In Yuan Tan's opinion, these five words were the five most beautiful words he had ever heard in his life. Almost instantly, Yuan Tan almost jumped with excitement.
But immediately, Yuan Tan's excitement was greatly dampened.
Because the person who said these five words was Xin Ping, a tainted counselor who repeatedly miscalculated and lost to Yan Liang.
Yuan Tan temporarily suppressed his excitement, turned around, and asked calmly: "If Zhongzhi has any good ideas, why don't you tell me about it?"
King Wei did not give him a cold face, and Xin Ping secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He cupped his hands and said: "Xu Du is the foundation of the king, and we must not fail to save it. For the current plan, the king must find every way to force Yuan Shang to retreat, and then he can mobilize all his troops to the south to rescue Xu Du."
"Don't I, the King, already know about this kind of thing? Do you need to remind me?" Yuan Tan said disapprovingly.
Xin Ping coughed a few times and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty is wise, and I know very well that I just have a plan that may allow Yuan Shang to retreat without fighting."
Hearing this, Yuan Tan and Qin's calm expression finally couldn't hold it anymore, and excitement burst out of his eyes.
"If Zhongzhi has a great idea, please tell me quickly." Yuan Tan urged excitedly.
Xin Ping then moved closer, lowered his voice, and explained his plan.
After listening to Xin Ping's words, Yuan Tan had a look of enlightenment on his face. He slapped the table and said happily: "The plan is so wonderful. Why didn't I think of it? Zhongzhi, you are indeed my number one counselor. If I can turn this crisis around,
, you are the number one contributor.”
Yuan Tan was so happy that he immediately put aside his previous dislike of Xin Ping and praised Xin Ping as his number one counselor in a few words.
Xin Ping's cautious expression could finally be put away, and there was a rare hint of pride on the corner of his mouth.
He stroked his beard and said with a smile: "As long as Yuan Shang retreats, your Majesty can raise his troops and return south to kill Yan Liang, a lowly common man. When the time comes, he will send his troops north. The Yuan family's empire will eventually be in your hands."
Xin Ping was also smart and did not forget to flatter Yuan Tan in response.
Yuan Tan felt proud after hearing this, the gloom on his face disappeared, and he couldn't help but laugh.
######
Yanling.
The stars and moon are in the sky, and there are no clouds in the sky. Tomorrow will be a rare good weather.
Yan Liang stood at the door of the tent, looking up at the night sky, his eyes flashing with thoughts.
The military camp at night is like a smooth mirror, reflecting the starlight in the sky, and those little starlights are piles of bonfires.
Amidst the aroma, pots of broth have been cooked, and the soldiers sitting around the fire are drooling and preparing to enjoy a rare meat meal.
The night wind blew against his face, and Yan Liang felt a hint of winter cold. He turned and returned to his tent.
In the wide military tent, eight huge torches were lit on the left and right sides, reflecting the warmth and brightness in the tent, which seemed like two different worlds from the cold weather outside the tent.
On the huge desk in the center of the large tent, a candle as thick as an arm was supported on each wing. The flashing red light reflected the huge map hanging next to it.
Yan Liang's profound eyes were focused on the map again.
Xudu, Chang'an, Shouchun, Yecheng... cities appeared one after another in front of his eyes, and the general trend of the world was tumbling in his mind.
Perhaps because of the habit of being a night owl that he developed before time travel, Yan Liang's mind is most clear at night.
He likes to quietly think about military battles and plans in the dead of night.
The hanging curtain was lifted from the outside, and a cold night wind took the opportunity to penetrate into the tent, causing the torches to flicker and dance.
"Yuan Zhi, haven't you rested yet?" Yan Liang didn't look back, and he could tell who it was just by the sound of footsteps.
Xu Shu, who was behind him, smiled and sighed: "I am very sleepy, but unfortunately there is an urgent report from the north, which scares away all the sleepy people."
There is an urgent report from the north...
Yan Liang's eyes moved slightly, as if he had guessed something.
But he was not in a hurry, he just slowly turned around and sat down, and poured himself two cups of warm wine from under the stove, one cup for himself and one cup for Xu Shu.
"Thank you, lord."
After drinking a glass of wine, Yan Liang said calmly: "Could it be that boy Yuan Shang who withdrew his troops?"
"Ahem~~" Xu Shu's wine entered his throat and he choked on Yan Liang's understatement.
Putting down the wine bottle, Xu Shu had a strange look on his face, but sighed: "My lord is so good at knowing things, it seems that I and these counselors will have nothing to eat one day."
Xu Shu's self-deprecation made Yan Liang laugh.
Xu Shu was just joking. He also smiled and said, "My lord, what you expected is true. Yuan Shang did indeed withdraw his troops from Baima, and he also withdrew very quickly."
"Well, tell me why Yuan Shang withdrew his troops and see if it matches the reasons I think." Yan Liang nodded.
Xu Shu then presented the parchment with information. Although the information contained only a few lines, Yan Liang glanced at it briefly, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Yuan Xi, who was powerful in Youzhou, finally sent out troops.
The second son of the Yuan family, Mao sat in Youzhou and watched the disputes between the Yuan family for more than half a year. Finally, when Yuan Tan Zhuo was in danger, he came to the aid of his half-brother. Ten thousand Youzhou cavalry came from Fanyang County.
After a long drive south, the troops advanced directly into the Zhongshan Kingdom to which Jizhou belonged.
"Yuan Shang's army is all in Henan. The Zhongshan Kingdom in the north has no front-line troops. Yuan Xi stabbed him in the back so suddenly. It's strange that the Third Young Master Yuan didn't retreat."
Yan Liang nodded slightly and asked again: "I wonder what banner Yuan Xi is using?"
Xu Shu said: "Yuan Xi rebuked Yuan Shang for tampering with Yuan Shao's orders. What he sent troops to fight this time was to support Yuan Tan as the king of Wei and to clean up the Yuan family."
"Sure enough, he is still a softie." Yan Liang made a decisive conclusion to Yuan Xi.
At this time, after nearly half a year of war between Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan, coupled with the intervention of Liu Bei and Yan Liang respectively, the two Yuan's strengths have been greatly damaged. No matter which side they are, they have lost the ability to intimidate the world.
And Yuan Xi is in Youzhou and has tens of thousands of elite Youyan troops, which is a force that cannot be underestimated.
If it were Yan Liang, if he had such strength, he would definitely fight for the throne, regardless of Yuan Shang or Yuan Tan.
But at the moment, Yuan Xi does not dare to stand up for himself, and still pretends to support Yuan Tan. It is obvious at a glance that he is a person without courage and ambition.
Xu Shu smiled and said, "Yuan Xi is not completely soft. His third brother gave his wife to the lord. He finally dared to send troops to take revenge. At least he still has some masculinity."
Yan Liang thought of Zhen Mi who was under house arrest in Xiangyang. At this moment, if she knew that her husband dared to send troops to attack Yuan Shang only a few months after she was given to Yan Liang by Yuan Shang, I don't know how she would feel.
"Let the two men named Yuan from Hebei continue to fight among themselves. Now that Yuan Shang returns to the army, Yuan Tanbi will return to rescue Xu Du. Yuan Zhi, you should concentrate on thinking about how to deal with this kid."
Yan Liang sneered, and his vision shifted from Hebei to Henan.
At the current situation, Yan Liang had nearly 50,000 troops and horses, of which nearly 40,000 were used to besiege Xudu, while Yan Liang's troops in Yanling only had more than 10,000 troops.
And Yuan Tan mobilized an army from the north to go south, numbering at least 30,000.
Ten thousand versus 30,000, Yan Liang did not have an advantage in terms of military strength. Although his troops were small, Yan Liang had absolute confidence that he could defeat Yuan Tan's 30,000 army with less.
But in plains such as Yingchuan, the most important battle will be a head-on confrontation in the wilderness. With ten thousand versus thirty thousand Yan Liang, even if he can defeat Yuan Tan in the end, his own troops will definitely have a lot of enemies.
loss.
Looking at the Central Plains, there were still enemies like Liu Bei who were more powerful than Yuan Tan. Yan Liang was unwilling to lose too many elite soldiers in a confrontation with Yuan Tan.
Therefore, the difficulty in this battle is how to defeat many with less without losing too many troops.
Xu Shu also fell into deep thought. He had the same resourcefulness and morale. Naturally, Xu Shu could also think of what Yan Liang was worried about.
The two masters and ministers stared at the hanging map quietly, their thoughts racing in the wilderness of Yingchuan County, and their calm eyes flashed with ever-changing expressions.
The charcoal fire crackled in the furnace, and the smoky smell of wine filled the air.
As if due to the stimulating aroma of the wine, Xu Shu's eyes suddenly lit up, and then a sly smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"My lord, I have thought of a clever plan."
######
Seven days later, north of Yanling.
The cold wind howls, the dry grass is flying, and the wilderness in the middle of winter is miserable.
Yan Liang stood on his horse, his eyes like razors, staring coldly ahead.
Although the big flag with the Chinese character "Yan" was still flying proudly, there were only about 6,000 soldiers and horses on the left and right, and the momentum seemed a bit thin compared to the tens of thousands in the past.
A long, thick black line rises from the horizon, and countless flags flutter like cloud sails.
The black line slowly approached, and within a short time, Yan Liang saw the entire army clearly.
There was a huge military formation spanning hundreds of feet, densely packed with heads and flying flags, overwhelming the sky. The forest armor reflected the sunlight, almost making the sky cold.
In the center, the big flag with the character "Yuan" is flying in a mighty manner.
Thousands of shield bearers lined up at the front of the military formation. The large shields they held had three layers. They were covered with cowhide on the outside, wood in the middle, and the innermost layer was also covered with a layer of iron. The shield was so strong that even a ballista could use it.
The strongest shield that cannot be penetrated.
Behind the shield bearers were densely packed forest-like halberds. These halberds were more than two feet long and were enough to penetrate any heavy cavalry captured by the general.
On the left and right wings of the military formation, thousands of light cavalry were distributed to guard against the impact of the light cavalry.
At a glance, this huge infantryman looks almost like a steel behemoth covered with iron sheets. It is simply invulnerable.
Seeing such a large formation, Yan Liang smiled.
Shenxingqi, iron pagoda, ballista, and Yan Liang's three sharp weapons were all restrained by Yuan Tan's formation. It seems that Yuan Tan has learned the lessons of several failures this time. This time it can be said that he is successful.
Come prepared.
"It's really hard for you to target me like this, Mr. Yuan..." Yan Liang sighed secretly.
But a few hundred steps away, sitting on his horse, looking around at the iron formation he had built with spirit, Yuan Tan looked proud and proud.
Looking at the military formation of a few thousand people from a distance, Yuan Tan sneered at the corner of his mouth, "Yan Liang, I will see if you can break through my iron formation this time!"