In the middle of the night on September 11th, in Liang Qi City, Yuan Shao, who was sleeping with his wife Liu and his young son Yuan Shang, was carefully woken up from his bed. The guard came to report through the maid, and Xu You came to the city to fight for life and death.

Immediately visit Yuan Chaqi.

In response to this, Yuan Shao, who had grown a lot of hair, could only sigh, but he still stood up immediately to summon Xu You, as if he had expected Xu You's arrival... This is understandable, as Zhang Yide had been hunting rabbits a few days ago.

After capturing Quliang City, which belonged to Wei Commandery, how could Yuan Shao, who was only stationed in Liangqi City dozens of miles away, not know about it? And since Quliang was lost, it was expected that Xu Ziyuan would fail in Julu.

, it is even more natural to come back in a hurry to apologize.

It's just that no one thought that this guy would come so quickly and in such an urgency!

So, in the middle of the night, Yuan Benchu, who was considerate of his subordinates, steeled himself, just put on a coat, and hurried to the back hall. He saw Xu Ziyuan with sunken eye sockets, covered with dust, with a hurried expression and a confused manner.

His usual demeanor was completely gone, but the resentment and resentment in his heart immediately disappeared by seven to eight points.

However, Yuan Shao's heart softened, but before he could sit down and say a word of comfort, on the other side, Xu Ziyuan saw him, but instead directly stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve, Yuan Cheqi, and said

Surprisingly:

"Ming Gong quickly sends troops to Handan, otherwise Ju Gong and General Han will not be able to protect their 20,000 troops! Moreover, Gongsun Wenqi has arrived in Hebei and is gathering troops at this time. Chen Gongtai Taihang suppresses the bandits, and the strategy of blocking the rear behind the mountains is no longer effective.

, taking advantage of the last opportunity to fight, the best strategy is to send the entire army to encircle Handan again!"

Yuan Shao sat in the hall and was stunned for a moment. Then he sneered at his confidant who was tugging at his sleeve and said, "Ziyuan, Julu, I didn't mean to blame you at all, and you don't have to talk nonsense to get away from it... I

There is still some news here. It is nothing more than the sudden arrival of Zhang Yide. His bravery can be said to be the enemy of ten thousand people, so he can easily rely on the county soldiers to sweep away your local clan thieves. How can he threaten the rabble who are fighting in the county?

What’s the situation between Duke Ju and Chu?”

"Did you think that I was making false threats here just to get away with it?" Xu Ziyuan was furious. In the middle of the night, he actually grabbed the other party's sleeve and shouted angrily. "What crime do I have?! I just held a stack of

It was just a huge deer with a blank commission document, and not a single bit of soldiers or food was wasted. Now that they are defeated, it is just a pile of documents that is lost! If you are guilty, those people from Yingchuan, Yanzhou, and Hebei under your command are gathered together

An army of 70,000 to 80,000 people has spent so much money and food, and lost so much manpower, but it can't stand under the city of Handan... Don't they all deserve to be killed?! As for you, a cavalry general, you can't even tell the difference between merit and demerit.

And as a coach, you actually gloat when you see your subordinates unable to make achievements, what qualifications do you have to compete with Gongsun Wenqi for the world?!"

Yuan Shao's face turned green and red, blood surged up for a moment, and he had an unbearable headache... For a moment, he was so angry that he almost wanted to order the guards to chop the man down.

However, first of all, Yuan Benchu ​​had similar thoughts in his heart. He knew that Xu You had not spent any money, food or troops on him, and he thought that the other party had no serious fault. Secondly, when Yuan Shao was scolded by the other party, he suddenly reacted.

, I have been here in Liang Qi and Yecheng for two consecutive months to reorganize, recuperate, and suppress bandits. Coupled with the stalemate everywhere, I actually felt a little lazy and avoided fighting, and then I forgot about the danger of the overall situation...

However, Xu You scolded him too much. Even though Yuan Benchu ​​wanted to spare him at this time, he couldn't swallow the breath in his heart. However, Xu You himself had already lost his composure and was filled with resentment, so the two of them actually

There was a stalemate.

I don't know how long it took, but Yuan Shao reluctantly sighed in his heart, then held his forehead and groaned: "I had a headache again and was confused for a while, Ziyuan doesn't need to worry too much..."

Xu You has followed the other party for many years, but he didn't know that he was really seeking death just now. He was basically turning around on the edge of the knife. But now, since the other party has given in, there is no use in arguing anymore.

As a result, the person let go of his hands and raised his head and sighed: "At first, you and I are certainly out of character, but the overall situation is at stake. We have known each other for half our lives. In private, it is ridiculous to be so coy in order to save face... Now...

As far as big things are concerned, for you, there are only two things: believe in me and not believe in me. What else can you say?"

Yuan Shao held his forehead and thought for a moment, but suddenly called his trusted guards inside to ask: "Is General Li Jin still stationed ten miles south of the city and has not left yet?"

The guard leaned over and said yes.

"Tell him not to go to Hanoi to cause trouble for Yu Du, and quickly send his headquarters to Handan City to support Jushou!" Yuan Benchu ​​immediately ordered, but he came in full compliance with Xu Ziyuan's suggestion. "Go to Xin Zhongzhi again and tell him that Wei Jun is here

The last batch of reorganized and trained troops no longer need to be continued. They are all handed over to the commander-in-chief, and he is asked to set off immediately and follow Li Jin to Handan. Finally, he will send a message to Chen Gongtai in Yecheng, and here

Guo Gongze asked them to prepare immediately, mobilize the resting troops everywhere, gather the whole army, and prepare for a massive counterattack against Handan!"

After the order was given, he held his forehead and looked at Xu You who had calmed down: "Ziyuan, I have done everything you said to save Handan, and I have also summoned the whole army to prepare to attack Handan again immediately.

, but it’s your turn to explain to me in detail what’s going on!”

With the other party trusting him so much, of course Xu You no longer felt any resentment. He could only tell everything about Julu County Nan and explain his reasoning in detail to the other party.

"You mean, you can conclude so many things based on Zhang Yide's burning of the pontoon bridge?" Yuan Shao hesitated after hearing the explanation. "Aren't you too preoccupied?"

"It has nothing to do with being over-attentive and seeing too much. It just depends on whether the calculation is reasonable or not." Under the light of the back hall, although his appearance was still embarrassing, Xu You, who had his back to Yuan Shao, had recovered a bit in his words.

His magnanimity can at least sneer and twist his beard. "Ben Chu, I just ask you, Zhang Yide destroyed ten cities in more than ten days, gathered six or seven thousand troops, and even beat me to death, so why did he burn down the pontoon bridge instead?"

Aren’t they deliberately gathering the whole army to go to Handan, and are they worried that the empty space behind them will be taken advantage of by Anping soldiers and horses? Otherwise, they should take the opportunity to try to invade Anping and force me, a defeated person, to burn the bridge!"

"Isn't it possible that Zhang Yide knew that all his soldiers and horses were newly surrendered clan traitors and that they were all a ragtag group and could only rely on their bloody courage from winning streaks to support the battle, so he took the initiative to cut off the bridge to seek stability?"

"The clan thieves are right, and the mob is right, but there are three things that I have to mention about Julu..." Xu You still said with his back. "First, Zhang Yide has ten thousand enemies, and he can be attacked like a wolf and a tiger.

, how could he stop so easily? Secondly, Dong Gongren had been forbearing for many months, and once he launched it, how could he have no follow-up plan? Thirdly, although these two people were considered Gongsun Wenqi's people, they had different temperaments from Gongsun Wenqi.

Especially Dong Zhao, who sat back and watched the thieves of the Junnan clan rise up one after another, but then put them down in one fell swoop, which shows that his intelligence and scheming are not weaker than mine. At that time, he sat back and watched the various tribes in the Junnan rise together, and he was basically trying to lend me a hand.

The intention of cleaning up the local area... In short, how much this person cares about the life and death of these thousands of thieves who surrendered troops, only he knows!"

Yuan Shao was silent for a while, and then he slowly said: "You are saying that it is precisely because these sect thieves can only rely on their momentum to fight that they surrendered, so Dong Zhao and Zhang Fei quickly attacked Handan? Victory is good, but defeat is

Dong Zhao doesn't feel bad, otherwise, these thousands of reduced soldiers can only be used as auxiliary soldiers to accompany the subordinates?"

"That's exactly what I mean." Xu Ziyuan gritted his teeth and replied. "That's why I drove my horse here myself all night long without any sentries... But even so, I came all the way across the Qishui River from Anping Country.

, but after the autumn harvest, the military supplies everywhere are sufficient, the logistics are safe, and Zhang Fei's troops are like wolves and tigers. Whether Handan City can make it in time can only be said."

Yuan Shao nodded slowly, actually trusting the other party's judgment in his heart.

However, after these words, for some reason, the back hall where only the two of them were alone fell into a strange silence. For a long time, no one made a sound, only the lights flickered.

After an unknown amount of time passed, Xu You sighed quietly: "Why didn't you ask me again at the beginning, how can you tell that Gongsun Wenqi has arrived in Hebei, and the strategy of blocking the way behind by the Taihang Mountains is useless? In fact, I am good at this matter myself.

What I am speculating on is just based on my intuition based on my many years of acquaintance with the person."

"I also have a similar intuition about this matter, and here, I have noticed some signs from the shadows in the mountains." Yuan Shao's headache eased a little, but he could only speak slowly. "For example, the envoy sent to Beitahang first

, except for the initial reply saying that Zhang Yan accepted my solicitation, there was no news later. It was only after a long time that another letter came from Zishan, saying that the envoy accompanied him to conquer Changshan, but the sword had no eyes and he died from a stray arrow.

, but when I sent new envoys there, they were like mud cows entering the sea, and there was no response. Counting the time, it was already more than a month... So I already had a guess. Gongsun Wenqi must have left his third assistant behind before the autumn harvest.

The army has reached this point in advance, and Zhang Yan has already been eliminated by him! The reason why it has not been launched is because the troops of the third auxiliary have not arrived yet."

Xu You was speechless for a moment.

"Ziyuan." This time it was Yuan Shao's turn to raise his head and sigh. "You are extremely rude today, and the reason why I can tolerate you is not only because you and I have known each other for many years, but also because although you are extremely angry, you are not in this way.

You yourself have lost all the wealth you collected in Julu. Instead, you put the overall situation first, and what you advised me to do is all military... You asked me how I can defeat Gongsun Wenqi, but actually I think that’s all.

, although we all have shortcomings, if we can unite as one, I will try my best to support the overall situation, and you will try your best to show your wisdom, why can't you compete with Gongsun Wenqi?"

Xu Ziyuan was about to speak but stopped.

"Forget it!" Yuan Shaofu stood up again and said. "You have worked hard all the way, so you can settle down here temporarily. As for me, I have a slight headache, and my youngest son is sleeping with me, so I can't worry about it for a while. I have to go back to take care of and rest...

...Tomorrow we will prepare to attack Handan again, so please rest early!"

After saying this, he held his forehead and went to the back bedroom, while Xu You sighed quietly but did not move for a long time.

After a night of silence, the next day, Li Jin set out for Handan first, and arrived that night, but he ran into Zhang Yide and Guan Yunchang, who worked together to attack Jushou and Han Meng at the foot of Handan City... In the moment of crisis, Li Jin followed Xu You's warning and ignored the camp.

Ignoring Jushou, he drove the whole army around to the east of the camp and attacked Zhang Fei's flank.

It is said that Li Jin's troops are elite members of the family that have been gradually honed since the Yellow Turban Uprising. After the father dies, the son succeeds, and the elder brother succeeds the younger brother. Therefore, although his troops have been damaged due to various wars over the years, they have not been broken up.

, defeated but not defeated, they returned from rest this time with all the troops and armor ready, and the morale of the army was ready; as for Zhang Fei's soldiers and horses, as Xu You said, they were just a hasty gathering of surrendered clan traitors, all thanks to a bloody and courageous effort.

They are just angry. When fighting against the wind, they are like wolves and tigers. Once they are frustrated, they will naturally collapse... In fact, in this battle, just in case, all the few reliable county soldiers were left behind by Dong Zhao.

In Liang City, they did not dare to attack at night just because they were afraid of being implicated. Choosing to attack the enemy camp in the evening was also a helpless move.

As a result, the battle between the two sides was fierce at the beginning, and even Li Jin's soldiers and horses rushed towards him. They were already a little tired, and with a slight numerical disadvantage, they were at a disadvantage; but when the battle went into the night, Zhang Fei's troops were deeply exhausted from more than ten days of fighting.

The attitude of fighting against the mob was clearly revealed. Li Jin personally held a spear and shouted forward. The six or seven thousand bandits in the south of Julu County were completely destroyed and the whole army fled!

It was dark and nothing could be done. Even if Guan Yu and Zhang Fei tried to use beheading tactics, they could not find their target, so they could only withdraw their troops and retreat. Especially Zhang Yide, whose troops were undisciplined, and they could only retreat dozens of meters behind them if they wanted to gather them.

There is hope for Jize and even Quliang City, but it can be said to be a complete defeat.

In the following days, Yuan's troops were seen returning in a steady stream and in dense numbers. Not only were they well-equipped and more powerful this time, but they were also followed by tens of thousands of newly captured bandits from the South Taihang Mountains, and their numbers were even greater.

...In fact, when Yuan Benchu ​​issued a document on the transportation of food and mobilization documents for officials in the three states and 19 counties under his rule, and also asked Cao Cao to go north to Chen Liu and Zhang Yang to destroy Yu Du who had fled to the edge of the Yellow River, he simply publicly claimed to be

Half a million troops!

This number is naturally fictitious, but according to Shen Pei's observation on the city, the troops and horses under the city are indeed better than before, and they should be no less than one hundred thousand. And if we count the people who mobilized to transport food from various places, I am afraid that the number is three hundred thousand.

There are always some.

"The most dangerous time for Handan has arrived." On the west wall of Quliang City, looking at the chicken lake in front of him that was the same color as the sky due to the rising water in autumn, Dong Gongren rarely looked extremely serious. With his dark face, it was even more obvious.

"The city of Handan was dragged by Jushu for several months, and the stalemate lasted for several months. Although the soldiers and horses in the city were not in danger of destroying the city, the people could not easily leave the city for activities. Instead, they had to be on constant guard. At this time, they were actually extremely exhausted.

And Yuan Shao made a comeback, and also had autumn grain stored in the warehouse. He had a deep foundation and strong momentum. Moreover, he had been in Liang Qicheng for several months, and he must have made some preparations to attack the city... maybe he could attack the city directly! Although Guan Yunchang was brave, he also

How can it be possible to buck the trend so easily?”

Zhang Fei recalled that his troops and horses were easily defeated by Li Jin before, and he could not argue: "The troops and horses are exhausted, and it is really helpless... However, I missed the opportunity first. If I didn't burn the pontoon bridge that day, why would this happen?"

"This matter has nothing to do with burning the bridge." Dong Zhao still had a dark face. "But it means that things in the world have their own laws, just like the ebb and flow of the sea, and like the water in the river that blooms in autumn and dries up in winter... Nowadays

, that is when the other side is really at its most prosperous, and Handan is at its weakest; as for half a month, or even less, when the ruler leads his army here, it will be the time when our side is at its most prosperous, while the other side is gradually weakening. These things,

It’s all about calculation. As for us as individuals, living in the general trend, all we can really do is to do our best to maintain one or two when our decline coincides with the other’s prosperity;
To be continued...