In August 195, Zu Zhao led a large army to break through Yuan Shao's first line of defense and encircled him. Yuan Shao had no choice but to send Cao Cao many distress signals, but Cao Cao always thought that the war in the Central Plains was tight and did not help, but circled Yuan Shao and Zu Zhao to talk about it, and then retreated to the Bohai Sea in order to retreat.

Without Cao Cao's help, Yuan Shao was very angry and scolded Cao for being ruthless and unjust. However, Yuan Shao is a large number of generals after all, although he was broken through by Zu Zhao as the first line of defense, he still has the ability to fight with Zu Zhao. It's just that he is a long-range attacker, and the food and grass reserves are insufficient, so it is difficult to fight a protracted battle with Zu Zhao, and coupled with the previous rout, morale is low, if he still does not retreat, then the defeat has been decided.

However, he was not convinced, and without the help of Cao Cao, in order to prove that he would not lose to Zu Zhao, he still ordered the army to confront Zu Zhao, and planned a surprise battle, trying to defeat Zu Zhao's army in one battle, and then take the entire Liaodong.

Someone suggested to Yuan Shao that he could contact Liu Yu in Xichuan to sneak attack Zuzhao's rear, so that he could not take care of the end of the tail, and he would definitely divide his troops to resist at that time, so that his combat effectiveness would be reduced by half, and it would not be difficult to defeat him from the frontal battlefield. Yuan Shao took his suggestion and immediately repaired a letter and ordered someone to bring it to Liu Yu in Xichuan.

And said that after the messenger entered Xichuan, he was immediately taken to see Liu Yu, knowing that Lu Dao was a person sent by Yuan Shao, Liu Yu was also shocked in his heart, this Yuan Shao suddenly sent someone to see him, I heard that he fought a decisive battle with Zu Zhao in Liaodong, and later lost, he would not want to ask for help.

The strategist asked: "I have no dealings with Yuan Shao, he sent an envoy today, he must have asked me for help, what advice or good strategy do the generals have?" ”

Engaged in Wei You said: "Yuan Shao and Zu Zhao faced off in Liaodong, gradually lost, and now they are in a situation of confrontation between the two, he sent people, he must want the lord to send troops to attack Zu Zhao's rear, so that the front and back attack, Zu Zhao will inevitably not be able to take care of the end, and will be defeated at that time." However, Zu Zhao's army is the best in the world, and the army is prepared to be the most sophisticated today, and if we want to fight against Zu Zhao, even if we attack back and forth, we may not be able to bargain easily. ”

"So what? Reject Yuan Shao? Liu Yu asked.

Wei You shook his head and said, "Actually, the lord already has his own thoughts in his heart. Zu Zhao seized the power of Youzhou and forced us into Xichuan, and now is the time to send troops to fight him to recapture Youzhou, but if we do this, the ultimate benefit, I am afraid that others will get it. ”

Liu Yu can't be said to have no hatred for Zu Zhao, but what he hates the most is Gongsun Zhan, if it is said that he seizes power, this has to blame Gongsun Zhan, Zu Zhao seized Youzhou later, in fact, it was taken from Gongsun Zhan, but he knew that Zu Zhao was ambitious, just let Gongsun Chan take the lead as a substitute for the dead ghost, sooner or later he would seize the power of Youzhou. Since Liu Yu retreated to Xichuan, he has no ambitions, he just wants to stick to Xichuan and keep a place for future generations, so all the equipment is strengthened in the fortification, and many of the passages have been destroyed to prevent foreign invasion.

But when the opportunity comes at this moment, he naturally has the idea of going east, and he can recapture Youzhou and then compete with the world, which is naturally the best, but his current strength really can't compete with other heroes. But if you can really win Liaodong, then things will be different.

"Then are we going to agree to Yuan Shao's request or refuse him?" Liu Yu asked.

Wei You said: "Lord, in fact, I think we can send troops, but it is best to contact another person and ask him to send troops too, so that Yuan Shao will not defect and use us in vain, we can use that person's power to contain Yuan Shao." ”

"Who are you talking about?" Liu Yu asked.

"It's Cao Mengde, who is now holding the Son of Heaven hostage to order the princes." Wei You said.

Hearing this name, others couldn't help but talk loudly, Cao Cao's wolf ambition, passers-by know, his importance of power is even above Zu Zhao, and now he controls the Son of Heaven, many princes must be obedient to him, only Zu Zhao is strong and strong, but he dares to compete with Cao Cao, but these two people just didn't fight, although not to mention the alliance, both of them are like having a heart, focusing on attacking other forces, it seems that they want to wait until the last two of them will fight each other.

If it can be said that Cao Cao attacked Zu Zhao now, then the two camps will be involved, and the changes in the situation will be even more unpredictable, but if Cao Cao is willing to send troops, then Zu Zhao will definitely fail.

Half of the people agreed with Wei You's proposal, and half of them opposed it. Those who agree believe that now is the best time to seize Youzhou, and when Zu Zhao is defeated, they can divide Youzhou with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, and then form a mutual containment and resistance, and they retreat to Xichuan, which is a good thing for them. However, the opponents believe that the best way to do it now is to stick to Xichuan and not participate in their battles, so that if you sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, even if you can't make a profit, at least you won't lose anything. If you are involved, many things are difficult to determine.

For the view of sticking to Xichuan, Wei You sneered and refuted, he said, now the princes of the world are fighting for the world, and finally try to control the entire Han River, and after the unification of the outside world, Xichuan is naturally their most difficult crusade place, when the time comes, Xichuan will inevitably be attacked by the army and face threats, it is better to take the initiative now, strengthen their own power, and then they can compete for the world, even if they can't, let the Xichuan situation be proudly buffered, and will not be directly attacked.

Those who advocate sneak attacks and those who advocate endeavor are both very reasonable to each other, and they are both half and half, and neither side is more vocal than others. However, Wei Yu won Liu Yu's trust, so as far as Liu Yu was concerned, he naturally advocated sending troops, but it was not easy to express his position clearly, and in the end he was at fault, sent everyone back, and agreed to discuss in detail the next day.

In the evening, the messenger went to see Wei Yu in person, and he knew that Wei Yu was the most powerful person around Liu Yu now, and as long as he could convince Wei You, he would be able to make Liu Yu reject the opinions of others by himself. This messenger is none other than Yuan Shao's first strategist Tian Feng, a Julu person, after Yuan Shao's anti-guest Yizhou, he became a very important strategist around Yuan Shao, and was appointed as a different driver, Yuan Shao trusted and valued him very much. This time, he personally sent Tian Feng to come, because he was afraid that Liu Yu would insist on sticking to Xichuan and not send troops, so he hoped that he would use his talent to let Liu Yu send troops.

But he said that Wei You had already heard of Tian Feng's name, and knew that he was the first strategist by Yuan Shao's side, and now when he saw him, he was also treated politely, and then Tian Feng entered, and after sitting down, Tian Feng directly praised Wei You, praised Wei You's talent, and said that Liu Yu had a strategist like him by his side, which was really a great blessing.

Wei Youzhi Dao Tian Feng said this, undoubtedly wanting him to persuade Liu Yu to send troops, and said with a smile: "Yuan Haoxiu wants to praise me like this, I am only talented, and compared with you, it is really not enough to mention." In fact, I also suggested that the lord and your army join forces, but now half of the people are against sending troops, and the lord is also a little hesitant. If they can be convinced, then the lord will definitely agree to join forces. ”

Tian Feng asked, "Who is the most opposed?" ”

Wei You said: "This person is a native of Xichuan, surnamed Liu Mingbin, he is a veteran of Xichuan, he has always advocated sticking to Xichuan, when the lord was forced by Gongsun Zhan, it was he who led the army to the rescue, and burned the plank road after entering Xichuan, so that Gongsun Zhan's army could not raid, so that he could retreat safely." So now the lord doesn't dare to easily deny his opinion, if you can persuade him to let the lord send troops, then other opponents will naturally not have such a strong voice. ”

When Tian Feng heard this, he calculated in his heart, this Liu Bin is a person from Xichuan, he wants to stick to Xichuan and not try to plot against other places, which can be regarded as having his own opinions, and now the situation in the world, it seems that it is indeed safer to stick to it than to send troops, but after all, it can be held for a while but not for a lifetime. So he asked Wei You to take it with him, and he went to see Liu Bin.

That Liu Bin heard that Wei You and Tian Feng were coming, and Zhilu Dao came to persuade him, but he didn't want to refuse them, but let them in. Although he and Wei You disagree on politics, but at the same time, for the sake of Liu Yu and the people, they have a good relationship in private, and they do not have conflicts because of differences in political views.

Then after Wei You and Tian Feng, the two sides were polite to each other, and Liu Bin also treated them politely, ordered someone to bring wine, and after the host and guest sat down, they talked about things while drinking. Without waiting for Wei You and Tian Feng to speak, he talked about the benefits of sticking to Xichuan, and also said that Yuan Shao's current confrontation with Zu Zhao was really an inappropriate measure. Although Yuan Shao has a large number of generals, Zu Zhao's military strength should not be underestimated, at this time, it should be the best policy to let Cao Cao and Zu Zhao fight first, and then send troops when both of them are almost consumed. Otherwise, fighting back and forth like this can only make Cao Cao, who is holding the Son of Heaven hostage, able to benefit the princes.

Tian Feng first agreed with Liu Bin's opinion, but he changed his words and said that now Zu Zhao's power is expanding day by day, and he has occupied the entire Youzhou, and even conquered Silla and Wuhuan in the north, established a strong rear base, and has been plotting other places. If he doesn't unite now to destroy it first, then he may be the first to attack Nishikawa. Because Zu Zhao attaches great importance to the construction of the rear base, when he attacked, he had already thought of a way to retreat, and when the time came, he would not have any capital to make a comeback after his defeat.

Zu Zhao is a talented person, and now with the assistance of Chen Gong, Chen Youzhi and Su De, and the generals Zhao Yun, Zhang Yuan, Zhang Pre, Yu Ban and others, if they want to attack Xichuan, it will be easy, and it is completely impossible for the Xichuan army to resist. Now Yuan Shao and Zu Zhao confronted, for a time alleviated the crisis in Xichuan, if Yuan Shao once the strength of the force and retreat to the Bohai Sea, then Zu Zhao is afraid of Cao Cao's strength, he will not choose to break through, he is likely to send people to attack Xichuan, further expand his rear base.

Now Zu Zhao is pinned down by Yuan Shao's army, it is the best time for Xichuan to sneak attack behind it, now Zu Zhao's army and generals are all in the frontal battlefield, and the rear is only guarded by the Confucian general Su De, although Chen Youzhi is all-round in civil and military affairs, but his troops are insufficient, he can naturally watch the drama Xichuan's army, as long as the time comes, Zu Zhao will be attacked before and after, and he will be defeated, he is desperate, and he can only choose to retreat to other small places in the north.

And at that time, Liu Yu could recapture Youzhou and then control the entire Liaodong region, so why not. Now Liaodong is the richest place, and winning Liaodong is equivalent to winning half of the world. As long as Liu Yu sends troops now to alleviate Yuan Shao's crisis, it is also kind to Yuan Shao, and when the two armies join forces, and then attack Cao Cao, and then map Eastern Wu, so that half of the world will fall into the hands of Liu Yu, as a relative of the Han family, for Liu Yu, this is his mission.

If he insisted on Xichuan, even if Zu Zhao did not send troops to attack Xichuan, when the territory of the Han Dynasty fell into the hands of Zu Zhao or Cao Cao, wouldn't he, as a descendant of the Han family, feel shameless and ashamed of his ancestors. Now that there is a chance to regain the territory, why can't you send troops, this is a kind of disregard for the hard work of the ancestors, and it is not the behavior of a descendant of the Han family.

Tian Feng's words were moved by emotion, and Liu Bin was speechless, and finally agreed to persuade Liu Yu to send troops and conspire with Liaodong, and when the time came, he destroyed Gongsun Zan and Zu Zhao, which can be regarded as revenge for their following crimes, and the most important thing is that as Tian Feng said, keep the territory of the ancestors and not fall into the hands of others.

As for the confrontation with Yuan Shao in the future, this is a matter for the future, and the top priority is to recapture Youzhou first and destroy Zu Zhao. Tian Feng finally persuaded Liu Bin, and the next day he accompanied them to meet Liu Yu and talk about the dispatch of troops. Liu Yu knew that Dao Tian Feng was a talented and intelligent champion, and he also treated him with courtesy, one was a signal to Yuan Shao to show good luck, and the other was also a polite and virtuous corporal.

After persuading Liu Yu to send troops, Tian Feng said that he wanted to report the information back to Yuan Shao as soon as possible, and it was not appropriate to stay for a long time. Liu Yu and the others did not leave him, and let him go back so that Yuan Shao could prepare for the front and rear attacks. However, Tian Feng told Liu Yu before leaving, although Zu Zhao's army was on the frontal battlefield, this person was scheming, and all his strategists had the talent to reach the sky, so he should not be careless when attacking, so as not to fall into Zu Zhao's ambush. If the sneak attack is successful at that time, you must not rush forward, and you must move with Yuan Shao's pace.

Liu Yu promised in his mouth, but he didn't remember Tian Feng's words much in his heart, he thought that Tian Feng said this just to let Yuan Shao also get a piece of the pie, and not let him swallow Youzhou and Liaodong alone. That Youzhou was his territory, and now he has the opportunity to get it back, so why do you have a share of Yuan Shao. At that time, Yuan Shao will fight on the frontal battlefield, even if he wins, he will be greatly injured, and it is impossible to compete with him, why don't he quickly seize Youzhou, why wait for their pace.

After Tian Feng left, Liu Yu immediately reorganized the soldiers and horses, ordered Xian Yuyin to be the vanguard, Wei Dun to be the deputy general, and took 8,000 elite soldiers first, and he personally led the army of 50,000 Xichuan to Youzhou. The army was mighty and took Zhuo County directly.

Zu Zhao, who confronted Yuan Shao on the frontal battlefield, convened all the generals to discuss how to defeat Yuan Shao in one fell swoop. Some people are worried that Yuan Shao and Cao Cao will attack Zu Zhao, and it is really not a good thing to face off with Yuan Shao at this time, so it is better to plan first and then move, and retreat first.

Zu Zhao said that he knew that Cao Cao had always looked down on Yuan Shao, and now he was really at war with the Central Plains, and he must have no intention of helping Yuan Shao, even if he agreed, it was only a verbal promise, and there would be no substantial help, but he was a little worried about Liu Yu in Xichuan, if Yuan Shao sent someone to let Liu Yu send troops to attack the rear, Liu Yu was likely to send troops at this time, and when the time came, the army would inevitably be nervous, so that he had no intention of resisting the enemy.

Chen Gong said: "Now our army and Yuan Shao are confronting, our every move is in his eyes, if we send the army back to help, it will definitely be Yuan Shao's knowledge, then he will definitely take the opportunity to attack us, which is really unfavorable to our army." ”

"From a military point of view, what should it be?" Zu Zhao asked.

Chen Gong said: "Liu Yu will definitely send troops this time, then he must first capture Youbeiping County, although it is the capital of Youzhou Prefecture, but we have no substantial garrison, and then he will definitely Zhuo County and Liaodong County, this is our important city, they will definitely choose to conquer first, and then they will be able to form a psychological deterrent to us." Now Su De guards Liaodong County, with less than 10,000 troops, and he must not be able to hold it, and Chen Youzhi in Liaoxi has been developing the army, and now the lord has sent troops and has not used the army in Liaoxi, isn't it just to prevent someone from raiding in the rear. Since this is the case, then let Su De take the initiative to abandon Liaodong County, and then join Chen Youzhi in Liaoxi. After Liu Yu seized Liaodong County, he naturally would not try to take Liaoxi, and he must attack Zhuo County, because Zhuo County is a very important military location. In this way, the king of Gongsun of Xuanwu County can be asked to lead troops to aid Zhuo County, and Chen Youzhi will go to Zhuo County with all the troops of Liaoxi. ”

Zu Zhao listened to Chen Gong's words and appreciated it very much, and immediately ordered someone to quietly return to Liaodong County with a letter, so that Su De would directly abandon the city when he encountered Liu Yu's army, and take the army to Liaoxi to join Chen Youzhi, and at the same time inform Chen Youzhi to secretly rectify the army and horses, and prepare to go to Zhuo County to attack Liu Yu. At the same time, he also notified the Gongsun Wang of Xuansu County to send troops to intercept Liu Yu's army on the way from Liaodong to Zhuo County.

Let's say that Liu Yu's vanguard army attacked all the way, which can be described as overwhelming, without encountering any decent resistance, and soon arrived in Youbeiping County, camped thirty miles outside the city, and waited for the arrival of the large army. Three days later, Liu Yu's army arrived, and immediately launched an attack on Youbeiping County, which was quickly captured. After commending his subordinates, he went straight to Liaodong County in one go.

The army was camped at the east gate outside the city of Liaodong County, and Xian Yuyin led the army to fight with the city, but Su De could not hold out. Liu Yu's army shouted and cursed day and night, and the Soviet Union and Germany were limited to surrender within two days, otherwise the day the army broke the city, there would be no chickens and dogs left.