The army must retreat. No matter how unwilling Yuan Shao is, he must return to the army to protect the territory of Xuzhou, which is his foundation.
In order to escape smoothly, he did not notify the soldiers and horses in Yangzhou, so the 20,000-strong army abandoned their camp and retreated at night.
When Yuan Shu discovered it the next day, he did not pursue it. This was not because he did not want to stop after returning to his army. He had more important things to do: repel the Yangzhou troops and rescue Nanyang.
The Wancheng area in Nanyang County has been occupied by Cao Cao, and Ji Ling is struggling to hold on in the Yuyang area. Liu Biao is still eyeing the Xinye area to the south. The two armies are sandwiching him in the middle, and he cannot withdraw even if he wants to.
War breaks out again in Runan.
This time, Yuan Shu took the initiative to attack Liu Miao, the governor of Jiujiang, and Zhou Xin, the governor of Danyang. He fought fiercely and forced them out of Runan step by step. He also sent out partial troops to recover the eastern area occupied by Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shao ignored all these. Runan had been fighting for two years and was almost destroyed. He needed people and no one, and he needed food but no food. For the time being, he just gave it to Yuan Shu. The most important thing was to return to Xuzhou as soon as possible.
The 20,000-strong army hurriedly returned to Pengcheng. Fortunately, Liu Yicheng did not attack.
Why didn't Liu Xiang take advantage of Yuan Shao's opportunity to divide his forces and destroy him all the way to completely weaken him?
Because the Yellow Turbans won’t cooperate.
Two hundred thousand Yellow Turbans lay across Donghai County. These people had no dealings with Yuan Shao and also had a grudge against Liu Xiang. The main force of them escaped from Qingzhou because of Zhou Cang's suppression of bandits and because they were afraid of the fighting power of the Anping Army.
Not willing to be coaxed, unwilling to make alliances.
If you want to defeat Yuan Shao, you have to defeat the Yellow Turban first, which is not cost-effective.
The current situation in Xuzhou is a three-party confrontation, and there is no way to fight for the time being. Anyway, Liu Xiang is not in a hurry. The goal of capturing Langya has been achieved. If there is a chance, he will take advantage. If there is no chance, it doesn't matter.
The main force is stationed in Kaiyang, and the partial divisions are divided to capture the remaining counties. This is not difficult. For example, the Yangdu County where he is now has only a thousand defenders and not a single returning soldier. They are all thieves, officers and various officials.
Home Steps.
There was no crossbow or armor, the equipment was incomplete, the robes were uneven, and the personnel were scattered.
As long as the crossbowmen step forward to suppress them, they can lose their morale and make them cry for father and mother.
But Liu Xiang did not attack the city as soon as he came up. He wanted to persuade him to surrender and came to Yangdu so that he could not kill the young dragon in the city too much.
This is the hometown of Zhuge Kongming.
Although there are various evaluations in later generations, no one can deny this man's resourcefulness.
I have to admire Zhuge Liang's father, who gave birth to three sons and two daughters, a prime minister of Shu and a general of Wu.
Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang are both talented officials and assistants.
Liu Xiang planned to conquer Zhuge Jin first and raise Zhuge Liang. He didn't know whether he would be able to do so, but even if he couldn't use it for himself, he still wanted to take away the children who had lost their parents to prevent them from being used by others in the future.
"Yang Du ordered me to come out and answer my question."
A young man in his early twenties on the city responded loudly: "Han Fan in Runan is here, and Liu Qiaoqi invaded the territory for no reason. I have recruited soldiers and horses to protect the territory and the people, and I will fight to the death with you."
He has a loud voice and is impassioned. He is a character.
Unfortunately, the position where he stood was too obvious, and he didn't even have a shield around him, which showed that he didn't know how to fight.
Liu Xiang wanted to let him know the dangers of the battlefield, so he took Su Wei a few steps closer to the city and said loudly as he walked:
"Our army never disturbs the people. We only need to open the city and surrender, and naturally Qiu will do nothing. Magistrate Han said that he wanted to protect the country and the people, but he dragged the people into the battlefield. Is he sincerely serving the people, or is he just trying to gain fame?"
Han Fan was so angry that his veins were popping out. How could he say such shameless words? He took a few steps forward, held on to the crenel, pointed angrily at the city and retorted loudly: "That's nonsense. How can you bring an army to attack Yangdu?"
But it’s so bloody mouthful to say such things... uh ah."
His words were interrupted by fifteen crossbow arrows. The crossbow arrows inserted between his chest and abdomen made him vomit blood. He could not utter a word. He shook a little, fell on his back, and died.
The fifteen crossbow archers in the guard returned to their formation with a smile. They had not encountered such a careless person for a long time, and none of their arrows missed the target, which was quite good.
The county magistrate was shot dead, and the people in the city hurriedly fled, shouting and disturbing each other, which made Liu Xiang miss the way he had faced the rabble when he first launched his army.
Years have passed since then, and now that it has reappeared, I really miss this kind of battle that was not difficult.
At that time, I went to the battlefield bravely, tensed my mind, and racked my brains to defeat them.
I used to be really immature, and it was not easy to get to where I am now step by step.
"Surrender or die!" Liu Xiang shouted loudly, cheering for his past self.
The Anping sergeants heard this and echoed: "Surrender or die!"
Although there were only five thousand people, the momentum of veterans of hundreds of battles still shocked the defenders on the city to tremble. Not long after, a trembling old man, with only half of his head exposed, loudly replied: "We are willing to surrender.
I’m willing to surrender.”
The surrender of Kaicheng was uneventful. Liu Xiang entered Yangdu, looked at the map of the county and the population register, and inquired about Zhuge's family with the old man who responded and surrendered.
Zhuge Liang's family is the home of the county magistrate of Langya County. His father Zhuge Gui is the magistrate of Taishan County and passed away more than two years ago. His brother Zhuge Jin takes care of the housework. His uncle Zhuge Xuan is a very famous sage who is serving under Yuan Shu.
.
It's easy to find. The mansion is very big, with cornices and brackets, carved beams and painted buildings. There are many servants, who look after the door, guide the way, communicate and answer questions. They all perform their duties, serve tea and wine, and have their own dedicated person to serve them. Walking from the gate to the main hall, there are dozens of people.
People are busy coming and going.
Our family is big and our business is big, how can we convince them?
Liu Xiang had just sat down when a man of seventeen or eighteen years old hurriedly came over, bowed his hands in an upright manner and saluted: "Jiang Zhuge Jin, courtesy name Ziyu, pays homage to General Hussar."
Zhuge Jin is seven feet, seven or eight inches tall. He seems to be a little taller than himself. He has clear eyebrows, red lips and white teeth. His face is a bit long, but otherwise he is a handsome boy.
Liu Xiang bowed his hands and returned the greeting: "Tzuyu, there is no need to be polite. I came here today specifically to visit the wise people. I heard that Ziyu was a great talent. I lost my temper and took the liberty to come to visit you. Please don't be surprised."
"General, you are ridiculous. I am so stupid that I don't deserve the reputation of being a talented person." Zhuge Jin shied away. The person in front of him was a high-ranking official, but his attitude towards the aristocratic family was not good. He really didn't want to serve under him.
Haha, this is because you don’t want to work for yourself, but who told you to have a younger brother named Zhuge Liang? How could I let your family go?
Liu Xiang stared at Zhuge Jin and said slowly: "Tzuyu is too modest. The world is in chaos now, and we need virtuous people to show their talents to calm the troubled times and restore peace to the people. Ziyu, you can't hide your clumsiness. I want to conquer it."
If I appoint you as the secretary of the general's palace, I hope that Tzuyu will give in."
"My Healing Game"
"Jin, thank you General for your appreciation. However, my parents have passed away and I still have young siblings at home who need to be taken care of. As the eldest brother, how can I abandon him and ignore him? I hope the General will forgive me." Zhuge Jin was still trying to evade.
But it was useless to shirk. Liu Xiang smiled and said pointedly: "Xuzhou is in chaos and has constant wars. It is not a place to live. It is better to move to Jizhou to live there, where you can live peacefully, and the bookstore is nearby.
It will make it easier for your brothers to go to school, Tzuyu, what do you think?"
Don't force me to kill you, Zhuge Jin.
Speaking of this, Zhuge Jin heard the threat in it and had to obey it even if he didn't want to.
well!
He sighed and accepted his fate: "Thank you for your appreciation, General. I will handle some trivial matters at home and then go to the General's side to take orders."
Liu Xiang nodded with satisfaction: "Tzuyu, the war in Xuzhou is about to start, it is better to move to Jizhou. There are Zheng Kangcheng, Lu Ziqian and many other great scholars in the bookstore. I heard that you have a younger brother, who happened to move to Ye County.
If they are sent to study under famous teachers, they will surely become talents in the future."
This time I persuade people to move because I sincerely do it for their own good. Xuzhou is indeed not as stable as Jizhou. There will be a war in the future. Yuan Shao is not an easy master to deal with.
"Thank you, General, for your advice. I will think carefully about moving."
After saying what needed to be said, Liu Xiang said goodbye and left. Of course, he left manpower to monitor them near their home, just in case Zhuge Jin was not alert and if he escaped, he would be forced to kill Zhuge Liang.
What a pity it would be if such a great talent were destroyed by one's own hands!
In the next few days, officials transferred from Jizhou and Qingzhou arrived, and all Langya counties were captured. All units of the Anping Army, except the navy, had ceased fighting and were repairing.
From the time he sent troops to Qingzhou to the present, in more than half a year of fighting, the Chinese army has killed more than 700 people, and nearly 600 have been seriously injured and retired. Liu Xiang ordered personnel to be selected from the four armies at the front, left, and right to fill the vacancies. The vacancies in the four armies were guarded locally.
The legions are replenished.
Now that the war has stopped, the reward cannot be delayed. The soldiers will be rewarded according to the military regulations. He considered the reward for the general and issued an edict:
"Cui Yi was promoted to the rank of General of Xiaoqi, and he still served as the commander of the general's palace, commanded the Xiaoqi camp, and was promoted to the title of Marquis of Guannei."
Liu Xiang needed Cui Yi to lead the heroic cavalry and frighten the Chinese army. This was his greatest achievement.
"Promoted Yan Rou to the rank of General of the Liao Dynasty, promoted to the title of Marquis of Guan Nei, intimidated the people beyond the Great Wall, patrolled the defense line of the Great Wall, and acted as agent for Xianbei, Xiongnu, and Wuhuan in all their mischief."
"Zhao Yun was promoted to the general of the army guard, promoted to the rank of commander of the four chariots, to command the guards, and to help manage the military affairs of the country."
"Promoted Yan Gang to the rank of guerrilla general, promoted to commander of four chariots, and commanded the Yueqi camp."
"Promoted Guan Yu to the rank of General Huwei, promoted to Zuo Shuchang, and commanded the front army."
"Xu Rong was promoted to General Xuanwei, promoted to the title of Right Concubine Commander, commanded the rear army, and temporarily placed under the control of Yan Rou."
"Promoted Zhang Liao to the rank of Lieutenant of the Zuo Military Academy and stationed in Kaiyang."
"Promote Zhou Cang to General Hengye, command the Qingzhou Army, and arrange for the reduction of the Qingzhou Army to 40,000 people."
"Sheng Lejin was promoted to Taishan Captain and belonged to the Qingzhou Army."
"Promoted Cao Xing to Lieutenant of the Shesheng Camp."
"Xun Chen was promoted to be a wine sacrifice for the military advisor."
As for the navy, they just found an opportunity to train. Ling Cao and Zhou Taigang were promoted not long ago, but their merits were not enough and they were only promoted to the first level of nobility.
The reward has been decided, and the three armies are being rewarded. The Anping Army is beaming with joy. The Yellow Turban Army in the south has begun to attack the county town again. If this continues, the people's livelihood in Donghai and Xiapi will be completely destroyed. There are more and more peasant uprisings in Guangling County, and it is close to falling.
Not far away.
Yuan Shaojun, who was staying in Pengcheng Kingdom, was also reorganizing, and his good nephew Gao Gan was beaten to death. Fortunately, they were related by blood, otherwise he would definitely die.
Yan Liang was demoted to a horse archer and was so depressed that he wanted to die.