Yuan Tan received the news that Xu You and his troops had arrived, and rushed to meet Guo Tu.
Guo Tu was humiliated on a mission and had his front teeth broken, which affected his appearance. Later, he tried every means to find a jade worker and forged two white jade teeth, which barely restored his appearance.
The white jade teeth are very beautiful, but they are not wear-resistant, easy to break, and not very strong, so Guo Tu is very careful when talking and eating, for fear of falling off suddenly and looking ugly.
Unknowingly, Guo Tu became a taciturn person, a little more reserved.
When old friends met, Xu You couldn't help but make some jokes about Guo Tu. Guo Tu had a sullen face and ignored him. He knew Xu You's temperament too well and couldn't argue with him.
More importantly, he is inferior to Xu You in all aspects. He can't talk or fight. In the past, he had the advantage of being close to Yuan Shao, but now this advantage is gone, and he is at a disadvantage overall.
After Xu You finished speaking, Guo Tucai said calmly: "Zi Yuan, the future generations are to be feared. It's hard to say whether you can be like that."
Xu You smiled slightly. "The Xun family in Yingchuan has so many talented people. Each generation is better than the last, which makes people envious."
Xun Chen on the side pretended not to hear.
Xu You asked again: "Is it possible for Xun You to enter the fortress?"
Yuan Tan took over the topic. "From the current point of view, it is very likely that Wuhuan Sima Yanrou just came back from outside the Great Wall, met with Liu He, and then left again. Judging from the direction, he left the Great Wall, possibly to see Xun You
.They just met not long ago, so the urgency must be related to the approaching arrival of General Xu and his troops."
"These Youzhou people are like a rat with two sides, and they are inconsistent." Xu You dismissed it. "If Gongda dares to come, then I will compete with him to see how good his victory at Tanhan Mountain is."
He waved his hand. "Let's talk about Yi Jing. It has been so long and Gongsun Zan has not been solved yet. My lord is very dissatisfied. Gongze and Youruo, you have not done your best."
"It won't be too late until you see Yi Jing." Guo Tu waved his hand, took a map from the attendant, and laid it out in front of Xu You.
Xu You glanced at the map and immediately closed his mouth, but his eyes widened.
"Is this the Yijing built by Gongsun Zan?"
"Yes." Yuan Tan said, looking a little helpless.
Xu You felt incredible just seeing the map. If he saw Yi Jing with his own eyes, he didn't know how surprised he would be.
If Yi Jing was not strong, how could Gongsun Zan have supported him until now, and how could he have worked in vain, so he had to ask Yuan Shao to send troops. The purpose of leading the troops north was to perform meritorious service and consolidate his status as the eldest son. Who would have thought about it?
Not only did he fail to take down Yi Jing, but he also lost his front teeth.
The gain outweighs the loss.
Xu You ignored Yuan Tan, Guo Tu and others and stared at the map again and again, feeling that it was very difficult.
At that time, he once told Yuan Shao that the reason why Yuan Tan failed to achieve success was because of insufficient troops. By gathering the main force, it would be possible to quickly conquer Yijing and kill Gongsun Zan. Now it seems that this was hasty.
But this is also a good thing. It proves that Yuan Tan's failure to make a contribution was not due to incompetence, but because Gongsun Zan was too cunning to come up with such a defensive formation.
This will be a fierce battle and a difficult test for both sides.
Xu You suddenly thought of a question: If Yuan Shao refused to come, did he already know that Yi Jing would not be easy to get?
Yan Rou left and returned, which surprised Xun You greatly.
After hearing Yan Rou's purpose of coming, especially after seeing the map of Yijing brought by Yan Rou, Xun You also had a headache.
Yi Jing is not easy to capture, and attacking tough battles is not a tactic that cavalry is good at. Even if he leads his troops into the fortress, I am afraid it will not be of much help in capturing Yi Jing.
Of course, there is another issue involved. The cavalry does not need to worry too much about food when fighting outside the fortress. It is different when fighting inside the fortress. It must be supplied locally. And Youzhou simply does not have enough money and food to support it. If there is, they will not
As for the delay until now, we have to rely on Yuan Shao's power.
"How did Gongsun Zan build so many tall buildings?" Xun You said, pointing to the dense circles on the map. Each circle represents a tall building. At a glance, there are at least hundreds of them.
"The Qingzhou Yellow Turbans who were captured by him back then." Yan Rou said: "There were 300,000 people, but less than 30% were left in the end. Those Yellow Turban captives not only built Yijing for Gongsun Zan, but also cultivated fields for Gongsun Zan and provided a large amount of food.
It is said that there are three to four million stones, enough to last for ten years."
Yijing is located in Yixian County. It has ten layers of enclosures and diverts water into ponds. Buildings are built between the enclosures, five or six feet high, and are guarded by soldiers. The centermost building, which is ten feet high, is occupied by Gongsun Zan himself and serves as a granary.
Attacking such a position is a headache for anyone. The casualties of a strong attack will be very considerable, so encircling it without attacking is the safest way.
The only problem is that Gongsun Zan stored a large amount of grain. Even if it is enough to last for ten years, it is a bluff. If you fold it in half, five years will be enough.
Besieging the city for five years makes people feel numb just thinking about it.
After reading the map, Xun You was shocked, but there was not much emotion on his face. "Zigang, do you think Liu He's unwillingness to break with Yuan Shao is because of revenge or something else?"
Yan Rou said: "Revenge." He paused and then said: "I can't think of any reason for him."
Xun You laughed silently. "Then he will be disappointed. Yuan Shao cannot attack Yi Jing."
"Where is the supervisor?" Yan Rou asked.
"With the current strength of the troops, I cannot capture Yi Jing." Xun You stroked his short beard under the stool. "But to avenge Liu He, it is not necessary to capture Yi Jing."
"How can we take revenge if we don't capture Yi Jing?"
"No matter how much food there is in Yi Jing, it is impossible to eat it for a lifetime. Furthermore, the reason why Gongsun Zan sticks to Yi Jing is because he believes that Yuan Shao will not last long. As long as he can persist until Yuan Shao's defeat, he will naturally be spared. But even if he knew
Even if Yuan Shao is defeated, the court will not let him go?"
Yan Rou was stunned.
Xun You smiled and said: "Between dying alone or annihilating his clan, which one would he choose?"
Yan Rou understood what Xun You meant, but was even more embarrassed. "What the supervisor is saying is that if Liu He declares himself a vassal to the imperial court, revenge will only require an imperial edict from the imperial court?"
Xun You nodded and advised: "Zigang, you avenge your old master. This is of course a righteous act. But apart from the righteous act, you must not forget the righteousness of the monarch and his ministers. If Liu He does not follow righteousness, why should the court fulfill his private righteousness?"
Don’t forget, as far as the imperial court is concerned, Gongsun Zan is
He was guilty of killing a minister without permission, but he also performed meritorious service in guarding the border. The merits and demerits were equal to each other, so he would not have to die. If he was willing to repent and reform, it would not be a bad idea for the emperor to give him a chance to atone for his merits. For a person who is attached to Yuan Shao,
I’m afraid it’s unjustifiable to kill ministers who have made meritorious deeds.”
Yan Rou smiled bitterly. If so, wouldn't it become a dead end?
Xun You patted Yan Rou on the shoulder. "Also, in addition to revenge, you should also take a longer-term view and think about the future of Youzhou. Should you follow the imperial court and contribute to Zhongxing, or should you follow Yuan Shao and perish together with Yuan Shao?
, this is not a trivial matter for one family, so you should think twice before doing it. Let me say something unpleasant again, even if Yuan Shao conquers the world, will you be rich? "
Yan Rou remembered Zhao Yun's words and made a decision in her heart.