Han Dao world

Zhou Zhong passed the imperial edict in his capacity as doctor Guanglu, worshiped Sun Ce as the prefect of Kuaiji, and recruited him into the court.After completing the task, Zhou Zhong did not return to court, but returned to his hometown to recuperate on the grounds of illness.

This is of course a silent resistance to the emperor's use of old officials, and it is also a wait-and-see before the situation is unclear.

Yuan Shao's troops are pressing down on the border. If Zhou Zhong didn't make a decision, he should be wise and protect himself. Why did Zhou Fang lead his troops to join the army?

Zhou Yu faintly felt that Zhou Zhong might have made his choice.

Zhou Yu brought Zhou Fang to see Sun Ce.

After listening to Zhou Yu's analysis, Sun Ce asked Shi Zhang Hong for his opinion.

Zhang Hong is very straightforward. "Yuan Shao acted against the trend. He seemed to be strong, but in fact he was in danger without knowing it. He didn't take root deeply, but he showed his troops and lived a long life, just like Zhibo's siege of Jinyang. He will surely perish himself. The general should immediately march into Lujiang, report to the court, and go down. Ying Limin."

Sun Ce was in the middle of his arms, and immediately incorporated Zhou Fang into Zhou Yu's command, thinking that he was a vanguard, and went straight to Shucheng, the governor of Lujiang County.

Liu Xun, the prefect of Lujiang, was prepared.He has been sending people to monitor Zhou Fang. From the moment Zhou Fang left the city, he closed the city and guarded himself in case of accidents. At the same time, he sent people to ask Yuan Shao for help.

The Zhou family has a great influence in Lujiang, and Zhou Yu is a general under Sun Ce's command. Once he enters Lujiang, he will definitely not be able to control the situation.Only with Yuan Shao's approval and even reinforcements can he fight against the Zhou family and gain a foothold in Lujiang.

This time, Yuan Shao came unexpectedly fast.One day ahead of Zhou Yu, he personally led the army to Shu County.

After arriving in Shu County, he was not in a hurry to arrange city defense and was ready to fight.He left the army outside the city, and he lowered his dignity, dressed in a plain scarf, and brought only dozens of halberds to Zhou's mansion, begging to see Zhou Zhong.

This move caused quite a stir, and countless people were moved by Yuan Shao's virtuous corporal, eagerly waiting for Zhou Zhong's reaction.

As the No. [-] family in Lujiang, even one of the top in Yangzhou, how Zhou Zhong chooses from Zengguan to Taiwei has unimaginable influence.Once he chooses to support Yuan Shao, even if Sun Ce is brave and Zhou Yu is good at fighting, he will not be able to gain a foothold in Lujiang.

Back then, Sun Ce attacked and killed Lu Kang with cruel means, and the people of Lujiang didn't like him at all.

Liu Xun's betrayal of Yuan Shu and surrender to Yuan Shao was not his decision alone, but the common choice of countless officials in the prefect's mansion.

Contrary to everyone's expectations, Zhou Zhong thanked the guests behind closed doors and refused Yuan Shao.

Chapter 411

Yuan Shao stood outside the gate of Zhou's mansion, the smile on his face gradually froze.

This was not within any of his expectations.

He originally thought that Zhou Zhong would greet him warmly, and the host and guest met happily.Then he and Zhou Zhong persuaded him to surrender. Sun Ce and Zhou Yu bowed their heads and worshiped. They took Lujiang without bloodshed, and then marched into Jiujiang together to capture Yuan Shu alive.

It never occurred to him that Zhou Zhong would shut him down.

For a moment, he really wanted to order Zhang Yun to come forward, kick down the gate of Zhou's house, drag Zhou Zhong out of it, and whip him a few times in full view, to let him know what it means to be a virtuous corporal.

But after weighing it carefully, he still gave up and left a sentence.

Come back in three days.

Yuan Shao returned to the camp, ordered the soldiers to feast, and defeated Sun Ce and Zhou Yu the next day.

Many people are looking forward to Yuan Shao's ability to defeat Sun Ce and protect Lujiang without worries, so as to avoid the tragedy of a few years ago from happening again.They rushed to the army to meet Yuan Shao with food, wine, food and all kinds of valuable gifts.

But Zhou Zhong's non-cooperation cast a shadow over everyone's heart.

-

Zhou Yu rode his horse into Sun Ce's camp, and got off his horse in front of the tent.

Chen Wu, who was guarding outside the tent door, opened the tent door and asked Zhou Yu to enter.

Sun Ce, who was standing in front of the map with his hands behind his back, turned his head, looked at Zhou Yu, and said with a smile, "Gong Jin, I guess it's time for you to come too."

Zhou Yu entered the tent, glanced at the map, and knew that Sun Ce was also thinking about facing Yuan Shao, so he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "General, Yuan Shao is one step ahead. The situation is not good for our army."

Sun Ce blinked, but said nothing, and led Zhou Yu to sit in front of the case.

"Yuan Shao has at least a thousand riders available." Zhou Yu cut to the chase. "Although there are not many in number, they are the most elite guard cavalry. In addition, the scouts also saw the battle flags of the Euphorbia soldiers and the Hebei crossbowmen."

Sun Ce frowned slightly, and nodded silently.

He is also worried about this.Originally, he hoped to be stationed in Shucheng before Yuan Shao arrived and defend the city.Now that Yuan Shao arrived one step ahead, he could only decide the outcome in a field battle, so he had to consider the threat of Yuan Shao's cavalry.

Jiangdong is short of horses and has no organized cavalry, but he knows how cavalry fights.Cheng Pu and Han Dang are both from Youzhou and are familiar with riding and fighting.When Yuan Shu ordered them to seize the Lujiang River and fought with Lu Kang, they used a small number of cavalry to quickly defeat Lu Kang's troops outside the city.

In field battles on the plains, the power of cavalry cannot be underestimated.

"What is Gongjin's opinion?"

Zhou Yu nodded at the location of Shukou on the map, "We retreat to Shukou and use silence to control movement."

Sun Ce's eyes narrowed slightly. "Is it too weak?"

"The way to use troops is to show weakness by force. Yuan Shao rushed to Shu County not to occupy the Lujiang River, but to see me from my father. My father refused to attach himself, so Yuan Shao had to use force to force him. The general retreated with relief, If Yuan Shao advances, he has no certainty of victory, and if he retreats, he will return empty-handed, so what can we do?"

Sun Ce rolled his eyes, showing a hint of a smile.

He understood what Zhou Yu meant.Retreat to Shukou, if Yuan Shao comes to fight, he can use the advantage of the navy to advance and retreat freely.If Yuan Shao didn't come to fight, he would either return empty-handed or stay in Shucheng, which is not a good choice.

Yuan Shao's death was not peaceful, Cao Cao and Liu Bei waited for the opportunity to move, how could Yuan Shao feel at ease here?

It is Yuan Shao's expectation to rely on the advantages of troops and arms to make a quick battle.

That being the case, then he cannot do what he wished, and must make him very uncomfortable.

Sun Ce immediately invited Zhang Hong and others to discuss countermeasures.

Zhang Hong also agreed with Zhou Yu's opinion that a decisive battle with Yuan Shao outside Shucheng was not suitable for the use of troops. Victory is not happy, and defeat is enough to overwhelm the army.Although the Danyang soldiers are elite, they have no military discipline. Once the battle goes against them, they will easily collapse.It will be a disaster to be chased by cavalry at that time.

Although Sun Ce was somewhat reluctant, he accepted Zhang Hong's suggestion and ordered to retreat to Shukou overnight.

-

Yuan Shao hosted a banquet in honor of the Lujiang clan who had come to be attached to him, and he was relieved of the repression of Zhou Zhong's cold reception. He drank too much alcohol, and slept until noon the next day, still dizzy.

At this time, he received the news of Sun Ce's retreat, and even the vanguard led by Zhou Yu retreated.Judging from the retreat route, it is more than 100 miles away to Shukou, and it is possible to retreat directly to Jiangdong.

Sun Ce came along the river, originally by boat.When retreating down the water, the speed is very fast.

Yuan Shao was furious.

He boasted that he would defeat Sun Ce within three days.Now that Sun Ce is retreating to Shukou, it will take two days just to march.If Sun Ce persisted in not fighting, how could he keep his promise and make Zhou Zhong bow his head.

Yuan Shao ordered a pursuit, but was opposed by Zhang Yun, the general of Ningguo Zhonglang.

Zhang Yun said that Sun Ce retreated to Shukou because he wanted to take advantage of the navy.If he doesn't want to fight, even if our army chases Shukou, he can still board the boat. Our army has no boats to use, so we can only look at the water and sigh.

Furthermore, our army has just arrived and is not familiar with the terrain, so if we are ambushed, the consequences will be even more disastrous.

The lord's purpose is to take the Lujiang River. Now that Sun Ce has retreated without a fight, the Lujiang River is already in the lord's pocket, so why bother with Sun Ce?

It is the right way to send generals to guard the Lujiang River to force Sun Ce not to go ashore, and then transfer the army to Shouchun to take Jiujiang County.

In order to prevent Yuan Shao from being impulsive, Zhang Xi added another sentence.

Just mere Sun Ce, why does the lord fight in person?The only one who can be the enemy of the lord is Yuan Gonglu.

Yuan Shao's mood was a little relieved, and he also felt that it was meaningless to compete with a junior like Sun Ce, and it was demeaning.

Feng Ji, who accompanied him, also agreed with Zhang He's opinion, and recommended Han Meng as a general to guard Lujiang.Han Meng is from Yingchuan, he is brave in battle, and has made a lot of military exploits under Yuan Shao's command.

Zhang He objected.Han Meng is indeed brave, but he is light-hearted and not stable enough.Zhou Yu is a local and is familiar with the terrain. If he provokes Han Meng to fight, Han Meng will probably fall into his trick and hand over the Lujiang River to Sun Ce.

Yuan Shao disagreed.

He knew that after crossing the river, the Jizhou people were very sensitive, worried that the Ruying people would threaten their position in the army.Zhang Xi's opposition to Han Meng was probably out of such thoughts.

He appointed Han Meng as Hengjiang Zhonglang General, commanded two thousand troops, assisted Liu Xun to stay in Shucheng, and led his troops to Shouchun.

Zhang He was also helpless.

Yuan Shao once again entertained the rich and famous from Lujiang, announcing that Sun Ce and Zhou Yu had fled in anticipation of the wind, retreated from Shukou, and dared not go ashore.He will leave behind elite soldiers and strong generals to guard Shucheng and keep the Lujiang River peaceful, so that Sun Ce and Zhou Yu will never make Lujiang a disaster again.

These people didn't know the inside story, and they all rejoiced and sang praises.

Yuan Shao was in high spirits and got drunk again.

The next day, Yuan Shao led his troops northward to Shouchun.

Sun Ce soon received the news, and immediately led his troops to rush to Shu County in just one day and one night.

As Zhang He expected, Han Meng was eager to make contributions, rejected Liu Xun's suggestion to defend the city, and led his troops out of the city to face Sun Ce, but was defeated.

Han fled on his horse, and Sun Ce took advantage of the situation to attack Shucheng.

For a while, people inside and outside Shu City were in panic, fearing that Sun Ce would retaliate against them and kill them wantonly.

Knowing that he was invincible, Liu Xun sent someone to ask Yuan Shao for help while holding on to the city.

When Yuan Shao received the news, he became angry from embarrassment, rejected Zhang He's suggestion, and personally led the main force to help Liu Xun.

Sun Ce heard the news and withdrew again to Shukou.

Yuan Shao chased to Shukou, looking at the warships on the river, his chest was tight and his throat was sweet with anger.

Chapter 412

West of Pengcheng, Xiaoshan.

Chunyu Qiong wiped the sweat from his forehead, and cursed a few words out of breath.

"Oh my God, it's so hot."

The personal guard brought a pot of water, Chunyu Qiong took it, took a sip, smacked his lips, and frowned.

"Why not honey water?"

The personal guard smiled wryly: "General, the honey is used up, and the new one hasn't arrived yet."

Chun Yuqiong scolded: "It must be the judge who is obstructing it again. When the lord comes back, I won't sue him." The more he thought about it, the more irritable he became, he looked around, rode away from the team, and came to a shaded tree on the hillside Get off, get off your horse.

"Take a break before leaving."

The orderly then issued an order.The soldiers walked all the way under the scorching sun, tired and hungry, sweating profusely from the heat, and wanted to rest a long time ago.At the sound of the rest drums, they all sat down, and there was no formation to speak of.

Chunyuqiong saw it, and wanted to curse a few words, so that his subordinates should be more energetic and not be too careless.I yelled twice, but found that no one was listening, but I was so tired that my throat hurt, so I gave up.I want a pot of sprinkles, and drink it by myself.

After drinking half a pot of wine, Chunyu Qiong let out a long breath, stretched his sore legs, and exclaimed happily.

At this moment, fierce battle drums sounded, and countless battle flags emerged on the hillsides on both sides of the avenue, followed by arrows raining down.

The soldiers resting on the side of the road suddenly became a mess and fled in all directions. They were shot by random arrows and wailed, causing heavy casualties.

Chunyu Qiong turned pale with shock, and repeatedly called for personal guards.The personal guard rushed over and covered Chunyu Qiong with the shield in his hand.

The weather was hot, and none of them wore armor. They only had thin single clothes on their bodies, and they had no protection at all in the face of the dense arrow rain.Many people were shot by arrows and fell to the ground, screaming terribly.

Chunyu Qiong hid under the shield, trembling.

After the dense rain of arrows, Chunyuqiong's men and horses were scattered and out of shape.

The soldiers on the hillsides on both sides rushed down and took control of the situation with ease.

Zhang Fei led his troops to clean up the battlefield and count the prisoners. Liu Bei brought a few personal guards and came to Chunyu Qiong.

Looking at the pale Chunyu Qiong, Liu Bei felt unspeakable contempt in his heart.Such a person can also serve as the eighth school lieutenant of Xiyuan and be reused by Yuan Shao?It can be seen from this that Yuan Shao's reputation is indeed in vain, and it is difficult to achieve great things.

All he relied on was the reputation of the four generations and the three generations and the accumulated connections.

No matter how good a reputation is, can it have more appeal than the imperial court?In the face of the 400-year foundation of the big man, the fourth generation and the third official are nothing.

At that moment, Liu Bei made a choice.

"General Chunyu?" Liu Bei smiled brightly.

"I'm... I'm Chunyu Qiong." Chunyu Qiong was still in shock, and forced out a smile. "This must be Xuzhou Mu Liu Xuande?"

Liu Bei looked down at Chunyu Qiong, and felt that Chunyu Qiong's face was extremely ugly, especially the red wine-stained nose, which was disgusting no matter how you looked at it. "I am an ally with Chief Yuan. I once sent troops to help him take Dongwuyang. Why did you lead your troops to attack me in Xuzhou?"

Chunyu Qiong had nothing to say.

Knowing that what Liu Bei said was wrong, but he was defeated, he could only listen to Liu Bei's nonsense.

"Please tell me, General, that I am Xuzhou Shepherd appointed by the imperial court, and I have the responsibility to guard the land. I cannot accept anyone who violates the border. Is it okay?"

"Willing to serve the envoy, willing to serve the envoy." Seeing that Liu Bei intends to let him go back, Chunyu Qiong repeatedly agreed.

"Thank you, General." Liu Bei said, winking at the guard. "Words are like the wind, and it is difficult to leave a trace. In order to make President Yuan remember my words, I have to borrow something from the general."

Before Chunyuqiong could react, Liu Bei took a step forward, stretched out his hand and grabbed Chunyuqiong's nose, and pulled out the short knife.

Chunyuqiong turned pale with shock, and struggled desperately, but was held down by Liu Bei's personal guards, unable to move.

Liu Bei slowly cut off Chunyu Qiong's nose with force, threw it on the ground, and wiped his hands and knife on Chunyu Qiong's gorgeous silk dress.