Han officials

Chapter 331 A Laughingstock
Beneath the walls of Shouchun, hordes of defeated soldiers lay in disarray.

Looking at Zhang Xun, who was expressionless on the city wall, Qiao Rui, among the fleeing soldiers below, couldn't help but curse loudly!
That's right, Qiao Rui, who had finally escaped from Dangtu City a few days ago, has been captured.

After leaving Xiquyang that day, Qiao Rui did not expect the Wei army to pursue him so fiercely, giving him no chance to gather the routed soldiers.

Even with the protection of his own troops, Qiao Rui is doomed this time.

The hundreds of defeated soldiers who had just been gathered immediately scattered, leaving Qiao Rui with absolutely no leverage to resist.

As a result, with only two hundred soldiers, they easily captured nearly a thousand of Yuan's routed soldiers.

If Qiao Rui hadn't looked like a general, Mao Kun might have cleaved him in two with a single blow.

Fortunately, Mao Kun stopped in time, and only then did he learn about the troop deployment in Xiquyang City from Qiao Rui.

Well, Qiao Rui actually wanted to die rather than surrender, but who could blame him when Mao Kun was the one who captured him?

The brutality of Mao Kun in the battle of Dangtu made Qiao Rui's backbone crumble, and he could only answer whatever was asked.

After learning the truth about Xi Quyang's situation, Mao Kun made a decisive decision.

He first sent out many scouts to contact the nearest thousand-man team and inform them of the true situation of Xiquyang.

Before the other thousand-man squads could arrive, Mao Kun, with his superior skills and daring, led two hundred men disguised as defeated soldiers of Yuan's army, and, taking Qiao Rui hostage, infiltrated Xiquyang City. Thus, by the time the other three thousand-man squads arrived at Xiquyang and drove the prisoners to attack the city, Mao Kun had already almost captured the city gates.

It can be said that Xiquyang fell faster than Dangtu, and Zhang Xun escaped even faster than Qiao Rui.

What angered Qiao Rui the most was that Zhang Xun didn't even inform him when he abandoned the city and fled!
Although he was already under the control of the Wei army at that time, whether he could escape was one thing, but whether or not to notify them was another!
The thought that he wouldn't have become a prisoner of the Wei army if it weren't for this guy filled Qiao Rui with resentment.

Of course, Qiao Rui's efforts were not in vain; Mao Kun was a man of principle.

Since Qiao Rui cooperated quite well when he infiltrated Xiquyang and did not cause any trouble, Mao Kun appointed him as a Sima in the prisoner-of-war camp, commanding a thousand defeated soldiers, so that he would not have to fill the trenches himself.

Otherwise, Qiao Rui wouldn't have had the time to berate Zhang Xun from below the city walls.

Zhang Xun, who was looking down from the city wall, also saw Qiao Rui, but he ignored her and his expression did not change at all.

Looking at the sea of ​​heads below the city walls, Zhang Xun couldn't help but advise Ji Ling:
"Do not engage in open battle outside the city. The Wei army has many veteran soldiers, all of whom are seasoned warriors who have fought countless battles."

"Our army may still have a glimmer of hope if we hold Shouchun, but if we go into battle, we will surely be defeated!"

This is something Zhang Xun has just experienced firsthand.

It should be noted that his private troops were considered elite even within Yuan's army, yet after the fall of Xiquyang yesterday, they offered no resistance whatsoever to the pursuing Wei army. Two hundred of his personal guards were routed by fifty Wei soldiers.

When the Wei soldiers galloped at full speed, they were able to keep a close watch on Zhang Xun and his men, and even occasionally unleash a volley of arrows.

Not only is the rate of fire high, but the accuracy is also extremely high, with every arrow hitting the target.

Upon approaching, they were able to dismount and fight on foot, and several squad leaders were able to immediately organize a combined attack formation.

The small team of fifty men surprisingly included swordsmen, spearmen, and archers.

Upon witnessing this scene, Zhang Xun knew that Yuan Jun was no match for Wei Jun!

After all, anyone in Yuan's army who could achieve this level was basically qualified to be a Sima or a Colonel.

But how can a mere squad leader in the Wei army know all these things?
Zhang Xun even felt that this group was more ferocious in foot combat than in cavalry combat.

His personal guards suffered only a few dozen casualties in cavalry battles, but they were routed in foot battles.

Of the two hundred personal guards, only twenty managed to escape back to Shouchun with Zhang Xun, despite their desperate efforts.

At the same time, upon hearing Zhang Xun's words, Ji Ling's eyes dimmed, and she couldn't help but sigh softly:
"The lands of Yan and Zhao have always been home to many fierce warriors, so it is not surprising that the Wei army relies heavily on them!"

Zhang Xun hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped himself.

He felt that the quality of those Wei soldiers was not only reflected in their physical fitness, but also in the fact that those lower-ranking officers were good at using their brains.

However, after thinking it over, Zhang Xun wisely kept his mouth shut.

As Yuan Shu's personally appointed general, Ji Ling finally adopted Zhang Xun's advice and chose to hold the position.

Before long, he appeared in Yuan Shu's palace.

"Your Majesty, at this juncture, the only option is to hold firm and wait for the situation to change; there is no other way!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu, who was on the throne, had long lost his previous arrogance.

Yuan Shu, outwardly fierce but inwardly weak, angrily said:
"I am the Son of Heaven, how can I sit idly by and wait for my death?"

"Quickly, summon all the troops in the land to defend the emperor! The first to arrive will be granted the title of king!"

However, upon hearing this, Ji Ling smiled bitterly and said:

"Now that Nanyang has fallen, Runan and Danyang are both under siege. Where can we find an army to come to the aid of the emperor?"

"Your Majesty, I am determined to fight to the death! However... I urge Your Majesty to make plans as soon as possible!"

After saying this, Ji Ling bid farewell to Yuan Shu with a resolute expression and returned to the walls of Shouchun.

Actually, Ji Ling originally intended to invite Yuan Shu to personally visit the city walls to boost the morale of the defending soldiers.

But after seeing Yuan Shu's reaction, he felt that it was unnecessary to go through all that trouble.

He feared that it would backfire, as the emperor's fear would negatively impact the defending troops.

After Ji Ling left, Yuan Shu sat on the throne in a daze for a long time.

"I am the Son of Heaven, I am the Son of Heaven..." He kept repeating this phrase, seemingly lost in some kind of illusion.

Yet this abnormal Yuan Shu still controls hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Shouchun City.

……

That night, at the foot of Shouchun City.

As the various armies of the central army converged here, Wei Zhe found that his troops had suddenly swelled.

He clearly only sent out fifteen thousand-man squads, but each of them returned with a group of prisoners.

The number ranges from a few thousand to several thousand.

Therefore, there were only 20,000 Wei troops outside Shouchun City, while the remaining 40,000 were Yuan troops.

Upon discovering this, Wei Zhe was both amused and exasperated. Was Yuan Shu actually helping him recruit soldiers?
“The local soldiers are precious, and it’s good that these auxiliary soldiers are following them. Yuan Gonglu has done a rare good thing.”

In response, Xi Zhicai couldn't help but make this sarcastic remark.

Upon hearing this, laughter erupted in the command tent.

Zhao Yun couldn't help but shake his head and sigh:

"Those who follow the righteous path will find abundant support, while those who stray from it will find little. Now I understand!"

"If it weren't for our lord's benevolence, why would these Yuan soldiers have submitted to us?"

He wasn't just flattering me when he said that.

Although these prisoners were brought to Shouchun City passively, they did not resist attacking Yuan Shu in the slightest.

Even half of the prisoners were quite active, cutting down trees, digging soil, and making siege weapons, working even busier than the Wei army.

Ultimately, the main reason was that Yuan Shu committed many atrocities when he forcibly conscripted young men.

These young adults don't even know if their wives, children, and elderly mothers are still alive.

After all, they are the pillars of their families, and if they were to leave, the whole family could starve to death!
When Zhao Yun mentioned the sentiments of the captured Yuan soldiers, Wei Zhe thought for a moment and immediately gave the order:

"Tomorrow morning, before we leave the camp, we will not rush to attack the city. We will select more than a thousand people with loud voices to complain in the four cities and list Yuan Shu's crimes."

It should be noted that, aside from the common people, there were still nearly 50,000 Yuan troops in Shouchun.

If they launch a strong and aggressive attack, the Wei army will inevitably suffer some casualties.

Upon hearing Wei Zhe's idea, Xi Zhicai immediately praised it:

"Excellent! Your plan is remarkably similar to the strategy of 'besieged on all sides'!"

Regardless of the emotion involved, the essence of this psychological warfare tactic is to make the enemy and one's own side share a common hatred for the enemy.

However, the conditions for implementing such a scheme are very strict, and the results are hard to say. Wei Zhe just wanted to give it a try.

Therefore, after giving these two instructions, Wei Zhe added:
"Shouchun is a large city, and it will not be easy to conquer it in a day."

"If any reinforcements come from all directions, defeat them first and do not allow them to approach Shouchun, so as to boost the morale of the defending troops!"

"Furthermore, we must not neglect the waterways. Our army's food and supplies largely depend on waterways, so we must not allow Yuan's army to take advantage of this."

Even though Wei Zhe underestimated Yuan Shu, he still dared not be careless about the supply lines.

After all, once the Wei army runs out of food, Yuan Shu can survive this disaster by holding out in Shouchun for a few months.

At that time, the situation of the Battle of Guandu will probably be repeated between the Yangtze and Huai Rivers.

It can only be said that every step Wei Zhe took bore the shadow of Prime Minister Cao.

The mistakes Cao Cao made throughout his life reminded him that some things really shouldn't be done.

Just as Wei Zhe was making arrangements in his command tent, a battle report from Runan suddenly arrived.

Before Wei Zhe had even finished reading the battle report, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"As expected, Wen Yuan is still so reliable when it comes to getting things done!"

Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials inside the tent were immediately filled with envy.

This is what it means to value someone and what it means to trust someone!

However, after Wei Zhe showed the battle report of Runan to everyone, all the civil and military officials shook their heads helplessly.

There was nothing they could do; Zhang Liao had truly won brilliantly this time!
This fellow actually took advantage of the Yellow Turbans' desire to avoid war, and actively drove the Yellow Turbans of Runan towards Yuan's army, thus forging an alliance between the two.

Such a tactic of strengthening the enemy's forces is probably only something a daring general like Zhang Liao would dare to use!

However, this tactic was indeed effective. After reaching a consensus with Yuan Jun and deciding to join forces against Wei Jun, the Yellow Turbans of Runan became much bolder and no longer fled at the slightest provocation when fighting against Wei Jun.

In the final battle, Zhang Liao led the main force to hold off Yuan Shao's army and the Yellow Turban rebels of Runan, while secretly sending Sun Ce and Guo Huai as surprise troops, each leading a thousand elite cavalry outside, to act according to circumstances.

As a result, in the Battle of Pingyu, Sun Ce directly took the head of Liu Xun, the commander of Yuan's army in Runan, amidst a vast army!
Guo Huai also killed two commanders, He Yi and Liu Pi, in battle, which frightened Huang Shao and He Man so much that they abandoned their troops and fled.

However, the two men did not escape in the end. They were captured by Yuan Jun generals Lei Bo and Chen Lan and given to Zhang Liao as a surrender gift!
As a result, the previously chaotic situation in Runan became completely clear in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, Zhang Zhao had already begun arranging for the prisoners to settle down and cultivate land to restore people's livelihoods.

With such a victory, it's no wonder Wei Zhe was in a good mood!
It's not uncommon for Zhang Liao to win battles, but to win so brilliantly is truly admirable!
(End of this chapter)