Chapter 300 Yingchuan's Aid
Yuan Shu... is dead?
This guy who once usurped the throne by holding the imperial seal in history, actually died just like that?
The moment he realized what was written on the secret letter, Qiao Yan couldn't help feeling a little dazed.
But this letter was written by someone in the intelligence system she had planned herself, so there was no way it could be fake!
If even her system of sending messages by carrier pigeons and codes was hacked into at this time, then she really should quit as soon as possible.
As she handed the note to Guo Jia, she quickly thought about the current situation in Yuzhou.
Faced with drought and locust disasters, Yuan Shu was unable to control the overall situation in Yuzhou. For a man with great vision and foresight like Cao Cao, it is indeed possible that he would choose to take action at this time!
Ju Shou and Gao Shun had also demonstrated to Cao Cao the possibility of a quick attack on Yuan Shu.
At that time, Ju Su did not have enough troops under his command, and could only directly attack the Yuan clan's territory in Runan in order to lure Yuan Shu out of his turtle shell and achieve his goal of confronting him head-on.
After Yuan Shu managed to escape, he could no longer pose any threat to him.
Fortunately, the purpose of warning Yuan Shu and regaining face had been achieved. Even if no further results were achieved, for Ju Shou, withdrawing the army was not a disadvantage.
But the result of their start is that people can once again try the method of rapid breakthrough!
But this time, Yuan Shu was not so lucky.
No, this may not be simply described by the word luck.
The truth that water can carry a boat but can also capsize it is particularly evident in the current situation of this disaster.
If Yuan Shu, a fool who came from a noble family background, could not put aside his arrogant mentality and take the lives of the people to heart, at this critical moment of life and death, he might be able to count on the noble families in Ruying to continue to support him. But how could he expect that these people who also wanted to live would continue to work for him unconditionally?
This is the fate Yuan Shu deserves!
Qiao Yan was not surprised at all that Yuan Shu's absurd behavior and the way he argued with his brother would lead him to such a state. The only thing that surprised him was that -
It happens at this time!
It was Cao Cao who took action!
"The army mutinied, Yuan Shu died..." Guo Jia looked at the news in front of him and was also surprised, "Sir, we underestimated Cao Yanzhou."
According to the news that had previously reached Chang'an, Cao Cao was still being held back by the aristocratic families in his Yanzhou territory.
This was even the case when the disaster first occurred this year!
This inevitably makes people feel that he is also in a difficult situation.
But within just a few months, he dared to face the pressure of the disaster and get rid of Yuan Shu, the weakest neighbor first. This really showed great courage!
"This is indeed the most suitable way for him to break the impasse." Qiao Yan had to admit that there was indeed a reason why Cao Cao could become the winner in the north in the original history of the Three Kingdoms. His decision at this time revealed his full heroic style!
"Since there are some disobedient voices in Yanzhou, then he can extend his power beyond Yanzhou and get other support to balance the power of the noble families in Yanzhou - that's great!"
What a great Cao Mengde!
If Cao Cao could really gain a foothold in Yuzhou and introduce the power of Yuzhou's scholars to fight against internal opposition, this hastily launched operation would not only not cause him to lose sight of the big picture, but would instead open up a whole new situation for him.
The premise of all this is that he can gain a firm foothold after seizing Yuan Shu's territory.
If we look at the current situation, as long as he distributes his generals properly, this is really not an impossible task!
Yuan Shao, who was in Jizhou and Qingzhou, was still facing the pressure of disasters. When Qiao Yan gave him a palm-leaf fan as a reminder, Yuan Shao still needed to decide whether he should further control the disaster by digging deep wells.
Holding the territories of two states was already a relatively difficult task for Yuan Shao at that time. It was certainly impossible for him to seize Yanzhou from behind when Cao Cao was advancing into Yuzhou.
If he really did that, even if he said that he was seeking justice for his fellow brothers, it would be completely untenable.
There is no benefit except getting yourself into trouble.
What's more, Qiao Yan speculated that Cao Cao's actions might have been approved by Yuan Shao.
The person closest to Yuzhou in Xuzhou is Liu Bei.
This is also the easiest situation.
As the governor of Xuzhou appointed by the imperial court in Yecheng, Liu Bei's top priority at the moment is to compete with Zhang Yi, who is also in Xuzhou, rather than rashly extending his battle line.
As for the garrison of Xuzhou, Cao Cao could have retained Pei State between Xuzhou and the state as a buffer zone.
After Liu Bei took control of Xuzhou, this place was actually still in Liu Bei's hands.
Considering Cao Cao's decision to initiate the war in Yuzhou, he would not be foolish enough to plunder Pei State at this time and lead to the enmity between him and Liu Bei.
It would be more appropriate for him to control Chen County, Yingchuan County and Runan County himself, and after he had gained enough benefits, he would still hand over Pei State to Liu Bei for jurisdiction.
But don't forget that Pei State is Cao Cao's hometown. Even when Liu Bei first started to march into Pei State, it was Cao Cao who supplied him with military rations.
This seemed like Cao Cao was taking a step back, but in fact he had eliminated a hidden danger for himself while at the same time bringing together an ally to fight against Yangzhou with him.
Then there are only two enemies left for him to face.
One is Liu Biao of Jingzhou.
One is Qiao Yan, who controls Guanzhong, Bingzhou and Liangzhou.
Liu Biao's horizons are still limited to his own small piece of land in Jingzhou.
Even if we look closely at the situation in Jingzhou, he has not yet been able to bring the entire south under his control.
Since most of his soldiers relied on the support of the aristocratic families in Jingzhou, the possibility of him going north to Yuzhou was very slim.
As for Qiao Yan...
"According to Fengxiao and Wenruo, where is the farthest range of my control over Sili now?"
It was not difficult to understand what Qiao Yan meant from this question.
Her solitary attack on Liang Province and Guanzhong was essentially a choice made when the supporting force was controllable and the number of enemies was limited. It did not mean that she could follow suit at this time and directly send troops to expel Cao Cao from the territory of Yuzhou.
The strength she had secretly accumulated and developed over the past two years did not allow her to make a wrong judgment about the enemy and our situation.
The fact that she knew about the sudden change in Yuzhou one step ahead of time did not mean that Yuzhou gave her the opportunity to launch a surprise attack.
Guo Jia replied: "Eight passes in Luoyang."
"That's right." Xun Yu continued, confirming Guo Jia's judgment.
Although he did not personally see the message on the note, when the content was told by Qiao Yan and Guo Jia, Xun Yu had already begun to analyze the current situation.
Yuzhou, which originally belonged to the Chang'an court, suddenly changed hands. This was certainly a loss for them, especially when he thought that it also included Yingchuan where his family was located. Xun Yu couldn't help but feel anxious.
But worrying is one thing, and objectively assessing the situation is another.
The battle line from Chang'an to Yuzhou was too long, so long that Xun Yu would never suggest Qiao Yan to fight this counterattack in Yuzhou.
In order to ensure that the territory that Qiao Yan could actually control would not be too difficult to manage, she would at most change the original Tongguan as the boundary to -
"The boundary is Hulao Pass."
Xun Yu bowed to Qiao Yan and said, "Regarding the change in Yuzhou, whether the Grand Marshal wants to take it back or not, we must let the world see that the court in Chang'an is not weak and can be bullied. We might as well march to Luoyang as quickly as possible and guard the eight passes. On the one hand, we can take back control of Luoyang and accommodate the people, including those who fled to Sili during the drought and those who came because of the war in Yuzhou. On the other hand, we can shorten the distance between Luoyang and Yanzhou to warn Cao Cao."
Guo Jia added: "In addition, please ask His Majesty for an order to order Liu Jingsheng of Jingzhou to increase the garrison in Nanyang. There is no need to send troops rashly. Just show the intention to march north to Ruying."
Qiao Yan accepted these two suggestions and said, "There are two more things I will do."
Although she did not say what she was going to do specifically at this time, Guo Jia and Xun Yu could see that she had already made up her mind about her actions.
It makes sense. Perhaps for others, sending troops under such special weather conditions is almost impossible, not to mention that the territory is not small to begin with.
But for Qiao Yan, it was not difficult to make a breakthrough.
With the wells and canals that have been dug to utilize groundwater for irrigation, it is no longer an unattainable dream but a visible fact for the three states to get through this year safely.
The tens of millions of dan of grain stored in the Chang'an granary, in addition to being used to respond to disasters, is also her source of confidence!
"Send a message to Zilong and have him lead the army and escort the military rations to Luoyang immediately." Qiao Yan handed the seal to Guo Jia and said, "Fengxiao, as the chief official of the Grand Marshal's Office, will go to the palace on my behalf to meet His Majesty and get the order for Liu Jingsheng to send troops."
What they also need to obtain is the power to mobilize troops in the territory of Henan Yin.
However, with Sima Fang, the highest official of Henan Yin, the task was generally not difficult.
Qiao Yan turned to Xun Yu and said, "Wen Ruo, please come with me. We will not enter Luoyang, but go straight to Huanyuan Pass!"
Huanyuan Pass is the gateway between Sili and Yuzhou. After passing through Huanyuan Pass, you will reach Yingchuan area of Yuzhou.
When Dong Zhuo occupied Luoyang in the past, he ordered Fan Chou and Zhang Ji to guard here.
This not only allows the defense of Luoyang, but also allows the dispatch of troops to Yingchuan at any time.
As for why Xun Yu was brought along, the fact that the Xun family had a high status in Yingchuan was enough.
Their original intention when leaving Tongguan was to build a new settlement in Hongnong County and Henan Yin, which was equivalent to settling these refugees here in the form of military settlements, and the number of soldiers they brought with them was not small.
At first glance, this team riding eastward did not look like a hasty reaction to the sudden change in Yuzhou. Instead, it looked like a team rushing to the rescue at an extremely fast speed.
It was nearly four hundred miles from Shan County to Huanyuan Pass, and most of the travel was at the speed of cavalry. When she arrived, it was only three days after she received the news of Yuan Shu's death.
What surprised her a little was that when she ordered people to plant the flag of the Great Sima on Huanyuan Pass, she got a piece of news from the garrison left by Sima Fang there -
Although Yuan Shu died, not all of Yuzhou fell into Cao Cao's hands.
"Yuan Yuzhou's chief clerk Yuan Yaoqing was in Yingchuan. After the Ru'nan mutiny, he supported Yuan Yuzhou's son and continued to fight against Cao's army in Linying."
As if he was afraid that there might be something wrong with the information they passed on to Qiao Yan, the garrison soldier said, "We don't know the exact situation right now. We only know that when our scouts reported it a day ago, Yuan Yuzhou's personal guards were still confronting General Xiahou from Cao Yanzhou in Linying."
Since there was a governor in Yuzhou, Sima Fang, as the governor of the neighboring Henan Province, would of course have nothing to do with this place. However, after Yuan Shu's death, he could have sent troops to provide assistance.
However, the enemy on the opposite side was Cao Cao, and his own army was not strong. Out of caution, Sima Fang decided to retreat to Huanyuan Pass. At most, he would send someone to send a message to Chang'an as soon as possible.
However, what Sima Fang did not expect was that only one or two days after he sent out the news of Yuzhou, Qiao Yan... had already arrived?
What kind of prophetic ability is this!
Not only did she arrive quickly, but after hearing about the situation in Yuzhou, she also made a decision quickly.
She didn't intend to stop at Huanyuan Pass.
After exchanging a glance with Xun Yu and seeing the look of recognition in the eyes of this scion of the Yingchuan family, Qiao Yan immediately issued an order to withdraw half of the troops guarding Huanyuan Pass to meet up with the reinforcements she was sending there. After resting for a night, they would march to Linying the next day.
She really couldn't take Yuzhou because of her distance, so she had to find someone to replace Yuan Shu to guard the place.
Cao Cao, who initiated this battle, will certainly do his best to preserve the results he has already achieved.
But this does not mean that she has to hide in Huanyuan Pass and be a bystander!
Yuan Huan felt a headache coming on listening to Yuan Yao's crying.
He simply left the government office in Linying and looked around the city wall. Seeing that the Cao army that had come from afar was showing signs of about to besiege the city, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
After checking the treasury, he saw that there was still enough food left to feed the people in the city for half a year, but he did not show any sign of being pleased.
The death of the Lord of the Mansion is the most devastating thing for the subordinates of any force.
Yuan Shu was indeed not a wise man, but he did not do anything to let Yuan Huan down, so after secretly cursing and condemning Yuan Shu, Yuan Huan still came to Yingchuan to clean up the mess caused by the locust plague.
But what Yuan Huan never expected was that he had only been in Yuzhou for a few days, and such a change had actually happened.
Yuan Shu's move to gather his troops in Pingyu made his defense on the border between Yanzhou and Yuzhou completely slack.
When Cao Cao traveled around Liang State and Chenliu County under the pretext of quelling a locust plague, he received no extra care from the Chen County garrison.
How could Cao Cao, who had already made up his mind to take action, miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
From the perspective of Yuzhou, the gathering of the enemy's troops seemed to happen in just a moment. By the time they realized something was wrong, the enemy had already marched south and invaded on all fronts.
This is a real attack!
The number of troops deployed by Cao Cao in this battle was at least over 15,000. According to the essential purpose of the march, it was to capture Runan County from Yuan Shu. And on the premise of ensuring that Yanzhou would not be in chaos, this was the maximum number of people Cao Cao could mobilize.
It was the arrival of such an army that caused Yuan Shu's soldiers, who had originally wanted to escape and go home to drive away the locusts, to riot even before Cao's army besieged the city.
Yuan Shu was taken out of his residence in a panic by his subordinates, but as soon as he left the city, he ran into Cao Ren's aggressive team.
Because it was night at that time, Yuan Shu and his subordinates were quickly separated by the enemy.
In his earlier years, he could still ride a horse and travel across Luoyang, but now he had become a tyrant because of the power of the governor in his hands. As a result, during his escape, he not only failed to kill the enemy, but was tripped off his horse. He was mistaken for an invader by the panic-stricken people in the city and was killed on the spot.
However, Yuan Shu's son Yuan Yao, who rushed out through another city gate with Yan Xiang and others, narrowly avoided the enemy and escaped from here. He came to Yingchuan to join Yuan Huan.
However, there is no real geographical barrier separating Yingchuan and Runan.
Otherwise, why do you always talk about these two things together?
Yuan Huan knew very well that even if he held Linying at this time, it would not be a long-term solution. He had to wait for reinforcements from Huanyuan Pass to arrive.
The area within Huanyuan Pass does not refer to Sima Fang.
But...
Just as he was thinking this, he heard his subordinates running towards him, shouting, "Master! Reinforcements are coming from the west!"
Reinforcements?
Yuan Huan looked up quickly, stunned.
He didn't believe that Sima Fang, who intended to protect himself, would change his mind in such a short time and suddenly decide to send troops to support.
It would be even more impossible if it was sent by Liu Biao.
It would take at least five or six days to send the message to Xiangyang and then dispatch troops from Jingzhou.
As for Guanzhong, which is farther away and the one he is most looking forward to, that is even more impossible.
It is unknown whether Qiao Yan has received any news about the accident in Yuzhou at this time, so how can we expect them to arrive at this time?
So where did this reinforcement come from?
Yuan Huan hurriedly followed his subordinates to the western wall of Linying, and saw a vast cloud of dust coming from the distance. It was obviously a team of cavalry marching at a very fast speed and were about to reach where he was.
If they were coming from the north, Yuan Huan might still have to worry about whether Cao Cao's troops would choose to come from Chenliu and encircle them from both sides, but if they were coming from the west, this possibility would be greatly reduced.
This could really be reinforcements!
Yuan Huan's heart was in his throat.
In the smoke and dust, the figures of galloping cavalry gradually appeared in front of Yuan Huan and others.
Suddenly, he grabbed the attendant beside him, pointed at the faintly visible flag over there and blurted out: "Look at the flag over there! Is there a word Qiao on it?"
The golden shadow of the sunlight made the flag fluttering with the team become a little blurry.
But Yuan Huan felt that he was not mistaken. The crimson-colored flag with white characters -
It's clearly Qiao Yan's representative!
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