Xiaoqi

At the beginning of the war, Liu Biao of Jingzhou led two armies of water and land to attack, posing a great threat to Yuan Shu, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that the situation was chaotic.However, the Jingzhou army was only a flash in the pan. Liu Biao led his troops to retreat quietly in the name of suppressing the rebellion in Jingnan after several months of fruitless attack.Just as Yuan Shu breathed a sigh of relief, Jiangdong Sun Ce stabbed him fiercely in the back, beating Yuan Shu by surprise and almost losing Lujiang County.Afterwards, Yuan Shu mobilized an army to surround Sun Ce, forcing Sun Ce to retreat while fighting, temporarily retreating to Jiangdong, waiting for an opportunity to fight again.

With the retreat of Liu Biao and Sun Ce, the Huainan battlefield entered a brief truce, making Yuan Shu mistakenly believe that the crisis had passed.Finally, I can breathe a sigh of relief and sit firmly on the throne.Unexpectedly, Xuzhou Lu Bu, who had already surrendered to him before, suddenly turned against him.He led the Xuzhou army to attack Yuzhou without declaring a war, and defeated Guo Gong, the governor of Yuzhou.

I heard that Lu Bu turned his back on what he said, surrendered and rebelled again.Yuan Shu was furious, and immediately led his army to attack Lu Bu, and fought against Lu Bu's army on both sides of the Huaihe River.But with more defeats and fewer victories, they had no choice but to retreat to the south bank and resist steadily.Just at this time, Jiangdong Sun Ce made a comeback.Send troops to Lujiang again.Sneak attacking Yuan Shu's rear, echoing with Lu Bu's army in Huaibei, flanking Yuan Shu.

In terms of the number of soldiers and horses alone, Yuan Shu has more than [-] troops, and even if he has one against two, he will not be defeated.But this is not the case.Faced with the north-south pincer attack of Bingzhou tiger Lu Bu and Jiangdong little overlord Sun Ce, Yuan Shu's army fought on two fronts, fighting tigers in the north and driving wolves in the south.Not to lose the city.But it never occurred to me that the tigers in the north failed again and again.The wolf-hunters in the south also lost consecutive battles, causing Yuan Shu's army to lose troops and retreat repeatedly. Yuan Shu himself was reduced to a frightened bird, and hurriedly returned to Jiujiang, hiding in the "emperor capital" Shouchun City, terrified all day long.

In just one year and five months since he ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, Yuan Shu, the emperor of the Zhong family, lost most of Yuzhou and Yangzhou one after another.Today, Yuan Shu's situation is in decline, day by day, the trend of decline is no longer irreversible, the young Zhong's regime is on the verge of collapse, and now it is just lingering.

In October of the third year of Jian'an, when the north was about to usher in the first snow since winter, Huainan was shrouded in continuous autumn rain, making it extremely cold and humid.In the lingering autumn rain, Yuan Shu, who was huddled in Shouchun City, suffered from a leaky house and continuous night rain. Misfortunes never come singly.Following the rebellion of Chen Lan and Lei Bo, who plundered food and grass and fled into the mountains, the hearts of Yuan Shu's subordinates were fluctuating and the morale of the army was slackened. Many civil servants and military generals secretly communicated with other princes, sharpened their heads to seek a way out, and there were many people with different ideas. yes.

Zhong's regime has not been completely defeated, but everyone under Yuan Shu's command seems to dislike him. They are not doing their jobs properly, perfunctory, and sneaky.This is almost an undisclosed fact, even if no one reports it to Yuan Shu, he can still see the thoughts of the martial arts under his command.

However, Yuan Shu clearly knew that there were many people with dissent among his subordinates, but he had to pretend not to know.Every day, I watched these courtiers with two ambitions, one thing on the outside, the other on the other side, but they were powerless and helpless.

This is because, at this time of crisis, it is impossible for Yuan Shu to kill all the courtiers with two ambitions, and many things have to rely on their efforts.If all of them were killed without asking indiscriminately, not only would the situation of decline be unable to be reversed, but it would intensify the decline, which in turn would lead to the collapse of Zhong's regime in an instant, and Yuan Shu would most likely be murdered by his subordinates and die unexpectedly.After all, it has been a common occurrence since ancient times to jump over the wall in a hurry, and this is the situation Yuan Shu is facing now.

Shouchun City, the palace hall.

The "crash" autumn rain was falling, and Yuan Shu, with gray temples, was standing in the corridor outside the hall in a dragon robe, staring blankly at the few rows of raindrops in front of him with his deeply sunken eyes.Occasionally, I look up at the glazed tiles of the eaves that are several feet high, and watch the rainwater falling on the tiles gather into strings and fall straight down. is good looking.

In Yuan Shu's memory, the last time he watched the rain falling from the eaves so seriously was when he was six years old.At that time, he had already remembered things, was full of curiosity about many natural phenomena, and was extremely active.But he couldn't go out to play when it was raining, so he wanted to find out where the water came from, but he couldn't see where the rain came from standing in the yard, and the only place where he could see the rain clearly Convenience is under the eaves. For this reason, he has carefully observed the process of dripping water from the eaves, and he has a deep memory.

Time flies, like a white horse passing by, and more than 50 years have passed in a blink of an eye.

For more than 50 years, he has never paid attention to the scene when it rains, and all his thoughts are devoted to power struggle, expansion of power and enjoyment of wine and sex.In the past 30 years, every rainy season, he has been drinking and having fun in the mansion, singing and dancing, lying in the arms of beauties, dreaming and dreaming. He never focused on watching the rain like he did when he was a child.

However, today after more than 50 years, Yuan Shu, exhausted physically and mentally, suddenly had a whim, and walked to the palace gate to watch the scene of autumn rain quietly.Watching the rows of water droplets falling down like white lines under the eaves.With the splash of crystal clear water, Yuan Shu's heart was unprecedentedly calm, and there was a faint sense of comfort.It reminded him of watching the rain innocently in his childhood, and then recalled some fragmented fragments, and the scene of playing and frolicking with his elder brother Yuan Shao appeared in his mind.

Originally half-brothers, they went through a naive and romantic childhood together. However, with the growth of age and the temptation of fame and fortune, the two brothers became farther and farther apart.Potential into water and fire.Going through ups and downs for more than 30 years, the former pair of brothers are now in their sixtieth years and are very old.But in his twilight years, he was tricked by fate again.Walking on the same path again, they became a pair of troubled brothers, both of whom were the targets of the Yuan League's crusade.

There seems to be a divine will in the dark, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu are both descendants of the Yuan family.The same fate followed decades of infighting.nowadays.The two brothers have been trapped in a tight siege, facing the catastrophe of family destruction.I don't know if Yuan Shao in Jizhou has this kind of awareness at the moment, but when Yuan Shu watched the water drops falling continuously under the eaves, he suddenly thought that he and his brother Yuan Shao were facing the same crisis and were in danger.

All of a sudden, Yuan Shu was full of emotions and mixed feelings, and couldn't help worrying about the current situation of his brother Yuan Shao.

"I heard that Youzhou has been occupied by Li Li. Wuhuan and Xianbei barbarians have also been wiped out by Li Wenchang?" Yuan Shu asked suddenly without moving.

At this moment, Yan Xiang and Ji Ling were accompanying Yuan Shu to watch the rain.However, their identities are no longer the counselors and leading generals, but Situ and the general.However, the Zhong Clan's regime is in jeopardy now, and Situ Yanxiang and General Ji Ling consciously return to their previous positions. Not only the two of them are like this, but also the other civil servants and generals under Yuan Shu's account. To become the martyr of Zhong Emperor Yuan Shu.

Currently, the only person in Shouchun City who has not changed his identity is Yuan Shu.No matter how the current situation changes, as long as he is not dead and he does not abdicate, he will still be the emperor of Zhong's regime, the supreme emperor.The country is broken, and the situation of wives and concubines returning to others has not yet fallen on Yuan Shu's head. At least for now, the Zhong Clan's regime is still there, and the imperial capital Shouchun has not been captured by the crusade army.

Hearing Yuan Shu's question, Yan Xiang bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the rumors are true. Last winter, General Li Li had already forced Gongsun Zan to surrender, killing more than [-] Youzhou troops. In April and May this year, the general General Li Lili led the army to two decisive battles with the barbarian army. These are the Battle of Lulongsai and the Battle of Bailang Mountain, which are now popular all over the world. The elite barbarians captured all the people of their tribes and completely pacified the border troubles in Youzhou." While speaking, Yan Xiang's tone was sincere, as if he was in awe of Xiliang Li Li, he opened his mouth and kept silent about the general, but because of Yuan Shu's face, he called out Li Li's name.

After Yuan Shu heard the words, his expression moved slightly, his brows twitched violently, his eyes narrowed into a slit, and a thick panic flashed in his eyes.Fortunately, his back was facing Yan Xiang and Ji Ling, so they couldn't see the change in his expression.

"Li Li is really powerful!" Sighing softly, Yuan Shu turned and walked into the palace gate, walked unhurriedly on the empty hall, sighed and sighed: "This time Li Wenchang pacified Youzhou, it must be a change of prestige. Compared with the past, the front of the army is getting stronger and stronger, like the sky!"

Yan Xiang and Ji Ling followed Yuan Shu step by step, and Yan Xiang said: "It is true. Li Li is famous for being good at fighting, and this victory in Youzhou is just icing on the cake. The real battle in Youzhou Among them, the one who became famous in the first battle was his men and women under his command."

Yuan Shu paused after hearing the words, turned his head to look at Yan Xiang, and then at Ji Ling, not without disappointment, he said: "There are so many talented people under Li Li's command, it really worries me! According to the detailed report, Li Li has returned Luoyang, will you lead your army south in a few days?"

"This..." Yan Xiang looked surprised. After hesitating for a moment, he whispered with embarrassment: "I'm afraid Li Li's army is on its way to Jiujiang at this time, and it will arrive soon."

ps: Thanks: Zhutou Huishuyou's monthly ticket support, thank you!

I was delayed by something today, and the update was late. I hope that all book friends will forgive me, and I thank you all!

Chapter 997 Drunken Jiangnan, Iron Horse Glacier

Hearing the questioning meaning in Yuan Shu's words, Yan Xiang said: "That's true. Li Li is famous all over the world for being good at fighting. This victory in Youzhou is just icing on the cake. In the battle of Youzhou, he became famous in one battle. But it was someone else.

In the Battle of Lulongsai, Zhuge Kongming, Li Li's foster brother, skillfully defeated tens of thousands of barbarian iron cavalry with a bow and crossbow, and has since become famous all over the world.It is said that this Zhuge Kongming was originally named Zhuge Liang, with the word Kongming and the name Wolong.He was originally from Langya, Xuzhou. In order to avoid the war, he followed his uncle Zhuge Xuan to Jingzhou and attached himself to Liu Biao.Four years ago when Zhuge Xuan served as the prefect of Nanyang, Zhuge Liang built a thatched hut on Wollongong and devoted himself to studying. He was quite talented and was named "Wolong" by Sima Hui, a Jingzhou hermit. Since then, this name has been popular among Jingzhou scholars. Spread the word.

But it was the battle of Lulongsai that really made him famous all over the world. Li Li's army defeated the strong with the weak, defeated the barbarian army in front of Lulongsai Pass, and chased and killed the barbarian army for hundreds of miles.It is said that this decisive battle was personally commanded by Zhuge Liang, and everyone including General Li Li obeyed his orders, so Lu Longsai won the victory.

In the Battle of White Wolf Mountain, Li Li's general Zhang Liao beheaded the barbarian commander Ta Dun among the thousands of troops, and led his army to capture Liucheng, capturing Wuhuan Shanyu Louban and hundreds of Wuhuan nobles, and became famous in the first battle.Zhang Liao was once a general under Lu Bu's command. During the Chang'an Rebellion, when Lu Bu led his troops to the south, he was besieged by Li Li under the city of Wuguan.Afterwards, Zhang Liao switched to Li Li's command, followed Li Li in battles for many years, fought hundreds of battles, and made many military exploits.This time the Battle of White Wolf Mountain can be called Zhang Liao's battle of fame, making him stand out from the many generals of the Xiliang Army.Truly become the leader of the three armies under Li Li's command who can be alone.

According to detailed investigation reports, the Xiliang general who is now leading the 10,000+ Youzhou Army to fight against Jizhou Juyi is Zhang Liao. "Following Yan Xiang's regular report, the eyes of Ji Ling, who was walking side by side with him, flickered. His eyes were full of yearning, how he wished that the person who became famous in the first battle that Yan Xiang said was him, not Zhang Liao.

Yuan Shu paused after hearing the words, turned his head to look at Yan Xiang, and then at Ji Ling, not without disappointment, he said: "There are so many capable people under Li Li's command, it really worries me! According to the detailed report, Li Li has returned Luoyang, will you lead your army south in a few days?"

"This..." Yan Xiang looked surprised, and hesitated for a moment.He whispered with embarrassment on his face: "It's true. However, it has been half a month since the news came back from the detailed work. I am afraid that Li Li's army is on the way to Jiujiang at this time, and it will arrive in a few days." A sentence that hesitated to speak , completely exposed the worries in Yan Xiang's heart.Where is Li Li's army about to arrive?Is it Huaibei or Huainan.Or under Shouchun City.

Such ambiguous words.Ji Ling was confused, but Yuan Shu understood.

Although Yuan Shu had never fought against Li Li before, he knew very well that the Xiliang Army marched at an extremely fast speed, and could cover more than two hundred miles in one day and night.Li Li, in particular, is well versed in the essence of the speed of soldiers, and is especially good at using cavalry. Every time he leads an army, he will bring a large number of cavalry with him, while the infantry is reduced to the heavy soldiers who escort the luggage.Even siege warfare is no exception.

In previous wars, only Li Li appeared on the battlefield.Then he has at least [-] iron cavalry around him, or even more; as long as he seizes a chance during the battle, his iron cavalry will immediately dispatch, thus infinitely expanding the enemy's revealed weaknesses, and finally defeating the enemy in one fell swoop.

This is the unique combat style of Xiliang Li Li, who is invincible in all battles, sharp and sturdy, extremely fast.

To this day, the princes of all towns are concentrating on studying Li Li's tactics and tactics, in order to be prepared for emergencies.However, after really figuring out Li Li's method of using troops, the princes did not find a way to defeat the enemy, or a way to restrain the Xiliang iron cavalry.Originally, crossbows and traps (pitfalls) should be the top choices, but crossbows and pits are poorly concealed and easy to be discovered; once discovered, the role of crossbows and traps will be greatly reduced, losing their original meaning Some power.What's more, among Li Li's iron cavalry, there are not a few horses with good horses and horses. These steeds' mounts can often see through potential dangers on the battlefield.

The most important thing is that Li Li is scheming and has amazing decision-making ability in front of the battle. He has no fixed tactical routine and has endless changes.In many previous battles, Li Li used different tactics in each battle, such as charging with chariots, attacking with crossbows, or charging with infantry, but without exception, the iron cavalry swept the battlefield in the end. Expand the results of the battle, maximize the speed and impact advantages of the iron cavalry, and maximize the benefits.

Because of this, it is really not easy to set up an ambush to annihilate Li Li's Xiliang iron cavalry in advance.Just like the large trap formation that Yuan Shao in Jizhou painstakingly dug during the Sili War, although tens of thousands of Xiliang iron cavalry were ambushed and killed, nearly [-] Allied soldiers died, which is equivalent to killing three hundred enemies. Losing one thousand is really not worth the gain.

Therefore, even though Yan Xiang didn't say it clearly, Yuan Shu already knew from his words that the Southern Expedition Army led by Li Li had already crossed the Huaihe River and entered Huainan, and it must have joined forces with Lv Bu's army stationed on the south bank at this time.Perhaps in a short while, Li Li's army will come to Shouchun City to take Yuan Shu's head.

While bowing his head in thought, Yuan Shu slowly walked up the jade steps and sat on the large and comfortable luxurious dragon chair.After taking his seat, he lightly stroked the armrest of the dragon chair carved with gold and jade carvings, but his eyes fell on the Chuan Guo Yuxi on the jade table in his right hand, his eyes were full of reluctance and nostalgia, and there was a fierce struggle in his eyes.

At this time, Yan Xiang and Ji Ling were standing in front of the jade steps, looking up at Yuan Shu, seeing his hesitant expression on his face, as if he was making an extremely important decision.Regarding this, Ji Ling's eyes were blank and puzzled; but Yan Xiang saw a clue from Yuan Shu's violent struggle and his confused eyes looking at Chuan Guo Yuxi.

Suddenly, Yuan Shu's rapidly changing expression gradually dissipated, his face regained a rare calm, and asked softly, "How is the situation in Jizhou recently?"

After Yan Xiang heard the sound, he didn't answer immediately, but hesitated a little, thinking quickly in his heart.He knew that Yuan Shu was not ignorant of the situation in Jizhou, but asked whether the situation in Jizhou was better than that in Huainan.Huainan is at stake.How long can Yuan Shao in Jizhou last, or whether Yuan Shao can survive this catastrophe.This was the answer Yuan Shu wanted to know.

After a while, Yan Xiang said slowly while thinking: "The current situation of the Prime Minister (Yuan Shao) is quite similar to my Huainan. Being in the two sides of Xiliang Li Li and Yanzhou Cao Cao, the situation is not optimistic. However, the soldiers under the Prime Minister's command Horses are very different from my Yangzhou army.

Compared with our weak Huainan soldiers, the Jizhou army is quite powerful, and is fully capable of launching a decisive battle with Cao Cao in Yanzhou or Li Li in Xiliang.The reason why the Hebei battlefield is currently in a stalemate is because Cao Cao in Yanzhou is afraid of Li Li and is worried that if he attacks Jizhou with all his strength.It is bound to lose soldiers and generals, and the strength will be greatly damaged.In this way, even if the Jizhou army under the prime minister's command was finally defeated.Cao Cao will not get much benefit, and may even be wiped out by Li Li.

In addition, the prime minister has a large number of soldiers and horses, and the total number of infantry and cavalry is no less than 20.The strength is quite strong.Cao Cao in Yanzhou alone may not be the prime minister's opponent.So he wanted to use Li Li's Xiliang army to attack Jizhou.And Li Li also had this plan, worried that the full attack on Jizhou would cause too many casualties, so he would not be able to march into Huainan, so he chose to lead the army south to attack Huainan, and then turned back to attack Jizhou.At the same time, Li Li occupied Nanyang for no reason and had already made enemies with Liu Biao of Jingzhou, so he still needed to leave some troops to guard against the Jingzhou army.In order to avoid being attacked by Liu Biao from the side and behind.

In addition to these, there is one more point that cannot be ignored.That means winter is coming.At present, the northern states and counties are covered with frost and the rivers are frozen. This kind of weather is not conducive to large-scale operations.Therefore, the war in the north is very likely to end within the next month, and there is a temporary truce, and we can only wait until the spring of next year to fight again. "Speaking nonchalantly, Yan Xiang had a very clear view of the northern war situation, and every word he said was on target, and every word was precise.

After a slight pause, Yan Xiang breathed a sigh of relief, and concluded very firmly: "To sum up, I believe that although the situation in Jizhou is critical, there is no sign of defeat at the moment. If this situation continues, the war in Jizhou will be seen next year. It is clear. Even if the prime minister is defeated in the end, no matter which prince wants to occupy Jizhou, it is impossible to kill the prime minister and his family."

Yuan Shu nodded thoughtfully, knowing that what Yan Xiang said was true, whether it was Cao Cao in Yanzhou or Li Li in Xiliang who wanted to occupy Jizhou, they had to treat Yuan Shao's family well.

Since Yuan Shao took charge of Jizhou, although he had not given much kindness to the people, he had always governed leniently and won the support of the people of Jizhou.The most rare thing is that after the defeat of Sili, Yuan Shao did not engage in militarism. If Yuan Shao followed the pre-Qin recruitment system, with a total population of more than 500 million in Jizhou, he could at least recruit another 20 soldiers on the basis of the existing troops. Left and right the army, so that its soldiers and horses expanded to more than 40.However, Yuan Shao did not do this. Instead, he recruited soldiers by increasing salaries to expand his army.In addition, it is precisely because of Yuan Shaosu's tolerance and benevolence that he enjoys a high prestige in Jizhou, and the people of Jizhou recognize Yuan Shao very much, including the major noble families and aristocratic families in Jizhou.Therefore, the foundation of Yuan Shao in Jizhou is extremely stable, allowing him to stand still in the siege of two Xiliang armies and Yanzhou Cao Cao, and he has persisted to this day.

Compared with Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu in Huainan is thousands of miles away, far behind.Yuan Shu has always valued profit over righteousness, and he must repay the people of Huainan without any kindness. Instead, he has repeatedly increased taxes, making the people in the prefectures and counties under his rule hard to live, and hungry people everywhere.Therefore, when he suffered a serious setback and was surrounded by heavy siege, the people betrayed their relatives, and the hearts of the people turned against each other. The people hoped that he would be defeated sooner.

This may be the most essential difference between the brothers Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao.

Feeling secretly, Yuan Shu sighed in despair: "I am determined to give up the throne to my elder brother Yuan Shao, and send the Jade Seal of Chuanguo to Jizhou."

"Ah! This..." Ji Ling cried out, staring at Yuan Shu dumbfounded, speechless for a while.