Facing a remnant army and a defeated general, the reason why Huang Zhong went out of the city to greet them was mainly because their leader was a clan member of the Han Dynasty and a famous figure in the world.
This man's name was Liu Ye, courtesy name Ziyang, and he was a native of Chengde, Jiujiang. He was a descendant of Fuling King Liu Yan, the son of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu.
In the original history of the late Han Dynasty, Liu Ye's performance was worthy of such a high reputation.
When Liu Xun was the governor of Lujiang, Sun Ce sent an envoy to ask Liu Xun to attack Shangliao City on his behalf with humble words and treasures. Liu Xun believed it and was very happy to receive the treasure. At that time, all the ministers congratulated him, but Liu Ye did not
Joy turns to worry.
Liu Xun asked puzzledly, and Liu Ye replied: "Although Shangliao is small, the city is strong and the pool is deep. It is difficult to attack and defend, but it cannot be easily carried out in ten days. The army will be exhausted externally and the country will be weak. If you take advantage of the weak point and attack us, you will be behind."
We cannot defend alone. If we advance, we will surrender to the enemy, and if we retreat, we will have nowhere to return. If the army goes out now, disaster will come."
Unfortunately, Liu Xun did not accept the advice and insisted on sending troops. The situation turned out as Liu Ye expected. Sun Ce took advantage of the situation and attacked Wancheng and drove Liu Xun away.
Later, Liu Ye followed Liu Xun and defected to Cao Cao. When pacifying Chen Ce and conquering Zhang Lu, Liu Ye tried his best to defy everyone's opinions, and Cao Cao also won Lujiang and Hanzhong because of his good deeds.
After gaining Hanzhong, Liu Ye advised Cao Cao to pursue the victory and attack Yizhou.
Liu Ye's reason is that Liu Bei's newly acquired Yizhou has an unstable foundation. Taking advantage of the fall of Hanzhong and the shock to the Shu people, he can make most of Yizhou counties surrender and easily overcome the difficult stage of the road to Shu.
If we do not advance at this time and let Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang and others stabilize people's hearts and defend the dangerous position, the difficulty of attacking Yizhou will be multiplied many times.
Unfortunately, Cao Cao did not listen this time. When he later received news that the people of Shu were in panic, and even forced Liu Bei, who regarded himself as benevolent and righteous, to go on a killing spree to stabilize people's hearts, Cao Cao regretted greatly, but it was too late.
When Cao Pi proclaimed himself emperor on behalf of the Han Dynasty and Sun Quan stabbed Jingzhou in the back, when Cao Pi asked the officials in the court whether Liu Bei would avenge Guan Yu, most people believed that the Shu Han was already weak, and losing Jingzhou would make matters worse.
Due to worries, Liu Bei would never dare to initiate a war.
Only Liu Ye believed that Liu Bei would definitely send troops to attack Wu. There were two reasons. One was that the Shu Han took the opportunity to regain its prestige, and the other was that Liu Bei valued love and righteousness. He had a peach garden friendship with Guan Yu and would definitely avenge him.
As a result, Liu Bei really attacked Soochow the following year and launched the Battle of Yiling.
It can be said that Liu Ye's life is a process of constantly proving that "the truth is always in the hands of a few people". He made plans and offered clever suggestions. He was often accurate in the development of the world's general trend. He deserved to be able to predict events like a god.
, was extremely foresight and eventually became one of the few elders of the Three Dynasties in the Cao Wei regime.
Even Taizu of the later dynasty spoke highly of Liu Ye. In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, he recommended to cadres to read four biographies in "Three Kingdoms", namely "The Biography of Zhang Lu", "The Biography of Lu Meng", "The Biography of Guo Jia" and "The Biography of Liu Ye".
He even wrote the following comments in his own handwriting in "The Biography of Liu Ye" and Pei Song's annotations: "This biography can be read at a glance. The long-term approach to fishing for big fish comes from Liu Ye."
...
When Huang Zhong and his men arrived, the rest of Liu Xun's troops had already lined up their formation and were waiting solemnly. A man riding in front of the formation, wearing regular clothes, was none other than Liu Ye.
Huang Zhong took a quick look and saw that this famous scholar from Huainan had big square ears, a dignified appearance, a tall figure, and his eyes were sparkling. He looked forward to the power, which was definitely not comparable to that of ordinary Confucian scholars. He couldn't help but nodded secretly, dismounted, clasped his fists, and said with a smile: "I have admired you for a long time."
Your name is great. Seeing you today will bring you joy for the rest of your life."
While Huang Zhong was observing Liu Xun, Liu Ye was also looking at Huang Zhong, and saw that although his appearance looked old, his demeanor was still solemn, and his tall and majestic body stood tall and majestic. Although he was smiling at this time His face was filled with murderous intent, which made Liu Ye feel awe-inspiring. He couldn't help but compare it with Sun Ce, another fierce tiger he had seen before.
Although Sun Bofu used a gun, it was as sharp as a long knife and was as formidable...
And this Huang Zhong seems to be using a knife, but he hides it without firing it, more like a dark and thick iron gun...
At the same time as the thought flashed through his mind, Liu Ye also turned over and dismounted, took the initiative to step forward and respectfully said: "I have admired the name of General Huang Zhong for a long time. Now that I can see him, I have fulfilled my long-cherished wish."
After some greetings and greetings, everyone set off towards Long Shu.
After entering the county government, Huang Zhong first entertained Liu Ye for a meal and toasted to each other. After three rounds of wine, he got back to his business and asked:
"Sir, you are willing to help our army fight against the Sun bandits. This is a great blessing for Jiangdong, but I don't know how many men and horses you will bring this time?"
Liu Yedan said calmly: "There are more than 1,600 people, including seven villages on foot and two on horseback. The rest are either auxiliary troops or baggage."
The Eastern Han Dynasty military system consisted of five men per team, ten men per ten, fifty men per team, and one hundred men per group. Huang Zhong understood immediately after hearing this. According to Liu Ye's intention, the number of men he brought was actually only more than 900. People are truly ready to fight.
This amount naturally has little impact on the overall situation in Yangzhou today, but Huang Zhongyuan did not have much expectations for Liu Xun's remnants. At this time, he was not disappointed after hearing this. He just nodded and asked what he really cared about:
"How much food and grass does the baggage carry? To be honest, sir, there is a shortage of food and grass in the city right now."
Liu Ye smiled and did not answer, but first asked: "May I ask the general, how many soldiers and horses do you have under your command now?"
Huang Zhong pondered for a while, then personally poured wine for Liu Ye, and then said with a smile: "About eight thousand."
After all, they had not known each other for a long time, but Huang Zhong still had some reservations and did not want to tell the truth.
"oh?"
Liu Ye glanced at Huang Zhong with a smile but not a smile: "Then the food and grass I brought should be enough for the general to spend a month."
That's enough for four thousand men and horses to last two months...
When Huang Zhong heard this, he felt sure. His eyes shone for a while, and he suddenly asked: "Sir, he is a great talent in this world. I am lucky enough to meet you. Do you dare to ask for advice?"
"It is a disgrace to ask questions if you are not talented or knowledgeable."
Although he was so self-effacing, Liu Ye's face was full of pride: "Since the general captured Longshu, the next step must be how to attack Wancheng?"
Huang Zhong nodded. It was not difficult to guess. He and Wang Xiong were ordered to take a detour from Shu County to the north of Lujiang River. The most important purpose was not Long Shu, but to recapture Shu City and open the north-south access road.
Of course, Shucheng is now heavily defended by Cheng Pu, so it is naturally difficult to attack, so the key point is how to attack and when to attack.
According to Huang Zhong's original plan, after attacking Longshu, he contacted Wu Sheng's troops, and then the two armies merged. Together with Wang Xiong's troops who had arrived near Wancheng first, the force was enough to attack Wancheng.
However, Huang Zhong did not expect that Wu Sheng would choose to take a detour to Lu'an, and coupled with the secret letter sent by Guo Jia, it would actually be very different from the previous strategic plan.
It happened that Liu Ye was also a famous person in the world, so Huang Zhong asked tentatively: "Sir, what do you think of taking Qian County first?"
"Qian County?"
Liu Ye didn't answer at first, but after thinking for a while he asked: "The general wants to take Qianxian County, is it to open a way to join the other Xuzhou Army to attack Lu'an, or is it to lure the snake out of the hole to lure Cheng Pu of Wancheng?"
Huang Zhong was startled when he heard this. Guo Jiami's letter only asked him to attack Qianxian County, but did not explain the purpose clearly, so he asked: "What's the difference between the two?"
"The difference is huge!"
Liu Ye looked at Huang Zhong intently for a moment and said calmly: "The former is absolutely impossible, and the latter is definitely the best option."
"Absolutely not possible? Must it be the best option?"
Guo Jia was so resourceful that not only Wang Zheng recognized him, but also the generals in Xuzhou admired him. Huang Zhong was no exception. Hearing this, he felt very unhappy. He even felt that Liu Ye in front of him was just like Mi Heng.
The mad birth of pride and pride.
Fortunately, he had a calm personality and did not show it in his expression. He just asked: "Why did you say this, sir?"
"The general wants to join up with another Xuzhou army. Doesn't Cheng Pu not want to join up with Huang Gai's troops? If the general abandons Longshu for Qian County, who knows that Cheng Pu and other Sun Ce troops will not send their troops north to choose a place
Garrison troops and horses to form a rivalry with Lu'an?"
"Your army is going deep alone and fighting in a different place. It will lose both the right time and the right location. If it is attacked from both front and rear..."
Liu Ye looked at Huang Zhong and said: "General, please don't forget that Hefei is only more than 200 miles away from Liu'an. May I ask, general, if at the critical moment of your army's attack on the city, Sun Ce sends an army from Hefei to attack Bo'an, and cooperate with Huang Gai's troops inside and outside?"
, what will happen to the other Xuzhou Army?"
If Liu'an is not broken, Sun Ce's army surprises Bo'an...
Huang Zhong's thoughts suddenly changed. If Wu Sheng's troops were encamped outside the city and had no basis to defend, they would fall into a pincer attack by wolves in front and tigers behind. Thinking about this, he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat: "There is a strong city in front of us."
, there is no way to retreat, and we are in a dilemma. Even if we have an army of nearly ten thousand, not to mention the destruction of the entire army, we will suffer a great defeat, but..."
After a pause, Huang Zhong looked sideways at Liu Ye and said with some uncertainty: "Sun Ce's main force is stalemate with our lord Wang Zhoumu below Shu City. They have not made any progress for half a month after attacking the city. It can be seen that after many divisions of troops, they are already insufficient.
, after Huang Gai captured Hefei before, he led his army to Lu'an, and Hefei is the gateway to the north. It is not enough to leave troops to defend Yuan Shu in Jiujiang, so where can he find the remaining strength to surprise General Wu's troops?"
Liu Ye shook his head and said: "Sun Ce's independence is still short, and the number of troops floating on the water now exceeds 30,000. This is not normal. Once there is one, there will be another. How can the general conclude that he has no spare strength at this time? In fact, it is
Are you deliberately pretending to be deceitful against your army?"
"To take a step back, is this impossible even if Sun Ce has no remaining strength? General, please don't forget that your army arrived in Yangzhou because Wang Zhoumu thought about his alliance with Yuan Benchu. So, will Sun Ce also have the ability to do so?
Where are the allies?”
Hearing this, Huang Zhong had a flash of inspiration in his mind and was immediately shocked: "You mean Cao Cao?"
Before he finished speaking, he shook his head: "Impossible. Runan has not been lost, and it is difficult for the Yanzhou army to go south."
"Ha ha."
But Liu Ye looked up to the sky and laughed: "There are so many heroes in the world. Xuzhou Army and Yanzhou Mu have always had a grudge. It would be fine if only Cao Mengde is the only one in the eyes of others. The general is from Jingzhou, how can he have this obsession?"
He raised his head high, pointed his halberd in the southeast direction, stared at Huang Zhong, and said word by word: "General, does he know where is the opposite side of this mountain?"
"Of course it's Jiangxia County... Sir, are you saying that Sun Ce has formed an alliance with Marquis Chengwu?"
Huang Zhong finally reacted, but his face was full of disbelief: "How is this possible?"
Cheng Wuhou was Liu Biao, the shepherd of Jingzhou. Even though Huang Zhong had never been entrusted with a high position by his old master, he still treated him with respect.
"How is it impossible?" Liu Ye asked back.
"Sun Ce's father is General Polu." Huang Zhong murmured: "If Sun Ce forms an alliance with Marquis Chengwu, wouldn't he be reviled by the world?"
"No, no."
Liu Ye waved his hand and said: "In the second year of Chuping, it was Yuan Shu who took the initiative to attack Liu Biao and sent Sun Jian as his general. Liu Biao therefore sent Huang Zu, the prefect of Jiangxia, to fight. If Sun Ce really blames Liu Biao, he wanted revenge and went to find Huang.
Ancestor."
"As for the criticism from the people of the world...hey, this matter is easy to handle, as long as there is an actual alliance without the name of alliance."
Huang Zhong still found it difficult to accept: "The hatred for killing his father is irreconcilable, so how could Sun Ce form an alliance with him?"
Liu Ye said: "It's not too late for a gentleman to take revenge after ten years. An alliance is only a temporary means. Sun Ce's biggest threat right now is Wang Zhoumu. What he lacks the most is territory and time. If he can get rid of Wang Zhoumu and occupy Jiangdong by forming an alliance with Liu Biao, how can he win?"
It is the right time to attack Liu Biao after 20 years!"
"Besides, Sun Jian's death in the past was actually inseparable from Yuan Shu, Liu Biao, and Huang Zu. It is not impossible to use Liu Biao's power to eliminate Yuan Shu first."
The more Huang Zhong heard it, the more reasonable it became, and he began to believe it in his heart.
Thinking that he might have to face his old master and the Jingzhou Army next, he couldn't help but smile bitterly, and asked with the last chance: "But why are you so sure, sir?"
"With neighboring counties, don't you have the intention of scheming?" Liu Ye said: "The Yangzhou in Liu Jingsheng's eyes is just like Xuzhou in the eyes of Yuan Gongli. He had not taken any action before. One was because he was worried about the Runan family behind Yuan Shu, and the other was
Well, Jingnan is still undecided and internally unstable, so naturally there is no external plan, but now it is different."
"Yuan Shu made more than a thousand chariots and chariots, and he clearly had the intention of arrogating the throne and proclaiming himself emperor. They are rebellious ministers and traitors, and everyone will kill them. Liu Biao's attack is to obey the heavens and fight against rebellion. The teacher is famous, and the Yuan family in Runan
There is nothing to say to Yuan Shao. In addition, Yuan Shu's attack on Xuzhou last year severely damaged his vitality, and the counties in Yuzhou were threatened by Cao Cao. They are in trouble both internally and externally. It would be unreasonable for Liu Biao not to take advantage of this great opportunity!"
"Of course, the most important thing is..."
Liu Ye said seriously: "Jingzhou has had a large number of troops mobilized in the past few months, such as Xiyang, Xiling, and Xiaji. I have received news that there are many more troops and horses stationed in the army. May I ask, general, what is your intention?
"
"this..."
Huang Zhong was also a man who knew soldiers, so he remained silent for a while.
Xiyang is located in the northernmost part of Jiangxia County, only two hundred miles away from Anfeng on the Lujiang River. Not to mention the riverside city of Xia Zhi, which can be reached in Wan County by water in three days!
Speaking of Huang Zhong serving as Liu Biao, it is natural to know that this old master did have extramarital affairs.
For example, in the first year of Xingping, Liu Yan, the shepherd of Yizhou, died of illness and his son Liu Zhang came to the throne. Shen Mi, Lou Fa, Gan Ning and others suddenly rebelled. As far as Huang Zhong knew, this incident was caused by Liu Biao's faction driving Liu He.
Those who instigated rebellion naturally wanted to seize the opportunity to seize Yizhou.
However, Zhao Wei quickly put down the rebellion and finally gave up. However, he no longer concealed his ambitions and directly accepted the Yizhou rebel generals, among whom Gan Ning stayed in Nanyang.
Facing Liu Yan and his son, who were both members of the Han clan, Liu Biao had no scruples at all, let alone Yuan Shu and Yangzhou. If there was an opportunity, how could Liu Biao let it go?
You must know that for Jingzhou, both Yizhou and Yangzhou are must-win areas. The reason why Liu Biao chose to show his fangs to Yizhou first was because Yuan Shu had covered up several states in the past few years and was very powerful, especially in his area.
The occupied Runan of Yuzhou also posed a great threat to Jingzhou, so Liu Biao naturally did not dare to initiate border provocations.
But what about now?
Yuan Shu first suffered the defeat of Xuzhou, and most of Yuzhou's power was wiped out by Cao Cao. The remaining Runan County was not enough to protect itself, and Sun Ce's rebellion...
After thinking for a long time, Huang Zhong already had an answer in his mind.
It’s hard to say whether Marquis Chengwu and Sun Ce will form an alliance, but at this time, Yangzhou will be hunting, and the Jingzhou army is very likely to enter!
"Then sir, do you know..." Huang Zhong asked thoughtfully: "When will the Jingzhou army launch an offensive, and how many troops and horses will be sent?"
"I don't know."
Liu Ye shook his head: "The maximum number of horses is 20,000. Liu Biao is no longer as decisive as he was in the past when he rode into Jing alone and crossed Hannan. In order to ensure the stability of Jingzhou, he dares to give up to two points per ten points."
"As for when..."
He gently stroked the thin beard under his lips, narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "If the general hadn't attacked Long Shu unexpectedly in the rain, perhaps the vanguard of the Jingzhou Army would have entered Jiangdong by now!"
"how do I say this?"
Huang Zhong asked in surprise: "Longshu and Jiangxia County are separated by the Dabie Mountains and Tianzhu Mountains, making it difficult to pass. The Jingzhou Army wants to attack the Lujiang River, either by water to Wancheng or by land to Anfeng. How can they consider Longshu?"
Shu?"
"Haha, the general himself said it would be difficult to pass..."
Liu Ye tapped the eucalyptus board with his fingers and said loudly: "It's not impossible to pass!"
"If it is blocked by mountains and rivers, how far is Longshu from Jiangxia?"