Overlord!

At the end of the year, good news from the north arrived in front of Sun Ce's case.

After reading the good news jointly sent by Zhao Yun and Zhou Yu, Sun Ce couldn't help but laugh: "Hahaha! Good! Great good! The navy landed on the Bohai Sea and defeated Zhao's Youzhou army, killing over 10,000 prisoners. Youzhou was immediately shaken, and the righteous army and The heroes raised their flags of victory one after another, and no less than thirty thousand troops marched south!"

Of course, these 30,000 people did not go south immediately, but Xian Yufu, Tian Yu and others were waving flags and shouting to build momentum.

But the reason why Xian Yufu and others responded first is because the Yuyang County and Bohai County occupied by Xian Yufu are the closest. The two counties are connected, and the cavalry can go directly south.

If Xian Yufu, Tian Yu and others led 30,000 Hu cavalry southward, the Song army would no longer be at a disadvantage in terms of strength in the entire Jizhou direction.

Zhang Hong, the counselor who followed Sun Ce, immediately admonished: "Song Gong, it is time to start the northern expedition from Qingzhou. As long as the Qingzhou army breaks through Jinan and the plain area and is connected to the Bohai Sea, it means that our territory has reached the South China Sea in the south. As far north as the Great Wall! Song Gong has taken all the mountains and rivers in the fortress under his command."

Sun Ce nodded, reaching Jiaozhi in the south and the Great Wall in the north. This is the most basic territory of the Central Plains. If it does not even have this territory, it is really not qualified to be called a unified country.

But in the same way, if a prince has the scenery of ice and snow in the north and mist and rain in the south of the Yangtze River, it is really equivalent to having the destiny. The whole world is the king's land, and he will naturally have the destiny to ascend the throne and become emperor.

Therefore, sending troops from Qingzhou was not only a tactical consideration, but also a political battle.

Sun Ce then said: "Have you found out who the general Zhao is on the other side of Qingzhou?"

Zhang Hong shook his head and said: "The Qingzhou army has always chosen to avoid fighting, so the status of its defenses is not yet known. However, there are rumors in Qingzhou that General Zhang He of the Zhao army has arrived and will take charge of Qingzhou's military affairs."

When Sun Ce heard this, he chuckled and said: "Zhao's army has no one, so Zhang He became famous. All the counties and counties in Zhao State actually want to use Zhang He's name to become famous."

You want to scare your opponent, saying that the general who leads your army has become a useless one!

The opponent was naturally shocked and awe-struck for an instant. Perhaps the offensive battle was forced to stop and turned to a tight defense.

As a result, Zhao Jun advertised there that his army general would be replaced by Zhang He!

Zhang He did indeed win several battles with the Zhao army, and even claimed to have defeated Cao Cao in one battle in the decisive battle between Yuan and Cao, and settled the situation in Sheji, Hebei.

But is Zhang He considered a famous general in the world?

Zhang Fei is not the top general in Jiangdong, so it is not difficult to defeat Zhang He with Zhang Fei's talent.

What's more, the general who commanded the Qingzhou Song Army was Zhuge Liang!

He was ordered by Sun Ce to supervise the Seventh Army, with more than 20,000 men under his command, stationed in Le'an, Qi, and Mount Tai.

It is difficult to say how many Zhao troops are opposite him, but the battle reports passed show that Zhuge Liang has always been at an advantage, and the Zhao troops did not dare to fight.

In the Battle of Qiancheng, the Song army beheaded more than a thousand people, causing the thieves to flee in the empty mountains. That is to say, except for the defenders of Linji, where they ruled, all the Zhao army fled. Zhao Junjun's abandoned pack horses and cows were scattered everywhere, wandering around in groups. Only one of Zhuge Liang's generals, Jiang Qin, collected more than 2700 cattle and horses pulling carts in Qingzhou. There were even thousands of ownerless horses, cattle and sheep that went to Mount Tai and Beihai in the Song Dynasty. The ground shows how embarrassed Zhao Jun was when he retreated in panic.

It is precisely because of this situation that the Zhao army in Qingzhou has been avoiding war in the later period.

The key is that even when defending the city, the Zhao army had no advantage. Because the Zhao army fled in panic, the Song army was able to calmly encircle Linji and treat the Zhao army's reinforcements outside the city as if they were nothing.

According to the victory report, the Song army "besieged the city for three weeks and advanced into the caves. The people in the city had two minds." For a while, the Qingzhou Zhao army and Zhao people surrendered one after another. Local officials from neighboring Liao, Li, Bochang and other places, as well as Qingzhou local officials, Heroes and ministers came one after another, and the people cheered and even spontaneously "rewarded the king's master with cattle and wine."

The Yuan family has always been unpopular with the people in Qingzhou, and the local powerful people voted with their feet and chose to help the Song army.

Therefore, Le'an was lost within a few months, and Zhang Hong said that he would continue to march from Jinan and Pingyuan to connect with the Bohai Sea.

Regarding the current situation, Sun Ce asked: "Do you think Zhang He is in Qingzhou?"

Zhang Hong immediately shook his head and said: "Although our army is not afraid of Zhang He, from what I have seen, Zhang He must not be in Qingzhou. Yanzhou and Yuzhou are the focus of the Zhao army. If the Zhao family wants to defend the territory, Zhang He, as the only available general, must Here."

"If the Zhao family wants to counterattack the Northern Expedition and severely damage the momentum of the world, then the mountains and rivers inside and outside the Hedong area are the perfect place for fighting. Zhang He will unite his army here to defeat Ma Teng, Han Sui and others first, and disintegrate the coalition's momentum. Then send your troops eastward to fight me decisively."

Sun Ce nodded and said: "What you said is consistent with what I said. There are not unscrupulous people in the Zhao army. Whether it is offensive or defensive, it is impossible for the Zhao army to put Zhang He in the corner of Qingzhou."

Hebei's defense of the Yellow River and Jiangnan's defense of the Yangtze River are definitely not the same strategy.

Jiangnan City deployed troops closely along the Yangtze River to prevent the northern troops from crossing the river.

But to defend the Yellow River, Hebei must take advantage of its national strength, take the initiative to attack, use the strategy of strength in numbers, and take the initiative to solve the enemy's siege.

By the time you dig ice on the river to prepare for the invaders, destruction may be just around the corner.

At least for the past two months, Zhao Jun's elite main force on the front line has been fighting according to this plan. Under the review and dispatch, they have not blindly defended.

However, Shen Pei himself was not a general of Yue Fei's level, and he did not have enough strong generals and talents under his command. Therefore, he had more than 100,000 soldiers, but he did not gain any advantage over the more than 70,000 people of the Song Army.

Especially here in the middle, facing the fierce attacks of Sun Ce, Lu Meng, Zhang Fei, Gan Ning, Cheng Pu, Huang Zhong and others, they will lose more and win less.

This kind of blood-consuming war was not what Sun Ce wanted to see.

If the Song and Zhao armies were to confront each other for half a year or even a year, it would really be a waste of the Song army's elite generals and talents.

So in the face of Zhang Hong's persuasion, Sun Ce thought for a moment and then responded: "Let Zhuge Liang and Zhang Liao take advantage of Jizhou's great victory. After the spring plowing, they will march in large numbers. They will cross the Yellow River by Qiancheng, capture Leling, and connect with Zhou Yu. Headquarters!"

In fact, after the Battle of Qiancheng, it was a good opportunity for the Song Army to cross north and attack the plains.

At this time, the ice of the Yellow River was frozen, and Zhang Liao's commander, his cavalry, rode across and was able to drive straight into the plain.

However, since Jiangdong's army was also making its first northern expedition, it did not fully understand the situation in the north. The Zhao army dug ice in Hebei, causing the ice along the line from Le'an to the plain to break, making it impossible for the Song army to pass through smoothly.

To cross the Yellow River, one must go west around Jinan before breaking through the Yellow River, but Jinan is controlled by the Zhao army.

Crossing the sea eastward would only increase the logistical pressure on Zhou Yu and other naval forces.

Therefore, Sun Ce chose to wait for half a month, and after the spring plowing, the army took Qingzhou with great force.

At the same time, the policies implemented by Zhuge Liang in Qingzhou were also very appropriate. He advocated: "First govern the mind, strengthen education, make the best use of the land, promote virtuous people, support prisons and lawsuits, and allocate taxes and servitude." Then Qingzhou can be settled.

The most important thing is to heal the mind first and then fight.

Qingzhou has been at war for too long! People's minds are calm.

If there is any state with the longest wars in the late Han Dynasty, it must be Qingzhou!

These Shandong Han men were rebellious and were involved in a long war starting from the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the first year of Zhongping (184). From the Yellow Turban Rebellion to the rebellion of millions of thieves in Qingzhou, Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan fought each other, each taking control of the people. , it was not until the eve of the Battle of Guandu that there was some peace. But then Zang Ba, Sun Guan and others were ordered to march from Mount Tai to Qingzhou, until finally the Song and Zhao armies fought here again.

It can be said that Qingzhou has been in troubled times for almost 20 years. When Yuan Tan entered Qingzhou, the Qingzhou fathers celebrated with joy.

If his subsequent governance could be a little more benevolent, there would be no Qingzhou elders today to greet the Song army.

At this time, the people of Qingzhou were tired of fighting for a long time, and their hearts were at peace. As long as the Song Dynasty could implement the king's rule in the east and south of Qingzhou and rule the hearts of the people first, it would surely attract other counties and counties to defect and join them.

Then the army will attack it, and it must be the king's army. There will be no battle but no battle.

When Sun Ce's military order reached Qingzhou, Zhuge Liang got the key information and summoned Zhang Liao to discuss the matter.

Even with Zhuge Liang's magnanimity, he was quite happy to get this information. When Zhang Liao arrived, he introduced Zhang Liao to a middle-aged man sitting in the hall: "This is after Wang Yanggong of Taishan County, whose courtesy name is Zhongke." .”

Zhang Liao immediately looked over and asked, "But the Queen of Xuanyu Prefecture?"

Yang Di immediately held up his hands and said, "It's my father."

"Disrespect, disrespect." Zhang Liao immediately raised his hands and praised him.

Xuanyu Prefect is a good name. It is about the deeds of Yangxu, Yangxu's father.

During the reign of Emperor Ling, Nanyang was a prosperous place, and the prefect of Nanyang was even more "fat" in the eyes of the current bureaucrats. At that time, many wealthy and powerful families were very luxurious. Yangxu was very disgusted with this, so he set an example. He often had poor food and clothing, and his carriages and horses were in ruins.

Fu Cheng once offered a live fish to Yangxu, who accepted it and hung the fish in the hall. When Fu Cheng sent fish again, Yang Xu took out the fish he had hung before and showed it to him to show his rejection. Therefore, Yangxu became a model of integrity and self-discipline, and later generations often used idioms such as "Yangxu hangs fish", "Yangxu hangs fish", and "Guofu Chengyu" to praise the integrity of officials.

Of course, many people thought that Yang Xu was just pretending, putting on a show for the world to see. Including his wife.

Yangxu worked as an official in the city alone, while his family lived in the countryside and lived a simple life. In order to take advantage of the situation, Yangxu's people spontaneously raised money and asked Yangxu's wife and children to go to Nanyang to look for Yangxu.

But when they arrived at the county government, after the guard informed them, Yang Xu refused to see them and refused to let the guard open the door. He also ordered them to go home quickly and not think about going to the city to enjoy the glory and wealth.

Yangxu's wife and children were very angry after being treated like this, and they barged in regardless of the guards' obstruction. Yangxu felt very sad when he saw his wife and children who were sallow and skinny. He took them to his residence without saying a word.

The house was small and dilapidated, with steep walls. All the property consisted of was a shabby quilt, a set of shabby short cloth clothes, a few buckets of wheat, and a little salt.

But Yangxu said to his wife: "You have seen that my property is only this, and it is difficult for me to support myself. How can you ask me to keep you? But I don't know how many times better this place is than the displaced people! As a person, Prefect of Nanyang, I have the responsibility to ensure that the people have enough food and clothing and live a good life. If you and your son stay, I will have to worry about food for the whole family all day long. How can I have the time to do anything for the people here? As a prefect, how can I What’s the point? I might as well go back to my hometown to farm with you! It’s better to go back, I don’t have any gifts to bring to the folks, so either tell them you didn’t see me, or just say hello on my behalf!”

With such a famous father who is a role model in the world, their family naturally has a close relationship with all the top aristocratic families in the late Han Dynasty.

For example, Yang Xi's first wife was the daughter of the world's top celebrity Kong Rong and Kong Beihai. After the death of his first wife, he married the daughter of another great scholar, Cai Yong.

But it's not Cai Sohui, the eternally talented woman, but Cai Sohui's sister Cai Zhenhui.

However, this Cai Zhenji was not an ordinary person. She gave birth to an eternally famous general, Yang Hu.

To explain the relationship in a more popular way, Cai Yan is Yang Hu's aunt.

Yang Hu's aunt was also a famous talented woman in the late Han Dynasty, namely Xin Xianying. She was the talented woman from Hebei who asserted that the Wei State could not last forever. She also asserted that Sima Yi's coup would succeed and Zhong Hui would definitely rebel, thus saving the Xin and Yang tribes during a series of political turmoil in Cao Wei.

The news that pleased Zhuge Liang this time came from Xin Xianying's father, Xin Pi!

After Zhang Liao and Yang Xi met with each other, Zhuge Liang said: "Just now, Mr. Yangxian informed me of an important military situation. Tens of thousands of soldiers under the command of Yuan Jun's general Gao Lan have been transferred to Hebei. In order to avoid the front of our army, he has led the main force of the army. Move west and station in Licheng."

The spread of this news shows Zhuge Liang's success in the six important aspects of governing the country!

He advocated promoting education, making the best use of the land, and promoting virtuous people, so that talented people from Shandong's wealthy families became officials under Sun Ce's rule.

For example, Yang Xi was appointed as the magistrate of Linzi County. This is a large county. In the past, the household registration in the city alone exceeded 10,000!

In other words, this is a huge city with a population of more than 50,000!

Don't compare it with the big cities in later generations that can easily have a population of one million. Even the giant cities in later generations that can have a population of one million are very few. Most counties have a population of tens of thousands.

Nowadays, a county with a population of tens of thousands of households is considered a large county, let alone a city.

Yang's appointment as the magistrate of Linzi County is undoubtedly a good thing praised by the gentry.

Zhang Liao was not interested in Yang Xi's appointment as county magistrate. He was more concerned about the military situation. Hearing this, he immediately said: "Licheng? Isn't that already in the southwest of Qingzhou? A few miles further south is Yanzhou and Jibei Kingdom! This news is reliable ?”

Yang Di said categorically: "It is absolutely reliable. This is what Zhao Shiyi Lang Xinpi told me in his letter. Xinpi will never talk nonsense about this matter, otherwise it will be harmful to him but not beneficial." (End of this chapter)