Time flew to 199 A.D., and the people of Liaodong spent the New Year happily and carefree. The way for the people of Liaodong to celebrate the New Year is very simple, that is, to eat and drink. For a whole year, I am reluctant to eat, I am not willing to wear, and I have to let go of eating and drinking in the fifteen days of the New Year.

Wealthy families take turns to treat guests, and even poorer families have to cut a few catties of meat to satisfy their hunger.

In recent years, the life of the people of Liaodong has generally been good, and the wind and rain have been smooth, and there have been no landlords to exploit them. So every family bought at least half a horse of pork. Half a horse is half of a pig, with the entrails and head removed. In the winter, when you throw it into the snow, it is a natural refrigerator. When you want to eat meat, resist an axe, go out like splitting wood, knock a few axes, and even cut off a large piece of meat with bones, that is called a heroic!

After the New Year, Gongsun Kang sent away more than 200 southbound cadres led by Zhuge Jin, and Gongsun Kang ignited the determination and pride of these cadres with enthusiastic words.

Gongsun Kang said: "This is the first time in historical records, you are a manifesto, you are a propaganda team, and you are a seeding machine. The steps of my Han Dynasty to conquer the world began with you! ”

More than 200 cadres cheered together: "Serve the people!" Die for the Lord! ”

Gongsun Kang waved his hand: "Let's go!" ”

The horns of the cow blow, "woo woo"; The gongs and drums began to beat loudly. More than 200 cadres, dressed in bright red silk and wearing a big red flower on their chests, lined up neatly to walk on the big boat. On the shore, their families are saying goodbye! These cadres will be promoted to a higher level when they go to Jiaozhou; After three years of work, when I return to Liaodong, I will be promoted to another level. A bright future beckons, so they are all full of ambition and high spirits!

In 199, the princes of Dadian were all in the process of clearing the field: Yuan Shao destroyed Gongsun Zhan, Cao Cao occupied Hanoi, and Gongsun Kang occupied Yangzhou.

In March of the fourth year of Jian'an (199), after Yuan Shao conquered Gongsun Zhan, he occupied the land of Ji (now southwest of Linzhang, Hebei), You (now southwest of Beijing), and (now southwest of Taiyuan, Shanxi). Yuan Shao, with his eldest son Yuan Tan, second son Yuan Xi, and nephew Gao Gan, guarded Qingzhou Plain County, Youzhou, and Sanzhou, and prepared to attack Cao Cao and Gongsun Kang in the south with strong strength, enter the Central Plains, and realize his desire to level the world.

In April of the fourth year of Jian'an (199), Cao Cao led a large army into the Yellow River and sent generals Shi Jian and Cao Hong to capture Hanoi County (now southwest of Wuzhi, Henan). Previously, Zhang Yang, the former Taishou of Hanoi, was killed by his subordinate general Yang Ri, and the lieutenant general Zheng Gu killed Yang Ri, attached to Yuan Shao, and garrisoned in Shooting Dog (now northeast of Qinyang, Henan). Shi Jian and Cao Rendu attacked the shooting dog and killed Zhenggu. Cao Cao then personally led his army across the Yellow River and besieged the shooting dogs. The former Hanoi governor Shi Xue Hong and others surrendered. Hanoi is a strategic location on the north bank of the Yellow River. Cao Cao appointed Wei Chong as the Taishou of Hanoi to take control of this strategic location.

Also in April, Gongsun Kang issued an order to Xu Rong, Cheng Yu, and Zhang Xiu in Xuzhou, ordering them to capture Yuan Shu's Yangzhou. and appointed Zhang Xiu as the Taishou of Jiujiang. 、

At this time, Yuan Shu was old and frail, frail and sickly, and was already in a state of waiting for death. Jiujiang County has experienced years of severe drought and endless locust plagues, and the people have changed their children to eat. Excluding the people who fled to Liaodong to flee the famine, the land is now vast and sparsely populated, and there are not many people alive.

Xu Rong brought 10,000 Liaodong iron horses, and Zhang Xiu brought more than 10,000 Xiliang iron horses. It sounds like it's all cavalry, and the class structure doesn't seem to make sense. But in fact, there are less than 3,000 horses in the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, and the remaining more than 8,000 people have only had war horses, but now they have to walk on two legs, and they are real infantry.

Tai Shi Ci sent 60 large ships to carry them across the Jianghuai, but he himself did not come. For beating Yuan Shu and bullying such a lonely and widowed old man, Tai Shici has no interest at all.

Gongsun Kang has always advocated people-oriented, and resolutely opposed soldiers climbing the city wall like ants, and then being burned by fire, shot by arrows, and doused with boiling water. The habit of the Liaodong army is: Bomb the fuck first! Blasting the walls open and engaging in hand-to-hand combat.

The county of Jiujiang County is in Shouchun (now Chengguan Town, Shou County, Anhui Province), and there is also an important town called Liyang on the north bank of the Yangtze River!

The goal of Xu Rong and his entourage is very clear, that is, to fight Shouchun first, capture the thief and capture the king first.

When I met the county seat on the way, I didn't enter the city, but crossed it directly. If the county surrendered, it would be good, Xu Rong and Zhang Xiu would stop, accept the warm hospitality of the local officials and people, and then continue to set off; If you don't surrender, it doesn't matter if you close the gates tightly. Don't bother with them, just go around the city. These are all old accounts after the longevity is laid, and then go back to settle the old accounts.

Advancing all the way, three days later, the soldiers and horses of Xuzhou arrived at the foot of Shouchun City.

Although Yuan Shu was seriously ill, his backbone was still there. He asked the general Ji Ling to lead his troops to defend the city and resolutely refused to surrender!

Looking at the skinny appearance of the Yangzhou soldiers at the head of the city, Cheng Yu's eyes rolled, and he came up with a bad idea.

He asked the soldiers of Xuzhou to prop up a lot of cauldrons under the city. Start tossing the chunks of pork into the pot and boiling. The aroma of pork wafted over a hundred meters and reached the noses of the Yangzhou soldiers at the head of the city.

The soldiers of Yangzhou could not even eat enough food, let alone meat. The last time I ate meat was a few years ago. Xuzhou smelled the fragrance, grabbed the city wall one by one, stretched his neck to look at the big iron pot of Xuzhou soldiers.

A loud Xuzhou soldier shouted: "Brothers in Yangzhou." Surrender! If you surrender, I will give you meat to eat! ”

The Yangzhou soldiers swallowed a mouthful of spit with a grunt, and their minds became active.

Ji Ling saw it in his eyes and was anxious in his heart, but he didn't have any good way. The food in the army is only enough to eat for a few days. Originally, Yuan Shu planned to defect to Yuan Shao, but before he could leave, he was blocked in Shouchun City by Xuzhou soldiers.

Yuan Shu's long history Yang Hong and chief bookkeeper Li Feng both went to persuade Yuan Shu to surrender. They said: "Gongsun Kang has the appearance of a master, and he also has the capacity to tolerate people. If he surrenders, he can ensure that the descendants of the Yuan family will be rich and prosperous for a lifetime. ”

The little old man Yuan Shu opened his cloudy eyes and looked directly at Yang Hong and Li Feng. After a while, he said, "I'm old, and I won't live for more than a few days." If the soldiers and horses of Xuzhou can break the wall of Shouchun, you can take my family to surrender. ”

When he said this, Yuan Shu's nephew Yuan Yin and general Zhang Xun were also present. Hearing Yuan Shu say this, everyone knew that the final result was surrender. At the same time of loss, there is also a sense of relief.

(End of chapter)