I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 836: Jing Yi Yang Great Alliance, the General Enters Jizhou (5K)

"Youzhou surrendered?"

"What did you say?!!"

In the first month of the second year of Kaiyuan, Shouchun, Huainan.

Yuan Shu, who had just settled down, was stunned when he heard the news.

"How is this possible? How is this possible?!"

"Doesn't Liu Yu have an army of 100,000?"

"Aren't Liu Yu and Han Fu very close?"

"How could it be so fast? He surrendered so quickly?!"

"Are you trying to scare me with the rumors about Su Ze?"

Yuan Shu's forehead was bulging with veins. He grabbed the collar of the soldier who came to report the news and roared with his eyes wide open:

"Tell me! Did you accept bribes from the thieves and deliberately come to disrupt the morale of our army?"

"Yuan, General Yuan is wise!"

The scout who brought the news was grabbed by Yuan Shu's collar. He turned pale with fear, his body trembled uncontrollably, and he stammered:

"How dare I lie about such a major event as Youzhou's surrender? This is absolutely true!"

"Not only did the merchants spread the news by word of mouth, but the post stations in various places also confirmed the information."

"Nonsense, nonsense!" Yuan Shu refused to give in.

"What this person reported is indeed good."

Just when the scout who brought the news was about to be beheaded by Yuan Shu, the Chief Clerk Yang Hong and the Chief Clerk Yan Xiang came hurriedly and confirmed the truth of the rumor.

"Now the Luoyang pseudo-dynasty regards Liu Yu's surrender as a major political achievement and spreads it widely. Even Liu Yu's handwritten letter of surrender has been spread in a very realistic way."

Yang Hong frowned slightly, cupped his hands and said:
"Liu Yu himself was not only not held accountable, but was also granted a high position, ranked first among the Nine Ministers, and served as the Minister of Rites in the capital."

——"Asshole!"

Yuan Shu kicked up and overturned the table in front of him. The cups and plates on it rolled down and broke into pieces.

"Liu Yu is a shameless man!"

"He has an army of 100,000 soldiers, but for his own selfish reasons, he betrayed his family and allies to enjoy a high position and generous salary. He is truly shameless, shameless!"

Yuan Shu flew up, but their understanding was somewhat different from the reality.

It is true that Liu Yu came to the capital and became the Minister of Rites, but the Minister of Rites today is no longer what he used to be and is no longer the head of the Nine Ministers.

After all, the imperial court was restructured, and the three provinces and six ministries system replaced the three dukes and nine ministers.

Since the Three Dukes were abolished, the Nine Ministers would naturally no longer be as powerful as they once were.

That's right, the Nine Ministers were not abolished, but their functions were weakened and differentiated, becoming more specialized and changed into Nine Temples, which were mainly responsible for the execution of specific affairs such as rituals, sacrifices, and material management, forming a division of labor model of "ministries set policies, and temples manage practical affairs" with the Six Ministries.

Take Liu Yu, the current Minister of Taichang Temple, for example.

In the Han Dynasty, Taichang was the head of the Nine Ministers and an important position second only to the Three Dukes.

It is in charge of a wide range of affairs including ancestral temple sacrifices, astronomy and calendar, medical management, and Confucian classics education. It can directly participate in the formulation and implementation of national rituals and has both cultural and educational functions.

Today, after Su Yao's reform, the functions of the Taichang Temple have been weakened. It is no longer responsible for policy making, but only focuses on sacrificial and ritual management, such as ancestral temples and various sacrificial activities. Other functions such as astronomy and medicine have been transferred to the Qintianjian and the Imperial Medical Service.

His official rank was only the third rank, one level lower than the third rank of the Minister of Rites.

The only thing that is gratifying is that at this time, due to the need to take into account the habits of the world, the Taichang Temple was not directly handed over to the Ministry of Rites for direct management, but operated as a relatively independent institution, which were parallel to each other and cooperated with each other. The six ministries formulated policies and supervised the results, while the nine temples were only responsible for the implementation of government orders.

Therefore, Su Yao thought it was most appropriate to use this position to accommodate the surrendered Liu Yu.

After all, Liu Yu was a rebel no matter what. Although he had laid down his arms and surrendered a long time ago, it didn't make sense for his official position to rise instead of fall. Wouldn't that be encouraging rebellion?

The officials in the court also agreed with this. However, the external princes such as Yuan Shu were far away from the central government and had only heard about Su Yao's reforms from hearsay. Without a systematic understanding, it was naturally difficult for them to get the full picture. They all scolded Liu Yu.

"Envoy Liu, Yuan Gonglu has sent an envoy to form an alliance with you to fight against Su Yao. What do you think?"

Jingzhou, the capital of Nanjun, is Xiangyang City.

After hearing Yuan Shu's proposal relayed by his aide in the governor's mansion, Liu Biao narrowed his eyes slightly, tapped the table with his fingers, and fell into deep thought.

The news of Liu Yu's surrender was too explosive. He was in Jingzhou, close to Luoyang, and actually learned about it earlier than Yuan Shu.

That was a bolt from the blue.

Among the Liu princes, Liu Yu, who had the highest prestige and the largest number of troops, was the first to withdraw, and he withdrew by surrendering his entire state. There is no doubt that this was something that none of them could have imagined.

With Liu Yu's exit, the only princes in the world who openly confront Su Yao are Han Fu of Jizhou and Yuan Shu of Huainan.

Therefore, both Han Fu and Yuan Shu were actively contacting the princes to help them resist Su Yao.

Yuan Shu was in Huainan, so the situation was slightly better and the invitation to form an alliance was not too urgent.

Han Fu was in the midst of war. Not only did he lose his northern barrier, but he also heard that Su Yao had already led the army in person some time ago. He was under great pressure. He frequently sent letters asking for help, requesting Liu Biao to send troops north to compete for the Central Plains. The two of them could jointly attack Su Yao.

"Liu Shijun, the lips and teeth are interdependent!"

"Once my Jizhou is destroyed, how can your Jingzhou be worry-free?"

"I hope you will send troops quickly to stop the Su bandits' atrocities and save the people of Jizhou from the dire situation!"

Han Fu's request for help was heartfelt, well-founded, and indeed very reasonable.

However, Liu Biao himself also had his own unspeakable sufferings.

He had not been in Jingzhou long and had not yet fully established his control over the local area. Yuan Shao, who was entrenched in Nanyang in the north, even boasted that he was a General of Cavalry and simply did not listen to Liu Biao's orders.

Therefore, Liu Biao could only write back to comfort him, saying that Jingzhou felt the same way and was willing to provide all support except help, and would always stand on the side of Han Shijun in spirit and morality.

When Han Fu received the reply, his eyes went dark and he threw the letter to the ground fiercely:

"Liu Biao, you are such a coward!"

"The survival of Jizhou is at stake, but he only knows how to evade responsibility."

"If you don't save Jizhou today, Su Yao will go south in the future and he will die without a burial place!"

Liu Biao could not hear Han Fu's curses, but he knew that if the situation continued to develop in this way, no one would be able to stop Su Yao.

At that time, all that awaits you is surrender or death.

However, Yuan Shu's invitation to an alliance now seemed to give him another option.

Yuan Shu now fled to Huainan, which is far away from the Central Plains, but borders Jiangxia County under his rule.

Compared with Jizhou, which is blocked by the Central Plains, it can obviously provide him with more help.

What's more crucial is that, as far as he knows, as the Qingzhou army moved northward, Yuan Shu gradually recovered his breath and was competing with Yuan Shao for Yuzhou, especially Runan, the Yuan family's old nest.

This was obviously a great opportunity for Liu Biao, who was determined to rule the entire Jingzhou.

That’s right, compared to the historical situation where Liu Biao fought to the death with Yuan Shu, the current Liu Biao tends to form an alliance with Yuan Shu.

All this was because they had a common enemy. Yuan Shao of Nanyang replaced Yuan Shu's position in history and became Liu Biao's biggest concern.

If he could form an alliance with Yuan Shu and use his military strength, he might be able to take the opportunity to drive Yuan Shao out of Nanyang and consolidate his rule in Jingzhou.

In this way, even if Su Yao leads his troops south in the future, he will be able to deal with him with a broader strategic depth and stronger military force.

Thinking of this, Liu Biao slowly spoke: "Although Yuan Shu is arrogant and conceited, we have a common enemy at the moment, so it is not impossible to consider forming an alliance."

"Your Excellency is wise!"

After hearing Liu Biao's intention, his nephew Zhang Yun spoke first:

"Although Yuan Shu's foundation in Huainan is not stable, he has a lot of soldiers under his command, and he and Yuan Shao are in a hostile relationship. If Jingzhou and Yuan Shu join forces, we can not only form a pincer attack on Yuan Shao and solve the problem of Nanyang, but also provide some help in the fight against Su Yao."

"Not only Yuan Shu, but also Liu Yan of Yizhou can be won over!" The counselor Kuai Yue continued:
"Liu Yan has lived in Yizhou for a long time, secretly harboring ulterior motives. He has been operating in the local area for many years, has a deep foundation, and has always been eyeing the situation in the Central Plains."

"When Su Yao was fighting against Dong Zhuo, he responded to Dong Zhuo and took advantage of the chaos to send troops to Guanzhong. However, the chaos was settled too quickly in the end, so he didn't gain any advantage."

"Now that Su Yao's power is growing, Liu Yan must also feel threatened. If we form an alliance with Yuan Shu, we can try to win over Liu Yan to fight against Su Yao together. In this way, with the support of all four parties, we may be able to form a powerful anti-Su force."

Liu Biao nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining.

It is difficult for them to intervene in the situation in the north now, but the south is still ruled by the princes. Liu Yan of Yizhou, Liu Biao of Jingzhou, and Yuan Shu of Huainan, if they join forces, can control half of the world.

With such solid power, Su Yao probably wouldn't dare to act rashly, right?
"That's right. Seyuniang, you should take this opportunity to vigorously attack the clan bandits, then try to seize Nanyang and strengthen your own strength. Only then can you gain a firm foothold in this chaotic world and compete with Su Yao again."

Liu Biao strongly agreed with this and immediately sent envoys to visit his two potential allies in the east and the west to form an offensive and defensive alliance in an attempt to fight against the increasingly powerful Su Yao.

At the same time, he also sent Kuai Yue, who used his strategy to lure and kill Su Dai, who was the prefect of Changsha, and Bei Yu, who occupied Wuling, and others, and recruited their followers to speed up the internal integration of Jingzhou.

Since Liu Biao was like this, Liu Yan and Yuan Shu naturally did not want to be left behind.

They either used strategies or force to seize the opportunity to expand, annex surrounding territories, and make final preparations for possible future wars.

However, compared to those southern princes who are still working hard to develop, Han Fu, the focal point in the north, has now become an ant on hot pot, pacing back and forth anxiously in the Shepherd's Mansion.

Gaoyi, Jizhou.

The warm spring sun outside the window dispels the cold of winter.

However, the air in the Shepherd's Mansion was cold, and the atmosphere in the house was so depressing that it made people feel breathless.

"We are surrounded by enemies on all sides!"

"Everyone, do you have any other plans? Don't hide them!"

Han Fu asked anxiously, but all he got in response was dead silence.

The staff looked at each other, and no one dared to stand up and say anything.

After all, the lesson of Ju Su is not far away, who dares to say anything more now?
That’s right, the Cavalry Commander Ju Shou was thrown into death row by Han Fu not long ago.

His crime was very clear and simple, that was he offered bad advice, which led to the defeat of an army of 200,000!
Two hundred thousand troops?
Yes!

All this happened earlier, at the end of last year, when everyone just learned that Liu Yu had knelt.

At that time, there was an uproar in Gaoyi City, and panic spread like a tide among the military and civilians. The severity of the situation was no less serious than it is now.

Unless one is deaf or blind, everyone knows that the problem is serious.

Originally, their defense line was torn open after the Eastern Bohai Sea was breached, and they were urgently mobilizing to replenish manpower.

As a result, Youzhou's surrender exposed the entire northern defense line to the enemy, and Gaoyi City in Changshan County was in danger of being surrounded at any time.

Knowing that disaster was imminent, Han Fu immediately summoned all his ministers to discuss countermeasures.

However, most people at that time were in a panic. Apart from proposing to send envoys to ask for support from the princes of the world, it was difficult to come up with any decent countermeasures. Many people even simply advised him to surrender to Su Yao and follow the example of Liu Yu.

That guy made Han Fu so angry that he was fuming!

Damn it, it was you who instigated me to rebel, and now that the time has come, you are the ones who want me to surrender?
Who was it that vowed so confidently that as long as they raised an army, the whole world would respond and they would be able to overthrow the rule of Su Yao?
Who said that Jizhou, the first of the Nine Provinces, with a million soldiers and ten years of fodder, is strong enough to compete with Su Yao?

"Where are your lofty ambitions from the beginning?!"

"Now you come out to persuade me to surrender, right?"

"Am I, Han, such a fickle villain?"

"If you dare to surrender again, you will get this!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Han Fu's eyes turned red. He suddenly drew the sword from his waist and with a "swish", he split the table in front of him into two halves.

Han Fu's anger shocked everyone in the room. They fell silent and dared not make a sound. For a moment, the conference room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and only Han Fu's heavy breathing echoed in the air.

In this moment of dead silence, Cavalry Commander Ju Su sighed and slowly stood up.

He bowed to Han Fu and said in a deep voice:

"Please calm down, sir. Although the situation is critical now, it is not hopeless. Jizhou has a vast fertile land and a large population. If we can make good use of it, we can still fight."

Ju Su's words surprised and unexpectedly made Han Fu.

He knew very well that Ju Su had been very opposed to his anti-Soviet movement before, but he did not expect that he would come out to offer advice and suggestions at this time.

Immediately, Han Fu rushed to Ju Su, took his hand and asked for countermeasures.

"Captain of the Cavalry, may I ask what the plan is?"

In fact, Ju Su’s strategy is very simple, it can be summed up in four words - squeeze them dry!
The situation is now critical and we can no longer recruit soldiers and prepare for war according to normal standards.

Now is the time to mobilize fully.

Jizhou has sufficient food and military supplies, and a registered population of about six million. Although the population dropped sharply after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, it would not be a problem to mobilize a full force of 200,000 or 300,000 in a short period of time.

The refugees filling the streets could be continuously recruited into the army as long as they were given food to eat.

Immediately, Ju Su suggested to Han Fu that he should immediately order the establishment of porridge stalls in all counties and prefectures in Jizhou to attract refugees and recruit them into the army.

At the same time, he ordered the village chiefs and pavilion chiefs to recruit soldiers according to the number of households, and to ensure that one in ten men was selected. The grain in the treasury was reserved for emergency reserves, and the rest was allocated to supply the army. There was no leniency for those large households that usually concealed their population and evaded taxes. Special personnel were sent to investigate and assign military service and grain supply tasks according to their actual population.

Ju Shou explained every detail of the plan to Han Fu in detail:
"Sir, although most of these refugees are poor and weak, they can be strengthened with a little training and added to the army. The able-bodied men selected from each household were born in Jizhou and have the heart to defend their country. With time, they will surely become useful soldiers."

"As for clearing out the big households, it can not only replenish our troops, but also replenish our food and fodder, solving our army's urgent needs."

After hearing this, Han Fu immediately praised it.

It means that we must not be lenient towards those big investors.

Didn’t they instigate rebellion before?
Isn’t it to protect your own land from being divided equally by Su Yao?
Now that Su Yao is here, it's time for them to contribute their manpower and efforts.

"Okay! Let's do as you say. Pass the order down immediately. All counties must do their best to execute it. There must be no mistakes!"

For a moment, the land of Jizhou seemed to be caught in a storm.

Long queues formed in front of the porridge stalls in various counties. The ragged refugees, eager for food and clothing, signed up to join the army. The village heads and headmen held rosters and went from house to house urging able-bodied men to sign up. The wealthy families who usually acted arrogantly were unwilling to accept the tough investigation by the government, but they did not dare to openly disobey.

After all, the noble families and wealthy families in Jizhou could be said to have made a fortune after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and the Equal Field System had caused great damage to them, far more than the noble families in Youzhou could compare.

Therefore, when facing the threat of Su Yao's army, unlike Youzhou which surrendered as a whole, Jizhou mobilized the entire state and was determined to resist to the death.

With the powerful mobilization of recruiting refugees and selecting one in ten men, another 200,000 troops were armed in just over half a month.

Some of them were assigned to the main passes of the Taihang Mountains in the west to prevent sneak attacks from Bingzhou and the Black Mountain Army, while the other part was stationed in county cities such as Changshan and Hejian to strengthen city defenses and be vigilant against the threat of the Youzhou army in the north.

In addition, all the remaining people were sent to the southern war front to intensify the attack, hoping to make the final decision and eliminate Cao Cao and others who were as tenacious as cockroaches.

It has to be said that in times of crisis, under the careful coordination of Ju Shou and others, Jizhou mobilized extremely quickly.

In one breath, the strength of the southern front reached nearly 200,000 with the reinforcement of troops, forming an overwhelming advantage.

"No need to dilly-dally on this siege to tire out the enemy!"

"Attack with all your might! Attack with all your might! Eliminate these rebels in one fell swoop!"

Chief Clerk Geng Wu brandished his sword and shouted, ordering his generals Zhang He, Qu Yi, Zhao Fu, Cheng Huan and others to launch a fierce attack.

In his opinion, Wei County would be captured in one day at the shortest and three days at the longest!
However, he did not expect that just when he was sending reinforcements to his side, reinforcements from the imperial court also arrived.

A large army with the word "Su" on their flags came from the west, raising clouds of dust as they approached the battlefield from far away.

"That is?"

"The general's flag?"

"Su Yao is here?!!"

"Why so fast?!"

A commotion suddenly broke out in the Jizhou army.
(End of this chapter)