Chapter 231 Fortunately, Zhou Mu is Xu Zhen! A God-sent person!

"kill!"

Xu Chu didn't give Yuan Shang much chance to think about it. He immediately gave the order and his swordsmen galloped away. Two lieutenants led the cavalry on the left and right to charge. They quickly killed the guards beside Yuan Shang and instantly left him on both sides.

Once it was clear, it was already full of enemy troops.

After a dozen breaths, which was the time it took to charge, only Feng Ji was left beside Yuan Shang.

The moment the knife was placed on his neck, Yuan Shang could no longer bear the trembling of his legs, his lips began to tremble, and he tightened the reins with both hands, not daring to move at all.

After resolving the battle neatly, Xu Chu asked people to kidnap Yuan Shang and Feng Ji, escort them to war horses, and quickly return to the city.

At the same time, messages were sent to the generals who were ambushing troops everywhere, and they were ready to be dispatched as soon as possible.

The pursuit has been pretty good so far. There are not many people in Yanmen, and the city is also very short. Most of them are made of earthen walls, so it is difficult to defend. It would be a waste of military power to capture it.

Moreover, after many years of fighting, its owners have changed countless times. The people here have been running away for countless years, and those who are left behind are old and weak people who cannot leave. Precisely because the population is sparse, there have been very few in recent years.

There are soldiers and horses stationed there, and officials are in charge.

In Bingzhou and Liangzhou, the army was the main force, and the people relied on the army to live by farming, grazing, and raising cattle and horses.

Therefore, Xu Zhen did not need to attack Bingzhou.

At this moment, in Beiping City of Daijun, Yuan Xi's pursuers met Xu Zhen's sword and shield soldiers when they passed by. Gao Shun led the sword and shield soldiers to ambush Yuan Xi's pursuers, causing him to lose some troops from Daijun.

, and then dare not pursue it deeply.

We can only shrink back to the land of Youzhou.

After waiting for a day, the cavalry orders were sent to all armies, and the Jizhou soldiers retreated from various places. They made a lot of gains and captured Yuan Shang and Feng Ji.

Xu Zhen sent the news to Xudu and won a great victory. In addition, the troops and horses of Youzhou and Bingzhou suffered a lot of losses. After reaping the benefits, the situation was excellent.

Xudu, Prime Minister's Mansion.

Cao Cao burst out laughing when he received the letter. Guo Jia, who was nearby, also received the military information. The two looked at each other and smiled, as if they had expected this result.

"After working hard for a year, I captured Yuan Shang. What use do I have with him? Why don't I give him back to Yuan Xi?"

Cao Cao stood up with his hands behind his back and was very happy in the lobby. His joy was beyond words. Guo Jia was also happy at this moment. He smiled and said: "The matter in Northern Xinjiang does not seem to be a trouble. Youzhou and Bingzhou, Bowen

It can be won within a year or two. The people are very excited about the spring plowing this year, and there will definitely be a full warehouse of grain and grass for the autumn harvest."

"Now that the situation is getting better and better, we must not imitate Yuan Shaocao's haste. We must consider the matter of going to Jingzhou in the long term. Most of the soldiers and horses in Jingzhou have been recruited too many, and the people have already been among them. There are enough men to enter the camp, so Liu Biao cannot

More troops will be added."

"I took advantage of the fact that the war had not started yet, and sent five hundred spies southward to sneak into Jingzhou to steal information and gain a general understanding of the situation in various places in Jingzhou. Although the people are stable, more than 300,000 troops and horses have been recruited throughout the territory. Therefore, we

We should continue to feed the people, expand armaments, reserve grain and grass, wait for the grain and grass to be abundant and the horses are strong, and then wait for the opportunity to go south."

When Guo Jia said this, his expression became much more confident. He was not marching and fighting in northern Xinjiang, but was just managing politics in Xudu, gathering intelligence from various places, so he was in good health now and his mind and thoughts were clear.

Cao Cao nodded with deep understanding and said: "Bo Wen sent me good news. Yuan Shang has been defeated, and the Bingzhou army will be even more chaotic. Yuan Xi has not been able to get the soldiers and horses left by Yuan Shao as he wished.

"

"However, if Yuan Shang is killed, Guo Tu and others will have nowhere to go. They can only temporarily lead troops and horses. Sooner or later, they will go to Yuan Xi. I intend to send Yuan Shang back to Youzhou."

Cao Cao said in a deep voice.

"I think it's okay to kill Yuan Shang," Xi Zhicai smiled contemptuously, with a rather arrogant look on his face, "Yuan Shang is no more than a child, and the real backbone of Bingzhou's army is Yuan Shao's old general Gao Lan, Gao Lan and

I am very familiar with General Zhang He, and I have heard General Zhang He say that Gao Lan is honest, honest, and strict in leading troops, and he is quite prestigious in the army."

"But he is not good at following people's influence and is not good at speaking. Therefore, Yuan Shang is his immediate lord, and he has no military morale. He can only rely on Guo Tu, Gao Lan and others to lead the army."

Xi Zhicai was dressed in Tsing Yi, tied around his waist, with his hands folded in his sleeves and smiling calmly. He and Guo Jia were no different in controlling the situation. If the two of them had information, they would almost immediately exchange and discuss it.

Over the years, the partners have known the inside story and have developed a tacit understanding.

Having said this, Xi Zhicai laughed twice and then said: "The return of Yuan Shang will not boost the morale of Bingzhou's troops, but if Yuan Shang is killed, Gao Lan and others will be left without a master in Bingzhou."

"And Guo Tu will definitely occupy this position and temporarily lead his army. It is certain that he will not defect to Yuan Xi immediately. Yuan Xi is narrow-minded and jealous. Although he is capable, he will definitely hate Guo Tu for conquering Dai County.

Things."

"Guo Tu captured Dai County and angered Yuan Xi. Even if Yuan Xi has become broad-minded and no longer holds grudges, Guo Tu dare not surrender because he is well aware of his character. So at least for a year, we will still

They can be defeated one by one. Once the war starts, killing Yuan Shang will severely damage the confidence of Bingzhou soldiers and horses."

Guo Jia glanced at Xi Zhicai, slightly disapproving, so he didn't speak for the first time, but frowned and pondered something.

Cheng Yu also showed a serious face at this moment, walked out and held his hands to Cao Cao, saying: "Prime Minister, I believe that we should not march now, lest Yuan Xi and Guo Tu join forces. Although the two have grudges, they may be able to put them down before the situation becomes overwhelming.

Prejudice, but Yuan Shang is still unkillable."

Cao Cao turned around, carefully thought about the current situation, raised his hand to stop everyone, exhaled and sighed: "You don't have to fight, don't forget, we are sure to win against the north at this time, Yuan Shang has been captured

, Yuan Xi’s battle in Youzhou has just ended, and the losses have been heavy, so these two are nothing to worry about.”

"Also, among the princes of Liangzhou, Ma Teng and Han Sui will also be eyeing Bingzhou."

"What you are waiting to discuss is how to win, so as to restore public sentiment as soon as possible, let the people of Youzhou feel at ease with internal affairs, and at the same time deter the horseback bandits outside Youzhou and Liaodong from taking advantage of the opportunity to attack."

Cao Cao's words calmed the hearts of many civil servants, making them look at each other in disbelief, and became silent for a while.

From this, Cao Cao then smiled at Guo Jia and said: "What Feng Xiao said is absolutely true. There is no rush to fight in Jingzhou. If we don't attack, Liu Biao will not have the guts to take the initiative in the Northern Expedition."

"We have plenty of time to slowly deal with the remnants of Youzhou and Bingzhou. After the north is stabilized, we can resettle the people and support them with internal affairs. In less than five years, we will have a steady supply of food and grass, strong soldiers and horses, and millions of people.

the crowd."

Cao Cao raised the corners of his mouth and looked majestic. He took a deep breath and straightened his chest. After scanning everyone, he said: "At that time, going south will not be as smooth as a flat river. Why worry about Jingzhou being difficult to conquer? Or, Liu Biao is old and incompetent and has no children. How can we attack Jingzhou?"

Isn’t it as simple as the Northern Expedition to Youzhou now??!”

"Goodbye, my lord!"

Guo Jia immediately handed over his hand.

"In this case, I think that my lord can march into Jizhou, and order more troops from Lord Xu to jointly attack Youzhou. As for Yuan Shang, there is no need to deal with it for the time being. He can be imprisoned. He is useless. It doesn't matter whether he kills or not."

Cheng Yu did not second his opinion casually this time. In his opinion, Yuan Xi would not change his mind because Yuan Shang was arrested. It would be better to ignore this person. If he had known this, it would be better to let Xu Zhen kill him directly during the battle.

He forgot it.

"March, march..."

Cao Cao murmured to himself, clasping his hands behind his back, but moved a few times uneasily. Now should be the best time to march into Youzhou. The Yuan brothers' battle also had results. Although Yuan Xi won, he could not win.

Get his army.

Perhaps, it's time to end it earlier.

"Okay, Zihe!"

"The end is here!"

"Let the tigers and leopards ride, and Xu Du's soldiers and horses assemble. After rewarding the three armies, he sends a message to attack Yuan Xi in Youzhou. He sends 200,000 troops to hunt in Youzhou with Xu Zhen! This time, we must take this opportunity to regain Liaodong together.

!!”

"Here!"

In the Liaodong kingdom, there was a man named Gongsun Du. He was granted the title of eunuch because of his ingratiation with Dong Zhuo, and the Liaodong area came under the jurisdiction of Xuantu County. Since the Dong Zhuo Rebellion, Gongsun Du had been recruiting troops and horses in Liaodong, working hard to recruit refugees and develop farming.

, recruiting troops and horses to expand armaments, the territory under his control is expanding day by day, and the population under his rule is growing rapidly.

Many princes considered this person to be a serious problem. The Liaodong vassal country was gradually getting stronger and was about to be separated. Gongsundu and other family members had secretly become princes, so they had to be dealt with.

Although Yuan Xi is the shepherd of Youzhou, he currently does not dare to provoke Gongsun Du. A large area of ​​land outside Xuantu County has been taken back. Cao Cao is now looking at Liaodong.

In his opinion, Yuan Xi is not a strong enemy, but Gongsun Du is.

There are too many mountains in Liaodong, making it difficult for troops to march, and it is even more difficult to transport food and grass. If Liaodong is not captured, Youzhou will never have peace and is in danger of being raided at any time.

Jizhou.

Zhongshan County.

Xu Zhen's army returned and was welcomed by the people. The local nobles held wine at home to celebrate. Although they defeated Yuan's troops, Yuan Shao had already lost the support of the people when he emptied the entire Jizhou of money and food when he retreated.

That time the army was defeated, and no less than a hundred thousand people were killed or injured. They all died of hunger, poverty, and exhaustion on the way to exile. In contrast, Jizhou was much peaceful after Xu Zhen arrived.

So it won the hearts of the people.

In addition, Xu Zhen personally handled all political affairs, issued decrees to benefit the people and protect the environment, and his charisma left the people speechless, and the people's hearts had long been attached to him.

At this moment, Xu Zhen issued three military orders to set up garrison areas, distribute military pay to the dead and wounded soldiers, and train the captured soldiers.

These captured soldiers were originally from Jizhou, and many of their families were resettled in Jizhou after they returned. So at this time, Xu Zhen immediately took Dian Wei with him to the military prisoner-of-war camp.

The two dismounted at the gate of the military camp, followed by hundreds of guards, and entered the camp. More than 10,000 people gathered in the prisoner of war camp. At this time, they could only ensure steamed buns and dry food, and drink water when they ate dryly to ensure their survival.

But for these soldiers who had been starved for several days and almost died on the battlefield due to hunger, this was already a huge preferential treatment.

At least you can survive.

Xu Zhen had just arrived at the campus. As soon as he entered the gate surrounded by wooden fences, all eyes were focused on him. Most of the surrendered soldiers were looking at Xu Zhen eagerly. Some of them did not recognize him, but Xu Zhen was dressed in luxurious and elegant clothes.

Wei and other generals were following him, so they naturally reacted quickly.
To be continued...