Chapter 736: Your Majesty, I am back!
The defeat of Yuan Shao's army became increasingly obvious, and even Lu Bu began to get anxious.
Zhang Liao and others have already begun to persuade Lu Bu to return to Bingzhou. They have done the most they can and no one can blame them.
If all else fails, take the eldest daughter back to Bingzhou. How can a daughter disobey her father?
Everyone looked towards Jizhou. When would the army led by Luo Yan return to Guandu?
That army will greatly influence the direction of the war and the fate of everyone in the future.
In Jizhou, Luo Yan is mired in the quagmire of war.
Jizhou was too flat, and after Youzhou was breached, the northern part of Jizhou was soon lost.
Fortunately, the State of Zhao had already been established and its cohesion had greatly increased. The Zhao gentry opposed the invasion of the State of Yan and still stood on the side of the State of Zhao.
After Luo Yan returned to Yecheng, he began to organize resistance against the invasion of Yan State.
But the effect is really not good.
He was not a rare military genius like Han Xin, and it was impossible for him to conquer the northern countries with a small army. He could only try his best to block the Yan State's southward advance.
But in plain warfare, cavalry is king.
Relying on more and stronger cavalry, Yan State moved back and forth between the cities of Zhao State, constantly attacking Zhao State's food supply and population, and most importantly, destroying the ruling order.
Under such circumstances, many cities of Zhao State became isolated points, and the reduction of the force that Luo Yan could mobilize was inevitable.
Luo Yan has a lot of cavalry, but not many real armored cavalry, so it is difficult for him to resist the tactics of besieging and attacking the reinforcements.
Youzhou is the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun in later generations, and its importance can be imagined.
The State of Zhao, having lost Youzhou, was like a house with leaks everywhere.
As a repairman, Luo Yan is like using one brick to block ten holes. Even if he blocks the holes quickly, there will always be leaks.
Being able to achieve this level now is already quite remarkable, and Shen Pei’s leadership ability played a very important role in this.
News from Guandu kept coming to him, and the situation became more and more critical.
After he returned to Yecheng and took away a large number of troops, he did not go back even after passing by Yecheng during countless trips. He was quite like Dayu who passed by his home three times without returning during his flood control mission.
All his energy was focused on how to make the Yan army withdraw. It was not until the arrival of the coalition forces of the princes that Luo Yan finally came up with some ideas.
…
When Yan Lin heard that Luo Yan wanted to talk to him, his expression could only be described as wonderful, but in the end Yan Lin agreed to Luo Yan's request to talk, as a way of giving face to the Luo family.
After the two met, the atmosphere was not bad.
Luo Yan first asked why Yan Lin wanted to attack Zhao State. Yan Lin did not shy away and directly told what Gongsun Zan had said.
"Gongsun Zan..."
Only then did Luo Yan know who was responsible for all this. She didn't expect it to be Gongsun Zan. She then recalled Gongsun Zan's brave fighting in recent days.
He could not help but sigh: "I didn't expect Gongsun Zan to be a poor monarch, but he has the talent of a strategist.
For his own selfish desires, he was able to instigate a war between the two countries, leading to the destruction of Zhao and Yan together.
I, the foreign minister, really have to admire that you, Emperor Yan, have such a minister under your command."
Yan Lin raised his eyebrows when he heard this and asked, "Why do you say that, Master Yan?"
Luo Yan still had that emotional expression, and asked calmly: "Your Majesty, are you sure that you can conquer the remaining land of Zhao?
Is His Majesty the Emperor of Yan willing to continue to confront our State of Zhao in Jizhou?
How many years can the food and grass in the Yan Emperor's kingdom last?"
Yan Lin looked unhappy, but he still said, "Don't worry about it, Master Yan. By the time Yan State is at the end of its rope, Jizhou will surely be full of starving people and will no longer be a country."
Luo Yan smiled and said, "Yes, that's exactly what I said, and that's exactly what I'm worried about for you.
If it comes to that, the demise of Zhao State would probably be inevitable.
But what did the State of Yan have to face?
Cao Cao, Liu Bei and the princes of the Han Dynasty.
I'm afraid Your Majesty doesn't know yet that the coalition forces of the Han princes have arrived in Henan. When the Zhao State is destroyed, you will be facing the entire Han Dynasty.
I am truly worried about your State of Yan. Can it really hold on to these lands now?
What would these Han princes do when faced with another emperor?
That is something that outsiders cannot imagine.
Did Gongsun Zan know all this?
This is also something that foreign officials cannot imagine.”
Yan Lin was shocked when he heard this, his eyes fixed, and he felt that Luo Yan was right, but he still said: "Gongsun Bogui is right, and you are also right, so where is the mistake?
Is it true that we, the Great Yan, can neither attack nor retreat?
It would be better to just say that Great Yan cannot exist in this world. The people of Yan will not agree with this statement. "
Luo Yan knew that it was absolutely impossible to make Yan Lin give up what he had obtained with just a few words.
Everyone in this world only wants to die of fullness; no one wants to die of starvation.
Luo Yan sighed and said, "Your Majesty, during the Zhou Dynasty, Qi used Yan as a buffer and barrier against the Donghu, and the Zhou emperor conferred titles on many princes just to serve as a barrier to protect the Zhou royal family.
If you don't want to have a direct conflict with the Han Dynasty, the best way is to let Zhao State serve as a buffer between you and the Han Dynasty.
The State of Zhao was defending the south of Jizhou, just like the foreign ministers were fighting for every city now.
If the princes of the Han Dynasty want to attack, there will be bloodshed.
By the time I face you, I will probably be exhausted. Won't you be able to defeat me by then?
After destroying the State of Zhao, what you will face is endless resistance.
Is there anyone in this world who does not know the prestige of me, the King of Zhao?
If you are willing to let the seeds of the Yuan family remain in Yecheng, we can use the current territory to divide the land, which is good for you.
Isn’t that a better outcome?”
Luo Yan presented facts and reasoned with Yan Lin, telling him the disadvantages of completely conquering Zhao.
In other words, it would be impossible for him to completely conquer Zhao because Cao Cao and Liu Bei would enter Zhao's territory.
In this land, only those who have the support of the Yuan family will be able to capture Jizhou faster.
If the Yan State wants the Yuan family not to quickly surrender to the Han Dynasty, then it must stop here. Moving forward will only harm others and itself.
Yan Lin looked at Luo Yan for a few times and said, "Prince Yan, Zhao State has no future to speak of. Are you willing to come to my Yan State to serve as an official?
I am willing to give you the position of Prime Minister.
You should know that once our Yan State occupies Jizhou and Qingzhou, we will have the destiny to swallow up the world.
Now that I think about it, maybe God favors my Great Yan, and I am the Son of Heaven who was appointed by God?"
Luo Yan smiled and shook her head, saying, "Your Majesty, you shouldn't be saying this to a Luo family member. Since ancient times, there has never been a Luo family member who served two masters."
Yan Lin was stunned when he heard this, then he slowly laughed, "This is my fault, yes, where is the son of the Luo family who serves the second master?
Let's make the agreement according to what you said, Gongzi Yan."
After saying that, Yan Lin left. When Luo Yan informed Shen Pei of the news, Shen Pei said anxiously, "Sir, Yan Lin just betrayed our alliance. How can we trust him now?"
Luo Yan sighed and said, "Yeah, how could I possibly believe him? How could I make the same mistake twice?
This person from Yanlin could be persuaded by Gongsun Zan and by me, but there is no guarantee who will persuade him next time.
But now besides this method, is there any other way?
If our army cannot withdraw from Jizhou, the king will die in Guandu. Look at your sons, which one can fight against powerful rulers like Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Yan Lin?
It’s okay to be a peaceful monarch.
In this era of great strife, if the king dies, there will be no hope for our State of Zhao.
I led the army back to Guandu and re-established the defense line along the river.
If it were just Cao and Liu, there might not be a way to deal with it, but now that there is a coalition of princes, perhaps they can instigate a few of them to rebel and jointly destroy the Han Dynasty.
Due south.
Yecheng and Jizhou are now in your hands. The young and strong men from Jizhou may not be good enough for field battles, but they are enough to defend the city. Be careful of Yan Lin, he is fickle and may break his promise again."
After hearing what Luo Yan said, Shen Pei knew that Luo Yan had considered all aspects and that this was the last resort, so he bowed and said, "I will definitely guard Jizhou well. Grand Commander, rest assured. Anyone who wants to seize Jizhou will have to step over Shen Pei's body."
As the Yan army gradually retreated hundreds of miles, a long no-man's land separated the two sides, and Luo Yan led the army back south.
When passing through Yecheng, he seemed to see from afar an extremely beautiful woman on the top of the city.
Even from such a distance, he still guessed, "That's Mi'er."
Zhen Mi looked at the Zhao army, a tall flag with the word "Zhao" on it and a tall flag with the word "Luo" on it. She knew that her husband, whom she had been thinking about day and night, was among the army.
But Luo Yan has big things to do.
The steward from the Luo family, who was also the captain of his personal guards, whispered, "Sir, it's not too much to rest after passing through Yecheng and meet with the lady."
Luo Yan was silent for a long time before she said, "No, the soldiers have never returned home."
After that, he said to several soldiers in the team: "You don't have to follow me, go and protect the lady."
The soldiers did not say anything and left the barracks directly. After leaving the barracks, the strong men outside turned into sturdy women, who were the spiritual soldiers without flesh and blood.
The army bypassed Yecheng and continued its march, while the envoy went ahead to Guandu.
Luo Yan encouraged the soldiers who had been in battle for a long time and looked a little tired, and his own spirit was even more tense.
Since the war began, endless burdens have been placed on him, almost as heavy as those on Yuan Shao.
He wanted to know what the current situation in Guandu was.
I heard that Yan Liang and Wen Chou died in battle.
Can the army still withstand the attack?
My king, I have returned with my army!
Are you okay?
(End of this chapter)
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