Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2565 Li Guangyi Enters the Central Plains, Enters Zhao to Persuade the Zhao Army to Surrender

Tian Pijiang and Wang Nande helped Deng Jiugong lure Zhang Hui away.

However, in the end, Deng Jiugong could not escape from Zhang Fei's clutches.

Despite being wounded, Zhang Fei ultimately and decisively killed Deng Jiugong.

But at this point, Zhang Fei was almost powerless to fight.

If Zhang Fei had suffered this injury in his younger years, he might still have been able to fight.

Unfortunately, time waits for no one, and Zhang Fei is now in his forties, almost fifty, no longer the young man he once was.

This battle resulted in a major defeat for Guo Ziyi's army, becoming the worst defeat in the northern campaigns.

The chief contributor to Qinghan's great victory was none other than Feng Hou, the strategist whom Liu Bei had sought out three times at his thatched cottage.

Jian Yong's feigned surrender was orchestrated by Feng Hou.

Feng Hou's strategy this time is reminiscent of Zhuge Liang's tactics in Jingbei. Few would have imagined that Qinghan would pay such a heavy price for such a feigned defeat.

Even Liu Bei himself almost got caught up in it.

Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Di, Liu Xiu, and Yao Guangxiao were all brilliant figures, yet they all fell hard at the hands of Zhuge Liang.

Now, Guo Ziyi has also suffered a great loss.

"Ziyi was rash!"

After receiving the battle report, Xue Rengui was deeply moved and could not calm down for a long time.

Guo Ziyi's defeat was no small matter for the imperial court.

The army of 70,000 was reduced to a mere 10,000 in a single battle. Such a crushing defeat is bound to cause a shock within the imperial court.

The Jin Dynasty has had its share of defeats! But the Jin Dynasty doesn't mean that every general has to be absolutely invincible.

However, if you're in a losing situation, that's one thing, but didn't the Jin army also suffer a defeat in the battles between Liangzhou and Xizhou back then?

The losses in Xizhou, in particular, can be described as more than just heavy!

For the Jin army, this was the first time they had suffered casualties at the level of Grand Commander and Governor.

Compared to that major defeat, Guo Ziyi's defeat was nothing.

However, although the battles in Xizhou and Liangzhou were lost, and the casualties were not limited to the loss of soldiers and generals, a large amount of territory was also lost! But among all the officials and ministers, who could say anything about it?

Even many of the generals from Xizhou back then had to admit that they were heroes!

After all, given the situation in Xizhou or Liangzhou at that time, no matter which general of the Jin army went there, or even any famous general from ancient times to the present, they could not change the fate of Xizhou or Liangzhou.

Su Dingfang was just unlucky; he happened to be the Grand Commander of Xizhou, which is why he suffered such a great defeat.

Even if it were Bai Qi or Li Jing, if they were in Su Dingfang's position at the time, they would have suffered the same fate of total annihilation.

When western Liangzhou was captured by the Yuan Mongols, and when Xizhou was separated by the Yuan Mongols, Su Dingfang's defeat was already inevitable.

Besides, the deceased is gone!
Some blame can be placed on the dead, but some blame cannot!
However, Guo Ziyi's situation is quite different from Su Dingfang's. Given the favorable circumstances, his failure to fight this way will inevitably lead to accountability for Guo Ziyi. Even if he survives this setback, he will likely find it difficult to advance further in the future.

In this battle, Guo Ziyi truly messed up!
Lian Po's troops had already crossed the Yellow River and even achieved great victories.

A pincer movement from the north and south had taken shape, and Liu Bei's forces were on the verge of collapse. Under these circumstances, suffering such a crushing defeat was a major setback.

"Let Guo Ziyi's troops return to Xu!"

"Having suffered such a crushing defeat, this routed army is hardly fit for any great task!"

Xue Rengui no longer has any hope for Guo Ziyi's troops. Guo Ziyi has suffered such a defeat in this battle, how can he still expect these troops to continue fighting?
Alas, after this battle, the southern part of Qingzhou can no longer pose a sufficient threat!

Next, Liu Bei only needs to face Lian Po in the north!
However, Guo Ziyi's defeat was not solely his own responsibility; it also implicated Xue Rengui.

Xue Rengui was tasked with controlling Guo Ziyi's army. While the direct responsibility for this major defeat naturally fell on Guo Ziyi, Xue Rengui bore the responsibility for its management.

With Li Mu and Lian Po advancing with unstoppable momentum in the north, the most important thing is to compare.

"General Guo suffered a crushing defeat, and the Zhao family will likely demand exorbitant prices!" Zhang Liang said helplessly.

Their situation had just begun to improve, but Guo Ziyi's crushing defeat will inevitably have an impact on their side.

Zhang Liang was not originally going to the front lines. However, after the war in the north was fully underway, Zhao Guangyi, who should now be called Li Guangyi, took the initiative to submit a memorial to persuade Zhao Defang to surrender.

Therefore, Zhang Liang and Zhang Yi accompanied Li Guangyi to the front line in Yanzhou.

Since Li Yiguang has such confidence, the imperial court naturally wouldn't mind supporting him.

On the contrary, no matter what Li Guangyi did, it did not affect Xue Rengui's continued fighting.

There is no such thing as peace in this world that can be achieved purely through words; peace is always backed by powerful nations, or even direct force.

If we must continue fighting, we should even demonstrate the strength of the Jin army; this might actually help Li Guangyi.

Therefore, during this period, Xue Rengui did not hold back in the slightest during his attack on Mount Tai.

Zhong Hui, Zhong Xing, Yan Xi, Zhen Hu, Han Peng, Li Ji, Wang Feng, Liu Jin, Wang Chu, Peng Jiuyuan, Li Sanyi, and Gao Xiping—all these Zhao generals met tragic ends at the hands of Jin generals.

Anyway, these people weren't important figures in Zhao's army.

In particular, Han Peng, Li Ji, Wang Feng, Liu Jin, and Wang Chu were just minor officers in Zhao's army over the years. Not to mention their status, Tian Dan might not even have heard of them.

This would demonstrate the strength of the Jin army without completely pushing the Zhao army out.

With Li Mu and Lian Po's strong advance in the north, especially the great victory in northern Qingzhou, the attitude within the Zhao army has clearly softened.

Tian Dan was naturally loyal to Zhao Kuangyin, and he certainly had no intention of surrendering to the Jin Dynasty.

However, no matter what, Tian Dan was just a subject, and the one who could make the final decision was not him, but Zhao Defang.

It was precisely because Tian Dan was loyal that if Zhao Defang was persuaded in the end, it would be equivalent to persuading Tian Dan.

For the Great Jin Dynasty, as long as Tian Dan was willing to follow Zhao Defang, the rest of the forces wouldn't be able to cause any trouble. After all, the army was in Tian Dan's hands.

Therefore, the only two people who are truly important are Zhao Defang and Tian Dan.