The enraged Chen Deng was like a bull, and no one could stop him.
Liu Bei also knew that Fa Zheng had done this on purpose, so he could only give up the idea of taking it slow and decided to attack Zhang He immediately.
Although he knew that the emperor would probably not support it, he still submitted a letter to report so as not to leave any evidence of using troops without authorization.
Three days later, Liu Bei led his troops across Qingshui and advanced towards Yecheng.
But they soon ran into trouble.
The city gates of Wei County were tightly closed, refusing Liu Bei's army to enter the city, and did not provide any supplies.
After Liu Bei entered Jizhou, although he did not promote land transfer, no one dared to stop him. After all, the county's military strength was limited, and its protective capabilities were also limited. The Wubao of the rich family did have certain protective capabilities, but facing nearly 20,000 Xuzhou soldiers, it could not
No one takes the initiative to cause trouble.
Wei County was the first trouble Liu Bei encountered.
Liu Bei didn't want to cause more trouble, but someone was provoking him, and he had no reason to swallow his anger. He immediately ordered an army to march into Wei County, preparing to conquer Wei County and establish his authority.
After arriving at the gate of Wei County, Liu Bei realized that Wei County was a tough nut to crack, and it was harder than he thought.
Wei County was well prepared. The city gates were blocked and the city walls were reinforced. Behind the female wall stood rows of fully armed soldiers, holding spears and shields in their hands. Strong crossbows were placed on the city wall, with a cold light.
The shining arrow pointed at Liu Bei and others below the city.
Liu Bei frowned, waved his hand, and ordered his men to come forward in a routine manner to persuade him to surrender.
The soldier had just taken more than ten steps when a crossbow arrow broke through the wind and pinned him directly to the ground.
There was a burst of cheers at the top of the city, flags were waving, and war drums were thundering.
Liu Bei's face suddenly turned livid, and he almost instinctively wanted to retreat.
He knew that Hebei's strong crossbowmen were famous all over the world, but he did not expect that Hebei's strong crossbowmen could kill with one arrow two hundred steps away, and his position was also within the shooting range.
Fazheng quietly tugged at Liu Bei's sleeve. "Don't worry, it's just an accident."
"Why?"
"The range of the crossbow should be about 200 steps, but no one can be sure of hitting it. If they really have this ability, their target will never be the soldiers trying to persuade them to surrender."
Liu Bei turned his head and glanced at Fazheng.
He understood what Fazheng meant. If there was such a master, he would be the one the opponent wanted to shoot.
Shooting the person trying to persuade him to surrender is just a coincidence. If he is scared off, it will only boost the opponent's morale and destroy his own prestige.
After thinking for a moment, he made his choice.
After lightly kicking the horse's belly, Liu Bei stepped forward in person.
Fa Zheng followed closely behind.
Chen Dao was startled, but couldn't stop him, so he had to follow him. At the same time, he took off the riding shield on his saddle, ready to cover Liu Bei at any time.
Chen Deng and Chen Lin, who were following behind, looked at each other in confusion, not knowing whether they should follow or stay where they were.
Liu Bei's horse came to the side of the shot soldier, reined in his mount, and looked at the city head.
The cheers at the top of the city gradually subsided. After a while, five crossbow arrows flew out from different directions, two arrows flew towards Chen Dao, and three arrows flew towards Liu Bei.
Obviously, the opponent does not want Chen Dao to cover Liu Bei.
Chen Dao had been staring at the top of the city. When he saw this scene, he immediately raised his shield and approached Liu Bei.
"Uncle, protect yourself." Liu Bei shouted, unsheathing his sword.
There was a flash of cold light, and one of the three arrows fired from the crossbow missed the target, while two others were chopped down by Liu Bei in the air.
Chen Dao also used his arrows to block one crossbow arrow, and at the same time drew his sword to chop down another.
Liu Bei slowly raised his sword, pointed it at the city head, and shouted loudly, as loud as a bell.
"I, Liu Bei, the shepherd of Xuzhou, follow the imperial edict to fight against rebellion, bring justice to the rich and the poor, eliminate injustice, and establish a life for the people. For the people in the city, those who are trying to punish thieves should come out quickly to avoid death. Those who are stubborn and stubborn in their corners will be killed.
Kill without mercy!"
The city was shaken by his momentum, and there was a dead silence.
Liu Bei snorted coldly and slowly turned his horse back.
"Liu Shijun is not afraid of danger, he is righteous and his morale is high. He has surrounded Wei County and is building siege equipment..."
Liu Xie leaned on the desk and listened to Liu Cong relay the news he had just received.
He already knew that Liu Bei's advance was blocked by Wei County.
But this was the first time he heard about Liu Bei's killing of arrows in front of the battle line and his scolding of the defenders on the city. Liu Bei would not boast about it in documents, nor would it reach his ears directly through other channels.
"Who did you listen to?" Liu Xie glanced at Liu Cong, who was inexplicably excited.
Liu Cong is fourteen years old this year and has just entered the officialdom. However, he is able to endure hardship and make rapid progress. If nothing else happens, he will not become a waste like in history, at least he will be a useful talent.
"I have read Chen Kongzhang's article." Liu Cong said, taking out a roll of paper from his arms and sending it to Liu Xie with both hands.
Liu Xie took it and unfolded it. It turned out to be Chen Lin's new work.
To be precise, it was a message urging the defenders in Wei County to surrender.
I have to say that Chen Lin's article was well written. It was obviously just a local battlefield battle, but he wrote it with great literary talent, as if Liu Bei was the commander-in-chief of the entire army. He was ordered to punish thieves and justice was at hand. However, Shen Pei was not
He acted against nature and dragged the entire people of Jizhou into trouble for his own selfish interests. It is simply an unpardonable crime.
In his opinion, this appeal should be compared with the historical appeal written for Yuan Shao's crusade against Cao Cao. Both of them were as sharp as a sword, and they were able to make corrections when they were right. Reading them makes one's blood boil.
Just like Liu Cong in front of me.
"Do you think Liu Shijun is brave?"
"Of course." Liu Cong blurted out. "That is a powerful crossbow that can shoot two hundred steps. If it is shot, your life will be dead."
"If it were you, would you dare?"
"I..." Liu Cong was stunned for a moment and scratched his head. "I don't dare."
Liu Xie nodded and laughed. "You go out, find a six-stone crossbow, then put on heavy armor and a big shield, stand two hundred steps away, set up an arrow stack in front of you, and let people shoot at it."
A few arrows and then come back and tell me."
Although Liu Cong was puzzled, he nodded in agreement and turned around and went out.
"Your Majesty, is there no danger in this?" Yuan Heng, who was responsible for recording, asked curiously.
Liu Xie picked up a document, read it, and said: "Do you know the saying that at the end of a strong crossbow, there is no way to defeat the enemy?"
"I've heard of it, but the range of a six-stone crossbow is close to 240 steps, and it can still kill people."
"If you stand and let him shoot, of course you will die. But Liu Xuzhou has been fighting for many years and is famous for his bravery. Even a six-stone crossbow, whose power is greatly reduced from 200 steps away, cannot hurt him."
Liu Xie paused for a moment, glanced at the official document, and looked at Yuan Heng, who was pondering to himself. "There is danger, but it is within the control range. This is the magnanimity that a general should have. If you insist on being brave and ruthless, then order
People are disappointed.”
Yuan Heng was thoughtful. "So Your Majesty wants Liu Cong to know that Liu Xuzhou is brave and has the ability to protect himself, and is by no means a simple hot-blooded one. As long as he is well prepared, he will be fine."
"Yes." Liu Xie withdrew his gaze and nodded. "You must not only know how things are, but also why they are so that you will not be confused by worldly affairs. Respecting the brave is a good thing, but whether you can imitate them must be discussed on a case-by-case basis.
Analysis. It is not good to blindly imitate others. Easily praising others and denying yourself is also a sign of lack of self-confidence. It will be difficult to achieve great things in the future."