Today, the main focus of the three-party war between Jizhou, Qingzhou, and Youzhou is concentrated on the Bohai Sea and Qinghe River.
The current situation is also very simple. Yuan Shao occupies two-thirds of Qinghe Kingdom, Gongsun Zan occupies two-thirds of Bohai, Liu Bei occupies one-third of Qinghe, and one-third of Bohai.
The land of the two counties was divided among three families.
But these two places are Jizhou's territory after all. If a war is fought on someone else's doorstep, it is Yuan Shao who feels distressed, not Liu Bei Gongsun Zan.
This made Gongsun Zan always unpopular in Bohai.
Because of his upright character and cruelty, he often destroyed powerful families and plundered their property. Although he did not go to the extent of oppressing the people, the people's livelihood under his rule could only be regarded as average, far worse than under Liu Bei's rule.
Therefore, in addition to dealing with Yuan Shao, sometimes he also had to deal with the rebellion of powerful people under his rule. It would not be said that he was exhausted, but it made an impatient person like him very unhappy. Therefore, he repeatedly urged Liu Bei to have a decisive battle with Yuan Shao and stop delaying it like this.
Go down.
It's a pity that Liu Bei himself knew that now was not a good time to attack Jizhou, so he never agreed to Gongsun Zan's request to launch a general offensive. After two years of this, Gongsun Zan actually felt a little bit of resentment towards his former friend.
However, Gongsun Zan has one thing that is better, that is, he pays more attention to loyalty first, and must repay kindness, and he will not be as resentful as Fa Zheng.
Historically, the court wronged his father-in-law. Because his father-in-law had promoted him, Gongsun Zan abandoned his official position and followed him, taking care of him along the way and never leaving. Later, when Liu Bei was in the plains, Tao Qian was attacked by Cao Cao and asked Tian Kai for help. It was Gongsun Zan who gave Liu Bei some troops and horses.
Only in this way can Liu Bei gain a foothold in Xuzhou.
Therefore, he belongs to the kind of big brother in the world, who helps his brothers. Although he is dissatisfied with Liu Bei's reluctance to launch a general offensive, he has righteousness as his priority, so Gongsun Zan can only endure it and does not have any big objections to Liu Bei.
It rained heavily in Nanpi that day. It was the turn of spring and summer and the coastal monsoon climate. The raindrops hit the eaves, making a crackling sound.
Gongsun Zan crossed his legs and sat cross-legged under the eaves, frowning, looking down at the rainwater in the courtyard that wet the mud, and then gathered into yellow streams, flowing along the gaps between the flower beds and grass, and flowing into the drainage canal.
, and headed outside the courtyard.
There were only close confidants Guan Jing and Tian Yu beside him. Guan Jing held a letter in his hand and studied it carefully. After a while, he breathed a sigh of relief and said with a wry smile: "Liu Shijun is really...
"
In this letter, Liu Bei once again earnestly persuaded him to govern the place well and stop bullying powerful people at will. He seemed to be standing on a high moral ground. For your good tone, this is the third letter this year.
"Xuan Degong is not a pedantic person, but his reputation as a loyal minister and benevolent has become a burden to him. If Qingzhou had not mobilized a large army due to his worries, Yuan Shao would have been destroyed long ago."
Tian Yu shook his head, saying something good for Liu Bei.
Gongsun Zan's brows furrowed even more tightly. He and Liu Bei were of the same generation, almost the same age, and they were also childhood playmates and classmates, so the two of them had always interacted as equals and called themselves brothers.
Although looking at it from Liu Bei's point of view, everything he did was indeed for his own good. I hope he will be loyal to the court and take good care of the people.
But the growing ambition and Liu Bei's persuasion from a high point every time made Gongsun Zan feel bored.
Why do you come to accuse and persuade me?
Why do you act like you're doing it for my own good?
Now that the world is like this, who still cares about the court?
I just want to be the king and dominate, isn’t that good?
Everything made Gongsun Zan feel that a hard-headed man like Liu Bei who only knew how to be loyal to the court was hopeless.
Unfortunately, the two of them were not only childhood friends, classmates, and good brothers, but Liu Bei had also been kind to him.
Previously, Gongsun Zan served as the magistrate of Zhuoxian County, but he was only a minor official with a salary of 600 shi. Later, it was Chen Mu who gave him the brewing recipe, and he was able to make a fortune.
Then he quelled Zhang Chun Zhang's rebellion, defeated the resurgent Yellow Turbans in Youzhou, and then challenged Dong. Gongsun Zan was able to get to where he is today without Liu Bei's help. Even when there was a shortage of food and grass, Liu Bei often supplied him.
.
As a result, it is extremely uncomfortable for a person like Gongsun Zan who must repay his kindness and has a sense of loyalty. Considering these kindnesses, he cannot break up with Liu Bei.
He, Liu Bei, is bound by loyalty and benevolence, and I, Gongsun Zan, am not bound by kindness and brotherly loyalty?
For a moment, Gongsun Zan was hesitant and felt like he was riding a tiger with difficulty.
"Xuande, alas."
Gongsun Zan sighed, not knowing what to say.
Guan Jing observed the words and asked in a low voice: "Ming Gong, what should we do next?"
Gongsun Zan clenched his fists and said sternly: "Now in the world, counties are kings and counties are emperors. They can do it, why can't I do it? I want to conquer Jizhou, I want to conquer the world!"
The situation was in ruins, and the majesty of the imperial court had long been wiped out in Dong Zhuo's rebellion. Except for Liu Bei, a die-hard loyalist who was burdened by his reputation, who would dare to say that he was loyal to the Han Dynasty?
Guan Jing said: "If you are a Ming Lord, you must not delay important events due to personal feelings. Ming Gong, if you want to achieve great things, you cannot always take care of Liu Shijun. In my opinion, you should make preparations early."
.”
"What preparation?"
Gongsun Zan turned around and asked.
Guan Jing showed a stern look on his face and said: "Of course you can't be selfish. When it's time to be ruthless, you have to be ruthless."
"You mean?"
Gongsun Zan frowned and had a vague suspicion in his mind.
Guan Jing said: "Yes, now we join forces with Liu Shijun and have at least a 60% chance of defeating Yuan Shao. If Yuan Shao is defeated, Duke Ming should decisively attack Liu Bei, occupy Jizhou and Qingzhou, and then send his troops south to take Henan and other places. This way
Most of the world has fallen into the hands of Duke Ming."
Gongsun Zan remained silent.
Tian Yu hurriedly said: "No, Ming Gong, our strength is still far behind Liu Shijun. Even if the raid is successful and Liu Shijun is killed, Luoyang still has Guan Yu, Qingzhou still has Chen Mu, both of them have
As soon as Liu Shijun, a talented commander, dies, in order to take revenge, they will definitely mobilize the Qingzhou and Luoyang armies to fight to the death with Ming Gong, and then everything will be over."
Gongsun Zan immediately glared at Guan Jing and scolded sternly: "Shiqi, don't talk nonsense anymore. Xuande and I are brothers. Are you asking us brothers to kill each other?"
"Forehead."
Guan Jing was speechless for a moment, and then he remembered that currently only Liu Bei and Zhang Fei were on the Qingzhou front line. Liu, Guan, Zhang and Chen were all in one, Guan Yu was in Luoyang, and Chen Mu was in Qingzhou. If Liu Zhang died, Guan Yu and Chen Mu would definitely start an army.
Revenge, when the time comes, the two sides will really fight to the death.
After scolding Guan Jing, Gongsun Zan did not mention any punishment. Seeing this, Tian Yu knew that his lord still coveted the world, so he whispered: "Ming Gong, in fact, if you want to win Jizhou, you don't have to fight with Liu.
Make you your enemy."
"oh?"
Gongsun Zan was surprised and said: "What should we do?"
Tian Yu thought for a while and said: "The Warring States Policy says that when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman will benefit. The situation in the north is also known to Duke Ming. In the three-party struggle, Liu Shijun is only slightly worse than Yuan Shao, including Duke Ming's soldiers.
The horse was able to hold down Yuan Shao by one head. If during the decisive battle, Ming Gong suddenly stopped moving forward, what would happen then?"
Gongsun Zan thought for a while and said: "The battlefield is changing rapidly. If my troops suddenly fail to attack, with Xuande's strength, I am afraid I will be defeated."
"good."
Tian Yu said: "So we don't need to quarrel with Liu Shijun at all. We only need to let Yuan Shao and Liu Shijun lose in the battle. When the time comes, Ming Gong will take all Jizhou. The ship is done. The rice is cooked, and Liu Shijun
No matter how hard you ask Ming Gong to be loyal to the court, it will be of no use. When Ming Gong sits in the two states of Youji and dominates the world with strength, he can go south to capture the land of Yanzhou and Yuzhou, and he will be able to dominate the world."
"Um."
Gongsun Zan nodded slightly, touched his beard, and his eyes showed a trace of light.
That time has really come.
Xuande was helpless.
...
...
Qinghe Kingdom, Ganling City.
The original Prime Minister's Palace had been occupied by Yuan Shao, and the magnificent hall was filled with incense.
Jizhou is rich in talents and has numerous soldiers and horses. There are a large number of camps, forts, and newly built cities near Ganling City alone, with a total force of 120,000.
If there were an immortal standing from God's perspective, looking at the entire Jizhou's defense configuration, it would not be difficult to find that Yuan Shao's defense was still very careful.
The main force deployment was in the southern part of the Hejian Kingdom and the eastern part of the Qinghe Kingdom. Troops were stationed in echelons in the counties along the way. Since Gongsun Zan had too many cavalry, he suffered a disadvantage when fighting infantry in the field, so he took a defensive position in the north and an offensive in the east.
Looking at the entire map, Yuan Shao contends with Gongsun Zan in the north, Liu Xuande in the east, Guan Yunchang in the west, and Lu Fengxian in the south.
If we include the Black Mountain Army who often raided Jizhou, then the entire Jizhou can be said to have enemies on all sides. Under the strong headwind, Yuan Benchu was like a god of war, conquering the south and the north, fighting in the east and in the west.
The spices from the Western Regions filled the room with orchids. Yuan Shao knelt down on the banquet and looked at the incense burner on the table, which was exuding green smoke, and was slightly trance-like.
Facing so many enemies, it would be false if he was not under a lot of pressure, but there was pressure and motivation. Now his willpower and self-confidence are at their peak.
"Ming Gong."
The words of the judge on the side made Yuan Shao come back to his senses.
"Um."
Yuan Shao's thoughts changed slightly and he turned to look at the counselors under the table: "Where did you just say?"
In history, he had nine great counselors: Tian Feng, Jushu, Xu You, Feng Ji, Xun Chen, Guo Tu, Shen Pei, Xin Ping, and Xin Pi.
Now Tian Feng Jushou is missing, but Geng Wu, Min Chun, Li Li and Liu Hui are added.
Originally, these four people were Han Fu's advisers, but this time Wang Fen did not commit suicide and rebelled, and remained in charge of Jizhou, so they naturally became Wang Fen's advisers.
Yuan Shao was the leader of the Youth Party and was elected as the legal successor of Jizhou by Wang Fen and other old faction members. Naturally, Geng Wu, Min Chun, Li Li, Liu Hui and others would not resist Yuan Shao and were killed by Yuan Shao.
It's just that some counselors are not here now. For example, Xu Youguo Tu is the supervisor of the army, commanding the troops and horses in the periphery. During the period, Minchun is guarding Yedu and fighting against Guan Yu in the west, and Xinpi has not yet been reused, so here
There are only six people: Shen Pei, Geng Wu, Xun Chen, Xin Ping, Liu Hui and Li Li.
It's funny to say that among this group of counselors, the only person with outstanding strategic vision is Liu Hui, a native of Zhongshan who was like a comet in history. The others, except for Xu Youfeng Ji Shenpei who has some tactical skills, are the only ones with excellent strategic vision.
The next group of mediocre and incompetent people.
But Yuan Shao had no choice. As a native of Jizhou, Jushu had known Chen Mu and Liu Bei a long time ago, and later conquered Tian Feng. In this way, Yuan Shao's only two strategists were poached, and the rest
Human beings are naturally useless.
However, Liu Hui has a high prestige among the Jizhou native faction. In history, when Han Fu wanted to kill him, countless Jizhou officials interceded for him. Now he follows Wang Fen and is the official leader of Wang Fen's prime faction. When Yuan Shao takes over the position, Jizhou
The local faction only has two single seedlings left, Shen Pei and Liu Hui.
As for Min Chun and Geng Wu, one is from the Min family in Guanzhong and the other is from the Geng family in Gaoyang, because the migration of surnames was not so widespread during the Han Dynasty. Often a certain surname became a big family in a certain place. There was no Min family in Jizhou at that time.
The clan names of the Geng and Geng clans.
Therefore, in order to support the local faction to compete with the Nanyang and Yingchuan factions, Yuan Shao vigorously trained Shen Pei and Liu Hui and made them serve as officers. They followed him on Liu Bei's expeditions and made suggestions. Some of their strategies were often adopted by Yuan Shao.
Seeing that Yuan Shao had come to his senses, Shen Pei continued: "What Zi Hui just said was to make things easy first and then things difficult. Liu Bei's strength is far superior to Gongsun Zan. If we fight Liu Bei to the death, even if we defeat Liu Bei, we will definitely suffer heavy casualties."
, it is very likely that Gongsun Zan will benefit, so we must defeat Gongsun Zan first, and then attack Liu Xuande!"
"Um."
Yuan Shao nodded slowly after hearing this.
This is the route of progress in the grand strategic direction. It is easy first and then difficult. This is indeed an eternal truth.
"But now Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei are united. Whoever attacks will be attacked by the other side. Therefore, if you want to attack Gongsun Zan first, you must let them divide their forces."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Liu Hui took over the conversation and said.
Yuan Shao pondered: "Then how can we make them divide their troops?"
Liu Hui continued: "If you want to divide your troops, you must contain Liu Bei in the south and Gongsun Zan in the north. They will be overwhelmed and unable to deal with the main force in Jizhou, so they must find new allies."
"who?"
"Gongsun Du, Lu Bu and Yuan Gongguo, the younger brother of Duke Ming."
"highway?"
Hearing Yuan Shu's name, Yuan Shao sneered: "Since I was defeated in Runan, this guy has been jealous that I won Jizhou. Last month, he even wrote a letter scolding me, saying that I was only lucky enough to be where I am today. He will be with me."
My alliance?”
Compared to the current Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu is also surrounded by enemies on all sides and is in a very bad situation.
Chen Mu had early arranged for Sun Jian to be the nail embedded in Yuzhou, to pin down Cao Cao in the north, and to join forces with Liu Biao in the south to attack Yuan Shu.
Yuan Shu's strength plummeted after the defeat in Runan. Although it has not reached the point of exhaustion, because Jingnan and the west of Yangzhou have been controlled by him, and he still has more than 100,000 troops under his command.
But after Chen Wen's death, Yuan Shu had not had time to digest the entire Yangzhou territory, so the imperial court sent Liu Yao over. Starting from Jiangdong, he barely had 10,000 or 20,000 people to compete with him.
Then came the allied forces of Sun Jian and Liu Biao who were pursuing and fighting fiercely. In addition, the situation in Jiangdong was extremely chaotic at that time. There were rogue bandits and small groups of warlords emerging one after another. There was even an additional Cao Cao in the north. As a result, Huainan and other places were in chaos and smog, and Yuan Shu was deeply troubled.
Trapped in the quagmire of war.
Although Yuan Shu is still the strongest among these princes, being the strongest means that he will be united to attack. In order to prevent Yuan Shu from annexing Jiangdong, all the surrounding forces sent troops to suppress him.
Some attract attention from the front, some sneak attack from the flank, some dig out eggs from behind, hugging legs and holding hands, intrigues, open and covert attacks, making Yuan Shu very passive, like a lion being besieged by a pack of jackals.
Overwhelming.
Therefore, Yuan Shu once wrote a letter asking Yuan Shao to send troops to help him. As long as he went south to contain Sun Jian, he could get rid of Liu Yao and occupy the entire Huainan. However, after being rejected by Yuan Shao, he became angry and wrote an angrily letter to Yuan Shao.
After scolding him, Er Yuan completely turned against him.
Liu Hui said with a smile: "Ming Gong's words are wrong. Tai Shigong once said, "Every bustle in the world is for benefit, and the hustle and bustle in the world is for benefit." Fan Zeng also said that this is the case at the same time, as long as there is the right benefit.
, Yuan Gongli will not refuse."
"How do you say this?"
Yuan Shao asked.
Liu Hui said: "Now Cao Cao is forced to leave by Lu Bu and retreats to Xuzhou. Xuzhou is close to Huainan. Yuan Highway is very close to the north to attack Cao Cao. Cao Cao and Lu Bu are already as powerful as fire and water. If Ming Gong takes the lead and lets Lu Bu and Yuan Shu form an alliance, the two will be able to attack Cao Cao."
If they attack Cao at the same time, then one person will be divided into Xuzhou and the other Yanzhou, and Yuan Shu will definitely agree."
"At that time, Duke Ming can also help persuade Lu Bu to restrain Sun Jian, and Yuan Shu can attack Liu Yao and gain the land east of the Yangtze River. In order to prevent this from happening, Liu Bei will definitely lead his troops south to rescue Cao Cao and Sun Jian."
"When chaos broke out in Henan and Liu Bei's frontline troops were transferred south, Duke Ming immediately attacked Gongsun Zan and joined forces with Gongsun Du to eliminate him. In this way, all the land in the north would be in Duke Min's hands, waiting for Liu Bei to deal with it.
Regarding matters in the south, when we go north, it will be too late. Ming Gong’s foundation has been completed and it is already unstoppable in the north!"
At the end of the sentence, Liu Hui touched his beard and showed a proud smile.
This strategy was carefully planned by him. He united with Lu Bu and Yuan Shu in the south and Gongsun Du in the north. They worked with Gongsun Du to contain Gongsun Zan, and used Lu Bu and Yuan Shu to contain Sun Jian, Liu Biao, Cao Cao and Liu Bei. As long as Yuan Shao was free to take Gongsun Zan first, and after clearing the north, then Jizhou
The rise is already a fact, and Liu Bei has no choice but to do anything.
At that time, sweep across Qingzhou with great momentum, seize all the land in Qingzhou, then go south to sweep Henan, Jiangnan, Jingzhou and other places, and then send troops to Guanzhong Yizhou. The great cause of the world will belong to the Yuan family!
"Zi Hui's plan is really quick."
Shen Pei thought for a while and praised: "And the most powerful thing is that this plan seems to help Lu Bu and Yuan Shu grow stronger, but Liu Bei will never let Cao Cao and Sun Jian be defeated, so he will definitely lead the army to go out. When the time comes, not only Gongsun Zan will
If they are defeated by Ming Gong, even Lu Bu and Yuan Shu will not become stronger, but will be in danger of destruction."
"I always feel it's not that simple."
Xin Ping frowned and said, "Don't Liu Bei know that if he leaves, Gongsun Zan will be unable to support him alone? I'm afraid that even if this plan works, Qingzhou will not be able to mobilize many troops if it sends people south."
"It's true that we can't mobilize many troops."
Liu Huidao: "But don't forget that there is Luoyang. If my prediction is correct, Liu Bei will transfer some from the front line and most of them from Luoyang. He will definitely think that we dare not attack Luoyang."
"We want to attack Luoyang?"
Yuan Shao was puzzled.
Nowadays, Luoyang and Jizhou are in the same situation, but after all, Luoyang is the orthodoxy recognized by most princes. A dozen of them will easily stir up a hornet's nest.
What's more, Luoyang is very difficult to fight. Yuan Shao saw it with his own eyes back then. As long as his troops retreated from Hanoi and relied on the Eight Passes of Luoyang, even with only tens of thousands of people, they would be enough to withstand his army of more than 100,000.
Liu Hui shook his head: "Of course we cannot attack Luoyang. On the contrary, we must try our best to show our goodwill to the court and must not offend Liu Yu."
"Why?"
Yuan Shao asked confused.
"Because as long as we don't offend Liu Yu, we won't have any worries and will do our best to destroy Gongsun Zan."
Liu Hui explained: "Gong Bo'an is not a puppet emperor. He can command Liu Bei and the Luoyang soldiers and horses. If Ming Gong can make friends with the Luoyang emperor, accept him as his orthodoxy, pay tribute, and declare himself a vassal, all the blame will be passed on to Wang Fen.
With the hope of the Yuan family and the support of the imperial disciples and former officials, I believe that Duke Bo'an will not press too hard. As long as Luoyang does not attack Wei County, we can deal with Gongsun Zan with confidence and boldness."
Showing favor to Luoyang?
Yuan Shao frowned and began to think carefully.
What is the fundamental reason why Luoyang and Jizhou are in a life-and-death dispute?
It was Wang Fen who established a false emperor.
Luoyang is orthodox, so it is natural to attack the false emperor.
Now there are three emperors in the world, Luoyang, Jizhou, and Yizhou. Yizhou is too far away to control for the time being. Jizhou is close at hand. Who should I target if I don't target you?
Therefore, Jizhou has been in a difficult situation in recent years, and it is partly because they are contrary to orthodoxy.
For example, Yuan Shao felt that Cao Cao was an ally worth fighting for before, but Cao Cao could only tactfully advise him in his letter to respect orthodoxy and not go further down the path of rebellion, and refused to form an alliance with him at all.
Only Yuan Shao himself can experience the price of betraying orthodoxy.
"Well, that makes sense."
Yuan Shao thought for a moment and nodded: "I know what to do."
"Ming Gong is wise."
Many counselors bowed their hands in salute.
They had no idea about the pseudo-emperor in Jizhou, and they considered it purely from the perspective of interests.
After all, this is not the time for Wang Fen. Since the existence of Jizhou's pseudo-emperor is a burden to Jizhou and does more harm than good, why keep him?
Liu Hui added: "Lü Bu escaped from Jizhou and took the land of Yanzhou, which proves that this person is a capricious villain. As long as it is profitable, he will definitely agree. Yuan Shu is eager to get out of the predicament and get out of the trap of being besieged on all sides. As long as Ming Gong gives it.
I heard that Lu Bu has a daughter, and if we can bring about a marriage between the two families, the situation in the south will be even more chaotic."
Shen Pei agreed: "Yes, if the alliance between Lu Bu and Yuan Shu is closer, then Cao Cao and Sun Jian will be more dangerous, and Liu Bei will send more troops to rescue them. This move will be of no benefit to Duke Ming."
It is harmful. When they are united in the land of Henan and Huainan, Ming Gong can fish in troubled waters, attack Gongsun Zan, and then go south."
"good."
Yuan Shao stood up and said to Liu Hui: "Zi Hui, I order you to be the envoy to Yuan Shu and Lu Bu."
"only!"
Liu Hui bowed his hand and accepted the order happily.