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Chapter 156: Taking the bait

The fall of Anyang happened at the end of December. It was nearly 300 kilometers from Yecheng to the plain. Yuan Tan wanted to pass the news to Yuan Shao. Calculating that the tiger and leopard rode 300 miles in one day and night, it would take two days and two nights.

time.

So when Yuan Shao heard the news, he was surrounding Pingyuan County and working intensively to build a large number of siege equipment in preparation for the siege.

The camp outside the city covers an area of ​​several square kilometers, with tents stretching for more than ten miles, so densely packed that they block out the sky and the sun.

There is the largest tent in the center of the Zhongying Camp. When early spring comes, the cold wind still howls continuously, causing ghosts and gods to cry and howl outside the tent, making a "woo-woo" sound.

In the camp, charcoal was being grilled, and many soldiers gathered together to discuss ways to attack the city.

Yuan Shaogao sat on the main seat, and there was a tiger skin blanket under his seat. Some time ago, a blind South China tiger killed two Yuan Army soldiers who went to cut down trees in the forest. They were killed by Yuan Shao's order.

, the fur became his trophy.

People who stand at the pinnacle of power never need such symbolic things to decorate themselves, but just like Qin Shihuang would go to the Sishui River to salvage Jiuding when he was bored. Since it is a casual thing, why not do it?

Xu You left a few days ago, and Guo Tu was sent to the north because of consecutive defeats. Yuan Shao currently only has three heavyweight advisers, Liu Hui, Shen Pei, and Xun Chen, as well as more than ten other clerks, chief scribes, and long history officers.

, and there were more than twenty generals, large and small, sitting in rows, waiting for Yuan Shao to make his decision.

He just reviewed the plan and concluded that the city of Pingyuan County was strong and the city wall was 3.7 feet high. It would be very difficult to force a breakthrough from the front. Therefore, he proposed that he could build a mountain outside the city and use crossbowmen to shoot arrows on the mountain to suppress the city.

Head Qingzhou Army, and then secretly dig a tunnel behind the mountain.

Yuan Shao thought for a moment and felt that this plan was feasible.

Of course he didn't know that due to the discovery of lime deposits in Linzi and the discovery of volcanic ash deposits in extinct volcanoes in Chaoyang County, Juxian County and other places in the east, Qingzhou had already invented lime pozzolanic cement and smeared it on the walls outside the city and the roads inside the city.

, turning the land in the city into a hard cement ground that was difficult to dig through.

So when faced with the trial match strategy, Yuan Shao just thought about it for a while, then turned to Liu Hui and Xun Chen and said, "Zi Hui, You Ruo, what do you think?"

"Pingyuan City is so impregnable that it is indeed difficult to invade from the outside. We can only dig tunnels."

Liu Hui replied.

Xun Chen did not speak, but slightly nodded his chin to express his agreement.

When Yuan Shao saw that the two of them had no objection, he nodded and said, "Shan, let's use this strategy to attack the city."

"Thank you Ming Gong."

The judge was overjoyed. He had been defeated before. If he could use this strategy to attack the city, he would be able to save his own position.

After Yuan Shao adopted this strategy, he prepared for his soldiers to prepare.

Suddenly at this moment, the soldiers outside shouted from outside the tent: "Ming Gong, there is an urgent message from Yecheng."

"Come in!"

Yuan Shao's face suddenly darkened, and he had a bad feeling in his heart.

He had known about Anyang being flooded before, and originally considered whether to evacuate and go back for rescue, but not long after, Yuan Tan quickly sent a message saying that he had found a way to transport food and grass into the city, so he didn't care anymore.

Now an urgent letter suddenly arrived. Could it be that there is something wrong with Anyang?

Soon, his bad premonition was confirmed. The soldier who brought the message came in, knelt down on one knee and said: "Report, Ming Gong, the city of Anyang has fallen, the Luoyang army has launched a massive attack, and the city of Ye is in turmoil."

"What? Anyang fell?"

"How is this possible? Isn't Anyang City very strong?"

"I heard that the Luoyang army built a dam on the upper reaches of the Huan River, and the water flooded the city and surrounded Anyang."

"Then why didn't Duke Ming send troops back to rescue him before?"

"Ming Gong originally planned to send troops. Later, the eldest son came up with a way to transport food into the city. He wrote back to Ming Gong saying that reinforcements were not needed, so Ming Gong did not send troops back."

"Then why does Anyang, which is so good, fall now?"

"Who knows."

Many generals in the hall were talking incessantly. Yuan Shao, who was in charge, turned darker and darker, his fists were clenched, and the veins on his arms were bulging.

Seeing that the progress on our side is going smoothly, Qingzhou Army has occupied all the large defense areas in the Jiuhe River Basin. Now Qingzhou can only rely on Pingyuan County for defense. After Pingyuan is captured, Qingzhou's last defense area will only be along the Dahe River and Jishui.

He could march straight in and wipe out the entire Qi State.

Unexpectedly, the rear suddenly lost control. Although there were still many soldiers and horses in Yecheng, they were all second-line troops, not elite. Otherwise, there would not have been an army of nearly 100,000 people, but they were still beaten by the Luoyang Sixth Army.

A situation in which thousands of people were pressing down to fight.

Now that Anyang has fallen, tens of thousands more people have been lost. Yecheng's military strength has been greatly reduced. On the other hand, the Luoyang army has great morale and is advancing at a high speed. If we don't ignore it at this time, Yecheng is really in danger of falling.

But now the momentum on my side is obviously very good. If I give up now, all my previous efforts will be in vain. What should I do now?

While Yuan Shao was thinking in his mind, he looked at Liu Huixun, Chen Shenpei and others beside him, wanting to ask their opinions.

Seeing Yuan Shao looking over, Liu Hui said solemnly: "Ming Gong, Yecheng is more important."

"Yes, most of the soldiers' families are in Yecheng. If left alone, once Yecheng is lost, even if Liu Bei is destroyed, the soldiers will probably have no fighting spirit and low morale, making it difficult to compete with the Luoyang court.

"

Xun Chen also said.

"this........"

Yuan Shao's face turned bitter and he felt tightness in his chest. He coughed twice and was about to speak.

Shen Pei hurriedly said: "Ming Gong can first send troops from other places to support. If we withdraw our troops now, all our previous efforts will be wasted. We have finally occupied most of Pingyuan country, and we are about to break through Pingyuan County and capture Liu Bei alive. How can we not

How about leaving after fighting? Then Guan Yunchang and Chen Zigui are the sworn brothers of Liu Xuande and Zhang Yide. As long as Liu Bei and Zhang Fei are captured, these two people will never dare to be enemies with Duke Ming again. Without them, Luoyang can be defeated at a snap of a finger!"

"Well......."

Yuan Shao covered his mouth and looked down at the table in front of him. The three counselors had different opinions, making him not sure how to make a decision.

Over there, Liu Hui was still saying: "To put it lightly, the only troops and horses that can still go to support now are the defenders of Dongjun. However, these troops and horses were taken to Jibei Kingdom by Xu You. Our army is still in the north.

How can we separate our troops from fighting with the Youzhou Army?"

"In the worst case, it's enough to send some troops from Duke Ming's command."

"Haha, the Qingzhou army has 70,000 to 80,000 soldiers. Ming Gong only led an army of more than 100,000 people and sent out tens of thousands of people. The strength of both sides is equal. You don't think that we can break through Qingzhou when there is not much difference in strength.

The city of the army."

"you......."

"alright."

Yuan Shao was so upset by their quarrel that he stood up angrily and said, "You guys, please step aside first and let me think about it."

"Ming Gong......"

Shen Pei looked at him almost pleadingly, this was his last chance.

If he cannot defeat Liu Bei, even if he returns to Yecheng and defeats enemies from all directions, given his previous defeats, he will still be criticized by his political opponents and become a marginal figure like Guo Tu. This is something he cannot allow.

Yuan Shao was about to get angry. Almost at this moment, another soldier suddenly shouted from outside: "Ming Gong, urgent report from Youzhou!"

"What?"

Yuan Shao sat back in his seat, his eyes showing deep shock.

Could it be that something happened in Youzhou too?

Before he could react, the messenger from outside hurried in, knelt on one knee, held the battle report in both hands and said: "Ming Gong, a great victory in Youzhou. General Gao and Gongsun Du of Liaodong attacked from north to south and destroyed Gongsun Zan's camp. Gongsun Zan

After returning from defeat, General Gao asked Duke Ming for instructions on whether to pursue the enemy in depth."

Great victory?

Yuan Shao instantly changed from fear to ecstasy, and hurriedly waved his hand: "Bring the official document and take a look."

The attendant next to him took the official document from the messenger and presented it to him.

Yuan Shao immediately opened it to check.

After quickly reading what happened, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Although as early as last year, he invited Gongsun Du to form an alliance and attack Gongsun Zan together.

However, Gongsun Du's attitude has always been very ambiguous, neither agreeing nor objecting immediately, so Yuan Shao has never been able to figure out his attitude.

Now he finally agreed to form an alliance and sent a large army to sneak attack.

At that time, Gongsun Zan and Xian Yufu attacked Zheng County several times in succession, but failed to capture Zheng County. As a result, they lost all their vigor and the soldiers' combat effectiveness was not particularly high.

In fact, everyone is similar. Although Gongsun Zan and Xian Yufu failed to break through Zheng County with their continuous attacks, Gao Lan and Zhang He also had a very difficult time defending. Their morale was also not high and they were on the verge of collapse.

At that time, Cui Juye, another unit of Yuan's army, was with Guo Tu in Gecheng, less than forty miles away from Zheng County. The two armies supported each other and acted as horns to each other.

When Gongsun Zan and Xian Yufu attacked Zheng County, Cui Juye sent troops to rescue them, and finally helped Gao Lan successfully repel the attack.

Later, Xian Yufu divided his troops to attack Katsuragi.

The reason for the division of troops is because Cui Juye and Gao Lan are mutually exclusive. If Cui Juye is ignored and only attacks Gao Lan in Zheng County, Cui Juye will indeed be a trouble. If he advances, he can attack Yi Jing and threaten the rear of the Youzhou army. If he retreats, he can help Gao Lan's flank.

To retreat the enemy, some troops must be sent to contain it.

The second reason is that the personalities of Gongsun Zan and Xian Yufu are indeed somewhat incompatible. Both sides hate each other, but because they are all fighting against Yuan Shao, there is no quarrel between them.

Originally, even if they divided their forces, both sides still had a large military advantage over Yuan's army. Moreover, in the northern plains, Youzhou's sudden cavalry was very powerful. Gao Lan, Zhang He, Cui Juye and others could only parry, and it was impossible to defeat Gongsun Zan and Xianyu.

auxiliary.

As a result, Gongsun Du made a surprise attack from behind, and he and Gao Lan agreed to raise fire as a signal to attack together. The battle lasted for a day and a night, and Zhang He finally led the army into Gongsun Zan's camp, resulting in Gongsun Zan's defeat and the death and injury of more than 13,000 people.

.If Xian Yufu had not sent troops to rescue him and cover his retreat back to Yi Jing, I am afraid that Gongsun Zan would have been completely wiped out in this battle.

Now Gao Lan wrote to ask if he should send troops to Yi Jing to pursue the victory?

After Yuan Shao read it, he raised the official document in his hand and said loudly: "Everyone, Gongsun Zan has been defeated. Youzhou will not be able to attack us for at least half a year. Gao Guan and Zhang He have done the most great service in this battle. Send me an order.

Zhang Heqian was appointed Zhonglang General of Ning State, and he and Gao Lan were asked to lead 40,000 troops and return south to aid Yecheng."

"Ming Gong is wise!"

The judge was overjoyed and quickly handed her over.

Liu Hui and Xun Chen looked at each other and stopped talking.

Yuan Shao waved his hand and said: "Instruct me to build mountains and dig tunnels. I will definitely break through Pingyuan County and capture Liu Bei alive!"

"only!"

All the soldiers responded, and the decisive battle with Qingzhou was also imminent.

.......

.......

With the fall of Anyang and the turmoil in Yecheng, the morale of the Luoyang army increased greatly and they attacked the Neihuang and Fanyang areas fiercely.

Zhu Jun occupied Anyang, Guan Yu surrounded Neihuang, Zhao Yun's troops marched into Dangyin, and Luoyang's army pressed forward in full force, pressing step by step, putting great pressure on Yuan Tan Fengji of Yecheng.

As I said before, if any state is singled out, their background is far inferior to that of Jizhou. Including Qingzhou, which has developed over the years, it has only accumulated less than 90,000 elite troops, while Luoyang has even less troops, only 60,000.

about.

On the other hand, Jizhou's foundation is too sufficient. It is backed by the vast North China Plain with a total population of more than 6 million. Even with a ratio of farmers to soldiers of 30:1, the total military strength is definitely more than 200,000. The foundation is very strong.

However, under Chen Mu's design, Yuan Shao was surrounded by three sides and contained a large number of troops. At the same time, he used the Eight Passes in Luoyang and the Jiuhe Defense Zone in Qingzhou to make it difficult for Yuan Shao to concentrate his strength and break through a certain place in one go.

In this way, the only person Yuan Shao could eliminate was actually Gongsun Zan in the north. And even Gongsun Zan had Yi Jing, which was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Historically, Gongsun Zan held on to Yi Jing for several years, with more than 300 grains and grass stored in the city.

Wan Hu, if he hadn't been designed by Yuan Shao, it would not have been so easy to annihilate him.

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Therefore, it is actually difficult for Yuan Shao to have enemies on all sides now, and it is difficult to attack any side. Even if he broke through to Pingyuan City, he took advantage of the cold winter month and the Jiuhe River was frozen.

He barely arrived. If it were normal times, the Jiuhe Defense Area, which was densely populated with light, would probably have delayed him for a year or two.

However, although there were flaws in the Jiuhe defense zone due to climate problems, Chen Mu was keenly aware of this and dug several rivers in advance. He followed Cao Cao's strategy and turned Anyang into a lake, forcing Yuan Jun to return to defense and giving Qingzhou that

Alleviating huge pressure.

This is the tacit understanding between Chen Mu and the Qingzhou Advisors. No matter which side Yuan Shao's main force attacks, the other side must cause trouble for Yuan Shao as soon as possible.

If Yuan Shao were to attack Luoyang, Chen Mu would definitely abandon Hanoi, retreat to Mengjinguan, and wait for Qingzhou to launch a general offensive. The same goes for Qingzhou, retreating to the plains and waiting for Luoyang to find an opportunity.

Now everything is developing in the direction Chen Mu expected. After the Black Mountain Army is destroyed, they can also follow the southern foot of Taihang Mountain and use the Zhangshui Ancient Road to break through to the periphery of Ye City. The Luoyang Army is overwhelming and surrounds Ye City. Everything is fine.

Woke up.

In Neihuang County, in the Guan Yu military camp outside the city, Chen Mu was looking at the latest battle report coming from the direction of Luoyang.

Li Jue indeed attacked Huayin some time ago, but was repulsed by Duan Xuan. The imperial court sent 5,000 people to support Duan Xuan, built a city at Tongguan, and began to build a second line of defense. After all, in the eyes of the imperial court, Duan Xuan had not arrived yet.

So sincerely, this is an unavoidable concern.

In addition, Sun Jian also led 10,000 troops northward and occupied Liyang. He sent a letter to Chen Mu, expressing his willingness to join forces with him and attack Neihuang together. Chen Mu replied and asked him to wait for a while.

Wait for him to write a letter and agree to attack together.

Lin Linzongzong still had some things for him to deal with. He was leaning on the desk and was about to write a letter to Zhong Yao in Huai County. At this time, Guan Yu hurriedly broke in and said, "Fourth brother, it's not good."

"oh?"

Chen Mu raised his head and said with a smile: "What's wrong?"

Guan Yu said: "There is a letter from Meng De, saying that Yuan Shu and Lu Bu attacked Yanzhou and Yuzhou together."

"Yuan Shu and Lu Bu?"

Chen Mu touched his chin, nodded slightly and said, "I understand. I have already written a letter to my uncle about this matter, asking him to pay attention to it at any time. When necessary, troops will be sent from Xuzhou."

"Meng De also said that a few days ago, his eldest brother suddenly returned Lu County and Feicheng to Bao Xin. After Yuan Shao's people found out, Yuan Jun from Dongjun went south, bypassed Yangping, and invaded Jibei Kingdom. It seems that he wanted to attack Jibei Kingdom from Lu County.

He and Feicheng attacked Jinan, but Bao Xin couldn't resist and asked us what should we do?"

Guan Yu said again.

Chen Mu laughed: "It doesn't matter, this is Wen Ruo's plan."

"Is there any secret here?"

Guan Yu was puzzled.

Chen Mu patiently explained: "Lu County and Feicheng County are the only ways to bypass Mount Tai and attack Jinan. We have always controlled this place. How could the elder brother not know the importance of these two counties? Suddenly it was returned to Meng De,

It must be a trap. Second brother, don’t forget that behind these two counties is the Qi Great Wall with extremely narrow terrain!”

Chen Mu did not participate in this strategy, but based on his understanding of Xun Yu Jushu and the others, it is impossible for them to abandon such an important pass without foresight when their troops are still sufficient. Therefore, there is only one possibility, and that is that Xun Yu Jushu and others

They designed a move to retreat in order to advance.

The geographical locations of Lu County and Feicheng are indeed important, but they are at the exit of the canyon, and the terrain is large, so it is still possible to avoid it. The farther north you go in the canyon, the narrower the terrain becomes, and the Great Wall of Qi is built in it.

Convenient for ambush.

Hearing Chen Mu's words, Guan Yu felt relieved, stroking his beard and laughing: "That's good. I was shocked when Meng De wrote to me. It's okay."

"Second brother and Meng De have a really good relationship."

Chen Mu said casually: "After the world is established in the future, maybe the second brother can also travel to the frontiers with Mengde, and become famous all over the world like Huo Qubing in the class."

"That would be best!"

Guan Yu narrowed his eyes. His relationship with Cao Cao was indeed very good and they were irreversible.

At this moment, soldiers suddenly came to report from outside.

"Report!"

The soldiers hurriedly entered the camp, knelt on one knee and said: "Youzhou urgently reports that General Gongsun has been defeated!"

"What?"

Chen Mu frowned and said, "What's going on?"

The soldier said: "According to the messenger, Gongsun Du from Liaodong attacked General Gongsun. General Gongsun was defeated and fled back to Yi Jing!"

Gongsundu?

A trace of imperceptible joy flashed in Chen Mu's eyes, Gongsun Du... really took the bait!


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