40. Is the gambler's true character or forced to be helpless?
Are Yuan Shao and Dong Zhuo sworn enemies?
This question is really interesting, because maybe even these two people themselves can't figure out the answer to this question.
Why?
On the surface, Dong Zhuo killed Yuan Wei's family, and Yuan Shao was the culprit who rebelled against Dong Zhuo and caused him to lose Luoyang. He even used the power of Qinglong to almost turn Dong Zhuo into ashes. Because of the fight between the two men
And the fallen soldiers
The total number of generals is tens of thousands, many of which are the troops they relied on to get started, especially the Xiliang Army from the sparsely populated Xiliang area. Even though they fought extremely hard, in fact they
He cares very much about the appearance of his robe.
Whether it is public or private, it is not surprising that two people regard each other as a feud or an old enemy.
But what about actually?
When Yin Kui expressed the hope that Yuan Shao would use the imperial court, which no longer had much majesty in the eyes of the world's princes, to pursue his own personal interests, Yuan Shao agreed without hesitation at all, without even thinking about his mortal enemy Dong Zhuo.
Will he act like "What you want is what I don't want" to ruin his good deeds?
No, as if there was a real connection between the two, Yuan Shao believed that Dong Zhuo would definitely do what he expected, even if no one else needed to state more reasons.
reason?
Maybe it's a man's intuition.
As a leader in the group, his goal is to take one step and see ten steps. Now he is almost able to reach the goal of taking one step and seeing three steps. Even if he sometimes misses the mark, it will definitely be completely different from the mistakes of different people. Yuan Benchu actually has one.
When relying on intuition, something that sounds like it only belongs to women and is very unreliable.
Sounds a little funny?
However, Yuan Shao still ordered his men to start war preparations for the next period of time based on the strategy that Yin Kui presented, named Xun Rui, in an effort to expel Gongsun Zan from the land of Jizhou with minimal losses.
In fact, Yuan Shao doesn't think this goal is very difficult to achieve. After all, war is not a game. As long as a piece of territory is conquered, the buildings, money, food and population that have not been destroyed on the territory will completely become the property of the victor, and then he can open a base and attack the enemy.
The troops were collected, and then immediately became a forward base to prepare for the next round of war.
Although people's hearts can indeed be misled and manipulated, it will take a while, unless someone like Yuan Shao has done enough homework before and has a bug aura of "a famous family, four generations and three nobles", which can crush those
has been
The light of the halo flashed all kinds of powerful families. Moreover, the opponents also lost a lot of popularity because of the debuff called "Crazy". This is how Yuan Shao not only swept the entire Jizhou in just a few months, but also gained stability.
public support.
But what about Gongsun Zan?
Although his background and past achievements are much stronger than Li Shushi's, even if his wife is a little worse than that of Li Shushi, who is the son-in-law of the Zhen family, he is still the prefect of two thousand stones, and because of his straightforward and tough personality, he is also very popular with the people in the border areas.
, coupled with the support of the local prominent family after becoming famous and his own outstanding achievements, he was able to gain a firm foothold in Youzhou.
It's a pity that Gongsun Zan's fame is mostly based on his actual military achievements, rather than his literary talents and his ability to write books.
Although the Eastern Han Dynasty did not emphasize literature over martial arts as much as the Song Dynasty. However, this country that was founded on Confucian scholars was not only good at producing famous generals with both civil and military skills, but also regarded Confucianism and related knowledge as the fundamental element of founding the country, and the best way to select for the national bureaucracy. .The most terrible thing is that from the founding emperor Liu Xiu to the heroes of Lingyan Pavilion, most of them are masters who can't let go of the scroll, so what the superiors do well must be followed. A guy who always presents himself as a big boss will definitely not fit into the upper class of the Han Dynasty. In the aristocratic circle, there are also those families who want to integrate into the upper-class aristocratic circle.
Dong Zhuo's encounter in Luoyang and Li Shushi's encounter in Hedong were neither unprecedented nor unprecedented. At least Gongsun Zan, who was also the commander of a strong border army, also encountered similar problems.
Not to mention that Bohai County was the place where Yuan Shao started his career. Today, Yuan Shao does not have a good place like Hanoi to replace him, so he is working hard to manage it. Does the Yuan family's disciples and former official Gongsun Zan really dare to massacre them all?
This is obviously unrealistic.
Therefore, in Yuan Shao's view, Gongsun Zan now has only two options to face - one is to calmly digest the territory he has acquired and gradually consolidate the power in his hands. When the foundation is solid enough, he can then consider further expansion.
As for the second way, then it is natural to be determined and willing to be killed. Taking advantage of the favorable opportunity when Yuan Shao's forces are dispersed, regardless of what problems may arise in the rear, use all his strength to cut through the mess with a sharp knife and kill the main force of Yuan Shao's army. To annihilate, it is best to humanely destroy Yuan Shao himself. Then the remaining stragglers of Yuan's army will naturally not be Gongsun Zan's opponent. By then, Gongsun Zan will naturally be able to slowly digest the large amount of territory he has gained. Maybe five years later, maybe ten years later, maybe even longer. After time has passed, consider the possibility of competing with the world's heroes.
The first path is a relatively safe one. If Gongsun Zan chooses such a path, then... Yuan Shao will jump three feet high with joy. Because he is now in the period when his strength is most dispersed. In other words, When Gongsun Zan is at his weakest, if Gongsun Zan doesn't fight him at this time, it will be several times more difficult to fight him after Chunyu Qiong returns with his troops. After all, Yuan Shao is not one of those idiots from Xiliang. , getting together can also increase Cao Chaozi's excitement.
At that time, it may be reversed as to who attacks whom.
Moreover, even if Yuan Shao gathers his troops, he does not want to attack. As he owns more than half of Jizhou's territory for development and farming, Gongsun Zan is definitely no match for Yuan Shao who is good at building a bureaucratic system. Not to mention that Yuan Shao is not as stupid as Song Xianggong. It will allow you, Gongsun Zan, to farm the fields safely and violently, but a small move can make you, Gongsun Zan, feel uncomfortable all over.
Therefore, although the first path seems safe, according to Yuan Shao's calculations, it is a dead end for Gongsun Zan. The only variable is to look at Yuan Shao's mood to decide whether Gongsun Zan will die quickly or commit suicide slowly.
So what about the second way?
A careful analysis is indeed more transparent than the first path. At least if Gongsun Zan can really establish a victory in one battle, then the subsequent situation will indeed become more favorable, and it is still unclear whether he will eventually replace Yuan Shao as the northern hegemon.
However, it is said that the Great Dao is fifty and Tianyan is forty-nine, leaving only the one that escapes to give hope to those who work hard. One can imagine how difficult it is to fight for this only glimmer of hope. Not only does it require
It takes a lot of perseverance and a great opportunity to achieve it - of course this is not talking about Yuan Shao who has the right time, place and people, but Gongsun Zan as his opponent.
Gongsun Zan wanted to get rid of the unfavorable situation he was facing with a quick victory. This idea was certainly good. But the prerequisite was to ask Yuan Shaojun, who was now considered to be full of talents.
Although because of Li Shushi, Yuan Shao lost Qu Yi, the best general in the early stage of Yuan Shao's army. He also lost Zhang Jia, a general who although not too famous in the early stage was capable of being on par with Yan Liang, Wen Chou and others. It can be said that
Compared with the strength of another plane at the same time, it has been greatly affected.
However, it cannot be said that because of Li Shushi's appearance, Yuan Shaojun only lost but not gained - at least under the pressure of Li Shushi and the group of "bad guys" who followed him, Yan Liang and Wen Chou, the two most powerful men under Yuan Shao now,
The strength and voice of the generals have been greatly improved compared to those in another dimension at the same time, both in terms of force and leadership.
In terms of experience and skills, they have been tempered by Lu Bu and others and tempered in the northwest battlefield. Their combat effectiveness and the Jizhou Army under their command are not weaker than their opponents Gongsun Zan's army. Even in terms of the combat effectiveness of elite troops, the cavalry commanded by Yan Liang Wenchou
The troops and the Euphorbias commanded by Jiang Qi may even be a little higher than the white horse Yi Cong who was crippled and rebuilt not long ago.
In other words, if Gongsun Zan plans to use this time difference to attack Yuan Shao's army, as long as there are no major flaws in Yuan Shao's command, then the existing chips in Yuan Shao's hands will be enough to support the arrival of reinforcements and reverse the situation.
To take a step back, even if Gongsun Zan can defeat Yuan Shao's arrangements on the front line, as long as he fails to achieve a tactical "big collapse" or capture and kill Yuan Shao, then Yuan Shao can still slowly retreat and gather his troops to fight again.
So, this brings us to the second troublesome issue Gongsun Zan has to face - logistical supplies.
As mentioned before, the most fundamental reason why Gongsun Zan finally stopped instead of taking advantage of Yuan Shao's hurried return to engage in a beautiful mobile battle was that his rear was not smooth and his own logistics supplies were seriously threatened.
When Gongsun Zan went to Jizhou to fight, although there were many powerful people like Yan Gang who supported him, and he was able to bribe some local people and small families to lead the way, in the final analysis, the power he could win over was not too much. Even if Gongsun Zan could defeat Yuan Shao
, before the situation becomes clear, most families will probably choose to remain neutral rather than take the initiative to lend a helping hand to Gongsun Zan. This means that if Yuan Shao consciously breaks his troops into pieces, the threat to Gongsun Zan's supply line will be almost impossible.
Imagine.
If Gongsun Zan can continue to win until Yuan Shao has no chance of coming back, then he can still see the day of victory. But as long as Gongsun Zan's victory momentum is curbed, even a small defeat may turn into a major defeat.
Collapse of scale.
Don't forget that even Cao Cao, who had many talents under his command and also had elite soldiers from hundreds of battles, won the Battle of Guandu and the Battle of Liyang. Facing the three brothers of the Yuan family who were of the same mind, they had to temporarily retreat to Xudu to wait and see what would happen.
.Gongsun Zan has fewer talents than Cao Cao
With such prosperity, the two counties of Youbeiping and Liaoxi can never compare with the prosperity of the hinterland of the Central Plains. Even at this time, Yuan Shao's strength cannot be compared with the strength of the four states that he commanded during the Battle of Guandu. But Gongsun Zan also
There is no such giant Buddha as the Emperor.
Therefore, it is not impossible for Gongsun Zan to conquer the world by himself, but it just requires the cooperation of too many factors.
It was precisely because of this consideration that Yuan Shao dared to finally agree to temporarily cede Wei County. After he solved the big problem of Gongsun Zan, he would consider when and how to take back the big piece of fat he had thrown away before.
Of course, if Yuan Shao knew that Liu Yu, who had been hiding behind this war, would not allow Gongsun Zan to defeat Yuan Shao so easily and become the new overlord of Hebei, he might be happier.
However, at the same time, Liu Yu would not allow Gongsun Zan to lose to Yuan Shao so easily. Otherwise, after this battle, Yuan Shao could easily become the overlord of Hebei and use his political and economic advantages to sweep the country and even conquer the country again.
Liu Yu pushed to a position that made him feel like he was being roasted on a stove. This obviously did not conform to the political philosophy of Liu Yu, a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty.
Therefore, it is destined that the complexity of this war will not become much simpler just because Yuan Shao threw out the bait of Wei County.
While Yuan Shao was analyzing the situation he was facing, Gongsun Zan on the other side was also troubled by the situation in front of him.
"How much military and civilian rations are there? I guess we can't count on the harvests in Youbeiping and Liaoxi. If we can collect more from Hejian and Bohai, we can at least make the fathers, old and young in our hometown suffer a little. Follow our brothers
My family can have a good year."
"But my lord, if we levy too much in Hejian and Bohai, I'm afraid it will trigger a civil uprising. After all, these two areas are just newly attached lands, and the people's minds are uncertain. If there are more enemy troops spreading rumors and causing trouble, I'm afraid
.I’m just afraid…”
"What Lord Yan Shuji said is true. It's just that the issue of food and grass is also urgent. After all, the food and grass we have now can only last for less than a year even if there is no war. We have wasted too much time before. If we can't
It depends on the battle. If Yuan Benchu is allowed to stabilize his position and adjust in the next step, I'm afraid the situation will be greatly disadvantageous for us."
"We can't ask Mr. Xuande to help with one or two. In addition, let him attack Anxi fiercely. Can he really be on the front line to share the pressure for our army?"
"If it's just for a short period of time, considering the relationship between Xuande and I, it's okay to look down on us. But the situation in Youzhou is generally not good this year, and Xuande's food and grass are not much better than ours. Even if he has the intention, he will treat us badly."
It’s just a drop in the bucket.”
Gongsun Zan, Gongsun Fan, Yan Gang, Tian Kai, Shan Jing, Guan Jing, Wang Men, Zou Dan, these trusted subordinates of Gongsun Zan, are the main team that determines the combat strategy of Gongsun Zan's army. Although there are also Liu Weitai,
Le Hedang, Li Yizi was a favored minister who was trusted by Gongsun Zan, but the influence of these people was mainly reflected in the domestic and foreign affairs of Gongsun Zan's power. In the military, they still could not gain Gongsun Zan's trust.
Look at the names of these people surrounding Gongsun Zan, and then look at the names of those around Yuan Shao, it is unbearable to look at.
Of course, Gongsun Zan cannot feel this gap, because these people, especially his own excellent military quality, have been enough to cope with most situations in past foreign wars. Even if there is a failure like Guanzicheng, it will at best make Gongsun Zan in the future.
You will be more careful when facing certain situations. After all, as the saying goes: Victory or defeat is a common thing in military affairs.
Just now, those who were arguing about the next strategy were Gongsun Zan and his most trusted kinsman general Gongsun Fan, as well as Yan Gang, Yan Shuji, a representative of the local forces in Jizhou who made great contributions and performed well in the raid on Jizhou. Several other Gongsun Zan
The subordinates whom I trusted were not very familiar with the situation in Jizhou, so they had not found a good opportunity to intervene for the time being.
The focus of the debate among several people focused on the attitude towards the two newly occupied areas of Hejian and Bohai.
The reason why there is such a controversy involves Gongsun Zan's choice of timing to send troops.
From a tactical point of view, Gongsun Zan's timing of sending troops this time can be said to be just right, and the entire combat process was seamless. To use a vulgar saying, Gongsun Zan fought an ancient blitzkrieg like a "classic textbook".
Both the process and the result are worthy of Gongsun Zan's title of "Famous General of the Late Han Dynasty".
However, the strategic hidden dangers in this battle are huge.
As mentioned before, the Youbeiping and Liaoxi areas under Gongsun Zan's jurisdiction suffered severe droughts in the summer and autumn this year. Although it cannot be said that there was no grain harvest, a large-scale reduction in production is foreseeable.
Although we relied on the grain reserves in previous years and spent high prices to obtain some old grain from Liu Yu and even Bingzhou's caravans, as the military operations progressed, especially in order to speed up the attack speed and strengthen the intensity of the attack, more requirements were put forward for the supply of grain and grass.
The requirements were high, and the consumption rate somewhat exceeded Gongsun Zan's budget before he sent out troops.
The most important thing is that because Gongsun Zan sent troops this time to turn the land he gained into his own territory, he basically maintained relatively high military discipline requirements along the way, whether in rapid attacks or internal purges, except in Nanpi.
A limited massacre was carried out in the city in order to allow the troops who had suffered heavy losses to vent their anger. Although the remaining areas could not be said to have behaved as innocently as the Eighth Route Army, they definitely did not carry out destructive raids on the occupied areas.
However, due to Yuan Shao's propaganda campaign, the massacre in Nanpi was extremely exaggerated, such as "The murderous people filled the field, and mourning was everywhere. The clear river outside Nanpi City was dyed bright red, and the river was cut off by corpses."
The talk is in the river, and the Bohai Sea is very noisy.
Chen Shang not only made Gongsun Zan extremely annoyed, but more importantly, it made the people who were originally uneasy about the invaders become more timid, and made those powerful families who originally maintained a cold and neutral attitude toward Gongsun Zan's arrival become indifferent.
Uncooperative.
As a result, it is now the time for the autumn harvest, and the harvests in Gongsun Zan's hometown of Youbeiping and Liaoxi are very poor. If you want the people to survive the cold winter, they must reduce their tax burden. Although the two newly occupied counties look like the same
It was considered a good harvest, but Gongsun Zan was unable to increase the tax burden collected. There was even popular talk in the area asking Gongsun Zan to reduce the tax burden as compensation for the damage caused by Gongsun Zan's invasion.
Yes, as the ruler of this region and the master of the violent machine, Gongsun Zan can certainly not care about these so-called "public opinions". Even if he really resorts to violence to force those powerful people who really dare to resist, there will not be too many, but this
It also means that his dominance here has been weakened. If he loses to Yuan Shao in the subsequent battle, the situation he will face will most likely become "there are powerful local private troops blocking the way in the front, and Yuan Shao's pursuit behind him".
The terrifying situation of being in hot pursuit.
Moreover, according to the various voices coming from the two counties during this period, Gongsun Zan also realized the powerlessness that Dong Zhuo and Li Shushi felt in front of those aristocratic families.
Perhaps, this is what makes Gongsun Zan feel most discouraged.
The debate lasted for almost half an hour but still could not come to a conclusion. Although Yan Gang, as a local force in Jizhou, did not want Gongsun Zan to kill the powerful Jizhou family, so he tried his best to obstruct Gongsun Zan's tough methods, but in the final analysis it was still
Because of Gongsun Zan's inner hesitation, this general who had always acted vigorously and resolutely began to worry about gains and losses.
At this moment, a familiar voice sounded to Gongsun Zan, who was confused in his mind:
"What's so difficult about this matter? We've been discussing it for so long and still can't make a decision. In my opinion, although wanton expropriation is not good for the people, compared with agreeing to the requests of those powerful families, it is a sign of weakness. Since the left and right
Neither is the best choice, so choose the lesser of two evils. If our army is defeated, everything will stop.
Well, then we should give priority to collecting food and fodder to supply our soldiers. However, we need to use some means, such as imposing heavy penalties on those leaders who refuse to cooperate, and giving small rewards to those who cooperate. As long as we can defeat Yuan Benchu
, even if those people have any dissatisfaction, they will never dare to come out and make trouble again!"
Hearing such words, Gongsun Zan's eyes suddenly lit up. (To be continued...)
ps: ps: I have been working for six days this week, so I can only update once. And depending on the situation, I will be very busy in the next period of time, and I also need to learn a lot of unfamiliar things. It feels a bit difficult. I hope I can sort it out soon.
The clue comes.
ps2: With the commotion in Kunming, it seems that the privileges of many ethnic minorities will be cancelled, and this kind of terrorist attacks will probably become a common phenomenon in China in the next few years, so I suggest you go out more frequently.
Be smart, and if you don't feel tired, bring some short wooden sticks or something. At least you can defend yourself when encountering similar situations. After all, you basically don't count on police for this kind of thing...