I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 832 Pan Feng died in battle, Bohai was recovered (5K)

Soon, the escort officer came forward with a pale face.

As soon as he saw Pan Feng, he fell to his knees and burst into tears:

"General, please spare my life, General, please spare my life!"

"It's the White Horse Volunteers. They came out of nowhere and killed us. We are no match for them at all!"

The escort officer burst into tears and said in a trembling voice:
"They robbed our food and killed many of our brothers. I escaped at my own risk. Please spare my life, General!"

After hearing this, Pan Feng felt a black screen before his eyes and almost fainted.

He never expected that Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers would be so elusive that they could find time to rob his food and supplies while he was besieging the camp with all his might.

"Gongsun Zan, you despicable villain!" Pan Feng cursed with gnashing teeth, "I will never forgive you!"

At this time, the soldiers of the Jizhou Army had also learned the news that their supplies had been robbed, and the morale of the army was immediately thrown into chaos.

Unlike Gongsun Zan's army on the opposite side who knew they were trapped in a deadly encirclement, they never thought that they would be cut off from supplies on their own territory.

The continuous attacks over the past few days had already caused them to complain and their morale was gradually low. Now, when they heard that their food supply had been cut off, they were in a panic and no one was willing to launch an attack anymore.

"General, what should we do?"

"There is only enough food and grass in the camp for two days. If we don't hurry up, we will be defeated!"

Pan Feng looked at the soldiers in front of him whose faces were filled with fear and despair, clenched his fists and his whole body was shaking slightly.

He was very clear that the current situation had become extremely critical. If he could not come up with a countermeasure quickly, he might be in danger of being wiped out.

"Attack!"

Deputy General Wang Bao said excitedly:

"The enemy camp's defenses are already crumbling. We must attack day and night. As long as we take down the enemy camp and rob their food supplies, the little thief Gongsun will be completely defeated."

This is indeed a solution, but
"No, not at all!"

The counselor immediately retorted:

"Now the soldiers have no will to fight, and everyone wants to go home. How can we launch a strong attack?"

"In my opinion, we should withdraw our troops quickly, send out the knights to explore the way ahead, drive away the enemy cavalry, and return to the city as soon as possible!"

The two-day food and fodder in the camp, if strictly rationed, for example, only one meal a day, would barely be enough for them to get back to Nanpi.

However, on the way back to the city, you can’t be as cautious and hesitant as you were before.

Pan Feng frowned, and became more and more annoyed as he listened to the arguments of his lieutenants.

He knew that it would be extremely difficult to decide whether to attack or to withdraw.

If they attack by force, given the current state of the soldiers and the possibility of a pincer attack from the White Horse Volunteers at any time, they will likely suffer greater losses.

And if they fail to capture the enemy camp in the short term, they will be completely wiped out.

However, as for the withdrawal, considering the elusive and frequent harassment by Gongsun Zan's Baima Yicong, this route would be full of risks, and it was unknown whether they could return to Nanpi safely.

"Stop arguing!"

Pan Feng shouted, interrupting everyone's argument:

"The enemy is now defending their stronghold and is ready to die. We may not be able to win by force, and will only lose more troops. Although there are risks in withdrawing, it is the only solution at the moment."

"But General, Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers will definitely set an ambush on our way of retreat. How should we respond?" Deputy General Wang Bao asked worriedly.

Pan Feng pondered for a moment and said:

"We can split our forces into two groups. I will lead one group as the main force to attract Gongsun Zan's attention. You will lead the other group with elite cavalry to cover the flanks. Once you see Gongsun Zan's Hu cavalry coming, you must drive them away at all costs. We must not let them interfere with our army's return to the city and buy time for our main force."

Wang Bao's palms were sweating when he heard this. Although his Jizhou cavalry was well-equipped, they were outnumbered and outspeeded, and it was difficult for them to gain the upper hand in a fight with the Hu cavalry who grew up on horseback.

This was already quite obvious in the previous battles.

But now, the situation is such that he has no choice but to refuse.

"I will definitely live up to the general's trust!" Wang Bao took the order and left.

Afterwards, Pan Feng began to arrange the withdrawal in an orderly manner. He asked the soldiers to travel as lightly as possible and abandon some unnecessary baggage to speed up the march. At the same time, he also selected some elite scouts and asked them to set out in advance to scout the enemy along the way and ensure the safety of the main force.

As night fell, Pan Feng gave an order and the main force of the Jizhou army quietly set out. Wang Bao led the elite cavalry and followed closely on the flank of the main force, always alert for the appearance of Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers.

However, Gongsun Zan would not easily let go of this great opportunity to eliminate Pan Feng.

Not to mention the White Horse Volunteers who followed him like a shadow, the Han army soldiers behind Pan Feng were also chasing him closely.

Suddenly, shouts of killing broke out on the plains of Bohai County, and the two armies engaged in a fierce battle.

During the battle, the Jizhou knights led by Wang Bao fought desperately and drove away Gongsun Zan's white horse volunteers.

The cavalrymen of the Baima Yicong rode on nimble white horses, whizzing across the battlefield like a white whirlwind. They had superb archery skills and continuously shot deadly arrows at the Jizhou army.

Wang Baoze held a spear and shouted loudly to boost the morale of his cavalry.

Finally, after a long fight, he found an opportunity, took the lead, rushed into the enemy camp, and engaged in close combat with the White Horse Volunteers.

Blood splattered as the spear was swung, and Wang Bao's face and body were covered with the blood of the enemies, but he showed no fear and fought more bravely.

However, the number of the White Horse Volunteers was too large, and their cavalry tactics were sophisticated, so Wang Bao's elite cavalry gradually fell into a tough battle.

Wang Bao, who thought that the White Horse Volunteers were not good at close combat, suffered a great loss. Cavalrymen around him kept falling down, and the ground was dyed red with blood.

While Wang Bao was engaged in a tough battle, on the main force side, Pan Feng led the soldiers to fight and retreat. Their speed was greatly restricted. Even though Pan Feng was extremely anxious, it was difficult to escape the enemy's pursuit.

"Speed ​​up, don't fight too long!" Pan Feng ordered loudly.

He wielded his axe, chopping down enemy after enemy, trying to open a path for the soldiers to escape.

However, with their way back cut off, Pan Feng's army, in a state of panic, was ultimately defeated.

In the chaos, when he saw the White Horse Volunteers who had defeated Wang Bao coming to kill him, Pan Feng closed his eyes in despair.
In this battle, the Han army led by Gongsun Zan won a great victory. Pan Feng's Jizhou army was almost wiped out. His commander Pan Feng himself was beheaded by Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers in the chaos and became one of the trophies of their mighty military force.

"Well done, guys!"

Gongsun Zan looked at Pan Feng's body and a smug smile appeared on his face.

He rode on his horse, raised his weapon high, and shouted:

"Today our army has won a great victory. The Bohai and Jizhou armies are no longer a concern. You can rest assured and follow me to take Nanpi tomorrow!"

Nanpi, the governor's office of Bohai County.

"It's over, it's over."

"Master, something terrible has happened!"

When Liang Qi, governor of Bohai, heard the battle report, his face turned pale and he stood up, unable to utter a word.

"Liang Taishou, the situation is critical now, we must make plans early!"

Seeing that the governor was silent, the counselors beside him, though also pale-faced, stepped forward one after another to advise:
"Yes, Sir."

"We need to make plans early."

"Without General Pan's reinforcements, Nanpi may be an isolated city that is hard to defend!"

Liang Qi took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

He calculated rapidly in his mind, but could not find the method.

Under normal circumstances, Nanpi, as the county capital, would have no problem dealing with the siege of more than 10,000 troops.

But now, Han Fu has dispatched his troops to the south to attack Cao Cao and Zhang Fang. More than half of the troops in Nanpi County have been withdrawn. Now there are less than 3,000 soldiers defending the city. It may be a bit difficult for them to fight against Gongsun Zan's army of more than 10,000 alone.

If he wanted to hold on, he had to fully mobilize the people and organize the militia to climb the wall. However, now Pan Feng's 20,000 troops were completely annihilated, which dealt a devastating blow to the morale in Nanpi City.

Not to mention, it is unknown how enthusiastic the people will be to join the war against General Su Yao's army.

Yes, the people have little desire to join the war.

Just as Gao Liu of Dai County, who was far away outside the Yanmen Pass, had already learned the content of Su Yao's new policy.

Jizhou and Bohai had naturally heard of it.

Just after the successful conclusion of the imperial examination in the capital, Su Yao announced it to the world. In addition to making those who passed the imperial examination famous, he also sent a letter to all counties and scholars across the country.

In the name of the imperial court, Su Yao announced that the imperial examination system would officially replace the recommendation system and become the main means for the imperial court to select officials. He required all counties and prefectures in the country to fully supervise the provincial examinations and organize the recruitment of students in preparation for the formal imperial examinations the following year.

Anyone who fails to supervise effectively, or insists on resisting and hindering scholars from studying and taking exams, will be treated as disobeying the imperial order and will be severely punished!

At the same time, for those places that did not obey the king's orders, the court also welcomed local students to go to Beijing to apply for the exam the following year if they had no hope of passing the local exam. The travel expenses would be borne by the court to ensure fair treatment.

When this article came out, it shocked the whole world.

Although the leaders of many separatist forces strictly control the flow of information, the scholars have their own channels.

The content of Su Yao's new policies was passed on by word of mouth among scholars from all over the country, especially the implementation of the imperial examination system, which became the focus of heated discussion.

Not only did the students from poor families have hope, but even those students from aristocratic families who were not valued by the local governor were also looking forward to it.

Last month, students from Bohai County launched a large-scale public petition, asking the governor of Liang to respond to the court's policy, organize a provincial examination, and provide them with a fair opportunity to take the exam.

At that time, hundreds of students gathered in front of the county magistrate's mansion. They were very excited. They held high banners with slogans such as "Support the new policy, fair imperial examinations", "Promote education, select virtuous and capable people", and shouted slogans in unison, strongly expressing their demands.

That’s right, slogan.

Naturally, the shadow of Su Yao’s Intelligence Bureau is behind these students.

After witnessing the student movement in the capital, Su Yao immediately adopted the spirit of "take what is useful". These passionate students could be used by the enemy to attack him, and naturally they could also be used by me to promote the unification of the world.

Therefore, when Su Yao issued the announcement, he secretly ordered the Intelligence Bureau to fully allocate resources to the project of infiltrating students, promote the imperial examination in various places, encourage students to speak out for the new policy, maintain unity, and create a situation that is in the favor of the people.

This series of measures also achieved remarkable results in Bohai County, and the students' petition was one of the results.

At that time, faced with this sudden petition campaign, Liang Qi was in a panic.

How could he openly respond to Su Yao's new policies and organize the provincial examinations when Han Fu had raised an army in rebellion and clearly raised the banner of opposing Su Yao's rebellious politics?

But facing these emotional students, Liang Qi could not kill them all. After all, he claimed to be a famous scholar, so how dare he do something that would arouse public outrage?
So he could only pretend to be submissive and keep putting it off.

At this moment, all the scholars in the county were offended.

This gave him a headache for a while. Some generals were puzzled, but they were just some poor scholars. It was no big deal if they were offended.

However, Liang Qi was obviously not so short-sighted. Reality soon told those warriors how troublesome it would be to offend scholars without absolute strength.

Although those offended students are powerless, they have a strong influence on public opinion.

They spread the news of Liang Qi's tyranny in every corner of Bohai County's taverns, post houses, rural areas and city streets, accusing him of having evil intentions, opposing the court and being a traitor.

In this era of relatively closed information, word of mouth among scholars can often influence the direction of public opinion in a place.

Soon, Liang Qi's image in the eyes of the people became disgusting and despised.

"This Liang thief really doesn't know his place!"

"Who doesn't know what a hero General Su Yao is? In the early days, when he fought against the false emperor Zhang Ju, I saw with my own eyes that General Su Yao galloped across the battlefield, chopping off the heads of the bandits and causing blood to flow like a river."

"Now this stupid Liang thief has given up his bright future and insisted on going against General Su. Aren't we the common people the ones who are suffering?"

Normally, Liang Qi could still suppress these gossips.

However, now, when Gongsun Zan led the imperial army to besiege the city, the people in the city began to become obviously restless.

The common people were like this, and the noble families, wealthy people and other important figures in the city also frequently colluded with each other in private.

"What the hell!"

"It's fine that General Su Yao is powerful, but how come all the generals under his command are so good at fighting?"

"General Pan is also a veteran general. Twenty thousand troops were gone just like that. Do you think Nanpi can still be defended?"

There's no way I can guard it.

With such a trend, few people believed that Governor Liang had any future, let alone anyone willing to risk their fortune and spend money and effort to help him defend the city.

"Kaesong surrender???"

"Master, are you sure?"

In the county magistrate's mansion, the chief clerk was so surprised when he heard Liang Qi's speech that he could fit a ball in his mouth.

"Not only do we have nearly 3,000 defenders, but we also have civilians all over the city. As long as we close the gates and hold out, it shouldn't be a problem for us to hold out for a few months."

"Why open the city and surrender?"

The chief clerk could not understand, but Liang Qi saw it clearly:
"Rather than coming back and not knowing when we might be sold out, it would be better for us to surrender and get a lighter sentence."

Liang Qi shook his head and sighed, trying to find a way to be happy:

"I heard that the general treated those who surrendered before the battle with some favors. Maybe we can get a job as an official somewhere else after we come back."

Liang Qi's words made the chief clerk speechless for a moment. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. Although Liang Qi's decision sounded a bit absurd, it seemed to make sense when he thought about it carefully.

Now the people in Nanpi City are in panic. The people's trust in Liang Qi has long disappeared. The morale of the defenders is low. The wealthy families are secretly colluding and may defect at any time. In this case, continuing to defend the city is tantamount to self-destruction.

Rather than waiting until the city is broken and then being slaughtered by Gongsun Zan's army, it is better to open the city and surrender, and perhaps there will be a chance of survival.

The chief clerk was silent for a moment, and finally nodded: "What the governor said is very true. The situation is critical now. Opening the city and surrendering may be the best option."

Liang Qi smiled bitterly and patted the chief clerk on the shoulder: "I'm glad you understand. Pass the order down and prepare to open the city and surrender."

Soon, Liang Qi's order spread throughout Nanpi City. The defenders heaved a sigh of relief when they heard the news. They had long been tired of the endless battle to defend the city, and now they could finally lay down their weapons and end this hopeless resistance.

The people cheered and rejoiced. They had long hoped that the imperial army would enter the city as soon as possible to end this meaningless war. Now that Liang Qi took the initiative to open the city and surrender, it was undoubtedly the result they most wanted to see.

However, the noble families in the city were dissatisfied with Liang Qi's decision. They had originally hoped that Liang Qi would be able to hold on to the city and wait for Han Fu's reinforcements to arrive. Now that Liang Qi had surrendered, their interests would be seriously damaged.

"Liang Qi, this coward, surrendered without a fight!"

"He's going to sell us all to Gongsun Zan!"

"No, we can't just sit there and wait for death, we must find a way to stop him!"

The noble families gathered together to discuss countermeasures. However, before they could take any action, Liang Qi had already ordered the city gates to be opened.

The gate of Nanpi City slowly opened. Liang Qi, along with a group of officials and generals, holding white flags, knelt at the gate to welcome Gongsun Zan's arrival.

Gongsun Zan rode on his horse, looking down at Liang Qi, sneering, "Liang Taishou, if you had known this would happen, why did you do this in the first place? If you had surrendered earlier, why would it have come to this?"

Liang Qi lowered his head and dared not speak. He knew that he had been completely defeated.

Gongsun Zan waved his hand, and the soldiers behind him immediately stepped forward and took Liang Qi and others away.

At this point, Nanpi City completely fell into the hands of Gongsun Zan, and Bohai County was also declared to have been completely conquered.

When the tragic news reached Gaoyi, Han Fu was struck by lightning and hastily ordered the entire county of Jizhou to recruit soldiers and prepare to defend Jizhou.

However, compared to Jizhou, the one that should be more afraid is Youzhou.

Without the obstacle of Bohai County, the Qingzhou army's power finally achieved the goal of being directly connected with Youzhou.

At the same time, upon learning that Nanpi had conquered Qingzhou, the local county magistrates were greatly encouraged. They felt that it was the destiny that had come and expressed their support for the court, and then mobilized and dispatched new reinforcements.

Next, Taishi Ci, who stayed behind in Qingzhou, led the newly acquired 8,000 Qingzhou soldiers northward as the commander of the reinforcements. They joined forces with Gongsun Zan's army of nearly 10,000. They were like a sharp knife piercing the back of Liu Yu of Youzhou.
(End of this chapter)