A biting north wind blows across the Qinghe River, and the grass and trees on both sides of the river are withered. The pale sunlight shines on me, but I can't feel much warmth. Crystal clear ice can be seen from time to time in the river bed. Under the sun
Shining underneath, emitting a strange light.
The vast space between heaven and earth is filled with a chilling atmosphere.
On the official road by the river bank, the yellow smoke rolled past like a long dragon, and the howling north wind could not hide the clanging of the armor and the sound of the swords.
In troubled times, this kind of scene can be said to be commonplace. For the people, it is a signal to flee for their lives. Fighting against soldiers is better than fighting against bandits. Whether it is being recruited as a young man or experiencing the confiscation of grain and grass, it is not a good thing for those with little family property.
The common people are in unbearable pain.
Therefore, generally speaking, when seeing a large army crossing the border, the common people would take their few possessions and support the old and the young to stay away, but today it was a little different.
The common people did not run away. Instead, they gathered in twos and threes at the entrance of the village. They kept looking at something on the official road. There was no trace of panic on their weathered faces, but instead there was a trace of expectation.
Like this vague emotion, whispers floated among the crowd.
"Uncle, do you really don't need to avoid him?" The person who asked the question was a woman holding a baby who had just made a sound in her arms.
Although Li Zheng said there was no need to hide, no one dared to stay at home like that. If you were outside and noticed something was wrong, you could still run a few steps, but if you were blocked in the house, it would be the end.
Of course, if possible, no one is willing to abandon their home and flee. Even if they can outrun the pursuers, they cannot outrun the biting north wind. At this time of year, the barren mountains are not a good place to go, especially for women, children, the elderly and the weak.
It is said that if you don't freeze to death, you may get something wrong with it.
Therefore, Li Zheng's decision is exactly what everyone is looking forward to, but there is also a bit of trepidation in this expectation.
"Avoid what?" An old man chuckled, with a very calm expression. He raised his hand and pointed at the advancing army, and said loudly: "Whose army do you think that is? That is the Qingzhou Army under the command of the Champion Marquis!
"
"Wow!" As soon as the name of the champion came out, everyone was in an uproar.
"No wonder, the prince is the most benevolent and righteous man. His soldiers are indeed different from other soldiers. There is nothing to hide from."
"Isn't that right? Junhou has never been Latin. I heard that in Qingzhou, if you want to join the army, you have to go through an assessment. If you are not really capable, Junhou will not want it at all!"
"Yes, even the kings and princes don't steal food!"
"That's wrong. It's not that the king doesn't rob, he just doesn't rob us. Haha, he specializes in dealing with the powerful and powerful, robbing the rich and giving to the poor, so as to make a living for us small people! The situation has been so bad these years, if it weren't for the autumn
The harvest will be difficult this winter."
Everyone was lamenting.
Fertile soil is everywhere in Hebei, and the people work hard all year round, but what does the autumn harvest have to do with them? The fields have long been divided up by powerful people from all over the country. The poor are either dependent on others and become serfs;
There is no place to stand, so we can only struggle to survive.
For a time, everyone thought that this miserable day had no end in sight, until the world-famous king planted his battle flag on the land of Hebei.
"Qinghe, will this be the land under the rule of Wang Junhou from now on? I heard that not long ago, Wang Junhou defeated Liu Dai in Henan, and then scared Cao Cao away. Does this mean he won?"
"Oh, it's still far away." Li Zheng shook his head and sighed: "Don't forget, there is also General Yuan. Now the news outside has spread. I heard that the princes have repelled the two allied forces one after another. General Yuan
I was so angry that the Jizhou army had been coming day and night to kill me."
"ah?"
"Ah what? Otherwise, why do you think Junhou's army would pass here? Qingyuan has been surrounded. If the rescue is delayed, I'm afraid..." Li Zheng is the head of a village after all, and he is relatively well-informed. Although the battle in Hebei is going on
It's complicated, but he can give a rough idea.
"The king's army is very strong, he should be able to win, right?" the villagers asked nervously.
At this time, there was little news, but Wang Yu's reputation was too loud. Qinghe was also a thoroughfare after all, and there were many business travelers from the north and the south. Most people knew a lot about Wang Yu and Qingzhou.
The most basic farming policy in Qingzhou's New Deal was a bit abstract to the people, but after reaping the benefits, everyone's attitude became enthusiastic.
Whether it is good governance or not, it is useless to just talk about it. If you talk about it in vain, the implementation will still be the same. If you change the soup without changing the medicine, how can anyone believe it? Wang Yu's method of first experiencing it and then publicizing it is very effective. Let's take a look.
It has established enough credibility among the people.
"Of course we can win in the end. If we win, we will be the people under the rule of the king from now on. But... General Yuan has more soldiers. You know, there are hundreds of thousands of troops coming. A good tiger cannot fight against a pack of wolves. This battle...
…It’s so difficult!”
People fell silent, and the emotions in their eyes became complicated.
They hope that this king's army will win and everyone can live a good life, but this kind of blessing is weak and has no effect. Otherwise, they don't need to wait patiently for the savior to come.
However, if you do nothing, you will be unwilling to do anything. After tasting the sweetness of hope, who would still want to live in despair?
In silence, the army did not stop and rolled forward like a torrent, showing no fear of the enemy's huge force.
"I wish you victory and success!" I don't know who shouted the first time, and the shouts of prayers and praises soon became louder. Everyone was sincerely looking forward to this, and every shout was filled with emotion.
From the bottom of my heart, I sent countless wishes and sent my most sincere blessings to the soldiers who went out to fight.
…
"With the support of the people, our army will win this battle." Along the way, the Qingzhou Army showed no respect for the local people and won countless praises. Similar prayers and chants could be heard everywhere, and Tian Feng was filled with emotions.
.
"What's the use of just shouting twice like that? Can it produce soldiers, food and grass, or can it scold Yuan Shao to death? Now, our army is still outnumbered! That damn Cao Cao retreated when he saw difficulties.
, why not just be more neat and tidy? I left half of the soldiers and horses by myself, which is really impressive."
Taishi Ci interrupted Tian Feng angrily and snorted: "There is also Liu Xuande. The lord clearly gave him an order to act according to the opportunity, to retreat while fighting, and not to leave any opportunity for Yuan Shao to take advantage of. As a result,
What did he say that he couldn't bear to see the people being tortured?
They are so poisonous, they are just not willing to retreat happily, and they are also trying to protect the people from retreating together. They are really smart but they are fooled by their cleverness. How about now, are they surrounded in Qingyuan? You are quite diligent in asking for help, this is not
Harmful?"
"Gong Xuande also has good intentions." Jia Xu interjected: "If you win over the people, it will be easier to implement the new policy. Besides, our army has completely wiped out Liu Dai and forced Cao Cao back. The situation looks really good. Duke Xuande is reluctant to give up the land.
It’s also the right thing to do.”
"He is too selfish and saves face. Secretly, he always wants to compare himself with his lord. He doesn't look for a mirror to look at himself. The lord is like a dragon or a phoenix. How dare he have such thoughts?" Jia Xu said.
Rather reserved, Taishi Ci didn't care so much, he just said what he wanted to say.
In fact, Liu Bei's performance this time was indeed a bit off. Wang Yu arranged for him to station in Qingyuan City, mainly to cover the flanks of the main force and contain Gao Lan in Guantao City, and had no intention of letting him defend.
In order to appease Cao Cao and continue to intimidate Zhang Jaw, while Wang Yu withdrew his troops from Leping, he also sent someone to notify Liu Bei and asked him to retreat together. As a result, Liu Bei saw that the situation was good and he performed well.
Of course, Liu Bei cannot be entirely blamed for this. When Wang Yu withdrew his troops, Yuan Shao's main force was chasing Zhang Yan in the Xiangguo area, and there was no danger in the Qingyuan area.
Wang Yu and Cao Cao retreated at the same time, while Liu Bei stayed on the front line alone and arranged for the people to retreat. It seemed that he was trying to achieve success alone, and at the same time he could become famous and win over the people.
At that time, Wang Yu's attention was focused on Cao Cao's movements, and he did not pay much attention to Liu Bei. Moreover, with the communication methods of this era, it was impossible for him to command Liu Bei's army hundreds of miles away.
As a result, something went wrong.
After hearing that Liu Dai was defeated, Cao Cao retreated and divided his troops into two groups. He led his main force of 10,000 troops southward, crossed the river from Cangtingjin, and returned to Puyang, leaving Cao Ren behind.
Although they experienced successive fierce battles, Cao Ren's troops and horses at his headquarters had always been used as reserves and still maintained a complete structure. Cao Ren's army of 5,000, plus thousands of soldiers and horses of Lu Kuang's brothers, abandoned Leping and headed north, marched in a hurry, and attacked 300 soldiers and horses.
Here, Liu Bei was caught off guard.
The military strength was similar, but the gap in combat power was huge. In addition, Liu Bei was not prepared to meet the enemy at all. As a result, his eight thousand soldiers and horses were beaten to a pulp. He lost more than half and had no way to escape. In the end, he could only retreat.
To Qingyuan City.
Because of this battle, the situation in Hebei, which had become increasingly clear, became confusing again.
Liu Bei's capital was originally small, and his losses were certainly not as great as Liu Dai's, but relatively speaking, these two Han clan clansmen had the same effect on both sides.
Not counting Liu Dai's 30,000-strong army, the Jizhou Allied Forces are close to 100,000. On Wang Yu's side, even if all the remaining troops in Qingzhou are brought up, there are only more than 30,000 people. Including Liu Bei's troops, there are only 30,000 people.
Less than fifty thousand.
If Liu Bei's army is wiped out, at least in terms of morale, the two sides will be even. In fact, Wang Yu's losses may be even greater, because Liu Bei was not directly eliminated. He was defeated and surrounded in the city.
.
If he doesn't save him, he will be completely annihilated, and Wang Yu will also have a reputation of being unwilling to save him. This will have a certain impact on the morale of the army and the stability of the alliance.
Save, that’s complicated.
First of all, the initiative is gone. According to Wang Yu's idea, if Yuan Shao refuses to give up, the battlefield should be set up in the hinterland of Qinghe. Firstly, it is easy to wait for work. Secondly, Qinghe is closer to Qingzhou after all. If something happens within the territory, we can be there in time.
Returning reinforcements will prevent us from fighting in the front and losing our base behind.
At present, Yuan Shao has left Zhang Yan behind and is rushing towards Qingyuan at full speed to relieve the siege. Once he is stuck by the enemy, he will probably be unable to escape and will have to fight in Qingyuan.
Qingyuan is too far away from Qingzhou. For Wang Yu, the supply pressure and the security of the territory are both big problems; on the other hand, for Yuan Shao, the battle line has been shortened, and the supply pressure will be much less.
Wang Yu wondered if this was Cao Cao's plan. After defeating Liu Bei, he deliberately left a way for the latter to escape into the city in order to cause trouble for himself. Speaking of which, this move was the same as his own against Liu Dai.
The move has the same purpose but leaves room for tactical maneuvers, which in turn can mobilize the enemy strategically.
Cao Cao was forced to return to Puyang to fight with Liu Dai; he had to go north for rescue and lost the right to choose the battlefield.
It's really a matter of fate, one drink and one peck.
Along the way, the civil and military officials had argued many times about whether to save or not to save, and how to plan for it. Taishi Ci was a staunch anti-Liu faction, and now that he was angry, he brought up old things again.
: "Master, let's just ignore him. We are fighting side by side, why should we give..."
"Ahem..." Jia Xu coughed and winked in Tian Kai's direction.
For Qingzhou, this Hebei war felt like it had nothing to do with it. At first, it was just a thousand light cavalry going north, and the situation was not bad. As a result, due to Gongsun Zan's defeat, the scope of the war became larger and larger, and the resources and resources used by the Qingzhou army were
The number of troops is also increasing, and now, Wang Yu doesn't even care about his hometown, and the whole division is heading north.
No one in the army questioned Wang Yu's authority and judgment, but they were somewhat slanderous towards the Youzhou Army. Every time, the Youzhou Army fell behind and he helped fix the loopholes. Gongsun Zan underestimated the enemy that time, but Liu Bei simply had selfish motives this time.
, greed for merit and wrongdoing.
Qingzhou's military strength was already at a disadvantage. To save Qingyuan, they had to give up their geographical advantages and initiative. This would be a huge loss.
What makes people even more speechless is that rescuing Liu Bei is not of much use. His soldiers were originally recruited to surrender and rebel, but now they have been beaten to pieces. What use can they be put to if they are rescued? It would be good if they don't hold him back.
Taishi Ci is a representative figure of the radical faction in the Qingzhou Army, and he certainly agrees with this point of view. Besides, he and Liu Bei were already a bit dirty, so it is not surprising that they are dissatisfied at this moment.
However, Tian Kai's face must be considered after all.
"Ziyi spoke quickly, and what he said was not bad, but after all, Xuande and the master... how about this? The army must be cautious in its actions. A certain man led thousands of troops and light troops to rush into Qingyuan to rescue the siege and rescue Xuande
After that, he quickly withdrew, what did Pengju think?" Tian Kai also had a straightforward temper, and was not dissatisfied with Taishi Ci's rude words. Instead, he made a suggestion.
"Inappropriate." Wang Yu rejected the proposal without hesitation. He waved his hand to stop Tian Kai's argument and said softly: "Considering the worst case scenario, the Qingyuan defenders have probably lost their combat effectiveness. So has Cao Ren.
He is a good general and leads a strong army that has been on the battlefield for a long time. Brother French, if you rush in with a light force, you may not be able to save Qingyuan."
"My lord, I would like to go with General Tian to meet Cao Ren!" Taishi Ci seized the opportunity and came out to ask for a fight.
Tian Feng thought for a while and then suggested: "My lord, maybe you can ask Gongming to lead the troops of your own army as a back-up force. If the front army cannot win, they can step forward to help the battle. If the remaining Qingyuan soldiers are successfully rescued, they can also cut off the rear."
"It's still inappropriate." Wang Yu categorically rejected, "The plan to raid Qingyuan should be Cao Cao's handiwork. He finally gained the initiative. How could it be defeated by our army so easily? Don't forget, Xuande
Gong Yuan's mission was to contain Gao Lan. He defeated Qingyuan, and Gao Lan could go to help. Cao Ren then had 20,000 troops. How could he win a quick victory if he charged in with a light force?"
"Yuan Shao's army is coming at full speed. It is marching faster than the scouts can deliver information. They will appear in front of our army at any time. If we divide our troops for rescue and cannot win quickly, it will become a tactic to add fuel to our army.
Extremely disadvantageous.”
Everyone was silent for a while.
After receiving Liu Bei's request for help, Wang Yudang made the decision to return to the army for rescue. He did not even have time to hold a military meeting and could only make up for it on the road. Now, everyone has reached a consensus on the necessity of rescuing Liu Bei.
But the method of rescue and the evolution of the situation after the rescue are worrying.
Now everyone understands Wang Yu's idea, which is to try his best to deal with Cao Ren before Yuan Shao arrives. If he can't catch up, then he will have a decisive battle in Qingyuan.
Compared with Tian Kai's strategy of dividing his troops, Wang Yu still had his usual style of winning all or losing all. However, for this battle, Wang Yu did not prepare the ultimate move that would determine the outcome in advance as he did in the past.
If you haven't even determined the battlefield, what killing move can you prepare? Are you just imagining it?
Therefore, this decisive battle is likely to evolve into a head-to-head showdown of strength.
In this regard, the Qingzhou Army is at an absolute disadvantage. Even without Liu Dai, the strength of the Jizhou Army is still far greater than that of the Qingzhou Army. There is a huge disparity in numbers.
Tian Kai was both moved and aggrieved. How did the battle situation become like this? After defeating two powerful enemies, the situation should have been reversed! What a bad time! For the Youzhou Army, this is really a lot.
It was a year of disaster. No wonder the lord sent the remnants of Yi Cong to Qingzhou. He had foreseen it. Otherwise, there is really no way to repay this favor.
He sighed and said: "I hope Yuan Shao doesn't come so quickly. It would be better if Zhang Ping could not turn back and contain him."
"Report..." As he was speaking, a fast horse suddenly galloped towards the front of the queue. Wherever it passed, the military columns gave way one after another. No need to ask, it must be the military situation ahead.
"I am reporting to my lord, the soldiers and horses of Jizhou have crossed the Zhang River, and the three thousand infantry of Yan Liang, the vanguard, have reached Ping'en. At the current speed, they will reach Qingyuan within two days!"
"So fast?" Wang Yu was slightly startled, and everyone lost their countenance.
Generally speaking, the marching speed is closely related to the level of army training, the size of the army, and the road conditions. Jizhou is mostly a plain land, and it is also a tax-rich area for the imperial court. No matter how well the official roads are built, the main thing that restricts the marching speed of the Jizhou army is
It means baggage. The larger the army is, the more baggage it carries, and its movements will definitely be slower.
But now Yuan Shao came from Ren County, which was about the same distance from where the Qingzhou Army started, and actually arrived at Qingyuan almost at the same time. Needless to say, Yuan Shao must have left his baggage behind.
Tian Feng asked doubtfully: "Yuan Benchu is so brave. Isn't he afraid that Zhang Yan will kill him and take away his baggage?"
The scout's next message answered Tian Feng's question, and at the same time brought an even greater shock: "I was about to report to my lord that General Zhang was attacked in Zhao Guofang's city. The army was routed thousands of miles away, and General Zhang's life or death is unknown!
"(To be continued. Please search Piaotian Literature, the novel will be better and updated faster!)