What Zhang Ning said was actually the trade nodes that Liu Zheng set up in two places in order to open up the shipping route.

One is that there is a transfer station in Yangzhou, and the other is a transfer station set up in Qingzhou.

If there is a problem with one of these two links, then there will be a problem with Liu Zheng's route from Youzhou to Jiaozhou.

Although Zhang Mancheng didn't care about this, Zhang Ning had to care, the reason why the soldiers and horses in Qingzhou were able to have so much military food and ordnance, a large part of them were willing, and Liu Zheng supported them.

Every time Liu Zheng's merchant ships went to Youzhou, they would inevitably stop in Qingzhou and bring them some grain, grass and ordnance.

Even the war horses that Liu Zheng bought from Youzhou also gave some to Zhang Ning, otherwise where could there be such a thing as a war horse in the Yellow Turban Army.

Once Donglai County is occupied by Liu Bei's people, it will be difficult for Liu Zheng's merchant ships to go to Youzhou, and the men and horses of the official army will definitely set up a naval army on the coastline of Donglai, and when the time comes, not to mention intercepting Liu Zheng's goods, Liu Zheng's people may be killed, and even go south from here to attack Liu Zheng.

Zhang Ning wants to protect Beihai County and Donglai County, as long as these two places are not lost, Qingzhou is not the final word of the imperial court.

February 189.

Zhang Mancheng gathered 140,000 soldiers and horses to Linzi City to fight the final decisive battle with Liu Bei's army.

In just half a month, he fought with Liu Bei's men and horses several times.

However, the ending, naturally, was not as Zhang Ning expected, and Zhang Mancheng's men and horses returned defeated.

140,000 soldiers and horses, in ten days, the loss was exhausted, Linzi City was broken, Zhang Mancheng did not escape, directly died in Linzi City.

Only more than 30,000 of the 140,000 troops fled, and the rest either died in the battle with Liu Bei or became prisoners directly, after all, most of these Yellow Turban troops were just some peasants with weapons.

A few days later, Zhang Ning received the news of Zhang Mancheng's defeat, and there was no sad look on his face.

Although Zhang Mancheng is her own brother, but after so many years, Zhang Ning knows too well what kind of person Zhang Mancheng is.

The Yellow Turban Army, which originally had some hope, became defeated again at this time, and its strength dropped significantly.

But fortunately, Liu Bei, who forcibly attacked the city and attacked Linzi, did not lose nearly 20,000 soldiers and horses under his tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, and in order to defeat Linzi City, Liu Bei and Cao Cao's soldiers and horses also lost nearly 20,000 people.

Liu Bei and Cao Cao, who had only 30,000 people left, did not take advantage of the victory to pursue, because there were still some people in the Yellow Turban Army who had not been eliminated by them.

While reining in the remnants of the troops who escaped from Linzi City, Zhang Ning began to set up defensive facilities in Beihai City, intending to rely on Beihai City and Liu Bei's soldiers and horses to temporarily contain them.

However, even if Zhang Ning wants to contain it, it won't be able to contain it for too long.

Because Liu Bei and Cao Cao only needed to recuperate in Linzi City for a month or two, and when the injured people and horses were slightly better, then Tao Qian of Xuzhou came from Taishan County, and the soldiers and horses of the two sides converged in one place.

can have more than 50,000 soldiers and horses.

At that time, Zhang Ning's subordinates will only be about 40,000 people, and even if he can restrain some of the remnants who escaped from Linzi, it will be 50,000 at most.

It is not an easy thing to use only 50,000 people to fight with Liu Bei, Cao Cao and others.

"Holy Maiden, we only have more than 40,000 people now, and it is not easy to block the attack of those officials and soldiers."

"I know it's not easy, but we can't just forget it, you immediately send someone to Donglai, inform Liu Zheng of the caravans left here, and let them find a way to tell Liu Zheng about the situation in Qingzhou, and say that we will give him two months at most."

"Yes, Holy Maiden."

According to Zhang Ning's instructions, Guan Hai quickly told the caravan members who Liu Zheng left behind in Qingzhou about the situation in Qingzhou.

Among these people, there was Liu Zheng's detailed intelligence officer who was placed in Qingzhou, and after learning about the situation in Qingzhou, the news was soon brought to Yangzhou with the merchant ships heading south.

And Liu Zheng was not in Yangzhou, and when these things reached Liu Zheng's ears, half a month had passed.

In the past half a month, Liu Zheng has been confronting Ding Yuan's men and horses in Baling County, and both sides have not taken the initiative to attack, but respect each other like guests, and they have not even said hello.

Half a month has not arrived, Xu Huang under Liu Zheng led 8,000 cavalry to Changsha County.

With these 8,000 cavalry, even if Liu Zheng had the confidence to know that it was time for him to send troops, Liu Zheng did not delay time.

He immediately gathered all the tens of thousands of horses gathered in Changsha County.

Then the army went directly to the city where Ding Yuan was.

Gan Ning, Huang Zhong, Zu Lang, three armies and horses, a total of 30,000 people.

appeared under Ding Yuan's city.

An army of 30,000 surrounded this small county town, and in the county seat, Ding Yuan, Lu Bu and others had already climbed the city tower.

They are also closely following Liu Zheng's dynamics these days, and Liu Zheng has a little bit of turmoil, so naturally he can't escape their eyes.

Ding Yuan touched his beard, staring at the tens of thousands of troops under the city with a pair of eagle eyes, looking back and forth on the army.

Ding Yuan, who has experienced a hundred battles and has been on the battlefield for a long time, can naturally see at a glance through the appearance of these soldiers that those soldiers under Liu Zheng are not easy to match.

If it is not for years of training, it will not be able to achieve this ability of unified scheduling.

As far as the degree of prohibition shown by these soldiers and horses under Liu Zheng is a few points more powerful than those soldiers under him.

"Which of you is Liu Zheng?"

Ding Yuan watched for a long time, but he didn't see anyone coming out from the other party, so he simply spoke first and asked questions to the city.

Liu Zheng rode a horse, slowly stepped forward from the rear, and also glanced at the city tower.

"Your Excellency, it must be the old general of Bingzhou Assassin Shi Dingyuan."

Liu Zheng has never met Ding Yuan, but Ding Yuan's name impresses Liu Zheng, firstly because he is Lu Bu's father-in-law, and secondly, because Ding Yuan is an upright person.

If the Han Dynasty could have a few more people like Ding Yuan, it would naturally not perish, but unfortunately, veterans like Huangfu Song and Ding Yuan were killed by Dong Zhuo in history.

"Liu Zheng, I think you are also a young hero, you give up resistance now and lead the people to surrender, I can also plead for you in front of the emperor to save you from death, if you are obsessed and continue to do these things of the Nine Clans, the result will only be borne by yourself."

Ding Yuan looked at Liu Zheng, and when he saw that Liu Zheng was no more than a young man in his twenties, his face was also quite surprised.