In the spring of the first year of Jian'an, there was surprisingly abundant rain. It rained every three days, as if it was midsummer.
Heavy black clouds gathered over Beihai and Xuzhou at the same time, and even Mount Tai was in the same situation.
In the early morning of this day, Chang Xi took a walk in the garden in the drizzle, with thoughts on his face.
He originally wanted to participate in the Beihai attack this time, and even took the initiative to ask for help, but Wang Zheng did not agree.
However, he was also concerned about Chang Xi's arrogant nature. Although he declined politely, he also repeatedly comforted him in his letters. "Fenggao is a strategic location and cannot be compromised. It must be guarded by generals."
The implication is that Chang Xi is such a general.
After stroking his hair, Chang Xi was naturally not unhappy, but he still felt a little regretful. When he had nothing to do, he just pondered the situation in the north in his mind.
While I was thinking about it, I suddenly heard a noise coming from outside the garden, which completely disrupted my thoughts.
what's the situation?
He frowned and turned around to look, just as two soldiers were trotting over at this moment, with strange looks on their faces, and they came forward to report:
"Qu Shuai, that scholar is here again. He is making a lot of noise outside the courtyard. He insists on seeing Qu Shuai. Do you want to see him?"
"That guy again?" A look of dissatisfaction flashed across Chang Xi's face, and he snorted: "What a noisy guy. If he wasn't an official sent by Zhou Mu, I really want to kill him with a knife..."
"That's all, let him come in."
Not long after, a young scribe in Confucian robes walked in. He probably had a push with Chang Xi's soldiers at the gate of the garden. There were a few mud stains on his robe. He had just seen Chang Xi, regardless of the dirt on the ground.
Shui immediately bowed his hands and fell to the ground.
"General Chang, I have something important to report!"
Chang Xi glanced sideways at the young man and ignored him.
When Gu Jian was still here, he had complained privately that this guy was like a fly and always liked to make alarmist remarks. At that time, Chang Xi also pretended to be a senior and taught him that he should be open-minded and accept advice humbly. It was not until Gu Jian went to Xiapi that the young man harassed him.
Only when his target became him, Chang Xi finally understood how Gu Jian felt.
I understand deeply.
Counting from the day after Gu Jian led his troops to the expedition, this guy must come every day. Every time he speaks, the first sentence will always be these ten words, which makes Chang Xi's ears almost go numb. Since he is helpless,
Feel bored.
It's just that although the other party is a mere petty official with no real power, he is still an official appointed by Wang Zheng, so Chang Xi has no choice but to suppress his anger as much as possible.
Seeing that he ignored him, the young man laughed dryly, but still had no sense and continued: "I watched the sky last night..."
"Okay, okay." Chang Xi waved his hand to cut him off before he could speak: "Master Mistress, you have watched the sky every night, and your predictions are indeed accurate."
"When you talk about wind, it blows up, when you talk about rain, it rains, when you talk about fog, it fogs up. You already know your capabilities, but why do you need to look at the sky for such things?"
Chang Xi pointed to the sky and said, "Look up and see that the clouds are so dense. Anyone with eyes would guess that it's going to wind and rain, right?"
"I'm here today and you have to predict tomorrow's weather for me?" He snorted coldly: "I'm going to tell you that it will still be rainy, right?"
Hearing this, Master Miao shook his head: "I came to see the general today, but it was not for any reason."
"Then what do you want to say?"
"I watched the sky at night and saw a red shooting star coming from the north and stopping at the end of the attack. This incoming army will seriously hinder our army."
"What nonsense?" Chang Xi was confused when he heard this, and then he rolled his eyes strangely and shouted: "Talk like a human being!"
"Forehead..."
Being stared at by him, Master Miao was greatly frightened. A layer of sweat suddenly broke out on his forehead, and he quickly explained: "The Lord has military affairs."
Upon hearing this, Chang Xi was startled.
The theory of gods and ghosts was very popular during the Han Dynasty, and the regular army had many taboos when marching and fighting. The theory of observing the qi and celestial phenomena has always been very popular, not to mention Chang Xi and his group of bandits?
Licking blood from the knife edge all day long naturally pays more attention to the so-called good and bad luck.
When the young man said this, most of Chang Xi's anger disappeared immediately. He pondered for a moment, then raised his head and asked: "Zhou Mu is about to attack Beihai. Is Mr. Miao the one in charge of this war?"
"Otherwise." Master Miao shook his head and said, "The following is the starry sky observed here. The north indicated may not be the North Sea..."
North of Fenggao...
Isn't that Qingzhou?
Chang Xi's expression suddenly changed, he stared at the young man for a while, and then said coldly: "That's ridiculous!"
"To the north of Fenggao, there are nothing more than plains, Jinan, and the three counties of Qi. In these three places, the people's livelihood is in ruins, and the soldiers and horses are in ruins. Who has such courage to dare to attack our Taishan Mountain without risking life or death?"
"Master Miao, the post you were appointed by Zhou Mu to hold a high post has nothing to do with military matters. You overstepped your authority and interfered without mentioning it. Instead, you dared to make alarmist remarks and disturb the morale of the army. Do you know that you have violated military law?"
When he said the last sentence, Chang Xi's tone was extremely cold, which immediately shocked Miao Lin. When he looked up, he saw Chang Xi's eyes were fierce, as if he wanted to bite people, and he was even more frightened and sweating like blood.
"Everything Lin said is true, and I dare not make any lies. When I watched the celestial phenomenon last night, that was indeed what I meant, General Chang..."
It turned out that this young man was the former Linyi chief secretary, Miao Lin.
On that day, Wang Zheng chose to capture Linyi first in order to encircle the point and mobilize reinforcements. He deliberately let go of the Linyi envoys who asked for help, leading the Kaiyang defenders to leave the city on their own initiative. Later, Kaiyang County Wei Wang Ling led his troops to help. After a fierce battle between the two sides, Wang Ling died. Not to mention, he also exploded a magic sword.
After capturing Linyi, Wang Zheng not only beheaded Linyi's meritorious officials alive on the spot, but also forced Miao Lin to recruit other county officials in the county government.
Miao Lin was originally a person who was greedy for life and afraid of death, so he obeyed and acted as a perfect leader, allowing Wang Zheng to quickly take control of Linyi.
After this, although Miao Lin had formed a rift with the local gentry and officials in Linyi, he thought that by embracing Wang Zheng's thigh, he would naturally flourish and prosper, and he had no regrets. But who would have expected...
Wang Zheng didn't quite like Miao Lin's temperament, and since he was not a famous person like Guo Jia, he didn't know what his talents were, and Wang Zheng was not prepared to give him a chance.
If you don't kill such a villain, it's just for the sake of the overall situation, let alone promoting him to an official position?
Later, Miao Lin was directly assigned to Mount Tai. His official position remained intact and he was still the chief registrar.
How could Mullin be so willing now?
For the same official position, how can being an official in one’s hometown be the same as being an official in a different place?
The most important thing is that Wang Zheng not only did not treat him differently, but also seemed to look down upon him.
It’s just that the time is short now, but if time goes by and those Linyi nobles and colleagues who were offended to death that day see the clues, the consequences will be...
Mu Lin simply couldn't imagine it anymore.
Not to mention that he may not be able to sit back and relax in Taishan, but the Miao family is still in Linyi!
As for the only way to save himself and his family, Miao Lin thought for a long time, and there was still only one way to go to Huashan.
Let Wang Zheng pay attention to him!
And how to get this attention is to make meritorious deeds!
Keep making meritorious deeds!
Therefore, from the moment Chang Xi and Gu Jian came to Fenggao, Miao Lin wanted to show off his abilities.
The first choice was naturally the ancient sword. After all, Miao Lin could clearly see which of the two had a greater future.
Speaking of which, he was well-read in poetry and books, and he had a lot of knowledge in his mind. It was a pity that he met two military men who didn't know a few Chinese characters, and most of them were useless. After hitting the wall several times, Miao Lin changed his approach.
I took turns taking out what I learned from some miscellaneous books about astronomical phenomena, geography, and Feng Shui, but Gu Jian just left.
Chang Xi was also afraid of being interested in this. He listened too much, his face became darker day by day, and he became impatient.
In desperation, Mu Lin changed his mind again.
He also had a brief knowledge of the art of war and analyzed in private that at this time Xuzhou was at war with Beihai, and the surrounding forces would not remain indifferent. And if anyone was said to be capable of fighting, apart from Cao Cao in Xudu, only Yuan Shao's army in Linzi was left.
Both of them have the possibility of taking advantage of the opportunity to send troops. In contrast, if Xu Du sends troops, he is more likely to attack Pengcheng, and if Linzi sends troops, Fenggao will be in danger.
Mu Lin was also unsure about this. He was not sure whether the two would send troops at this time, nor was he sure which side was more likely.
It happened that at midnight last night, he saw a shooting star coming from the north. He simply used it as an excuse to make a desperate move and use vague words to test Chang Xi's reaction.
Unexpectedly, this guy was completely offended!
Seeing Chang Xi with murderous intent on his face without saying a word, and pressing his hand directly to the handle of the knife, Miao Lin was immediately distracted. He couldn't care about it anymore, so he changed his words to the second set of words: "General Chang, I'm going to see that person."
meteor..."
At this moment, a rush of footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.
The next moment, a person hurriedly rushed in, rushed forward with a dusty face, and shouted: "Urgent report!"
"General, the sentries outside Ying County have discovered that a large group of unfamiliar military horses have entered our territory. Judging from their flags and armor, they belong to the Yuan family of Jizhou!"
"What?"
Hearing this, Chang Xi took a breath of air. Not only was he shocked by the sudden attack of the Jizhou Army, but he looked at Miao Lin again in surprise, his eyes full of disbelief.
At the same time, Miao Lin was ecstatic.
He forced himself to suppress the excitement in his heart and looked up at Chang Xi again, with a determined look on his face.
"I see that shooting star below, coming from the north. I can tell that there will be a war in the day, and it will happen in my hometown!"
He really said it word for word and to the point!
...
It was unexpected that Yuan Tan would participate in the battle.
But it is also reasonable.
But the opponent's timing was so precise...
"Our army started fighting. Huang Zhong and Zang Ba on the Langya road were actually feigning an attack. It was less than half a month ago. As for the mobilization of troops and horses on the Xiapi side, I had already ordered the city to be sealed off and prohibited entry and exit. Yuan Tan in Linzi
How come you received the news, reacted so quickly, and dared to march out to attack Fenggao?"
Staring at the letter in his hand that came from Changxi Kuaima, Wang Zhengjian frowned and murmured to himself: "It's a little strange."
"What my lord said is true."
When he said this, Guo Jia also felt that it was a bit unreasonable. After thinking for a moment, he said: "Unless Yuan Jun has judged that all the main forces of our army have set off, there will be no remaining strength to return to Mount Tai!"
Hearing this, Wang Zheng was startled and looked at Guo Jia: "How could they judge?"
"Xu Fang has penetrated deeply into the territory of Beihai Kingdom in the forbidden area. He has been broken into pieces, either sneaking into the mountains and forests, or pretending to be common people. Even Kong Rong hasn't discovered it yet?"
The night on the rainy day became darker and darker, and the lamp on the table flickered with dim light, illuminating the faces of the two people, flickering brightly and dimly.
In the silence that could be heard as the drop of a needle, Wang Zheng was silent and thoughtful, and Guo Jia was deep in thought. There was only the slight sound of the drizzle of rain.
Half a moment.
Guo Jia looked up at Wang Zheng again and said in a deep voice: "My lord, unless someone in the army has tipped off..."
Before he finished speaking, Wang Zheng stood up, clapping the case, with a cold expression and a sharp light in his eyes: "Here comes someone! Send Mi Fang to come see me quickly!"
"immediately!"
Yuan Tan was able to react so quickly and concluded that Xuzhou did not have the ability to return to support Taishan for the time being. In all likelihood, he already knew Xuzhou's combat deployment and knew that in addition to the eastern front, the main force of the western front had already been dispatched.
So how did he know such confidential information?
There is only one explanation!
There is a traitor under his command!
By the time Mi Fang arrived, Guo Jia was a person who could do great things after all. He had already calmed down. He was silent for a moment, turned the topic back to the present, and said: "Lord, if our guess is correct, what will be the next move?"
, how to plan?"
If Yuan Tan knows Xuzhou's overall deployment, will he tell Beihai State? If he tells Beihai State, Beihai State has not discovered Xu Fang's main force in the Forbidden Department, is it just an illusion?
Beihai Kingdom's peaceful life and lack of preparations for war, could it be just an illusion? In fact, a trap has been set, waiting for the heavenly army to fall into the trap?
This is one of the problems.
If Xuzhou's main force on the western front falls into a hard fight and cannot quickly defeat Pingshou in a short period of time and cannot return to support Taishan. At the same time, Yuan Tan and even Yuan Shao, who are well aware of this, will start to launch an attack with all their strength. Then what can Fenggao and even Taishan do?
Can it be sustained, and how long can it be sustained?
This is question two.
Yuan Tan has taken this action, so will Cao Cao, who is allied with his father at this time, take action?
This is question three.
After pondering for a while, Wang Zheng suddenly said: "The internal leak should be correct, but it may not come from the military!"
In terms of control over his own army, I am afraid that no one in this world can compare with Wang Zheng. Moreover, after Wang Zheng thought about it carefully, almost all the high-level generals in the Heavenly Army have joined the team, and almost half of the middle-level people. These people are all
It is a loyalty lock, and there is no possibility of any leakage.
Guo Jia was startled when he heard this: "Master, why are you so sure?"
Wang Zheng looked at him for a while, then smiled brilliantly and said: "Because these generals are all the same as Fengxiao you, they were born to come down from Huang Tian to assist me!"
"Understood..." After a while, Guo Jia nodded: "In that case, there is no need to worry. However, if the person who can know so clearly about the movement of our army's troops and horses, if it is not someone in the army, it must be someone in the state.
An important minister!"
"Even if we don't fully understand our strategic deployment, I'm afraid you can understand most of it by looking at it sideways. There are still risks."
Wang Zheng nodded and asked, "In your opinion, what should we do?"
"The main force on the Western Front is now alone deep behind the enemy's rear. In the afternoon, the military reported that the forward Wu Sheng's troops had arrived at Pingshou City yesterday and were gathering in the mountains outside the city. According to time calculation, I am afraid that as early as the early morning of today, the attack on the surrounding mountains of Pingshou has already begun.
attack.
"Xu Fang's follow-up troops are also arriving one after another. The fight has already frightened the snake. For example, if two people fight, our army's fist has already reached under the nose of Beihai State. If we retreat at this time, all previous efforts will be wasted, which will be harmful to morale.
If it has an impact, the North Korean navy will pursue and intercept it."
"What's more, if these soldiers and horses are dropped from Pingshou to Fenggao, they will have to pass through Linzi in the middle. There is no guarantee that Yuan Tan will not leave behind an ambush."
"Taking a step back, even if the Imperial Guard successfully transferred to the battlefield of Mount Tai, they would have to travel back and forth through mountains and rivers to reach the end of Fenggao's efforts. However, the enemy troops in Jizhou were waiting for work. If they were to besiege the city and call for reinforcements, the consequences would be disastrous."
During these days of spending time with Wang Zheng, Guo Jia unknowingly developed a habit of walking around when thinking about problems.
"This is an analysis from the perspective of reinforcements. From another perspective, from the perspective of the Taishan defenders." Guo Jia paused, glanced at the letter in his hand, and said with a smile: "Chang Xi, I have seen him before.
On the other hand, he has a stoic and fierce personality, but he is not a person who does not know how to advance and retreat."
"If Feng Gao was in danger at this time, the interests and risks must have been stated in the letter, but my lord, you see, between the lines of this letter, it is just to inform the lord about Yuan Jun's attack, but it has no intention of asking for help."
"Feng Gao is one of the military wings assigned by the lord. The defenders are not small, and Chang Xi is not incompetent. It may not be easy to defeat Yuan Tan, but if we can defend the city for a while, it will not be a problem!"
"There is still the most crucial point." At this point, Guo Jia paused and said calmly: "On this basis, I dare to say that there will be no danger in the battle with Feng Gao."
"Oh?" Wang Zheng looked sideways in surprise: "Which one!"
Guo Jia laughed heartily, cupped his hands to Wang Zheng and said: "It is said that one general is incompetent and the whole army will be exhausted. There is also a saying that a son should be like his father!"
"Yuan Benchu is a man with great ambitions but little talent. How much stronger can his son be?"
"Not long after this son conquered Linzi, he attacked me again. Hey, he is eager for quick success and quick success, which makes him blind. If everything goes well, it will be fine, but once his sharpness is thwarted...hey."
"Chang Xi only needs to withstand the first few waves of offensives. When the food and grass in his army are exhausted and the people's hearts are scattered, there will be different opinions. Some people want to advance, while others want to retreat."
"From what I can see, if the chaos lasts forever, Yuan Tan will definitely choose to retreat on his own initiative!"
Having said this, Guo Jia stopped and looked at Wang Zhen again, his eyes full of determination:
"To sum up, I believe that the main force of our army must not retreat!"
"Kong Rong's troops in Beihai are not strong or large. If there is an ambush in Pingshou, then the Yu Ban Xu Fang tribe will be transformed into a strange one, and Zang Ba and Huang Zhong's troops will be transformed from a strange one into a regular one, and they can quickly advance as the main force; if there is no ambush, the south will still be
Xu, the western front is still the main one, the original plan remains unchanged, we strive to capture Pingshou within ten days and capture Kong Rong alive!"
Guo Jia talked eloquently, and the more he talked, the more excited he became. Not only did his words become more intense, but his face turned red. Wang Zheng, on the other hand, looked calm. Although he listened carefully, after the other party finished speaking, he fell into thinking for a long time.
Say nothing.
Those in a superior position should have the courage to make decisive decisions, but they should not make rash decisions, lest they act hastily and unspokenly, and if the order is changed overnight, it will further damage their own prestige.
"gentlemen..."
Just when Wang Zheng finally spoke, there was a rush of footsteps outside the hall, and it was Mi Fang who came.