As soon as Wang Zheng said this, the whole audience was in an uproar and their expressions changed at the same time.
You must know that although the situation of the separatism of the heroes has become very clear at this time, the status of the great Han Zhengshuo is still deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Even forces such as the Tianjun who started as rebels, although many of them privately hold the view such as "
"Sooner or later, General Tiangong will proclaim himself emperor", but on the surface, even a rough and uncivilized man like Wu Niu knows that the time is not yet ripe.
But Wang Zheng was actually more surprised than everyone else.
He is a time traveler, so he naturally knows that Yuan Shu really has the intention to proclaim himself emperor. He also remembers that in the original history, Yuan Shu seems to have proclaimed himself emperor in Shouchun around the second year of Jian'an, and was named Zhongshi.
But now Yuan Shu's strength seems to be slightly inferior compared to the same period in history, and the result is even earlier?
In the original history, regardless of whether Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor was a mistake, in terms of strength alone, the Skeleton King was not confident enough?
In fact, it's enough.
In the second year of Jian'an, Yuan Shu was indeed the strongest prince in the world in terms of territory and population, even surpassing his brother Yuan Shao.
Let’s look at other princes at the same time:
Cao Cao owned eight counties in Yanzhou, three counties in Yuzhou and two counties in Xuzhou. Among them, the southern part of Yanzhou was in dilapidated condition due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the war with Lu Bu. Most of the three counties in Yuzhou were in ruins due to Dong Zhuo's scourge and the Yellow Turban Rebellion. The two counties in Xuzhou were also in ruins.
Not to mention a county, because Cao Cao himself carried out a massacre, which caused the economy and people's livelihood to basically collapse.
Therefore, in the second year of Jian'an, Cao Cao's base with real hematopoietic function was actually only Yingchuan County and the three counties north of Yanzhou. It can be described as the power of four counties, not even Liu Biao, who had actual control over the six counties of Jingzhou at this time.
, and Liu Zhang, who firmly controlled the entire Yizhou.
Not to mention Lu Bu. Although he had driven away Liu Bei, at this time Lu Bu could still only control the two counties of Xuzhou, and even Xiapi, where the core was located, did not have complete control because of the Chen family.
As for Yuan Shao, who was the most powerful in terms of military strength, in terms of territory and population alone, he nominally only owned nine counties in Jizhou plus three counties in Bingzhou and six counties in Qingzhou that Yuan Tan had captured. He had a total of eighteen counties, but
The three counties of Bingzhou and the six counties of Qingzhou were either in ruins due to natural disasters or man-made disasters, or they were not really under control.
The real basic market is actually the nine counties of Jizhou.
As for Yuan Shu, at this time, his general Sun Ce had leaped across the Yangtze River and pacified the six counties of Yangzhou. Yuan Shu himself also captured Guangling County in Xuzhou and some cities in Xiapi during the war with Liu Bei, plus Ru in Yuzhou.
Although the two counties of Nan and Peiguo have nine counties at the same time like Yuan Shao, in comparison, Yuan Shu's actual influence spans three continents, and most of these territories are located in the plains of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Due to relatively few wars, the population is large.
, the economy is very developed, and its paper strength is actually better than Yuan Shao.
And the key is that Yuan Shao still has Gongsun Zan from Youzhou to tie him up, but Yuan Shu's great enemy Liu Yao has died of illness.
But now...
Speaking of Xuzhou alone, Xiapi County has naturally been firmly controlled by Wang Zheng for a long time. As for Guangling, although it is still pending, Wang Zheng has verbally said that this place will be given to Yuan Shu, but perhaps because of some sense of restraint, Yuan Shu has not even sent out officials so far.
Not to mention Yuzhou.
Peiguo and Xuzhou are very close to each other. When Wang Zheng attacked Pengcheng, he even attacked several cities. Although this place still belongs to Yuan Shu on the surface, its influence is actually not as good as before.
As for Runan County, if the royal government had not blocked it, Xiahou Dun would have already raised a large army and marched to the city.
Under such circumstances, how could Yuan Shu still have the confidence to proclaim himself emperor?
His heart was full of doubts. After Wang Zheng slowly sat down, he thought about it for a long time, looked at Guo Jia and asked, "Fengxiao, do you have any advice on this matter?"
"As the sages say, those who observe the Tao are emperors, and those who understand virtue are kings. There are big and small emperors, and the great ones are the orthodox and the common masters of the world." Guo Jialang said: "Those who want to do this must not be first but present."
Afterwards, not only does the name need to be orthodox and the reality is unified, but it also needs to be flattened at home and conquered by guests from all over the world!"
"Even so, there are still ministers urging us to advance, and the princes support us, and then give in three more times. If we can't say anything, we will look at the southern suburbs and correct Shuo Yan. The later we will accept it, the more solid it will be."
"If a small country is in peace in the past and seizes a territory, it will have to wait until all the neighboring countries have been annexed. There are only one or two big countries left. Externally, the neighbors are in peace, but internally the people are happy to follow. However, from a lord to a king, from a king to an emperor,
If you are promoted one by one, you will be able to pass it on to the people who come after you, and you will think that you will have an unbreakable career in the next life."
"Looking back at the beginning of Jian'an, when Emperor Xian was still there and there were many heroes standing around, such as Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Gongsun Zan, Zhang Xiu, Zhang Lu, Liu Biao, Liu Zhang, Ma Teng, and Han Sui's disciples, none of them dared to steal names.
"
"Yuan Gongli used the Shouchun prefect to be arrogant and took the title of supreme..."
Guo Jia stood in front of Wang Zheng among the generals, his eyes full of confidence, and he said categorically: "Jia Dare to declare that if there is no accident, it could be as short as a few months or as long as two years, and the disaster will soon lead to death!"
"It makes sense." Wang Zheng nodded, and then asked sideways the doubts in his heart: "But General Yuan Shu went to Yangzhou in person last year, and had many interactions with him. He is not a man lacking in resourcefulness, how could he do this?
A rebellious move?"
"Haha." Hearing this, Guo Jia smiled and asked: "Jia heard that when my lord arrived in Zhao County, he also proclaimed himself emperor. Doesn't your lord not know that this was a perverse act?"
"Uh..." Wang Zheng was startled, and then he stopped laughing: "Why should you make fun of someone who is a filial piety? At that time, the general just started to rebel, and Cao Cao had already received the news and sent an army to suppress it. At this time of life and death, if you don't show
If the enemy is weak, can we find a tunnel behind us?"
"It's just a few thousand troops..." Guo Jia heard this and shook his head: "Since my lord is as brave as the enemy Xiang Ji, we can't do this strategy. We only need to rush into the formation and kill the generals. Cao's army will collapse, and there will be no big hindrance.
"
Charge into battle and kill generals?
I wasn't as strong as I am now!
Wang Zheng naturally couldn't say this clearly, so he just coughed dryly and withdrew from the topic: "The implication of Feng Xiao's words is that Yuan Shu's proclaimed emperor also has an element of helplessness?"
"It's hard to talk about it." Guo Jia smiled and said: "Yuan Benchu wanted to become emperor for many reasons. Most of them were because of his arrogance, but the other half was forced by the situation."
"Oh?" Wang Zheng was moved in his heart and asked, "I would like to hear the details."
"According to Mi Gong's information, before setting up the Provincial Platform, Yuan Shu once asked the officials in the court hall, "My family is the fourth generation of Duke Fu, and the people have returned. If you want to obey the heavens and obey the people, what do you think of them?"
"In terms of reputation and public opinion, the origin of the Yuan family in Runan is indeed worthy of the world's respect. What's more, Yuan Shu has the national jade seal in his hand, plus..." Guo Jia paused and smiled: "That rumored number
The centuries-old prophecy "Those who succeed the Han Dynasty should be Tu Gaoye" are interpreted as "highways". Hey, it does have some truth."
"In terms of strength, in terms of the vastness of the land and the number of scholars, Yuan Shu is indeed second to none among the princes. If he wants to be blessed by Qi Huan and imitate Gaozu, it is not impossible."
This explained Yuan Shu's confidence in proclaiming himself emperor. Wang Zheng nodded and asked: "What about the situation that Feng Xiao said was forced?"
"Since the Yuzhou Yellow Turbans asked for help from their lord, they would naturally not fail to inform Yangzhou." Guo Jiadao: "Yuan Shu must also be very clear that after Xiahou Dun has eliminated Liu Pi, He Yi and others, he will definitely take action against Runan next."
"The war is imminent, so Yuan Shu naturally has to consider how to deal with it. No matter how strong Cao Cao's troops are, he may not take it seriously. The soldiers will only cover up the water and the earth, but the emperor in Xudu may give him a huge headache!"
"As the saying goes, if the name is not correct, then the words will not go smoothly, and if the words are not right, then things will be difficult to achieve." At this point, Guo Jia sighed: "Hitting the emperor to control the princes, hey, Xun Wenruo's plan is very clever."
"The princes in the world, except for the lord, who took the path of self-reliance and self-reliance from the beginning, are all Han ministers. He, Yuan Shu, is no exception. He has been Han ministers for generations. Once Cao Cao asked the emperor to issue an edict, he would label Yuan Shu as a rebellious minister.
Thief, before the battle begins, the Yangzhou army's momentum, fighting spirit, and people's morale have already weakened by three points."
"If we want to fight against each other, we can only take risks and stand on our own feet to regain the opportunity." Wang Zheng suddenly realized: "That's it."
"In fact, it is not only because of Cao Cao, the external enemy, but also because of internal factors!" Guo Jiadao: "In name, all the civil and military officials under Yuan Shu are also Han officials. Once Yuan Shu becomes independent, on the one hand, he forces others to take sides and defends his loyalties and traitors. On the other hand, what is the so-called
When one person attains enlightenment, chickens and dogs ascend to heaven, and after Yuan Shu becomes emperor, he will naturally ennoble his ministers, and his subordinates will become more prosperous and wealthy, which will allow them to work harder for him."
Thinking of the original history, Wang Zheng couldn't help but ask: "What if someone really rebels because of this?"
"Except for Sun Ce, who now covers the four counties in Jiangdong, who else is there?" Guo Jia thought for a while and said, "But since Yuan Shu has this intention, he must have gotten angry with this little overlord in advance, right?"
Hearing this, Wang Zheng frowned and remained silent.
He didn't know if Yuan Shu had communicated with Sun Ce in advance, but in real history, Sun Ce took the lead in rebelling against Yuan Shu.
When Yuan Shu truly proclaimed himself emperor, Sun Ce immediately declared independence with the four counties in his hands. At the same time, Lu Bu, who almost became his son and daughter's in-laws, marched eastward and captured Guangling with lightning speed.
Cao Cao also wiped out Yuan Shu's power in Yuzhou in one fell swoop.
In just a few short months, under the attack of the princes, Yuan Shu went from covering three states and nine counties to being left with only two counties and finally died of vomiting blood.
After a while, he spoke again, looked sideways at Guo Jia and asked, "Fengxiao, did you just say that if there is no accident, it can take as short as a few months or as long as two years, and disaster will soon lead to death?"
"This accident refers to..."
"My lord is asking questions knowingly." Facing Wang Zheng's gleaming eyes, Guo Jia said with a smile: "This is an accident. It's naturally what my lord was thinking."
"My lord is the Marquis of Liyang and the Mu of Xuzhou appointed by the emperor. Now he is also a minister of the Han Dynasty. If there is no accident, he will naturally not see Yuan Shu's extraordinary behavior, and he must abide by the rule set by Emperor Gao in the past that no one without the surname Liu should be called
In response to the king's edict, the princes have jointly attacked the rebellious ministers and traitors."
"Fengxiao, don't you know it well?"
After hearing this, Wang Zheng stood up, made a fist with his left hand, and lightly hit the palm of his right hand. Then he looked up to the sky and laughed: "The so-called auxiliary car depends on each other, and the lips are dead and the teeth are cold!"
"Today, Liu Bei is far away, Tian Kai is dead, and Gongsun Zan is in danger. If Yuan Shu is killed by another attack, then how can we know that Cao Cao, Yuan Shao's next target, is not my general?"
He stared at Guo Jia and said word by word: "If I let Yuan Shu die, would it be a real accident, right?"
"My lord has seen thousands of miles!" Guo Jia bowed his hands with joy: "In that case, we should immediately return to Xuzhou and see what Jia saw. At present, Yuan Shu has appointed officials from Taiwan Province and other provinces to ride in dragon and phoenix chariots to worship the north and south, but only Shao Shao
This is obviously to test the reaction of the ministers and princes."
"So within a few days, an envoy from Yangzhou should come to Xiapi to consult the Lord."
"If either my lord or Sun Ce fails to make his position clear, Yuan Shu will not dare to act rashly!"
"This matter is not urgent." Wang Zheng shook his head: "Fengxiao, you set off immediately and inform Ni Heng and Zhang Zhao of my thoughts. If there are envoys coming, just deal with them first."
Guo Jia was startled when he heard this and said hurriedly: "My lord, things have priorities. The three cities of Ningping are important, but in comparison, Yangzhou is indeed more relevant..."
"We have come from Yuzhou, how can I fail to do my best and give up halfway?"
Wang Zheng showed a calm and confident look, sat as steady as a mountain, and said with a smile: "What's more, how much time can a mere one-eyed old man spend?"
He always acted decisively and decisively, and he had an idea in his mind. He immediately turned to everyone and said in a deep voice: "This general has approved of the far-reaching plan just now. Since Xiahou Dun is holding back, our army will take the initiative to attack!"
"We now know that Xiahou Dun suddenly stopped moving forward. It is most likely that Cao Cao heard about the civil strife in Qingzhou and was worried. In addition, Xiahou Dun did not have enough troops, the new city was not attached, and the logistics were not yet available, so he did not dare to advance alone!"
"As long as our army wins a great victory in Kunyang, wipes out Xiahou's troops and deals a heavy blow to them, Cao Cao will definitely give up the idea of attacking Yuzhou, and the day of his retreat will be around the corner. Why not?
for?"
"So how to attack?"
After hearing this, the generals fell into thinking. After a while, Gao Lan was the first to speak: "Zhou Mu, Kunyang is located to the southwest of Yingchuan County. If our army takes the initiative to attack, we must first consider avoiding the eyes and ears of the counties along the way.
, Otherwise, once we cannot attack for a long time, and reinforcements come from all directions, if our retreat is cut off, we will be in great danger. In my humble opinion, before taking Kunyang, we must take Wuyang!"
"Yi Yuan and I can be said to have the same heroic vision!"
Wang Zheng nodded and said happily after hearing this: "Wuyang is the closest city to Runan. It is opposite Kunyang. The two places are about two hundred miles apart. They face each other across the river. There are no other dangerous obstacles in between."
"We only need to send out a partial division to attack and seize it quickly. This will have two advantages: first, the rear is Runan. Cao's army is currently unable to cross the Yuzhou Yellow Turban and Yuan Shu's forces to cut off our retreat. The rear formation can be preserved; second, it can attack Kunyang.
, if the main force of our army fails to attack, Cao's army in Kunyang will be ready to move, and Wuyang's support can threaten them from making rash moves."
Gao Lan was very impressed and said sincerely: "The state pastor will see you clearly."
Wang Zheng smiled and asked warmly: "Yi Yuan, would you like to capture this city for me?"
It's not that Wang Zheng has great trust in Gao Lan now, but he is rushing to attack Wuyang and connect with the main force. If he wants to complete these two tasks well, he must be brave and resourceful. Those who dare to fight and can defend must not do this.
Among the generals who came from Yuzhou, Yan Ran was good in ability but lacked experience, and the others were even worse. Therefore, apart from Wang Zheng himself, Gao Lan was the best candidate.
Gao Lan was overjoyed when he heard this.
Compared with the previous task of taking Yilu and Xiang County, this task is naturally much different in difficulty, but the meaning is also incomparable.
He immediately knelt down on the ground, and amidst the clang of his armor, he loudly responded: "I would like to shepherd swords for the state!"
"Okay!" Wang Zheng clapped his hands and stood up: "Gao Lan listens to the order!"
"Tomorrow we will bury the pots at the third watch, make rice at the fourth watch, and set off at the fifth watch. You don't need to bring too much luggage, just carry 15 days' worth of dry food with you..."
He strode over quickly and helped Gao Lan up personally: "General, I hope to hear the news of success within ten days. Do you have any questions?"
It is nearly four to five hundred miles from Yilu to Wuyang. The road is neither far nor close. Fortunately, the road is flat and there are no obstacles.
However, even if they were galloping through the starry night, it would still take at least six or seven days of marching to arrive, which would mean that Gao Lan could capture the city in one or two days and then immediately send people to report back.
Although Wuyang is not a big city and the garrison is expected to have up to a thousand people, it is actually quite difficult.
Gao Lan showed no signs of embarrassment. Instead, he perked up and bowed to receive the order:
"promise!"
"The final general swears not to disgrace his life."
At this time, Guo Jia on the side intervened and said: "My lord, although Xiahou Dun currently has no large army within the sight of our army, he will definitely send sentries to spread around, cruising around to spy on the movements of our army. Once there is any movement in our army,
, Xiahou Yuanrang must know immediately!"
"My old minister suggested that before our main force attacks, we still need to get a surprise force, a main force in sheep attire, to attract his attention. Only in this way can we be unprepared and strike first."
"good."
Wang Zheng nodded and picked out Yan Ran from among the generals: "Now you don't have to go see these people in Huangjun. The five hundred people have been changed to one thousand five hundred. You can set off with Yi Yuan and put up more flags on the road. Be sure to
Take on the posture of being the main force.”
The Heavenly Army had bluffed many times in previous battles, and all the subordinates were familiar with it. There were 1,500 people plus Gao Lan's 2,000 people, a total of nearly 4,000 people, too many to say, so they pretended
The momentum of 10,000 to 20,000 people is still easy.
Yan Ran bowed solemnly: "Here!"
At this time, the wind outside the hall blew in, it was cool and pleasant, and the cloaks of the generals and the red tassels on their robes were fluttering and rustling.
The Heavenly Army is still dark, but the uniforms of the Tianzhu Camp and the current middle-level generals are even more red due to Wang Zheng. The generals’ cloaks include hanging cloths hanging on their weapons and the flags placed in the courtyard outside the hall.
It's also all red.
Spring is the season of the Qing Emperor. The trees in the courtyard are lush and green, and the red color against them becomes more and more dazzling.
In the early morning of the next day, in the dead of night, the infantry held their breath and concentrated, and the cavalry wrapped the horses' hooves with soft cloth, turned into a black torrent, and quietly left Yilu City.