The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 87: A brave man is happy without any reason, a man should shed heroic tears

The general had a beautiful beard, a tiger's back and monkey's arms, and looked very majestic.

He pointed his halberd toward the sky and shouted:

"Little Yuan Tan, do you recognize Taishi Ci of Donglai?"

Taishi Ci of Donglai!
Yuan Tan's pupils dilated and he was horrified.

He had also heard of Taishi Ci's name.

This man was originally a Cao Shi in Qingzhou. Back then, he single-handedly helped the county government to suppress the state government and became famous for a time.

It became a hot search topic among the Han people.

It turned out that this person was the Xuzhou general who attacked him from behind!

When the generals and soldiers of Yuan's army saw the Xuzhou army here, they were all horrified.

There was chaos and noise all of a sudden.

After running on an empty stomach for two days, everyone was looking forward to returning to Qingzhou and having a hot meal.

Instead of waiting for the hot meal, we were greeted with a cold knife.

Who can stand this?
"The big-eared thief is determined to kill me!"

Yuan Tan's body swayed, and in an instant he felt cold from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Liu Bei's troops were pursuing him from behind, and Taishi Ci was blocking the way in front.

What a dragnet!
Li Yi's plan was indeed remarkable.

Zhang He rode forward and said to Yuan Tan:
"Governor, I am so poor today."

"Only by fighting your way out with all your might can you have a chance of survival."

Yuan Tan swallowed lightly, thinking that this was the only solution for now.

He looked back at the soldiers behind him. Although he was fleeing all the way north, he had gathered many remnants of the defeated army along the way.

By the time they arrived at Guang County, there were already five thousand people.

Looking at the war-weariness and fear on the faces of the generals and soldiers.

Yuan Tan really couldn't imagine what the consequences would be if he ordered an attack at this time.

There is no other way, you have to rush forward.

Yuan Tan drew his sword, turned around and shouted to his generals:

"All officers and men obey orders!"

"Today, we are in such a desperate situation. Why don't you fight to the death?"

"Attack quickly and take away my life!"

At a command, five thousand Yuan troops rushed towards the Xuzhou army.

But in the next second, the original shouting and killing sounds turned into noise.

It turned out that many soldiers had lost all their courage. After just a moment of attack, they were defeated and fled in all directions.

"Don't retreat! Don't retreat!"

"Those who retreat will be killed!"

Yuan Tan hurriedly drew his sword and chopped down several people in succession.

When leading an army into battle, the thing you fear most is deserters.

Like the Colonel Cao in a TV show, when he met a deserter, he pretended to be cool and said:

"If a soldier is frightened out of his wits, no matter how many there are, it is useless."

"Let a frightened bird fly away."

If you don't kill the deserters when your army is defeated, they will all be gone in a matter of minutes.

Anyone with an ounce of common sense wouldn't say such a thing.

Here, Yuan Tan killed several deserters in a row, but the decline was too great and he could not stop it.

Taishi Ci jumped on his horse, raised his halberd, and shouted:
"My fellow Danyang, follow me to kill the enemy!"

At the command, Taishi Ci rode his horse and charged.

The Danyang soldiers came in a massive mass, like a black gust of wind.

Throughout Guang County, there were loud drum beats and shouts.

Like the sky collapsing and the earth collapsing, and the mountains shaking and collapsing.

Yuan's army was horrified and had no desire to continue fighting.

Guo Tuyan said:
"General Zhang, you can stay here to guard the rear. I will protect the governor and evacuate this place."

Zhang He knew that someone had to cover the rear, otherwise no one could escape.

He accepted the order and led his soldiers to fight to the death.

Over there, Taishi Ci brandished his halberd and rushed towards Zhang He. Two figures and two swords collided with a loud bang.

In the midst of the chaos, the fighting was like a spinning lantern.

The troops led by Zhang He were called the Dajishi, and were known as the Hundred Men.

They were all heavily armored and were known for their bravery and might.

Holding long spears, they fought in formation, like a steel Great Wall, insurmountable.

He was originally a personal guard of Yuan Shao. After Zhang He surrendered to him, Yuan Shao gave him the command of a hundred men.

Zhang He treated his soldiers in a friendly and amiable manner and was highly respected by them.

Today, the situation was desperate, and all the soldiers with halberds rushed towards the Danyang soldiers without hesitation.

The soldiers of the two armies fought hand-to-hand in the alleys, fighting to the death.

Guo Tu found Yuan Tan in the chaos and shouted:
"Captain, while the chaos is going on, quickly escape from the west of the city!"

Yuan Tan had no intention of continuing the battle, and did not care about Zhang He's life or death at the moment.

Following Guo Tu, he led only a few dozen personal guards and headed west.

As soon as he left the county, Yuan Tan, who thought he saw a glimmer of hope, was instantly shattered.

All I saw ahead was rolling dust and fog, fluttering battle flags, and countless mountain infantrymen sweeping in like a tide.

The military flag with the word "Xu" written on it fluttered in the wind, and it seemed as if it was about to break out of the flag.

It turned out that this was Xu Sheng's unit.

First use Taishi Ci to lure Yuan Tan's army into Guang County.

Then Xu Sheng led his troops to attack from the flank, surrounding the enemy from both sides to form a horn.

"Xuzhou men, follow me and fight."

"Capture Yuan Tan alive! Capture Yuan Tan alive!"

Long before Taishi Ci and Xu Sheng set out to sea, Li Yi had already warned them that if they encountered Yuan Tan, they should capture him alive.

Xu Sheng rode his horse, wielding his sword, and charged into the enemy group like a gust of wind.

The clothes and armor were flat, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

Yuan's soldiers were terrified and let out wails.

"What can I do? What can I do?"

Yuan Tan drew his sword and looked around, feeling bewildered. He had never felt so helpless in his life.

Suddenly, there was another burst of shouting and killing sounds coming from behind.

It turned out that Taishi Ci had already repelled Zhang He and was surrounding and encircling him.

"Where are you going, Yuan Tan? I am here!"

Xu Sheng also rushed over.

He walked on the bloody road, broke through the chaotic army, and stood in front of Yuan Tan like a mighty general from heaven.

"Look at the knife!"

With a loud shout, the long sword was raised in the wind and slashed across.

Yuan Tan didn't have time to think about it, and instinctively raised his gun to block it. Bang!

A dull bang.

A scream of agony.

Yuan Tan flew out with his gun like a kite with a broken string.

He fell off his horse and lost consciousness.

……

Langya is the junction of Qing and Xu.

Corpses littered the fields and rivers of blood flowed.

The Taishan Army, having enjoyed the killing to their heart's content, stepped on the corpses of Yuan's army and excitedly searched the ground for property.

In this battle, the captured weapons and food supplies piled up like mountains and were countless.

It was a resounding victory.

Liu Ye counted the supplies in the camp, and found a lot of seized weapons, armor, horses and other military supplies.

Liu Bei and Li Yi jointly inspected the battlefield, providing relief and comfort to the dead and wounded soldiers.

In this Battle of Langya, both sides deployed a total of 30,000 troops.

Total casualties were around five thousand.

According to statistics, Liu Bei's Taishan army suffered only about 500 casualties.

That's a pretty good damage ratio.

Zhao Yun and Tian Yu made great contributions this time. The mixed Hu cavalry led by them successfully disrupted the formation of Yuan's army.

It accelerated the defeat of Yuan’s army.

The four great military exploits in ancient times: being the first to reach the enemy’s territory, breaking through the enemy’s lines, beheading the general, and capturing the flag.

The merit of breaking into the enemy's formation is second only to being the first to ascend the enemy's formation.

Those who charge into battle must put themselves in danger.

In the chaos of the battle, fighting one against a hundred is a life-or-death situation.

Anyone who can receive this honor must be a brave and skilled general in the army!
Liu Bei was delighted with the perfect breakthrough of Zhao Yun and Tian Yu this time, and immediately ordered his men to reward them and the soldiers they led with cattle and wine.

"This battle was a complete victory thanks to the good advice of our military advisor."

Liu Bei held Li Yi's hand and took good care of him.

Liu Bei was about to explode from the pressure of not fighting.

I finally got to fight today, and I won a great victory in the first battle. Of course I was very happy.

"……call."

“Today, it is what I want!”

A smile appeared on Liu Bei's face. Although he was a person who never showed his emotions, he never concealed his emotions in front of Li Yi.

"I just don't know if Ziyi, Wenxiang and the others can capture Yuan Tan alive."

Having already defeated the main force of Yuan's army, Liu Bei naturally would not worry about the safety of the two generals Taishi Ci and Xu Sheng on the front line.

Instead, he was concerned about whether the two could capture Yuan Tan.

This was originally a defensive battle, although a lot of spoils were captured.

But war costs money, and this little bit of spoils is definitely not enough to cover the cost.

Unless you are like a nomad, after conquering a city, you will massacre the people and burn the land, looting all the wealth there.

But is Lao Liu that kind of person?
What's more, the territories he recovered were all his own lost territories.

From a long-term perspective, this approach is tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst.

"...Haha, man proposes, God disposes."

"Today, our army was able to defeat Yuan's army so easily, thanks to the soldiers who risked their lives and fought bravely to the death."

"The second is that Generals Ziyi and Wenxiang successfully launched a circumvention attack, otherwise Yuan Tan would not have been able to retreat so suddenly."

"Since our army has already defeated the front of Yuan's army, we estimate that the remaining troops of Yuan Tan will not be able to defeat General Taishi."

"We just need to wait for news."

Liu Bei nodded gently and sighed:
"I have been in Xuzhou for a year and have done my best."

"It was only to prevent the people from suffering from war again, but after a few months of peace, war broke out again."

"Langya has suffered another disaster. The number of households I have seen along the way is less than eleven."

"Most of the people were carrying the elderly and children, and their clothes were ragged."

"This is all my fault!"

Liu Bei was so moved that his voice almost choked with sobs and his eyes were filled with tears.

I think he was extremely sad.

This move also touched Li Yi.

Prosperity, people suffer; death, people suffer.

Whenever there is a war, it is always the common people who suffer.

……well.

Those who have accomplished great things in ancient and modern times all put the people first, value the people, and regard the people as important. The king is unimportant while the people are more important.

Although there were always people mocking Liu Bei for being a crybaby, Li Yi always believed in one thing.

As long as you cry for the people, for the grassroots people.

Then the tears you shed are the tears of a hero, the tears of a real man!

"My Lord, since we have arrived at the border of Qingxu, would you like to visit Qi State?"

To the north of Langya is the State of Qi, and Yuan Tan should have fled there.

Liu Bei was surprised:

"Could it be that the military advisor wants to start another war and attack Qingzhou?"

In Liu Bei's view, it was enough to repel Yuan Tan.

After all, there are still two armies that need to be dealt with urgently.

How can we chase him to Qingzhou?

What's more, if we really want to seize Qingzhou, it would mean a real break with Yuan Shao.

You can only offend one of the two Yuans at a time, and Liu Bei has chosen to be his enemy.

It is impossible to be an enemy of Yuan Shao again.

"...Haha, that's not what I meant."

Li Yi smiled slightly:
"But in Yi's opinion, Qingzhou is right before his eyes. Now that he is here, it would be a pity not to go there."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

Liu Bei looked at Li Yi with interest. This gentleman always comes up with some new ideas for me.

"Yi really likes a sentence that the master often says--"

“Those who have accomplished great things in ancient and modern times have all put the people first and valued the people. The ruler is less important than the people.”

Well……

Hearing this, Liu Bei reacted immediately.

"Sir, I already know what you are thinking."

Li Yi grinned:
"Yi also knows that the Lord knows what I am thinking."

……

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(End of this chapter)