I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 828: The Battle of Dingding breaks out (Combined Chapter)
A few days later, in Gaoyi, Jizhou.

"Cao Mengde?"

"Why is he here again?"

Han Fu's eyes widened, his face full of anger.

Just today, he received an urgent report that there was an emergency in the southwest. Weijun Prefect Zhang Fang and Dongjun Prefect Cao Cao led 30,000 troops to besiege Yecheng.

That's right, this is not the first time they have fought.

Originally, in the first year of Zhongping after the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled, the administrative center of Jizhou was moved from Gaoyi to Yecheng in Wei County in the south.

However, due to Han Fu's tricks, Zhang Fang, who had originally agreed to join him in raising troops against Su, suddenly turned against him, and Yecheng suddenly became a frontline area.

After all, Zhang Fang was the prefect of Wei County, and his seat, Wei County, was not far south of Yecheng.

If this guy had rebelled against his boss, Han Fu would naturally have to eliminate him at the first opportunity. Otherwise, if there was a vicious villain with a knife next to his bed, he might end up losing his head one night.

Therefore, when Han Fu raised his army, he did not respond to Ma Teng's call, but directly gathered his own troops, as well as the troops of other prefects in Jizhou who were loyal to him, and marched south to suppress the rebellion, hoping to destroy this tactless Zhang Fang.

As a result, a few months ago, the two sides launched a fierce battle and struggle in the territory of Weijun.

After all, Zhang Fang was only a county governor, and a governor under the nose of the governor. Neither the military force nor the territory he held could compare with Han Fu.

Relying on Jizhou's strong family background and numerous soldiers and horses, Han Fu conquered several counties in less than a month, and even captured Wei County, the seat of government.

Zhang Fang could only flee westward with his remaining troops and ran to Linlu County at the foot of Taihang Mountain, relying on the complex local terrain and the occasional guerrilla attacks of the Black Mountain Army in Taihang Mountain to make a final stand.

"Ha ha!"

"Zhang Fang, you bastard, you actually went back on your word. This is what you get for betraying me!"

At that time, Han Fu in Yecheng was drinking and singing, feeling extremely happy.

It must be admitted that opposing the Soviet Union was the boldest move he had ever made in his life.

Originally, he thought that Su Yao could even get rid of Dong Zhuo so quickly, so he would never dare to rebel openly.

However, following Ma Teng's letter, many Jizhou noble families, officials and even prefects advised him to step forward and take charge of the situation.

Han Fu thought to himself, "How can I do that?" So he sent a letter to Liu Yu, asking him to ascend the throne and he would assist him.

However, Liu Yu's final statement was very disappointing. He drove away the envoy sent by Han Fu and only said that he would not interfere with Han Fu's actions.

At this point, Han Fu still hadn't made up his mind whether to rebel or not.

Until then, he received the news that Su Yao was killing and capturing the aristocratic families in Hedong, and implementing equal distribution of land in Hedong, Henei and other places.

All of aristocratic families in Jizhou were in an uproar at this moment.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, due to the eastward relocation of the imperial capital, Guanzhong declined. At the same time, the northwest was on the front line of the Qiang Rebellion. The influence of the Guanzhong families was no longer comparable to that of the Western Han Dynasty. Instead, the Guandong families were able to dominate the world.

The vast plains of Hebei not only gave birth to a large population, but also gave birth to aristocratic families that were second only to those in the Central Plains.

Hebei in particular was deeply affected by the Yellow Turban Rebellion. After the war, the aristocratic families annexed land on a large scale and formed a huge interest group.

Now, seeing Su Yao committing evil deeds in Sanhe, they are naturally terrified, fearing that all this will happen to them, so one by one they encourage Han Fu to rise up against Su, and all of them will strongly support him.

In order to make Han Fu make up his mind, his chief secretary Geng Wu and deputy driver Min Chun and others all urged him to ascend the throne, praising Han Fu's benevolence, talents and the large number of soldiers and generals in Jizhou to the sky.

For example, although Jizhou is remote, it has a million soldiers and can support the country for ten years. There is also the wise and brave envoy Han, who has the ability to govern the country and the strategy to ensure its security. If we can raise our arms and call for action, heroes from all over the world will surely gather to respond.

The thief Su is just an upstart with humble origins and ruthless means. Even if he has some courage and strength, how can he be compared with a wise and virtuous person like Han Shijun?
It’s not that no one had advised Han Fu not to act on impulse. His captain Qu Yi, cavalry commander Ju Shou and Zhang He strongly advised Han Fu not to underestimate Su Yao.

However, Han Fu, who prided himself on being from a famous and scholarly family in Yingchuan, did not take these three people, who were of ordinary backgrounds and only rose to prominence because of their military achievements in the Yellow Turban War, seriously. In the end, he decided to raise the flag and rebel against Su.

However, what he didn't expect was that before Su Yao made a move, he ran into a snag - Cao Mengde, the prefect of Dongjun.

It turned out that just when Han Fu's army was approaching Linlu with great momentum and preparing to completely wipe out Zhang Fang, Cao Cao led an army of 20,000 and attacked from the southwest, broke through Neihuang, besieged Weijun, and threatened the flank of his Jizhou army.

But that's all.

But there are only 20,000 soldiers, while his Jizhou army has 100,000 soldiers and horses, and this is not a fully mobilized force.

Although he didn't know how the Dongjun governor crossed the Yellow River and came to his Weijun territory, Han Fu still ordered part of the army to return to defend and lift the siege of Wei County to prevent Cao Cao from threatening the safety of Yecheng after breaking through Wei County.

At this time, Han Fu was only dividing his troops and had not given up his plan to wipe out Zhang Fang.

As a result, it seemed like when it rains, it pours.

Just a few days later, Han Fu received urgent news that the two counties of Hejian and Zhongshan in the north of Jizhou had successively raised their flags in rebellion, openly criticizing Han Fu as a traitor and threatening to be irreconcilable with him.

This news shocked Han Fu to the core.

It is not surprising that Wang Rou, the prime minister of Hejian, rebelled against Han Fu.

After all, that man was Su Yao's old leader in Bingzhou before he started his career. When Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju rebelled, Su Yao's troops entered Hejian and he saved his life.

However, the prefect of Wei County, Zhang Fang, and the prefect of Zhongshan County had no relationship with Su Yao. They had only met each other a few times at most. Why was that so?
Han Fu didn't understand, but he knew that if this problem was not solved, he would be destroyed on his own even before Su Yao came to ask for help.

Therefore, Han Fu had no choice but to abandon Zhang Fang, who only had remnants of his army and posed no threat, and first concentrated his forces to force Cao Cao back and lift the siege of Wei County.

It was already shocking that Cao Cao brought an army of 20,000 with the strength of one county. However, facing Han Fu's army of 100,000 with the strength of one state, it was naturally difficult for him to win, and he could only provide support as a small force.

Just like that, when the scouts learned that Han Fu's main force had been dispatched, Cao Cao also hurriedly withdrew his troops, withdrew from Weijun, and stationed his troops in Henei.

Yes, Hanoi.

This is naturally what Su Yao meant.

After learning about the rebellion in Jizhou, Su Yao naturally would not ignore it.

Since he couldn't split himself, he used the prestige of the imperial court to call on the surrounding princes to fight against the enemy.

Cao Cao, the governor of Dongjun, was already separated from Weijun by the Yellow River and had long been ambitious. After Su Yao expressed his intention to open the Henei ferry, he joined the army to attack Han without much hesitation. Together with the General of the Household Song Xian and the Captain Hao Meng, who were also stationed in Henei, they led troops to fight the enemy, contain Han Fu, and relieve Zhang Fang's predicament.

I have to say that they completed their mission pretty well.

In the end, Zhang Fang not only managed to gain a foothold in Linlu, but also cooperated with the Black Mountain Army in the Taihang Mountains behind him to resist Han Fu's attack. The coalition forces even cooperated with each other, attacking from time to time, and engaged in a tug of war in Wei County, causing the city of Wei County to change hands several times, forcing Han Fu to "move the capital" north and devote all his energy to solving the problem in the north.

However, in the end, due to the lack of troops, Zhongshan and Hejian were located between Youzhou and Jizhou, and the traffic was cut off, making it difficult for them to cooperate with each other, so they failed to save the two counties, and Han Fu spent the next few months to quell the civil strife in the north. Now, Han Fu, who had just quelled the civil strife, received news from Youzhou, and naturally he was ready to deal with the rebellions in the south.

As a result, I didn't expect that they would come to harass me again before I even started fighting.

"Attack, attack with all your strength!"

"Destroy Linlu, recapture Wei County, and behead that thief Cao!"

Han Fu was furious and immediately mobilized another 100,000 soldiers to march south from Gaoyi to meet the returning troops of Cao Cao, Zhang Fang and others.

This time, having solved his worries, Han Fu did not intend to give up easily. He wanted to get rid of those annoying ghosts in one go, and then go straight to Hanoi to shock the capital.

However, he did not expect that something unexpected would happen again.

Just half a month later, when his army was mobilizing and gathering and was about to march to the front line, alarm came from Bohai County east of Jizhou.

"Report - Gongsun Zan led 3,000 white horse volunteers and more than 10,000 soldiers from Qingzhou to invade Bohai!"

"What? The Qingzhou soldiers invaded Bohai?"

When Han Fu heard the news, his face turned pale instantly. He never expected that Gongsun Zan would also get involved at this time.

"How dare Gongsun Zan, this villain, take advantage of the situation to rob us!" Han Fu gritted his teeth in anger.

He secretly calculated in his mind that his 100,000-strong army had already been assembled and was ready to march south to deal with Cao Cao and Zhang Fang. If he divided his troops to resist Gongsun Zan at this time, his plan to march south would not only fail, but would also be difficult to achieve.

But if he ignores Gongsun Zan and allows him to wreak havoc in Bohai, the eastern part of Jizhou will also fall into chaos, which may affect the foundation of his rule.

"not only that!"

Seeing Han Fu struggling, Cavalry Commandant Ju Su said:
"Gongsun Zan is a hero from western Liaoning, and he enjoys great prestige in Youzhou and among the Hu people."

"If Bohai is lost and Gongsun Zan marches into Youzhou, I'm afraid Liu Yu will be in danger."

Zhang He also said:
"Youzhou is being attacked from both sides now. If Gongsun Zan breaks through our Bohai defense line and marches straight in, given his family's position in Liaoxi, many people will surely respond."

"At that time, he will attack Lulong Pass from the rear and let 100,000 Hu cavalry into the pass. Not only will Liu Yu be in danger, but I am afraid that Jizhou will also be in danger."

"What should I do?"

Han Fu was extremely panicked when he heard this, and for a moment he was at a loss for what to do:
"How about sending another 50,000 troops to Bohai for rescue?"

Han Fu was well aware of the importance of the situation in Youzhou. If Liu Yu failed and Gongsun Zan took control of Youzhou and then colluded with the Hu people, Jizhou would face a huge threat.

But if we give up on marching south now, all the previous efforts to pacify Cao Cao and Zhang Fang might be wasted.

Even though Jizhou is vast and rich in resources, the frequent mobilization of troops for six consecutive months and the consumption of food and supplies still made him feel exhausted.

If he continues to fight with the imperial army and fails to defeat his opponent, can he really defeat the entire country with just one state?
At this time, hearing the urgent military intelligence reports coming from all directions, Han Fu suddenly regretted whether his decision to rebel was a bit hasty.

"Don't panic, sir."

Just when Han Fu was hesitating, the chief secretary Geng Wu stepped forward and said:
"Although the situation is dangerous now, it is far from hopeless."

"Gongsun Zan may seem to be coming with great force, but this time he is only bringing 3,000 white horse volunteers and more than 10,000 Qingzhou soldiers. We also have several thousand soldiers stationed in Bohai City, plus the people in the city. As long as they hold their ground, it will be extremely difficult for him to capture the city."

"As long as we deploy troops to support them properly and give the defenders hope, it won't be a problem to stabilize the defense line over there."

Han Fu frowned and asked anxiously, "Then according to your opinion, how should we deploy our troops? Our army has already assembled and is preparing to march south. If we make any changes at this time, it may cause chaos."

Geng Wu was not in a hurry and spoke calmly: "Sir, you can first order the governor of Bohai to strengthen the city defense and mobilize the people of Bohai to assist in the defense to delay Gongsun Zan's attack. Then draw 20,000 elite troops from my army to rush to Bohai for help."

"Although these 20,000 soldiers are superior in number to Gongsun Zan, there is no need to attack. We just need to cooperate with the Bohai garrison to protect the city."

"As for my army heading south, you can continue to advance as planned, leaving another 10,000 troops as a reserve just in case."

Then, Deputy Minister Min Chun also said:
"Sir, we can also send an envoy to Gongsun Zan to explain the pros and cons and persuade him to withdraw his troops."

"Although Gongsun Zan is brave, as far as I know, he is ambitious and not Su Yao's direct descendant. We can try to win him over and offer him the position of governor, and maybe we can persuade him to defect."

"This plan is feasible."

Han Fu listened to their suggestions and his brows gradually relaxed:

"Even if he is unwilling to defect easily, we can still spend a lot of money to make him work without exerting any effort, so as to ensure that the East is worry-free."

"However, in the end, 30,000 troops are divided. Only 70,000 troops will go south. Can our army successfully defeat the two thieves Zhang and Cao?"

"Don't worry, sir!"

Chief Clerk Geng Wu stepped forward and said respectfully:

"Although our army's strength has been reduced to 70,000 as it marched south, the enemy's troops only number over 30,000, and they are still not under the same command. The coalition forces that came from afar, Zhang Fang's troops, are even more frightened and panic-stricken."

"As long as we command properly, we will be able to defeat the bandits in one fell swoop."

Everyone agreed when they heard this. Han Fu felt relieved and acted according to the plan, issuing orders one after another.

First, his general Pan Feng was ordered to lead 2,000 cavalry and 18,000 infantry, a total of 20,000 elite troops to rush to Bohai to fight against Gongsun Zan.

Then, Chief Secretary Geng Wu led his generals Zhang He, Qu Yi, Zhao Fu, Cheng Huan and others to march south to attack Cao Cao and his men.

Finally, he himself, along with his deputy Min Chun, Cavalry Commander Ju Shou and more than 10,000 elite soldiers, stayed in the capital Gaoyi, closely following the development of the situation.

At the same time, they were not the only ones who were closely watching the development of the situation.

This battle attracted everyone's attention.

Few people could have imagined before that Su Yao had just fought against Dong Zhuo for only a year when he immediately mobilized troops and launched an attack on You and Ji states from all directions almost simultaneously in the first year of the Kaiyuan Reform.

There is no doubt that You and Ji states are both powerful states in the world, with the highest population, military forces and wealth among the nine states.

If Su Yao were allowed to take over this important place, together with the Guanzhong and Central Plains areas under his rule, then there would probably be no other princes in the world who could stop his pace of unification.

For this reason, all the princes, noble families, common people, and all knowledgeable people in the world were watching the situation nervously, making their own calculations in their minds.

In this way, as time went on to December, in this cold winter, the battle between You and Ji began.
(End of this chapter)