Chapter 98 Yuan Shao’s army attempted to escape but was stopped by Liu Bei’s army!

When the imperial army easily captured Wei County, the generals realized that something was wrong.

If Yuan Shao's main force was still in Wei County, he would definitely put up a desperate resistance. Wei County, the capital of Jizhou, with its strong walls and surrounded by moats, could not be conquered so easily!

really!

After entering the city, the generals found that Yuan Shao's main force had already fled. The defending generals did not hold them back for long before surrendering the city.

"Benchu ​​runs really fast!"

Cao Cao looked somewhat gloomy:

"When Dong Zhuo entered the capital, he also fled to Bohai immediately. Now that we are besieging Weijun, he left immediately when he saw the situation was not good. He is really a rabbit!"

...

"No wonder Weijun gave me a feeling of being strong on the outside but weak on the inside. It turns out that Yuan Shao's main force has already withdrawn!"

Bao Xin also sighed:
"But there is no other way. Wei County is too important! We can't abandon Wei County and go after Yuan Shao's troops just because of these suspicions!"

...

Wei County was the capital of Jizhou and had important political significance.

Moreover, Wei County is the southwestern corner barrier of Jizhou, bordering Henei County of Sili, and is the land route to Jizhou.

Battleground!

This is also why Yuan Shao’s main force would station troops here, force a crossing of the Yellow River, and want to attack Yanzhou!
Because Wei County can guard against troops from Henei and can also attack from Yanzhou, it belongs to the core area!

The imperial army must capture Weijun. Even if they feel that Yuan Shao’s main force has already fled Weijun, they still need to seize this battleground first!

...

"Report——"

At this time, a messenger came to report: "General, we found Yuan Shao's generals in prison."

"Um?!"

Everyone was somewhat suspicious, could it be a self-torture tactic? !

"Bring it up here."

By the time the messenger general Ju Su and Tian Feng brought over, everyone had actually guessed 70% of the situation.

These people were originally Han Fu's generals. After Han Fu gave up Jizhou, they became subordinates of Yuan Shao. However, they only obeyed orders and not decrees, and did not collude with Yuan Shao at all.

Different from the original history, at that time Cao Cao used the emperor to command the princes, while Yuan Shao was carrying the banner of saving the king, so people came to him in droves.

But in this life, Yuan Shao was against the imperial court and the Han Emperor Liu Bian.

Moreover, Emperor Liu Bian of the Han Dynasty controlled the military power of the capital and was not controlled by powerful ministers. The Han Emperor ordered the expedition against Yuan Shao.

Therefore, many loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty and those who were loyal to the emperor and patriotic were unwilling to go along with the Yuan family.

Another point is that generals such as Ju Shou and Tian Feng once reported the secret to the imperial court, which can also be considered a great achievement!

For this reason, after seeing Ju Shou and Tian Feng, the generals immediately ordered them to be untied.

"So it's you, the righteous men, who are causing you to suffer!"

The generals looked at each other. There were Henei Prefect Wang Kuang, Cavalry Captain Wang Fang, Dongjun Prefect Cao Cao, Jibei Prime Minister Bao Xin and others, but in the end it was Cao Cao who stepped forward.

Because Cao Cao has another identity - the father-in-law of the emperor, he can represent the court and His Majesty!

"You are too late. Yuan Shao evacuated Weijun a few days ago and has probably fled to Bohai now!"

After Ju Su was untied, he bowed to Cao Cao and other court officials and generals, then sighed and said:
“Although I don’t know Yuan Shao’s plan, according to their strategic intentions, I think they want to evacuate Jizhou.

“At this critical moment, there are only two ways to leave Jizhou - either develop deep into the Taihang Mountains, or leave by ship through the Bohai Sea.

"It seems that Yuan Shao chose the latter. But it is understandable!

"If we enter Taihang Mountain, Bingzhou, Jizhou, Youzhou, and Henei will surround us. It seems that we can hide in the deep mountains and forests, but with Yuan Shao's ambition, it is impossible for him to be a bandit.

"If you leave from Bohai Sea by boat, you can go anywhere within the four seas. Of course, Yuan Shao may choose to go south to Jianghuai and join forces with Yuan Shu!"

...

After Ju Su's in-depth and easy-to-understand analysis, Cao Cao and others were suddenly shocked. They looked at each other and saw the shock in each other's eyes!

Cao Cao cupped his hands and said with emotion:
"Your remarks show that you are a man of great talent in governing the country. Fortunately, you did not help the tyrant. Otherwise, Yuan Shao would have had your help and it would have been extremely difficult for us to conquer him!"

...

"Your Majesty is wise and brave, and has great talent and strategy. Under your command, Bingzhou, Youzhou, Yanzhou, Qingzhou, and Henei are now completely under the control of the court!
"Don't even mention me. Even if Liu Hou and Xiao Xiang were reborn, it would be difficult to turn the tide! Yuan Shao is doomed. It is only a matter of time before he is defeated! But now, if we let Yuan Shao go south smoothly, the imperial court will face resistance in its future offensive against Jianghuai!"

Ju Su sighed and said.

...

"It will not be easy for Yuan Shao to escape by boat from Bohai Sea," Cao Cao said firmly.

This was somewhat surprising to Ju Shou and others.

Then he suddenly woke up: "Oh, I almost forgot about Liu Shijun Muye Qingzhou! Maybe he can stop Yuan Shao's troops."

"It's Liu Xuande!"

Cao Cao was very fond of Liu Bei.

Liu, Guan and Zhang rose to prominence during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and when the princes entered the capital to purge the court, their performance at Hulao Pass was also outstanding, which impressed Cao Cao.

Now that Liu Bei has Muye and Qingzhou, and he has the assistance of Guo Jia, a natural genius, it will not be easy for Yuan Shao to leave Bohai smoothly!

...

Putting aside the fact that Yuan Shao had fled with his main force, Cao Cao appeased Ju Su and other generals and finally said:
"We are new here, and we still need to trouble you heroes to clean up Wei County and its surrounding counties."

"This is our job!"

Ju Shou, Tian Feng and other civil officials and generals were all from Jizhou. They were familiar with Jizhou and had greater prestige than Cao Cao and others.

With the assistance of Ju Su and others, it will be easier for them to suppress and recover Jizhou without arousing resentment from the people of Jizhou.

This time, they attacked Jizhou, in addition to pacifying Yuan Shao and other traitors and their followers, they also needed to recover the fertile land of Jizhou.

Yuan Shao's withdrawal actually allowed them to recover Jizhou County and Kingdom more quickly, and they could even measure the land and make preparations for the subsequent land tax distribution.

……

Yuan Shao's army escaped all the way to Bohai without any danger. They left a rearguard force in Weijun to create an illusion of "strong on the outside but weak on the inside". In fact, they were already weak inside and the main force had retreated.

After returning to Bohai County, Yuan Shao immediately divided his troops and marched north to confront Lü Bu's Bingzhou Army, luring this brave but reckless general away. At the same time, he marched south to support his eldest son Yuan Tan and attacked Jinan and Le'an in Qingzhou.

This was to delay Liu Bei's troops and prevent them from being attacked by Liu Bei when they left by boat.

But at this moment, Yuan Shao suddenly woke up: "If we evacuate Jizhou, what should Xianyi do?!"

Xianyi is Yuan Xi's courtesy name. He originally led his army north to aid Gongsun Zan, but was defeated and captured. Now he has become a prisoner like Gongsun Zan.

This is his second son and his closest relative. How could Yuan Shao bear to see Yuan Xi being executed?
The civil officials and military officers were helpless. Feng Ji said, "My lord, as long as we have the green mountains, we will not be afraid of running out of firewood. As long as we can make a comeback in Jianghuai, we will have enough bargaining chips to bargain with the court!"

"But given your majesty's temperament, I'm afraid you'll kill a chicken to scare the monkeys!" Yuan Shao worriedly said, "If Xianyi is killed because of my escape, I will never be able to rest in peace for the rest of my life!"

Yuan Shao began to be indecisive again in Bohai.

He was very caring towards his offspring.

But as a monarch and a general, he must never take personal feelings too seriously. No matter what he does, he must always stand on the side of the country and the people.

In the original history, on the eve of the Battle of Guandu, when Cao Cao was confronting Yuan Shao, he took the risk to go to Xuzhou to deal with Liu Bei, his confidant. At this time, the generals in Yuan's camp advised Yuan Shao to send troops to encircle Cao Cao's rear, which would surely be rewarding.

Because his youngest son was ill, Yuan Shao gave up this opportunity that could have rewritten the Battle of Guandu!

Yuan Shao ignored the safety of the country and the lives of his soldiers for the sake of his son. He valued personal feelings too much, and during the time he delayed, Cao Cao had regrouped and regained his strength.

On the other hand, Cao Cao killed three wise men with one shot. This was a decisive killing, showing the demeanor of a hero!

"My lord, we can exchange Liu He, the son of Liu Yu, for hostages." Guo Tu suddenly said at this time.

At the beginning, Liu He went to Youzhou on behalf of the Han Emperor Liu Bian to requisition food and fodder, but when passing through Bingzhou, he was kidnapped by Yu Fuluo, the Left Wise King of the Southern Xiongnu, and later handed over to Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao also threatened Liu Yu with Liu He's life, asking him not to requisition grain and grass for the court, but Liu Yu didn't care about his son at all. He said you can kill him or rob him as you like, as long as he wants to provide grain and grass for the court. Yuan Shao was very angry, but he didn't really deal with Liu He. He didn't dare to take action against Liu Yu and Liu He, but he kept Liu He under house arrest.

When Guo Tu mentioned Liu He, Yuan Shao's eyes suddenly lit up, then dimmed:

"We threatened Liu He's life, but Liu Yu remained unmoved and continued to send food and grass to the capital. Will he agree to exchange hostages now?"

"My lord, we don't need to mention this to Liu Yu, we can mention it to the court!" Guo Tu said in a gentle and persuasive manner: "This is an opportunity to win people's hearts, and Your Majesty will definitely not let it go."

Yuan Shao thought about it and it made sense.

Feng Ji said:

"My lord, but before that, we need to get out of here safely! Otherwise, we will all be trapped, and what's the point of exchanging hostages?"

"Prepare the fleet to evacuate Bohai immediately!" Yuan Shao gave the order immediately.

The civil and military officials in Yuan’s camp finally breathed a sigh of relief as they had finally dealt with Yuan Shao.

After Yuan Shao, the supreme ruler, gave the order, everyone in Yuan’s camp was immediately mobilized and they boarded the ships one after another to prepare for departure.

There were many things they couldn't take away, but they had to take away important hostages like Liu He.

...

After the news of Yuan Shao's main force boarding the ship came, the troops in Pingyuan County also had to evacuate one after another.

however.

When Yuan Tan and other troops in Pingyuan County wanted to take the opportunity to retreat, Liu Bei's troops in Qingzhou suddenly launched a fierce attack, making it impossible for them to retreat.

Even Guan Yu and Zhang Fei personally led their troops to attack and hold Yuan Tan's troops at bay.

At this time, Yuan Tan could escape alone without caring about the lives of his soldiers, and escape on board the ship like Yuan Shao.

But the problem is that this move will definitely make his army lose all morale!
Having lost the support of his army, Yuan Tan will have trouble even gaining a foothold in Yuan’s camp, let alone fighting for the throne!
Who would choose an heir who deserted the battlefield? !

Lord Yuan Shao left first, with the excuses that "a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall" and "the backbone of the army cannot put themselves in danger in order to stabilize the morale of the army."

But Yuan Tan is now a general on the front line!

How could a general escape alone without caring about the lives of his fellow soldiers?

That's called a deserter!

and also……

In the original history, Yuan Tan even turned against his two brothers in order to become the heir.

Finally, after Yuan Shao's death, Shen Pei and others forged a will and supported Yuan Shang as his successor.

Yuan Tan did not hesitate to join forces with Cao Cao, the enemy who killed his father, to attack Yuan Shang. This shows how much he coveted the fight for the throne!
If he escapes at this time, Yuan Tan will be directly excluded from the fight for the throne, which he absolutely cannot accept!
Yuan Tan had no choice but to stay and command the soldiers to confront Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's troops!
This boosted the morale of the officers and men of Yuan’s camp in Pingyuan County and boosted their morale!

But facing the fierce attack from Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, Yuan Tan was pinned down in Pingyuan County, unable to advance or retreat!
...

"My lord, let's leave first."

"Wait a little longer, wait for Xiansi (Yuan Tan) to come and we'll go together!"

"That's...okay!"

After Yuan Shao boarded the fleet, something unexpected happened again.

Yuan Shao wanted to wait for his eldest son Yuan Tan to withdraw before leaving south together.

Perhaps it was because his second son Yuan Xi was defeated and captured that he felt the heartache and pain of separation from his family.

Therefore, Yuan Shao suddenly began to care and love his eldest son Yuan Tan.

"Alas, I have neglected Xiansi in the past. Perhaps it is because he is the eldest son and I wanted him to be independent. Or perhaps...

"Because I am a bastard, I have a natural aversion to the status of the eldest son, so I have never taken Xiansi's fatherly love seriously.

"This time, Xianyi was defeated and captured, which made me suddenly realize that the happiest thing is for the whole family to be healthy and safe!"

Yuan Shao sighed sincerely in his heart.

One only knows how to cherish something when one loses it. He can only temporarily place his care and love for Yuan Xi on Yuan Tan.

At this time, messengers came one after another to report:
"General, Liu Bei's army's offensive has suddenly intensified. The eldest son has ordered the general to withdraw first, and he will be here soon!"

"My lord, what the eldest master said is very true!"

Feng Ji immediately advised:

"Perhaps it is because he is worried about the lord's retreat that the eldest master does not dare to evacuate wholeheartedly. We should leave first to avoid worrying the eldest master!"

"My lord, the eldest son's filial piety is commendable, why don't we leave first."

"Lord..."

Civil officials and military generals immediately advised.

In fact, the civil officials had already realized one thing after hearing the report from the messenger -

Liu Bei obviously guessed that they wanted to escape to Jizhou, so he increased his offensive in an attempt to delay time.

At this time, they should hurry up and leave Bohai instead of continuing to delay here and giving the court a chance to come back for support and encircle them.

However, they could not speak frankly about such matters, as this would make Yuan Shao worry about the safety of his eldest son and become hesitant.

On the contrary, if we follow Yuan Tan's line of thought, Yuan Shao might be more obedient.

but.

"Don't worry, don't worry. We will retreat decisively from Wei County. The imperial army will not be able to react in time. We still have enough time."

Yuan Shao placed his regret and love for Yuan Xi on Yuan Tan. He was unwilling to leave without seeing Yuan Tan:

"Wait until Xiansi withdraws, then we'll leave together!"

"My lord, the imperial troops in Henei and Yanzhou were unable to react in time, but we still have Liu Bei in Qingzhou!"

"Humph, a mat weaver and shoe seller is nothing more than a minister who was promoted by luck!"

Yuan Shao looked down on Liu Bei.

If he had not raised his status in the beginning and given him the last seat when the princes were purging the emperor's court, would Liu Bei have the status he has today?

Who was ungrateful to Liu Bei and opposed him everywhere, and now has become a stumbling block trying to stop him from leaving.

ungrateful!

"Lord..."

Yuan Shao refused to listen to the advice of his civil officials.

In fact, Yuan Shao was also a little worried about Yuan Tan's safety. He had already lost his second son, so he couldn't lose his eldest son too, right? !
The most painful thing in life is to see the young die before the old!

After some thought, Yuan Shao decided to send his troops to support Yuan Tan!
This left the civil and military officials with no choice but to send troops to rescue Yuan Tan and bring Yuan Tan back at all costs.

Even if I have to be tied up and brought back, it’s fine!

however.

There was no news yet from Yuan Tan in Pingyuan County, but outside Bohai Sea, warships had already surrounded them.

Under Yuan Shao's "dragging his feet", Liu Bei's navy finally set out to surround him.

Taishi Ci was originally from the coastal area of ​​Qingzhou, so he was naturally good at water and familiar with naval battles, so he was the commander of the navy.

And these naval ships were "borrowed" from Yuan Shao's Bohai Navy through Guo Jia's plan last time!

The number may not be large, but the nearly one hundred warships, the unexpected victory, and the encirclement still shocked the morale of Yuan’s army!

Looking at the sudden appearance of the sails, followed by the hull, and finally the densely packed warships surrounding them, everyone in Yuan’s camp was horrified!
Finished!

Now I can’t even walk!

Upon hearing the news, Yuan Shao walked to the bow and looked at the familiar ship with the flag with the word "Liu" hanging on it. His expression was so gloomy that water could drip out of it!
Damn you, those mat weavers and shoe sellers, you stole my ship and used it against me?!

Tolerable or unbearable!
……

(End of this chapter)