Chapter 66: Luck Value Soars, Xun Yu Recommends Guo Jia and Cheng Yu
The news about sweet potatoes soon spread to Jizhou.

After hearing this, Yuan Shao and a group of civil officials and military generals were somewhat surprised and confused!
"The meteorite that fell from the sky yesterday, was it a blessing from heaven?! Auspicious sign from heaven?!"

Yuan Shao was puzzled, and immediately shook his head, asking himself:
"If Your Majesty hadn't exaggerated and said that the sweet potato yield per mu was 5,000 kilograms, I would have believed it!

Just treat it as a forged auspicious sign by His Majesty to stabilize the people's hearts! But the yield per mu is 5,000 kilograms?! Do you really think I don't know farming?!"

...

"It's the most ridiculous thing in the world!"

Feng Ji also shook his head and said:

"The capital is facing a serious food crisis, and we are secretly inciting the victims to riot. Your Majesty is helpless and can only resort to this last resort!
"But how will Your Majesty end up in two months? You will lose face and prestige, and lose the trust of the world! You will lose the big picture for the small!"

...

“Perhaps the current crisis in the capital cannot be sustained for much longer, so Your Majesty, or those civil and military officials, came up with such a bad idea to get through the current crisis first!

"But only they can say that the yield per mu is 5,000 catties! If they say 500 catties or 1,000 catties, they can probably deceive the world, and even we can't be sure. But 5,000 catties per mu is simply an insult to our intelligence!
"According to the news sent back by the spies, those fools seem to believe it without a doubt. They expect sweet potatoes to change the food structure of the Han Dynasty and there will be no more starving people in the world! We can fool these fools!"

Guo Tu shook his head and laughed, "But this will only prove the severity of the capital's food crisis. We can increase our offensive, delay the capital's troops, and wear them down!"

...

Yuan Shao's civil and military officials all had similar ideas. It's not that these people were irrational, but the idea of ​​producing 5,000 kilograms per mu was simply a fantasy, which made people laugh!

It is probably because they don’t know the famous saying of the future Emperor Hui of Jin, “Why not eat meat porridge?” Otherwise, they would definitely compare it with “Sweet potatoes, yield of 5,000 kilograms per mu!” and treat it as a collection of jokes!

Everyone sneered, but they also felt a little relieved. The more the court lied, the more serious the grain crisis in the capital was than they thought. This was good for them!
...

At this moment, a messenger came hurriedly to report:
"Report! General, the troops under the command of Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, Bao Xin, the prime minister of Jibei, Liu Bei, the governor of Qingzhou, and Gongsun Zan, the governor of Beiping, have all made plans to withdraw."

"Go down and receive the reward."

"Thank you, General!!!"

After Yuan Shao ordered his messenger to go and claim the reward, he immediately looked at the civil and military officials and asked, "What do you think of this? Are they retreating to advance? Are they luring the enemy to attack? Or are they really retreating?"

...

"My lord, based on the intelligence sent from the capital, I estimate that the capital is facing a serious food crisis, and has been affected by natural disasters such as earthquakes, and can no longer support military expenditures.

"Your Majesty needs to fake things, forging auspicious signs like sweet potatoes, and claiming a yield of 5,000 kilograms per mu to stabilize the people's hearts. This shows it all!"

Feng Ji bowed and analyzed:
“We have two choices at this time:

"First, if we allow the troops in the capital to retreat, we can develop steadily in Jizhou, but without the righteousness of being appointed by the court, we will ultimately be unjust. When the grain crisis in the capital is alleviated, the royal army will surely come back!

"Second, we should pursue the victory and take advantage of the capital's food crisis to delay the capital's troops and drag the war into a protracted war. If we can defeat the capital's troops and gain a military victory, we can use this to request the appointment of Jizhou Mu.

"At that time, we can also use food and grass as a threat under the pressure of the situation. At a time when the capital is facing a severe food crisis, Your Majesty can only agree to it out of emotion and reason. We have enough righteousness to occupy Jizhou and grow stronger.

"Of course, if the food crisis in the capital is alleviated, your majesty will definitely come back with a vengeance given his temperament. But after the defeat, your majesty will be more cautious in sending troops, and will take longer. We have more time to develop!"

...

Feng Ji's analysis won the approval of Guo Tu and other counselors. This is to end war with war and seek peace through struggle. In other words, offense is the best defense.

After hearing this, Yuan Shao did not wait for a decision.

Another messenger arrived, but it was a report from the Black Mountain direction: "Report! Black Mountain Army's Zhang Yan urgently reports that Henei Governor Wang Kuang and Sili Xiaowei Qin Qiong have withdrawn their troops."

"Wang Kuang and Qin Qiong also withdrew their troops?!"

At this point, Yuan Shao could be sure that the imperial court had decided to shrink the defense line and give up the fight against Jizhou.

"My lord, we should pursue the victory!" Guo Tu suggested.

In fact, Yuan Shao wanted to play it safe, which was Feng Ji's first choice, to let the troops from the capital leave and let them grow and develop in Jizhou.

But as Feng Ji said, given your majesty's temperament, he will definitely make a comeback. They lack the righteousness to justify their actions.

If we can defeat the capital's troops at this time and seize the military initiative, it will take a long time for Your Majesty to recover his troops, and the next time he sends troops, he will be more cautious and consider it carefully, which can buy more time.

Feng Ji also said:
"My lord, the first option I mentioned is safe, but wealth and honor come with risk. Moreover, we are in alliance with Yuan Shu. As long as we wait for him to recover, we can take action against Liu Dai and Bao Xin in the Huaishui area.

"We should attack now to drain the capital's food supply. By then, the imperial army will be defeated, famine will break out in the capital, and the people will suffer from disasters. It will take three to five years to recover. We can buy more time for development."

"it is good!!!"

Yuan Shao finally made up his mind and decided to attack with all his strength, "Kill him while he's sick! Try to defeat these troops."

"promise!!!"

……

Henei Prefect Wang Kuang and Sili Xiaowei Qin Qiong were fighting with Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Army in the Black Mountain area bordering Wei County and Henei County. After receiving the order from the capital, they decisively chose to retreat.

But they did not retreat immediately, in order to avoid retreating too quickly and catching Liu Bei, Gongsun Zan and others in the Jizhou war zone off guard.

Even if Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Army turns his guns around and surrounds the Jizhou war zone, Liu Bei and his generals will be trapped.

Therefore, although Wang Kuang and Qin Qiong were preparing to retreat, they still tied down Zhang Yan's Black Mountain Army.

When the news reached Wei County, generals such as Gongsun Zan, Liu Bei, Liu Dai and Bao Xin all received orders from the court and immediately acted accordingly!
"Even if the imperial court has sufficient food and fodder, we still need to withdraw our troops."

Jibei Xiang Bao Xin said to Liu Dai: "The Yellow Turban bandits from Qingzhou have swept into Yanzhou. If we continue to delay, these bandits will surely cause great suffering to the people of Yanzhou."

"We really need to go back to Yanzhou to help."

Liu Dai also said in a deep voice that he had received reports from his subordinates one after another and knew that the situation of the Yellow Turban bandits in Yanzhou was serious.

Liu Dai was the governor of Yanzhou, Bao Xin was the governor of Jibei in Yanzhou, and even the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Yanzhou was so severe. Not to mention Qingzhou, which was the first to be hit, was already devastated by the war and suffered a lot.

But Liu Bei is the governor of Qingzhou!

"Brother Bogui, since His Majesty has ordered me to return to Qingzhou to suppress the rebellion."

Liu Bei said goodbye to Gongsun Zan: "You must be careful in Wei County, Jizhou. If something goes wrong, don't rush to attack. Send a message to Qingzhou immediately. I will lead my troops to attack Jizhou and form a pincer attack with Brother Bogui!"

"Don't worry, Xuande. I don't take Yuan Shao seriously!" Gongsun Zan was appointed as the governor of Weijun by the court.

Although both of them were prefects, one was the prefect of Beiping, a wild land on the border of Youzhou, and the other was the prefect of Weijun, a fertile land along the Yellow River in Jizhou. There was a world of difference between the two counties.

And because Han Fu, the governor of Jizhou, placed the provincial capital in Weijun, the political significance of this place is more important.

"Brother Bogui, Zhao Yun and other soldiers were originally loaned to me by you. Now I will return them to you. Zilong and his men are highly skilled in martial arts and good at fighting. They can greatly help you gain a foothold in Weijun!"

Looking at Gongsun Zan's arrogant look, Liu Bei was afraid that he would underestimate the enemy and fall into Yuan Shao's trap.

However, Gongsun Zan shook his head and said:
"Xuan De, the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Qingzhou has made the situation even more serious. You only have over 2,000 soldiers under your command, and you need the help of Zhao Yun and other generals. Also, this is not loaned to you by me, but given to you as a gift.

"How about I allocate 5,000 soldiers to you so that you can gain a foothold in Qingzhou more quickly."

Liu Bei was somewhat moved by these words. He declined, saying, "Brother Bogui, I am worried about you!"

Gongsun Zan was very generous to his brothers, but this carefree character also made him arrogant, complacent, and even somewhat self-willed.

Yuan Shao had many wise counselors under his command, and Liu Bei was worried that Gongsun Zan would fall into his trap.

But Gongsun Zan didn't want Zhao Yun and other generals no matter what, and even wanted to allocate troops to Liu Bei.

In the end, the stalemate continued, and Liu Bei had no choice but to give up returning Zhao Yun and other generals, and also gave up the troops allocated by Gongsun Zan. He left Jizhou with more than 2,000 soldiers and rushed to Qingzhou.

...

After Liu Dai, Bao Xin and Liu Bei's troops retreated, Gongsun Zan and Han Fu stayed behind to guard Jizhou.

However, at this moment, Yuan Shao's army launched a fierce attack.

Yuan Shao's army was naturally at a disadvantage against the troops of Gongsun Zan, Liu Bei, Liu Dai and Bao Xin. Therefore, he deliberately let these troops leave, and when they crossed the Yellow River, he immediately launched a strong attack!

When Liu Dai, Bao Xin and Liu Bei received this military intelligence report, they hated Yuan Shao with gnashing teeth and immediately dispatched troops to fight back.

But because of the Yellow River blocking the way, we couldn’t rush to provide assistance immediately!

Generally speaking, as long as Han Fu and Gongsun Zan retreated, Yuan Shao's army would be helpless. If Liu Bei, Liu Dai and Bao Xin launched a surprise attack, the worst that could happen would be a protracted war.

however!
Gongsun Zan was deceived by Yuan twice in a row - the first time was when Qiao Mao forged an imperial edict, and his rescue of the emperor turned into a treasonous counterattack against the capital. The second time was when he was tricked into going south to deal with Han Fu.

Gongsun Zan had long hated Yuan Shao with a vengeance.

Now that Yuan Shao has taken the initiative to attack, let’s settle all new and old grudges together!
Gongsun Zan led his troops directly into battle. He always liked to go to the front line and lead by example. For example, when he came to the rescue of the king, he took the initiative to challenge Lu Bu. He was more like a commander than a commander. Facing Gongsun Zan's fierce attack and his elite cavalry unit "White Horse Volunteers", Yuan Shao's army was defeated in succession and retreated all the way to the Jieqiao area where Weijun and Qinghe State bordered.

The two armies broke out the "Battle of Jie Bridge" here!
In this battle, Gongsun Zan was defeated and fled, the Baima Yicong suffered heavy losses, and the cavalry unit was almost wiped out!
Because Yuan Shao’s army’s successive defeats were just “feigned defeats” to lure the enemy deeper into their territory!
They ambushed near Jie Bridge, with Qu Yi's 800 heavy crossbow troops - the "Xiandeng Death Soldiers" as the vanguard, and Yuan Shao personally leading tens of thousands of infantry to ambush in the rear.

Gongsun Zan chased the defeated soldiers all the way. When he reached Jie Bridge, he saw that Yuan Shao had few soldiers and did not see the troops lying in ambush in the dark. He arrogantly ordered his cavalry to charge, wanting to directly trample the enemy formation.

Qu Yi's soldiers hid under their shields calmly, and when the enemy cavalry rushed to within a few dozen steps, the "first-line death soldiers" fired thousands of powerful crossbows at the "White Horse Volunteers".

"Shhhhh-"

Gongsun Zan's army suffered an unexpected blow, and the whole army fell into chaos, with both cavalry and infantry scrambling for their lives.

Qu Yi's army fought bravely and killed more than a thousand people, chasing them all the way to Gongsun Zan's camp.

After this battle, Gongsun Zan's cavalry unit was almost wiped out!

...

After Yuan Shao's army won a great victory, they did not pursue the victory, but surrounded and attacked the reinforcements. They launched a counterattack against the troops of Liu Bei, Liu Dai and Bao Xin who crossed the Yellow River to rescue Gongsun Zan.

The three armies were severely damaged, forcing them to flee back to the other side of the Yellow River!

Even Pingyuan County under the jurisdiction of Qingzhou, where Liu Bei originally served as the magistrate of Pingyuan County, was occupied by Yuan Shao's troops and became a bridgehead for Qingzhou and Yanzhou on the other side of the Yellow River!
After this battle, Liu Bei had only a few hundred soldiers under his command, and Liu Dai and Bao Xin also suffered heavy casualties.

They were no longer able to launch a counterattack against Yuan Shao's army, and even seemed powerless in the face of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Qingzhou and Yanzhou.

They jointly submitted a petition to plead guilty!

At the same time, Yuan Shao's army once again approached Wei County!
This time, Jizhou Mu Han Fu finally had no strong support. He was terrified and frightened, and wanted to give up Jizhou!
If Gongsun Zan hadn't stopped him, Han Fu would probably have fled to Jizhou!

But now Gongsun Zan is short of soldiers and generals, and after the defeat in the Battle of Jie Bridge, his prestige has been completely lost, making it difficult for him to suppress the unstable morale of the Weijun army!

Yuan Shao surrounded the enemy but did not attack. He had been secretly trying to persuade them to surrender and bribe the enemy generals and troops. He even used spies to spread rumors, causing panic among the people of Wei County!
If this continues, it is only a matter of time before Yuan Shao seizes Weijun!

……

Capital.

The capital was shaken because of the sweet potato incident!
This also won Liu Bian a lot of support from the people. The auspicious signs from heaven and the sweet potato yield of 5,000 kilograms per mu made the people of Qianzhou more loyal, faithful, and respectful to Liu Bian!
And what is reflected back by the people’s opinions is the luck value!
Liu Bian has the "Emperor's Luck Technique"!
The luck value skyrocketed. It was originally only over 500,000, but in a short period of time, it had reached over 700,000.

The total population of the capital city Luoyang is only about one million!

If these more than 700,000 luck points all come from the people's support in the capital Luoyang, Liu Bian is quite curious about what changes will happen after it reaches one million?
Of course, considering the population of more than three million in the entire Sili Prefecture and the population of more than sixty million in the entire Han Empire, the luck value of seven hundred thousand still seems insignificant, even negligible!
But Liu Bian felt that since "Emperor's Luck Technique" + "Imperial Seal" could suppress the national destiny, the higher the luck value, the more special effects it would have. But it has not yet appeared!

After all, anything produced by the system must be high-quality!

...

Just when Liu Bian was looking forward to the so-called "suppressing national destiny" effect, Jizhou's military intelligence and battle reports were sent at full speed and finally arrived at the Deyang Palace in the imperial palace at the beginning of the evening, around nine o'clock in the evening.

When Liu Bian saw the Jizhou battle report, he was immediately furious!!!
"Gongsun Zan disappoints me so much!"

The reason why Liu Bian was willing to withdraw his troops temporarily was because of Xun Yu's strategy of "deepening roots, strengthening foundations, cultivating crops, storing military supplies, and controlling the world", but he also hoped that Gongsun Zan could restrain Yuan Shao and delay Yuan Shao's development.

But Gongsun Zan was too reckless, arrogant, and greedy for merit, and was almost wiped out by Yuan Shao's army in the Battle of Jie Bridge!
Yuan Shao even surrounded and attacked the reinforcements, defeating the reinforcements of Liu Bei, Liu Dai and Bao Xin, causing them to suffer heavy casualties. Not to mention counterattacking Jizhou, they even found it difficult to suppress the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the area where they were in office.

In this case, how can we control Yuan Shao? !
After Yuan Shao wiped out the rebellious forces in Weijun and completely annexed Jizhou, he could develop and grow with peace of mind. This was Jizhou in the North China Plain, a Jizhou that had supported Gu for ten years and had a million soldiers.

Yuan Shao was from the Runan Yuan family, and his family background was that of three dukes for four generations. With the fertile land of Jizhou, who knows how far he would have developed? !

Thinking of this, Liu Bian looked at his civil and military officials and asked in a deep voice: "What good ideas do you have?"

Xun Yu quickly glanced through the military intelligence report, then bowed and said:
"Your Majesty, we were defeated this time because Gongsun Zan underestimated the enemy and was careless, and because the generals did not have any resourceful counselors to offer advice. I will recommend talents to help the generals!"

"Wen Ruo, just say whatever you want!"

Liu Bian raised his eyebrows slightly. The Han Dynasty adopted a system of recommendation, not an imperial examination system. He could decide which talents to employ.

"Cheng Yu from East County, Yanzhou... Guo Jia, a great man from Yingchuan..."

Xun Yu introduced two talents, telling about Cheng Yu's resourceful performance during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and Guo Jia, who now lives in seclusion in Yanzhou, telling about his talent.

Coincidentally, Liu Bian also knew these two people!
Liu Bian said in a deep voice:

"Since Wen Ruo recommended them, the Secretariat immediately issued an edict to recruit the two to serve as military advisors to Liu Bei, the governor of Qingzhou, and Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou."

"I obey!"

Taifu Lu Zhi and Situ Wang Yun were in charge of the Secretariat and the Secretariat.

At this time, Cao Cao cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I am willing to be transferred to Yanzhou and do my best for the country!"

"Mengde..."

Liu Bian looked at the Commander of the Army, Cao Cao, and nodded, saying, "It just so happens that the Governor of Dongjun, Qiao Mao, died in battle, and the position is vacant, so Meng De will take over!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!!!"

Cao Cao bowed and saluted. The capital city was full of talented people who were capable of governing the country and saving the world.

Cao Cao wanted to be demoted to a rural area and return to the imperial court by improving his resume through military achievements. He was well-versed in military books and felt that the battlefield was more suitable for him to gain experience.

After Cao Cao left, Liu Bian thought for a moment and said in a deep voice:

"Promote Xun Yu to the position of Minister of Agriculture, Xun You to the position of Minister of the Chancellery, and Qin Qiong to the position of General of the Eastern Expedition, with the authority of the Imperial Sword... Issue an imperial decree to attack the traitor Yuan Shao's army!"

This time, Xun Yu and others did not try to persuade them again!
Yuan Shao has gone too far. If the imperial court continues to ignore it, it will not be a temporary retreat, but a complete loss of prestige!
Moreover, Yuan Shao's attack and killing of imperial officials was equivalent to being a traitor. If the imperial court did nothing, other traitors would follow suit and the whole country would be in chaos!
This is also the reason why Liu Bian promoted Xun Yu to the position of "Grand Minister of Agriculture". He hoped that this "talented assistant to the king" could suppress and coordinate the logistics.

This is a huge responsibility and pressure for Xun Yu!
Although there is a "good omen from heaven" with a "yield of 5,000 kilograms per mu" of sweet potatoes, the planting has not yet been completed and the harvest will take another two months. It is not yet known whether the yield per mu can be achieved. Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst!
Xun Yu must come up with a foolproof plan!
Because of the war in Jizhou, the king and his ministers discussed the matter until after twelve o'clock. When the midnight hour had passed and the system prompt sounded, Liu Bian did not have time to draw the lottery immediately.

After Xun Yu and other civil officials and military officers left, Liu Bian looked at the four commanders of the Jinyiwei - Qinglong, Baihu disguised as "Wang Fang", Zhuque and Xuanwu, and asked in a deep voice:

"How is the Jinyiwei's preparation for the Jianghu?"

Because of the loss of the six seals of the emperor and the imperial seal, and the involvement of gangsters under Yuan Shu, Liu Bian paid attention to the lower nine forces among the three religions and nine classes. The people in the gangs are also a force that cannot be underestimated!

The imperial court must control this force!
"Your Majesty, I have decided to set up the 'No. 1 Manor in the World' to recruit and support talents in the martial arts world and secretly control them!" Zhuque replied.

Liu Bian nodded slightly and said in a deep voice: "From now on, Jinyiwei can infiltrate Jizhou and the world. Don't wait until the matter is over before I receive the news!"

"This is the Jinyiwei's dereliction of duty. I hope Your Majesty will forgive us." The four commanders pleaded in unison.

"Go down."

"promise!!!"

After the Jinyiwei withdrew, Cao Zhengchun, who had been standing by, thought for a moment and reported:

"Your Majesty, I have already sent the East Factory to various states across the country to prepare food and military supplies, and we already have a target in mind."

"Oh?" Liu Bian was a little curious.

Cao Zhengchun smiled flatteringly:
"Your Majesty, before the East Factory set out, they first asked around in the capital to find out who was the richest person in the Han Dynasty. Finally, they found out the five richest merchants in the world from the peddlers and merchants.

"The Zhen family in Hebei, the Wu family in Yizhou, the Wei family in Chenliu, the Wei family in Hedong, and the Mi family in Xuzhou. Except for the Mi family in Xuzhou, the others have hereditary titles, but the Mi family in Xuzhou is the only wealthy businessman!"

Liu Bian nodded slightly and didn't ask any more questions.

After observing the emperor's words and expressions, Cao Zhengchun did not mention these things again, but he saw a message from his majesty's nod -

No matter if they have hereditary titles or are ordinary wealthy businessmen, when it is time to serve the country, they are naturally required to take "righteous" action!

If they take the initiative to help, they are sensible. If they don't take the initiative, then the East Factory will help them take the initiative!
Jie Jie Jie——

at last.

It was not until the beginning of the first hour of the first lunar month, a little after 1 a.m., that Liu Bian could finally rest alone. He also started the late lottery draw.

"Ding dong."

"The host has obtained a chance to draw a lottery."

“Will there be a lottery?”

Liu Bian was lying on the bed thinking: "Lottery!"

The turntable began to rotate again, and the pointer passed over attribute points, weapons and armor, military supplies and combat readiness, auxiliary talents, soldiers and population, martial arts secrets, etc. It turned around and around, and finally stopped gradually from fast to slow.

Stopped on the food and supplies!
"Food again!!!"

(End of this chapter)