Although he suffered many defeats, Yuan Shao was not stupid at all.
He refused to abandon his troops and flee alone, not because he was reluctant to part with the few hundred remaining cavalry, but because he was worried that without his guards, he would be killed if he encountered any accident.
However, Zhao Yun's pursuit still made him wary. In order to ensure safety, he stopped for a moment on the road, took off his purple robe and jade belt, and found a substitute to put it on. He and several of his confidants changed into soldiers.
clothes, and then hit the road again."
Opportunities always come to those who are prepared, and Yuan Shao's arrangement really worked.
No one knows what Yuan Shao was feeling at the moment when the Youzhou cavalry appeared in front of him. There must have been some fear, but there may also have been joy.
In front of thousands of cavalry, the 700 remnant soldiers couldn't even raise their fighting spirit, let alone resist, or hold on for a long time, and collapsed instantly. What really caused trouble for Gongsun Zan was just how to eliminate the interference of the defeated troops and capture the enemy.
Of course, this little trouble will not become a real trouble. The Youzhou Iron Cavalry came here to participate in an unprecedented battle, but in the end they could only chase down a group of defeated soldiers. They were holding fire from top to bottom, so naturally they behaved the same way.
Act vigorously and resolutely.
It didn't take long for Yuan Shao's stand-in to be caught. Gongsun Zan rushed over excitedly and saw that He was a fake! He was furious and ordered his cavalry to launch a full-scale sweep. Not a single soldier could be spared.
Yuan Shao was cunning. He didn't expect to escape far from the pursuit of Youzhou cavalry, but ran to the nearest county.
The process was of course thrilling. First, Guo Tu fell from his horse and was not sure whether he was alive or dead; then he sacrificed his life to protect his master and was caught by the Youzhou cavalry with a lasso; finally, Xin Ping fell behind because his mount was shot and wounded, and was taken advantage of by the Youzhou cavalry.
So when Yuan Shao entered the city, there was only Xin Pi left by his side.
Yixian County was once used as a transit point for Yuan Shao's grain harvesting, and a force of several hundred people was always left to defend it. The city's defenses were once organized by Zhang Jiao, and were quite strong.
In view of this, after Wang Yu won the night attack, he did not intend to waste his military strength to capture the city. Anyway, it was just a transit place, and there was not much food in the city. When the winner was determined on the frontal battlefield, the defenders in the city would not be able to flee.
, just wait and see. When the time comes, just send people to receive it, why bother to attack the city?
As a result, no one expected that this place would become Yuan Shao's last refuge.
Xin Pi once served as Zhang Zha's lieutenant and guarded the city in Yi County. He was very familiar with the defense of the city. In order not to shake the morale of the army, he did not inform the defenders of the battle ahead, nor did he announce Yuan Shao's identity. He only said that he
They were attacked on the road. Then they ordered the defenders to deploy to defend the city.
The troops in the city were quite limited, and most of them were old and weak, far from having much combat power. But Gongsun Zan led all cavalry, and it was snowing heavily. As long as there were people defending the city, he would not be able to attack the city.
Being tricked by his enemies again, Gongsun Zan was furious. Although he still had some sense, he did not force the cavalry to attack the city. But he still did not intend to give up. When Zhao Yun rushed to Qian County, he encountered Gongsun Zan who was furious. He asked people to go.
Find Tian Kai and wait for the infantry to come and attack the city.
"This is simply..."
After hearing this, everyone looked at each other in shock, with expressions on their faces that wanted to laugh but dared not.
This incident is so speechless. Who would have thought that Yuan Shao would be so tenacious? He was like a cockroach that could not be beaten to death. This allowed him to escape...well, it's not hard to say he escaped.
Appropriately, the small town of Qianxian County, and under the current situation, could be attacked overnight, and Yuan Shao could only linger on for a few more hours.
But Gongsun Zan’s annoyance can also be imagined. Wasn’t the cause of this Hebei war precisely because Yuan Shao plotted against Jizhou and used Gongsun Zan to top the tank? At the end, Yuan Shao did this again, which must have brought back some unpleasant memories of General Baima.
, so he jumped to attack the city.
However, this is a good opportunity for Qingzhou! Led by Jia Xu, the eyes of many staff members lit up.
"This is unfortunate. Brother Fa Shi led the army to pursue Gao Gan. Jiao Chu and others are probably already ten miles away at the moment. If they want to find him back, they will have to travel another thirty miles to attack the city. I'm afraid it will be a bit embarrassing.
." Wang Yu spread his hands to the messenger who was following Zhao Yun, expressing that he could not help.
"This..." The messenger looked at the sky, and cold sweat broke out on his head.
He wanted to ask Wang Yu to mobilize troops to help attack the city, but looking at the appearance of almost every Qingzhou soldier's robes stained with blood, how could he ask? Besides, this battle had lasted for a long time, and the days were short in winter.
How can you say that the sun is setting before your eyes, and people attack the city overnight?
My lord is so angry that he wants to attack the city overnight, but in terms of etiquette, he is somewhat careless. He is just a soldier, so it is no problem to directly go to Tian Kai to give orders, but how can he have the qualifications to communicate with the princes?
Talking in person? The other party is a famous general who wiped out 20,000 Huqi in one battle!
General Shan and the others didn't remind him, and it's not hard to guess what he was thinking. They just didn't want the two armies to merge into one and lose their status. But he would be in trouble. If he made a mistake, it would be detrimental to the relationship between the two armies.
If it causes adverse effects, it will be irreparable.
Jia Xu coughed twice and suggested in a timely manner: "Ahem, my lord, since General Gongsun wants to eradicate evil, from my subordinates' point of view, why don't we help General Gongsun with the beauty of our army?"
Gongsun Zan has an extremely straightforward temper. It is useless to intimidate such people with strength. Constant kindness is the way to go. As long as he takes your benefits, he will be embarrassed and always thinking about rewards, and the rewards are often greater than what he paid.
Much richer.
Now the Youzhou army is unwilling to change its banner, but as long as the relationship between the two parties is maintained, Qingzhou will continue to show kindness to others. In the end, Gongsun Zan really can't give much in return, so he must have no choice but to give his life.
Well...well, the wording is not quite appropriate, but the meaning is correct.
Now is a good opportunity. According to Jia Xu's idea, he can specially select some wounded soldiers, and then let Xu Huang work hard and lead the team. Anyway, it is not troublesome to attack the city, but it will definitely impress Gongsun Zan.
, wait for the other party to calm down, and then think about the previous rudeness and lateness. The guilt will definitely be overwhelming.
The messenger was so moved that his eyes were shining when he looked at Jia Xu.
"Wen He's words are very true." Wang Yu nodded in response to everyone's expectations. The next moment, the conversation changed: "But there is no need to send troops. Although we have captured some siege equipment before, the weather is so dark on such a long journey.
It’s too late, so there’s no need to waste this week.”
"But, my lord..." Jia Xu became anxious and winked at Wang Yu repeatedly, but the messenger did not show too much disappointment. Favors always have to be repaid. The feud between Yuan Shao and Youzhou is not bad either.
This night.
Just when he was about to leave and go to find Tian Kai, he suddenly heard Wang Yu say again: "To deal with Yuan Shao, it is actually very simple. We don't need soldiers and horses. We only need to go to Zhengping to solve it."
"...The person you are talking about is Mr. Mi Heng?" The messenger hesitated for a moment, then the expression on his face turned to surprise.
"Exactly." Wang Yu replied with a smile, and then nodded to Mi Heng: "Zhengping, I'm going to make a hard trip for you this time."
Mi Heng cupped his hands and said confidently: "My lord, you are serious. How can you say that it is hard work to express your heartfelt good deeds? My lord, just don't worry. I will return as soon as I go. Otherwise, I will send Yuan Shao on his way in an hour or three."
After saying that, he got on his horse and headed west.
The messenger felt as if he had found a treasure. He thanked Wang Yu with his hands and quickly chased after him.
"My lord, isn't it an established policy to show kindness to Youzhou?" Jia Xu watched the group go away, and then said quietly: "Yuan Shao has never suffered many setbacks in his life, and he has a strong sense of superiority. Now that he is at the end of his road, he is being criticized again.
I'm sure I won't be able to survive tonight if I criticize you. However, this way, General Gongsun's bad temper will be relieved, but I, Qingzhou's kindness this time, may not be fully realized."
"This time, that time."
Wang Yu took off his iron helmet from his head, shook his head, and said meaningfully: "At the beginning, we expected that if we win this battle, Zhang Yan will surrender. In this way, the east and west of Jizhou will be connected, and the general situation has been determined. We can concentrate on recruiting You.
But if Zhang Yan has other ideas, Hebei will have three sides standing together... Well, it seems there are more than three sides, so there is no need to be so anxious to recruit Youzhou."
"More than three parties?" Jia Xu thought about it carefully and remembered a force that was almost ignored. He muttered: "Are you worried..."
"Liu Yu and Brother Bogui have been fighting for a long time, and they must have some strength and means. Qingzhou and Youzhou are working together. If Zhang Yan is determined to stand on his own, there is no guarantee that both sides will not realize that they are in danger and join forces to protect themselves. In this way, Hebei will become another
The competition between the two strong powers may not stop next year, and this is the biggest trouble."
Wang Yu kept looking at the yellow flag by the river with his deep eyes. Zhang Yan's choice surprised him.
As far as he knew, the other party was not an ambitious person. In addition to being against Yuan Shao, he had good relations with other princes. After Cao Cao pacified Hebei, he did not go against the trend and chose to surrender to Cao Cao.
The Montenegrin Army’s final way out.
At present, my power is indeed not comparable to that of Cao Cao after he pacified Hebei in history, but relatively speaking, his position as the overlord of Hebei should be difficult to shake. Besides, his attitude towards the Yellow Turbans and the common people should be stronger than Cao Cao's.
?
What went wrong? Wang Yu was very confused.
You can leave these questions to think about later, but one thing is certain, that is, Qingzhou’s goal next year, or even in the next two or three years, is not to fight, but to recuperate. Before the results of this battle are fully digested, there will of course be some battles.
It is unavoidable, but it is not appropriate to engage in large-scale war.
All actions should be based on this principle.
If Zhang Yan really has some ideas, in order to avoid large-scale war, the forces of all parties in Hebei should be relatively balanced, rather than dominated by one party.
In addition, the sudden escape of Jiao Chu and others was also very strange. Logically speaking, there was no need for these people to run away, unless...
"Report..." The arrival of the messenger interrupted Wang Yu's thinking and also revealed part of the mystery: "General Tian reported that the pursuit battle has ended. After Gao Gan, Jiao Chu and others lost more than half of their troops, they respectively obtained
With the help of others, General Tian captured Jiang Qi and found out part of the reason. He did not dare to advance lightly, so he sent an envoy to ask the lord for advice!"
"Report..." Before Wang Yu could ask in detail, another horse came quickly: "Pei, the general asked to see the lord on Tuesday." (To be continued...