"Lord, Cao Jun is going down to the village by the river fifty miles ahead." When Yuan Shao's army was advancing in high spirits, the previously dispatched Tanma reported so.

"It seems that Cao Mengde is going to fight us to the death." Yuan Shao said with a smile. After seeing that it was not too early, and seeing that the soldiers behind him were a little tired, Yuan Shao ordered to camp on the spot and fight again.

"Lord, you need to beware of Cao Ying's surprise attack at night!" General Han Meng admonished. "Well, I already know that there are two ways of people in ambush, as long as Cao Jun dares to come, they will not come back!" Yuan Shao arranged, and the generals listened to the order and prepared not to mention it.

However, it was said that Cao Ying followed Cheng Yu's plan to march into Cangting and set up a camp, but he did not call for battle. At night, Cao Ying raised his tent, but ordered Xu Chu to lead the troops to rob the camp. The rest of the generals were divided into ten teams, and they commanded one by one, and acted according to the plan. Xu Chu led the troops to go and robbed the camp, Yuan Shao had already prepared and led the army to kill. Xu Chu hurriedly led the army and was defeated. Yuan Shao led the army in hot pursuit. By dawn, he had reached the river, and Cao Jun had no way to retreat. At that moment, Xu Chu shouted: "There is no way forward, why don't the armies fight to the death?" "took the lead, crashed straight into Yuan Shao's army, and beheaded more than ten generals in a row. Cao Jun's morale was greatly boosted, and he turned back to fight to the death. Yuan's army resisted the enemy and retreated in defeat after defeat. At this time, Cao Ying led the ambush army to kill, Xiahou Yuan took the lead, a spear was like a dragon out of the water, and the middle of them were all pierced through the chest, and even worse, a shot pierced several people. The bluffed Sergeant Yuan retreated again and again, not daring to look at it.

Seeing that the situation was urgent, Yuan Shao urgently called the general Han Meng to go to the enemy, but he looked at the way back under the protection of his personal guards and Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi. I don't want to have ambushes along the way, one team at a time, it seems endless. Fortunately, he sacrificed his life left and right to kill, so he rushed out of a way. After breaking through the encirclement, nearly 300,000 soldiers and horses were counted, and none of them knew where to go. There are only a few thousand soldiers around. The father and son were also injured. Yuan Shao was miserable and couldn't help sighing: "Since the Bohai Sea has raised its army, there has been no such defeat!" Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi also looked panicked.

At this time, a defeated army came, and it was Han Meng's subordinates. Yuan Tan anxiously asked about the whereabouts of the defeated army Han Meng, but learned that Han Meng died fighting the Cao army and covering Yuan Shao's breakthrough, but he was surrounded by the generals of the Cao camp, shot the war horse, and was finally beheaded by Xu Chu in the foot battle. At that moment, Yuan Tan's eyes were red, this is the general on his side. Just as he was about to get angry, he heard an exclamation in his ear, and hurriedly turned to look, but it was Yuan Shao who heard that Han Meng was beheaded, and in anger, he spurted out a mouthful of blood and fainted.

Everyone was shocked and hurriedly treated, and after a long time, Yuan Shao woke up and said hatefully: "Cao Apu, I and you swear not to stand together." At that moment, he ordered Yuan Tan to return to Youzhou, and he and Yuan Xi returned to Youzhou, and at the same time sent someone to send someone to send a messenger to lead the state iron cavalry to come to help in the battle, wait for the army and horses to be rectified, and then fight to the death with Cao Ying.

"Lord!" The general will cross the Yellow River and prepare to return to Yecheng, but he saw that the people and horses along the way rushed like a lost soul, and the first one was Xin Ping, a strategist sent by himself to assist Gao Gan to defend and merge the state. Yuan Shao's sons were at odds, and Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang and their advisors were all enlisting the support of the senior cadres who were the assassins of the state. Yuan Shao knew that Xin Ping was upright and impartial, so he sent him to assist Gao Gan. Now seeing that he came here so embarrassed, Yuan Shao suddenly had an ominous premonition.

"Why is the gentleman here?" Yuan Shao asked in a trembling voice. Xin Ping's hair was scattered, and the injuries on his body were extremely embarrassed, and as soon as he saw Yuan Shao, he opened his throat and cried: "Lord, Xiliang Ma Teng and Han Sui suddenly attacked Bingzhou, and we were caught off guard to fight with it, and there were heavy casualties. Later, Gao Thorn Shi designed to lure it into an ambush, not wanting the Xiliang army to be really brave, but they broke through the ambush and returned defeated, and Gao Thorn Shi died at the hands of Ma Chao, the son of Ma Teng. Xiahoudun went out of Hedong County and entered the state, and our army was defeated. At present, the nine counties of the state, except for Shangdang, who was desperately defended by General Shao, the rest have all been lost! ”

"What? ? Yuan Shao, who had already vomited blood, suddenly spit out another mouthful of blood when he heard this, and now there was really only breath out, not breath. At this time, Yuan Shao's third son only had Yuan Xi by his side, he was a person who had no idea, so he had to let everyone protect Yuan Shao to go back to Yecheng first, and at the same time send someone to inform the two brothers to come. Since then, in the land of Hebei, the Yuan clan only occupies Jizhou and Youzhou and the north of the Yellow River in Qingzhou, and its strength has been greatly damaged. Moreover, the big families under Yuan Shao's rule saw that Yuan Shao's army was defeated like a mountain, and those who had enemies with him rebelled one after another, or connected Cao Ying to think that he was in internal response, Yuan Shao was suddenly in chaos, and since then he has no strength to go south. Cao Ying's seizure of Hebei is like a ripe melon, just waiting for the army.

"Father, you must not drink any more father!" Yuan Tan, who had just left, learned that Yuan Shao vomited blood again and died nine times, so he hurriedly returned to Yecheng. Yuan Shao woke up slowly, but borrowed wine to drown his sorrows, and when Yuan Tan entered the door, he saw Yuan Shao drinking alone, and hurriedly persuaded him.

"Cinsius, you know what? Gao Ran has fallen, Yan Liangwen has also fallen, Han Meng has died in battle, and now even your cousin has died in battle, my Yuan Shao is finished! When Yuan Shao said this, tears also rained down, and he picked up the wine bottle and drank it again.

"Father!" Yuan Tan stepped forward and snatched the wine bottle from Yuan Shao's hand, gritted his teeth and said hatefully: "Father, although we have suffered defeats in a row, we can still fight, how can my father be willing to fall and resign himself to fate?" There are more than 100,000 elite soldiers in Youzhou, and 20,000 Karasuma iron horses. If Cao Ying dares to come to Hebei, he will be squeezed into the Yellow River! ”

"Reflection?" Yuan Shao looked at his eldest son in amazement, and Yuan Shao seemed to see a little bit of his youthful pride from him. Sighing, Yuan Shao said again: "Xiansi, right now, your third brother is in Qingzhou, and your father's health is not very good, and the big thing will depend on you and your second brother!" ”

"The child understands!" Yuan Tan was secretly refreshed when he heard this, but he still said respectfully. Yuan Shao seemed to be relieved, so he put down the wine bottle and called someone to come and serve him to wash his face and change clothes.

"Eldest Prince, how is the lord?" Yuan Tan had just walked out of Yuan Shao's room, and a group of people under Yuan Shao's command were all waiting for him. Yuan Tan looked at everyone and said, "Father's health is fine, but he is a little tired and can't be a director. At present, all military and political affairs will be taken care of by me and my second brother for the time being. ”

"That's good!" Everyone was also relieved when they heard this, Yuan Tan glanced at Yuan Xi and Guo Tu, and the two of them willingly followed Yuan Tan to his mansion. "Second brother, Mr. Gongze. One of you is my own brother, and the other is my father's minister. In such a time of crisis, you need to worry a lot! ”

"It's incumbent!" Yuan Xi and Guo Tu also said solemnly. Yuan Tan has said this, and the two of them should also express something. Guo Tu's eyes rolled, and he suddenly said to Yuan Tan: "Eldest son, there is a plan for the picture, which may solve the current dilemma." ”

"Sir, please speak!" Yuan Tan hurriedly said.

"Uncle Liu Huang of Xuzhou, in the past, he once raised the eldest prince as Maocai, and now occupies the land of Sizhou, and has a hatred of betraying the alliance with Cao Ying, and the hatred of slaughtering the city, why not join forces with him to fight Cao Ying?" Guo Tu said with a smile.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the governor of the prefecture and county had to recommend a Maocai to the state every year as one of the important means of selecting talents. Liu Bei gave the quota to Yuan Tan in the year when Tao Qian played him as the pastor of Yuzhou. Although Yuan Tan, as the son of Yuan Shao, is not uncommon, it can be regarded as a teacher-student relationship with Liu Bei, although they have never met.

Yuan Tan was also quite excited at first when he heard this, and then frowned and said: "However, General Zhang Jaw and Liu Bei fought in Qingzhou before, and they are already enemies, how can Uncle Liu Huang help me wait?" ”

"The eldest prince, the previous battle between the two families was caused by Cao Ying's sowing discord. Now that the situation is reversed, we only need to send a highly respected person to Shouchun to persuade Uncle Liu Huang that we will wait for the two families to attack Cao Ying together, why worry about this thief? After the deed is completed, wouldn't it be happy for the two sides to take the Yellow River as the boundary and divide the land together? Guo Tu smiled. Glancing at Yuan Xi beside him, Guo Tu said again: "The second son has a marriage contract with the young daughter of the Zhen family, and now the daughter of the Zhen family is married to Zhao Feng, the general under Uncle Liu Huang's account, and the second son is a brother-in-law. If the second son can repair a book, please ask your brother-in-law to help you do it on your behalf, and it will be easy! Guo Tu intentionally or unintentionally omitted the incident between Yuan Tan and Zhen Jiang, so as not to embarrass him.

"It's on me!" Yuan Xi is an honest man, and after listening to Guo Tu's reasoning, he hurriedly agreed. Yuan Tan was a little worried when he heard this: "Zhao Feng has just been demoted by Liu Bei, and now the official is only Chai Sang Taishou, General Yingyang, and his rank is not more than a thousand stones, does this person's words have weight?" ”

"Don't worry, eldest prince, although General Zhao Botao was demoted, it was just Uncle Liu Huang who had to do it as a last resort to appease the people in Jingxiang. It is reported that Uncle Liu Huang once twice praised General Zhao as the pastor of Yangzhou, which shows the importance of his weapon! . Guo Tu was like a nanny coaxing a child, and admonished again and again. Yuan Tan finally nodded again and again when he heard this, and immediately said to Guo Tu: "Mr. is very good, but I don't know who to send to connect Uncle Liu?" If the gentleman wants to consult with me, how can he stay away? ”

Guo Tu thought for a while, and finally said: "There is one person, surnamed Chen Mingzhen, Xiaoqi, a native of Nanyang, Jingzhou." This person is famous, eloquent, and is now the governor of Wei County, Jizhou, so he can be used as an envoy to connect with Uncle Liu Huang! ”

"That's great!" Yuan Tan also hurriedly wrote a book by himself, and after Yuan Shao read it, he stamped his general's seal and asked Chen Zhen to bring it to Liu Bei. At the same time, the two Yuan brothers also wrote a book each, Yuan Tan sent it to Liu Bei, but Yuan Xi sent someone to send it to Zhao Feng.

However, when the messenger rushed to Chaisang, Zhao Feng was no longer there. "But I don't know where General Zhao went, the villain has an urgent letter from Yuan Gongzi to him." Seeing that Zhao Feng was not there, the messenger had no choice but to ask his wife about it.

"Yuan Gongzi, which Yuan Gongzi?" Zhen Jiang's face changed slightly and asked.

"The second son of the Yuan family, that is, Miss Zhen's fiancé." The sender was respectful. Zhen Mi on the side was about to go crazy when he heard this, but was stopped by Zhen Jiang.

"My husband has something to do and went to Jingxiang, your letter, leave it for the time being, and we will send someone to send it to your husband." Zhen Jiang is neither humble nor arrogant. The messenger thanked him and left the letter behind.

At the same time, Zhao Feng, the protagonist of the incident, did not realize that he had been remembered. He had just been transferred to Jingxiang by a paper order, looked at Guan Yu and Zhuge Liang who were smiling, and his intuition told him that he had fallen for the thieves of these two people.

(To be continued)