Chapter 86: Imperial troops surrounded Jizhou, Yuan Shao was at the end of his rope!
Qingzhou.

"Hahaha, the military advisor was indeed very smart. The Yuan army really landed in the Jinan area. While they were halfway across the river, I led my army to attack them halfway and defeated them!"

After winning the battle, Zhang Fei was in high spirits and extremely excited:

"When they were in a panic, Ziyi led the boats down the current and lit a bonfire of oil when approaching. Our death squad jumped off the boats and let the burning boats rush towards them. The fire attack caused the Bohai Navy to be defeated!"

...

"In fact, the landing point is easy to guess! Although it is also possible to land in the Le'an area. But this is the mouth of the Yellow River, and the water is turbulent.

"Although Jizhou has been suffering from severe drought for several months and the lack of rainfall has caused the water level of the Yellow River to drop, it is still not conducive to marching and fighting. The area around Jinan is the best landing place."

Guo Jia explained with a smile.

...

"The military advisor is indeed very smart!"

Everyone was moved.

Although Guo Jia said it lightly, why didn't others think of it?

This is a kind of judgment that is as clear as seeing through fire!
...

Guo Jia then asked, "Yide, how are the captured warships?"

...

Hearing this, everyone was surprised and looked at Zhang Fei!

The main purpose of their attack this time was to seize the warships of the "Bohai Navy".

When the East Factory arrived with the formula for making refined salt, Liu Bei had been preparing for a sea salt production field.

Because Yuan Shao formed the Bohai Navy, Qingzhou and the sea salt fields were threatened, forcing Liu Bei to form a navy to fight back.

But the construction of a ship cannot be completed overnight.

The wood for a ship's keel and other materials requires decades or even hundreds of years of hard work to select from giant trees, and then the crafting process is very tedious and troublesome by skilled craftsmen.

It can be as long as more than ten years or as short as three to five years.

This will also be a huge financial expenditure for Qingzhou, which has just experienced the Yellow Turban Rebellion and is in a state of disrepair.

But the navy fleet must be established!
In the midst of worry, Guo Jia took a risky move and suggested, "Since the ships have been built for a long time and cost a lot of money and food, why not just borrow some from Yuan Shao?"

Just when the "salt price war" broke out in Liyang, Guo Jia took advantage of the situation and proposed "leaking the news of salt-making method to lure the enemy into a trap". If Heishan can make snowflake salt, then they in Qingzhou can do it too.

Immediately, he used various methods to induce Yuan Ying to take action against Qingzhou.

This time, Guo Jia was actually taking advantage of the situation, using the momentum of "Wang Fang" to mobilize Qin Qiong, Cao Cao, Liu Dai, Bao Xin and other generals to fight in Liyang and Heishan areas, deliberately giving Yuan Shao the opportunity to make a feint to the east and attack in the west and send troops to Qingzhou.

This is why there was this battle!
...

"Hahaha--"

Zhang Fei laughed so hard that his mouth could not stop, but he just didn't say anything.

"Third brother, stop keeping us in suspense!"

Liu Bei was helpless and urged: "Tell us what we have gained."

After Liu Bei spoke, Zhang Fei did not keep him in suspense and immediately said:

"Brother, military advisor, our army has captured more than 20 large warships, the largest of which has four floors. There are more than 30 medium-sized warships. There are more than 30 small yachts, red horse boats, etc.

"It's a pity that most of it was burned by fire, and most of it escaped. Otherwise, the harvest would be much greater.

"Ziyi is currently receiving warships and prisoners of war, as well as carrying out post-battle cleanup work. The details still need to be confirmed. I came back specifically to inform Big Brother and the military advisor!"

...

After hearing this, everyone was surprised and overjoyed!
Yuan Shao was indeed wealthy and powerful. With the support of the Yuan family of Runan and the aristocratic families of Jizhou, he formed the Bohai Navy fleet in a short period of time.

This fleet has nearly 100 large-sized tower ships, more than 200 medium-sized tower ships, and more than 200 small-sized tower ships, totaling more than 500 ships!

This fleet is a very large naval fleet not only in the Yellow River Basin, but also in the Huaishui area and the Yangtze River region!

If Liu Bei wanted to form such a fleet, it would take him at least ten or eight years.

Thanks to Guo Jia's risky tactics, this goal was achieved in just over a month.

Although they failed to capture all the ships of the Bohai Navy, even one-fifth of them was enough to make Liu Bei's army overjoyed!
"The military advisor should take the prime credit in this battle. I will definitely ask Your Majesty for credit for my service as military advisor!" Liu Bei looked at Guo Jia with high spirits.

Since Guo Jia joined Liu Bei's army, he has become even more powerful, with numerous strategies and victories, sweeping away the decadence and defeat of Liu Bei's army.

Now "Liu Paopao" has grown into "Liu Bupao"!

Behind every outstanding prince, there is a resourceful strategist, and Guo Jia is Liu Bei’s strategist!

"Your Excellency is too kind!"

Guo Jia said with some regret: "It's a pity that our troops are not strong, and Qingzhou needs to be rebuilt. Otherwise, we can seize the opportunity to pursue the victory, cross the Yellow River and retake Pingyuan County!"

"There is nothing we can do about it. Yuan Shao of Jizhou is very powerful, and he is also secretly supported by many aristocratic families..."

Liu Bei was not greedy and said:
"Now that we have acquired so many warships, we can train our navy to protect the Qingzhou coastline. We will be able to fight against Yuan Shao's navy threat!"

The conversation between the two made Zhang Fei somewhat disappointed. In fact, the reason why he rushed back after the great victory was to ask whether he could pursue the victory and cross the river to fight.

But at this moment, a messenger suddenly reported:

"Report! After Yuan's army attacked Qingzhou, Cao Cao, the governor of Dongjun, Qin Qiong, the general of Zhengdong, and other generals sent troops to support Qingzhou. But later, Yuan Shao seemed to hear the news of Qingzhou's defeat and immediately attacked Heishan."

"Fell into a trap!"

Liu Bei said anxiously: "General Qin and Governor Cao rushed to Qingzhou to help, causing Liyang's defense to relax. Yuan Shao decisively took advantage of the opportunity to attack Heishan, trying to relieve the pressure on Pingyuan County, which also caused General Qin and Governor Cao to lose sight of one thing while focusing on another!"

Zhang Fei's eyes suddenly lit up and he asked anxiously:
"Military Advisor, now is the time for us to seize the opportunity to pursue our victory and attack Pingyuan County. We may be able to attack Wei to save Zhao and force Yuan Shao to send troops back to aid Pingyuan.

“After all, behind Pingyuan County is Yuan Shao’s old nest, Bohai County, and it is said that Yuan Shao’s eldest son Yuan Tan and nephew Gao Gan are supervising the battle in Pingyuan.

"If we capture them, they'll be hostages!"

Liu Bei looked at Guo Jia.

But Guo Jia frowned and said:

"Although the Yuan army's feint to the east and attack to the west to attack Qingzhou was somewhat unexpected, General Qin and Governor Cao are both brave and resourceful generals. They would not rashly send troops to Qingzhou without getting any information and expose Liyang to loopholes."

After hearing this, Liu Bei also woke up in shock!
Qin Qiong and Cao Cao do not seem to be the kind of people who are greedy for fame and fortune and are reckless.

But no matter what, Guo Jia still made a deployment: "We need to prepare for the worst, station troops along the coast, and be ready to force a crossing of the Yellow River at any time to delay the troops of Pingyuan County."

"it is good!!!"

Zhang Fei immediately went down to take care of it.

But soon, messengers from Qin Qiong and Cao Cao came rushing in, bringing their true strategic intentions!
Qin Qiong and Cao Cao deliberately took advantage of this incident to divide their troops and pretended to expose their weakness to Yuan Shao. When Yuan Shao led his army to attack Heishan, they made a surprise attack and attacked Qinghe State in Jizhou on the opposite bank from Jibei State.

Qinghe State borders Pingyuan County on the right and Wei County on the left.

If Qin Qiong and Cao Cao succeed in forcing the crossing, they can either go up to Pingyuan County and attack Yuan's camp from the front and back with Liu Bei in Qingzhou. Or they can go down to Wei County and outflank Yuan Shao!
Kill two birds with one stone!
The letters sent by Qin Qiong and Cao Cao hoped that Liu Bei would hold on. If Liu Bei could go one step further and force a crossing of the Yellow River to share the pressure, they could attack from both sides and annex the garrison in Pingyuan County.

"Military Advisor, what do you think?!"

Liu Bei was actually somewhat tempted, but he still respected Guo Jia's opinion.

...

"If we fight alone, we will be insufficient in strength and manpower, and Qingzhou will be at risk of being left empty-handed.

"But since General Qin and Governor Cao are attacking from both sides and encircling Pingyuan, this battle is feasible!"

Guo Jia smiled. He was a natural genius in taking risky military actions, and he was best at playing with heartbeats. "My lord, let's seize the opportunity to pursue the victory and recapture Pingyuan County!"

"it is good!!!"

Liu Bei nodded solemnly.

……

If the battle situation in Jizhou is divided into three parts: left, center and right -

Then in Pingyuan County on the right, Liu Bei's army forced a crossing.

In the center, Qin Qiong and Cao Cao crossed the river to attack Qinghe State. On the left, Yuan Shao led his army to attack Heishan.

Qin Qiong and Cao Cao were both brave and resourceful generals, and they also had the counselor Cheng Yu in charge to give orders and coordinate the troops.

Using a feint attack tactic, they successfully crossed the Yellow River. This was exactly the place where Yuan Ying’s army’s defense was weak, and the Cui family of Qinghe State did not put up a stubborn resistance.

This saved Qin Qiong and Cao Cao a lot of trouble!

Qin Qiong and Cao Cao divided their troops in Qinghe State.

Cao Cao went to Pingyuan County on the upper right, and attacked from the front and back with Liu Bei's army, while Qin Qiong went to Liyang on the lower left, and surrounded Yuan Shao from behind.

The war is going so smoothly that Yuan Shao’s downfall is just around the corner!
……

Yuan Shao led his army to attack Heishan, but fought with the Henei army led by Henei Governor Wang Kuang in the Tangyin area.

As the battle was at a stalemate, Yuan Shao was actually feeling a little anxious!

If news of the defeat came, the morale of the troops under his command would certainly be shaken, and the number of deserters would increase, so they might be defeated without a fight.

Therefore, Yuan Shao must capture Black Mountain as soon as possible and rely on the victory of this battle to weaken the bad news of the defeat of the garrison in Pingyuan County!
however.

Although Qin Qiong and Cao Cao led their troops away, the pressure on Yuan Shao was greatly reduced.

However, Wang Kuang and Wang Fang also had strong troops and horses, and Yuan Shao would find it difficult to break through in a short time.

Now Yuan Shao is racing against time.

In fact, Yuan Shao felt a little regretful in his heart. If he had listened to Feng Ji's advice of "slowly stalemate and prolong the war", things would not have come to this point!

Because Yuan Shao coveted the "Snowflake Salt Method", although he deployed a feint to the east and attacked the west strategy, and ordered the Pingyuan County garrison to attack Qingzhou. However, the failure of this attack affected the entire Yuan camp.

This is shooting yourself in the foot!
Yuan Shao could only hope that his soldiers could work harder and capture Black Mountain as soon as possible.

But what are you afraid of?
"Report——"

A messenger came hurriedly:

"General, Qin Qiong and Cao Cao did not rush to Qingzhou to help. Instead, they attacked Qinghe State in Jizhou from Yanzhou Jibei State. Now they have crossed the Yellow River and landed in Ling County of Qinghe State. They may outflank our army from behind!"

Yuan Shao's face suddenly turned gloomy!

The civil and military officials under his command were also shocked!!!
Qin Qiong and Cao Cao dispatched troops to leave and rush to Qingzhou. Was it actually a retreat to advance? A bait tactic to lure the enemy into attacking? !

And they fell into the trap!
Done! ! !

In front, Henei Governor Wang Kuang led the Henei army to block the way, and Wang Fang led the Xiliang army to assist in the defense.

Qin Qiong and Cao Cao were leading their armies to attack from behind.

Isn't this being attacked from both sides? !

Now the Yellow River is on their left. Should they flee to the right?
"My lord, let's retreat to Wei County for now, just in case!" Feng Ji sighed and said, "We have been unable to capture the city for a long time. If we are surrounded by the enemy, we will be unable to escape!"

Yuan Shao's expression changed, and he felt extremely unwilling:
"Continue the attack. As long as we break through Wang Kuang's defenses, occupy Black Mountain, and seize the Snowflake Salt formula, it will surely inspire the entire army!"

After hearing this, the civil and military officials could only intensify their offensive.

This did put great pressure on Wang Kuang and Wang Fang, but relying on the geographical advantage and strong troops, they were still able to stop the attack of Yuan Ying!
However, not long after, a messenger arrived from the direction of Wei County:

"General, Lü Bu led the Bingzhou Army to launch a surprise attack on Fukou Pass and is now attacking Fengyue Pass. They may break through and land in Wei County!"

Boom——

It was like a thunderbolt from the blue sky, which shocked Yuan Shao and his civil and military officials! ! ! Unbelievable! ! !
"What did you say?!" Yuan Shao repeated.

The messenger repeated it.

Lü Bu led the Bingzhou army to launch a surprise attack on Fukouxing...

Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief!
Fukou Pass is one of the eight passes in Taihang Mountains. It is a passage connecting Licheng, Shangdang County, Bingzhou to Ci County, Wei County, Jizhou.

The ancients said: "From here, we can go east to Ci and Xing to help Zhao and Wei."

In the original history, Cao Cao used this natural barrier to defeat Yuan Shang's army. Dou Jiande, a peasant army at the end of the Sui Dynasty, also annihilated the officers and soldiers of Dou Zong, the governor of the Sui Dynasty, in this area.

Yuan Shao naturally sent a large number of troops to guard such an important passage!

Even in the "Fukou Xing" and "Jingxing" of the Eight Xings of Taihang Mountain located in Jizhou, Yuan Shao had heavy troops stationed!

Yuan Shao was not surprised that the enemy would attack these two important checkpoints.

What they couldn't believe was that it was Lu Bu who led the Bingzhou Army to attack?!

Haven't Yu Fuluo and other Southern Xiongnu tribesmen been holding back Lü Bu and other Bingzhou troops in Bingzhou? !

Lu Bu dared to lead the Bingzhou army to attack Fukouxing and try to land in Weijun, Jizhou. Wasn't he afraid that Yu Fuluo would raid the Bingzhou army's hometown? !

Or……

The Southern Xiongnu tribesmen under Yu Fuluo have been wiped out by the Bingzhou Army led by Lu Bu? !
That’s why Lü Bu and other Bingzhou troops dared to launch a surprise attack on Wei County in Jizhou? !

This result shocked Yuan Shao and his civil and military officials, and their faces turned pale!
"Rush to Fengyue Pass for support immediately and make sure to stop Lu Bu and other Bingzhou troops!" Yuan Shao acted decisively and said promptly.

Lu Bu was the most powerful general in the world. Even though he was defeated by Li Siye, he was still famous.

Moreover, the Bingzhou Army under Lu Bu's command was also brave and good at fighting, enough to be ranked among the top three troops in the Han Dynasty.

If Lu Bu led the Bingzhou army to break through Fukou Pass and land in Wei County, Jizhou.

By then, Jizhou will be in unrest!
You must know that Jizhou is the North China Plain, with fertile land and abundant food and grass. But on the contrary, it means that there is nothing to defend here except the city!
"promise!!!"

But before the messenger left, another messenger came running south, breathless and saying:

"General, Lü, Lü Bu led the Bingzhou army... to break through Fengyue Pass and land in Weijun Ci County! They are marching... southward!"

After saying this, the messenger fainted and was immediately dragged away for treatment.

Yuan Shao staggered and nearly fainted.

"Lord!!!"

Feng Ji and other civil and military officials immediately rushed forward to support Yuan Shao.

"It's over!!! It's all over!!!"

Yuan Shao looked at Feng Ji and said with regret:

"Yuan Tu, I regret listening to you! If our army slowly holds out and prolongs the war, and the court starts wars on all sides, the finances will collapse. What a pity, what a pity that I am so greedy and reckless!"

"My lord, now that things have come to this, we should cheer up!"

Feng Ji said in a deep voice:

"In fact, a slow stalemate and a prolonged war are not very safe after the advent of snowflake salt. The court has a steady stream of salt tax revenue, which may be able to maintain war military expenditures.

"My lord, don't worry. Victory and defeat are common in the military. We still have the strength to fight. Immediately send a message to Gongsun Zan and ask him to attack Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou. Send a message to Yuan Shu in Huainan and ask him to go north to contain him. Or you can ask the court to divide its troops."

"Follow the plan!"

Yuan Shao immediately ordered: "Everyone follow Yuan Tu's plan!!!"

The messengers from Yuan's camp spread out in all directions, and the few carrier pigeons also flew out.

At this moment, it has become a matter of life and death, there is no need to hold back.

Yuan Ying decided to march north to deal with Lu Bu and the Bingzhou army first.

But Wang Kuang, the governor of Hanoi, and Bai Hu, who was disguised as "Wang Fang", would obviously not let them have their way.

He sent troops directly from Heishan into Weijun, trying to delay Yuan Shao's troops.

But who knew that Yuan Shao's army's march northward was just a ruse to lure the enemy into attacking, and they suddenly turned around and ambushed Wang Kuang and Wang Fang's pursuing troops.

After this battle, Wang Kuang and Wang Fang had to retreat back to Montenegro.

It has to be said that Yuan Ying really had many wise counselors and brave generals. At such a critical moment of life and death, they did not suffer a crushing defeat and were able to retreat and counterattack.

This was something Wang Kuang and Wang Fang had not expected!

But the situation was over, and they didn’t think Yuan Shao could turn the tables!

……

(End of this chapter)