"What's the matter?"

Yuan Shao frowned and asked with a little dissatisfaction. He had already instructed him not to disturb him every time he was discussing with Wenwu, unless there was something important. Since the soldiers came to disturb them, there was obviously something, but looking at the soldiers' expressions, they were not very flustered, but they were not a big deal. Therefore, Yuan Shao was a little dissatisfied.

"Lord Assassin Shi, Gongsun Chan sent soldiers to dig trenches and moats outside the city. Xin Sima felt that Gongsun Zhan's trip was different, so he sent a villain to inform Lord Assassin Shi. ”

Xin Sima, that is, Xin Bi, is the marching army Sima under the command of Yuan Shao.

Xin Binai is the younger brother of Xin Ping, both of them are from Yingchuan, and Guo Tunai is the same countryman. Earlier, Xin Ping and Guo Tu were both under the command of Han Fu, the former assassin of Jizhou, and later Han Fu ceded Jizhou to Yuan Shao, and Xin Ping also worked for Yuan Shao. Compared with the subordinate officials of the entire Jizhou, most of the people are actually not very resistant to Yuan Shao. Han Fu gave Jizhou to Yuan Shao by himself, not because Yuan Shao forcibly seized it, at most, Yuan Shao used some tricks. And Han Fu himself is afraid of things, so he will let Jizhou out. Therefore, except for a small number of people, most of them are willing to work for Yuan Shao.

At the beginning, the princes begged for Dong, Dong Zhuo burned Luoyang, retreated to Chang'an, and after the dissolution of the princes' coalition army, Dong Zhuo's command began to kill and plunder again, and Yingchuan, the cradle of talents, did not escape the disaster. However, some of these big families, such as the Xun family, the Chen family, and the Xin family of Xin Ping, were very wise to move away from Yingchuan.

Among them, the Xun family and the Xin family took refuge in Jizhou, and the Chen family, the Lu family and other families took refuge in other places, including Xuzhou and Jingzhou. And Xin Ping's clansmen took refuge in Jizhou, and they were naturally valued by Yuan Shao, although Xin Ping's family was not as good as big families like Xun and Chen, but it was not bad, and Xin Ping was reused by Yuan Shao. Moreover, Xin Ping's younger brother Xin Bi has few talents, and when the eunuch was in power, he signaled Xin Bi to enter the court, but Xin Bi refused, which shows Xin Bi's reputation.

When a foreign family like the Xin family came to Jizhou, they were naturally boycotted by the local families in Jizhou. For example, Feng Ji's family, the family of the trial, etc., it is precisely because of this that Xin Ping and Guo Tu are good friends, both of them are from Yingchuan, and they are very important to each other, which also allows their families to settle down in Jizhou.

Feng Ji's family is not very strong, if you count it by rank, Feng Ji's family is a third-rate family, and the family of the trial is a second-rate. And Xin Ping and Guo Tu, Xin Ping's Xin family is a second-rate family, and Guo Tu's Guo family is a third-rate family. Everyone's strength is also comparable, and they all serve under Yuan Shao, and they don't make too much trouble. The most important point is that the first-class families in Jizhou do not have much resistance to families in other regions, because they feel that it is not necessary. The reason why families like Feng Ji and judge them will resist foreign families is that they are afraid that their status will not be guaranteed.

How to assess the level of the family is naturally based on the level of the children of their family, as well as the official positions that their ancestors once held. For example, the Yuan family, how glorious the fourth and third princes are, it is naturally a top family today, Yuan Shao's father Yuan Feng has many protégés, the Yuan family is called a top family, no one dares to refute; and the Nanyang Liu family, which is the hometown of the imperial court today, and the Liu family is also extremely powerful, and the reason why the Yuan family is not famous is because they cannot be famous. If the son is still there today, if the Liu family wants to be famous, they may be given a bad hat. Many families can continue because they are low-key enough, and it is nothing if they are not officials, and no one dares to underestimate them.

There are so many local families in Jizhou, and everyone can always become a first-class family when they develop slowly, or they still have the opportunity to become a top family. Therefore, whether they can become a first-class family naturally depends on their ability to control Jizhou. If the positions such as Changshi and the main secretary are all members of a family, there is no doubt that even if this family is a third-rate family, it can be regarded as a first-class family immediately. Just like Chen Qun's Chen family, it has only been developed for three generations, and it can already be called a top family.

Now that the big family of Yingchuan has come to Jizhou to develop, even if a big family like the Xun family goes, they are extremely popular wherever they go, and no one will resist them. However, the Guo family and the Xin family cannot be compared with the Xun family, so they naturally become the targets of suppression. However, Yuan Shao failed to let the local family in Jizhou get his wish, and the outstanding sons of the Guo family and the Xin family still served as officials in Jizhou, occupying the position that originally belonged to the local family in Jizhou, which made the local family in Jizhou even more dissatisfied, and the factional struggle formed by the two sides can also be seen.

"Go to the top of the city!"

Yuan Shao learned that it was sent by Xinbi, and he didn't continue to discuss, and everyone couldn't agree on it, which made Yuan Shao also upset. In this case, it is better to look at Gongsun Zhan's actions, so as to judge whether the other party has a plan and then make a decision.

A moment later, Yuan Shao and his subordinate Wenwu gathered at the head of the city and watched as Gongsun Zhan's soldiers below were digging trenches and moats.

"Lord, this trench and moat are only more than a foot deep, how can they flood my Yecheng, this must be Gongsun Zhan's plan to lure the enemy. The subordinates thought that the lord could guard the city, and let him act as his grandson Chan did, and we didn't have to pay attention to it. When Gongsun Chan's food is exhausted, he will retreat, and the lord can still save his troops. ”

When Feng Ji saw it, he immediately mocked, if he wanted to flood Yecheng with such a trench and moat, he might not be able to wait another hundred and eighty years. Therefore, Feng Ji continued to insist on his opinion.

Guo Tu did not show weakness, and immediately said: "My lord, maybe this is deliberately done by Gongsun Zhan, which made us negligent. A few days ago, Gongsun Chan could dig tunnels, and if the soldiers found out, the soldiers of Gongsun Chan would have already broken into the city. Now, how could Gongsun Chan do such a useless work? His subordinates thought that Gongsun Chan would send a small number of men to dig trenches and trenches on the ground, and send more soldiers to dig tunnels, and once the water of the Zhanghe River was sufficient to open up tunnels, trenches, and moats, Yecheng would inevitably be flooded. ”

"My lord, my subordinates think that what the public rules say is reasonable. ”

The person who spoke was Xin Ping, and Guo Tu were both from the Yingchuan lineage, and the two families joined forces to fight against the local family in Jizhou, one was honored, and one was lost, of course Xin Ping would support Guo Tu. As for Feng Ji's resentful eyes, how could Xin Ping care.

Yuan Shao was a little hesitant, not knowing how to decide. In terms of playing with power and controlling the balance between his subordinates, Yuan Shao, who was born in the Yuan family, is naturally handy, just like the struggle between his subordinates, Yuan Shao knows it. However, Yuan Shao did not stop it, only by letting them struggle, develop in the struggle, and become more excellent, can Yuan Shao develop faster. Yuan Shao's ability is the way of the emperor. Therefore, there is a struggle between Yuan Shao's subordinates, but they will not be blatantly framed, otherwise, Yuan Shao would have punished him a long time ago.

However, Yuan Shao has the way of being a royal being, and the rest of his strategy and military talents are a big difference. Coupled with his hesitant personality, it is even more difficult to make a decision.

If Cao Cao was here, it is estimated that he would have made a decision a long time ago.

Xu You has followed Yuan Shao for so long, so he naturally knows Yuan Shao's character. His eyes rolled around, and when he had an idea, he stepped forward and said, "My lord, what Yuan Tu and Gong Ze said makes sense. However, Gongsun Chan behaved like this, but we can't ignore it. In this case, a team of sergeants can be sent out of the city to cover the killing, and find out if Gongsun Chan had people dig tunnels underground. ”

"What Ziyuan said is very true, so follow what Ziyuan said!"

Seeing that Xu Yu said this, Yuan Shao nodded in agreement, and the others naturally had no opinion. Anyway, it doesn't matter if it's okay, it won't have anything to do with them, at most they don't do anything. Guo Tu's proposal was supported by Xin Ping, but Feng Ji's proposal was not agreed to, and the trial was not compatible with Feng Ji, and the two families had been in a struggle, although they resisted the family that Yingchuan came, but they did not unite. The children of other local families in Jizhou were even happier to see them fighting so fiercely. It's best for Guo Tu and Feng Ji to lose both, so that others can benefit from the left hand of the fisherman.

Since the decision was made, Yuan Shao asked Yan Liang and Wen Chou to lead 5,000 people each out of the city to test.

The soldiers of Gongsun Zhan, who were digging trenches and trenches outside the city, saw that the gate of Yecheng was wide open, and Yuan Shao's soldiers attacked and immediately began to flee. Subsequently, Wen Chou and Yan Liang ordered the soldiers to start investigating whether there were tunnels underground. However, after investigating for a long time, no signs of tunnels were found. Yan Liang and Wen Chou continued to advance, until they were three miles away from Yecheng, and there was still no sign of authenticity.

"Boom..."

Just as Yan Liang and Wen Chou were about to advance, there was a sound of mountains and tsunamis, and when they heard this movement, they knew that there was a formation of a large group of cavalry.

"It's not good, it's the white horse, retreat immediately!"

Yan Liang and Wen Chou didn't know the prestige of Bai Ma Yicong, although they had 6,000 people, but they were attacked by cavalry like Bai Ma Yicong, even if Bai Ma Yicong only had 2,000 people, they couldn't stop these 6,000 people. Although Yan Liang and Wen Chou were arrogant, they also had self-knowledge, so they immediately ordered a retreat. If it had been a little slower, it would have been estimated that these 6,000 people would have to be accounted for here.

After Yan Liang and Wen Chou gave the order, they decisively turned over and ran towards Yecheng. And the rest of the soldiers, some on horseback, also got on their horses and fled, and those who did not ride spread their feet and fled. The prestige of the White Horse's righteous servants is all obtained from battlefield killings, and no one will question it.

Although it was only a short distance of three miles, it was a nightmarish distance for Yuan Shao's soldiers who did not ride horses. If they were lucky, they were able to run back into the city, but some of the soldiers were already out of breath after only running a distance, and they were killed by the white horse Yicong who caught up. In the end, Bai Mayi had stopped from chasing three hundred meters from Yecheng, and the archers in the city were already ready to go. Although Bai Ma Yicong is an elite, he will not be used as a target for people to shoot.

As a result, only about 4,000 of the 6,000 people who left the city came back alive. There was no fighting, and nearly 2,000 people were lost in this way, which made Yuan Shaoqi's face pale.

"Lord, Gongsun Zhan's Bai Ma Yicong was able to dispatch so quickly, which shows that he has been prepared for a long time. Fortunately, only 6,000 people were sent this time, and Gongsun Chan did not send more people to attack. Otherwise, our army will definitely suffer heavy losses this time. Therefore, his subordinates thought that the plan to break the Zhanghe River must be a conspiracy of Gongsun Zhan, who wanted to lure our army out of the city. ”

A smile flashed quickly at the corner of Feng Ji's mouth, and he looked at Guo Tu and Xin Ping mockingly. In this confrontation, it was obvious that he Feng Ji had won, and as for the 2,000 soldiers who died, Feng Ji didn't care at all. As long as he can win, he doesn't care if more soldiers die, those soldiers' lives are low, aren't they?

Yuan Shao took a deep breath, looked at Guo Tu and Xin Ping, who were ashamed, and reassured: "This is not the fault of justice and Zhongzhi, but our army is not fully prepared and rashly dispatched. Otherwise, you won't be caught off guard by Gongsun Zhan, and you two don't need to mind Gongzhi and Zhongzhi. ”

"The lord is righteous, and his subordinates will never give up!"

Guo Tu and Xin Ping flashed with emotion on their faces, and Yuan Shao did not blame them for this. Although everyone knew that Yuan Shao's words were buying people's hearts, they were very listening, even if they knew that Yuan Shao was buying people's hearts, they also admitted it. After all, this time it was they who proposed to go out of the city to investigate, and as a result, they lost 2,000 people, and Yuan Shaoken covered up this mistake for them, so why were they dissatisfied?

As for Feng Ji, there was no suggestion to punish the two for this. When Feng Ji also made mistakes, although Yuan Shao would accuse, he would also help him cover up. Yuan Shao, as the lord, wants his subordinates to fight and maintain balance, so that the two sides must remain at the same level. Otherwise, once one party overpowers the other and lets one of them sit big, it will not be a good thing for Yuan Shao.

"In this case, the person who thought to shoot arrows before was arranged by Gongsun Zhan, and he wanted to ** our army out of the city. Therefore, our army does not need to pay attention to it and let them do what they do. Our army is temporarily recuperating, looking for an opportunity to defeat Gongsun Chan in one fell swoop, so that he can know what a stupid act it is to invade our Jizhou. However, we can't let Gongsun Chan be so provocative, lest others say that I have no one in Jizhou. Wen Chou and Yan Liang listened to the order, once Gongsun Zhan sent people to dig trenches and moats, the two of you took turns to lead the soldiers out of the city to harass. ”

"The last general obeys!"

"Okay, there's nothing to do, you all go back to rest, and you will need all the talents in Jizhou in the future. ”

"I don't dare to take credit, if there is no lord to lead, how can Jizhou have today's prosperity!"

"Congratulations to the lord, the lord go slowly!"

Later, once Gongsun Chan sent soldiers to dig trenches and moats, Wen Chou and Yan Liang would take turns leading the cavalry out of the city to harass them, and so on until the fifth watch of the first day. And at this time, it is also the time when people are most physically tired, and Gongsun Zhan's excavation team is out again. These digging soldiers don't have to worry about the soldiers sent out by Yuan Shao to harass them, because someone will solve them.

"Boom..."

"Boom..."

This sound was not the sound of cavalry sorting, but the sound of thunder in the sky. If the soldiers of Yecheng knew this poem, then they might be reading this poem in their hearts at this moment. With such weather, a heavy rain is inevitable, and it seems that today's battle will not be possible.

Maybe it was because of the night, or maybe because they didn't pay too much attention to it, Wen Chou and Yan Liang, who went out of the city to harass, didn't notice that every time they harassed, the number of enemy troops who came back to continue digging was increasing. From 500 at the beginning, to 600, 700, 800... Today, more than 3,000 people have been excavated this time. The number of people is already as large as the number of people who came out to harass in Yecheng.

And, if they had been out of town and had been exploring the underground, they might have heard the sound of "clanging bells". That's right, this is the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army of the black-robed man digging tunnels. Qingzhou Yellow Turbans were originally born as farmers, and waving a hoe is just a matter of convenience for them. Moreover, what Yuan Shao didn't know was that when they went out of the city to harass for the first time, Gongsun Zan and the others had already dug a distance of four miles from Yecheng, and when Yan Liang and Wen Chou were about to reach that distance, Bai Ma Yicong set out, so that they thought there was an ambush. After that, Yecheng only sent people out to harass him, but did not investigate, so that he did not find the situation underground. What's even more frightening is that there are nearly 50,000 people in the Qingzhou Yellow Turban underground.

When the trenches, moats and tunnels on the ground are connected, two or three ditches will be formed, and once the water of the Zhanghe River is lowered, it is inevitable that Yecheng will be flooded.

And all this, Yuan Shao, who was still asleep, didn't know.

"Boom..."

"Boom..."

The rolling thunder rang out again, and lightning flashed through it, as if the sky was about to crack. And the gate of Yecheng was opened again, and Yan Liang led 3,000 people to go out again, once the heavy rain fell, the actions of both sides might stop. And Yan Liang will be the last attack, so Yan Liang decided to chase these people for a distance.

"Boom, boom..."

The gate of Yecheng was opened, and Yan Liang felt a shaking of the mountains and the sound of rolling and rumbling. When he first heard it, Yan Liang thought it was sounding from the sky, however, Yan Liang was stunned, and then looked ahead, but it was the formation of a large group of cavalry charging. Yan Liang saw at a glance that they were all cavalry, in addition to the five thousand white horse righteous servants, there were nearly ten thousand ordinary cavalry. If these 3,000 people go out to harass them, it will be like delivering food.

What made Yan Liang even more shocked was that he finally found that the number of people digging trenches and moats was a bit wrong, and there were thousands of people. Earlier, when the gates of Yecheng were wide open, these people were already preparing to escape. However, this time, the gate of Yecheng City opened, and the soldiers who were digging did not panic in the slightest, but increased their speed. Yan Liang paid attention to it, and some of the trenches and moats had been connected to the tunnel, revealing the situation inside, and there was really a tunnel.

At this moment, even if Yan Liang is stupid, he understands what happened, not to mention, Yan Liang is not stupid.

"Come on, the speed messenger ordered the Yecheng soldiers to gather and fight. Also, go and report the situation to the lord, speed, bastard!"

Seeing that the soldiers beside him were still stunned, Yan Liang roared angrily. In such a situation, everyone understands that Gongsun Chan is really going to flood Yecheng, and he is about to succeed. Once the water of the Zhanghe River rushes down and Yecheng is flooded, how many people will still have combat power? Thinking of this, Yan Liang's face turned white.

The soldiers on the walls of Yecheng were condescending, and they discovered the situation earlier than Yan Liang. And Xin Bi, who was in charge of stalking, had already sent soldiers to inform Yuan Shao, and at the same time ordered the Yecheng soldiers to quickly assemble to fight. Now, it's up to you to see who's faster, once Gongsun Chan succeeds, the consequences of Yecheng will be unimaginable!

In Gongsun Zhan's tent, Gongsun Chan and the black-robed man stood at the door of the tent, looking up at the sky, with a smile on their faces. When the raindrops fell, the black-robed man muttered to himself, "This rain really makes people feel comfortable." ”

Gongsun Zhan on the side heard this, and the corners of his mouth also showed a smile, this is a smug smile, Ye Cheng, will soon fall into his hands.