Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1256 Decision
Yang Xiu had been involved in Yuan Xi's layout in Youzhou these days. Even he couldn't help but sigh that Yuan Xi was really cruel, both to himself and to the enemy, and he actually forced the Xianbei people to such a point.

Now the two are reviewing their battle. Over the past half month, the two sides have fought many battles both openly and covertly.

Marquis Juluo was not an easy person to deal with, otherwise he would not have served as the commander of the vanguard army. With the help of Ju Shou and Yang Xiu, Yuan Xi in the city completely crushed the enemy's fighting spirit through a series of battles, both large and small, forcing the enemy to abandon Yecheng.

The mausoleum built with the dead Xianbei people did not actually have much of a deterrent effect on the Xianbei people. After all, they had no way to retreat. Instead, the dead war horses became the best bait. The Xianbei people were short of food, so they naturally thought of stealing the horses.

Yuan Xi ordered his generals to pile some dead horses near an underground bunker outside the city. Seeing that they were far away from the range of bows and arrows from the city walls, the Xianbei people came to rob them without any worries. As a result, they were all shot into sieves by the crossbow carts in the bunker.

When the Xianbei people learned about this, they gathered a large army to surround the bunker and dig it up. However, after a lot of effort, they found that they had only dug up a pit and the people inside had long disappeared.

As a result, on their way back with the dead horse, they were ambushed by a bunker again. After suffering heavy casualties, Zhu Luohou could no longer bear it and ordered the entire army to search all the bunkers.

He guessed that the Han people came through the tunnel, so the entrance must have been hidden before they withdrew, so he mobilized his soldiers to dig.

Digging in winter was difficult. Finally, after digging several feet, they found the entrance to the tunnel. It was very complicated and obviously had been dug earlier.

Upon hearing this, Marquis Zhuluo was overjoyed. He guessed that the tunnel might lead to the city, so he quickly mobilized his soldiers to find an exit. Even if they had to sacrifice their lives one by one, it would still be much more cost-effective than attacking the city!

They found dozens of tunnel entrances in total and mobilized thousands of people to go in and search for the exit, but what greeted them in the end was a rush of icy water, and thousands of people were drowned in the tunnel in the blink of an eye.

After this incident, Zhu Luohou never dared to try another approach again and had to attack the city several times. However, due to the lack of siege equipment, they could not climb up the frozen city wall that had been poured with water in advance, so they had to return empty-handed.

Later, the Xianbei people were forced to steal the corpses from the Jingguan Temple. At this time, Yang Xiu already understood that the Xianbei people had no way out.

Unable to encircle or attack, the Xianbei people could only waste time outside the city. Unfortunately, Yuan Xi had already made preparations to waste time. The Xianbei people's final choice was to leave and look for another battlefield, either go south to Jizhou or join forces with the Wuhuan.

At this point, Yang Xiu sighed and said, "The Xianbei did not rush to Bailang Mountain in a daze, which shows that they are still relatively clear-headed."

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "It's normal. This is only the first level. The next few levels are long-term. Sooner or later, they will be unable to escape."

"But before that, we have to give them a hard time in Yijing, so that they know that even if they go south, they won't get any advantage."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiu asked, "Has Military Advisor Zhuge arrived in Yijing from Yecheng?"

Yuan Xi nodded and said, "That's right, but I can even see his resentment from the letter. After all, his original plan was to take advantage of the situation to attack Chang'an and destroy Cao Wei's defense line, so that he could make a big move next year."

"As a result, the Xianbei invaded and disrupted everything, giving Wei at least two more years of breathing space."

"After all, even after this wave, we can't rule out the possibility that Kobe will strike again next year."

Yang Xiu said, "There is also news from Xudu. This time Cao Cao really can't hold on any longer. He has already left his last words. When the secret report was sent, Cao Cao had been unconscious for many days."

"Cao Pi is now unshakable. Although he has not succeeded to the throne of Wei, he is just waiting for Cao Cao to die."

Yuan Xi sighed, "Fortunately, this is the case. Otherwise, when I faced the Xianbei, Cao Cao would be watching closely beside me, which would really make me unable to sleep or eat."

Yang Xiu said, "Isn't there another Wu Kingdom?"

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Forget about Sun Quan. He has no chance anymore."

"Jiangdong's advantage lies in its geographical location, but he doesn't even have that advantage anymore."

"As for the threat, he is not even as big of a threat as the Liangzhou warlord."

"These dozens of Hu people in the border area of ​​Liangzhou are really too troublesome."

Yang Xiu thought for a moment and asked, "Is the eldest son really in the hands of the king?"

Yuan Xi nodded and said, "Yes, including Mrs. Ding."

Yang Xiu hesitated and said, "I heard that Madam Ding is in the palace of the great king."

Yuan Xi said, "I know what you are asking. Madam Ding is not my wife. She is just a pawn used to threaten Cao Wei due to the situation."

"After destroying Cao Wei, I will naturally let them go."

Yang Xiu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing this, Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Although Dezu betrayed Cao Cao, it seems that he still cares about the old friendship?"

Yang Xiu thought for a moment and said, "Forgive me for being blunt, but if the eldest son ascends the throne, I will definitely not betray the State of Wei."

Yuan Xi sighed, "I understand."

"But there are no ifs in this world. I will not hide it. Yuan Shikai is a traitor. No matter from which aspect, he is no more noble than Wang Mang."

"So what I can give back to the world is to make the world peaceful as soon as possible, so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment."

"I don't think there is anyone in this world who can do a better job than me, so I will not give up this position. Otherwise, it would be irresponsible to the people of the world."

"Dezu will slowly get to know me. I will not back down on this matter, not just for myself."

Yang Xiu was so cold that he kept rubbing his hands. He smiled bitterly and said, "I am beginning to understand." "One more thing, when will we pursue?"

Yuan Xi thought for a moment and said, "Let the soldiers have a good rest in two days."

"Let them fight with Zhuge Military Advisor for two days first, and then give him a fatal blow. This will cause us the least loss."

Yang Xiu added: "I heard that the Xianbei abandoned all the old and young, women and children. Now there are people fleeing everywhere outside the city, and some are running to the city gates to ask to enter the city for refuge."

“How to treat them?”

Yuan Xi said without hesitation: "No matter what."

"If they have the ability, they can go back along the same route by themselves."

Yang Xiu was surprised and asked, "Your Majesty, aren't you afraid of criticism from the world?"

Yuan Xi sneered, "When Wei Huo attacked the rear of the Xiongnu, was he afraid of the world's criticism?"

"It's a life-and-death battle for survival. Being kind to the enemy means being cruel to your own people."

"We the people don't even have enough firewood and food. How can we let them in to share the food?"

Yang Xiu said: "Some people also say that women and children are innocent."

Yuan Xi said coldly: "Our people work hard and use their blood and sweat to support our soldiers and our survival. They are our parents who provide us with food and clothing. It is only natural for us to protect them."

"What did the Xianbei women and children do?"

"Their young men killed our men and robbed our women and took them back. I'm afraid their families would be happy to come out and cheer for them, right?"

"If they are not of our race, if we want to resolve the blood feud, we must at least settle the sins they have committed. Those with blood on their hands must die first."

"You don't want to pay any price, and you just pretend to be weak. It would be better to just wipe out the clan."

"I don't care about leaving a bad reputation behind me. I just need to be responsible for my own people."

Yang Xiu was speechless and said, "I understand."

Yuan Xi nodded and said, "Ancestor De, go and rest and recuperate. It will be a few days before you are really tired."

Yang Xiu retreated, and Yuan Xi looked at the snowflakes floating outside the window, thinking that there were lessons from the past. It was not so easy for these foreign races to let go of their hatred. The only solution was to completely assimilate into Han Chinese from birth, and after several generations, they would be almost the same as the Han people.

But many of the Xianbei tribesmen outside the city are elderly people. These people have a profound influence on the next generation of Xianbei. It is impossible for them to remain as hidden dangers, so just let them fend for themselves.

The cold wind blew again, wrapping the land outside the city. Under the snow, there were people lying dead all over the mountains and plains. Their bodies curled up and covered by the snow like graves, covering the land for dozens of miles around Jicheng.

Two days later, more than ten thousand people had died outside the city. Several old clan leaders knocked on the gate of Jicheng, but when there was no response from inside, they could not help but curse the Han people for being ruthless. However, from beginning to end, there was only a cold and silent city gate.

They had no choice but to flee northwards crying, dragging their families with them.

The soldiers who were hiding in the city gate to avoid the cold wind heard the deafening cries. One soldier whispered, "It sounds pretty tragic."

Someone nearby sneered, "Are you a new soldier from the south?"

"I advise you to talk less."

"How many of the veterans who have joined the army in recent years have had their families killed by the Xianbei people? It's all generations of blood feuds. Just because you sympathize with them doesn't mean they sympathize with these enemies."

"My two cousins ​​died at their hands. Now that I hear their cries, if my hands and feet weren't frozen, I would still want to dance."

As if in response to his words, the soldiers on the city walls laughed and cursed, singing a final elegy for the Xianbei people who were heading towards death.

Yuan Xi had previously sent a letter to the Piaoyuyi Wharf, asking the waiting fleet to deliver the supplies as soon as possible. Now Zhao Yun had already gone to the wharf in person to escort the food and fodder. As long as Zhao Yun came back, Yuan Xi could send troops to pursue and annihilate the remaining Xianbei cavalry together with Zhuge Liang.

He summoned Ju Su and explained what had happened in the past few days. Finally, he said, "If nothing unexpected happens, Zilong will be back the day after tomorrow. From tomorrow on, we will release the firewood and food supply."

"But we must not be careless. After the Xianbei are blocked, they may come back to make a final desperate struggle. We still need to ensure the most basic reserves in the city."

Ju Su took the order and left. Yuan Xi wrapped himself tightly in the quilt, thinking that he would be able to burn firewood tomorrow. This winter was like this, all because of the Xianbei's own mistakes.

But if I were Kobe Neng, and encountered such severe cold that human power could not resist, I am afraid that the only option would be to go south, right?
This is what survival is like. When it comes to life and death, there is no right or wrong.

He felt colder and colder, so he wrapped himself in the quilt and fell into a deep sleep until someone woke him up.

He opened his eyes and saw Xiao Qiao, who was worried. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Yuan Xi open his eyes. She patted her chest and said, "I was scared to death. I thought my husband had passed out from the cold!"

(End of this chapter)