The autumn wind is bleak, the forest is dyed, and it is golden. In mid-September, it is already the time of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the weather is not as hot as summer. The grain has been stored in the warehouse, and the forces of all parties are also preparing to harvest the fruits.

In Puyang County, East County, Yanzhou, outside the city, flags are in the sky, horses are whistling, and columns of soldiers equipped with white armor, wearing white scarves, holding spears, long knives, iron shields and other equipment stand proudly, waiting for the orders of the generals in front.

And at the front of the team, it was naturally Cao Cao, who personally commanded the expedition this time.

Cao Cao also wore white armor and a white helmet, with a white scarf tied in front of his forehead, and wrote "revenge". And behind Cao Cao, generals such as Cao Ren, Xiahou Xuan, Xiahou Yuan, and Cao Hong followed. In this attack on Xuzhou, Cao Cao can be said to have exhausted his elite, leaving only a few civilian officials to garrison.

"Kill into Xuzhou, don't leave chickens and dogs!"

Cao Cao shouted angrily, waved his big hand, and the 100,000 army shouted in unison at the same time!

"Kill into Xuzhou, don't leave chickens and dogs!"

The cry of an army of 100,000 soared into the sky, which was terrifying. This time, Cao Cao sent troops with the purpose of killing, and of course, by the way, it was also necessary to take over Tao Qian's territory.

"Let's go!"

When Cao Cao shouted again, the army was marching out, and a great battle was coming.

……

And outside the city of Jizhou, the same situation is happening.

Yuan Shao gathered an army of 150,000 and was bound to capture Youzhou in one fell swoop. For Jizhou, which has a large population, it is not very difficult to recruit 150,000 soldiers. Similarly, Yuan Shao's attack on Gongsun Zan naturally had a reason. The so-called reason. It is nothing more than Gongsun Chan holding the envoys of the court hostage, committing the following crimes, and despising the court. Audacious and heinous. And Yuan Shao represented the imperial court to crusade against Gongsun Zan and correct the dynasty. Such a reason is just nonsense, as long as anyone with a little brain knows that this matter has something to do with you Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao wanted to make Liu Yu the emperor at the beginning, but he was rejected by others, and it was not the same as the following offense. Defying the imperial court and being bold. Therefore, Yuan Shao's reason for sending troops was nothing more than a piece of paper. No one cares.

Unlike Cao Cao, Yuan Shao wore gold armor and a golden helmet, for fear that others would not know that he was the boss. Looking at the 150,000 army behind him, Yuan Shao could be described as a spring breeze with a smug face. I think he is only the year he stands, and he is not yet confused. That's what happened. It can really be regarded as a success. Of course, Yuan Shao was born in the famous Yuan family of the fourth and third princes, and he has long been accustomed to seeing high-ranking officials, and this achievement cannot satisfy him, at most he is just a little embarrassed.

Behind Yuan Shao, it is natural that the four generals of Hebei Sitingzhu are behind. After that, there are some generals with relatively low reputations, so there is no need to introduce them.

"My lord. The soldiers are ready to go out at any time!"

Yan Liangce rode behind Yuan Shao. After the low-level generals reported the situation of the soldiers, they immediately informed Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao nodded, and waved his big hand: "Let's go!"

The neighing of war horses, the rolling of carriages, and the neat and solemn procession give a sense of trembling. In the autumn of this year, although the climate is pleasant, the people in all parts of the world have a bumper harvest of grain. However, with it came a war of death. Whether it's a blessing or a curse, no one can tell.

……

Outside Nanpi City, Bohai County, Yuan Chang also ushered in Yuan Shao's envoy a few days ago. This envoy was Xu You, who had come to Bohai County before, and the matter that he had originally contacted Yuan Chang was to be handed over to Feng Ji to carry out. However, Feng Ji was already frightened by Yuan Chang, how could he dare to take this task, naturally, this task was handed over to Xu Yu to carry out. came with Xu You, but there was another person, who was also half an acquaintance of Yuan Chang, but Xun Chen, who had disappeared for a long time under Yuan Shao.

At the beginning, Xun Chen was also a confidant under Yuan Shao, and Xun Chen also had a lot of credit for seizing Jizhou. However, since Yuan Shao took charge of Jizhou, Xun Chen has disappeared without a trace, and he did not appear in front of people until a few days ago. In this regard, Yuan Chang naturally asked Xun Chen the reason. Xun Chen didn't hide it, but simply said the answer.

It turned out that when Dong Zhuo ravaged the land of Sanfu, many families in Yingchuan fled separately. or fled to Xuzhou, or fled to Jizhou, or Jingzhou, etc., and the Xun family is a family that fled to Jizhou. Unfortunately, on the way to Jizhou, the head of the Xun family was seriously ill because of the fatigue of the journey, and soon after arriving in Jizhou, he died with a whimper, and since then his soul has been flying out of the sky! Therefore, the Xun family naturally has to choose an excellent leader to lead the Xun family forward. Among the older generation of the Xun family, there are Xun's eight dragons: Xun Jian, Xun Qi, Xun Jing, Xun Tao, Xun Wang, Xun Shuang, Xun Su, and Xun Yang. Among them, the dead are dead, the old are old, and naturally they can no longer serve as the head of the house. As a result, the selection of this head of the family is selected from Xun Yu's generation. Among the children of the Xun family in Xun Yu's generation, Xun Yu and Xun Chen are the most. The candidate is one of the two of them.

Later, after the vote of the elders in the family, most people thought that Xun Yu was the best choice. However, at that time, Xun Yu had already gone to Yanzhou and took refuge in Cao Cao. The Xun family sent a letter to Xun Yu and asked Xun Yu to come back as the head of the family. However, Xun Yu thought that Cao Cao was a Ming lord, who could calm the world and support the Han family, and he had no intention of being the head of the family, and just wanted to follow Cao Cao. In desperation, the candidate for the head of the family was changed to Xun Chen, who was the second choice.

As the head of a family, you can't favor a certain force. The head of the family leads the whole family and puts the family first. Just like the children of the Xun clan have their own forces to take refuge in many forces, they will not favor one side of the force. Eggs cannot be put in one basket, which is the foundation of the survival of the family. Just as Xun Yu values Cao Cao and follows Cao Cao with all his heart, if he still lets Xun Yu serve as the head of the family. In the future, Xun Yu tied the entire family to Cao Cao, if Cao Cao failed to become the final winner, wouldn't the entire Xun family be buried? Compared with Xun Yu, who cares about the world, Xun Chen attaches more importance to the development of the family. Therefore, when Xun Yu resigned as the head of the family, Xun Chen broke away from Yuan Shao and returned to the Xun clan as his patriarch with peace of mind.

After a period of adjustment, Xun Chen did a similar job in the position of the head of the family. It also stabilized the situation of the Xun clan. Therefore, Xun Chen appeared in the crowd again. As for Xun Chen, he came to Yuan Chang, but it was because it was a long time ago. Xun Chen was optimistic about Yuan Chang.

At that time, Yuan Chang was still a character who cowered in front of Yuan Shao, and he was not taken seriously by many people at all. Just like Feng Ji, Xu You and the others didn't see the difference between Yuan Chang, but Xun Chen had already paid attention to it when he saw Yuan Chang for the first time. Just like when Yuan Chang chose the position of county commander, Xun Chen saw Yuan Chang's good performance, but he did not expose it. also secretly eliminated traces for Yuan Chang. Therefore, indirectly, Xun Chen is also kind to Yuan Chang.

"Yuan Taishou's soldiers and horses are full of momentum. The end is a rare elite. Mrs. Yuan is very human, and he is very respectful!"

Xun Chen and Xu You both consciously rode their horses and followed a few steps behind Yuan Chang, although one of them was the confidant of Yuan Shao, the assassin of Jizhou, and the other was the patriarch of the Xun family. But. Now Yuan Chang's potential is limitless. No one could have predicted what Yuan Chang's future development would be. Therefore, the two of them didn't dare to hold it up, and they consciously followed behind Yuan Chang, as if Yuan Chang's subordinates.

"Haha, the master of the Xun family is polite! On the surface, it looks imposing, but the real combat power is still not good, they are all recruits who have never seen blood, and they want to become elites. There's still a long way to go. The head of the Xun family didn't want to praise them, so that they didn't even know what their surnames were. ”

Yuan Chang laughed and said. Then he glanced at a guy behind him who was already cocking his tail.

Hearing Yuan Chang's words, Dian Wei consciously put away his tail. Obviously, the object that Yuan Chang was referring to just now was Dian Wei.

"Yuan Taishou sees the outside, if he can afford to see a certain one, he will call a certain friend. As for the combat power of the soldiers and horses under Yuan Taishou's command, a certain person told the truth, and there was no lie. ”

"If you say that, I'm not pretentious. However, if you don't want to call me too shou, call me Chengzhi. If you are a cheerful person, it is a blessing to be able to get to know you!"

Seeing Yuan Chang and Xun Chen talking so happily, Xu Yu on the side was a little uncomfortable.

Speaking of which, Yuan Chang and Xun Chen had a face-to-face conversation for the first time, relatively speaking, Xu You and Yuan Chang were more familiar. However, Xu Yu is a good friend with others, with an obvious utilitarian purpose, which is easy to make people feel disgusted. On the other hand, Xun Chen, he and Yuan Chang are friends with the same purpose, but they are not as obvious as Xu Yu, they have always been making friends, and so far, they have not revealed other meanings. Therefore, Yuan Chang is more familiar with Xun Chen than Xu You, which is understandable.

"Yuan Taishou, this crusade against Gongsun Zhan, with such a strong soldier, he will definitely be able to fight down. At that time, Yuan Taishou will be able to become the assassin of Youzhou, and he will have to congratulate him at that time. ”

Yuan Chang didn't let Xu You call him by name, and Xu You didn't dare to hold it up, so he almost said to Yuan Chang at the moment.

"Xu Junshi's words are wrong, the battlefield is unpredictable, and no one dares to say that he can win a hundred battles. It's okay even if you lose, as long as you can maintain the never-say-die spirit, that's great. ”

"What Yuan Taishou said is very true, I am ashamed!"

Xu You originally wanted to flatter Yuan Chang, but he didn't expect Yuan Chang to accept it at all. I think that when Xu You and Feng Ji went to Bohai County to negotiate with Yuan Chang, Yuan Chang did not have this attitude towards him. However, Xu You also understood that Yuan Chang deliberately used Xu You to suppress Feng Ji. Now that Feng Ji is gone, Yuan Chang has no intention of having a deep friendship with Xu You, Xu You has no use value, so he is naturally too lazy to talk to him.

Thinking about this, Xu You was also aware of his situation, and he was silent a lot at the moment. It's only to blame that he didn't make friends with Yuan Chang when he didn't make a fortune, and now that people have developed, they naturally don't pay much attention to him.

It is reasonable that Yuan Chang does not want to see Xu You, who let Yuan Chang know about Xu You's evil deeds.

In the battle between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao in history, it can be said that Yuan Shao had a huge advantage. Yuan Shao has four states as backup, and he is stable in terms of troops, material resources, financial resources and other aspects. In addition to the fact that the generals and strategists under his command are a little bit closer, but, with the support of troops, material resources, etc., the gap between the generals and the strategists has also been pulled back, and Yuan Shao still has a huge advantage.

Before the Battle of Guandu, not long after Yuan Shao finished the battle of Gongsun Zhan, the soldiers were a little tired, and there was some loss of material and financial resources. Therefore, on the question of whether to fight a decisive battle with Cao Cao, Yuan Shao's advisers were divided into two factions to argue.

Among them, Fu Zhu and Tian Feng believe that they should fight a protracted war. Yuan Shao had four states as his backup, and he was able to stabilize Cao Cao in terms of troops, finance, material resources, grain and grass. Attacking Cao Cao with strange soldiers and slowly consuming with Cao Cao, this method can be said to be a lose-lose method. But. Yuan Shao had advantages in all aspects at that time, and Cao Cao also had threats from Liu Bei, Liu Biao, and the Son of Heaven and other aspects. Therefore, fighting a protracted war with Cao Cao is quite a good method.

Guo Tu and the trial believed that Yuan Shaobing had many generals and could fight a decisive battle with Cao Cao. Take advantage of the advantage of troops and eliminate Cao Cao in one fell swoop. Actually, this method is also possible.

On Yuan Shao's terms. Whether it is a protracted war or a decisive battle, there is no big problem.

However. The bad thing is that Yuan Shao's henchmen and strategists have problems. Their disagreement leads to the inability to coordinate various strategic policies, and even if they have good ideas, they miss good opportunities in quarrels and discussions. Instead, Cao Cao slowly won a slight advantage. I can't see it when the advantage is not big. As these advantages slowly build up. The problem is serious. Just like Yan Liang and Wen Chou, whom Yuan Shao relied on, were beheaded, and the loss of troops, these are small problems, and they become big problems when they accumulate.

Of course, the most important thing is Xu Yu's anti-water.

Xu You is Yuan Shao's confidant and strategist, and such an important figure is against the water, just like a high-ranking official in the era before Yuan Chang traveled to the country, and many national secrets were leaked. Fatal for the state. And Xu You's anti-water is extremely fatal to Yuan Shao. Xu Yu was aware of Yuan Shao's weaknesses. As long as he pointed it out, Cao Cao would immediately seize this opportunity and deal a fatal blow to Yuan Shao. And it turns out that Xu You, this guy, is very thorough.

So, looking back, the question arises, why did Xu Yu rebel?

At that time, Xu You was offering advice to Yuan Shao, but he didn't get Yuan Shao's Cai Yong. At this time, it was a messenger sent by the trial to accuse Xu You's son and nephew of overcharging taxes and filling his own pockets, and then said that when Xu You was in Yecheng, he also collected the property of the common people. In fact, this point is very suspicious. Why did the judge who was good at the death expose Xu Yu at such an important time, and this is not forcing people to turn against the water? Of course, as for the truth, there is no need to delve into it. Xu You's matter was known by Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shao naturally scolded Yunyun, Xu You lamented, and at the suggestion of his subordinates, he went to Cao Cao.

First of all, it can be known that Xu You was blamed by Yuan Shao because of his nephew and his own mistakes. If Xu You hadn't made a mistake, Yuan Shao would have treated him like that? Then, Xu You just listened to a word from his subordinates, and took refuge in Cao Cao, not saying that his will was not firm enough. Thinking that Xu You may have had such a thought, but now that his crimes have been exposed, he can't get along under Yuan Shao, so he immediately took refuge in Cao Cao. If Xu You took refuge in Cao Cao, he could still remember some old feelings, stick to the bottom line, and did not say Yuan Shao's weaknesses, maybe it would not be criticized. However, after Xu Yu took refuge in Cao Cao's side, for the sake of his own performance, he did not hesitate at all, and decisively betrayed Yuan Shao, which is very contemptible.

It is precisely for this reason that Yuan Chang naturally does not value Xu Yu very much.

"My lord, the three armies have been assembled and can set off at any time!"

When Yuan Chang and Xun Chen were chatting, Zhao Yun rode a horse to Yuan Chang and reported aloud.

Naturally, the three armies in ancient times were not the three armies of the navy, the army, and the air force.

The three armies first originated in the Spring and Autumn Period, referring to the three types of infantry, chariots, and cavalry. In the Spring and Autumn Period, there were the Spring and Autumn Five Hegemons and the Seven Heroes of the Warring States, and they called these three types of troops differently. For example, the Jin State is called the Middle Army, the Upper Army, and the Lower Army, the Chu State is called the Middle Army, the Left Army, and the Right Army, and the Qi State, the Lu State, and the Wu State are all called the Upper, Middle, and Lower Army. In the Qin and Han dynasties, the names were gradually replaced by the front, middle and rear armies, and the types of troops also changed. Just like the chariot soldiers, they have been eliminated by history, so naturally they are not needed.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the three armies had a fixed position arrangement.

If the chariot is at the front, at the beginning of the battle, the chariot directly charges forward, and then the infantry presses up. Only at the end of the battle did the cavalry come out to clean up the battlefield or pursue the enemy.

In the Qin and Han dynasties, because of the appearance of saddles and stirrups, the role of cavalry became more and more important, but the chariot soldiers were useless. As a result, the position of the cavalry also changed. Originally, the cavalry was in the most tail position, sitting on a cold bench. However, because of the prominent role of cavalry, and also due to the combat style of different generals, the position of cavalry is also different. Some generals like to use the cavalry charge as a clarion call for battle, and they will put the cavalry in the position of the front army. At the beginning of the battle, the cavalry was directly charged, and then the infantry in the rear row pressed on, while some generals were of the steady type. The first thing to consider was how to deal with defeat in the event of defeat. Such a general will put the cavalry in the position of the middle army, and once defeated, the cavalry in the position of the middle army can support the front and rear, and there is no disadvantage. As for placing the cavalry in the rear, it is to use the cavalry at critical moments, thus deciding the outcome of the battle. In this day and age, generals who command troops usually fall into the third category. Put the cavalry in the position of the rear army, and it is easy not to send out the cavalry until the critical moment.

In addition to the fact that cavalry is the key to victory, there is also a reason why cavalry is too expensive to build. For each loss of one cavalry. It means the loss of a lot of money.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, because there were too many forces, the population was also greatly reduced due to the perennial fighting. Therefore, there are also regulations for the soldiers of the first army. Usually. The first army consisted of twelve thousand five hundred men. But. After the Qin and Han dynasties, it was different, the world was unified, the strength of the entire country belonged to the imperial court, and the number of soldiers in the first army was expanded. Of course, this number is not fixed, it still depends on the situation of the troops.

Just like Yuan Shao's attack on Youzhou this time, he gathered 150,000 troops, and each army had 50,000 horses. And Yuan Chang's Bohai County has about 80,000 troops, so naturally he can't take them all away. It is also necessary to leave soldiers to garrison the old nest. Therefore, Yuan Chang took 50,000 troops with him. Leaving 30,000 troops to garrison Bohai County. Yuan Chang's 50,000 troops and three armies were 15,000 men each, and the other 5,000 were unified cavalry troops. Among them, 2,000 cavalry were drawn from the Dongping Iron Cavalry, and 3,000 cavalry were drawn from Yu Ban's Bao Jiajun. The 5,000 cavalry were under the direct command of Yuan Chang and were not under the jurisdiction of any other general.

This expedition to Youzhou, Zhao Yun served as the general of the Chinese army, and he was also the commander of the army. Although Yuan Chang is the biggest boss, he is only in the name of the commander and will not command. Secondly, there is no doubt that Guo Jia is the military advisor of the army. Originally, Guo Jia was going to manage the government affairs of Bohai County, but fortunately, Dong Zhao, the Taishou of Wei County under Yuan Shao's command, had arrived in Bohai County, and the government affairs of Bohai County were handed over to Dong Zhao, assisted by He Wen and other officials of Bohai County. The commander of the former army was Yu Ban, and the commander of the rear army was Han Sui. Dian Wei's ability to command the army is basically zero, but this guy sees that Zhao Yun and they all have a commanding army, and they are majestic, and under the imbalance in their hearts, they find Yuan Chang and beg hard, but Yuan Chang can't resist Dian Wei, so he has to hand over the five thousand cavalry to Dian Wei to manage.

And the old nest of Bohai County is to leave Tai Shici to defend. Historically, Tai Shi Ci served as the governor of Eastern Wu, which was more than enough, although Tai Shi Ci has not grown to that point. However, there is naturally not much of a problem in defending a Bohai County.

"Ziyi, Nanpi City will be handed over to you, and I am extremely relieved to have you stationed. ”

Yuan Chang took Tai Shici's hand and said "affectionately".

"The lord is relieved, his subordinates will never let Bohai County lose a city or a place. ”

Although he failed to follow Yuan Chang on the expedition, he galloped on the battlefield. However, Tai Shici also knew that it was also a very important thing to defend Yuan Chang's base camp, and solemnly assured Yuan Chang at the moment.

"Okay, General Zhao, it's time to go!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Zhao Yun replied with his hand, and then waved his hand and shouted loudly. The herald immediately waved the flag, and after receiving instructions from the Chinese army, Yu Ban of the front army immediately started.

"Boom!"

The army had only traveled a few miles, but it heard the movement of the cavalry galloping ahead. The army then halted its advance and waited for news from the scouts.

After a while, the scouts came to report that they were reinforcements.

When Yuan Chang heard this, he immediately wondered, his own men and horses are all here, where are there other troops? Not long after, Yu Ban came to Yuan Chang with a strong and stubborn powerful Wuzi, and when the other party reported to his home, Yuan Chang knew where the troops came from.

It turned out that this sudden appearance of men and horses was the troops of Yuan Chang, sponsored by the Cui family of Anping County. A total of 5,000 men and horses, including 2,000 cavalry and 3,000 infantry, are also an elite of the Cui family in Anping County. Because Cui Dao was extremely optimistic about Yuan Chang, at the suggestion of the Xiang family, the Cui family of Anping County sent these 5,000 people.

"General Cui Ping, thank you for me. I will keep this kindness in my heart!"

Regarding the kindness of the Cui family in Anping County, Yuan Chang did not shirk. Yuan Chang also understands the purpose of the other party, which is nothing more than to be optimistic about him and invest in him. Therefore, it is not said that there are too deep feelings.

Yuan Chang didn't know, but Xu Yu on the side knew that the Cui family sent out was undoubtedly elite!

The Cui family of Anping County, as the county under the jurisdiction of Jizhou, naturally also sent troops to follow Yuan Shao. Xu You had also seen those soldiers, and compared to those in front of him, they were simply weak. At the moment, Xu You was even more surprised, he didn't expect the Cui family of Anping County to have such a big deal, and he also began to think in his heart whether he should move closer to Yuan Chang.

As for Xu You's thoughts, Yuan Chang naturally didn't know. Since he came to help himself, after the five thousand soldiers of the Cui family were incorporated into the Chinese army, the army set off again.

War is on the verge of breaking out!(To be continued......)