Goose Three Kingdoms

Chapter 516 Risk Transfer
In the end, Ju Hu returned with a headscarf on his head.

At this time, Yuan Shang had arrived in Fan Yang, and Yuan's scouts were invading northwards. The messengers from Youzhou had free access and were traveling openly on the road.

South of Fanyang City, the Yuan army that arrived here set up camp.

Yuan Shang inspected each army unit and reviewed their equipment and personnel status.

Because of the great defeat of Cao's army in the Battle of Liyang, Yuan Shang's status in the eyes of the scholars and people in Hebei was almost as high as Yuan Shao, and he was ranked alongside the Grand Marshal in his time.

Even in some exaggerated propaganda, it is said that the Grand Sima of Guanzhong was trained and supported by the general.

It was the general who had a keen eye for talent and sent the wandering Grand Sima to his ally Liu Biao, which led to the Battle of Bowangpo, attracting and severely damaging part of the main force of Cao's army.

This bought time for the decisive battle in Liyang and also weakened the morale of Cao's army.

But just like Yuan Shao’s support for Cao Cao back then, the Grand Marshal who occupied Guanzhong became too powerful and lost control.

Therefore, in the eyes of most middle and low-level military officials and common people, it was thanks to the cultivation of the deep-rooted Yuan family that the Grand Marshal was able to gain the support of Jingzhou and quickly open up the situation in Guanzhong.

Afterwards, the Grand Marshal attacked the Chanyu while meeting with the Xiongnu, and killed more than 100,000 Xiongnu tribesmen and abducted 200,000 to 300,000 men and women. Later, under the pretext of attacking the Hexi tribes, he saw the internal strife of the Xianbei when passing through Shuofang, and attacked and killed two of their kings.

Then he led his vassal army into Liang Province, defeated the Western Qiang coalition in one battle, and then deceived Zhang Lu to seize Hanzhong.

Before Shuzhong could strengthen its defenses, he instigated the foreign troops in Shuzhong to rebel and seized Shuzhong by deception.

The most crucial thing is that after the Shu people surrendered peacefully, they either split up their clans and dismembered their industries, or migrated away from their ancestral homeland to enrich Guanzhong.

In short, in the eyes of many grassroots soldiers and civilians in Hebei, this Grand Marshal is a man who is addicted to war, but also a cunning, treacherous and untrustworthy person.

Now, under the pretext of meeting with General Zhenbei, he will definitely take action against Youzhou.

If something happens in Youzhou, how can Jizhou survive alone?
This is a matter of mutual interest, and under this kind of propaganda, the powerful themselves can be said to share the same hatred for the enemy.

The atmosphere of resistance was so strong that when Yuan Shang reviewed the troops, he felt that the "military spirit was ready to be used". He was also infected by the military spirit and seemed to be in high spirits.

His personal high spirits also constantly infected and inspired the middle and senior military officers. This extremely positive energy was transmitted back and forth between the top and bottom of Yuan's army, continuously cleansing, purifying and strengthening the morale of Yuan's army.

At this time, the complacent Yuan Shang saw Ju Hu coming with a turban.

From the pale blue color of the ears and temples under his turban, it was clear that Ju Hu's hair had been shaved.

Shaving people's hair is already a characteristic of black bears.

Compared to the fact that all parties would kill messengers at will, it is obvious that the black bear's behavior was more criticized by all parties.

You can kill people, but you cannot humiliate them.

As for what the envoy thinks, that is his own business.

The carriage stopped by the roadside. Yuan Shang saw that Ju Hu looked pretty good, as if he had not been tortured, abused, or humiliated. However, he looked depressed, probably because he had some emotional problems after being forced to shave his head.

However, Ju Hu was still calm, so Yuan Shang asked, "Does the Grand Marshal have any response?"

"We have wiped out those who conspired with Tian Yan in the city, killed their leader, and rewarded his servants with his wife and daughter. We have obtained 6,000 soldiers, 4,000 of which were given to Wei Yan, a general under Duke Xuande, and 2,000 were kept for ourselves. We mixed them with miscellaneous servants we met along the way and formed an auxiliary force under the command of Mi Fang, the garrison commander of Ji County."

Ju Hu still got some information and continued, "Now the Grand Marshal has five battalions of knights, two battalions of charioteers, and four battalions of auxiliary soldiers. The garrison of Ji County originally had more than 3,000 soldiers, and now we have another 4,000. Wei Yan has 7,000 soldiers under his command."

Yuan Shang was suspicious and asked, "Who is this Wei Yan?"

"He was born in the army of Lord Xuande. He fought bravely in the front during the Battle of Bowangpo and was quite famous for his bravery. Later, Lord Xuande became the General of Zhenbei and appointed Wei Yan as the Sima of another army."

Ju Hu explained seriously that Liu Bei had no shortage of good generals, and the fact that Wei Yan could still stand out under the suppression of this general showed that even if Wei Yan was not good enough, he was still a general of the same level as Zhao Yun. Yuan Shang frowned, "He was born as a soldier, and the Grand Marshal actually thought that this person could lead 7,000 soldiers?"

Li Fu on the side interrupted: "My lord, the Grand Marshal has always been open to all kinds of people. Perhaps this Wei Yan is indeed unique and extraordinary."

"Maybe so."

Yuan Shang shifted his attention away from Wei Yan and immediately asked, "How is the morale in the city?"

"We were unable to contact the military and civilians, but the Grand Marshal's shogunate camp was in the city. The military and civilians were in good order and obeyed orders, either reinforcing civilian houses or building city defense equipment. In my opinion, the military and civilians in the city were very stubborn in their will to fight, due to the preaching and agitation of the Taiping Taoist priests under the Grand Marshal's command."

Ju Hu stated his own views and added: "I also saw a place to build carts in the city. Since the Grand Marshal became famous, he has only fought in the field or on the siege, not in the battle of defending a fortified city. Given the Grand Marshal's temperament, my lord should be careful. I am afraid that the Grand Marshal will suddenly go south and head straight for Fanyang."

Yuan Shang's left and right aides looked pale, and Ju Hu said, "North of Fanyang, our scouts only extend a hundred miles, with four layers of scouts in front and behind. Even with the ability of the Grand Marshal to attack over long distances, it is difficult for the Xiongnu and Xianbei to detect them. Our army must be on guard again and again to eliminate hidden dangers."

"Well, what you said makes sense. I should not only worry about his rush, but also be wary of his strong attack."

Yuan Shang interrupted and looked around and said, "The Grand Marshal uses his troops just as he uses and behaves like a man. He will do anything to achieve his goal. Strengthen the night curfew tonight and keep 30% of the troops ready to prevent a night attack."

"Here."

Several shogunate officials in charge of the night curfew bowed in agreement, expressing their due respect for the black bear even if they had to take action now.

At the very least, the other party's achievements in conquering the various Hu peoples are real, and this is an achievement that is difficult to erase.

This is also the reason why the Jian'an era name is so valuable. Not only did an emperor sacrifice his life for his country, but border troubles were also eliminated on a large scale, which made the country feel proud.

Ju Hu wanted to say something but stopped himself. Sensing that the atmosphere was not right, he did not continue to describe the facts as he saw them.

As a person who frequently travels to Guanzhong and has a good personal relationship with Black Bear, Ju Hu's words carry a lot of weight.

If someone else had been the messenger, he would have probably been beheaded by the soldiers for reporting his achievement.

There is no difference between messengers and spies now.

But he was Ju Hu, and even Black Bear didn't want to kill him. Shaving his hair was considered a punishment, and Ju Hu also got an explanation from Yuan Shang.

After this incident, Yuan Shang would never send Ju Hu on a diplomatic mission again.

Then Ju Hu followed Yuan Shang's caravan back to Fanyang City, and he rode a horse behind Yuan Shang's chariot.

Soon Li Fu drove his horse closer, and the two rode side by side, away from the crowd.

Li Fu asked, "Does the Grand Marshal want to break out to Juyongkou?"

Ju Hu was surprised: "Why did the chief clerk make such a judgment?"

"The Grand Marshal will not come to Fanyang. He handed over the troops he had gathered to Liu Zhenbei's men, which shows that he has no intention of fighting near Ji County. He recruited additional auxiliary troops in order to speed up the march. I was right. The people of Youzhou are going to shed blood."

Li Fu lowered his voice, and when he saw that Ju Hu was about to speak, he raised the horsewhip and placed it across the corner of his lips, signaling Ju Hu not to speak.

Li Fu then smiled and said, "The more our army is on high alert, the more likely the Youzhou people will slack off when they get the wrong information. It is precisely because of their slackness that the Grand Marshal will decisively launch an attack. Only when the Youzhou people bleed and lose a hand, and have a blood feud with the Grand Marshal, will they ask for help from me, and then the general can easily win over the people of Youzhou."

Ju Hu nodded slowly and said, "After I was humiliated by having my hair shaved, I hurried along on the road. The cold wind has caused me to suffer from a headache. I am afraid it will be difficult for me to serve the general in the army."

"In this case, you should take care of your health."

(End of this chapter)