The warm sun was shining brightly, and the banks of the river in May presented a vibrant scene.
But what is different from previous years is that there are many fewer farmers in the fields, many fields are deserted, and the pole grass grows so tall that everyone who sees it sighs.
"Brother Qi, tell me, what is this? The good land is not allowed to be planted. What is the trouble of running around here and there?"
"I said Shunzi, please keep your voice down! Don't let General Chunyu hear it. Why wasn't thirty whippings enough last time? General Chunyu has issued a military order. Who dares to make complaints in the army and shake the morale of the army?
Immediately behead without mercy!"
"They are allowed to give random orders and we are not allowed to issue complaints. There is really no reason in this world."
"Okay, just stop saying a few words. The world is like this. What can you, an ordinary person, do? Why don't you just endure it and wait?
Is your wife slowly getting better?"
The one who complained was a young man in his twenties, and the one who kept giving advice was a rather honest-looking middle-aged man. The two of them walked one behind the other in the procession heading west.
When the former was complaining, he kept staring at the farmland on both sides of the river; the latter kept advising his companions, but his eyes were not far away from the farmland. It can be seen that although the two people have very different personalities, they have the same love for the land.
Unique.
"It was better when General Wang was here. At that time...well!" He couldn't finish his words halfway because his mouth was covered by his companion.
"You don't want your life? How dare you mention that name? Don't you know this is the biggest taboo? If the people above hear it, no one can save your life!" Brother Qi finally turned his eyes away from the field.
He looked around nervously until he found that there was no one who looked like an officer or staff member. Then he breathed a sigh of relief and loosened his hand covering his companion's mouth.
"Huh..." The young man took several deep breaths and complained: "Brother Qi, your hands were too heavy and you almost strangled me to death. What can you do? Those gentlemen can't afford to offend Wang...
You know how to vent your anger on us little soldiers! If I had known better, I shouldn't have gone home in the first place. I heard that the general has gone to Nanyang and joined forces with General Road, and he has to fight back!"
"Alas, after all the fighting, this field is barren after all. If you don't cultivate it in spring and summer, you won't get any harvest in autumn. This winter..." Under the warm sun, the middle-aged man shivered and lamented: "
I’m afraid I’m going to be sad!”
The young man felt sad, and his resentment could no longer be suppressed. Just when he was about to speak in agreement, he saw a carriage coming up from behind the team. He hurriedly reminded: "Brother Qi, please shut up, there is someone."
coming!"
Apart from the commander, General Yuan, the only people riding in the army were the famous men. These people were all high and powerful, and the words they heard were more terrifying than those heard by General Chunyu.
General Chunyu just beats people and forgets it after beating them; but these celebrities like to first accuse people and then kill them. If they fall into their hands, they will not feel at ease even if they die!
Wherever the carriage passed, there was a solemn atmosphere. The soldiers looked at the carriage blankly and closed their mouths tightly. However, the people in the carriage did not feel relieved and also frowned.
"Ziyuan, it is a taboo in the army to change orders day by day, let alone back and forth on the march? Judging from the above, the morale of the army is low now, and many of the soldiers are resentful. When the time comes to battle, I'm afraid..."
"Aren't Feng Yuantu and Guo Gongze the ones causing trouble?"
Xu You gritted his teeth and said: "When
I returned from Luoyang and reported to the lord that changes are about to happen in Luoyang. It is better to make plans early and advance the army as soon as possible! I hate that Feng Yuan Tu ridiculed me for not acting secretly, but Guo Gong had no plan. He advocated waiting for changes and sang and sang, which shook the lord's mind.
, and even missed the opportunity, it is really hateful!"
As he spoke, he let out a long sigh: "If it weren't for these two useless villains, the Lord would have been able to sit high in Luoyang City, and why would he have been wasted on the road? Alas!"
"Since Yuan Gong trusts Guo and meets both of you, why did he do it before..."
"It's a long story..."
Xu You sighed again, with a slightly embarrassed look on his face: "Mr. Yuan came from the family of the fourth generation and the third prince. He had great ambitions since he was young, and he was very polite to the virtuous and corporal, so he was widely famous. However, it was inevitable that he would go too far with this courtesy.
There is also something wrong. Like You, Guo Gongze and the others are also famous Confucian scholars with a reputation for talents. When they have different opinions, the lord is also in a bit of trouble, so..."
To put it bluntly, Yuan Shao has a soft ear, and it is useless no matter how much he tries to cover it up. Xu You is not stupid, and he will not regard the highly intelligent Ju Shou Ju Gong in front of him as a fool. After a little cover-up, he said bluntly: "
My lord has heard about the names of my lord and brother for a long time, and has been longing to see you for a long time. If my lord and my brother can help me, I will be able to strengthen my lord's thoughts and prevent them from happening again."
"Are there more repetitions?" Jushou was startled. As far as he knew, Yuan Shao had gone back and forth several times in the past two months.
The first time was after Wang Yu and Gongsun Zan withdrew their troops, Yuan Shao mobilized all the troops in Hanoi, plundered the people, assembled an army of 50,000, and then led his army to move towards Mengjin.
Halfway through the journey, as soon as they arrived near Ye Wang, they received the latest intelligence from Hedong. Yuan Shao was horrified and retreated to the county seat, leaving only Zhang Yang's thousands of troops to garrison Ye Wang.
Later, Cao Cao raised his troops to march westward. After hearing the news, Yuan, the leader of the alliance, could not sit still. As a result, he changed his mind halfway and returned to the county town for some unknown reason.
Jushou didn't know the specific situation, but based on what he knew so far, he guessed that after receiving the news that the Northern Army was coming out of Beijing to fight, a famous person once again persuaded Yuan Shao to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers, and wait until the right time for another attack.
Two dogs fight, play off.
Then, the incredible news came out.
The fire in Luoyang! The people fled! The Xiliang Army and the Bingzhou Army turned against each other. After a firefight under the city, they each divided their things! At this point, the Xiliang Army was extremely weak, and it seemed that it had not been able to move for a few days.
After receiving the news, Alliance Leader Yuan woke up from a dream and felt full of regret, so he made a third march westward.
As soon as Cao Cao sent troops, Luoyang knew about it. Everyone in the Xiliang army was extremely nervous, and the people in Luoyang City were also panicked. But with the same army of 50,000, Yuan Shao did not cause any movement.
Thinking about it, he went back and forth two or three times. Who knows whether he really wants to attack Luoyang or is trying to trick the enemy? Li Ru is not stupid, and Dong Zhuo is not stupid either. Of course he will not take Yuan Shao to heart.
"Why is it repeated this time?" But this time, even with Ju Shou's intelligence, he couldn't figure out why Yuan Shao had any other reason to retreat. Isn't Luoyang now within easy reach?
Xu You smiled bitterly and replied: "It's not because of Lu Bu."
"Lu Fengxian?" Jushou was stunned.
"when
i Luoyang was in chaos, and the Xiliang Army and the Bingzhou Army fought fiercely. In the end, the Bingzhou Army gained the upper hand. However, they had neither food nor the intention to attack the city, so after their victory, the entire army crossed the river, with unknown intentions. "
Xu You explained: "You thought that Lu Bu was unparalleled in military prowess and that the generals under his command were quite loyal and brave, so he could take the opportunity to help him..."
"That's true." Jushou nodded slightly.
Two months ago, Wang Yu's draw with Lu Bu was a surprise to the world; now it's the other way around. When people talk about Lu Bu, they all say that Lu Bu is the only one who can fight Wang Yu.
These two statements are similar on the surface, but their actual meanings are quite different, at least to the person involved, Lu Bu. However, to onlookers, it doesn't really matter, as long as they know that both of them are good at fighting.
In these troubled times, no one with great ambitions would think that they have many powerful generals under their command. Recruiting Lu Bu is certainly a good idea.
"The Duke and brother are wiser," Xu You said with concern, "but Guo Gong didn't think so. He said to his lord: Lu Bu changed his master three times, he regarded loyalty as nothing, his character was also arrogant and domineering, and he turned against his opponent at every turn.
Xiang Xiang, taking this person in will not only be detrimental to your reputation, but will also cause many hidden dangers, so..."
Jushu answered: "Mr. Yuan hesitated again?"
Xu You smiled bitterly but acquiesced.
"My lord has a lot of flaws whether he is good or not, but overall, he is a wise and kind man! I only need to compare Yuan Gong and Han Gongjie to see if they are superior or inferior.
They were separated. Han Gongjie was indecisive and unstrategic, and refused to accept advice. Talents like his and his brother could not be reused in Jizhou. Yuan Gong was still..."
"Don't worry if you are far away, you will know it yourself." Jushou knew what Xu You meant. The other party took great pains to find him just to get help. Naturally, he was worried that he would turn around and leave after hearing all these weird things.
However, he did not know anything and just rushed in. As Xu You said, being willing to accept advice is not a shortcoming after all. The reason why he often wavers is probably just because several staff members have similar reputations and talents and are in a stalemate.
Difficult to get off.
My talents, knowledge, and reputation are all better than those of Guo Tu, and I have a lot of troubles. It is better to find someone who is willing to be reasonable and knows how to treat virtuous people to assist me, rather than being depressed and unambitious in Jizhou.
"So, now that we can't bring Bingzhou's troops under his command, and it's hard to rush into a conflict with Lu Bu, so Yuan Gong intends to withdraw his troops again?"
"Exactly." Xu You nodded and lowered his voice and said: "My lord and brother, this time you and I join forces to persuade the lord. Even if he does not accept Lu Bu, we can still give him money and food and make an appointment with him to attack Luoyang! Lu Bu and
Dong Zhuo has become a mortal enemy. If he has the support of food and grass, he will not refuse..."
"But Mr. Ziyuan's driver?" Before he finished speaking, a shout suddenly came from the front, and it seemed that it was directed at Xu You.
"Here you are, what's the matter?" Xu You asked impatiently as he poked his head out of the window.
"Mr. Ziyuan, the Lord has summoned you to see you immediately to discuss urgent military matters!"
Xu You frowned: "Emergency military situation? Is there any change in Lu Bu?"
The herald looked around and saw that no one was paying attention. He leaned into Xu You's ear and whispered: "I don't know the details. I only heard that General Cao is here!"
"Which General Cao?" Xu You frowned even more tightly, "Could it be Cao Mengde? If he is not in the army to supervise the battle at this time, why did he come across the river? Could it be..."
The herald nodded solemnly.
"What?" Xu You turned his head in shock, his eyes just met with Jushou's, and both of them saw the incredible look in the other's eyes.