planned to cross the mountains to rob the grain, but Shan Yu Kebineng said: "The Han'er is in the early stage of the battle, his morale is at its highest, and he has grasped the key points of the mountains, so it is not a good opportunity to attack. It is better to wait until the army has passed Juyong before making plans." Now. Ke Bineng's prestige was already high, and nine out of ten of his followers, only three or four small groups would attack on their own. All of them would be defeated within a day or two, and Ke Bineng's prestige would be even greater.
However, for more than ten days in a row, the cavalrymen only saw constant supplies of food and fodder, and no intention of the Han army to escape the mediocrity. Kebineng guessed that Liu Bei might have prepared for the worst. If he could not defend himself along the way, he would also ensure that there were enough supplies to sustain the war. Therefore, he kept hoarding food and grass in Juyong and would never act rashly until it was sufficient. This was indeed a good idea. Ke Bi Neng had no better way at the moment and could only continue to sit on Danhan Mountain and wait for a better fighter opportunity.
Ke Bi Neng guessed well, Liu Bei indeed had such a plan. He listened to Xu Shu's advice and prepared to hoard 600,000 dendrobium wheat noodles in Juyang, which would be enough for the entire army for two months. They waited for twenty days, and it was not until June 24 that the Han army was fully prepared. However, Liu Bei was not idle either. On June 14, the envoy who went to meet Yuan Shao came back. Not only did he meet Yuan Shao in person, he also brought back a piece of white silk with the words "Jinyang General Liu will accept" written on his head.
Liu Bei unfolded the white silk, and the dense regular script on it came into view. At that time, Xun You, Xu Shu, Fazheng and others were all present. They saw Liu Bei reading in front of the lamp. They were amazed while reading, so they waved to Xun You and asked, "Who wrote this article? How come the literary talent is so wonderful! Even Ting Jian seems to have it." Not as good as that.”
Xun You stepped forward and took the white silk. He sat down and read each word carefully. He only read back the book and refuted Sun Qian's words one by one. It was so reasonable that he felt breathless after reading it. After reading to the end, I only said one word: "Hey!"
The full text of Yuan Shao's reply is as follows: "I heard that the shepherd uncle is the shepherd uncle of the country, and the minister is the minister of the country. Since ancient times, as a minister, one must respect Ming and virtue. I also heard that the sages have no self, but only serve those who are called upon. I am in charge. Doing it with righteousness is the beauty of a man and the wisdom of the sage. It is the wise man's concern to deal with changes in the situation and turn evil neighbors away. To be patient and selfish, to look at the surrounding desolation, is to be blinded by stupidity. This is how a refined gentleman cultivates himself and manages his family. , the love is connected to all directions; the villain cherishes the loss when disaster comes, waiting for death. Aren't the two of them different in magnitude?"
"Han Fu is a mediocre person. Although he has a bad reputation, his essential skills are not enough to polish his axe, and his integrity is not enough to polish his pen and knife. He is like a dog and does not know his own kind. But Lu Liang is unruly and cares about the treacherous sycophants. He claims that glory is enough to abandon the king. Well, wealth is enough to forget filial piety. So he was used by Dong Zhuo and served in Hebei. At that time, his servant was angry with Dong Zhuo and was sent to the Bohai Sea. He especially cherished the ambition of serving the country for three lifetimes. He united with the tigers and flowers in the north and south, trusted the old generals of Fu Bo, and kept going back and forth. Traffic was often cut off by Han Fu. Later, he was hijacked by Yu. He went against the will of the jujubes, looked at the king's master, and exhausted the millet seeds. As a result, the efforts of several months turned into years. The army of the seven kingdoms finally collapsed. People with insight Hatred."
"Afterwards, the country was governed cruelly and cruelly. Forty-one prefectures and counties rebelled against the Communist Party. The wise men were disappointed and the brave generals had no future. Therefore, there were more than 200 officials and assistants in the prefecture, and the virtuous and famous scholars in each county were useless. They all recommended the rest to democracy and restored Tai'an in ten counties. . Gu Zi's house is dark, and the war is in the house. Although Yu has little virtue and little knowledge, he still does all the bad things in the Yuan Dynasty. Li Shu is innocent, so he reluctantly follows the group's discussion and goes south to Wei Ye. He is not guilty, so he can't escape in Yan, and he is in panic. All day long, I will tell you and commit suicide. If the husband kills his hand and comforts his enemy, then I will do what I want. The general will take care of his crime, so I can hope for it."
"My husband, the Holy Dynasty, was lenient and benevolent, he accepted the letter and the text, and made great use of high-ranking sages to show the world. The most promising person is none other than Liu Yu. When Yu was in charge of Youzhou, the people were safe, the four people rebelled, and the three barbarians surrendered. Yan Ran came to the north. At that time, the people were in peace, the Rong Xia had been cleared, and the Six Divisions were all in peace. However, Jihou suddenly raised tens of thousands of people, including Zhao Fu and Cheng Huan's disciples, wielding giant deer and marching forward for thousands of years. . At that time, the soldiers of Yan and Zhao were powerful in Wei and Zhao. There was the voice of Xiang Ji in Pengcheng and the hope of Li Mu in Yanmen. The prefectures and counties were frightened and the soldiers were involved. However, the thunder swept across from the Yuan clan to the north, and all the people in the state were restored, and they were connected thousands of miles away. With one mind, the ups and downs will be overcome and fear will be overcome, and then it will be over."
"Recently, Liu Yu resigned from office, and Youyan and bees were in chaos, killing hedgehogs. Liu Yu was a clan member, but Jihou forced him to do so. Wuhuan was a vassal, but Jihou oppressed him and extorted money from the people. Year after year Raising an army and losing hundreds of battles, you are willing to move your troops. A thief who is righteous but cruel to benevolent, Moss is so serious! This is the sin of the gods, and the common people share the same crime. People who deserve revenge are called vicious thieves."
"The title of general serves the country's favor and eliminates harm for the people. Xiliang Dajun has become a barbarian. However, the evil in the world is not only the Dong family. The people of Youyan are also in trouble. As for the expectations of the superiors and subordinates, they are nothing more than following the way to help trust and trust others. Only righteousness. If the general goes away from the special diseases of the people and returns to the place where everyone expects him to return, then how can I look north? Is it difficult to cultivate Mingde, learn from the past and follow the changes, receive many blessings, and protect our descendants? Is it difficult for the Prime Minister of the country? Ji, the phoenix sings harmoniously, fulfilling the wishes of the world. Once the general is able to do it, he will go to Jinyang in the remaining night, and what he said will be revealed by the sun!"
When Xun You finished reading, he couldn't help but sigh: "Such an article was written by Chen Lin at first glance. When He Jin was the general, most of his articles were written by him."
Liu Bei also sighed after hearing this: "What a good minister in Hebei. If I had known him earlier, I would have given him ten times the courtesy and used it for my use!" However, Liu Bei immediately realized that he had made a mistake, so he asked again: "Gongda, right?" What do you think of his last words?"
Xun You raised the white silk in his hand, shook his head and said: "Yuan Benchu finally said that he would ask Ming Gong to depose Gongsun Zan and restore Liu Yu, so he retreated to Jizhou. It was nothing more than a joke. In the current situation, Xianbei and Wuhuan are all working with him. Yuan, Liu Yu also has an old relationship with him, once Ming Gong gives the order, he will just give You Yan to him."
YY
Liu Bei was convinced, but he didn't have much fighting spirit. He just lay down on the mat and asked, "What do you think our chances of winning this expedition are?"
Xu Shu said on the side: "This happened unexpectedly. We have lost the battle against the temple. We have traveled thousands of miles and have no advantage. In addition, Jihou is unpopular. Even if our army is good at fighting and wants to win a big victory, it is absolutely impossible." Fa Zheng and Xun You They all agree with this view.
Liu Bei took the silk book into his hand again, read it for a while, and said, "If I had listened to Ting Jian back then, I'm afraid there wouldn't have been so many things."
After he pondered for a while, he still summoned Sun Qian and wrote more than 20 letters within a few days, which were sent to Xianbei, Wuhuan, Yuan Shao and the famous officials in various counties and counties in Youzhou. The letter stated that Bafu's trip was only for two things. First, he was ordered to stop the troops and curb the civil war. If all parties still insist on going their own way, Bafu will attack them with a large army. The second is to strictly investigate the illegal and unfair things in Youzhou Prefecture and County. All parties can send letters to him to report them. Once verified, the Bafu will definitely punish them severely.
On June 25, 80,000 Han troops entered Juyong, joined Duan Xuan, and headed south to station in Jixian County.
