A few days later, Liu Bei met with Pufulu and several other Lord Wuhuan who were slightly inferior to Nanlou and Pufulu.

For the Han people, the title "adult" is often called an elder, but for the Wuhuan people, it is an official position, just like the Han people call Jizhou Mu Xunyu "Xunjizhou" and Qingzhou Mu Zhongyao "Zhong Qingzhou".

Therefore, when Liu Bei called Nanlou Pufulu and others, he did not mean that they were elders, but because their position in the Wuhuan tribe was that of Lord Wuhuan, nothing more.

It's just that although Liu Bei has lived in Youzhou for a long time and has proposed many visible and tangible beneficial policies for the Wuhuan tribe, it is not surprising that any large tribe with a population of more than 20,000 will not agree to this matter at all.

The bigger the tribe, the more capital it has. Compared with small tribes that may be destroyed at any time, their sense of survival crisis is not that serious, and naturally they do not want to be controlled by others and become the people of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bei didn't expect much, so he left the rest to Xun Yu. In mid-June, the army began to march eastward, passed Yuyang, and entered the territory of Youbeiping.

At this moment, Gongsun Zan was stationed in Feiru County in western Liaoning.

Since he was driven out of Jizhou by Yuan Shao, his strength was severely damaged and he was no longer able to go south to invade Jizhou. Therefore, in a rage, he launched an attack on Tadun, Su Puyan, Wuyan and Gongsundu who had stabbed him in the back.

However, the strength of the four of them should not be underestimated, because Tadun and others have also developed over the years. They have repeatedly plundered the Han people in Youzhou, and they have also united with Wuhuan Chanyu Louban in Western Liaoning, Wuhuan Chanyu Nengchen in Youbeiping, etc., and the coalition forces are mighty.

The total strength of the army exceeded 100,000.

Although Xu Rong attacked from south to north in Lelang County and contained most of Gongsun Du's troops, Gongsun Zan only had a small number of troops and relied on the support of Wuhuan Xianbei, who was friends with him, to gain the upper hand, so he was quite embarrassed.

.

After several years of fighting, facing the powerful Tadun Wuhuan and his ally Gongsun Du, Gongsun Zan has not made much progress. So far, he has only captured part of western Liaoning.

Shan Yuting of Tadun tribe is located in the Bailang Mountain area of ​​Liucheng in the eastern part of western Liaoning. He has more than 300,000 people and a large number of cavalry, and he has quite terrifying strength.

The most important thing is that the stirrups have been mastered by the Wuhuan people, and the strength of the cavalry with stirrups has increased dramatically.

Therefore, Gongsun Zan occupied Lulongsai in the north and Linyuguan in the south, which was later known as Shanhaiguan area in Qinhuangdao. It was very difficult to send troops to Liucheng. The Yanshan Mountains stretching for hundreds of miles was an insurmountable gap.

When Liu Bei was in Zhuoxian, he wrote many letters to Gongsun Zan. Gongsun Zan felt very uncomfortable when he read these letters every day.

Overnight, the little brother who used to follow him now became the emperor, and he had to bow down and salute him. For Gongsun Zan, who had a strong self-esteem, it was simply an unacceptable thing.

If the little brother is in trouble and comes to see him as the big brother, Gongsun Zan has a strong personality and loyalty. He will definitely wave his hand and help as much as possible.

But now that his little brother has become rich and stands on his head, Gongsun Zan has mixed emotions.

Because Gongsun Zan is actually a person with a fiery temperament, but he cannot be magnanimous. To put it simply, he is a person who values ​​loyalty, but he is also petty-minded, and sometimes he does not want others to be kind to him, especially his former followers.

.

Gently rubbing the letter in his hand with his fingertips, Gongsun Zan raised his head and said to Tian Yu with a worried look on his face: "Guorang, am I..."

Tian Yu knew what he wanted to say, and sighed: "Mr. Ming, Mr. Xuande and you are close friends. Even after he ascended the throne and became emperor, he never underestimated your friendship with him. Mr. Xuande has never failed.

Sir, why did you betray Mr. Xuande?"

"this......"

His words immediately moved Gongsun Zan. He closed his eyes and sighed: "Yes, Xuande has never failed me. I can't bear it in my heart. He is my close friend and a descendant of the Han Dynasty. It is natural for him to ascend the throne as emperor."

I should, but I just..."

"Ming Gong."

Tian Yu added: "I have been thinking before that although Youzhou is in chaos, it is only a minor trouble. Why did Duke Xuande insist on coming to Youzhou in person?"

Gongsun Zan frowned and said, "What do you mean?"

Tian Yu said: "Before, Duke Ming thought that Duke Xuande was here to attack Duke Ming, but in those letters, he was very sincere and said that as long as he was around, Duke Ming would rule Youzhou forever. It can be seen that Duke Xuande was not here.

I have no such intention. If it is just to attack Gongsun Du of Tadun, it is enough to send a general. There is no need to expend troops on an expedition."

"Um."

Gongsun Zan nodded. He had heard before that Liu Bei was personally conquering Youzhou, and he was still wondering if he had offended Liu Bei by not submitting a letter of submission.

But later Liu Bei wrote to him many times, telling him how much he missed his friendship, so he naturally gave up the idea.

Although Youzhou is in chaos, it is remote after all, and the problems in the hinterland of the Central Plains have not yet been resolved. There is no need for Liu Bei to make a special trip.

Tian Yu continued: "I'm afraid Mr. Xuande came here specifically to untie Mr. Ming's knot."

"Is that so?"

Gongsun Zan sat at the banquet and fell into deep thought.

Three days later, Liu Bei's army passed Wu Zhong, Jun Mi, Xu Wu et al., entered Beiping County, entered the western Liaoning territory, and arrived at Lingzhi.

Gongsun Zan's army had troops stationed at Lingzhi. Without Gongsun Zan's order, they did not dare to let Liu Bei's army enter the city, but there was no conflict between the two sides.

Liu Bei ordered the army to camp five miles outside the city. He himself mounted the Luma and prepared to go alone to Feiru, fifty miles away, with only dozens of followers to protect him.

At this time, Zhang Liao, Gao Shunxian, Yu Fu, Zhang Yan and other generals learned the news and rushed to stop him at the entrance of the camp, trying to persuade him.

"His Majesty."

Zhang Liao desperately held on to Lu Ma's reins and tried his best to persuade him: "The army is just preparing to set up camp at this time. Why would your Majesty abandon the army and go to Feiruluo alone?"

"Who leaked the news?"

Liu Bei looked around and was very angry. This was his own decision. He only asked his attendants to accompany him. Unexpectedly, the news leaked out.

A young general stood up and said: "Your Majesty, it was I who informed General Zhang Liao of the news."

"Chen got you!"

Liu Bei was angry for a moment and raised his whip to whip him.

Unexpectedly, Chen didn't hide when he arrived. He lowered his head stubbornly and continued to hold his hands, as if to tell him that he was right!

Seeing him like this, Liu Bei couldn't bear to slap him anymore and put his hand down.

Chen Dao was from Runan, Yuzhou, and Runan was Sun Jian's territory. However, there were many bandits at that time, but Yingchuan and Luoyang were very safe, and the court also distributed land.

Therefore, Chen Dao's family moved to Xinzheng County, Henan County six years ago.

Chen Dao was only fifteen years old at the time. After arriving in Henan with his family, he worked diligently in the fields and practiced martial arts and exercised his body every day.

Until the beginning of this year, the imperial court carried out military reorganization, eliminated the old and weak, and recruited new recruits. The 21-year-old Chen Dao enlisted in the army.

Because of his excellent martial arts skills, having killed bandits before, and having seen blood, he was not timid on the battlefield, so he was quickly selected as Liu Bei's bodyguard, and was deeply loved by Liu Bei.

But Liu Bei never expected that Chen Dao, who considered himself the most loyal, leaked the news to Zhang Liao!

Zhang Liao was afraid that he would really fight, so he hurriedly came over to persuade him: "Your Majesty, I am also afraid that your Majesty will be in danger if he goes forward with only a few dozen guards. He hopes that I will send a large army to follow him. I have no ill intentions."

Liu Bei took advantage of the slope to get off the donkey and snorted coldly: "I have been close friends with Gongsun Bogui for many years. How can it be dangerous to go to his city?"

"Your Majesty, General Wenyuan is not referring to General Gongsun, but to the current chaos in Youzhou."

At this time, Tian Chou, who was previously engaged by Liu Yu and later assisted Xian Yufu in persuading Yan Rou, Kebi Neng and others to participate in the overthrow of Yuan in Youzhou, stepped forward.

He is now Liu Bei's counselor and has been recruited as a doctor to participate in politics, so he also came up to persuade: "Now, why don't Tadun and others know that your majesty is going to conquer the north? Although your majesty is from Youzhou, you should come to Peiping less, and where you live

If you are not familiar with it, if you encounter an enemy..."

"Forehead......."

Liu Bei thought so. It was true that he was from Youzhou, but in his early years he traveled all over the country and only visited some places in Hebei during his study tours. He had never been to Youbeiping, so he was really unfamiliar with this place.

Previously, we had found a local to lead the way to Feiru, but now I thought about it, wouldn’t it be bad if we were scattered when we encountered enemies?

For a moment, Liu Bei also felt regretful for his impulsiveness, thinking that he should not be so rash.

Tian Chou smiled and said: "If Your Majesty insists on going, I can lead the way. But the road is difficult, and Karasuma people often come to attack you, so you still have to be prepared."

Zhang Liao immediately said: "Please escort your Majesty."

Liu Bei thought for a while and said: "Wenyuan has the heavy responsibility of a large army, so it is better to stay in the army to calm the hearts of the people. I will lead another thousand fine cavalry forward. Unless we encounter a large group of enemies, there should be no problem."

Zhang Liao wanted to say something more, but Xun You, who was following him, stopped him and shook his head.

Everyone also knows that Liu Bei has always had a strong character, and even nine oxen can't get him back from something he has determined. Seeing that he has at least given up taking only a few dozen people, and instead brought a thousand fine cavalry, and there is a local Tian Chou leading the way, there should be no problem.

No, so I had no choice but to agree.

Tian Chou himself was from Wuzhong County. According to history, when he learned that Cao Cao was going to send troops to Wuhuan, he immediately gave Cao Cao an idea and asked Cao Cao's army to march lightly. The troops left Lulongsai, crossed the Yanshan Mountains, and headed straight for Liucheng.

Lulongsai is Xifengkou. The famous battle Xifengkou took place in Lulongsai. It can be said that this place has been a strategic location that military strategists have fought for since ancient times.

Liucheng is the Chaoyang City in later generations. This place is not well-known. Many people think it is Chaoyang District, the capital, but it is actually a city in the west of Liaoning. The famous Internet celebrity Chaoyang Winter Swimming Pigeon is from Chaoyang City.

In the Battle of Bailang Mountain, Cao Cao sent Zhang Liao out of Xifengkou, all the way through the mountain road in the eastern section of Yanshan Mountains, and rushed to Bailang Mountain for thousands of miles. He defeated them in formation and massacred the entire Liucheng.

The whole strategy seems simple, but in fact the Yanshan Mountains have complex terrain and steep mountain roads. If you are not a local, it is easy to get lost in the mountains and forests.

If Tian Chou had not led the way, Cao Jun would have been trapped in the Yanshan Mountains, let alone heading straight to Liucheng.

Therefore, it can be said that Tian Chou is very familiar with the roads here.

Under the leadership of Tian Chou, Liu Bei led more than a thousand cavalry and headed northeast.

As expected, there were countless mountains and ridges along the way, and the road was difficult to walk. It was clear that Zhili Feiru only had more than fifty miles, which was about twenty kilometers, but they walked for nearly an hour and a half, and the speed was only a little faster than walking.

From the beginning of the afternoon until the third quarter of the day, it happened to be summer, and the sun was shining brightly in the north. The group of people walked profusely with sweat, and finally arrived outside Feiru City before the sun set.

Ling Zhicheng had already sent someone to deliver the message, and the people in Fat Rucheng knew that Liu Bei was coming. Who among Gongsun Zan's men didn't know that their general was on good terms with Liu Bei? From a distance, they saw the flag with the surname "Liu" tattooed with a golden dragon waving, and they quickly

He hurriedly ran to the city to report the news to Gongsun Zan.

Gongsun Zan was having dinner at this time. When he heard Liu Bei coming, he was very surprised. He turned to his wife and said: "I heard that Xuande had arrived at Lingzhi before. Seeing that it was getting late, I thought he would not come until tomorrow. I didn't expect him to come."
To be continued...