Ji Han Liu Zhang

"He is truly a hero."

After Yuan Tan learned from Hua Yan and Kong Shun that Zang Ba, the leader of Mount Tai, was unwilling to surrender and intended to fight him to the end, he did not show any disappointment or resentment towards Zang Ba. Instead, he praised Zang Ba and revealed his admiration for him.

"I heard that when Zang Ba's father Zang Jie was a county jailer, he abided by the law and never showed favoritism, which made him hated by the governor at the time. The governor sent people to arrest Zang Jie, but he was rescued by Zang Ba on the way. Zang Ba was filial and brave, and he has always been like that."

Yuan Tan turned to his deputy Wang Xiu and said that in order to successfully capture Zang Ba, he naturally had to know something about Zang Ba's life. Since he knew Zang Ba's life, he was not surprised that Zang Ba refused his surrender.

"Yes, Zang Ba is brave and heroic, and has the style of the ancients." Deputy Driver Wang Xiu echoed Yuan Tan's opinion. Only this sentence of echo was 70% true, and his tone revealed the same appreciation for Zang Ba as Yuan Tan's.

"What a pity." Yuan Tan sighed, "Such a hero cannot be used by me, but instead has to serve under Cao Mengde and fight against us. It is really a pity. Otherwise, if Zang Ba was used by me, Xuzhou would not be stable."

At this moment, Yuan Tan's desire to recruit Zang Ba became stronger. If Zang Ba was subordinate to him, firstly, his power would be strengthened and his chances of winning the throne would be greater. Secondly, he would capture Taishan and Langya without bloodshed and sweep across Yuzhou and Xuzhou. He would deserve the credit for this battle.

Wang Xiu saw Yuan Tan's hope, so he stepped forward and said, "Sir, sending an envoy once to recruit a hero like Zang Ba is not enough to show your respect for the wise. You should send more envoys to show your sincerity. Sincerity can move mountains and open rocks."

"Yeah." Yuan Tan pondered for a moment and agreed. Although he seemed a little short of breath after sending envoys many times to persuade Zang Ba to surrender, compared with the prospect of taking Taishan and Langya without fighting or using swords and guns, sending a few more envoys was nothing.

Yuan Tan, who decided to send an envoy again, thought about the candidate for the envoy. Hua Yan and Kong Shun had already been sent as envoys once, but without any results. Perhaps he should change the candidate for the envoy and replace him with a subordinate who is more eloquent.

After thinking for a moment or two, Yuan Tan turned his gaze to Wang Xiu, the deputy driver in front of him, and said, "I have thought about it again and again. When it comes to eloquence, there is no one in the palace who can match you. I wonder if you are willing to go and persuade Zang Ba to surrender."

“How dare I disobey your command.” Wang Xiu bowed and accepted the order. He was also willing to take on this task. After all, if he succeeded in persuading Zang Ba to surrender, he would undoubtedly be the one who made the greatest contribution to Yuan Tan’s army.

The next day, at Zang Ba’s house.

As soon as Wang Xiu entered the room, Zang Ba, the leader of Mount Tai, who was sitting at the head of the group, first asked him to sit down, and then said before Wang Xiu could speak: "Wang Biejia, if you are here to surrender, please keep silent and turn back. There is really no need to waste your breath. My heart is as solid as a rock and cannot be shaken."

Wang Xiu, who encountered a hard nail right from the start, did not back down. Instead, he stepped forward and said, "Xiu is not here to persuade the general to surrender, but to persuade the general for the sake of justice, so as to prevent the general from doing something unjust and tarnishing his reputation."

"I serve Lord Cao and am loyal to the emperor. This is the right thing to do. If there is anything wrong in it, please tell me frankly." Zang Ba frowned and said with a puzzled look.

Wang Xiu sat calmly at the table and said slowly, "Cao Mengde has held the emperor hostage, oversaw government affairs, and killed loyal officials. This is infuriating to both humans and gods. Now Lord Yuan is following the emperor's imperial edict to fight against the enemy. This is the great justice of the world."

"But the general was confused by the trivial matters and helped Cao Mengde with all his strength to confront Yuan Gong, which promoted the arrogance of the traitors and destroyed the prestige of the loyal and good people. This is an unjust thing, and the general did it. Isn't it a joke to the world?" "Huh?" Zang Ba tilted his body slightly, his eyes were a little erratic, but he soon became firm: "The matter of the belt edict is just a rumor, there is no real evidence, and Cao Gong was the first to raise the righteous flag and unite the righteous army to fight against the traitor Dong Zhuo for the Han family. He was fearless and almost in danger. Everyone in the world has seen it."

"After the emperor fled to Yue, he returned to his old capital in the east. None of the princes in Guandong were willing to send troops to support the emperor. It was Cao Gong who cared about the royal family and welcomed the emperor. He established the capital in Xu, and the ancestral temples and altars were established. The Han Dynasty was saved from the danger of destruction."

"Loyal ministers and righteous men like Cao Gong are rare in the world. I am very lucky to serve Cao Gong, and it is also a matter of righteousness... Therefore, what you said is wrong. Please don't say it again, otherwise don't blame me for not being polite to guests."

After leaving Zang Ba's residence, Wang Xiu suddenly sighed. He had originally thought that Zang Ba was a rough man with no eloquence, but after this conversation, he found that Zang Ba was extremely talented and should not be taken lightly.

What a good man!

At this moment, Wang Xiu no longer regarded Zang Ba as a heroic hero of the lake and the sea, but as a talented scholar who understood the great principles and had outstanding eloquence.

After returning to Linzi, Wang Xiu reported to Yuan Tan and said with emotion: "My lord, Zang Ba is a good man and cannot be swayed by words. This time we go south, it is impossible to persuade him to surrender. The only way is to mobilize the army."

A trace of disappointment flashed across Yuan Tan's face. Even if Wang Xiu's claim of persuasion failed, then the persuasion would definitely not succeed. He could only send troops to defeat Zang Ba, Sun Guan and other Taishan generals to take over Taishan, Langya and other counties.

After a moment of depression, Yuan Tan's expression became lively again. Now he had more than 30,000 infantry and cavalry. When facing Zang Ba, Sun Guan and other Taishan generals, he was at an advantage in terms of military strength.

Therefore, Yuan Tan was not too disappointed about the failure of the surrender. He focused his mind on conquering Taishan and Langya. If surrender failed, he would attack by force.

Therefore, among the three armies heading south from Hebei, Yuan Tan's left army took the lead in launching an attack, and launched a fierce attack on Mount Tai and Langya guarded by Zang Ba, Sun Guan and other Taishan generals.

As the defender, Zang Ba did not take the risk of fighting because he did not have as much military strength as Yuan Tan. Instead, he planned to use the city to wear down Yuan Tan's high morale in the initial battle, and wait until Yuan Tan's soldiers were tired and officers were exhausted, and then wait for an opportunity to act.

It was under this circumstance that Yuan Tan's plan to conquer Taishan and Langya was blocked. Although his military strength was greater than Zang Ba's, the superior military strength would hardly bring about results in a siege.

After all, siege is not like field battle. In field battle, the number of troops often determines the direction of the battle. But in siege, even if the troops are ten times that of the defenders, it is difficult to achieve any effect.

As a result, the battle situation along Yuan Tan's route became tense, and it was difficult to see an outcome within three to five months. (End of this chapter)