Chapter 295 A desperate move
After thousands of reincarnations, there will be no resentment in the end, but one sword can speak to the nine heavens. ----------Anonymous
It is said that the war in Northern Hebei is on the rise. Warlords from all over the world are paying attention. Famous generals and heavy troops are gathering together, and there is a sudden turmoil. In 198 AD, the regional balance was destined to be broken. The long-term pain was worse than the short-term pain. Breaking the deadlock was also a precursor to reunification.
In early March, Gongsun Zan received the approval and support of Tian Feng and Qu Yi, and led the main force of 150,000 Youzhou soldiers to bypass Cangzhou and directly attack Julu, an important town in Jizhou.
Julu County has a long history. Five thousand years ago, Emperor Yao of the Tang Dynasty enthroned Yu and Shun here. It was one of the thirty-six counties enshrined by Qin Shihuang, and it was a battleground for military strategists of all ages. Nowadays, Julu is the gateway to Handan, a large city in Jizhou. If it falls, it will be like the gateway to Handan and Yecheng. Guarding Julu was Yuan Shao's general Jiang Yiqu, and his lieutenants Zhao Rong and Han Xun, leading 20,000 troops. Because Yan Liang had withdrawn some of Julu's troops to capture Beihai, Jiang Yiqu's men were insufficient. I thought that Julu was safe, but I didn't expect that Cangzhou Quyi stayed behind closed doors and refused to fight. The war suddenly burned Julu, which was located in the center of Jizhou.
Jiang Yiqu, Yiliang general, appeared after the Battle of Guandu in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". He described: "Yuan Shao (after his defeat) wore a scarf and wore a single coat. He led more than 800 horses to the north bank of Liyang. General Jiang Yiqu came out of the village to greet him. Shao Shao. In the past, I complained to Yiqu. Yiqu was the one who summoned the scattered people. When they heard that Shao was there, they all gathered together. The army regained strength and we discussed returning to Jizhou."
Jiang Yiqu was calm in the face of danger. Although he went into battle in a hurry, he was heavily guarded, with 20,000 people taking turns to guard the city. Xingye sent people to Handan to ask for help. The person in charge of Handan was Yuan Shao's second son Yuan Xi. He was shocked when he heard the battle report and asked where the enemy soldiers came from. I heard that Gongsun Zan personally led an army of 150,000 people, bypassed Cangzhou and went deep into Jizhou. Yuan Xi almost fell off his chair. General Yan Liang led the army to fight in Qingzhou. How could he resist Gongsun Zan's army? He hurriedly ordered people to summon military advisors to leave Han Heng and generals Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan to discuss strategies to defend against the enemy. He also quickly sent capable men south to the Yecheng base camp to inform his father Yuan Shao.
Yuan Xi, courtesy name Xianyi, was the second son of Yuan Shao, the younger brother of Yuan Tan, and the older brother of Yuan Shang. In the official history, after Yuan Shao defeated Gongsun Zan, he made Yuan Xi the governor of Youzhou. After the defeat at the hands of Cao Cao in the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao died of depression due to the defeat. After Yuan Shao's death, Yuan Xi did not participate in the power struggle between brothers Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang. When Cao Cao pacified Jizhou, he accepted his third brother Yuan Shang who came to defect to Cao Cao after being defeated. He fled to Wuhuan due to the betrayal of his subordinates. Then he and his brother Yuan Shang fled to the tent of Gongsun Kang, the prefect of Liaodong, but were killed by Gongsun Kang. , and presented their heads to Cao Cao.
Yuan Xi and his generals couldn't decide, and his father's order could not be conveyed for a while. He was afraid that Julu would be lost, so he ordered two generals, Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan, to come with 20,000 horses each to help Julu. Yuan Xi usually cared very much about his subordinates, so the three armies sacrificed their lives and their morale was high. Before Gongsun Zan's army encircled Julu, they entered Julu City on the tenth day.
Julu City received 40,000 new troops, and the situation quickly stabilized. Tian Yu and Gongsun Zan saw that Julu was eager to leave, so they left Yan Gang behind and led 50,000 people to continue attacking Julu City. The remaining 100,000 people turned their heads and headed north, fighting not far from here. of true determination.
Zhending was originally the strategic target of the 50,000 second route troops including Gongsun Fan, Tian Kai, Shan Jing, and Li Shao. Unexpectedly, just as they approached the city, they learned that Liu Yu had led his troops to invade Wucheng, so they quickly retreated from Zhending and returned to Zhending. Assist Zou Dan, the governor of Wucheng. Zhending guard Chun Yuqiong, his deputy Han Meng, and military advisors Xin Ping and Xin Pi were relieved when they saw Gongsun Fan retreating. Unexpectedly, the shouts of killing echoed across the sky and earth again from behind. This time it was Gongsun Zan and Tian Yu in person. The main force of 100,000 people he led was serious.
Zhending was originally the gateway to Youzhou. It was guarded by 50,000 soldiers. It was not weak in strength. The guard was also experienced Chunyu Qiong. It could be said that it was a key defense. Helplessly, because Julu was surrounded, Cangzhou stood aside and became an isolated city. The isolated city was difficult to defend, so Chunyu Qiong arranged to defend it to the death. Fortunately, without Gongsun Fan's 50,000 troops outside the north city, Chunyu Qiong was able to resist Gongsun Zan's encirclement with all his strength.
Gongsun Zan, Gongsun Xu, Tian Yu, and Yan Gang each attacked one side and surrounded Zhending Mansion, and they launched a wild attack day and night. After three months of siege, Chunyu Qiong defended for three months. At this time, Yuan Shao's 50,000 reinforcements, under the leadership of General Wen Chou, had Hu Zhao, Feng Ji, and Hua Yan as military advisors, and Zang Hong, Zhou Ang, Han Xun, and Xia Zhao is the deputy general and has just been injected into the countryside of Julu. Yan Gang did not panic, and ordered to stop attacking Julu City and set up defenses in the north of Julu, mainly to isolate Yuan Shao's troops from rescuing Zhending Mansion.
Wen Chou entered Julu City and joined forces with Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan to discuss advancing troops to rescue Zhending.
Three days later, Wen Chou's army was divided into four groups. Zhou Ang led the troops to attack Yan Gang's defense line, attracting Yan Gang's main force. The remaining three groups and two were ambushing on both sides of Julu City. Wen Chou led the army straight to Guangchuan in the northeast direction, hoping to Take Guangchuan all the way to rescue the southeast of Zhending Mansion.
Wen Chou's plan of dividing the troops into four groups was a strategy devised by the military master to confuse the enemy. At that time, one of Yuan Shao's four great military advisors, Zi Yuantu, was from Nanyang. He was resourceful and had considerable military talent. But he has been criticized for doing whatever it takes to get the power in his hands.
In the official history, when Yuan Shao escaped from Dong Zhuo's sphere of influence, he went to Jizhou with Feng Ji and Xu You. Yuan Shao appreciated Feng Ji's resourcefulness and put him in high regard. When Yuan Shao first arrived in Jizhou, he relied on Han Fu to provide food, but at the end of the year, he began to plot a plan to occupy the magpie's nest.
In the second year of Chuping (AD 191), Feng Ji proposed using Gongsun Zan to attack Han Fu. In fact, he proposed that Han Fu and Yuan Shao jointly defend Jizhou. As a result, Yuan Shao successfully turned away from the enemy and gained power in Jizhou for Yuan Shao, which can be said to be a great contribution.
During the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao ordered Feng Ji to control the military. In the fifth year of Jian'an (200 AD), Yuan Shao was defeated in the Battle of Guandu. He regretted that he had not listened to Tian Feng's plan. Feng Ji immediately made slanderous remarks, saying that Tian Feng knew about Yuan Shao's defeat. After teasing Yuan Shao for not listening to his words, Tian Feng was immediately killed by Yuan Shao.
Shenpei and Fengji had a personal grudge. After the Battle of Guandu, Shenpei's two sons were captured. Some people slandered Shenpei and said that it was unfavorable to Shenpei. Fengji affirmed Shenpei's integrity in person. Yuan Shao praised Fengji for his ability to distinguish between public and private affairs. From then on, they met Ji and Shen Pei become good friends.
In the seventh year of Jian'an, Yuan Shao died of melancholy. In the face of discipline and Shen Pei, they privately changed Yuan Shao's will and appointed Yuan Shang as his successor. Yuan Tan could not succeed to the throne, so he claimed to be a general of chariots and cavalry and stationed in Liyang. Yuan Shang did not give Yuan Tan more troops, so he followed the rules. Yuan Tan asked for troops to be sent to Shen and refused, so he killed Feng Ji in anger.
During Feng Ji's life, he first started with He Jin, then followed Yuan Shao, offered plans to win over Ji, slandered Tian Tian, reconciled with Shen Pei, secretly changed his will, and assisted Yuan Shang until he was killed by Yuan Tan. They were at odds with Xin Ping, Guo Tu, and Yuan Tan. Fearing that Yuan Tan would harm him after he came to the throne, Feng Ji and others secretly changed Yuan Shao's will and appointed Yuan Shang to succeed him, which also planted the seeds for his own untimely death.
Wen Chou took advantage of the situation and led his troops to Guangchuan. Zhou Ang's troops lured the enemy, while Jiao Chu's and Zhang Nan's troops laid an ambush. Unexpectedly, Yan Gang made up his mind to defend Gongsun Zan's army and remained unmoved. He just fought Zhou Ang away without pursuing him. Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan waited for a few days. Knowing that their plan failed, they immediately united their troops and pursued Wen Chou's troops to Guangchuan.
Wen Chou arrived in Guangchuan, which was not far from Cangzhou. Military advisor Hua Yan said: "Before we sent out troops, my lord always wondered why Tian Feng had no news in Cangzhou. Could it be that he surrendered Gongsun Zan?"
Feng Ji shook his head slightly. He knew Tian Feng better and said: "Although Tian Yuanhao is stubborn, he is not a surrenderer. There must be a reason for this. Cangzhou has a small army and few generals, and it is also true that he does not dare to send troops to resist Gongsun Zan's army. But I There is a plan here, and if you can use it well, you will be able to defeat Gongsun Zan."
Wen Chou and Yan Liang were famous as brave generals in Yuan Shao's army. Their martial arts skills were similar to those of famous generals such as Zhang Liao and Xu Huang. They died on the battlefield in the Battle of Guandu. According to the novel, they were killed by Guan Yu. Wen Chou followed Feng Ji's advice and asked, "What's Yuan Tu's plan? Just tell me."
Feng Ji said: "You can send Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan to lead a brigade to test the Qu Yi army in Cangzhou in the name of Zhending asking for help. If Tian Feng sends troops to rescue, he can occupy Cangzhou and attack Yuyang in Youzhou. This way, Wei Wei can rescue Zhao. This is a plan. If Tian Feng does not send troops, it means that he has the intention to rebel on his own. He simply takes advantage of the small number of soldiers in Cangzhou and orders Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan to capture the city of Cangzhou and close Gongsun Zan's return to Yuyang. At the same time, the general takes advantage of the small number of soldiers in Youzhou. , you can continue to advance north, if you can capture Yuyang and Jixian, it will be better than trying to save Zhending Chunyu Qiongduo with all your strength."
Wen Chou immediately became excited. If he could conquer Yuyang in one fell swoop, he would immediately become the number one general in Jizhou. At this time, Zhou Ang's troops happened to arrive and said that Yan Gang would not pursue him. Wen Chou immediately ordered Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan to divide 50,000 troops and attack Cangzhou.
Wen Chou did not save Chunyu Qiong, but Chunyu Qiong had been supporting him for three months, and the oil was exhausted. Finally, the food and grass in the city were exhausted, and there was no news. Chunyu Qiong thought that the reinforcements had been eliminated by Gongsun Zan's plan, and he completely gave up hope. Chunyu Qiong had no choice but to make a desperate move, gathering the remaining 30,000 troops, opening the south gate at night, and rushed out, rushing into Gongsun Zan's numerous military camps, intending to break through the siege.
Gongsun Zan expected that he was not far from Goujijiaoqiang in the city, so he was prepared for it. The two sides started a battle at night. Chunyu Qiong's army was defeated, and countless people surrendered. Chunyu Qiong broke out of the encirclement alone and fled towards Handan. Zhending Mansion immediately fell into the hands of Gongsun Zan. Gongsun Zan's army was angry that the people helped Yuan Shao's army defend the city, and launched a violent massacre of the city, resulting in numerous casualties among the people. Fortunately, Tian Yu ordered not to kill indiscriminately and advised Gongsun Zan not to hurt innocent people, so the disaster for the people was avoided.
Gongsun Zan really decided to organize his troops. Five days later, the army regrouped. This time they went straight to the place where Julu and Yan Gang joined forces. Julu Wen Chou had already killed Julu and rushed to Cangzhou, so Gongsun Zan defeated Julu again. The whole Jizhou was shocked. Yuan Xi of Handan was so frightened that he withdrew directly to Yecheng, leaving only troops to guard Handan. At this moment, the news that Liu Yu's army of 100,000 troops attacked Wucheng in Youzhou finally reached Jizhou and reached Gongsun Zan's ears. The war situation is chaotic, all roads in Jizhou are filled with soldiers with various goals, and the people are plunged into endless war.
If you want to know what happens next, listen to the explanation next time.
