"Failed? How could it be defeated?"
In Guangxian City, Yuan Tan was stunned after receiving the Guandu battle report.
The Northern Kingdom's 400,000-strong army was defeated by Cao Cao's 100,000 troops. He could not accept this fact.
Before that, he had been in a state of anxiety, because after Wen Chou lost contact, morale was low, and Tian Feng died, the military morale was even more turbulent. Even though he had 100,000 troops in his hands, he could only stagnate. .
But he was still lucky, thinking that as long as Yuan Shao defeated Cao Cao on the other side of Guandu, Lu Jun would definitely fall into chaos. When the time comes, he will conquer Xuzhou in one go, and his merits will outweigh his faults in the end.
Now, the father he worshiped and respected since childhood had suffered such a tragic defeat.
Yuan Tan could even clearly feel that the faith deep in his heart was crumbling inch by inch.
Suddenly, I felt that the so-called battlefield achievements, prestige in the military, and even the crown prince position that I had always dreamed of had become insignificant.
He put down the bamboo slips with trembling hands, and then carelessly touched his eye sockets, dry.
It's not sad, or in other words, the strange emotion occupying my heart at this moment is not completely sad.
What is that, what is that.
He desperately wanted to know what this inner feeling of powerlessness felt like.
"Report!"
A sergeant ran in. It was just an ordinary report, but Yuan Tan suddenly stood up from the commander's chair in surprise. His right hand reflexively held the hilt of the sword, and the sword was unsheathed for three minutes.
This action startled the sergeant.
"Tell me, what's the matter?" Yuan Tan looked at each other angrily, but the hand holding the sword did not loosen, on the contrary, he clenched it tighter.
"Sir, Lu"
"Is Lu Bu here?"
"No, Lu Bu's messenger sent this letter."
The sergeant shook his head repeatedly, not daring to look directly at Yuan Tan, and said in a low voice: "He also returned more than 10,000 old troops of our army."
Hearing this, Yuan Tan's tense nerves relaxed. After exhaling, he put the sword back into its scabbard. After sitting down, he waved his hand and said, "Stand back."
After the sergeant retreated, Yuan Tan did not immediately read the contents of the letter. Instead, he raised his hand and touched his back, and was surprised to find that it had become wet at some point.
I. Am I scared?
Is this scary?
He seemed to finally understand what the strange emotion was before. Yes, it was fear, fear from the bottom of his heart.
The army was defeated, and he felt uncomfortable; Wen Chou lost contact, and he was uneasy; Tian Feng died, and he was heartbroken.
But from beginning to end, I was never afraid.
Why, because he knew that there was an indestructible backer behind him, his father, Yuan Benchu, the overlord of the four northern states.
As long as he is here, no matter what if he fails completely, no one can shake the general trend of the world.
However, the contents of the battle report in front of him clearly told him that Yuan Shao was defeated, completely defeated, without a trace of suspense.
In just one battle, all 300,000 troops were captured in Guandu.
Moreover, Yuan Shaoju was vomiting blood every day and was seriously ill in bed.
The indestructible backing of his father that he was so proud of collapsed at this moment.
From now on, no one can protect him.
This incident dealt a heavier blow to him than the defeat.
Yuan Tan leaned back on the handsome chair as if he had been emptied out, his eyes looking at the dome were extremely empty, and he didn't know what he was thinking.
Even brothers Xin Ping and Xin Pi did not notice that they had entered the council hall.
"Sir, I heard that Lu Bu sent someone to deliver a letter of peace. What did the letter say?"
Yuan Tan nodded slowly, but didn't say anything.
Of course, the Xin brothers also knew the news about the fiasco in Guandu, and they were anxious about it. They were afraid that Lu Bu would take the opportunity to come and entangle them, so they were so excited when they heard that he had sent the invitation and the book that they ran over.
Seeing Yuan Tan's appearance, he no longer planned to read the book immediately, and comforted him: "Master, things have happened. Now the northern country is in turmoil. As the eldest son of the lord, the master should cheer up and set an example for all the disciples." , This is the way of the Son of Man.”
"I want to go back to Yecheng. My father is seriously ill now, and I don't know what his condition is." Yuan Tan's voice was light, or in other words, helpless.
"Master!"
Seeing Yuan Tan like this, Xin Pi couldn't help but stepped forward and said seriously: "My lord has not trusted you to return to Yecheng. Once you leave, who will be in charge of the overall situation of Qingzhou? How should we deal with Lu Bu if he becomes thief?"
The more times like this come, the more you need to keep your mind calm. As long as you guard Qingzhou, it is the greatest filial piety that the young master can show to his lord. The lord will definitely understand! "
"Yes, Young Master, think about it, if an enemy attacks you if you leave Qingzhou at this moment, wouldn't this give the Third Young Master a chance to talk?" Xin Ping also agreed.
Although Yuan Tan was upset, what the Xin brothers said made sense after all. Even if he felt uncomfortable, he could only give up the idea.
Then he raised his forehead towards the bamboo slips on the table and said, "I didn't even look at it when it was just delivered. You can take a look."
Helplessly, the Xin brothers could only go forward and read it by themselves.
It was confirmed that it was a letter of invitation from Lu Bu, and his attitude was more humble than the two of them imagined. To sum up, Yuan Tan, you are the Qilin'er of the Yuan family. I, Lu Bu, will never dare to be your enemy. It is really because I am afraid of your Northern Army. Yi Jing was forced to fight back.
Although I won a game by luck, you, Yuan Tan, can deal with me at any time as long as you are willing. I am very panicked, so now I want to ask you for peace. From now on, I will listen to you. To show my sincerity, all the more than 10,000 prisoners of war will be returned. for you.
If you agree to my request for peace and reply with a letter, I will immediately take my people back to Xuzhou. I will never dare to have any thoughts about the Northern Kingdom from now on. And as long as you, Yuan Tan, speak, I, Lu Bu, will be willing to obey your orders.
This doesn't look like a victory, it's clearly a desperate person begging for mercy.
However, the Xin brothers didn't think there could be any conspiracy here. It was true that Lu Bu won, but they were at the end of their game. Counterattack with his few troops and horses was just a pipe dream.
And a long-term confrontation on the front line will consume huge amounts of logistics, so it is reasonable for him to want to withdraw his troops.
"My lord, this is good news. Sending this letter of invitation to Yecheng will be enough to reassure the lord about the situation in Qingzhou!" Xin Ping was very excited. This letter of invitation was actually enough to claim credit for Yuan Tan. .
Of course, the current situation is not suitable for this, but the more critical this moment is, the more important it is to show off and let everyone know that Yuan Tan is the young master who can stay calm in the face of danger.
Yuan Tan raised his eyes to look at the invitation letter that Xin Ping had come over to unfold, and there was finally a hint of excitement in his eyes.
Lu Bu's attitude made him find a sense of security, especially the last sentence. He was willing to obey his orders from now on, as if he was surrendering.
Of course he understood that these were polite words, but at least they gave the frightened Yuan Tan some confidence.
Naturally, his messy heart began to feel a little settled. He nodded and said: "Lü Bu also took the initiative to return the prisoners of our army. His attitude is indeed sincere. It seems that he has reached the end of his rope now."
"What the young master said is true. In fact, Cao Lu has an old grudge. This alliance is just a plan to survive. Once we no longer set foot in the Central Plains, they will naturally have dissatisfaction. Lu Bu's attitude is actually true. For future considerations, you should seize this good opportunity." Xin Pi gave encouragement at the right time.
"Sir, you are right. I should cheer up. My father is seriously ill now, and I must set an example."
He took a deep breath and began to regain his confidence. "Two gentlemen, please follow me to the military camp. These prisoners have just returned from Camp Lu and their hearts are in a state of confusion. I should go among them to comfort them."
Hearing this, the Xin brothers looked at each other with expressions of relief, and nodded in agreement, "I am willing to go with you, Master!"
My father is old now. He can no longer protect me. From now on, I have to rely on myself.
Yuan Tan told himself over and over again in his heart to encourage himself.
The Northern Kingdom is now in danger of being overthrown. If you want to inherit the throne, you should behave like your eldest son!
After receiving Yuan Tan's letter agreeing to make peace, Lu Bu sneered coldly, "Does this kid think I'm really afraid of him?"
"I didn't mean it that way. My father-in-law is overthinking it." Lin Mo smiled. He really didn't mean it that way. He just said a few nice words. For example, Marquis Wen is a pillar of the Han Dynasty and should not associate with the national thief Cao Cao. , I also know that Marquis Wen has been deceived by villains, let’s expose it this time, I will not attack you in the future.
"According to my wishes, he will never retreat until he gives me a hundred and eighty thousand shi of food and grass!"
Lu Bu was still thinking about the issue of food and grass, but then he thought that this was originally arranged by his son-in-law, so there was no need to be angry, "You said you wanted to use this to open the chapter of taking over the Northern Kingdom, but I haven't seen you take any action."
Lin Mo stretched out and said bluntly: "Yes, yes, I haven't gone back yet. I want our Langya governor to go to the north again."
"Ze Rong?"
Lu Bu rolled his eyes and realized something extraordinary, "You have already sent him to the Northern Kingdom once before. What you said at that time was to send a gift to the Yuan family. This person has not been used yet. Could it be because of the war situation? Too smooth, this person will serve as backup?"
Lin Mo shook his head and said with a smile: "It's just that the time has not come yet. When we enter the Northern Kingdom this time, in addition to contacting this person, we also need to find two more helpers."
"That costs a lot of money, right?"
Lu Bu knew that what this guy Zhe Rong could do was only useful for such shameful things as bribery and gifting. And often such plans were accompanied by the use of large amounts of money. He felt distressed in advance. "But let me remind you, not everyone in the North loves money, at least not everyone can be bought with money. Don't make yourself self-defeating."
"My father-in-law is not worried that I will make things worse. Is he worried that I don't have enough money to spend?"
Faced with Lin Mo's teasing, Lu Bu was not embarrassed. Instead, he curled his lips and shook his head, "Our army didn't gain much after this battle, but the consumption consumed 70% of the government's silver. After returning, we will purchase war horses and ordnance." Maintenance and soldiers' pensions are all a waste of money.
And now the autumn harvest is still far away. Now I am counting on your Liulichang to bring enough income, otherwise I will have to let Xingba go back to the Yangtze River to work as a Jinfan thief to support the family. "
Lin Mo laughed when he heard this. His father-in-law was quite funny.
I have no choice but to be poor. This is understandable. After all, Lu Bu's men don't have as many aristocratic families following them like Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.
After the Yellow Turbans, many aristocratic families in Xuzhou fled, and then Zuo Rong lost many people, so the strength of the Xuzhou aristocratic family was so weak.
"Master-in-law, these two people must be found. Spending a little money can save us a lot of trouble in the future."
Lin Mo rubbed his hands and sighed: "Everything you can buy is cheap, I'm afraid you won't be able to buy it even with money."
"You always have your reasons, of course I believe you, but I just need to remind you that we are very poor now, so don't spend too much." Recalling the 20,000 gold that Zhang Yang took away, he still had some meat. It hurts. If this was given directly to Zhang Yang, he would not say a word. In the end, it was just to find someone, which means the price is a bit high.
The battle that lasted for more than half a year was finally over, and the army began to return south.
In order to show sincerity, no troops were even stationed on the front line of Linqu.
It was said that he won the battle, but Lu Bu didn't know what he had won in this battle. He would always envy Cao Cao for the benefits he got.
It is understandable to think so. After all, after this battle, the number of troops was only over 40,000, a full one-third loss. The cavalry suffered the worst, from 4,000 to over 1,200. Even the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry was reduced. More than two hundred people attended.
Over the past two years, this battle has been fierce.
On the way back, Lu Bu took the initiative to discuss the reward issue with Lin Mo, which was nothing more than the issue of official status.
In this battle, the three people who made the greatest contributions were naturally Jia Xu, Zhao Yun and Xu Shu.
Jia Xu was originally the prefect of Donghai, an official with a salary of two thousand shi. His salary was so high that it would be impossible to give him a false military position. After all, he had to consider Zhang Xiu's feelings.
This time, Zhao Yun could be directly promoted from captain to bandit general. He was just a miscellaneous general, but his salary also mentioned one thousand two hundred dan.
Then there was Xu Shu. If it hadn't been for his quick wit this time, something would have happened in the final battle. In addition, he was originally from Ziyang Academy. Lin Mo proposed to directly worship him as Pengcheng Commandery.
He came from a poor family and entered Ziyang Academy. He did not go through any county magistrate, official, or meritorious service, and jumped directly to the 600-stone county magistrate. It can be said that he has made a meteoric rise to the sky.
You know, there is an unusual shortage of official positions in various places in Xuzhou. For these positions, the Chen family, the Lu family, and the Huainan Gang headed by Liu Ye are all trying their best.
Lu Bu didn't think too much and nodded happily, "That's fine. I'll also show off the signboard for your Ziyang Academy. It's just a pity that the people inside are not clean."
Recalling that the Chen family actually reached out to Ziyang Academy, Lu Bu still felt very unhappy.
"It's pretty good. It's just in Xuzhou. If it were in Yingchuan, I'm afraid it might not even be possible."
Lu Bu smiled dryly and nodded in agreement.
Then came the adjustments by Zhang Xiu, Gao Shun, Wei Yue, Gan Ning and others.
Wei Yue can be promoted to the rank of Zhonglang General. When asking for an edict from the imperial court, if you agree, then agree. If you don't agree, then worship yourself. Last time he was injured in Anfeng, so he should be given this position. After all, he paid for it with his life. .
But Gao Shun was originally a Zhonglang general, one level higher than the other generals. Moreover, he could not claim many military exploits this time, so he could only record them in the merit book.
Zhang Xiu is also simple. He does not hold any military rank in the imperial court. He directly helps to make him a Polu general like Zhao Yun. Just mention his identity, and at least he will come from thousands of miles away.
Moreover, the battle was also very fierce. Li Tong was beheaded in the battle of Anfeng and he was wounded in the battle of Xiaoguan. This time, he will be rewarded as well.
"In terms of military merit, Xingba probably won't be able to move this time." Lu Bu finally thought of Gan Ning.
The next chapter is under review and will be released in the afternoon.
(End of chapter)
