Shouchun.
Yuan Shu suffered successive defeats. Ji Ling, Zhang Xun and others were unable to stop Cao Cao's army from advancing, so they had to withdraw their garrison in Shouchun.
And now, he has also considered moving to Huainan and building a new city, Hefei, as his capital.
From Shouchun to Hefei, there are lakes, rivers and plains. It is worth going from two directions to hold on to the basics. By next year, everything will be better.
However, it is only mid-April now, and the war has only started for more than three months. How can we last until winter?
Yuan Shu was flustered.
It was no longer able to fight a decisive battle. In just a few months, more than 60,000 people had been killed or injured, many of whom fled directly after being defeated in small-scale battles.
The morale of the army was so shaken. He never dreamed that last year, he claimed that an army of 500,000 people was stationed in the south of the Yangtze River, and that he could use this to conquer the world.
At the beginning of this year, spring sacrifices were held to the sky, but immediately after the sacrifice, they all collapsed. This gap was like being hit with a sap, and Yuan Shu has not recovered yet.
"Have the flying knights who asked for help been released?" Yuan Shu drove away many civil and military officials, leaving Yang Hong alone to ask.
Yang Hong knew what he was thinking, and said with cupped hands: "Your Majesty, the road to the north has been blocked by Cao Cao. In the south, only Jingzhou can ask for help, but Liu Biao of Jingzhou is a clan member of the Han Dynasty."
"We went to lobby Sun Ce's party, but they were all driven back. Youquyang was also captured by Liu Bei... The river was cut off by Sun Ce. Even if Shouchun has been built for many years and has many soldiers and horses, it cannot be said that it can last for a year. Long."
"I think... I'm afraid it's difficult to stabilize the situation now. There's no need to think about asking for reinforcements. We don't have reinforcements."
After Tao Qian was destroyed by Cao Cao, the strategy of making friends from far away and attacking at close range was no longer possible. On the contrary, Cao Cao could fight Yangzhou while constantly sending troops from Nanyang to attack the southwest of our territory.
Because the troops and horses Cao Cao placed in Nanyang were very clever.
He could use the emperor's edict to hijack Liu Biao and the nobles in Jingzhou, thus safely deploying a large number of troops and only use a few thousand to garrison key areas.
Because as long as Liu Biao makes a move, his reputation will be shaken, and the emperor's edict will unceremoniously throw him into a state of complete defeat.
It can be seen that the real situation did not develop according to Yuan Shu's ideas at all.
He originally thought that the Han Dynasty had lost all its strength. As long as someone raised the banner and stood on his own without obeying the imperial edict, more princes would naturally raise the banner.
After everyone becomes self-reliant, they no longer need to be restrained by the Han Dynasty.
His idea is actually right.
Just out of character.
If no one in Hongnong went to welcome the emperor at the beginning, then everyone would definitely be king or even emperor now and would no longer care about Liu Xie's life or death.
But Cao Cao went there.
A great prince with more than 200,000 troops and nearly ten million people under his rule welcomed the emperor to Xudu. Under the two considerations, no one dared to directly express his disobedience.
Perhaps, in a few decades, when people's hearts are already tired of the Han Dynasty, the situation Yuan Shu imagined will appear naturally.
For example, after one person proclaims himself emperor, the princes on the other side will also prepare to proclaim themselves emperor and rule the people, carve up the world, and then fight to unify it.
"Your Majesty..." Yang Hong looked distressed and moved with bitterness, and softly called out with a hint of despair.
At this moment, he deeply felt that the reason why Yuan Shu's timing was wrong was because Cao Cao forced the Han Dynasty to live another life.
It is said that times make heroes. He supported the big man with one hand and created times with his heroic body.
He is truly a hero in this world.
"The general trend is irreversible, so we can only stick to it, but your Majesty must not panic and must stick to his heart."
Yuan Shu fell into silence after hearing this.
He now knows that Yan Xiang is right and Yang Hong and the others may be wrong.
However, he couldn't say this. He couldn't admit his mistake and could only secretly correct it.
"Defend," Yuan Shu murmured softly, "How can we defend it? I heard that after Gongsun Zan was defeated and retreated, he took the luggage and money in the territory and built a Yijing as a military city to resist Yuan Shao."
"This Shouchun is now my Yi Jing!!" Yuan Shu beat his thighs hard several times, filled with resentment.
"Slowly collect all the money and luggage, gather them in Shouchun City, and guard the north and east sides of the city. At the same time, drive the people to the south gate, ready to evacuate at any time."
Yuan Shu clenched his fists and looked straight ahead with bloodshot eyes: "Cao Mengde keeps fighting right and wrong, just because he has the emperor's justice in his hands!"
"Then let him suffer so many casualties in Shouchun that he will be unable to fight again! Wear down his elite!"
"As long as the losses are too great, he will not dare to attack Hefei again."
"Your Majesty is wise." Yang Hong saluted and praised him greatly. After all, this method was no longer a last resort.
Attrition is the key to this battle. Whose troops are depleted to the point of being unable to support will determine success or failure.
Although doing this would leave all the city gates outside Shouchun to Cao Cao, it would also gather strength and stabilize the morale of the army a little.
…
In May, Yuan Shu's troops and horses all retreated to the city under the orders of generals at all levels.
At the same time, all the nearby people were moved away and packed into the city.
The men were captured as conscripts and used as reserve men for the army, while the women, old and young, were piled up in the streets and alleys of the city.
In less than ten days, people were starving and dying all over the place, whining and wailing.
However, in exchange, the lives of more than 40,000 strong men were at the forefront of the city.
Yuan Shu used the lives of these soldiers to consume Cao Cao's four extremely large-scale sieges, and his elite were thus preserved.
Cao Cao suffered more and more losses, causing bones to pile up like mountains outside Shouchun City, walls to collapse, houses to collapse, and rivers to stop flowing.
The battle was brutal, but the defenders on Shouchun City became increasingly powerful, forcing Cao Cao to take a break.
On this day, Cao Cao and Guo Jiadeng looked out from a high building. They could vaguely see the vast and tall city walls. They were intensifying their efforts to stockpile boulders, gold water and other defense supplies. There were also craftsmen building arrow towers and repairing the city walls.
The gaps in the several attacks were slowly narrowing. When Cao Cao saw this scene, he couldn't help but sigh: "Yuan Shu is a ruthless man."
"His heart is so vicious that he uses the people as a shield and disregards human life to resist our army's attack."
Guo Jia also later learned that the soldiers Yuan Shu used to defend the city at the beginning were all newly recruited civilians.
A faint smile appeared on his face and he said: "The more this happens, the more Yuan Shu is afraid. He has to be so careful even in his defense, using the lives of the people as a barrier to preserve his elite."
Cao Cao did not respond to Guo Jia's words. He clenched his fist slightly and said, "In the past, Bo Chang urged me to govern with benevolence and righteousness, and to follow the path of benevolence, righteousness and hegemony at the same time. Over the years, I have tried to understand public opinion and sympathize with the people."
"Looking at Yuan Shu's actions now, I feel so unbearable. I'm afraid there are still hundreds of thousands of people in the city. They are piled up in the streets and alleys and fed with chaff day and night. It is difficult to besiege the city for several months."
"Then, my lord, do you mean not to attack?" Guo Jia's heart trembled, because the general was afraid of such kindness, because the arrow was already on the string and had to be fired.
If you retreat because you can't bear it, you may have lost all your efforts in a few months.
"Attack." Cao Cao glanced at him matter-of-factly, "I sighed in my heart, I can't bear to see such a tragic situation, but it doesn't conflict with me continuing to attack the city, it's just..."
Guo Jia twitched the corner of his mouth, curled his lips and raised his hands and asked respectfully: "Just what?"
"We need to change our military strategy," Cao Cao put his hands behind his back, his eyes flashing, and he suddenly came up with some more novel ideas.
Guo Jia couldn't guess, so he could only ask for advice: "Please, my lord makes it clear that I can't guess what my lord is thinking."
"Haha," Cao Cao patted him on the shoulder, "Yuan Shu wants to defend this city and waste our troops, so I won't attack and wait for Bo Chang."
"Wait for him..." Guo Jia's eyes lit up and he immediately understood what he was saying, "Huainan."
"Taking over Huainan, Youquyang, and Lujiang is equivalent to clearing out all of Yuan Shu's cities except Shouchun."
"Okay, wait for Bo Chang."
At this point, the situation has inexplicably reached the stage of "trusting Bo Chang".
Because whether it was Cao Cao, Bao Xin, or the three Taoyuan brothers who killed everyone in Youquyang, they couldn't get through it.
The one with the best position in the entire army is probably Zhang Han in Lujiang.
There is a waterway leading to Huainan from the Lujiang River. As long as there are enough warships, a steady stream of troops and horses can be transported to seize the ferry.
After taking the ferry, the horses can slowly transport it there, or the cavalry can go around the mountains and find a way forward.
Since Yuan Shu can't hold on, both sides will suffer losses. Anyway, our army has enough troops, food and equipment, and several sets of clothing.
This is a family fortune accumulated over many years. At most, after winning this battle, it will only take a few more years to save it.
Guo Jia stood up straight for a moment, swept away the previous gloom, and said with a smile: "Yuan Shu went against the grain and followed the example of Yi Jing and trapped himself in a cocoon. Shouchun is his burial place."
"I dare to say that within three months, the soldiers and civilians in Shouchun City will be in despair, their morale will be low, their leaders and ministers will be separated, and Yuan Shu will probably fall into a state of depravity."
"Humph, I think so too." Cao Cao was confident and stared at the tall city that could not be seen to the end.
…
Lujiang, Shucheng.
In Zhang Han's mansion, Liu Xun was invited from the government office and entered the mansion.
Recently, Zhang Han has indeed distributed armaments, and Shu Cheng's army has also taken on a new look.
The selected elites were equipped with fine iron armor, and the rest of the broken armors were also remolded, and most of them became scrap metal.
Zhang Han paid severance pay and sent thousands of people back to their hometowns, and each person could receive a letter of recommendation to start a career in Xudu and Yanzhou.
This is a preferential treatment for those who do not want to go to the battlefield again.
Half of the demobilized veterans were willing to take the letter of recommendation and go to Xudu to join Zhang Han's industry.
Half of them received severance money and returned to their hometowns to take care of themselves and settle down by farming.
all is well.
The only drawback is that Liu Xun seems to have nothing to do here.
The carefully selected elites were all led by Cao Ang, and the rest of the troops were led by Cao Xiu and Zhang Han to defend the city. Liu Xun was the prefect of Lujiang and only had a few hundred soldiers left in his hands.
After this, he was directly ignored by Zhang Han. The soldiers who had been trained by Dian and Gao were afraid of Dian Wei and respected Gao Shun.
He didn't dare to violate Zhang Han, and he secretly admired him, so his attitude towards Liu Xun was "Don't come to me again, I'm afraid the king will misunderstand me." This made Liu Xun depressed for several days.
I originally thought that Zhang Han had unknowingly relieved me of military power, and basically I would not look good in the future.
Just now, Gao Shun went to the government office and invited him to the mansion in a friendly manner. He also prepared a carriage.
After Liu Xun got on the carriage, as soon as he sat down, he felt that the soft couch under the seat was a little bit against his buttocks. He reached down and touched six finely carved round cakes.
Each one is about the size of a palm, quite heavy to hold in the hand, and is made of pure gold.
After he put the six gold cakes on the counter, his impression of Zhang Han suddenly changed. He didn't look like a hot-blooded young man or a white-blooded hero at all.
He was completely an old man, and the way he gave money made Liu Xun dumbfounded.
At this moment, Zhang Han came out immediately after entering the mansion and greeted him with a smile.
After a few words of greeting, he said softly: "Uncle Shi, my nephew put some local specialties from our place in the car. Please accept it. In a few days, the specialties shipped from my home will arrive, and I will give you another cart."
"Haha..." Liu Xun was agitated when he heard this. He quickly smiled to cover up his panic, and his hands and feet were a little erratic.
After all, he was moved.
A car?
Are they all such finely crafted gold cakes? This piece of money was enough to buy an ox and a hundred bushels of grain, and he actually wanted to give me a cart! ?
Liu Xun's beard trembled. He smiled for a while and then put away his expression. He asked seriously: "Bo Chang, what does this mean? But, is there something you want me to do?"
He puffed up his cheeks and said sternly: "If it goes against your conscience or harms your loyalty, please don't speak."
"Hey! What are you thinking about?" Zhang Han suddenly became unhappy. "I am a well-educated and sensible person. I had no choice but to remove Uncle Shi from his military power before!"
"The soldiers and horses Zixiu and I brought are more expensive than more expensive. They are all used for long-distance field battles. We are not good at defending cities. Your lieutenants are many times more than mine, so it is inevitable that you will have different intentions."
"Only by collecting the weapons, horses and armor, and then training them, can we sharpen their minds and make them harmonious with our Cao army. Only in this way can we be united."
Liu Xun was confused.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but what does this have to do with you giving me money?
Zhang Han continued: "This matter of collecting and surrendering troops, training, selecting, and finally forming an army is the same for all capable people in the world. Even though I got Shucheng, I didn't act arrogantly at all. I celebrated my victory wantonly and tried my best to be arrogant. Instead, he silently endured the bad reputation and truly won people's hearts for Zixiu."
"However, the one I'm most sorry for is Shi Shuqian." Zhang Han's shoulders slumped, and all his tough emotions came out with a sigh, "You were originally a general of the army, but in the end you will inevitably have to be a Governor, I just want to make it up to you... you... actually misunderstood me like this!"
Liu Xun's heart tightened and he felt like he was being pinched hard. He said hurriedly: "He who doesn't know is not guilty! Junhou, no! Bochang, I am a villain just now. I shouldn't misunderstand you like this."
"But this is too expensive for you."
"It's just money, why should I be like this, uncle?! I am born to be useful, and I will come back after all the money is gone! How can this money be compared with friendship?"
"Well said!" Liu Xun chewed on these words, and the heroic spirit in them actually made him feel elated.
What a poem!
I don’t know who did it! ?
This Han is actually a wealthy man who regards money as dirt! Interesting, really interesting.
"Actually, in addition to winning people's hearts for Zixiu and consolidating Shu City, I also did this because of fear... Oh, I almost died..." When Zhang Han walked to the front yard and entered the main hall, his eyes were filled with fear. , which couldn't help but arouse Liu Xun's interest.
You Zhang Bochang is so brave, but you also have such embarrassing moments when you are almost killed? !
"Bo Chang, tell me." Liu Xun's eyes widened, as if a worm had been tickled in his heart, and he pressed the question.
Zhang Han smiled slightly and recounted the disaster in Wancheng last year...
Half an hour later, Liu Xun, who was slightly drunk and blushing, had anger in his eyes and slapped the case hard.
"There is such a shameless person! That Zhang Xiu actually has the nerve to compete with Bo Chang for credit at this time!?"
"Oh, don't worry. I, Liu Zitai, know the roads on the Lujiang River very well. I have nine ways to stop his troops here."
"Nine types!"
(End of chapter)
