Chapter 62 Han Fu gives up Jizhou? Liu Bei leads his army to intercept him halfway!

After Yuan Shao was defeated at Suanzao and forced his way across the Yellow River, he gathered his defeated troops in Wei County, Weijun, Jizhou.

Even after this devastating defeat, Yuan Shao still had a large number of soldiers and generals. An army of 40,000 to 50,000 was gathered in Wei County, defending the banks of the Yellow River to prevent the enemy from crossing the river to fight.

But at this time, Yuan Shao was in a dilemma: should he return to Bohai County or look for another place?
Feng Ji said to Yuan Shao at this time:

"My lord, those who want to accomplish great things must have deep roots and a solid foundation to control the world. Bohai is still too small to enable you to realize your ambitions. You must occupy Jizhou to gain a firm foothold and grow stronger!
"Han Fu, the governor of Jizhou, is a former official of Yuan's family. Compared with the lord, he is mediocre and ordinary.

"We only need to order Yu Fuluo, the Right Wise King of the Southern Xiongnu, to lead his people to harass Weijun in Jizhou. We can secretly bribe Han Fu's generals. We can even make an agreement with Gongsun Zan to attack Han Fu from the south.

"Han Fu will be in a state of panic after being surrounded on all sides. At this time, we only need to send a man who is good at speaking to persuade Han Fu to lead troops to Jizhou to provide assistance.

"Then it will be easy to turn the tables and take over the magpie's nest!"

...

After hearing this, Yuan Shao frowned and said worriedly: "Now that the truth is out, will Gongsun Zan join forces with me?"

What Yuan Shao meant by "the truth is revealed" was naturally that Yuan Wei's conspiracy was made public, the coalition of princes was in name only, and many people knew about Yuan's conspiracy.

...

But Feng Ji shook his head and said:
"My Lord, Gongsun Zan left first and didn't know the truth. Youzhou is far away, so news can't be transmitted quickly.

"We can fish in troubled waters secretly, spread rumors, and confuse people. Gongsun Zan will definitely find it difficult to distinguish.

"After we capture Jizhou, even if Gongsun Zan knows the truth, it will be too late!"

...

"it is good!!!"

After careful consideration, Yuan Shao decided to act according to the plan.

Immediately.

Yu Fuluo, the Right Wise King of the Southern Xiongnu, led his people to attack Wei County.

After being bribed by Yuan Shao's spies with a large sum of money, Qu Yi, a general under Han Fu, led his elite troops to rebel.

This put Han Fu in a difficult situation both internally and externally.

At this time, even the prefect of Beiping, Gongsun Zan, led his troops south to attack cities and villages in Jizhou in response to Yuan Shao.

Gongsun Zan did receive intelligence from the front line.

It was said that Yuan Wei and the Xiliang army were in collusion and were determined to depose and enthrone. Qiao Mao's edict was actually a forged edict. They were not coming to the king to save him, but were committing treason and attacking the capital.

After hearing this, Gongsun Zan was also shocked and confused!

Because there was news that this was actually a conspiracy by the Xiliang army, trying to disintegrate the offensive of the coalition forces of the princes.

There are also reports that the princes in the coalition army, with different ideas and ulterior motives, are trying to stop the process of rescuing the king. They hope that the world will be in chaos so that they can fish in troubled waters.

Han Fu, the governor of Jizhou, was one of these villains.

Anyway, there were many different opinions, and Gongsun Zan was far away in Beiping, Youzhou, and he could not get the news so quickly.

Yuan Shao, the leader of the alliance, formed an alliance with him and ordered him to send troops against Han Fu, the governor of Jizhou. Although Gongsun Zan had doubts in his heart, he went along with it.

Anyway, if anything goes wrong, he has Yuan Shao, the leader of the alliance, to take charge. If nothing goes wrong, he can also get some counties in Jizhou.

Gongsun Zan maintained more than 3,000 White Horse Volunteers, and the cavalry consumed countless money and food. Not to mention the elite White Horse Volunteers, the figure was an astronomical one!
It is difficult to support this army with just the barren land of Youbeiping.

Gongsun Zan therefore set his sights on the neighboring Jizhou county, which is a fertile land located in the North China Plain and fed by the Haihe River system.

If it is true as Yuan Shao said that Jizhou can be divided, he thinks he can take the risk and form an alliance to attack!
And the most important point -

Gongsun Zan was the governor of Beiping and was under the control of Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou. Liu Yu was very dissatisfied with Gongsun Zan's aggressive military policy, and a rift had already appeared between the superior and the subordinate.

Gongsun Zan was inferior to Liu Yu in terms of prestige, momentum, military strength, ability, etc.

Therefore, Yuan Shao's alliance's proposal to divide Jizhou also made Gongsun Zan think of jumping to Jizhou in order to avoid his boss, Youzhou Mu Liu Yu!
After receiving the pigeon message from Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan immediately led his troops into Jizhou and won successive battles against Han Fu's garrison.

This made Han Fu even more anxious and uneasy!

Now, in the west, Yu Fuluo, the Right Wise King of the Southern Xiongnu, led his people to harass and cause chaos, and in the north, Gongsun Zan led his troops to the south. In the inner circle, Qu Yi led his people to rebel. In the east, Yuan Shao was eyeing them covetously.

Han Fu was at a loss!

At this time, Yuan Shao sent his nephew Gao Gan, Guo Tu and others to persuade Han Fu.

Guo Tu said:

"Yu Fuluo is leading his people to harass us, Gongsun Zan is leading his troops southward, Qu Yi is causing chaos in the interior, and Yuan Shao is lying beside us. We feel that you are in great danger. It is a matter of life and death!"

"If that's the case, what should I do?" Han Fu said worriedly and fearfully.

Guo Tu asked, "Please evaluate yourself. How do you compare to Yuan Shao in terms of generosity, tolerance, and winning the support of all people?"

"This time the princes came to the rescue of the emperor and everyone nominated Yuan Shao as the leader. It shows that I am not as good as him." Han Fu thought for a moment and replied.

Guo Tu asked again:
"In the face of danger, you can win by surprise. Your wisdom and courage are far beyond ordinary people. How do you compare to Yuan Shao in this aspect?"

Han Fu sighed and replied:
"When Dong Zhuo took over the capital, Yuan Shao opposed him in court and drew his sword against him. His words, 'Dong Gong is not the only strong man in the world?', resounded throughout the world! In this respect, I am still not as good as him!"

Guo Tu asked again:
"You have been bestowing favors on all families throughout the country for generations, so how do you compare to Yuan Shao?"

Han Fu closed his eyes, feeling powerless and defeated. "The Yuan family has produced three officials for four generations, and their students and officials are all over the world. I am naturally not as good as them!"

Guo Tu said:

“General, you are currently inferior to Yuan Shao in all three aspects, but you have been superior to Yuan Shao for a long time. Yuan Shao is a hero of the time and will certainly not be inferior to you.

"Now Gongsun Zan is leading the soldiers of Yan and Dai, and his force is unstoppable. Yu Fuluo is leading the elite soldiers of the Southern Xiongnu, sweeping away thousands of troops. Yuan Shao is watching closely, and his intentions are hard to predict.

"Jizhou is an important city in the world. If the three armies attack together and meet at the gate of the city, Jizhou will be in danger immediately.

"Yuan Shao is an old friend of yours, and we are also an ally. The best way now is to give the entire Ji Province to Yuan Shao, who will surely be very grateful to you.

“By then, Gongsun Zan will no longer be able to fight you, and Yu Fuluo will also see that the situation is not good and lead his troops to retreat.

"This way, the general will have a reputation for giving way to others with talent, and his position will be more stable than Mount Tai. I hope you will not have any doubts."

...

After Guo Tu's persuasion, Han Fu agreed to give up Jizhou.

This made Guo Tu very happy!

They were all from Yuzhou. They knew that although Han Fu was a famous scholar in Yingchuan, he was timid by nature. In the current crisis-ridden and besieged situation, it was very likely that he could be persuaded.

But Han Fu also had many capable ministers and generals under his command.

As for generals, in addition to Qu Yi who had just rebelled, there was also the "unparalleled general" Pan Feng.

Because of the sudden appearance of Liu Bian in this life, a butterfly effect occurred, and Han Fu did not have the opportunity to shout "I have General Pan Feng, who can kill Hua Xiong." Therefore, Pan Feng is still alive.

In addition, Zhang He and Gao Lan are now under Han Fu's command. Zhang He is one of the five best generals in the future, and Gao Lan's ability to command troops and fight is not inferior to Zhang He. He is good at fighting and extraordinary.

As for the civil officials, Ju Shou and Tian Feng, both of them are top counselors, and now they are both serving under Han Fu. However, Han Fu is not good at judging people and is frustrated.

The power of Jizhou Mu Han Fu should not be underestimated!

After hearing this, these capable ministers and generals immediately came together to persuade Han Fu.

Ju Su said: "Mingsir, although Jizhou is small, it has a million soldiers and ten years of grain.

"Yuan Shao is just an outsider. He fled to Jizhou after the defeat of Suanzao. He lives under my nose, just like a baby in the palm of an adult's hand. If you don't feed him, he will starve to death immediately.

"After Your Majesty announced the Suanzao Alliance to the world, we all knew that the Yuan family had evil intentions. If you give up Jizhou, wouldn't you be colluding with the traitors?!

"Why do you want to give Jizhou to him?"

...

Han Fu was upset.

Now he is in danger of being attacked from all sides, but he is also a student and former official of the Yuan family. If the Yuan family has any ill intentions, he will also be implicated. It is time for him to give up Jizhou and stay away from danger. Your Majesty will not kill him, right?

Han Fu is timid by nature and has an ostrich mentality.

After Ju Shou and others’ persuasion failed, they were really helpless!
In the end, Han Fu decided to give up Jizhou. He moved out of the official residence and sent his son to Wei County to deliver the seal to Yuan Shao, deciding to give up the throne!

The civil and military officials of Jizhou were helpless!
……

Hulao Pass.

As the coalition forces of the princes were defeated, Qin Qiong moved the Gong County Command Center to Hulao Pass.

Hulao Pass guards Chenggao and controls Xingyang, Aocang and other places. Its geographical location is extremely important. During the Chu-Han War, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu confronted each other here, neither of them giving in.

Now, Wang Kuang, the governor of Henei, and Zhang Yang, the governor of Shangdang, are in charge of the northern part of the pass. Li Siye is in charge of the Modao team in the southern part of the pass, and Zhang Liao is leading troops to rush to the rescue. Huangfu Song is in charge of the elite troops in the western part of the pass.

Qin Qiong is personally in charge of Guandong.

The original commander of the headquarters was Zhu Jun, but after the commander was replaced at the last minute, Qin Qiong did a very good job and won the respect and recognition of everyone.

Today's Guandong Command has become a very powerful military force for Liu Bian to confront the Guandong princes.

At this time, Liu, Guan and Zhang led their troops to Hulao Pass.

"General Qin!"

"Envoy Liu!" After hearing this, Liu Bei was stunned.

Then he suddenly understood. Qin Qiong knew that he was promoted to "Mu of Qingzhou", and "Shijun" was a respectful title for the chief officials of prefectures and counties.

Liu Bei was a man who never showed his emotions, but after hearing this, his expression gradually softened and he said with a smile:
"General Qin, I only made a small contribution in defeating the rebels who were besieging the capital. You deserve the greatest credit for making amends for your crimes. His Majesty will definitely reward you handsomely!"

"Serving the country and the king is the greatest reward for me!"

Qin Qiong's words immediately made Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun and other generals stand in awe.

This political awareness makes them feel like they are looking up to a mountain!

Liu Bei had a brief exchange with Qin Qiong, then he said with regret:

"There is an earthquake in the capital now, and the surrounding thirteen counties are affected. Even Qingzhou has been affected. The sea is flooding, and the Yellow River is clear. We must rush to Qingzhou to treat the disaster immediately, otherwise I will drink with General Qin!"

"Will have the opportunity next time!"

Qin Qiong said to Liu Bei:
"Envoy Liu, please quell the rebellion as soon as possible, stabilize Qingzhou, and restore people's livelihood. Qingzhou has been through the Yellow Turban Rebellion and earthquakes, and I'm afraid that food and grass are stretched to the limit, making it difficult to rush to the capital. However, the coastal areas of Qingzhou can provide sea salt for the capital, which is also urgent!"

"Be prepared!"

Liu Bei's expression gradually became serious.

The capital was already experiencing a food crisis, and now due to the impact of the earthquake, relief was needed for the victims. It could be said that natural and man-made disasters had come together.

During this troubled time, he was appointed to Qingzhou and had to restore production as soon as possible so that he could provide assistance to the capital in terms of taxes and grain.

"Not long ago, the governor of Yanzhou, Liu Dai, led his troops back to defend the city. Envoy Liu can join forces with Governor Liu to suppress the rebellion and work together."

"Thank you General Qin for your advice!"

The two men discussed for a while and were about to say goodbye when suddenly a messenger came in hurriedly and whispered something to Qin Qiong, which made his expression change drastically and he slapped the table!

“This is unreasonable!!!”

After hearing this, Liu, Guan, Zhang and Zhao looked at each other.

Liu Bei thought for a moment, then raised his hands and asked, "General Qin, what is this military report? Is it a military secret? If you need it, we will be there to help!"

Qin Qiong said in a deep voice:

"After the defeat of Suanzao, Yuan Shao fled to Wei County, Wei County, Jizhou. Now he is plotting -

"He instigated Yu Fuluo, the Right Wise King of the Southern Xiongnu, to start a rebellion in Shangdang, Bingzhou, and to harass Weijun, Jizhou.

"He ordered the governor of Beiping, Gongsun Zan, to attack Jizhou from the south, while Yuan Shao led his troops to the east to encircle Weijun, where Han Fu, the governor of Jizhou, was located, creating a situation where the enemy was surrounded on all sides.

"Not long ago, Han Fu's general Qu Yi led his troops in rebellion. I guess it was also Yuan Shao's bribery and inducement.

"All these plots are intended to make Han Fu give up Jizhou. I didn't expect that Han Fu is so incompetent that he is actually prepared to give up Jizhou!"

...

"What?! This is actually happening!!!"

Liu Bei was horrified, not only because these people disregarded the face of the court and secretly wanted to give up the position of governor of a state, but also because his brother Gongsun Zan was implicated.

...

"We can't let Yuan Shao seize Jizhou so easily."

Qin Qiong frowned and said, "Your Majesty has ordered Lü Bu and other Bingzhou troops to return to Bingzhou for assistance. I believe that the Southern Xiongnu Yu Fuluo troops will not be able to make a difference. I have decided to lead the troops to attack Weijun in Jizhou and put an end to this matter."

...

After thinking for a while, Liu Bei cupped his hands and said:
"General Qin, I am going to Qingzhou. I will pass by the Yellow River and I can lead troops to the north to intercept. His Majesty ordered me to stay in Qingzhou. In addition to suppressing the rebellion and restoring people's livelihood, he also hopes that I will confront Yuan Shao in Bohai.

"Now Yuan Shao is plotting to take over Jizhou, we cannot let him succeed.

"And the governor of Beiping, Gongsun Zan, for whom I am willing to be a guarantor, must have been deceived by Yuan Shao, just like when Yuan Shao forged an imperial edict to deceive the princes of the world. I will write a letter to the governor, and he will definitely withdraw his troops."

...

Qin Qiong nodded.

Liu, Guan, Zhang and Zhao withdrew first, and Qin Qiong summoned his officers to discuss the war against Jizhou.

At the same time, he sent a message to the capital at full speed.

……

"Da da da--"

Liu Bei crossed the Yellow River directly at Hulao Pass, which was under the control of Henei County. After hearing this, Henei Prefect Wang Kuang led his troops to confront the neighboring Jizhou Wei County.

Liu Bei now has more than 5,000 soldiers and horses under his command——

Zhao Yun and more than 2,000 other soldiers were originally seconded by Gongsun Zan. Originally, there were 3,000 soldiers, but hundreds were lost in the Battle of Suanzao. Later, His Majesty bestowed 3,000 prisoners of war from the Xiliang Army.

Zhao Yun and other generals can be trusted. They have fought side by side and shared life and death. However, the more than 3,000 Xiliang prisoners of war are still somewhat unruly. However, under the suppression of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun, they are at peace.

And these soldiers are all cavalry!

When Dong Zhuo took over the capital, he had more than 100,000 soldiers and horses of the Western Liang Army under his command, all of whom were cavalry. Many even rode two horses at a time!
Thanks to the horse-breeding areas in the Hexi Corridor of Liangzhou, the Western Liang army had no shortage of war horses. After the defeat, all the horses were given to Liu Bian.

There are more than 200,000 war horses in the capital!
However, these war horses made Liu Bian somewhat worried!

War horses are delicate and eat even better than humans. They cannot grow fat without night grass, and they need to be taken care of by several grooms. Even elite war horses need nutritional supplements such as beans and eggs.

The capital is now facing a food crisis and an earthquake.

Liu Bian, the Han emperor, lived frugally and only had two meals a day, such as wheat porridge. How could he afford to support so many war horses?

The war horses have been allowed to roam free.

The war horses that starved to death have not yet appeared, but the war horses that were starving to death and lost weight have definitely appeared!

Therefore, Liu Bian waved his hand and not only gave Liu Bei three thousand Xiliang army prisoners of war, but also allocated thousands of war horses to Liu Bei.

Let them be self-sufficient and alleviate the pressure of the capital's food crisis!
Liu Bei's army did not have much food and fodder, and they only had dry food and boiled water, so they were considered to be light and simply equipped.

Therefore, they marched quickly towards Wei County, and soon entered Wei County in Jizhou from Henei County.

Han Fu's troops were originally stationed at the border of Wei County, but because Han Fu wanted to give up Jizhou, upon hearing the news, his civil and military officials led troops back to support, hoping to persuade Han Fu to withdraw his order, so the military defense was empty.

This also allowed Liu Bei to lead his troops almost unimpeded!
When they killed their way to the Zhang River area, they unexpectedly met Han Fu's son, who was leading a guard of honor to Wei County, preparing to give the seal of the Governor of Jizhou to Yuan Shao.

After learning about the situation, Liu Bei decisively attacked this team!

joke! ! !

Jizhou Mu was an official appointed by the imperial court, how could Han Fu give him up so easily? Moreover, Yuan Shao, a traitor, was not worthy of the position!
"kill!--"

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun and other generals were all powerful generals who could defeat ten thousand enemies. They also had more than 2,000 Youzhou troops and 3,000 Xiliang troops under their command, all of which were elite troops that were good at fighting. They killed Han Fu's son's guard of honor and made them throw away their armor and weapons.

Even the seal of Jizhou Mu was obtained by Liu Bei!
……

Wei County.

Upon learning the information brought back by Gao Gan and Guo Tu, Han Fu agreed to give up the position of Governor of Jizhou and had already moved out of the official residence. He sent someone to deliver the seal. Yuan Shao was overjoyed and was very happy.

They immediately prepared a banquet and the handover of the seal. This was a very important ceremony and could not be neglected!
Moreover, when Jizhou Mu Han Fu gave up Jizhou to Bohai Governor Yuan Shao, he could also inform the people of Jizhou through ceremonies such as banquets!
This is a different kind of notification!

But at this moment, some defeated soldiers fled back to Wei County. Naturally, there were also Yuan Shao's soldiers in Han Fu's guard of honor, and they reported urgently:
"General, Han Fu's legitimate son led a guard of honor to escort the seal to the Zhang River area, but was intercepted by Liu Bei's army. There were heavy casualties, and the seal of Jizhou Mu was also taken away by Liu Bei!"

"What?!!!"

After hearing this, Yuan Shao was horrified, "How many soldiers does Liu Bei have?!"

"There are thousands, but I don't know exactly!"

"Immediately gather the three armies to attack and take back the seal of Jizhou Governor!" Yuan Shao said in a deep voice.

He has forty to fifty thousand soldiers under his command, and all the noble families in Jizhou support him. Yuan Shao has the advantages of time, place, and people!

Moreover, if Yuan Shao had not given Liu Bei a little face and allowed him to take the last position among the princes, how could he have the status he has today? !

This ungrateful bastard didn't know how to repay his gratitude, and he turned against him at the last minute. Now he dares to snatch food from the tiger's mouth?!
Do you really think that Yuan Shao is a vegetarian?!

The reason why Yuan Shao was defeated at Suanzao was because Lü Bu led the Bingzhou army to join the battle, and Zhang Liao led troops to outflank the enemy. Yuan Shao was defeated and retreated. Do you really think he was defeated by Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei? !
You think too highly of yourself!!!
Yuan Shao led his entire army out, so he had to take this battle seriously!
Because the seal of Jizhou Mu was the key to whether he could seize Jizhou. Without the seal, even if he seized Jizhou, it would be "not legitimate".

But if he had the seal of Jizhou Mu, he would have enough authority to issue orders. Who knows if he was an official appointed by the court? Or did he take over Jizhou Mu himself?

At least it’s “sound and logical”!
The literacy rate of the Han people was very low, and the common people were easily led by the nose. Those with high literacy rates were all aristocratic families, and naturally would not go against the Yuan family.

Another point--

Liu Bei, a mat weaver and shoe seller, was snatching food from the jaws of death in Jizhou. If Yuan Shao didn't teach him a lesson, how could he rule Jizhou in the future? !

Yuan Shao's entire army was dispatched and the scouts were sent out!
Liu Bei's troops were all cavalry and very mobile, but Yuan Shao also had a number of cavalry units and they quickly found Liu Bei's troops.

They chased each other!
Liu Bei understood that although he had more than 5,000 soldiers under his command, the 3,000 Xiliang prisoners of war were untrained and would not be in a good position to engage in a head-on battle with Yuan Shao's army.

Therefore, Liu Bei's army had been using its mobility to encircle and outflank Yuan Shao's army, slowly delaying it.

But Liu Bei knew that Qin Qiong had already led his troops to attack.

But Yuan Shao was no pushover, and he had many capable ministers and generals under his command.

Finally, they gradually tightened the encirclement and blocked Liu Bei's army in Guantao County, Weijun.

(End of this chapter)