I will be the master of Xuande

Chapter 643 The General’s Ambition

What Dong Zhuo did in Liangzhou naturally could not escape the intelligence network of the school affairs office, let alone Liu Jian, Jia Xu, Xun Yu and others.

After learning the news about Dong Zhuo, Jia Xu immediately concluded that Dong Zhuo must have a serious illness, otherwise he would not have made such a move.

Others may not understand Dong Zhuo, but Jia Xu understands him very well.

Jia Xu explained to Liu Jian and Xun Yu that according to Dong Zhuo's character, if Dong Zhuo was not sick, he would pretend to be sick, and then take advantage of the opportunity of pretending to be sick to secretly use troops to catch the enemy by surprise. This was Dong Zhuo's style.

After listening to Jia Xu's words, Liu Jian understood that if it were him, he would have done the same thing as Dong Zhuo.

Later, Liu Jian discussed the current situation with Jia Xu and Xun Yu again.

Just when everyone was discussing the next step, news came from the school affairs office that Yuan Shao was secretly reorganizing his troops. He moved from the south bank of the Luo River to the north bank of the Luo River and slowly moved to the north bank of the Luo River. Heading west, start moving towards the west of Luoyang...

Jia Xu immediately judged Yuan Shao's intention.

Yuan Shao wanted to use all his strength to let his troops occupy Hangu Pass first, and then cut off the connection between Luoyang and Chang'an, preventing Liu Jian from defeating him and entering Guanzhong first, and then fighting with the area through Hangu Pass. Danger confronts Liu Jian.

To put it bluntly, Sun Jian is now dead in the battle, and Yuan Shao is a little afraid to directly confront Liu Jian. Although Yuan Shao also has enough troops, the death of general Sun Jian in the battle does have a great impact on his morale.

Therefore, Yuan Shao wanted to occupy Hangu Pass first, and then advance from east to west to make himself invincible.

Then, Yuan Shao communicated with Wang Yun and Yang Biao at the imperial court, cooperated with them internally and externally, and combined the power of the famous ministers in the world to jointly resist Liu Jian.

Resist Liu Deran politically and militarily.

But with Jia Xu and Xun Yu here, Yuan Shao's strategic intentions will naturally be easily seen through by them.

Then I heard Xun Yu say to Liu Jian:

"Ming Gong gathered people from Hebei to decide the outcome with Yuan Shao and the imperial court. The top priority is not to allow Yuan Shao to associate with people in the imperial court. Then according to Jia Wenhe's plan, he will slowly divide the Xiliang army's tribes, and finally slowly use The court is under the control of the lord."

"Now Yuan Shao wants to collude with people in the imperial court to occupy Hangu Pass and cut off the lord's westward march, but he must not succeed."

"Yuan Shao's move is in line with the situation, but it violates the taboo of military strategists. If he musters all his strength to station troops in Luohe to confront our army, my lord may be very afraid of him."

"Now, he is dividing his troops to the west and rushing to Hangu Pass. It is time to complete his efforts and defeat him in one battle. This is an opportunity that my lord cannot miss."

"Now that my lord has pacified Li Xiang in Sizhou and won the hearts of the people, if he can defeat Yuan Shao again, the noble families who support Yuan Shao in Sizhou and Guanzhong will be in awe and will not dare to support Yuan Shao with all their strength. After all, They also need to plan for their own future.”

Jia Xu also agreed with Xun Yu's strategy.

After listening to the words of the two great advisers, Liu Jian immediately said: "If Wen Ruo is really my adviser, I have Wen Ruo here, so why worry about the uncertainty of the affairs of the court?"

……

It was now autumn and the weather was getting colder.

On September [-], Yuan Shao appointed Cai Mao as the chief governor, Huang Zu as the deputy governor, and Pang Ji and Kuai Liang as military advisors. They continued to confront Liu Jian's army at the position north of Luohe River.

And he himself led [-] elite troops towards Hangu Pass in Chang'an.

Yuan Shao wanted to take Hangu Pass by surprise and attack him unprepared, so that Liu Jian would not be able to form a pincer on him in the future, and at the same time cut off Liu Jian's westward route to Chang'an.

After all, Hangu Pass is the east gate of Qinchuan, which is eight hundred miles away.

Yuan Shao originally thought that his arrangement was flawless, but he never expected that Liu Jian would have two masters, Xun Yu and Jia Xu, guiding him behind his back.

Liu Jian also quickly went to Hanguguan to intercept Yuan Shao.

Moreover, this time he personally led the troops.

Liu Jian led four generals, namely Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Xu Huang, and Xu Rong.

The four generals each led a powerful force for Liu Jian. The troops were divided into five groups and attacked Yuan Shao's troops sent to Hanguguan from five directions.

The soldiers and horses of both sides started a fierce battle at the foot of Nongshan Plain, seventy miles east of Hangu Pass.

Yuan Shao sent a partial force, and Liu Jian's troops to intercept and kill Yuan Shao were also a partial force. Logically speaking, the numbers of both sides were equal, but in terms of combat power, Liu Jian had the advantage.

Although the armor coverage rate of Yuan Shao's soldiers and horses is also very high, compared with the armor coverage rate of the soldiers of the Hebei Army, it is still a bit lower.

Moreover, there are certain differences in the combat capabilities of the Southern and Northern soldiers and the weapons in their hands.

Today's Hebei is an important iron-producing area for the Han Dynasty, and it is also an important processing area for weapons and armor smelting.

Generally speaking, Northern sergeants have some advantages in all aspects.

Of course, the gaps in these aspects can barely be overcome, but the biggest gap between the southern army and the northern army is the war horses.

Although Yuan Shao occupied Jingzhou and Yuzhou, which were densely populated and had many soldiers and generals, his army had a very big shortcoming.

This shortcoming cannot be completely solved by relying on the energy of the Runan Yuan family.

That is, the quantity and quality of Yuan Shao's war horses are far inferior to Liu Jian in the north.

The natural gap caused by geographical advantages cannot be changed by the Four Worlds and Three Publics.

Although there are many southern cavalry under Yuan Shao's command, the quality of the horses ridden by the southern cavalry is not 01:30 points lower than that of the northern cavalry.

The majesty and number of Liu Jian's horses in Hebei far exceeded those in the south.

Especially since the battle between the two sides was on a plain, the cavalry was even more important.

In the confrontation on the plains, the number of cavalry owned by the two armies and the quality of the cavalry naturally play a very important role.

The two sides met head-on on the plain, and a fierce fight ensued.

Yuan Shao's Jingzhou army has been training for several years, and there have been many bandits in Jingzhou over the years.

In terms of tactics, Yuan Shao's army was by no means idle, it was very powerful, especially the southern soldiers who were good at using bows and crossbows.

But it is a pity that the southern army's crossbow formation did not play a key role in the battle on the plains. Instead, it was easily cut into several sections by the opponent's horse army, causing chaos in the formation.

Liu Jian's four generals, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Xu Rong, and Xu Huang, each led their elite cavalry, using dragon-like killing methods from the southeast, west, northwest, and south, to move freely among Yuan Shao's army.

Yuan Shao was furious when he saw Liu Jian's cavalry being so arrogant.

In his opinion, if the Southern Army faced Liu Jian head-on, although it could not achieve a complete victory, it would not cause the opponent to collapse at the first touch.

But in fact, Hebei's cavalry is really powerful!
Especially the four northern generals who led the cavalry, none of them were fuel-efficient lamps.

Xu Rong and Xu Huang were both good at military strategy and battle formations.

The cavalry led by Yan Liang Wen Chou are like two teams of killers. Both of them are fierce generals who are good at leading troops in surprise attacks!
Wherever the two cavalry went, the three armies were trying to break through, and they were unstoppable.

His cavalry clashed with Yuan Shao's army three times, but no one could stop them.

After Yuan Shao saw this, he was furious.

Holding a long sword, he personally came to the front of the battle to boost the morale of the three armies.

Jingzhou general Huo Du hurriedly advised Yuan Shao not to take risks, but Yuan Shao pushed him away.Huo Du said: "My lord, the enemy's cavalry attack is fierce. Not only are they galloping back and forth, but they are also good at shooting with long bows. My lord may be plotted by Liu Ya in front of the battle. Please temporarily hide in the car to prevent any unexpected events!"

At this moment, not only Huo Duxiang persuaded Yuan Shao, but other southern generals also stood up and advised Yuan Shao to hide in the car.

Yuan Shao angrily said to the generals: "If a man is fighting to the death in front of the battle, how can he get into the chariot and hope to survive?"

Yuan Shao's words greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers of the three armies, and soon military academies from various departments conveyed Yuan Shao's fighting intentions to the following.

After the soldiers of the Southern Army heard the news, their morale was greatly boosted!
Although the Hebei Army's cavalry impact was really powerful, the soldiers of the Southern Army were encouraged by Yuan Shao and were willing to fight to the end.

Once the morale of the Southern Army increased, it also created a great obstacle for the Hebei cavalry to attack.

After all, the cost of attacking a group of soldiers who are not afraid of death is also very high for the cavalry team.

Seeing that the cavalry was about to be unable to charge forward, Liu Jian's captain Zhao Rui immediately asked Liu Jian for orders, so that the infantry regiments also rushed forward and cooperated with the cavalry in front to start a deadly battle with Yuan Shao's army.

Zhao Rui's military proposition is actually not wrong, but Liu Jian feels that this is not the best time!

Because although the cavalry of Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Xu Huang, and Xu Rong disrupted Yuan Shao's army, they did not reach the point of completely dividing the opponent and causing complete chaos.

At this time, if one's own infantry is fully involved in the war, the cavalry will have no choice but to stop charging, and what will follow is a bloody battle between the infantry of both sides on the plains.

Although this is also a normal means of warfare, Liu Jian felt that this could not achieve the best war effect, and it would also cause great damage to the infantry regiment. Moreover, the cavalry charge did not exert the best effect, and Liu Jian felt that Very unwilling.

Soon, the scouts on the front line brought back the news that Yuan Shao did not hide in the car in front of the battle, but committed suicide with the three armies in a dangerous situation and fought to the death with the Hebei army.

After Liu Jian heard the news, instead of being discouraged, he was refreshed.

He nodded with satisfaction and said: "Yuan Shao is indeed a good opponent of mine. He is indeed different from ordinary people!"

"Since he dares to fight to the death in front of the battle array and is not afraid of arrows, how can Mr. Liu lose to him?"

Then, Liu Jian waved to his men and said, "Bring the drumsticks!"

Someone had already delivered two drumsticks to Liu Jian. Liu Jian immediately used the drumsticks to urge the drum beating chariot to the front of the formation. He personally stepped onto the chariot and threw his overalls aside. In the hands of the bodyguard.

Xia Houlan, who was following Liu Jian closely, saw Liu Jian making such an action and said hurriedly: "How can the drum beating be done by the general himself?"

"The low-level officials are not talented, but they are willing to beat the drums on behalf of the general to boost the morale of the three armies."

Liu Jian immediately refused.

"The fourth and third prince of Yuan Benchu, a son of a distinguished family, is not afraid of arrows, swords, and axes. He came to the battle in person to boost the morale of the three armies."

"A certain person is from a border county in Youzhou. Could it be that he is not as courageous as Yuan Shao on this battlefield?"

At this point, Liu Jian was seen holding a drumstick and shouting loudly: "I will personally beat the drum to boost the morale of the three armies. I hope that the three armies will be invincible and all attacks can be defeated! If we don't win today, I will keep beating the drum. I will die here from exhaustion." Yes!"

After saying that, Liu Jian raised his hands and beat the war drum in front of him with drumsticks without stopping.

Yuan Shao personally visited the battle and greatly boosted Yuan Jun's morale.
However, Liu Jian also beat the drums himself in front of the formation, which greatly boosted the morale of his own Hebei army.

The news that the generals of the two armies were so desperate in front of the battle naturally quickly reached the ears of the soldiers in the front army.

Not to mention others, Yan Liang and Wen Chou felt both excited and ashamed when they heard the news that Liu Jian was beating the drum himself in front of the battle and threatened that he would not leave the battlefield unless he defeated the enemy.

After Wen Chou heard the news, he immediately turned around and shouted to the cavalry who were galloping with him:
"Wen has followed the general and has been on the battlefield for many years. The general is the best hero in the world. Now let this hero beat the drums for us in front of the battle. Isn't it because we can't break through the enemy's formation and complete the mission?! As a general, this is really a great shame for me.”

"My fellow soldiers, Wen made a solemn oath in front of you today. If Yuan Shao is not defeated today, Wen will commit suicide on this battlefield and will never survive!"

"General Sui Wen is willing to serve the great general to the death, and he will not retaliate if he wins!"

"General Sui Wen is willing to serve the great general to the death, and he will not retaliate if he wins!"

All the cavalry shouted loudly and responded continuously.

This is the case with Wen Chou, and the same is true with Yan Liang, Xu Rong, and Xu Huang!
Soon I saw the Hebei cavalry in front of me who were charging back and forth in Yuan Shao's formation. They all changed their appearance and were full of momentum. They rushed forward with all their might. Regardless of their lives and their own safety, they continued to charge fiercely and shouted loudly. Shouting: "Swear to fight to the death with the Confederate Army!"

If the Hebei Army cavalry at the beginning were attacking the Southern Army's camp in order to complete their mission, then now they are fighting to the death against Yuan Shao's army for their own glory and dignity.

The morale of the Hebei Army increased, and the pressure on the Southern Army suddenly increased!

They did not expect that the cavalry of the Hebei Army would be so reckless with their lives and risk their lives to rush into their formation.

Even if the Confederate crossbowmen desperately shot arrows at them, they could not stop the galloping pace of these cavalry.

Under such a strong momentum of the Hebei cavalry, Yuan Shaojun's entire formation finally could not be maintained.

Even though they were encouraged by Yuan Shao, they were unable to stop such fierce cavalry, and the entire formation finally began to collapse.

Under the current situation, even if Yuan Shao sacrificed his life in front of the formation, he could not maintain his command, because Liu Jian's current behavior was no worse than Yuan Shao's when it came to risking his life.

Soon, the Southern army's formation showed signs of becoming increasingly chaotic, and Hebei's cavalry began to charge back, while Hebei's infantry camp drove Yuan Shao's army in a crushing attack under Xiahoulan's rallying order.

Zhao Rui, Jiang Yiqu, Lu Weihuang and other infantry captains and Sima, also inspired by Liu Jian, commanded the soldiers to rush towards Yuan Shao's camp at the risk of their own lives.

Suddenly, bows and crossbows were flying all over the sky, and the sound of weapons clashing was loud and clear.

Faced with this offensive from the Hebei Army, the Southern Army's defeat finally became apparent, and many soldiers began to panic.

However, Yan Liang, Wen Chou and other cavalry teams did not rest after withdrawing to their rear formations. Their cavalry immediately surrounded them from the flanks and guerrillaed around the main battle formation between the two armies. Yuan Shao's soldiers fled from the main formation. They were flanked by them.

Under this situation, Yuan Shao's own safety has now become a problem, not to mention defeating the Hebei Army.

The Confederate army was barely holding on in the main formation, but now the cavalry around the formation were harassing and killing them, which was a huge hidden danger.

If Yuan Shao also clashed outwards from the formation, he would be chased and intercepted by the Hebei cavalry, and Yuan Shao's safety would be at risk.

But even if there is a hidden danger, for Yuan Shao, he has to run now.

Yuan Shao's captain Zhou Tai hurried to Yuan Shao's side. He pulled Yuan Shao onto his horse and shouted loudly: "Lord, I will protect you and rush out."

Yuan Shao had not yet accepted his defeat at this time. He kept slapping Zhou Tai on the shoulders and shouted loudly: "I won't leave. I want to live and die with the soldiers of the three armies. Let me down. If you don't obey the military orders, you will be killed." Don’t blame Yuan for punishing you with military orders!”

But in this situation, how could Zhou Tai let Yuan Shao go?

His main task now is to save Yuan Shao's life. This is the most important thing!

As for whether the lord will punish him in the future, this is secondary.

Then, Zhou Tai was seen fighting his horse desperately, leading Yuan Shao towards the flank of the formation.

But at this time, Xu Huang and Yan Liang's cavalry, who were wandering outside the formation, also targeted Zhou Tai's troops!
As soon as their soldiers and horses rushed out, they were immediately attacked and killed by the cavalry.

Logically speaking, if it had been someone else, he might have been captured long ago.

But Zhou Tai is really brave!
He led his troops to protect Yuan Shao, and was not afraid at all when faced with the pursuit of Yan Liang and Xu Huang!
He personally protected Yuan Shao, no matter how many stab wounds and arrow wounds he suffered, he was not afraid or flinched!
With his bravery, he actually defended Yuan Shao from the siege!

Although, Zhou Tai was seriously injured as a result!

(End of this chapter)