Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3592 Yan Yuan Yi Li Chen

March of the tenth year of Taixing in the Han Dynasty.

In the northern part of Jizhou, there had been scouts cruising northward, trying their best to find out the situation in Youzhou.

However, for Jizhou, there are not many light cavalry left at this stage, and some have to be reserved for future preparations, so the scouts that can be sent out are naturally pitiful.

But they cannot not scout, and for Jizhou, these scouts are also very important. They cannot be used up easily. Otherwise, once they really encounter the Hussar Army, they will not only lose their vision of the battlefield immediately, but may also be directly penetrated and divided by the Hussar Cavalry. Therefore, these scouts must not only find out information, but also protect themselves, and also take on some sudden combat needs. So they have to take out the high-ranking officials who have been sealed for a long time and throw them onto the chessboard.

When the Yuan army was defeated, Wen Chou fled with the young master of the Yuan family, while Gao Gan stayed behind to cover their retreat. However, it was obvious that Gao Gan was no match for the generals of the Cao and Xiahou families, so Gao Gan surrendered in the end.

Although Gao Gan was Yuan Shao's nephew, he was also from Chenliu, so after surrendering, he was left idle for a long time. Under the current situation, Gao Gan suddenly became "trustworthy" again, and regained a certain amount of military power, of course, just a little. For example, these scouts now.

However, for a senior official, he felt that it would be better not to have these military powers...

Not long after reaching the northern front of Jizhou, the latest military intelligence arrived.

Cao Chun suffered a great defeat in Fangcheng. His entire army was wiped out, the soldiers fled, the baggage and equipment were all lost, and even Cao Chun himself was trapped and died!

When the news came, all the friends, including senior officials, were shocked.

In the eyes of Gao Gan and others, although Cao Chun had been defeated before, he still had some strength to fight. Even if he was a little weaker, he was still cavalry at least!

If he really couldn't win, he could just run away. Besides, Wei Yan's army was mainly composed of cavalry, so how could he be defeated like this?

A heated debate immediately broke out among the senior officials and other outpost troops about what to do next.

Some military schools said that they should return to Yecheng, Jizhou, after all, it was safe because it was heavily defended. However, some people thought that even if they went back, they might not be safe. Still others said that even if Cao Chun died and his army was defeated, there must be some remnants, and they could not retreat like that.

And the most crucial thing is that they knew nothing. They only knew that Cao Chun was defeated. As for how many cavalry troops came, how many people there were, how many were infantry, and how many were cavalry, they had no idea at all!

After much deliberation, Gao Gan decided to lead his men to investigate personally.

Regardless of whether you can fight or not, attitude is the most important thing.

After all, this is the law of survival in Shandong. Doing well or poorly is one thing, but if you have a bad attitude, there will be trouble no matter what.

……

……

The sky was gloomy, and the dark blue clouds in the sky gathered into a ball, tangled like a high-ranking official's heart.

From Jizhou to the north, the Yanshan Mountains are like a natural wall separating the Central Plains and the desert.

Outside the courtyard wall is the desert, and inside the wall is the warm Central Plains.

Some people think that this mountain and this wall can withstand the harm of foreign enemies for a lifetime, but others know that this is wishful thinking. What can stop the invasion of foreign enemies is never the city wall, but the soldiers holding swords and guns.

The further north you go, the more desolate it becomes.

The previous strategy of clearing the countryside was implemented to some extent.

Beside the road, you can still see some ruins that have long been uninhabited, as well as abandoned fields.

Since the Zhongping years, fierce fighting in recent years has caused the once prosperous Youyan area to be either flattened by war or plundered by people, including Hu people and Han people. The people in this area either died or fled, and the land originally occupied by humans was quickly swallowed up by nature.

Weeds, mosses.

Wild dog, crow.

More than a hundred light cavalrymen formed a team that was quite large for the scouts and were slowly advancing northward.

Every time they passed a place, they would look around carefully until they were sure there was no danger and did not find anything unusual, and then they would continue moving forward.

As a result, the speed of travel is naturally not very fast.

Gao Gan and his companions set out at dawn, and by noon, when the sun began to move, they had not traveled many miles. However, everyone felt that this speed was just right. After all, safety was the top priority...

But such slow progress can make people feel a little depressed.

Just as everyone was beginning to get a little irritated, a cloud of smoke and dust suddenly rose up from the front. Immediately, everyone from high-ranking officials to soldiers tensed up. Someone ran to a high place nearby, looked out, and shouted, "It's... it's the fleeing soldiers! The fleeing soldiers coming from the north!"

……

……

Large groups of Cao's soldiers were defeated, leaving their armor and weapons behind and their clothes torn, and they retreated.

These Cao army soldiers had completely lost their organization and just subconsciously huddled together for warmth. Not many of them still had weapons or swords in their hands. Even the armor on their bodies was discarded during the escape, perhaps because they felt it was too cumbersome.

Some people had wounds on their bodies, with blood and dust mixed together, and those with disheveled hair just kept running away.

Far away from these fleeing soldiers, there were only about a dozen cavalrymen who were shouting and chasing these fleeing soldiers.

These light cavalrymen who were chasing after the fleeing Cao army soldiers were also covered in blood and dust. They were howling and shouting, following behind like they were driving pigs and sheep. When they caught up with the slowest fleeing Cao army soldier, they would lean over and swing their swords at him on their horses.

The screams of the Cao army's fleeing soldiers who were hit would stimulate other Cao army's fleeing soldiers to tremble and speed up their pace again.

The defeated soldiers of Cao's army who were unable to run any longer collapsed, and the light cavalry chasing them from behind would trample them down. Even if they were not killed on the spot with the sound of cracking bones, they would not survive for long in such a desolate area.

Almost all of these defeated Cao army soldiers just knew how to run wildly with their heads down. No matter who fell, as long as it was not them, it was okay, as long as they could outrun the people around them.

There were at least seven or eight hundred Cao's defeated soldiers, so many that they blocked the road, and there were only a dozen or twenty light cavalrymen behind them...

"Yes, it's the Hussars!"

Someone around Gao Gan let out a rather panicked cry.

It seemed that the word "cavalry" brought endless fear, causing the soldiers behind Gao Gan to panic and even their horses to become restless.

Gao Gan raised his head, looked carefully for a moment, and suddenly cursed, "Those maids! Look carefully! Those are Wuhuan cavalry! They are Wuhuan! Not Hussar cavalry!"

"Ah?!" The Cao army scouts following Gao Gan were stunned. "Wuhuan? Wuhuan cavalry?"

Gao Gan didn't know what to feel, all kinds of emotions were swirling in his heart. If it was really a group of cavalrymen armed to the teeth, it would be fine, but now it was obviously just some Wuhuan light cavalry, and they could chase Cao's soldiers like cattle and sheep!

Even when it was Yuan Army instead of Cao Army, they didn't take these Wuhuan cavalry seriously!

Going back further, even when Gongsun was ruling Youzhou, the dead Hu people were considered good Hu people. When will it be the turn of these Wuhuan people to come here and show off their power? !

Gao Gan felt a pain in his chest from the humiliation he felt. He took off the lance next to the saddle and roared, "Kill these Wuhuan bastards! Bring our brothers back!"

Gao Gan urged his warhorse to charge towards the defeated Cao army.

The other Jizhou scouts and light cavalrymen around Gao Gan looked around, and especially when they saw Gao Gan rushing forward, they also became courageous, shouted, and followed Gao Gan to rush north!

These fleeing Cao's soldiers finally saw this group of light cavalry flying the Cao's flag. Some of them reacted, slowed down their pace, made way, and stared blankly at Gao Gan and his men passing by.

Suddenly, some of the defeated Cao's soldiers cried out, "It's over, it's over! The Cao army is finished... We are all finished..."

……

... "The Cao army is really finished, really finished...hahahaha..."

The same news always makes some people happy and some people sad.

Compared with the worries of Gao Gan and others, Ju Hu and Zhen Xiang almost put their hands on their foreheads and sang and danced when they heard the news.

Ju Hu showed Zhen Xiang the paper with the four characters "Dragon Fighting in the Wilderness" written on it, "Brother Zhen, what do you think of my calligraphy?"

"It's powerful, like a golden hook!" Zhen Xiang praised it, "It's obvious that you have made great progress!"

"Hahaha, I occasionally get inspired and write things down naturally..." Ju Hu put down the paper in his hand and turned to look out the window, "Brother Zhen, what do you think of us...this is such a beautiful spring, why don't we hold a literary gathering?"

"Literary meeting?" Zhen Xiang frowned slightly, "Now?"

Ju Hu laughed and said, "It's different now and then."

In the previous period of time, Ju Hu and Zhen Xiang were both relatively cautious, hiding in the shadows and not showing up easily.

But now, after the news of Cao Chun's defeat and death reached Jizhou, they became like "prophets" and began to tremble again, even openly entering and leaving some towns, and the officials and garrisons inside the towns turned a blind eye to them.

This kind of separation between the court and the countryside is not unique to the Jizhou area.

"This is the right time! In the past, Guan Zhong shot the hook, and Qi Huan did not punish him!" Ju Hu suddenly clapped his hands and sang, and the jade pendants on his waist jingled with his movements. His fingers passed over the four words "Dragons fighting in the wild" that he had just written, and the corners of his mouth raised high, "If the cavalry want to emulate King Wen, we should guide the boat for King Xibo!"

Zhen Xiang took a breath. He had thought Ju Hu was brave enough before, but he still underestimated his courage. However, just as Ju Hu said, if the cavalry really achieved great things, the people who were willing to "lead the boat" for it would probably be like a lot of carp crossing the river. If you don't grab a position first, how can you ride on the boat of the cavalry and leap over the dragon gate in one fell swoop?

The reason why Ju Hu and Zhen Xiang are as close as good friends now is simply because their two families have similar experiences. They were both glorious in the past, but now they are no longer glorious and have fallen into a trough. The previous glory has been firmly imprinted in their hearts and has become the goal they pursue.

"Then what about the Xing and Shu clans?" Zhen Xiang asked.

Among the Jizhou nobles, some were willing to join the Hussars to create greater glory, while others felt that the Hussars system was unreliable. For example, the Xing and Shu clans were representatives of this group.

In comparison, the Xing and Shu clans were both local powerful clans that had survived from the early Eastern Han Dynasty. They were prestigious and had status, and usually seemed a bit detached. Just like when Han Fu or Yuan Shao were in control of Jizhou, they both showed respect for these long-established powerful clans. Even though these powerful clans did not participate in government affairs and did not join Han or Yuan's camp, local officials still relied on them for their financial support.

Ju Hu dragged over a new piece of paper and wrote the four characters "Dragon Fighting in the Wilderness" again, then gestured to Zhen Xiang to read, "Now that Xuan Huang is floating above... I would like to invite you to use these four characters as the theme of the literary gathering, what do you think?"

Zhen Xiang looked at the four characters, and the last stroke was as straight as a knife, and he smiled, "Very good. But where should it be done?"

Ju Hu smiled and said, "Yuan's former residence."

……

……

Just after the hour of Si, Geng Chen's ox cart slowly approached, crushing the weeds and flowers on the path in front of Yuan's former residence.

After Yuan Shao's death, the Yuan family's former residence was almost abandoned.

In fact, Cao Cao did not express his intention to deal with the descendants of Yuan family, nor did he say that he would kill all the Yuan family members. However, there were too many smart people in the world who tried to guess the intentions of their superiors. So after Yuan Shao's death, the son of Yuan family died in an accident. Then the remaining members of Yuan family either fled or changed their names and lived in seclusion. Naturally, no one cleaned up the Yuan family's old house.

Now, someone has started cleaning the Yuan family's former residence again, I don't know when.

Although on the surface no one has cleaned up the weeds on the roads outside, at least the halls and courtyards inside are not decayed or dirty.

Geng Chen stepped on the servant's back to get off the car, looked up at the wall and the broken door lintel of Yuan's old house, stroked his beard, and said nothing.

The servant came forward and handed over the business card.

The servant of the Ju family standing at the ruined gatehouse shouted Geng Chen's name. Ju Hu heard it in the courtyard and came out to greet him with a smile, "Hey, Brother Geng! I haven't seen you for many days. You are still as charming as ever!"

Geng Chen is the son of Geng Bao.

Geng Bao was Yuan Shao's chief clerk at that time.

In a sense, Geng Chen and Ju Shou were both members of the loser group. It was just that Geng Chen's family was defeated earlier, while Ju Shou lost only in the final round.

When Geng Bao advised Yuan Shao to take the throne, he obviously also had some thoughts of taking advantage of the situation. Moreover, as Yuan Shao's chief clerk, Geng Bao obviously would not dare to advise him openly if Yuan Shao did not secretly instruct him.

However, Yuan Shao, who had betrayed Geng Chen's father, obviously had no strategy in mind at the time. After being righteously reprimanded by Tian Feng, he took the opportunity to shift the blame to Geng Bao.

It would be a lie to say that Geng Chen had not hated Yuan Shao over the years. So when he saw Ju Hu, he pointed at the dilapidated appearance of Yuan's old house and said, "Is this the state of 'the decline of red virtue'? I never thought that the prophecy would come true here!"

"Chi De is in decline, Huang Yin should be the next in line" was a phrase that Geng Bao had concocted as a "good omen" to persuade Yuan Shao to ascend the throne.

Ju Hu laughed loudly, "That's right! Just as Sima Qian said, 'Five stars gather in the East Well', it has reappeared today!"

Geng Chen's eyebrows jumped, then he bowed his hands in greeting, "Ah! What Brother Ju said hit the nail on the head, and it suddenly opened my eyes!"

Everyone carries the sedan chair.

Of course, there are people who carry the sedan chair, and of course there are people who overturn the stage.

The literary gathering was held in Yuan's front yard. Although it had been cleaned and maintained, the removed grass, moss and other things still remained. Even with the burning of incense and the sprinkling of lime, there was still a lingering smell of decay and stench.

However, it is obvious that those who can come to participate in this literary gathering are obviously not here to show off their literary talents, nor are they here to enjoy the scenery and flowers. Therefore, even if the venue is shabby, it will not affect anything. On the contrary, such a venue makes all those who participate in the literary gathering feel somewhat emotional.

The so-called literary gathering is nothing more than an excuse.

It is just like some so-called review committees in later generations.

If a big shot's son writes a poem about urine, there will naturally be a supporting actor who will say that this urine is both vulgar and elegant, and that its winding shape is as natural as the water of the Yellow River, and its rustling sound is as pleasant as the music of nature. The urine has reached a high level and can be awarded a doctorate in literature...

If there were a time traveler who presented an article titled "The Yellow River Water Comes from the Sky" at this time, he would most likely be immediately rebuked by the host as a piece of cliché, and be scolded for writing nonsense. Who doesn't know that the Yellow River water comes from the northwest? Why did he say that it came from the sky? It was simply nonsense, and the host would order the security guards to kick him out!

So the idea of ​​bowing down and worshipping is pure joke.

The purpose of a literary gathering is not literature, but gathering.

Just like now, Ju Hu and Zhen Xiang, who had to hide for a while and dared not show up, now openly hold literary gatherings in Yuan's old house, with vehicles and servants coming and going in an endless stream...

It would be a joke to say that the garrison troops in the nearby county town were unaware and the officials were unaware of the situation. However, this was the reality. The local gentry were the first to obtain the information and participated in the literary gathering, while Cao's officers, officials and garrison troops in the county town were like being temporarily deaf and blind.

In the Yuan family's former residence, except for Ju Hu and Zhen Xiang who claimed to be leaders, most of the others who came were gentry like Geng Chen who had not gained any benefits under the Yuan and Cao families. They were generally willing to follow Ju Hu and Zhen Xiang's bet, or at least began to clearly express their inclination towards the cavalry and prepare to welcome the arrival of the new master of Jizhou.

Even the Xing and Shu clans mentioned by Ju Hu and Zhen Xiang before came...

For example, the niche.

It's just that he's smiling with his face but not his heart.

In such a rather strange atmosphere, the Third Literary Festival and Development Seminar of the Jizhou Aristocratic Youth in the Tenth Year of Taixing of the Han Dynasty kicked off in the Yuan family's former residence.