Chapter 96: Quelled the rebellion in Youzhou and surrounded Yuan Shao in Jizhou!
When Lu Bu led the Bingzhou Army to join the battle, Gongsun Zan, Yuan Xi and other generals, with their tens of thousands of troops, were still no match.

Direct defeat!

This is the power of Lu Bu, the world's most powerful general, and the Han Dynasty's elite cavalry, the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry!

The bandit leaders Gongsun Zan and Yuan Xi were captured alive!
"Gongsun Zan, during the battle at Hulao Pass, you challenged me without knowing your own limitations. If Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had not intervened, you would have died on the spot.

"You still don't know how to live or die. You didn't run away when you saw me coming to kill you. What's the result? You were defeated and captured!"

Lu Bu looked at Gongsun Zan who was tied up and laughed at him jokingly.

"Humph! You are my slave. You can kill me or rob me as you please!"

Gongsun Zan was trying to provoke Lu Bu into killing him. Since he was already defeated, Gongsun Zan did not want to live and was determined to die.

pity.

Lu Bu was unmoved, but smiled and said:
"If you had scolded me like this before, I would have been furious and cut you into pieces. But now, I don't feel much.

"Do you know why? I am now the father-in-law of the emperor. How can I argue with a rebel like you?!"

Looking at Lü Bu's smug smile, Gongsun Zan was furious and spat, "The villain is so successful!"

"I'm not a villain, I'm more than two meters tall!" Lu Bu was not ashamed but proud of it.

Gongsun Zan was really helpless!
"Thank you, General, for your help."

At this time, Liu Yu came over accompanied by Jia Xu and bowed to Lu Bu.

"Envoy Liu, there is no need to be so polite!"

Lu Bu politely replied, "Your Majesty sent me to help Youzhou. This is my duty. Fortunately, I arrived in time and Envoy Liu was not harmed. Otherwise, I would have been derelict in my duty!"

...

"General Lu, your words are too serious. Military Advisor Jia has already told us the reason. The general led his troops to bypass the border and suppressed the Xianbei. This brought many years of peace and tranquility to the soldiers and civilians at the border of Bingzhou and Youzhou. It was a great achievement!
"Besides, if I hadn't acted recklessly, we wouldn't have suffered such a great defeat. It's not that General Lu came too late, but that I led the troops improperly and suffered such a great defeat."

Liu Yu sighed.

...

"You don't have to worry about it, General Liu. I have fought many battles in my life and suffered defeats. Victory and defeat are common in the military!"

Lu Bu was very pleased with Liu Yu's flattery, but he did not get carried away. Instead, he behaved very humblely and tried to appease Liu Yu.

Now that his daughter has become a noble in the palace, Lu Bu's originally arrogant and domineering temperament has been restrained a lot, and he has become calm and introverted.

All the concubines in the palace were born into rich or noble families.

Lu Bu was born in a poor family, and he could only rely on his martial arts and ability to command troops. Naturally, he could not cause trouble for his daughter, and he tried his best to help his daughter make friends with the powerful.

Liu Yu is a relative of the Han Dynasty and has a high prestige. He is a person who can be won over. At the very least, he cannot be annoyed.

...

The two exchanged a few words, and then Liu Yu said:
"There is chaos in Yuyang and Beiping counties, and the remnants of Gongsun Zan and Yuan Xi are also causing chaos. I would like to ask General Lu to lead the army to suppress the chaos and restore stability in Youzhou as soon as possible. I would like to thank General Lu on behalf of all the people in Youzhou!"

...

"This is a trivial matter!"

Lu Bu patted his chest and agreed.

...

After a short rest, Lu Bu led the Bingzhou army and Liu Yu's Youzhou troops to clean up the remnants of Gongsun Zan and Yuan Xi.

After several days, peace and tranquility were finally restored in Youzhou.

Youbeiping and Yuyang County controlled by Gongsun Zan were completely suppressed by the imperial army.

They successively sent military intelligence and war reports to the capital, awaiting His Majesty's arrangements.

After all, after stabilizing Youzhou, should we go one step further and go south to Jizhou to besiege Yuan Shao? !

It is already mid-October and the weather is gradually getting cooler. It will be winter in just over a month.

Winter is coming. Should we temporarily stop fighting for the winter, or take advantage of the winter to launch a winter offensive against Jizhou? !

They need to wait for the military order from the court!

……

Deyang Palace in the capital.

The military intelligence report had not yet arrived, but Liu Bian, through his ability of "The Emperor's Longevity Technique", was the first to learn about the situation in Youzhou.

[Your forces control the entire Yuyang County, and gain one year of life! ]

【Lifespan +1】

[Your forces control the entire Youbeiping County, and gain one year of life! ]

【Lifespan +1】

【…】

With the suppression of Gongsun Zan and his troops, the entire eleven counties/countries of Youzhou, except for the northeastern regions such as Liaodong County, Lelang County, Xuantu County, and Liaoxi County, were all under the control of the imperial army.

This also increases Liu Bian's upper limit of lifespan!
In addition, because Youzhou also has a population of more than two million, with the blessing of the "Emperor's Luck Technique", Liu Bian also gained more than two million luck!
The northeastern region of Youzhou and Liaodong counties are really out of reach.

Although there is one of the three major plains in China: the black soil of the Northeast Plain, the road transportation is inconvenient and development is very difficult.

Today, Liaodong County is governed by Gongsun Du, the prefect of Liaodong, and because of the war in the Central Plains, many families fled to Liaodong.

The Liaodong area is gradually becoming a paradise!
After decades of governance, Liaodong finally saw some development.

If Sima Yi had not massacred Liaodong in the future, the Han people would have surely grown stronger with the advantages of agricultural civilization, and there would probably be no future Jurchens.

It is naturally unrealistic for Liu Bian to develop Liaodong now!

Therefore, the entire Youzhou, Liaodong County and other northeastern regions are temporarily out of the court's attention. The other counties are now under the control of the court.

In other words, the imperial court controlled Youzhou!
Youzhou is under the command of Liu Yu, and now has the support of Lu Bu and other Bingzhou troops. Yanzhou is under the command of Liu Dai, Cao Cao and other officers, and Qingzhou has Liu Bei.

The imperial army has surrounded Jizhou!

When military intelligence reports from Youzhou arrived and Lu Bu and other generals asked whether to go to the battlefield, Liu Bian fell into hesitation.

Should we pursue the victory in Jizhou? !

It is now mid-to-late October and winter is approaching, which is not conducive to marching and fighting.

Liu Bian summoned civil and military officials to discuss the matter.

Unexpectedly, everyone finally agreed that troops should be sent!

"Your Majesty, Yuan Shao sent his troops north to help Gongsun Zan. His purpose was to capture Liu Yu alive and to force him to be emperor in order to oppose the imperial court and Your Majesty. This is an act of treason and he must be put to death with lightning speed!

"Gongsun Zan and Yuan Xi were defeated and captured. When the news reached Yuan Shao's camp, it would definitely shake the morale of the army. Our army can take advantage of the low morale and shaken morale of Yuan's camp to pursue the victory and defeat Yuan Shao and other rebels in one fell swoop.

"Besides, the North China Plain in Jizhou is flat and has no strategic location to defend. Lü Bu's Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, Cao Cao's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, Wang Fang's Xiliang Iron Cavalry and other cavalry units can quickly put down the rebellion in Yuanying and seize the fertile land of the North China Plain."

The memorial suggested that the main candidate for the military expedition was Xun Yu.

It should be noted that Xun Yu did not agree to send troops to Jizhou at the beginning because the food crisis had not been completely resolved and the court's financial problems were very serious.

However, as Yuan Shao attempted to establish a new emperor, this was unforgivable for Xun Yu, a loyal and patriotic man! The civil and military officials unanimously agreed.

Some even believed that when the Yellow River freezes in winter, troops from Yanzhou and Qingzhou can move freely!
Troops surrounded Jizhou!
After careful consideration, Liu Bian issued an edict to wipe out Yuan Shao in Jizhou!
When the imperial decree was issued, the loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty responded immediately!

Youzhou Mu Liu Yu, Lu Bu and other Bingzhou troops immediately boosted morale, mobilized all soldiers to prepare for the "winter offensive", and marched south to besiege Jizhou!
Yanzhou Liu Dai, Dongjun Prefect Cao Cao, Jibei Xiang Bao Xin, Qingzhou Mu Liu Bei and other ministers also mobilized for war!
Wang Fang, who was stationed in Henei County, led the Xiliang Army and was ready to go. Wang Kuang, the governor of Henei, led the Henei Army and was on standby at any time!

Jizhou was besieged from all sides!
A sense of crisis, as if a storm was about to come, suddenly enveloped Jizhou!
……

Wei County, Jizhou.

Yuan Shao's camp had been moved from Liyang to Weijun, which was the county seat of Weijun. The city had strong walls and was surrounded by a wide moat.

But this is definitely not a place to sit back and relax!

Because Jizhou is flat and has no strategic locations to defend.

If the imperial court cannot be distracted and unable to take care of Jizhou, then as long as the imperial court troops surround Jizhou, Yuan Shao will be exhausted to death!

Therefore, Yuan Shao tried every possible means to form a strategic alliance and avoid being besieged by the imperial court!
The same was true of Gongsun Zan of Youzhou and Yuan Shu of Huainan.

even.

Yuan Shao tried to join forces with Gongsun Zan to capture Liu Yu alive and make Liu Yu the new king!

At that time, he will use the emperor to command the princes, and provide Yuan Shao with legal rights to fight against the court and the current emperor!
For this reason, Yuan Shao did not hesitate to send his second son Yuan Xi to lead an army north to Youzhou, hoping to complete the mission to the greatest extent possible!

however!
The military intelligence and battle reports from Youzhou have not yet arrived, but the military developments in Yanzhou and Qingzhou have already made Jizhou tense!

Yuan Shao's troops stationed in Wei County, as well as Yuan Tan's troops in Pingyuan County, were immediately confronted by the imperial army!
"Why did the imperial court suddenly start a war?!" Yuan Shao couldn't believe it. "Winter is coming. Does Your Majesty want to fight in winter?!"

The generals were all eager to try, without any fear of fighting!

But the civil officials looked at the intelligence and had a bad idea in their minds -

Could it be that the situation in Youzhou has changed? !

This is why the imperial court was willing to fight in the severe winter? !
It will snow in Hebei and even the Yellow River will freeze, which is extremely disadvantageous for marching and fighting.

But even so, the imperial court still decided to send troops? !
There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!
Now the only thing they really need to worry about is the changes in Youzhou!

What are you afraid of?
"Da da da--"

A messenger came in a hurry:

"General, after the Second Young Master's troops arrived at Yuyang County in Youzhou, they joined forces with Gongsun Zan to defeat Liu Yu's troops. But when they were chasing them, Lu Bu led his troops to attack them, and finally, finally..."

"What happened in the end?!" Yuan Shao asked anxiously.

The messenger observed the expression of the soldiers and had to say, "In the end, Gongsun Zan and the Second Young Master were defeated and captured!"

When Yuan Shao heard this, he was shocked!

The civil and military officials present were shocked as if a bolt of lightning had struck them from the blue!

Something unexpected happened in Youzhou!
Yuan Xi, whom they had always placed high hopes on, led more than 30,000 troops north and joined forces with Gongsun Zan to fight against Liu Yu, but still failed!
It was successful at first, but failed because Lu Bu led his army to attack!

It turned out that the imperial court was secretly rushing to help Youzhou!

So, the imperial decree from His Majesty to transfer Liu Yu away from Youzhou was just a cover-up? !
It's nothing more than a trick to lure the enemy out and lure them out of their hole!

As expected, Feng Ji was right!
At that time, when Yuan Shao insisted on dividing his troops in Youzhou and joining forces with Gongsun Zan to capture Liu Yu alive, Feng Ji persuaded him that this might be a strategy of the court to lure the enemy to attack.

But Yuan Shao insisted on his own way and refused to listen, and in the end he didn't expect that it would really be true.

Everyone glanced at Yuan Shao, making his expression even uglier!

Yuan Shao's expression turned pale and he could only vent to the messenger: "This must be a trick of the enemy. This messenger is an enemy spy. Drag him down and chop him off!!!"

"promise!!!"

Some personal soldiers dragged the messenger away and chopped him off. This was a high-risk job.

The messenger immediately begged for mercy: "General, please spare my life, General, please spare my life..."

But Yuan Shao remained unmoved!
Only by killing the chicken to scare the monkey can one demonstrate the authority of his lord and vent the anger and regret in his heart!

In fact, Yuan Shao felt a little regretful in his heart!

Because Feng Ji advised him not to send troops at that time, as this might be a conspiracy of the court, but he was stubborn and did his own thing and sent troops to Youzhou.

If troops had not been dispatched at that time, they would not have suffered such a defeat, which would have shaken the morale of the army. Even the second son Yuan Xi was defeated and captured!
I regret it!
However, Yuan Shao also knew that it was useless to regret now and he should find a way to remedy the situation.

It’s never too late to mend!
"Everyone, something unexpected has happened in Youzhou. How should we break the impasse?!" Yuan Shao asked in a deep voice.

Before the civil and military officials could come up with any ideas, several messengers arrived one after another.

"General, the governor of Henei, Wang Kuang, and the cavalry commander, Wang Fang, led their troops to attack Liyang..."

"General, Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, Cao Cao, the governor of Dongjun, Bao Xin, the prime minister of Jibei, and other Yanzhou governors, force a crossing of the Yellow River to fight..."

"Report - the eldest son of Pingyuan County reported that Liu Bei, the governor of Qingzhou, led his army to attack Pingyuan County, and even his navy attacked Bohai County through Bohai..."

"..."

House seemingly endless rain!

In fact, when the news of the defeat in Youzhou came, Yuan Shao had already guessed the reason why the court mobilized all parties.

This is a preparation to attack Jizhou and pursue the victory!
Even though winter is approaching, with the news of Youzhou's defeat and the morale of the soldiers in Yuan's camp shaken, maybe we can actually succeed!
Sure enough, after mobilizing their troops, Henei, Yanzhou, and Qingzhou directly sent out troops to besiege Jizhou!

This time, Yuan Shao did not kill the messengers on the grounds that they were "enemy spies and disrupting the morale of the army", but impatiently waved them away.

Yuan Shao looked at the civil and military officials, and in just a short time, he felt that they had become much older and more decadent.

"Everyone, what should we do now?"

Civil officials and military generals put forward strategies and worked together to express their opinions on how to fight against the imperial army.

After the final decision, a counterattack plan emerged.

Yuan Shao immediately deployed his troops and ordered them to confront the enemy, at least to survive this severe winter!

but.

When these civil and military officials withdrew, they returned to their mansions immediately and sent their trusted confidants to secretly present a letter of surrender to the court.

Now that a storm is about to come, everyone has already felt the sense of crisis of mountains collapsing and the earth breaking apart.

This time, unlike in the past, we can find a good way to break the deadlock.

This battle is a narrow escape!
This also caused many civil and military officials to seek a way out!
Only Yuan Shao's loyal ministers still followed Yuan Shao unswervingly and went all the way to the end!
This is because of their loyalty to Yuan Shao, and also because they are too deeply tied to the Yuan family to jump off the pirate ship!

The whole Jizhou was already filled with a bleak atmosphere due to the cooler weather, and it became even more grim as the imperial army besieged it!
The common people were in a panic, and the wealthy and powerful families were also in danger.

The people can only go with the flow and have no ability to change their families.

But those aristocratic families have many information channels! But this time, even these aristocratic families were caught off guard!

Even if Your Majesty forcefully implements the tax system based on the amount of land, in such a life-and-death crisis, these aristocratic families and powerful people can only submit to the court with their noses held.

Using his family's connections, he could not wait to present a letter of submission to the court.

In the whole Jizhou, there is an atmosphere as if a giant ship is about to sink, and everyone is in danger and looking for a way out!
……

(End of this chapter)