With a series of reforms in Youzhou Province, especially after the education reform and the military reform, the commoners in Youzhou Province lived and worked in peace and contentment. They had land to grow and books to read. Additionally, young and strong young men could join the army to supplement their family expenses. It was not forced by the government anymore; instead, commoners joined the army voluntarily. There was a huge difference. A difference in attitude could create two completely different situations. Soldiers could use their lives to break through anything. On the contrary, when they fought, they were afraid of death and would definitely be destroyed by the enemy.
Now, the people of Youzhou were truly grateful to Dongfang Jian and their provincial governor. In ancient times, commoners were like ants, and very few people paid attention to their lives. However, Dongfang Jian of later generations deeply remembered the good words of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin: Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. Just as everything in Youzhou was improving, the Xianbei began to take action, and it was directed at Yuyang Prefecture.
During the Battle of Setting Sun, after the Xianbei defeated the Great Han, the minority tribes at the border of the Great Han, such as the Wuhuan, no longer listened to the Great Han's titles. Instead, they became kings and often harassed the people of the Great Han. Ever since Gongsun Zan went on a killing spree in western Liaoning and Qiu Liju shocked the Wuhuan, the situation had improved a little. With the arrival of autumn, the Xianbei people were restless again. It was no wonder that the grassland tribes were their natural enemies. Only by plundering could their people survive the winter. Moreover, everyone had their own desires. Seeing such fertile land in the south, the Xianbei people also wanted to take it for themselves. The Xianbei people were an invincible race on the grasslands, especially Tan Shihuai, who was brave and resourceful when he was young. He was elected as the leader of the tribe. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, a royal court was established in the Danhan Mountain in the north of Gaoliu (now northwest of Yanggao County, Shanxi Province). It plundered the border counties in the south, resisted Ding Ling in the north, repelled Fuyu in the east, and attacked Wusun in the west. It completely occupied the Xianbei's native land, covering more than 14,000 miles from east to west and more than 7000 miles from north to south. In the autumn of the second year of Yongfeng (156 years), he led his army to attack Yunzhong (southwest of today's Hohhotte, Inner Mongolia). After the first year of Yanxi (158 years), Xianbei repeatedly harassed the nine prefectures along the Great Wall and Liaodong vassal states. Emperor Huan of Han was worried and wanted to make Tan Shihuai king and marry him. Not only did Tan Shihuai not accept it, but he also stepped up the invasion and looting of the fortresses at the edge of the Great Wall. He also divided the area he occupied into three parts, each with a lord to lead. After Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty ascended the throne, Xianbei became even more aggressive in harassing the Great Wall. You, Bing and Liang were often attacked and plundered. Emperor Ling sent Xia Yu, Tian Yan and Zang Wen to lead 10,000 cavalry to attack Xianbei in three ways. Tan Shihuai ordered the three adults to lead the army to fight and return victorious. Then, Tan Shihuai led the army to attack western Liaoning and Jiuquan, so that the border areas of the Han Dynasty could not be peaceful. Fortunately, after this old man died, the three Xianbei tribes were no longer united.
At this time, the eastern Xianbei grassland was no longer lush green, but covered in yellow. The slightly cold wind blew, making people unable to help but wrap their clothes tightly. Some time ago, the eastern Xianbei Lord Mika received a very important guest, a guest that surprised Mika. This guest, rather than calling him a guest, it was better to call him an envoy. He was sent by Gongsun Zan, the former prefect of western Liaoning and the leader of the right Beiping. Guan Jing,"Heroes":"I am a cruel official, flattery without great schemes. I am especially trusted by Zan.”。
Guan Jing knew that Gongsun Zan was unwilling to give up Youbei, so in order to make himself more important in Gongsun Zan's eyes, he offered Gongsun Zan a plan to let the Xianbei people find trouble with Dongfang Jian. Then, he would use the ambush Gongsun Zan left in Youbei to help the Xianbei people take down Lulong Fortress and march straight to Yuyang. At that time, Dongfang Jian would have no choice but to admit defeat and let Gongsun Zan clean up the mess. In this way, Gongsun Zan could do whatever he wanted in Youzhou. When Guan Jing proposed this plan, Gongsun Zan's subordinate Tian Kai strongly opposed it, saying that this despicable act would make the lord unkind, unjust, and disloyal. However, Gongsun Zan relied heavily on Guan Jing. Although Gongsun Zan was brave and brave, he was indeed a short-sighted person. He could not see the consequences if outsiders knew about it and how much impact it would bring to himself. In addition, the hatred between Gongsun Zan and Dongfang Jian blinded his eyes, so he had no choice but to listen to Guan Jing's plan. One was connivance, two was instigation, three was formality, and four was helplessness. This led to Gongsun Zan and the Xianbei people in the east conspiring. Unfortunately, Gongsun Zan did not expect that the Xianbei people were not people who kept their promises. When the time came, they would regret it.
At first, when Mika heard that Gongsun Zan was willing to help him open Lulong Fortress, he could not believe it. He thought that this was a scheme of Dongfang Jian and Gongsun Zan. After they entered the pass, they would cooperate from the inside and outside. In that case, he would probably die. However, according to what he knew, Gongsun Zan did have a great grudge with the Youzhou Provincial Governor. Guan Jing looked at Mika, whose face was filled with suspicion. He looked down on this barbarian in his heart. He was so timid in everything he did. No wonder he could not break through Luronse after fighting for so many years.
"My lord, my lord has a grudge against Dongfang Jiansu, and now he is beyond my lord's reach in Bingzhou. If my lord wants revenge, he can only cooperate with you. However, my lord has a condition. After you lead your army into Youzhou, you must ensure that the Xianbei cavalrymen do not plunder Youzhou or kill the people of Youzhou.”Guan Jing looked at Mika. He did not believe that this old thing would not agree. Such an opportunity would be hard to come by again after losing it.
It was true that Micah was feeling very uncomfortable now. This was indeed the best plan for his plunder in the south. In the past, his troops had stopped at the damned Luronce every year, and countless people had died at this pass. This time, Gongsun Zan actually asked someone to open the gate for us to pass. It's really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"How do we confirm Lord Gongsun's sincerity?”Mika had to ensure that nothing would go wrong before he dared to cooperate with Gongsun Zan. Otherwise, if there was a slight delay, most of his troops would probably have to stay in the territory of the Great Han Dynasty.
"My lord has already thought about this. In order to prevent others from criticizing my lord, you can feign an attack in Daijun and Shanggu and then send a surprise army to Yuyang and Youbei. At that time, they will definitely not expect that my lord's army has already reached the periphery of Yuyang. At that time, my lord only needs to hang a red flag at the critical moment, and someone will open the city gate for my lord.”Guan Jing believed that after throwing out such generous conditions, he did not believe that Mika would not agree.
As expected, after the risk of the matter was reduced, Mika could no longer hold it in." Alright, then our two families will cooperate from now on and each of us will play our part!”
"Your Excellency is wise! "Jing needs to report to my master immediately. I'll take my leave now." Mika did not ask Guan Jing to stay and let him leave.
After Guan Jing left, Mijia gathered the four leaders of the Xianbei tribe in the east, Mijia, Que Ji, Suli, and Yuwen Mohuai, to discuss the matter of plundering the south. When the four tribal leaders heard that Gongsun Zan had opened Lulong Fortress and let the Xianbei cavalry go south, they were shocked. Every year, when the Xianbei invaded the south, countless warriors died in Lulong Sai. Now that they had given up this pass, what else could the Central Plains do to stop the Xianbei? By then, the Central Plains would be theirs. Thinking about the good wine in Youzhou and the beautiful girl in the Central Plains, the four leaders were excited. This had been their dream for many years.
Mika assigned Yuwen Mohuai and Que Ji's troops to feign attacks in Shanggu and Daijun to attract Youzhou's main force. Mika and He Suli led the main force to attack Yuyang secretly. It was just that they had underestimated Dongfang Jian and his strategists, which meant that their plan would never succeed.
As such, the four Xianbei tribes in the east mobilized all of their 200,000 soldiers to head south.
Under the night sky, Yuyang City appeared unusually quiet and somber. Meanwhile, the Lulong Fortress, which was tens of miles away, still looked calm and peaceful.
In the Yuyang Prefecture, Zhang Liao was holding the military intelligence report sent by Dongfang Jian. He was walking alone in the house, feeling a wave of unexplainable frustration. Zhang Liao looked at the map hanging in front of him and thought," You really think highly of me, Zhang Liao. How dare you bring 200,000 to Yuyang? I'll make sure you don't return.
At this moment, a guard came in and said,""General, General Yan Liang and Military Advisor Xun have arrived.”
"Please." Zhang Liao said. As soon as he finished speaking, he heard Yan Liang's loud voice say,"Wenyuan, how's the situation?"
Zhang Liao smiled bitterly and went out to welcome him. After welcoming the two into the house, Yan Liang said,"How is it, Wenyuan? Have the Xianbei people arrived?”
Zhang Liao shook his head." Not yet. We haven't found any traces of them so far. Are Military Advisor and the others not coming here anymore?"”
Xun You said," No, they will definitely come here. However, they will have to wait for the battle in Shanggu or Daijun. Otherwise, they will not appear."”
"When will that be?" Zhang Liao said."You don't know how it feels to wait for someone like this."”
Xun You said," Wen Yuan, don't be impatient. You must know that you are the commander of the Yuyang war. The lord trusts you very much. By handing over the power of Yuyang to you, it means that you can take on such a great responsibility. Don't disappoint the lord and the soldiers under your command.”
Zhang Liao's face was filled with shame when he heard that. He didn't know what to say.
Yan Liang said," When Big Brother asked me to come over, he told me to listen to your orders. Big Brother often said that Wen Yuan is a talent for generals, while Wen Chou and I can only be generals. So I came here to listen to your orders."”
When Zhang Liao heard this, he was extremely excited. He said,"I have no way to repay my lord's kindness. I can only die to repay my lord's kindness.”
"Alright, then let's meet them together.”Yan Liang said loudly.
Zhang Liao held Yan Liang's hand and said,"Then let us teach these Xianbei people how to fight."”
After a while, Xun You asked,"General Zhang, Lulong Fortress is the gateway to Youzhou. I wonder if General has sent someone over?"?”
"Don't worry, counselor. I've already placed 5000 people there. Tomorrow, I'll bring the main force of my Heavenly Wolf Army over. I'll definitely ensure the safety of Lulong Fortress.”Zhang Liao said.
Xun You said," This time, my lord has instructed us to defend Lulong Fortress. We must also evacuate all the people of Lulong to Yuyang to prevent the enemy from slaughtering our people after they break through Lulong. In addition, Gongsun Zan has been stationed here for many years. There must be his subordinates here. Therefore, in order to prevent his people from cooperating with Mika, we must dig them out.”
"You mean to say that this Xianbei attack has something to do with Gongsun Zan?" Zhang Liao asked in surprise.”
Xun You said," Our lord and we both suspect that the Xianbei people's actions this time have something to do with Gongsun Zan. Our lord suspects that Gongsun Zan will definitely bear a grudge after being forced to give up Liaoxi. However, we don't have any evidence, so we can take this as a precaution."”
"Since that's the case, I'll immediately go to Lulong and move all the people there to Yuyang.”Zhang Liao said.
Two days later, Zhang Liao and the others received news that the Xianbei army was attacking Daijun and Shanggu. They were told to be prepared to prevent anything that shouldn't happen.
Just like that, Zhang Liao and the others spent their days waiting. They received the latest information about Shanggu and Daijun every day.
The Xianbei people's frenzied attacks on Shanggu and Dai County had already caused Gao Shun of Shanggu and Wen Chou of Dai County to be in a state of emergency several times. However, Dongfang Jian would always say that even if there was only one person left, they had to hold on. They could not send a single soldier. Gao Shun was a pure soldier. Once the higher-ups gave an order, he would definitely carry it out, even if the order was wrong. But Wen Chou couldn't do it. He already felt wronged to let him defend the city, and they didn't even send reinforcements for him. If Tian Feng wasn't watching from the side, who knew what he might do? Just like that, they withstood the Xianbei people's frenzied attacks for five days. Although the Xianbei people continued to attack as before, the scale of the attack was not as crazy as before.
When Tian Feng saw all of this, he knew that the Xianbei's main force had already withdrawn, leaving behind only the troops guarding him. The main force had already rushed to Yuyang and Youbei. Tian Feng immediately sent a pigeon to inform Dongfang Jian, Zhang Liao, and Cang Ba.
One day, Zhang Liao was patrolling Lulong Fortress when he saw a scout running over and reporting to him,""General, we found a large Xianbei army fifty li away. There are about a hundred thousand people.”
When he heard the scout report that nearly 100,000 Xianbei soldiers had invaded Lulong, Zhang Liao quickly sent a messenger pigeon to Dongfang Jian to report the military situation. At the same time, he quickly reorganized his soldiers and informed Xun You and Yan Liang in Yuyang.
After everything was ready, Zhang Liao quickly climbed up the city wall. Standing on top of the city wall, the Xianbei people were far away from the city, but the dust was still flying in the air, and the thundering of the horses 'hooves shook the earth.
Soon, they had surrounded Lulong Fortress. Seeing the Xianbei people arrive so quickly, Zhang Liao couldn't help but feel shocked. The Xianbei cavalry came and went like the wind. However, Zhang Liao found it strange that after the Xianbei people arrived, they did not attack the city immediately. Instead, they set up camp and surrounded Lulong.
After waiting for half a day, seeing the Xianbei people coming and going leisurely, Zhang Liao was sure that the Xianbei people would not attack. Thus, Zhang Liao quickly dismissed the people and let them go to Yuyang to hide. However, Zhang Liao did not dare to be too careless, so he discussed with the deputy general about taking turns to defend the city. However, the deputy general had been defending for a day, and the Xianbei people had no intention of attacking the city.
In the evening, Zhang Liao came to replace the deputy general. Looking at the Xianbei encampment outside the city and the leisurely Xianbei soldiers, Zhang Liao felt even stranger. Zhang Liao defended for a night, but the Xianbei people still did not attack the city. In the morning, the deputy general took over Zhang Liao's position. Looking at the leisurely Xianbei soldiers, the deputy general felt depressed.
After returning to his temporary residence in Lulong, Zhang Liao ate breakfast and lay on his bed. He tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Even though he had not slept the entire night, his mind was unusually clear. Perhaps it was because he was too nervous. What was the purpose of the Xianbei people to surround and not attack? Zhang Liao was puzzled.
Could it be that the Xianbei people had other motives? After thinking for a long time, he finally remembered what Xun You had told him. A terrifying thought came to his mind.
Thus, Zhang Liao quickly got up and went to the city wall. Seeing that Zhang Liao did not rest and had returned to the city wall, the deputy general could not help but feel very strange. After carefully observing the Xianbei camp, Zhang Liao asked the deputy general,"How was the Xianbei people's cooking and drinking today?”
The deputy general thought for a moment and replied,"It's rather sparse. It doesn't seem to be a hundred thousand people."”
"That's right, the Xianbei people have other intentions." Zhang Liao nodded.”
"Then, I'm afraid it's dangerous in other places."”
Zhang Liao said," It doesn't matter if they come from other places. They might be waiting for people from other places to come and meet up."”
"However, we can be idle now." Zhang Liao said with a smile.”After saying that, Zhang Liao called over a group of soldiers and ordered them to do this.
After the soldiers left, Zhang Liao dragged the deputy general down the city gate tower.
——
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。