The warm sunshine of early spring shines softly on the earth, and the grass struggles to emerge from the soil, greedily sucking the fresh air, and raises its head high to the sky.
People say that the spring breeze in February is like scissors, but in Youzhou, the spring breeze in January is like a cold and sharp knife, which hurts people's faces as if they were cutting flesh.
At this time, Guangyang County was not yet the capital of the vast country that it would become in later generations. There were no high-rise buildings, and there were no second, third, fourth, or fifth rings.
In addition to the dilapidated county town of Jixian, which has experienced vicissitudes of life, there are even more desolate and vast plains.
Youzhou is not outside the Great Wall, but it has a bit of the majestic beauty outside the Great Wall, with undulating hills and overlapping mountain valleys. In early spring, the mountains and rivers are green. If it weren't for the sharp cold wind, it would still add a bit of the charm of the southern country.
But this exceptionally enchanting beauty was broken by blood and war.
At this moment, in a rural pavilion in Guangyang County, about twenty miles southwest of Jixian County, Yuyang Prefect Zou Dan led three thousand remaining soldiers to fight with difficulty against the Xianbei people.
When the sky in the east turned white, the Xianbei people's attack began. Around the gate of the camp, more than 600 Gongsun Zan's troops and more than 2,000 enemies launched a desperate struggle.
Hundreds of Xianbei soldiers formed a square formation more than a hundred steps outside the village gate, eagerly waiting for the opportunity to attack; more Xianbei soldiers carried broadswords and howled like wolves, riding on the wall.
There are more than ten wooden ladders on the wall, like ants swarming up.
The roars, echoes, weapons blocking, and pitiful howls and groans on the wall almost never stopped.
From sunrise to Yuzhong, the whole morning, the front of the camp was being tested at any time, and there was no end in sight to the fierce fighting.
A section of the wall less than 80 steps away was spattered with the blood of soldiers from both sides. In many places, the tawny rammed earth was completely soaked with blood, turning it into a dark red color.
Cast iron helmets and flip-leaf hats were visible on the wall, and bald and broken arrows and broken weapons were scattered on the floor.
The corpses of soldiers from both sides who died in battle were piled randomly in the corners on both sides of the village wall. Some of the corpses had severed limbs and were kicked and trampled under people's feet before they could be moved. The battle was so intense that no one could spare the manpower to clean up the battlefield.
Offensive and defensive wars were taking place everywhere in the entire camp. The gate of the camp was already in danger. Further away, the main force of the Xianbei people was watching from a distance. At this juncture, Zou Dan, who was familiar with the battles of the Hu people, knew very well that he must not use the troops at hand.
Use all the troops. Once the ambush is gone, what awaits him is a full-scale encirclement and suppression by the Hu people.
After the village gate changed hands several times, but was always recaptured by the Youzhou people in a death squad-like situation, the Hu people in the distance could no longer hold back, and a horn sounded like a wolf howling, and the cavalry on the left and right flanks of Qian Man
He boldly moved out and attacked here. He obviously had no patience to continue to pester.
This time, Kuitou went south to conquer Youzhou. He achieved a lot of victory in the early stage and gained a lot. His prestige in the hearts of all Xianbei people suddenly increased. The nomads worshiped the strong, and even more worshiped those who could lead them to prosperity and to a place where they would not be defeated.
The big shot is destined to starve to death and freeze to death.
Back then, Tan Shihuai was able to achieve the glorious achievement of unifying Xianbei and even suppressing the great Han Dynasty. He relied on the vision of an eagle and the cunning of a wolf. All Xianbei people respected him from the bottom of their hearts.
.
Even the stupid He Lian could inherit the position of Tan Shihuai and Xianbei Han in the early stage, also relying on Tan Shihuai's prestige.
When he found that he could no longer control the entire Xianbei tribe with his own abilities, he brazenly launched a war against the Han Dynasty. As a result, even he died under the city gate outside Beidi, causing the powerful Xianbei to collapse and go to war.
Split.
This is Xianbei.
The strong get stronger and are respected by everyone, while the weak get weaker and are abandoned by everyone.
The prestige of the leader has soared, which makes Qianman, who is only sixteen years old, feel threatened. As he gets older, he always wants to restore the glory of his grandfather.
But the three cousins are also descendants of his grandfather and have the right to inherit. What he can use is his identity as the son of He Lian.
However, as the leader becomes stronger, this identity can no longer be the reason for him to fight for the leadership. If he doesn't do something, when everything is settled and even the people of his own tribe are willing to admit the leader's status, then everything will be over.
It's too late.
Capturing Guangyang and seizing Gongsun Zan's richest area was the time for Qian Man to prove himself.
The eastern Xianbei is growing day by day, how could the central Xianbei not know the reason?
Gongsun Zan, with the power of Youzhou Mu and Du Liao General, almost monopolized the entire commerce outside the Great Wall. Not only did he go out to buy and sell goods personally, he even set up chambers of commerce and opened mutual markets at the Yuyang border, attracting Youzhou merchants and Xianbei Wuhuan people to settle in.
Directly pump water and collect taxes.
As a cargo transfer station, Guangyang connects the port of Quanzhou to the east and intersects with the land route Zhuojun to the south. Jixian County became Gongsun Zan's base camp, and many of his gold, silver, jewelry, and baggage goods were stored here.
If Qianman could capture this place, it would bring great benefits to Xianbei in central China. Therefore, when Kuitou Budugen Fu Luohan and others were in Shanggu Zhuo County, they met with Gongsun Zan's younger brother Gongsun Yue and Shanggu Yuyang.
When Wuhuan, Nanlou, Pufulu and others in the area were fighting, he led his troops to attack Guangyang.
As long as Guangyang is captured and all of Gongsun Zan's wealth is captured, the significance of this battle will be far greater than if the chief leader leads their central Xianbei south to win. At that time, Qian Man will be able to seize the tribal leader's
Position, maybe even unify Xianbei.
The young Qianman was riding on his horse, looking at the war in the distance, already ambitious in his heart.
"The Han people can't hold on anymore, kill them!"
The Xianbei troops in front had won consecutive battles and had captured the village gate and entered the front camp.
Zou Dan had no choice but to send out all the remaining troops. He even went into battle himself and killed several people with his own hands. However, he still could not stop the Xianbei people who were attacking rapidly. The main camp was almost crumbling and was about to collapse.
Strictly speaking, Gongsun Zan's strength is not weak. His total number of cavalry and infantry is 50,000 or 60,000. With the Xianbei Wuhuan troops and horses that can be borrowed, the total number of troops can still exceed 100,000.
But Wuhuan Xianbei is a mother if she has breasts, and he never cares about who has a good relationship with him. Although Gongsun Zan paid a high price, Yuan Shao could also pay for it.
Historically, Nanlou was a member of Yuan Shao's group, as well as Qiu Liju, who had a grudge against Gongsun Zan, and Wuhuan leader Tadun, who inherited the Qiu Liju tribe, etc. Since Yuan Shao chose to lead the central Xianbei to the south, how could he not be wary of Gongsun Zan?
Potential allies?
Therefore, including Nanlou, the surrounding Wuhuan people had been attracted by Yuan Shao. However, Nanlou hesitated for a long time, and finally thought that Gongsun Zan had been friends with their tribe for so many years, so he rejected Yuan Shao's proposal.
Tadun formed an alliance with Wuyan and Su Puyan, two Wuhuan leaders, and attacked the Youbeiping and Yuyang areas together. Then they happened to meet Huaitou and Suli of the eastern Xianbei who were going south to support Gongsun Zan. The two sides fought at
In the area of Youbeiping and Yuyang, there was a stalemate between each other's victory and defeat.
It is worth mentioning that this Sophora japonica is not from the same tribe as the Kuitou of Xianbei in central China. One is the Kui of the leader, and the other is the Sophora japonica of the Sophora japonica tree.
The later Yuwen tribe was the continuation of Huaitou. Together with the later Murong tribe, Tuoba tribe, Duan tribe, Tufa tribe and Qifu tribe, they were listed as one of the six Xianbei tribes during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.
The name of the Xianbei tribe is not static, but is based on the name of the tribal leader. At that time, the Xianbei people did not have surnames. It was not until the Wei and Jin Dynasties that they had surnames, and clans gradually developed, and the six major Xianbei tribes were fixed.
At this time, the leader of Huaitou was called Huaitou, and he and Suli, the leader of Suli tribe, were originally enemies. The two sides competed with each other for pasture on the grassland. However, this time Gongsun Zan was killed, and it was rare for the two rivals to join forces to help.
It is indeed because Gongsun Zan's trade on the border brought them too much convenience and allowed the tribe to grow.
But no matter what, the Wuhuan people have become the biggest variable. Because in the early years, the three Wuhuan tribes, Qiu Liju, Wuyan, and Su Puyan, rebelled against the imperial court and launched a rebellion with Zhang Chunzhang, which resulted in Gongsun Zan not being able to do anything at all in these years.
They refused to trade with them and often suppressed them, causing both sides to become mortal enemies.
Tadun inherited his uncle's tribe, and naturally inherited his uncle's hatred. Yuan Shao roped them in and added insult to injury. As a result, Youzhou was in chaos at this time, with various tribes fighting against each other. Gongsun Zan did not return, lacking a backbone, and each tribe's reinforcements were fighting independently.
.
Nanlou and Gongsun Yue fought together in Shanggu of Zhuojun and Xianbei in the central part. Zou Dan defended Guangyang. The reinforcements from Xianbei in the east and Wuhuan Tadun fought in Youbeiping and Yuyang. The whole Youzhou was like fire and water.
War is everywhere.
Qian Man chose a very good time at this time, because Zou Dan received Gongsun Yue's request for help, so he led his troops to Liangxiang to help. As a result, he met Qian Man in the wilds of Guangyang. Zou Dan did not have many troops, so he could only stay where he was.
Build a stronghold to defend yourself. Once he is defeated and there is no one to protect Guangyang County, Gongsun Zan's large amount of wealth will be plundered and his strength will be greatly weakened.
After the front camp was lost, Zou Dan led the death squad to hold on to the middle camp. The cold wind in early spring was still blowing, and the whole camp was covered with blood. The Xianbei people were like a black cloud, trying to destroy the entire camp.
"withdraw!"
Zou Dan's face was covered in blood. He killed several people with his hands, but he still could not stop the steady stream of Xianbei soldiers. He could only look at the camp gate with hatred and chose to retreat to the back camp.
The rear camp was mostly filled with baggage, and if he really couldn't hold it, he would have no choice but to burn it all with fire, leaving not a single grain for the enemy.
However, at this moment, he suddenly heard the desolate horns and the passionate and magnificent drums.
Where did the war drum come from?
Zou Dan was stunned for a moment and then became ecstatic. The Xianbei people could only use horns and bone whistles, but not drums. Only the Han people could use drums, trumpets, gongs and other musical instruments as marching and fighting commands.
More importantly, only the Youzhou Army, Xiliang Army and Bingzhou Army would use horns in war. Because they lived in the frontier for a long time and there were many Hu people in their ranks, they would use Hu bugles.
This means that this team using horns and drums must be the Youzhou Army.
Gongsun Yue is still in a bitter war, so who else besides Gongsun Zan?
Thinking of this, Zou Dan ordered the soldiers to shout that reinforcements were coming, and hurriedly climbed to a tower in the back camp to watch.
I saw an army coming in a mighty and mighty manner over the vast wilderness in the southeast direction.
The flag above bears the word "Gongsun" in large letters, and Youzhou Mu is embroidered in the lower right corner.
Gongsun Zan is really back.
"The general is back, the general is back!"
Zou Dan kept shouting to the soldiers under the tower, and all the soldiers could hear him clearly.
"The general is back, kill him!"
"Kill these Xianbei bastards!"
"Brothers, rush with me!"
When they heard that Gongsun Zan was back, the morale of the soldiers was greatly boosted. One moment they were on the verge of collapse, but the next moment they burst out with the courage to counterattack in desperate situations, beating back the Xianbei people who had invaded the rear camp.
When the Qianman tribe in the distance saw the arrival of enemy reinforcements, there was a sudden commotion. After a while, the retreating bone whistle sounded, and the sharp cry of an eagle pierced the void and resounded throughout the battlefield.
After hearing this order, the Xianbei people immediately abandoned their opponents who wanted to fight to the death with them, turned around and ran away. One by one they ran out of the camp, got on their horses, and flew back to the plains to the west.
Qian Man hopes that he can achieve greater results and win more benefits. But he does not want his tribe to suffer the most losses. There is no need to continue this battle.
After shouting, the Xianbei people retreated like a tide towards Zhuojun in the west.
Gongsun Zan had few cavalry and it was difficult to catch up, so he just came to the vicinity of the camp and saw Zou Dan coming out to greet him from a distance, covered in blood.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "General!"
Zou Dan knelt down on one knee.
Gongsun Zan looked down at him from his horse and said, "What are you doing here?"
"Zhuojun was in danger, and the three generals asked me to go to support them. I met the Xianbei people on the way, and I had no choice but to form a stronghold to defend myself."
Zou Dan explained.
He only has more than 4,000 people, and it is extremely difficult for him to be able to hold on until now.
Seeing this situation, Gongsun Zan nodded and said: "Very good, you take the remaining troops back to Guangyang to rest first, and I will go to support you."
"only!"
Zou Dan then retreated.
Now there are wars everywhere in Youzhou. Zhuojun has gathered most of the Xianbei troops in the central part of the country and is in danger. Gongsun Zan must go there.
Although he only has more than 10,000 remnant soldiers under his command now, he has the confidence to return to Youzhou. Therefore, the morale of all the soldiers is high. As long as their General Gongsun comes back, he will be like a god, and he will surely make Xiaoxiao around him easy to capture.
...
...
But when Gongsun Zan returned to Youzhou, Yuan Shao in Bohai County was furious.
"A bunch of trash!"
In Zhangwu County, Yuan Shao stared at many of his generals fiercely, as if he wanted to tear them into pieces.
So many people surrounded Gongsun Zan and blocked him at the mouth of the river. It was difficult for him to fly, but in the end they let him run away. How could he not be angry?
That day, Gao Gan thought Gongsun Zan was heading south and chased him all night, but found no horse hoof prints or fresh excrement. He became suspicious and searched some fishermen on the beach, and then asked some questions.
The fishermen told Gao Gan that several large ships and dozens of small and medium-sized boats came from the south the day before and stopped at the mouth of the sea.
Since Qingzhou and Youzhou have been trading with each other for more than ten years, merchant ships will occasionally stop to buy some local products from fishermen on the seaside and sell them to Youzhou. Therefore, local fishermen know that these are merchant ships from Qingzhou.
After learning that Gongsun Zan was actually transported away by the Qingzhou merchant ship, the senior officials had no choice but to go back and report to Yuan Shao. Although there was good news, that is, Ju Yi was dead, this did not hinder Yuan Shao's bad mood.
Strictly speaking, Ju Yi's death is also bad news.
Because Yuan Shao originally planned to kill Ju Yi after getting rid of Gongsun Zan, but he did not expect that Gongsun Zan did not die and Ju Yi died again, which caused him a lot of losses.
This made Yuan Shao very angry and glared at the generals. Everyone, including senior officials, trembled and did not dare to look directly at him.
After a while, Xu You stood up and said: "Ben Chu, this is not the time to lose your temper. We should find a way to continue the pursuit. If we cannot deal with Gongsun Zan completely, we will be in big trouble when he regains his strength."
Yuan Shao also looked heroic at this time, slowly regaining his composure, and whispered: "He has returned to Youzhou, and many Hu tribes around him are listening to his orders. How can we pursue him again?"
Xu You's eyes were serious and he said: "Is it possible that I have forgotten that there is another person who is eyeing Youzhou with covetous attention?"
"who?"
"Gongsundu of Western Liaoning."
"Gongsundu?"
"good."
Xu You said: "Now the situation in Youzhou is corrupted. The Xianbei in the central part, the Wuhuan masters, and the Xianbei in the east are all fighting together. It will be difficult for Gongsun Zan to coordinate his forces in a short time. Gongsundu in western Liaoning is adjacent to Youbeiping, and Gongsun Zan
Doing business with the barbarians and getting rich day by day will definitely make him jealous. If there is an opportunity to take advantage of others' danger, wouldn't he be tempted?"
Yuan Shao muttered: "After all, Gongsun Zan's power in the north is huge, Gongsun Du may not dare to offend him."
"People die for wealth and birds die for food. This is an eternal truth."
Xu You continued: "As long as Gongsun Du promised that Youzhou would belong to him, and all Gongsun Zan's business would belong to him, I don't believe that he would not take the bait. Besides, we will also send troops, as long as Gongsun Du believes that Gongsun Zan is very likely to do so.
If he dies in this war, then he will definitely agree. When the two sides are caught, Gongsun Zan will be exhausted."
"Ming Gong, I also think this strategy is feasible."
Liu Hui also stood up and said: "Anyway, there is no loss. We only need to send a lobbyist. If it can be done, Gongsun Zan will undoubtedly die."
This strategy actually coincides with the great man's saying "Unite all those who can be united."
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
There are irreconcilable conflicts between Xianbei in the central region and Tadun and Gongsun Zan. The interests of both parties are entangled. Yuan Shao can win them over. So Gongsun Du and Gongsun Zan are neighboring forces. One is poor and the other is rich. How could Gongsun Du not covet Gongsun Zan?
wealth.
After all, although both of them have the surname Gongsun, they are not from the same clan.
One is the Gongsun family from Lingzhi in western Liaoning, and the other is the Gongsun family from Xiangping in eastern Liaoning. According to the geographical classification of later generations, Gongsun Zan is from Tangshan, Hebei, and Gongsun Du is from Liaoyang, Liaoning. They are not next to each other.
Now that Gongsun Zan is in trouble, Gongsun Du is just watching from the side. If there is a chance to grab a handful, I don't believe that he doesn't want to plunder Gongsun Zan's wealth.
Hearing that both Xu You and Liu Hui thought it was feasible, Yuan Shao nodded and said, "Okay, let's do it like this."
At this moment, messengers set off from the Bohai Sea and headed all the way to western Liaoning.