Chapter 83 Liu Bian killed decisively and Yuan Shao was defeated!

Wang Fang led the Xiliang Army, Wang Kuang led the Henei Army, and Qin Liangyu's White Spear Army swept away the main force of the Black Mountain Army. The leader of the Black Mountain Army, Zhang Yan, was defeated and captured.

They immediately transmitted military intelligence and war reports to the capital and the front-line troops, and then began to count the harvest.

Hundreds of thousands of shi of grain and fodder, tens of thousands of shi of crude salt were seized, more than 20,000 prisoners were taken, and the population exceeded 200,000.

This was because they were short of troops, causing many defeated soldiers to flee in panic, otherwise the total population should have been as high as 300,000.

Although it is not as exaggerated as boasted, this force is already huge, equivalent to a county.

"I feel your majesty's grace and decide to turn from darkness to light."

After being defeated and captured, Zhang Yan, who knew the times, quickly expressed his surrender.

The rest of the Black Mountain Army leaders, both big and small, also surrendered one after another, kneeling down directly and directly, without any backbone at all to kill or chop them up at will!

After hearing this, Wang Fang chuckled and said:
"You are so fucking nagging! You are a thief when you have the advantage, but you cannot surrender when you have the disadvantage! Do you really think the imperial court is a whorehouse?

When the late emperor was alive, he gave you a chance and appointed you as the General of the Central Army to pacify the rebellion. How did you treat the imperial favor? You surrendered and then rebelled again! Haha!"

...

"I am still useful!"

Zhang Yan said directly: "The Black Mountain Army has more than 100,000 combat troops and a population of more than 500,000. I can gather this army for the court. It is a huge force!"

The leaders of the Montenegrin Army, both big and small, expressed that they were useful. It was not that they had no moral principles, but when faced with a life-and-death situation, they would rather live a miserable life than die.

...

"You can no longer be trusted! Of course, such a large population cannot be wasted. Go and plant potatoes in Liangzhou!"

'Wang Fang' didn't care about the population and combat strength mentioned by Zhang Yan at all. Just as Your Majesty said, if loyalty is not absolute, then it is absolutely disloyal.

Moreover, if these rebels who are willing to be bandits but unable to surrender join the team and turn against us in the middle of a battle, it will cause even greater harm.

In that case, it’s better to just give it up!

...

"I have evidence of Yuan's rebellion..."

Zhang Yan looked at Wang Fang's determined expression and told him his cards one by one, but Wang Fang remained unmoved.

In the end, Zhang Yan was completely helpless and said:

"If you kill me, who will dare to surrender to the court in the future? The rebels will fight to the death and may even be used by the Yuan family!
"During the Chu-Han contention, why was Emperor Gaozu of Han able to conquer the world? It was because he knew how to win the hearts of the people, while Xiang Yu kept losing the hearts of the people.

"If Your Majesty kills us, it may vent your hatred, but it will be detrimental to your future rule."

Why is Zhang Yan so eager to demonstrate her usefulness?
Because ordinary Black Mountain bandits can grow potatoes, but these high-ranking members of the Black Mountain Army will definitely die without a burial place!
But no matter what he said, Wang Fang remained unmoved, and sneered before leaving:

"Your Majesty has executed the entire family of Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, so why would you care about a mere bandit leader like you?!"

Zhang Yan’s face turned completely pale!
The leaders of the Black Mountain Army also suddenly panicked!

Is Wang Fang trying to scare them? Or is the imperial court not playing by the rules this time?

Suppress the bandits, suppress the bandits, don't they all end up being recruited? !
Why didn't Your Majesty give them even one chance? This time they were really willing to surrender wholeheartedly!

...

Wang Fang sent the information to the capital, asking how to deal with Zhang Yan and other bandit leaders and hundreds of thousands of Black Mountain bandit troops?
Liu Bian looked at the detailed content of "Wang Fang". His communication with Zhang Yan was all in it word for word. After scanning it at a glance, Liu Bian sneered in his heart!
Zhang Yan was indeed a talented person. Originally, he could have had a good ending in Cao Wei. His political and military abilities are amazing!
And he can command a million Montenegrin troops, so his management ability is also outstanding!
But so what? !

Loyalty is not absolute, that is absolute disloyalty!

Liu Bian had already given them opportunities. When the imperial court was at war with Yuan Shao, Zhang Yan led the Black Mountain Army to stop them again and again.

No one knows how many soldiers, officers, and innocent civilians died at the hands of the Montenegrin Army!

Just because Zhang Yan is a talented person, Liu Bian gave him a chance to reform? !
Can the soldiers who died tragically at the hands of the Montenegrin Army rest in peace? !

joke! ! !

Surrendering after defeat is what Liu Bian despises the most!

As long as Zhang Yan could surrender before the war, even without having to submit a "letter of surrender", Liu Bian would magnanimously pardon the Black Mountain bandits.

Unfortunately, Zhang Yan fought stubbornly until he was defeated and captured. Even if he was useful, Liu Bian didn't care!
"The bandit leader will be executed immediately! The bandits will be sent to forced labor on the border!"

This was Liu Bian’s reply.

Wang Fang had actually already guessed your majesty's choice. When the entire family of Grand Tutor Yuan Wei was executed, the whole world was against it, even his biological mother, Empress Dowager He, was against it.

However, Your Majesty did not retreat even a single step!

Taiwei Yang Biao led all the officials in the court to knock on the doors and cry, but the result was countless deaths and injuries. Some died, some were demoted, and even those who returned to the officialdom found it difficult to move forward as their channels for advancement were cut off.

These noble men and aristocratic families are like this, let alone Zhang Yan, the leader of the Black Mountain Army? !
You think too highly of yourself!
What the Han Dynasty lacks the least is talent!
The Xiliang Army directly lined up Zhang Yan and other Black Mountain Army leaders and executed them in an orderly manner.

There are more than one hundred and fifty people!
He was executed in front of more than 200,000 captured Black Mountain bandits and their families!
"Click——"

When noon arrived, the soldiers raised their swords and beheaded without mercy.

"Your Majesty will regret this!!!"

"tyrant!!!"

"Those soldiers who rebel against the imperial court will fight to the bitter end!!!"

"..."

The noisy sounds did not slow down the beheading speed at all.

But in a short period of time, all the heads fell to the ground. These people died with their eyes open. Blood dripped down and gathered into small streams. The air was filled with the pungent smell of blood.

The people watching on the scene felt a shocking shock!

Especially those Black Mountain bandits, they were trembling with fear. The leaders who once were high and mighty and commanded them were beheaded alive in front of them!
This has a huge impact on their spirit and psychology, reaching deep into their souls!

In fact, Zhang Yan was wrong about one thing.

Perhaps if the imperial court killed the prisoners of war without leaving any room for them, the rebels would resist stubbornly and fight to the death.

But at the same time, it will also shock people and let them know the decisiveness of the court!

Want to be a bandit when you have the advantage but cannot beg for surrender when you have the disadvantage?
Idiot's dream!

After this news spread, the bandits and robbers in the mountains around Black Mountain either surrendered or fled!
……

The Black Mountain Army was wiped out by the imperial troops. Some troops stayed in Black Mountain to count the harvest, clean up the battlefield, and prepare for taking over the coal and salt mines later. Some troops went further and advanced towards Wei County!

Henei County was adjacent to Wei County in Jizhou, but there was a Black Mountain blocking the way, which made Wang Kuang, the governor of Henei County, unable to advance or retreat.

Now that the obstacles have been cleared, the army can march straight in, and Weijun Liyang will be the first to bear the brunt.

And this is also the location of Yuanying’s base!
...

After Yuan Shao formulated the tactics of slow stalemate and prolonging the war, he began a protracted tug-of-war with the imperial troops.

The two armies were separated by the Yellow River, which had a swift current and served as a natural barrier. Of course, the Yellow River would freeze in the severe winter.

But now it is July or August, and the Yellow River can stop the imperial troops.

Therefore, even though there were Qin Qiong's troops, Dongjun Prefect Cao Cao, Yanzhou Governor Liu Dai, Jibei Prime Minister Bao Xin and others on the other side, Yuan Shao was not worried.

As for Qingzhou, Liu Bei's troops were now strong and powerful, but they were still unable to advance further because of the Yellow River blocking their way.

This also made the governors of Qingzhou and Yanzhou counties understand that if they wanted to attack Jizhou, they needed to form a naval fleet.

There is no need to be good at water battles like the Huaisi and Yangtze River regions, but at least they can transport troops across the river, otherwise they will just be sighing at the sight of the river!

Yuan Shao also knew this, so relying on his huge family background and connections, as well as the transformation of commercial ships, he had formed a "Bohai Navy" in a short period of time.

In addition to blocking the troops from Yanzhou and Qingzhou from crossing the river, this Bohai Navy also has the mission of breaking ice in winter!

As long as the Yellow River is not frozen and the water is flowing fast, we will not be able to march!

The only place in Jizhou that bordered the imperial army was Henei County next to Wei County. However, there was a black mountain in the middle.

Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Army is an ally of Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao, so they can rest assured!

This made Yuan Shao concentrate on making crude salt, and he decided to launch an economic war against the capital, trying to bring down the capital's finances!

Now coarse salt has been laid out in Liyang, and the price is only half of the usual price, which immediately attracted common people and wealthy families to flock to buy it.

They are afraid that this is just a flash in the pan, and that the rich will grab more and those living in financial difficulties will buy less.

"My Lord, although salt and iron can be privately owned, the imperial court also sells them officially. After we start a price war, we can immediately destroy the business of these government-run institutions and snatch their customers.

"Although salt is a necessity, it is not necessary to use too much, unlike grain, which is used in large quantities. Therefore, after the price is lowered and rushed to buy, the people will not buy salt for a long time. Therefore, the crude salt of those government-run institutions will inevitably be hoarded.

"If too much is stockpiled, the storage costs of warehouses, personnel management costs, long-distance transportation costs, etc. will all be astronomical. This will inevitably have an impact on the court's fiscal revenue." A salt price war experiment was being conducted in Liyang today, so Yuan Shao was personally observing in a restaurant.

Feng Ji explained the details of "economic warfare" to him. Although economic warfare was proposed by Guo Tu, Feng Ji actually perfected it more.

After hearing this, Yuan Shao asked, "What if the government-run institutions start a price war with us?"

Feng Ji smiled and said:

"My lord, the world is in turmoil right now, and the imperial court is unable to reach many places. Their transportation channels are not as extensive as ours, and they cannot beat us in a price war.

“And the Han people mainly produce sea salt, which is all in the coastal areas.

"Jizhou is guarded by our army, and the navy fleet has been formed to block the trade routes. Now Yuan Shu is rushing to Huainan to block the trade and transportation waterways of Xuzhou and Yangzhou.

“The imperial court wants to transport salt, but the transportation price alone will skyrocket and the cost will be difficult to control. How can they compete with us?
"Not only salt, but also the transportation of other materials will be affected. Prices in the entire capital will soar, and once a price war breaks out, people's livelihood will be unstable, and even worse, it will collapse!

“And isn’t that what we’re all about?
"I can assert that as long as we start the economic war, the court's finances will collapse in one or two years at most!"

...

After hearing this, Yuan Shao was inspired, and his civil and military officials were also in high spirits.

Looking at the private salt shop in front of him, which was crowded with people rushing to buy salt, and the government-run salt shop not far away, which was deserted, Yuan Shao waved his hand and said:

"Liyang's salt price war experiment was perfect. Immediately issue an order to promote it to the whole country!
“Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever the rivers flow, the price of salt will be half.

"I want to show His Majesty that it's not just my Yuan family that's fighting against the imperial power, but also all the noble families in the world! Hahahaha——"

The civil and military officials in Yuan’s camp were also somewhat excited, as if they had already seen the day when the court’s finances would collapse!

But at this moment, a messenger suddenly came in a hurry: "Report!——"

"What's the matter!"

Looking at the urgent expression of the messenger, Yuan Shao's heart skipped a beat!
The civil and military officials who were full of high spirits suddenly stopped!
"General, the Black Mountain Army is fleeing from the Black Mountain direction, bringing news of the defeat of Zhang Yan and other bandit troops. We are still trying to find out the details!"

"what?!"

After hearing this, everyone in Yuan’s camp was shocked!
Black Mountain Army's Zhang Yan was defeated?!

"My lord, this may be Wang Kuang's strategy of confusing the enemy. We should immediately send spies to investigate carefully.

Of course, just in case, the army is stationed at the border to prevent the imperial army from marching directly into Wei County!"

Feng Ji said immediately.

"What Yuantu said is very true!"

Yuan Shao immediately returned to the camp and began to deploy his troops along the way.

The entire Yuan camp was mobilized and had no time to continue observing the salt price war.

Of course, they think it is more of a tactic to confuse the enemy!

Because the Black Mountain is majestic and dangerous, the road is winding and the cliffs are rocky. Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Army cannot defeat the imperial army, but can he still escape?
In fact, the imperial court sent troops to conquer the country many times, but always returned empty-handed!

"General, the troops sent to attack the Black Mountain Army this time are Wang Fang, the captain of the Northern Army's Five Cavalry Schools, Wang Kuang, the governor of Hanoi, and a female general Qin Liangyu who suddenly appeared. It is said that she is the Infantry Sima!

It was this Qin Liangyu who led the White Rod Army and suddenly appeared behind the Black Mountain Army, catching Zhang Yan and other main forces of the Black Mountain Army off guard. They were attacked from both sides and were defeated. It is said that Zhang Yan was defeated and captured! "

As more and more intelligence reports came in, everyone in Yuan’s camp looked at each other in shock!!!
It's actually true? !

The Black Mountain Army was defeated?! Zhang Yandu was defeated and captured?!
But how did the imperial army do it? !

"When did our Han Dynasty have a female general?!"

"And how did Qin Liangyu lead the White Spear Army to encircle the Black Mountain Army? Zhang Yan's character is that he always attacks when he can, and he has no power to hide in the mountains, so it is impossible to wipe him out!"

"Are these White Spear Soldiers sent down from the sky? They can't possibly have climbed up from the cliffs, right?!"

"Perhaps it was a trick. Wang Kuang and his troops pretended to be defeated and retreated, while Qin Liangyu led the White Spear Army to wait for an opportunity to ambush!"

"..."

There was a lot of discussion in Yuan's camp, and the civil and military officials present all looked solemn. Most of them had already left to arrange their troops.

Because Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Army was defeated and even captured, their Wei County will border Henei County, and the imperial infantry and cavalry can march straight in.

After losing the Yellow River barrier and the Black Mountain barrier, the military defense pressure in Jizhou immediately skyrocketed!

Feng Ji immediately said:

"My lord, we should send spies to infiltrate Black Mountain and pass a message to Zhang Yan and his men. We must keep them stable and not let them submit to the court and surrender sincerely.

"The Black Mountain army is large and powerful. The imperial court will not dare to kill Zhang Yan and other bandit leaders. They will keep them to stabilize the hundreds of thousands of Black Mountain bandits.

"This is actually our weak spot that we can exploit. We can make them pretend to surrender, and then rebel again after surrendering. This will be a fatal blow to the imperial court!"

...

"Yuan Tu's plan is brilliant, but if we want to stabilize Zhang Yan, it looks like we'll need to bleed a lot!"

Guo Tu nodded: "But you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a lamb. We may be able to use the captives to inflict heavy damage on the imperial army!"

...

Many of his advisers expressed their strong agreement, and Yuan Shao immediately summoned his personal soldiers and decided to make a solemn promise to Zhang Yan.

Ordinary gold, silver, treasures, food and supplies are unlikely to impress Zhang Yan, but they can use their aristocratic families to whitewash Zhang Yan's background.

But before Yuan Shao could give the order, a messenger arrived:
"General, the Cavalry Captain Wang Fang has issued an order to execute all of Zhang Yan and the other 100 Black Mountain bandit leaders!"

"What?!!!"

Yuan Shao and others couldn't believe it!

Even if the Black Mountain Army is just a motley crowd, they still have hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses. Isn't the imperial court afraid that they will cause a mutiny after killing Zhang Yan and other bandit leaders? !
Moreover, General Zhang Yan is definitely a talented person.

Even Yuan Shao, who attached great importance to family background and status, highly recognized Zhang Yan's political, military and command abilities!
Just like that, the imperial court ordered execution? !
and many more!

Yuan Shao suddenly thought of his uncle Yuan Wei and his elder brother Yuan Ji...

The Yuan family of Runan has three dukes in four generations, and their students and former officials are all over the country. Your Majesty just said to execute them? !

Thinking about it this way, it’s no big deal if the bandit leaders like Zhang Yan are beheaded in public!

Perhaps they had the same idea as Yuan Shao. Many civil officials subconsciously looked at Yuan Shao with strange expressions, but did not say anything!

The entire family of Grand Tutor Yuan Wei was executed, and the imperial court beheaded Zhang Yan and other Black Mountain soldiers in public. What's so shocking or surprising about this? !

Thinking of this, they calmed down!
Feng Ji said:

"My Lord, now that things have come to this, we can take this opportunity to spread the word. This move may deter the scoundrels, but it will also make those rebels unwavering in their resistance to the court and continue to resist stubbornly.

"Even among the hundreds of thousands of Black Mountain bandits, will there be people who feel grief for their own kind? All this is still unknown, but we can use this to create unrest within the court!

"Perhaps with Your Majesty controlling the troops in the capital, these disturbances will not be apparent in the short term. But a person or a force cannot be strong forever, and there will be times when they are weak.

"As long as we conduct economic warfare and use salt price wars to influence the economy, the court will face a financial crisis, and their weak side will emerge, which will surely trigger these unrests. A single spark can start a prairie fire!"

...

Yuan Shao nodded. Although the Black Mountain Army was defeated, the loss of the Black Mountain barrier increased the pressure on Jizhou’s military defense.

But they can still hold on!
On the contrary, the imperial court has been waging wars everywhere. The daily military expenditure is astronomical. It is unclear how long it can last!
This gave Yuan Shao full confidence!

Jizhou “had enough grain to support itself for ten years and had a million soldiers and soldiers”, although this was just an evaluation, it was enough to show that Jizhou had fertile land and abundant food and grass!
Since he had decided to slowly stalemate and prolong the war, Yuan Shao was confident that he could bring down the court's finances!
"Somebody come!"

"promise!"

Before Yuan Shao could give the order, another messenger came hurriedly and said with a hint of fear:

"General, a kind of snow-white refined salt has appeared on the market in Liyang. The price is also only half the price. It is sold in government-run institutions. Common people, wealthy families, and even aristocratic families are all rushing to buy it!
Our salt shop is still crowded with people, but they are all ordinary people and wealthy people who want to return their goods and money!"

"What?!!!"

This time, Yuan Shao really couldn't sit still and jumped up!

They are placing their chips on the "economic war", and the core of the economic war starts with the salt price war!

A government-run organization sells snow-white refined salt?!

Are you kidding me? !

How can table salt be white? Do you really think they have never eaten salt?!

impossible! Absolutely impossible!
……

(End of this chapter)