I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 741: Su Yao plots against Sanhe, Yuan Shu sets an ambush

The land of three rivers.

It refers to the three counties of Henan, Henei and Hedong.

Just as Sanfu is the hinterland and barrier of Chang'an, the importance of the Three Rivers to Luoyang is even more significant.

Because it was the heartland of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties respectively, it is also synonymous with "Central Plains".

"Records of the Grand Historian - Biographies of Merchants" states: "In the past, the Tang people were all in Hedong, the Yin people were all in Henei, and the Zhou people were all in Henan. The three rivers were in the center of the world, like the feet of a tripod. The kings took turns to reside there, and each country was established for hundreds of thousands of years."

Henan County, as the county where the current capital Luoyang is located, is naturally unique in importance.

It was not only the political, economic and cultural center of the Han Dynasty, but also a gathering place for scholars from all over the world. It played a vital role as a banner in stabilizing the court and rallying the people's hearts.

Today, the story of Dong Zhuo burning Luoyang has not happened, and Luoyang still plays a vital role in legitimacy as the imperial capital.

As long as Luoyang is still there, the people's hearts will not fall apart.

However, it is obvious that Henan alone cannot meet the needs of the prosperous capital.

At this time, the importance of Hanoi and Hedong became apparent.

Henei County was located on the north bank of the Yellow River, across the river from Henan County, and was the northern gateway to Luoyang.

It has a flat terrain, crisscrossing rivers, fertile land and a large population. By the end of the Western Han Dynasty, it had replaced Guanzhong and became the economic center of the Han Dynasty.

Hedong County was located in the northwest of Luoyang and east of the Yellow River. Together with Henei County, it formed Luoyang's northern defense line.

Although the land and population of Hedong are not as prosperous as those of Hanoi, it is the most important salt and iron base of the Han Dynasty and the foundation of the Han Dynasty's powerful cavalry army.

This is not only because it provided a large amount of iron ore for Luoyang craftsmen to build elite equipment, but also because of the Han Dynasty's salt and iron monopoly, Hedong County provided a large amount of financial support to the central government with the strength of a single county.

It can be said that the stability of the Sanhe area is directly related to the safety and stability of Luoyang, and is the true foundation of hegemony.

"Sanhe has produced elite soldiers since ancient times."

"Once you regain control of the Three Rivers, you can use this as a foundation to rebuild the elite Three Rivers Knights."

"By then, with the orthodoxy of the imperial court in one hand and a strong army in the other, your great cause will be accomplished without any worries. Who in the world will dare to question your decision?"

After listening to Jia Xu's analysis, Su Yao's eyes sparkled and he laughed:

"Wenhe is right. I have long wanted to take over Sanhe."

"But Wang Kuang and Wang Yi have done nothing wrong, so it's hard to take action. That's why we want to start with Yuan Shu."

That’s right, as a battle-crazy player, naturally I will hit wherever there is a red dot on the map.

Although Su Yao had already decided on a strategy to take over Sili when he was fighting against Dong Zhuo, when he came back this time, Wang Kuang and Wang Yi refused to obey his orders, but they did not rebel like Yuan Shu did.

There really is no sufficient reason to take them down.

You can't just take the initiative and cause chaos in the world, can you?

I'm afraid that guy's diplomatic reputation will immediately become notorious for being a two-faced knife.

In response, Jia Xu stroked his beard and smiled:
"Your Excellency is worrying too much. You haven't come to your senses yet."

Under Su Yao's puzzled gaze, Jia Xu explained calmly.

The reason is simple. Su Yao has always been a general and never thought of using the power of the court.

"It is true that Wang Kuang and Wang Yi have done nothing wrong, but there is no need for us to send troops to attack them directly."

"Your Excellency only needs two steps to distinguish between loyalty and treachery."

"The first thing is to take advantage of the princess's ascension to the throne and summon her to the capital to report on her duties and observe the statutes."

"Then we can transfer him to an official position in the capital, and send your trusted aides to take charge of the local area."

"This is the court's way of controlling the local areas."

Jia Xu smiled slightly and continued:

"If they accept the appointment, then you can take over the Three Rivers without having to fight a single soldier."

"If they make excuses and refuse to come to the capital, it would be a blatant disobedience to the imperial court, and Your Excellency would have a legitimate excuse to take action against them."

"When the time comes, we will send out troops to attack and lead an upright army. Who in the world can say no?"

This is the power of commanding the disobedient by the emperor.

With the orthodoxy of the imperial court in hand, everything can be justified.

Jia Xu's words also brought Su Yao back to his senses immediately. He realized that in the previous games, the control of the Han Emperor, which was just adding some buffs, had now become so flexible and powerful.

This is too real.

I can't stay in Nanyang County for a moment longer!

After the plan was finalized, Su Yao immediately ordered his troops to return to the capital after a day's rest.

But he did not let Yuan Shu go just like that.

According to Jia Xu's strategy, Su Yao sent Taishi Ci, Gongsun Zan and other reinforcements to organize the pursuit of Yuan Shu together with Yuan Shao.

"Don't kill them all, weaken them appropriately and drive them out of the Central Plains."

Before leaving, Su Yao secretly said:

"Next, I have to focus on the affairs of the Central Plains. I cannot allow any party in the southeast to gain power."

"If you think it's almost done, take your troops back and let Yuan Shao handle the rest."

"The last general takes command!"

Immediately, Gongsun Zan, Taishi Ci and others led their troops and launched an attack.

Yuan Shao felt disappointed when he learned about this.

Although Su Yao sent troops to attack, they were not the ones himself, so he doubted whether these people could play any role.

But, something is better than nothing.

Yuan Shao, who had already forged a deep hatred for Yuan Shu, also went all out and mobilized almost all the troops at his disposal to pursue Yuan Shu relentlessly.

Yuan Shao's Guandong knights and Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers formed a vanguard, chasing Yuan Shu from behind, harassing him with archers and constantly cutting his flesh with their knives.

This guy really made Yuan Shu very angry.

"What a bastard!"

"If it was the guy named Su, it would be fine, but how dare these Hu cavalrymen bully me like this?!"

"Someone, bring me the map. I want to ambush them!"

When Yuan Shu was on the run, he learned that Su Yao himself did not come, and that those who were chasing him were only the remnants of Yuan Shao and the reinforcements from Liaodong and Qingzhou. He was immediately furious.

The conceited Yuan Shu thought that if he couldn’t beat Su Yao, he could definitely beat these nonsense?

So, after a brief battle between the rear army and the vanguard knights of the pursuers, Yuan Shu decided to find a place in Runan, set an ambush, and teach these pursuers a severe lesson.

You know, Runan is his hometown. Although he is in a mess now, it is not a problem for him to find some places to trick those guests from Liaodong when fighting at home.

Immediately, Yuan Shu sent two generals, Lei Bo and Chen Lan, to set up an ambush.

Lei Bo and Chen Lan were both Sima from Runan, a separate army under Yuan Shu. After Yuan Shu captured Nanyang, they brought their troops to join him. This time, they were full of confidence in the battle that would break out at this doorstep.

They knew the terrain here very well and quickly selected an excellent ambush location for Yuan Shu - a dense forest beside the river road.

This place was the only way they had to go east. It was close to water in the south and forest in the north, and was sparsely populated, making it an ideal location for an ambush.

After getting Yuan Shu's approval, the two men immediately led their troops forward, separated from the main force, quietly entered the dense forest, and began to set up an ambush circle. They cut down trees, set traps, and prepared to give the pursuing enemy a head-on blow.

On the other side, the pursuit troops led by Gongsun Zan and Taishi Ci were chasing closely along the official road.

Although they knew the direction in which Yuan Shu fled, the complex terrain and rugged roads along the way made pursuit very difficult.

However, relying on their excellent riding skills and tenacious fighting spirit, they gradually approached Yuan Shu's army.

A brutal ambush was about to break out, and Yuan Shu felt a twisted pleasure in his heart as he watched the enemy getting closer and closer.

However, he soon discovered that something was wrong.

The enemy did not pursue him recklessly, but instead sent scouts deep into the dense forest. They changed their previous style of relentless pursuit and steadily cleared the obstacles he had set up.

"what's the situation?"

"Has our ambush been exposed?"

"Whatever happens, we can't let them keep moving forward like this. All our troops, attack! Hit them hard!"

After discovering that the enemy did not fall into the trap and enter the encirclement, Yuan Shu was worried that the ambush would be exposed and he would be taken advantage of. So he decided to go all out and launched an attack in advance with his entire army to fiercely attack the pursuing troops.

(End of this chapter)