Four hundred and ninetieth chapters take a sharp turn
"The thorns are very strong, but Xue does not measure their strength." [Warring States Policy·Qi Ce III]
Outside Xiapi City.
Yuan Shuzhi proudly led a group of advisers to get close to the watchtower, and looked at Zhang Fei, Xiahou Bo and others leading the cavalry to kill the scattered soldiers at the city gate. At first, the momentum was unprecedented, but as time went by, these hundreds of cavalry quickly
Losing his stamina, he was blocked by Yuan Jun who was gradually approaching and could not move forward or retreat. Yuan Shu laughed contemptuously, turned to Yan Xiang and other scribes and said: "Liu Bei is nothing but a defeated general, and he dares to block my way. This
It’s just overestimating one’s own capabilities.”
Yan Xiang took a few glances at the situation below the city and didn't want to read any more. He continued: "Today Xia Pi has changed hands, and Ming Gong can point his troops to the East China Sea. Now Yuan Tan is frustrated by Cao Cao and Zang Ba, and it is difficult for him to advance.
I just wait for Duke Ming. If Cao Cao can be defeated, Duke Ming will no longer have any rivals in the land of Xuhuai. At that time, whether he contacts Qingzhou, waits and watches the success or failure of Hebei, or goes north to Yanzhou to attack his weakness, there will be great potential."
"Of all the people under my command, you are the most talented." Yuan Shu stroked his long beard with one hand and touched the white jade hanging hanging from his waist with one hand. He nodded and said with a smile: "Like my brother-in-law, my subordinates are Ju Shou, Tian Feng, Guo Tu, etc.
Who is not a resourceful person? He can be generous on the outside but jealous on the inside, but what good is that? Unlike me, you are enough."
Yan Xiang was flattered after hearing this and quickly bowed: "I don't dare. What Ming Gong said is really ridiculous."
"Hey" Yuan Shu lengthened his tone, stretched out his hand to pull Yan Xiang up, and said meaningfully: "Don't underestimate yourself. In my eyes, you can be a prime minister."
"Zaifu...?" Yan Xiang didn't react for a moment, but when he met Yuan Shu's eyes, he immediately understood something.
"The road is the journey." Yuan Shu's light words made Yan Xiang feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave: "My surname Yuan comes from Chen. After Chen is Shun, the Han Dynasty inherited the fate of Yao, and Shun followed him, using earth to inherit fire. Isn't it a fitting sequence?
"
Yan Xiang was mumbling and didn't know how to answer. Before he raised his head, he suddenly heard a sudden noise on the battlefield, and in the distance there was the sound of horse hooves like thunder and drums.
"Where did the soldiers and horses come from!" What Yuan Shu was about to say was interrupted by a sudden change on the battlefield, and he couldn't help but became furious. Originally, the war was a foregone conclusion, and Ji Ling was asked to organize soldiers and horses to rush into the city. This time, he suddenly didn't know where to start.
More than 10,000 tribesmen appeared everywhere and immediately defeated the unsuspecting flanks.
The scout on the watchtower in front had very good eyesight and could see the flag clearly from a distance. He turned around and leaned on the railing and yelled at Yuan Shu: "It's Prime Minister Pei!"
"Prime Minister of the State of Pei? Tian Chou?" Yan Xiang looked into the distance in surprise and saw more than 10,000 soldiers and horses rushing from the northwest despite the rain of arrows. The leading cavalry general was strong and strong, holding a spear.
He kept provoking the arrows and led hundreds of riders to charge into the crowd. Zhang Fei and others had planned to retreat at the foot of the city. Seeing how brave the reinforcements were, they all regained their vigor and began to line up in an organized manner.
, the defenders at the top of the city also began to use bows and arrows to suppress Yuan's army below the city.
Yuan Shu was very familiar with this name. A few years ago, the imperial court fought with him for southern Henan. Within a few days, he quickly defeated Sun Ce and drove Yuan Shu's forces to Huainan. It was Tian Chou!
For a long time, Tian Chou has been leading Yueqi to govern the country of Pei silently. Yuan Shu has inadvertently forgotten that there is another biggest variable in the Xu Huai war. There is such a silent tiger and leopard beside him!
Yuan Shu said no more and hurriedly walked down from the watchtower. The rough wooden stairs were like thunder when he stepped on them. But before he took a few steps, he heard a crisp sound echoing in the stairwell, as if something precious was being transported.
Broken.
Yan Xiang followed closely behind him, but he couldn't help but look back before leaving. This glance seemed to allow him to see the opponent's cavalry officer glance at him before knocking off Yuan Shu's general Chang Nu from his horse.
The great situation was turned upside down by the sudden arrival of the Yueqi battalion. Yan Xiang did not dare to look any further and hurriedly followed Yuan Shu downstairs. On the middle staircase, Yan Xiang stepped on something that had just been broken.
, lowered his head and saw that it was the Bai Yuheng that Yuan Shu was playing with just now. He felt something was wrong, and hurriedly followed him into the tent, and then heard Yuan Shu shouting impatiently: "Qiao Rui, lead your troops forward immediately, and you must kill this group."
Soldiers and horses hold back!"
Qiao Rui clasped her fists in agreement and was about to leave the tent when suddenly someone broke in from outside and said: "Liu, General Liu has run away!"
"Which General Liu?" Qiao Rui thought she was talking about Liu Bei in the city, but then she thought about it and understood instantly: "You mean Liu Xiang?"
"Yes, yes." The man stammered: "When General Liu saw General Chang being beheaded, he was worried that he could not resist, so he retreated on his own!"
Yuan Shu's face turned pale and he staggered to the front of the throne. His expression was flustered and he couldn't think of any countermeasures for a while.
Yan Xiang remained calm at the critical moment and asked in a deep voice: "How is General Ji?"
The man replied: "General Ji is blocked at the city gate. General Liu was originally guarding him behind him, but now he can't retreat!"
Yan Xiang took a breath of cold air, Ji Ling and Zhang Xun were the two generals that Yuan Shu relied on most. Zhang Xun's neck had been scratched by Zhang Fei during the last attack on Xuyi, and his injuries had not healed for a long time.
If you move, your neck will bleed.
At this time, Zhang Xun could not go into battle, and the only one Yuan Shu could rely on was Ji Ling.
"What are you doing standing there in a daze? Why don't you go pick up Ji Ling quickly?" Yuan Shu had already sat back on the table at this time, stared angrily, and shouted in a concentrated voice.
"Here, here!"
"Wait a minute!" Yuan Shu suddenly stopped Qiao Rui and said sternly: "Liu Xiang is afraid of the enemy escaping and will trap him to death. Military law does not allow it! When you meet him, kill him directly! If anyone else flees, the same will happen!
"
"Here!" Qiao Rui was frightened by Yuan Shu's fierce expression. At this moment, she was as submissive as a frightened duck in front of Yuan Shu.
He hurried away, and after half a quarter of an hour, although the battlefield was still noisy and noisy, with swords and swords shouting, no urgent news came again.
Yan Xiang looked at Yuan Shu with admiration. After the initial panic, he could be said to have been decisive and quick in giving orders without hesitation. He remembered what some good people had said about the Yuan brothers, saying that Yuan Shao had a soft nature and Yuan Shu was good at making decisions.
Now it seems that it is indeed on point.
"Ming Gong." Yan Xiang noticed that Yuan Shu was still uneasy, so he comforted him by saying: "Tian Chou will use his troops again. He only has more than 10,000 men under his command, and we still have 40,000 troops. Even if they attack quickly and unexpectedly,
But there’s really no need to worry too much.”
"The soldiers and horses of Pei State were trained by Tian Chou in the past few years after he came to Pei. I am not afraid." Yuan Shu deliberately emphasized at the end. He closed his eyes slightly and explained softly: "I
What I'm afraid of is that now that Tian Chou is here, what about the Yueqi? Could it be that in addition to the tens of thousands of infantry in front of him, he also has the Yueqi camp hiding in one place, waiting for opportunities?"
"Ming Gong is overly worried. If there are overriding cavalry, wouldn't it be more advantageous to attack the formation before the infantry?" Yan Xiang wondered in his heart. If their previous judgment was correct, the court's top priority is to deal with the most powerful Yuan Shao.
They would gather all the elites together, so they concluded that Yue Qi was not in Pei State: "The imperial court gathered powerful forces from the north and south to attack Hebei. Yue Qi was among the Northern Army. Wasn't he drafted to Yanzhou?"
Yuan Shu closed his eyes tightly, frowning and thinking.