The revival of the Han Dynasty must start with Dong Zhuo

Chapter 474 Volume Recovering Qingzhou
"sheepskin……"

"Raft?"

Due to geographical isolation, the three people who have been living in Hebei and Central Plains have never heard of such a thing.

However, all three of them were in high positions, and although they did not understand the principles involved, they still quickly constructed the general shape of the sheepskin raft in their minds.

"Sima, little thief!"

Gao Fan shouted angrily, wishing he could rush over and chop off Sima Yi's head right now!

But after only a moment of fear, Feng Ji quickly reacted -

"Since Zhang Fei passed by on the water, he must not have brought any weapons or food with him."

"Without ordnance, you can't attack a city."

"Without food and fodder, we can't fight for long."

"Warfare is all about courage! The first push is strong, the second is weak, the third is exhausted!"

"As long as we hold the city and exhaust Zhang Fei's morale, Zhang Fei's actions will be like walking into a trap. There is no need to worry about him!"

Feng Ji looked at Gao Fan and said, "General, please hurry to Yucheng and don't let Zhang Fei break into the city and get supplies!"

"Here!"

Gao Fan also realized the urgency of the matter at this moment.

Once Zhang Fei captures Yucheng and obtains supplies from the city, he will be able to protect the army from Hebei and continue to come to Qingzhou.

Now the only way to break the impasse is to completely annihilate Zhang Fei's army so that the Han army will no longer dare to covet Qingzhou!
Gao Fan left the camp by boat, and Sima Yi happened to come by boat as well.

After seeing Gao Fan, Sima Yi shouted: "General, is the fish I sent you delicious?"

Gao Fan gnashed his teeth at this moment: "Sima, little thief! Are you delaying here just to cover for Zhang Fei?"

"But Zhang Fei has no supplies now, and the roads are cut off. Just wait, I will send you Zhang Fei's head tomorrow!"

Sima Yi turned a deaf ear and still invited Gao Fan to come fishing.

But Gao Fan didn't pay any attention to Sima Yi. He stomped his feet on the deck a few times and then went along the river towards Yucheng.

When Sima Yi saw Gao Fan leading his troops away, he immediately ordered his soldiers to beat the war drums on the warships, as if they were attacking Licheng.

When Gao Fan heard the sound of war drums behind him, his veins popped. He had no choice but to turn back and guard in front of Licheng Gate.

When Sima Yi saw Gao Fan coming back, he ordered his soldiers to drive the boats away again and retreat to the water fort, rather than engaging Gao Fan head-on.

When Gao Fan left again, Sima Yi turned back and continued to pretend to attack Licheng.

Gao Fan was so angry that his nose was crooked. He could not help but use provocation to Sima Yi: "How can you be a real man like this?"

In order to force Sima Yi to fight against him, Gao Fan simply sent Sima Yi a set of women's clothing, intending to humiliate him!
Women's clothing?

Sima Yi is very familiar with this thing!
So Sima Yi not only did not refuse, but put on the women's clothing, stood at the bow of the ship, and continued to pull with Gao Fan with a smile on his face!
"Shameless!"

Gao Fan didn't expect this.

Sima Yi, the first champion of the Han Dynasty's imperial examination! As the head of the Menxia Province! As the top official of the Han Dynasty, actually wore women's clothes and fought against him in public!
After anger, Gao Fan felt despair.

Not only is he more talented than you, Sima Yi is even more shameless than you...

When facing this kind of enemy, it is a complete mental torture!
"General Gao, don't worry about him! Sima Yi is just buying time for Zhang Fei! He is not really going to attack Licheng. Please set off quickly and defeat Zhang Fei!"

At this time Feng Ji sent someone to deliver a message to Gao Fan, and Gao Fan gave up the idea of ​​fighting with Sima Yi and headed north.

Seeing that Gao Fan was determined to leave this time, Sima Yi stopped attacking Licheng and decisively withdrew his troops back to the camp.

Taking off his female clothes, Sima Yi looked at the map and prayed in his heart -

"General Xu Huang, whether Qingzhou can be captured this time depends on you!"

When Sima Yi set the tactics, he nominally regarded himself as the false one, while Zhang Fei and Xu Huang were the real ones.

But in fact, Sima Yi himself and Zhang Fei were both fake, only Xu Huang was real!
Whether the imperial court can capture Qingzhou now depends mainly on Xu Huang’s troops!
……

At this time, Xu Huang also arrived at Shanghe County further east, near the river bank here.

The river downstream and the river upstream have completely different scenery.

The water was calm and slow, with hardly any waves.

Xu Huang squatted down and put his hand into the water. After feeling the speed of the river, the last bit of worry in his heart disappeared.

"Prepare to cross the river!"

A pile of sheepskin rafts were taken out.

Strictly speaking, the sheepskin used to make a sheepskin raft should be spread out, dried, and weathered to make a qualified sheepskin raft.

It was just that the army was in a hurry, and Hebei was not as dry as the northwest, so the sheepskin rafts looked almost like half-finished products, some of them even had blood and flesh left on them, giving off an unpleasant smell.

But at this point, we obviously can no longer care so much!
A large number of sheepskin rafts were put into the water, and hundreds of soldiers were transported across at a time.

Several of them operated improperly and fell into the water. Fortunately, the current in the river was not fast and they were able to swim to the shore.

After several transports, a troop of 3,000 soldiers had been transported across the river and stood on the land of Qingzhou.

Xu Huang was relieved to see that there were no casualties during the transport of troops.

However, Xu Huang quickly calmed himself down.

Because he knew that their real test had just begun!
Since they crossed the river, they had no war horses, no weapons, and even no food!
Only by going south and conquering Linji can we get supplies!

at this time……

Now is the time to burn your boats!
At this moment, the Yuan army sentry on the other side also discovered Xu Huang's army.

Soon, a team of several hundred men came charging over, seemingly trying to test the strength of Xu Huang's army.

"Array up!"

Xu Huang’s military command has the style of Zhou Yafu!

Even though they had just crossed the river, they quickly organized their soldiers and launched a counterattack!
The attacking Yuan Jun obviously didn't expect that he would meet a tough opponent, and his kick hit the steel plate!
This Yuan army was quickly defeated by Xu Huang and fled rapidly!
A soldier captured two war horses and presented them to Xu Huang, asking him to ride the horses on his journey. However, Xu Huang did not even look at them and directly ordered the soldiers to kill the two horses.

"I will walk with you all, how can I use horsepower to replace it?"

When the soldiers under Xu Huang heard that Xu Huang had killed his war horses and was going to march on foot with them, they were also surprised. At the same time, they became more convinced of Xu Huang, and the tension of having to advance alone also dissipated for the most part.

"Only by advancing straight into Linji can we have a chance of survival!"

"Otherwise, even if Longju is here, he can't escape!"

Xu Huang's military order made the soldiers feel solemn. Without Xu Huang's orders, they quickened their pace and headed towards Linji!

……

The commander of Linji was Lu Kuang, a subordinate of Yuan Tan.

Different from Gao Fan and Guan Tong on the front line.

Because Linji is closer to the heart of Qingzhou, Lu Kuang has a better understanding of the current situation in Qingzhou.

He was sure that Yuan Tan must have fled to Liaodong now!

And it’s not just Yuan Tan!
The entire Qingzhou has been turned into a hollow shell by Yuan Tan!
In such a situation, how could Lu Kuang not worry about his future?
"Bring the chicken!"

How to relieve worries? Only roast chicken.

Whenever Lu Kuang felt depressed, he would often eat a whole roast chicken by himself to temporarily feel better.

The kitchen had also been prepared and soon served an attractive roast chicken.

The outside was burnt till golden and shiny. I reached out and tore off a thigh, and the oil spurted out directly, filling the whole room with fragrance and greatly whetting one's appetite!
Just when Lu Kuang was about to bite, his personal soldiers suddenly rushed in -

"General! Something terrible has happened! The imperial army has been spotted outside the city! Judging from the flags, it looks like the one leading the troops is Xu Huang, the pillar of the country!"

Xu Huang?

No, how could the imperial army reach here? How could they reach the city of Linji?
Could it be that the front-line defense was breached?
In fear, Lu Kuang didn't care about his favorite roast chicken. He threw down the chicken leg, licked his hands casually, put on his armor, and went to the city wall in person.

Looking down, it was indeed the imperial army!
And they are well-equipped and have flags flying...

The imperial army actually reached here!

Lu Kuang was confused for a moment and didn't know what to do.

I don't know.

The Han army soldiers below were also extremely nervous.

After crossing the river, they ran all the way under the leadership of Xu Huang!
Now a full day and night has passed since they crossed the river!
Hunger, physical fatigue, and mental collapse all happened to this Han army at the same time.

If it weren't for Xu Huang's strict discipline, this army would have fallen apart in the next moment!
in short……

If we fail to intimidate Lu Kuang and force him to open the Linji city gate, this army will be finished!

Even Xu Huang's Adam's apple was shaking up and down at this moment.

Fighting back the dizziness brought on by hunger, Xu Huang shouted at the tower with full force: "Feng Ji, Gao Fan, and Guan Tong have been executed! Yuan Tan has also fled to Liaodong. How long will the defenders in the city resist?"

"Now, those who surrender will not be killed!"

After Xu Huang shouted these words with his last bit of strength, he became somewhat unsteady on his feet.

If the personal soldier beside him had not quickly stood closer to Xu Huang, he would have fallen to the ground!
Not only Xu Huang.

If you look closely, you can see that the soldiers behind Xu Huang are also staggering and almost falling down!
But at this moment, how could Lu Kuang have the mind to look at the Han army below?

His mind is exploding now!

Xu Huang, actually already knew the news that Yuan Tan was going to Liaodong?
In other words, it is very likely that the Han army really broke through the northern defense line and attacked Qingzhou?
Lu Kuang's legs and feet suddenly became weak.

Finished!

It's all over!
The only option is to lower it!

However, Lu Kuang was not stupid at this moment, and he still shouted to the people downstairs: "If we surrender to the court now, I dare to ask how the court will treat the soldiers and civilians in the city?"

The military and civilians are equal to oneself.

At this moment, Lu Kuang was asking about his own treatment.

Xu Huang knew this very well.

But the strong dizziness at the moment made him unable to shout as vigorously as before, and he could only say weakly: "Of course, treat them with courtesy, and all the officials in the city will be reduced to casual officials."

These words were too faint to reach Lu Kuang's ears.

Lu Kuang thought that Xu Huang was unwilling to answer him, and immediately his heart skipped a beat. He began to doubt whether to open the gate and surrender.

At this moment, a soldier beside Xu Huang who was missing two fingers suddenly shouted with all his strength: "The court will naturally treat them with courtesy, and the ranks of the civilians in the city will be reduced to scattered officials!"

After he finished shouting, his eyes went dark and he was only able to stand with the support of his comrades around him.

Become a casual official?

Lu Kuang naturally knew that the positions of officials were in name only.

But so what?
Don’t you see that even Tian Feng, the former deputy governor of Jizhou, is now a casual official?
Getting a position as an official means that the court will not pursue the matter, and you will have a status in the court. Why not do it?

Lu Kuang was overjoyed and immediately ordered his soldiers to open the city gates.

"Your Majesty, Lü Kuang, respectfully welcomes the Royal Master!"

Seeing the gate of Linji slowly open, all the Han soldiers showed hope in their eyes!
The door is finally open!

Everyone used up their last bit of strength to run towards the city: "Where's the food? Where's the food?"

"Where is the granary? Lead the way quickly?"

"Let me get to the granary!"

……

Xu Huang looked at his personal soldiers with gratitude, then stood up weakly and walked towards the city.

The Han army's abnormal behavior, like wolves and tigers, had actually made Lu Kuang realize that something was wrong.

But since the city gate has been opened, there is no way to regret it even if you want to.

Lu Kuang could only approach Xu Huang and ask carefully, "Why is there only one general? Where are the other royal troops now?"

"It's right behind, we'll be there soon."

For a moment, Lu Kuang became even more suspicious!

Xu Huang was not polite and went straight to Lu Kuang's residence, intending to use it as his temporary residence.

As soon as he entered the house, Xu Huang's eyes were immediately attracted by the tempting roast chicken!

Xu Huang swore that this was the most beautiful roast chicken he had ever seen!

That plump butt!

And that thick chest!

And that glowing skin.

Simply perfect!
Xu Huang didn't care about his image at this moment. He went straight up and grabbed the chicken thigh that Lu Kuang had torn but not eaten and put it into his mouth. He took a bite and his mouth was full of oil!

Fragrant!
Xu Huang actually finished the forearm-long chicken thigh in just three bites!
When the chicken entered the abdomen, it was as if some mechanism was turned on.

“Any more chickens?”

"Have."

"Another one! No!"

Xu Huang pointed at the soldiers behind him and said, "One for each of you!"

"Here!"

At this moment, Lu Kuang seemed to have guessed something, but he did not dare to delay. He quickly cooked all the chickens and distributed them to the soldiers under Xu Huang so that they could eat and drink their fill.

"belch!"

Xu Huang swept away two roast chickens in a flash!
Seeing the way they ate made Lu Kuang drool, but he didn't dare to disturb them.

"General, may I ask..."

After Xu Huang finished eating, Lu Kuang made up his mind and asked directly his guess: "General, may I ask if the front line defense has not been breached yet? And did your troops just sneak across the river and advance alone?"

Lu Kuang's words frightened Xu Huang, and he immediately put his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist!

Including the personal soldiers around him, everyone looked nervous at this moment, and they all took out their weapons, ready to rush forward and chop Lu Kuang into meat paste!

thump!
Lu Kuang suddenly knelt down.

"General, I sincerely welcome the royal division and have no intention of harming you!"

But Xu Huang had already drawn his sword, and looked alert: "How did you guess that?"

……

Lu Kuang glanced at the chicken bones on Xu Huang's table with an expression that said, "Need I say more?"

There was a fierce light in Xu Huang's eyes, and he obviously wanted to get rid of Lu Kuang and eliminate the danger!

"General! General! Show mercy!"

Only at this moment did Lu Kuang express his thoughts -

"If it is really the imperial court that has breached the northern defense line, there will be no benefit for us to surrender."

"Now that the northern defense line has not been breached, I can make amends for my crime. Why not do it?"

If it was really as Xu Huang said before under the city, then even if Lu Kuang surrendered, at best he would be just a nominal official.

But it's different now!
Just as Lu Kuang said, if the northern defense line had not been broken, the value of his surrender would have been much greater!
If he could help Xu Huang gain meritorious service, he would be able to be promoted directly after the war instead of having to work as an official with no future!

Xu Huang thought what Lü Kuang said made sense, so he put down his sword and took the initiative to explain to Lü Kuang: "If you can really make great achievements, I will recommend you to the emperor!"

This is a promise made by a pillar of the country!

Lu Kuang was overjoyed and saluted Xu Huang again.

"My brother Lu Xiang is the commander of Gao Wan in the south."

"I can write to him and ask him to surrender as well!"

"In this way, Le'an will be able to surrender to the imperial court! Qingzhou will also be within easy reach for the imperial court!"

Once Le'an State rebelled, it actually cut off the retreat routes of Feng Ji, Gao Fan and others!
In this way, the defense line in the north of Qingzhou will collapse without any attack! Isn't Qingzhou within easy reach?
Xu Huang was also very happy after hearing this!

"If we can really make Le'an surrender, you brothers will be the biggest contributors to the recovery of Qingzhou! The court and the emperor will never treat you unfairly!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Kuang immediately wrote a letter to Lu Xiang, informing him of the current situation.

After receiving the letter, although Lu Xiang was surprised at Xu Huang's quick advance, he couldn't help but think about it seriously.

Even without Xu Huang's attack, how long could Qingzhou hold out?
Don't forget, now there are not only two Han pillars surrounding the north, but even the emperor is leading Lu Bu to launch an attack in the south.

No matter how you look at it, the battle to defend Qingzhou is unlikely to be won.

Rather than surrendering in the future and being lost in the crowd, why not do as Lu Kuang said and make achievements in advance to ensure your own wealth and honor?

Lu Xiang immediately hit it off and decisively presented Xu Huang with the military seal and the entire Kingdom of Le'an!

……

Such a big thing cannot be concealed.

Feng Ji and Guan Tong are still in Licheng.

Gao Fan, who was chasing on his way to Yucheng, was shocked when he heard the news!
But Gao Fan also knew Zhang Fei's reputation, and although he was extremely anxious, he did not dare to be careless.

Although Zhang Fei was granted the title of governor because he killed Zhang He in the Battle of Hebei, Zhang Fei had already been known as "a match for ten thousand men" when he followed Liu Bei in Jizhou and Qingzhou. It is impossible that Gao Fan did not help Zhang Fei.

"Don't fight Zhang Fei head-on! When he becomes exhausted, he will withdraw his troops! Then we can take advantage of the victory and pursue him!"

Just as Gao Fan expected.

After besieging Yucheng for a day, Zhang Fei took the initiative to retreat to the rear. It was obvious that his morale was low and he no longer had the strength to continue attacking the city.

Gao Fan was overjoyed when he saw this, and without thinking, he led his troops to chase after him: "Zhang Fei, don't run away!"

Zhang Fei fled all the way until he stopped in front of a forest.

"Gao Fan! How dare you starve your Grandpa Zhang for so many days! You're looking for death!"

As the voice fell, a large number of Han soldiers suddenly jumped out of the woods and quickly rushed towards Gao Fan!
Gao Fan's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You, a rough man, actually know how to use tricks?"

"Who do you look down on?"

Gao Fan was chasing too far ahead, and without any soldiers to protect him, how could he guard against Zhang Fei's sudden attack?
He put the snake spear on Gao Fan's neck and asked: "Will you surrender or not?"

Gao Fan sneered: "The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit!"

"Okay! Have fun!"

Zhang Fei didn't say anything to Gao Fan. He directly took Gao Fan's head and threw it in front of the general defending Yucheng!
When the defenders of Yucheng saw that Gao Fan was dead, they dared not resist and chose to surrender.

In this way, the two armies were defeated one after another!
"good!"

After Sima Yi learned that Xu Huang and Zhang Fei had both achieved victory, he immediately sailed to Yucheng and transported all the remaining troops to Qingzhou!

At this moment, Feng Ji and Guan Tong had completely lost their way out.

Feng Ji wanted to say something to Guan Tong, but Guan Yong stopped him.

"You are all for Lord Yuan, but I am the only one who is for the King of Qi."

"When the King of Qi first settled Qingzhou, he saved my life and gave me a chance to meet new people. I will not let him down."

"Yuan Tu, you are much wiser than me. Why don't you rush to Liaodong and assist the King of Qi? Even if you can be a ruler who maintains the status quo, it would be great!"

Feng Ji looked at Guan Tong in astonishment: "You already knew all this?"

"I am the trusted general of the King of Qi. How can he go to Liaodong without discussing it with me first?"

Feng Ji: "Then why do you..."

The voice stopped abruptly. Guan Tong had made his words very clear.

Guo Tu, Feng Ji, Xin Ping, Gao Fan and others did this to repay Yuan Shao.

But only Guan Tong truly wanted to repay Yuan Tan.

A scholar dies for a confidant.

Guan Tong must also know how important Qingzhou is to Yuan Tan.

Feng Ji and his men were guarding Yuan Shao's foundation.

What Guan Tong was guarding was Yuan Tan's future.

"In this case, let's fight to the death!"

"Ah."

……

Sima Yi arrived at the city of Licheng and still wanted to persuade the defenders to surrender, but was forced back by the rain of arrows shot by Guan Tong.

Seeing this, Sima Yi also understood the other party's determination.

"Siege!"

Without the protection of the river, Licheng's defense line was as fragile as paper.

The makeshift thunder chariots bombarded the flimsy city walls, and the archers didn't even need to aim; they could hit the target just by randomly throwing the arrows.

However, after a day of fierce attack, Zhang Fei broke into the city and brought out the heads of Feng Ji and Guan Tong.

After paying respect to the two corpses, Sima Yi gave the order:

"Give him a grand funeral!"

Sima Yi buried the two men in the collective witness of the soldiers in the city, and after successfully pacifying the other Qingzhou soldiers in Licheng, he rushed towards Linzi without stopping.

When the surrounding counties saw the imperial army descending from the sky, they all surrendered decisively without offering any resistance!
But Sima Yi was not in a good mood as he traveled south.

"Qingzhou has been a fertile land since ancient times because of the protection of Mount Tai."

"But we have come here all the way and have seen very few people, not even a sound of chickens or dogs! It seems that Yuan Tan has probably emptied Qingzhou!"

"We need to rush to Donglai as soon as possible to stop Yuan Tan!"

Sima Yi then ordered Zhang Fei to lead a thousand cavalrymen to turn east, while he and Xu Huang went south all the way to Linzi, the center of Qingzhou, where the Qi King's palace was located.

Linzi was a big city with long walls. Qingzhou was short of troops, so Sima Yi quickly led his army to take it.

When they were about to attack the King of Qi's palace, they saw flashes of fire in the palace.

A maidservant from the Qi Palace came to Sima Yi and knelt down to beg for surrender: "Guo Tu set himself on fire in the Qi Palace! He released us before the city was burned and asked us to surrender to the court!"

Sima Yi sighed again when he heard this.

However, Sima Yi did not have time to sigh at this moment. He immediately turned to Xu Huang beside him and said:
"General Xu, I am in Linzi handling the affairs here. Please hurry to Muling Pass in the south!"

"There is no news from the emperor yet, which means he has not yet conquered Muling Pass. You can go and attack the emperor from both sides, and you will naturally be able to break through the pass!"

……

Muling Pass.

The time that Lu Bu spent attacking this place had far exceeded the fifteen-day deadline that he and the emperor had set at that time.

This level is really too difficult to break!
There were many times during this period when, if it weren't for his personal soldiers holding Lu Bu tightly, Lu Bu would have wanted to climb up the wall himself to pull Xin Ping out of this turtle shell!
On this day, when Lu Bu was about to attack again, he was called into the camp by the emperor.

"Fengxian doesn't need to attack the city anymore."

When Lu Bu heard this, his blood boiled and he promised the emperor: "I promise! I will definitely! I will definitely capture Muling Pass! Even if I die at Muling Pass today, I will still take a gap here!"

Seeing that Lü Bu was really in a state of panic, Liu Xie had no choice but to show Lü Bu the military intelligence that Sima Yi had sent to him earlier.

"The northern defense line has been breached. Zhang Fei and Xu Huang's troops will soon be able to meet here."

"You have worked hard these past few days, Fengxian, you should go and rest first."

When Lu Bu heard this, although he still wanted to argue, he also knew that the emperor would never allow him to make such a meaningless sacrifice, so he could only return to the camp with a feeling of grievance.

A few days later, when Xu Huang's army arrived, Muling Pass was surrounded from the north and south.

Xin Ping in the city sighed helplessly when he saw that the situation was hopeless.

Climb to a high place and look into the distance.

The land of Qingzhou is of beautiful scenery.

There is a big river in the north and Muleng in the south.

This was the foundation of the kingship, but it was destroyed in vain like this...

Xin Ping stood on the city wall, facing the tomb of Yuan Shao in Yecheng in the north, bowed three times and kowtowed nine times, performing the great etiquette between a monarch and his subject. Then he drew the sword from his waist and committed suicide on the spot.

When Xin Pi heard the news of Xin Ping's death, he was filled with grief.

However, he was also worried that the emperor would harm Xin Ping's family because of the fierce fighting at Muling Pass, and he was hesitant for a while.

"Father, don't worry."

It was Xin Xianying who stood up again.

"I have never heard of the emperor taking out his anger on his family members because of other people's affairs."

"But uncle has resisted for so long, the emperor and the court officers must be angry, so please be humble and don't provoke the emperor."

Upon hearing this, Xin Pi decisively believed what Xin Xianying said and chose to tie up the hands and feet of the Xin clan members. All the men took off their shirts and knelt behind the door to welcome the emperor into the pass.

Lu Bu, who came in first, was full of anger.

But when he saw the miserable state of the Xin clan members, his murderous intent disappeared. He just snorted coldly and rode away.

However, after the emperor arrived, he did not help Xin Pi up as Xin Pi had expected. Instead, he stopped less than three inches in front of Xin Pi's kneeling head.

"How about this attitude?"

Hearing the emperor's question, Xin Pi felt frightened.

"Do you know how many imperial officers and soldiers died because your brother resisted for a few more days? How many Qingzhou people were sent to Liaodong by Yuan Tan?"

"He was loyal to the Yuan family, but what about the people who were harmed by him?"

"Now you are pretending to be nice again, trying to put on such a show with me so that you can pretend that everything is fine, right?"

Xin Pi's palms began to sweat and his back felt cold when he heard this.

The emperor's reaction...why was it different from what his daughter expected?

After hearing the emperor's words, Xin Xianying secretly raised her head and looked at the emperor.

Majesty is better than handsomeness.

Killing is better than kindness.

Xin Xianying was sure that the emperor was really angry!

I'm not angry about Xin Ping's loyalty to the Yuan family.

Instead, he was angry because Xin Ping had implicated those soldiers who died in the battle!

Is there really an emperor in this world who cares about his people?

Xin Pi didn't dare to breathe at this moment and closed his eyes as if he had accepted his fate.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to give away all of Xin's wealth to provide relief to the soldiers who died in the battle."

A sudden sound made Liu Xie shift his gaze over.

"Who are you?"

"The commoner girl Xianying is the daughter of Xinpi."

Xin Xianying bowed gracefully, not caring at all about her father Xin Pi who was winking at her frantically.

Liu Xie looked at Xin Xianying and suddenly made a "tsk" sound.

"It's rare to find someone who understands."

"Xin Ping deceived the people of Qingzhou to die for him, but he himself did not compensate them and just died. How can this be justified in the world?"

"I originally wanted to demote the entire Xin family to the status of ghosts..."

After hearing the emperor's words, Xin Pi buried his head even deeper.

"But there is finally someone in your Xin family who is sensible and knows how to take on this responsibility."

"In this case, I will give you some time to raise money to provide relief to the soldiers!"

"Besides that, you still have a lot to do. Don't think you can just let it go!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Xin Pi was overjoyed and kowtowed to the emperor again to express his gratitude.

"In addition, Xin Ping's body is not allowed to be collected! Anyone who violates this rule will be executed!"

After hearing this, Xin Pi moved his lips slightly, obviously wanting to say something, but in the end, under the stern warning from his daughter Xin Xianying's eyes, he did not say it out loud.

Liu Xie did not stay in Muling Pass, but went directly to Linzi.

On the road.

Liu Xie actually saw the same scenery as Sima Yi.

Dilapidated and decayed.

Such a nice Qingzhou, but there is not a single person in sight!

Even Cao Cao felt a chill at the emptiness of Qingzhou.

"White bones are exposed in the wild, and there is no rooster crow for thousands of miles."

"Qingzhou had more than 600,000 households before, and the population was probably close to 4 million people."

"Even if the Yellow Turban Rebellion reduced the population by half, there would still be 300,000 households."

"But now, as far as I can see, Qingzhou may not even have 30,000 households left!"

Liu Xie's face was extremely gloomy at this moment.

Not to mention 300,000 households.

Even if Yuan Tan took 100,000 households to Liaodong, he could still continue to bleed the imperial court!

"The Yuan family is truly unjust!"

With so many people having to be relocated, and given the tight time schedule, I wonder how many people will die in this migration!

shameful!
After Liu Xie arrived in Linzi, he went directly to see Sima Yi.

Sima Yi seemed to know what the emperor wanted to know, and he had prepared everything long ago.

"Your Majesty, thank goodness!"

"When Yide arrived in Donglai, there were still about 50,000 households of people who had not been taken away by Yuan Tan and were waiting at the port."

"I think it's probably because Yuan Tan didn't have enough ships to transport so many people, so he let these people stay."

"It's a pity that Yuan Tan was not captured. However, according to the news, Yuan Tan should not have gone to Xiangping, but to Xuantu County."

When Liu Xie heard this, he looked at Sima Yi and asked, "Xuan Tu?"

This answer made Liu Xie feel his blood boiling again.

"Ah."

Sima Yi said: "I think Gongsun Du also knows that there can't be two tigers in one mountain, so he didn't want Yuan Tan to go, but only promised to let Yuan Tan rebuild Qi in Xuantu County."

Rebuild Qi?

Liu Xie clenched his fists and asked, "How many ships does the imperial court have now? Can we catch up with Yuan Tan?"

"I have previously ordered all the confiscated ships to be transferred to the Penglai area, but it will take some time."

Sima Yi has arranged everything down to the smallest detail.

But Sima Yi hesitated for a moment, and then gave the emperor a warning:

"Your Majesty, it is not wise to continue the pursuit."

"It is actually quite dangerous for a large army to travel to Liaodong by sea. If we are not careful, the whole army will be destroyed."

"Yuan Tan is not a concern, but Gongsun Du has always been ambiguous, and he has Buyeo and Goguryeo as allies. I'm afraid he will take the opportunity to cause trouble!"

"Your Majesty, why don't you withdraw your troops for now, rest and recuperate, and when you are ready in the future, send a large army to make Gongsun Du surrender, and then you can take your time!"

Once you set foot on the unfamiliar land of Liaodong, the variables will increase.

Gongsun Du, whose attitude is unclear, is likely to launch a counterattack and inflict heavy damage on the imperial army!
Sima Yi was unwilling to let the imperial court or the emperor take this risk!
Liu Xie closed his eyes.

Just when Sima Yi thought that his persuasion had failed, the emperor's voice sounded again -

"I understand."

"Letting the main force sail across the ocean to attack is like gambling with the lives of the soldiers."

"Zhongda is right. I shouldn't do such a ridiculous thing."

Just when Sima Yi was delighted, the emperor said again: "But the threat from Liaodong is much greater than you think. In addition, Yuan Tan brought so many people with him. If we don't fight for it this time, we may have to wait ten years or even dozens of years!"

"I can't wait, and I don't want to wait."

"Since Gongsun Du is a threat, let's kill him first!"

Sima Yi:?

Sima Yi looked flustered: "Your Majesty, are you thinking..."

"Ah."

Liu Xie nodded heavily.

"Attacking by sea is too risky."

"In this case, order the emperor's uncle and Kong Ming to lead the cavalry of the three tribes of Beiting Protectorate to Liaodong and attack from land."

"Also, although the risk of the sea route is too great, we must still send some troops across the Bohai Sea to attract the attention of Gongsun Du and Yuan Tan."

Seeing that the emperor seemed to have made up his mind, Sima Yi also asked:
"Who does your majesty want to send?"

……

Every word that the emperor and Sima Yi said was heard by everyone without error.

Everyone knows that crossing the sea alone means becoming an isolated force.

Since they are an isolated army, it is easy for them to be wiped out, so the risk is extremely high!

But on the other hand, this is also a huge military achievement!

If he could destroy Gongsun Du and recover Liaodong...it wouldn't be impossible for him to be promoted to the rank of Pillar of the State!

Therefore, many generals are eager to try and want to take the initiative to seize this opportunity.

Liu Xie looked around the crowd and finally found someone at the end that no one expected.

"Is Meng De willing to lead the troops?"

Don't talk about others.

Even Cao Cao himself was stunned for a moment!

Cao Cao surrendered not long ago!

Moreover, Cao Cao himself has numerous connections with Gongsun Du and Yuan Tan.

If Cao Cao still has rebellious intentions towards the Han Dynasty, the emperor's move is tantamount to letting a tiger return to the mountain!
Cao Cao was about to refuse, but he was suddenly shocked!
This is an opportunity!
Cao Cao has just surrendered...

As a prince who once controlled the Central Plains, he was somewhat unwelcome in the imperial court.

And as far as Cao Cao knew, the emperor would most likely send him to the Western Regions in the future to expand territory for the Han Dynasty.

Cao Cao had also heard people say that Ma Chao, with whom he had a grudge, was also in the Western Regions.

If he did not have achievements to protect him, if they met in the Western Regions in the future, based on Cao Cao's understanding of Ma Chao's character, Cao Cao would not think that he would say anything good to him, and he might even be humiliated by him.

and so……

No matter whether the emperor was testing him or wanted him to redeem himself with merit, Cao Cao had to take on this matter!

"I am willing to go!"

"it is good."

But at this moment, the person sitting at the end also stood up and saluted the emperor!

"His Majesty!"

It’s Lu Su.

Lu Su pointed at Taishi Ci beside him and said, "Ziyi has been to Liaodong and lived there for a period of time. He should be very familiar with Liaodong!"

"Going to a foreign land to fight without knowing the geography is a big taboo!"

"I hope Your Majesty will allow Ziyi to go with us!"

What Lu Su said was not wrong.

As for the Liaodong area, everyone present was completely clueless and couldn't even tell the directions.

Only Taishi Ci had sought refuge in Liaodong, and at that time Taishi Ci also went to Liaodong by sea, so he should be more familiar with the local environment!
With the addition of Taishi Ci, at least we have a guide. Not to mention that Taishi Ci is one of the most famous generals in the world, which is beneficial to the war!

"it is good!"

Liu Xie agreed with Lu Su's proposal and decided to send Taishi Ci to Liaodong as well.

But when Liu Xie glanced at them, he saw two more people.

Sun Ce, Zhou Yu.

After their families were brought back, the two of them finally no longer looked like they had lost their souls.

After this period of recuperation, both of them have regained their spirits and are no longer as depressed as they were at the beginning.

"Bofu, Gongjin, are you two willing to go to Liaodong together?"

Come again?

Sending Cao Cao alone is not enough, so we have to send the newly surrendered Sun Ce and Zhou Yu as well?

All the generals in the tent looked at the emperor with surprise, not understanding why he could be so bold!
"Bofu and Gongjin are good at water battles."

"Once Gongsun Du and Yuan Tan discover that I have sent a large army across the sea, they will certainly use their ships to fight back."

“Therefore, this route definitely needs to be protected by ships.”

"I wonder if you two are capable of doing this?"

Sun Ce stood up stupidly, not knowing how to answer the emperor.

At this moment, Sun Ce felt pain in both his toes!
Zhou Yu and Lu Su each stepped on one of Sun Ce's feet and told him the answer with sharp eyes!
"I... am willing!"

"good!"

Liu Xie felt relieved.

in this way……

To the north is Liu Bei.

To the south are Cao Cao and Sun Ce.

Although the battle in Liaodong is difficult to fight, it is not impossible to end it in a short period of time!
(End of this chapter)