"I have heard that the wind is weak and the feathers cannot rise." [Book of Han·Han Anguo Biography]
Geng Bao knew what the two of them were talking about. The matter was important, so he didn't dare to inquire too much. He just mentioned it in one sentence and said: "What we are planning is just a small plan. If Duke Ming wants to gain a foothold in Hebei, he must first eradicate Gongsun Zan." .”
"Zhang Junyi is currently stationed in Hejian. At a young age, he defended Gongsun Zan for dozens of battles and did not let him break into the Bohai Sea to aid Tian Kai. After all, I was not wrong about him." Yuan Shao stroked his beard gently, and a flash of light flashed in his eyes. He said with a trace of complacency and confidence: "How to attack and destroy Gongsun Zan? That day, Duke Ju and others had already made plans and decided on the plan of 'trapping the beast'."
Geng Bao thought carefully in his mind and realized that he had missed the decision because he had not attended on that day. He asked with great interest: "Jugong, Tiangong and others are talented and resourceful, and they are far superior to me. I don't know what happened." What's the point of 'trapping the beast'?"
"Gongsun Zan was aloof and self-contained, fearful of his power and deceit, and had a cruel temperament. When he was still a vigorous general and was subordinate to Liu Yu, he relied on his troops and indulged his subordinates in plundering the people. He was so powerful that he even dared to rob Wu who was given by Liu Yu. Huan's gift." Yuan Shao slowly put down his hand, placed it on the armrest of Pingji, and said disdainfully: "I have been the shepherd of Youzhou for the past two years. At first, I was a little restrained. I tried to win over the powerful and wealthy families in the state, but As time went by, his true nature began to be exposed. Now that he has been blocked by Zhang He when he went south several times, the wealth that Liu Yu built for him is probably going to be exhausted. Youzhou is not a good place, no matter Gongsun Zan wants to expand. Whether it's for tribesmen or for collecting food and grass, they can't avoid the local powerful..."
Geng Bao's eyes lit up and he said tentatively: "Ming Gong means..."
"When a tiger is trapped in a prison and cannot eat any meat, he will go crazy." Chen Yi said calmly.
Geng Bao immediately understood. No wonder Yuan Shao refused to fight a decisive battle with Gongsun Zan in the past six months. He only let Zhang He and others defend the camp. With the help of the complex tributaries of Yishui, he set up defenses everywhere, leaving Gongsun Zan's cavalry useless. It turned out that it was Wait until Gongsun Zan loses his temper and runs out of food and military supplies, and then vents his anger on his own people. Waiting until Gongsun Zan loses the people and morale of the army, and Yuan Shao, who has been recharging his strength for more than half a year, can lead the army to a showdown with Gongsun Zan. .
Yuan Shao himself agreed very much with the plan put forward by Ju Shou and others, which was similar to the method he always liked to use to drive a wedge between enemies and instigate local powerful people for his own benefit. The far one was Zhang Yang in Hanoi, and the nearest one was Cao Cao in Yanzhou. Scholars rule the world. The cornerstone of stability, when Yuan Shu expropriated wealthy families in Nanyang and fled to Huainan, now Cao Cao and Gongsun Zan rely on temporary military strength and treat scholars as if they are nothing. They should receive a heavy lesson!
Seeing Geng Bao's convinced expression, Yuan Shao's heart moved, and he said calmly: "It's not enough to rely on Youzhou's powerful force. If our army wants to fight Gongsun Zan in a decisive battle, we must have help from another side."
Geng Bao was confused, but Chen Yi once again explained his confusion: "Yin Gong was ordered to go to Wuhuan as an envoy, and Xianbei and other tribes will be back soon."
Jizhou, Hejian Kingdom.
Yixian County is the northernmost county in Hejian Kingdom. It originally belonged to Zhuo County in Youzhou. After several divisions, it finally belonged to Hejian. It is located at the intersection of Juma River and Yishui River. The mountains in the north are majestic, and the terrain is higher in the west and lower in the east. It is a transitional zone between mountains and plains, and has a confluence of large rivers. Its location is extremely important. The Battle of Juma River in the third year of Chuping took place here. At that time, Gongsun Zan defeated Yuan Shao's general Cui Juye in one fell swoop and captured thousands of soldiers. Taking advantage of the victory, they pursued to the plains and appointed Tian Kai as the governor of Qingzhou. All the powerful men in Jizhou were intimidated and their reputation was illustrious.
That was one of the most glorious periods in Gongsun Zan's life.
Now Gongsun Zan has stopped his troops here. In the past six months, he has fought many hard battles in vain. All this is because Yuan Shao's general Zhang He turned Mon County, less than a hundred miles south of Yixian County, into his southward base.
The biggest obstacle.
By the Yishui River, a tired army was slowly moving northward.
Gongsun Zan was riding a white horse, looking unwillingly on the river bank at the looming city wall of Mo County in the south, and remained silent for a long time.
Long Shi Guan Jing and his younger brother Gongsun Fan rode beside him, looking at each other and not daring to step forward for a moment.
Finally, when he saw that the last of Gongsun Zan's cavalry were about to take a boat to cross the bridge to the other side, Guan Jing sighed helplessly and stepped forward to persuade him: "Junhou! It's getting late. It's better to return quickly.
Yixian, let’s make plans after taking a rest.”
Gongsun Zan was silent for a long time, until Guan Jing thought that the other party had not heard and was about to say it again, Gongsun Zan slowly opened his mouth and said: "I thought at first that among Yuan Benchu's generals, only one of them, Qu Yi, I could see clearly, and the rest
They are nothing more than cavalry officers and uncles!"
Guan Jing was stunned for a moment. He heard the unwillingness in the other party's tone. After looking at each other, he and Gongsun Fan tacitly kept silent and waited for the other party to finish expressing his feelings.
Gongsun Zan seemed unaware, and continued: "Now I heard that Qu Yi was transferred to Qingzhou. I originally thought that Jizhou was so big that no one could defeat it, but I didn't expect that Yuan Benchu sent Zhang He again. Now that I think about it, I was in Qingzhou back then.
Jie Qiao, Long Min had met him a few times, but at that time I was so focused on Qu Yi that I didn’t pay much attention to him. If Qu Yi used his troops, the most important thing was to follow the rules of the battle formation and ensure that the soldiers advance and retreat in unison.
After all, it is unavoidable to be rigid. If I have a counselor who is good at using soldiers, or if I find an opportunity and devise a little plan, I can defeat him."
As Gongsun Zan's long history, Guan Jing couldn't help but lower his head in shame.
Gongsun Fan glanced at Guan Jing and said helpfully: "General, there is no need to be like this. Last year, didn't Qu Yi almost break through the camp by you? It can be seen that his subordinates who took the lead were only trained properly, and their armor was sharper.
It’s nothing special. Our army has the treasury left by Liu Gong, and the white horses are loyal, no less than others!"
Speaking of this, although Gongsun Zan's expression softened a lot, he still didn't notice the expression of Guan Jing nearby, but still stared at the city wall of M County in the distance: "Qu Yi is good at training soldiers and is a rigid person. As long as I can control the horse and swim around,
, there will eventually be an opportunity. But Zhang He is different. He knows how to use troops. He knows which city wall I will attack first, knows when to rob the camp, and when to leave the city to pursue... He is trapped in the city, and his troops are actually better than my cavalry.
Be flexible... How can such a powerful enemy be compared to Qu Yi?"
Gongsun Fan felt that something was wrong with Gongsun Zan's words, and looked at him in confusion, but Guan Jing beside him suddenly said: "Why should a monarch have other people's ambitions? Ten thousand people under Zhang He's command were stationed in Muxian County. After several battles, they had already become exhausted.
, I can’t enter Lu Gu! This time I only need to rest for ten months in Yixian. When Zhuojun, Guangyang, Shanggu and other counties have enough food, grass and weapons, and the soldiers are well equipped, the king can cross the Yishui again and join Zhang He.
Let’s compete!”
"You are right." Gongsun Zan's momentary dejection suddenly disappeared, and he quickly cheered up, saying: "There has been no news from Tian Kai and others for a long time. I think Yuan Shao sent his army to Qingzhou, and Lu Bu is in Qingzhou.
The pirates, they must have held him back! Yuan Benchu was deprived of his official position by the imperial court and did not dare to stay in Yecheng. As long as I conquer the county and encircle the Bohai Sea, all parts of Jizhou will be in panic and chaos, just like when I led the cavalry.
Heading south, watch the wind and fall everywhere!"
In Gongsun Zan's view, Yuan Shao came from a noble family and did not know how to use troops. As long as the troublesome figures like Zhang He who he relied on were eliminated, and Yuan Shao was given a hundred thousand soldiers, he would not be his opponent.
Thinking of this, Gongsun Zan suddenly said angrily: "The preparation of food and grass in Zhuo County has always been smooth before, so why did it suddenly stop this time? If they hadn't been negligent in the rear, causing our army to be short of food and grass, how could I have withdrawn from Zhu County! This time
When I go back, I will definitely ask them for an explanation!"