Yuan Xi said in despair: "Looking at it from now, the army mobilized by Hebei has exceeded 400,000, and they are all the most elite troops in Hebei. Now Sili and Yuzhou are in war, and our army has been completely defeated!"
There was no reason why Yuan Xi was not desperate. Da Qian's army was overwhelming when attacking them. The 300,000 troops that his elder brother managed to create were helpless against Da Qian's army. But now that his Yuan family's army had surrendered to Lei Gong in large numbers, this This is so despairing. The war has only been fought for a month now, and Sili and Yuzhou have already lost more than half of their territory. At this rate, they will be destroyed in another month.
"The general and Qingzhou Mu didn't support us?
They should know that if we are destroyed by Lei Gong, they will not be easy. The general and Qingzhou Mu should not be such short-sighted people? Why don't they support me?" The messenger asked unwillingly!
Yuan Xi said helplessly: "Now there are 200,000 troops stationed in Jizhou on the north bank of the Yellow River, just across the river from Qingzhou. You said that under such circumstances, Cao Cao would dare to support us! At this time, Cao Cao himself could not protect himself. Hebei General Duan Yun led 10,000 cavalry into Xuzhou and attacked the city all the way. No one could stop him. If Cao Cao is not careful, he may not even be able to defend Xuzhou!"
"Although the general has the idea of supporting us, his army is far away in Jingzhou, and in the past six months, in order to maintain the value of Jingzhou's banknotes, the general has given all the grain in the granary to the people. I am afraid that there is no food in Jingzhou now. How much food and grass, let alone how many troops can be sent to support me!"
Then Yuan Xi said distressedly: "It seems that we are in doom this time. If we cannot survive, we will all die in the hands of Thunder Lord!"
The reality is too cruel. Yuan Xi can only drink alcohol every day to numb himself, because he knows that in less than 2 months, his Yuan family will completely disappear from this world. When Lei Gong takes over Sili After Yuzhou, according to his past habits, he will definitely pull out all the disciples and former officials of his Yuan family, and there will never be another Yuan family with four generations and three fathers in this world.
In early May of the second year of Jian'an (AD 197)! Chang'an City!
Zhang He was very trustworthy. After the two sides negotiated the terms, when Zhang Baiqi's army arrived at Chang'an City, Zhang He set up a white flag, opened the gate and surrendered to Zhang Baiqi. Three days later, Zhang Baiqi sent two armies to occupy the city. Tongguan and Wuguan, and thus the entire Guanzhong was completely captured by the Daqian army.
At this time, Li Ru came to Zhang Baiqi and said: "General, Zhang Zhi from Dunhuang wants to see you!"
Zhang Baiqi asked: "I have never heard of this man's name. Who is he? With such a great reputation, can he please you?"
Does Zhang Baiqi know that Li Ru hates the people of the Yuan family? When he took refuge in Daqian, he wanted to use their power to eliminate the noble families of Guandong headed by the Yuan family and avenge Dong Zhuo. But now most of the people in Guanzhong are They have something to do with Yuan Shao. Logically speaking, Li Ru should hate them to the core, so why did he bring people to see him!
Li Rudao: "Zhang Zhi is nothing more than a useless Confucian scholar, but his father is the famous Han general Zhang Huan. He was one of the Three Ming Dynasties in Xiliang. He guarded the Han border for decades and shocked the entire Xiliang and the desert!"
Then Li Ru told Zhang Baiqi about Zhang Huan's past deeds, especially that Dong Zhuo also served as a soldier under Zhang Huan. Zhang Huan helped Dong Zhuo a lot! Especially Li Ru himself was also influenced by Zhang Huan.
s help.
During the period of Emperor Heng and Ling Emperor, the recommendation system of the Han Dynasty was almost in name only. The recommendation system had been controlled by a group of great scholars in Guandong. If you wanted to become an official, you wanted to be recommended by a great scholar, or be a disciple of a great scholar! This forced many people to
You must first become a Confucian scholar before you can become an official.
Therefore, in the late Han Dynasty, many generals who could fight must be great Confucians, otherwise it would be difficult for simple generals to get ahead, just like the civil servants commanding military commanders in the Ming Dynasty. Winning the battle was the credit of the civil servants, and losing the battle was the fault of the military generals.
Under the oppression of this system, I have never been able to get ahead!
This was the case at the end of the Han Dynasty. A simple military general like Dong Zhuo had no future at all. If you want to go further, you must read the Confucian classics thoroughly and become both civil and military. You can enter the Confucian circle, even to a very advanced level, otherwise others will
They don't even recognize your status as a great scholar.
And among the three Ming Dynasties in Xiliang, two of them can be regarded as great Confucians! Just like Lu Zhi, although he is said to be a great Confucian, most of his time as an official was related to war.
At that time, Zhang Huan ended his official career, returned to Hongnong, stayed behind closed doors, lectured and recited Confucian scriptures with thousands of disciples, and wrote "The Difficulty of Shang Shu" with more than 300,000 words.
It's nothing that Zhang Huan became a great Confucian in his later years, but most of his disciples were from Xiliang. It can be said that Zhang Huan helped Xiliang people find a way to become officials. Li Ru also learned from Zhang Huan back then, and Zhang Zhi
He is considered his senior brother!
When Zhang Baiqi heard about this relationship, he saved Li Ru's face and said, "Then I will meet this great scholar in Guanzhong and see what he will say!"
Soon Zhang Baiqi's personal guards came to him with an eight-foot-tall scholar with an elegant temperament!
Zhang Baiqi asked: "I wonder what you want to see me for?"
Zhang Zhi bowed his hands and said in salute: "I have also been entrusted by General Zhang, and I have come to ask the general not to drive them out of the military camp!"
Zhang Baiqi laughed sarcastically: "This is a major military and national event that I have done. Do you think you have such a great reputation?"
Zhang Zhi said calmly: "I am a messenger. Everything depends on the commander's own thoughts. General Zhang and the others are willing to contribute the weapons, food and fodder of the entire Chang'an City! I just want them not to be driven out of the military camp, and the commander and his wife are willing to contribute."
It is also beneficial for you to have a large army. As the saying goes, a thousand armies are easy to get but a general is hard to find. General Zhang and the others are also veterans who have experienced hundreds of battles. With their help, the army will annex the entire Central Plains with twice the result with half the effort!"
But Zhang Baiqi said calmly: "I Da Gan keeps my word. The food and weapons in Chang'an City will be converted into money and handed over to them without their contribution. As for their joining the army, I can't agree to it. I Da Gan will do it myself."
There is a system. Anyone who wants to become a Dagan officer must first enter the Dagan Military Academy to study. Zhang He and others do not meet my Dagan employment standards, so they cannot join the Dagan Army!"
Zhang Zhi smiled bitterly and said: "The commander-in-chief really wants to be so decisive and not give Zhang He and the others any way? Their requirements are not very high!"
But Zhang Baiqi said calmly: "I have my own system, and I can't let Zhang He and others change it!"
Zhang Zhi said: "I heard that after Daqian occupied Xiliang, he immediately sent troops to occupy the Western Regions!"
Zhang Baiqi said: "Thanks to the blessing of our ancestors, I, Dagan, have finally restored the land that China has had since ancient times! The Western Regions have returned to my hands, Dagan!"
Zhang Zhi said: "The Western Regions are thousands of miles away from the Great Wall. Back then, the soldiers in Guanzhong were homesick and fled. If it hadn't been for Ban Gu, the Western Regions would have been lost a hundred years ago. Now Dagan has occupied the Western Regions for more than two years. Well, the soldiers of the Daqian Army who went to the Western Regions must have begun to miss their hometown just like the soldiers of Guanzhong!"
Zhang Baiqi hesitated, because what Zhang Zhi said was not wrong at all. Wang Dang, who had stayed in the Western Regions for two years, kept writing letters saying that he wanted to go home. He also said that his soldiers also missed their hometown very much and that he wanted to go home. Gan Zhan has been stationed in the Western Region with a large army, but the soldiers of the Xiliang Army in his hands are not willing to go to the Western Region on the horizon.
Xiliang is already far enough away, but for the soldiers of the Xiliang Army, going to the Western Regions is no less than going to the ends of the earth. Not to mention that everyone now knows that staying in the Central Plains can participate in the wars of a peaceful world, make military exploits, and become a The founding hero of the country, and if he went to the Western Regions at this time, it would be no less than being sent to the frontiers! Therefore, the change of defenses of the Western Regions Army has always troubled Zhang Baiqi!
Zhang Zhi immediately said: "General Zhang and others know that not only have they failed to achieve great results, but they have also failed the people of the world. They are willing to station in the Western Regions to defend the Western Regions and defend the homeland of our Han people to pay for their sins."
This was a way that Zhang He and the others came up with without leaving the army. He knew that Zhang Zhi did not have such a big reputation to allow them to stay in the army, but they thought that they could go to the Western Regions and make contributions. In this way, Lei Gong would not If you have the nerve to drive them out of the army again!
Not to mention, Zhang Baiqi's idea of stationing Zhang He and others in the Western Regions really made Zhang Baiqi hesitate. He sent Zhang He and others to the Western Regions because they wanted to make meritorious deeds, so naturally they would not complain like Wang Dang and them, but with Zhang He and others They defend the Western Regions, and in the past few years Daqian can use all their strength to deal with the princes of the Han Dynasty and unify the world!
Zhang Baiqi thought about the pros and cons and then said: "This matter is of great importance and it is difficult for me to decide alone. I will report it to the governor first. If the governor agrees, I have no objection!"
Zhang Zhi saluted again and said: "Then please leave it to the commander-in-chief!"
After saying that, Zhang Zhi left here!
At this time, Li Ru on the side said: "I didn't expect that Zhang He was a bit quick-witted and would actually think of such a way to integrate into the army!"
Zhang Baiqi asked: "Do you think Zhang He's idea is beneficial or harmful to my Da Qian?"
Li Ru said: "The advantages outweigh the disadvantages. If Zhang He and others are surrendered, the Han army will not desperately resist the attacks of our Daqian army in the future. Our army used to basically kill all the generals of the Han Dynasty, so the generals of the Han Dynasty have no We will not surrender until we are completely desperate. This has brought too many unnecessary losses to our army."
Zhang Baiqi said: "I haven't seen how much of an obstacle the Han army has posed to us!"
Li Rudao: "Yuan Tan is the main contributor to our army's attack on Sili and Yuzhou this time. If he hadn't caused great chaos in Sili and Yuzhou, causing the people and soldiers to become alienated, our army would not be in its current unstoppable state. If he hadn't Under normal circumstances, the 60,000 troops in our hands alone are enough to prevent our army from entering Guanzhong.
We will never encounter such a good thing again in the future. Liu Bei and Cao Cao are both great heroes. Just seeing how they have to keep the credibility of their banknotes even if they have to run out of food and grass, you can see that they are completely different from Yuan Tan, a idiot. !”
"Although Liu Bei and Cao Cao only used defensive power against us after we annexed Yuan Tan, these two princes still have hundreds of thousands of troops in their hands, and their military morale is not bad. The local people also recognize their rule. We If the army wants to annex these two great princes, it will definitely cost a huge price."
"Especially Liu Bei in the south of the Yangtze River. In terms of strength, land area, and even population, it surpassed the original Chu State. The Qin Dynasty spent several years to destroy the Chu State with an army of 600,000. But we want to occupy the south of the Yangtze River. , I’m afraid it will take several years to mobilize an army of millions! And even if this goes well, if our army loses a battle, I’m afraid the unification of the world will be delayed by more than ten years! And if we If you accept the surrender of the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty will definitely not resist like this desperately again!"
Zhang Baiqi thought it made sense, so he wrote a letter and gave it to Xu Wei!
A few days later, Xu Wei saw Zhang Baiqi's letter, and then went to Wang Ge and Jia Xu to ask their opinions!
Wang Ge immediately said: "To govern, this can be regarded as a way to use the Han Dynasty to demote generals. Zhang He and his generals are not from noble families, but are children of poor families. And with such backgrounds, there are many officials in our country, many There are not many Zhang He and others, and our Daqian area is much wider and harsher than that of Dahan. Dahan only has the Western Region at most, and our Daqian also has the desert and Liaodong areas. In these places, water turns to ice in winter, and people freeze to death every year. In the middle of the desert.”
"If we can use the surrender of the Han Dynasty to help us garrison the thousands of miles of territory in this desert, it will be considered a waste, and they will also repay the wrong they did to the people of the Han Dynasty!
The Treasure Island of the Japanese Kingdom also needs someone to be stationed there. After all, the Japanese Kingdom is too important to my campaign, but few people are willing to go to the Japanese Island. In the future, they can all immigrate to Yuan Tan’s generals, and they can be regarded as helping me to launch the campaign. If you expand your territory, you can be considered a hero!"
Jia Xu also followed up and said: "Although the generals of the Han Dynasty have enmity with us, they are our compatriots after all, and the world is so big that it is difficult for us alone to open up new lands. These surrendered generals can also be regarded as talents. Putting them away from the big men is the right position. With them here, we can transfer our confidants back to the Central Plains!"
Xu Wei fell into deep thought. Compared with Wang Ge, Jia Xu and others, he knew better how vast this time was. Many places could become everyone's home as long as the Han people passed by. It's just that everyone didn't know these places, so they didn't understand each other in the Han Dynasty. Massacre.
The current population of the Han Dynasty may not even be 40 million. It can be said that population is the most precious resource. It would be a waste for troubled heroes like Cao Cao and Liu Bei to die in their own hands. With their ability, they can lead their subordinates to defeat them. Now the land of the Han Dynasty,
Think about it, the reason why the Chinese dynasty in later generations did not catch up with the Age of Discovery and the good land was taken over by others. People of Xu Wei's generation were bullied. They sold whatever was cheap and bought whatever was expensive. It was because they did not have enough land.
Land, others just sold iron ore and became a developed country.
It is clearly stated that industry and agriculture are not the same, but in Xu Wei they have turned them into resources to cut off your industry. It is simply unreasonable, but you still find it difficult to resist!