In the winter of 211 AD, Liu Bei in Shuzhong led his troops back to Hanzhong. After a short rest, in the spring of 212 AD, Zhuge Liang was made the commander, Jiang Wan was the army, Fei Shi was Sima Yuan, and Dong Ju and Fan Jian were Peng Shi; The fierce general Zhang Fei was the vanguard, Yan Yan and Zhang Ren were the generals, and the governor was the military horse in Shuzhong. More than ten people such as Wu Lan, Zhang Ji, and Zhang Wei, the famous generals in Sichuan, were deputy generals, Guan Xing and Zhang Bao were the left and right envoys, and Lei Tong took grain, raising a total of 100,000 horse infantry, and the army marched to Yizhou.

At the same time, Han Sui and Zhong Xuan chased Ma Teng all the way. Ma Teng was trapped in the northern plains, fought hard and could not break through, and was shot by a stray arrow and died. A generation of princes died on the battlefield and faded out of the stage of hegemony in the Central Plains. Ma Teng is dead, and Ma Chao has the responsibility to carry the banner of the Xiliang army. Helplessly, the Guanzhong army won the battle and the momentum was flourishing, although the Xiliang army was brave and good at fighting, but could not withstand Zhong Xuan's many schemes, and was not broken in the summer of 212 AD. Ma Chao, Ma Dai, Ma Tie, and Ma Xiu fought their way out of the encirclement and went to Yizhou.

The allied Han Sui rebelled, Ma Teng died in battle, Ma Chao and Ma Dai defected to Liu Bei, and all kinds of events summoned the Ma Teng power group that had lived in Xiliang for more than ten years to officially disintegrate and begin to withdraw from the stage of history.

The defeat of Ma Teng, the rise of Liu Bei, the heyday of Zhang Lang, the northern forces of Cao Ying, and the Han Wei group competed for the deer, and after more than ten years of conquest and killing, they officially entered the three-legged period.

The successive withdrawals of Liu Bei and Ma Teng's two allied forces did not dispel Zhang Lang's determination to take the opportunity to go north. After some heated discussions, Zhang Lang decided to use Xuzhou as a breakthrough point, open the Jinan front, invade the Yellow River, drive all Cao Ying's forces to the north of the Yellow River, and divide its group forces, in order to counter each other. To this end, Zhang Lang transferred two good generals, Ding Feng and He Qi, commanded 50,000 soldiers and horses, and went to Xuzhou from the Huai River waterway to support the Shandong war situation.

At this time, the ocean-going army led by Zhou Shan had reached Dongyi (Jiaodong Peninsula), and secretly built a naval transit base in the small island of Xingluo in Bohai Bay, preparing to connect to western Liaoning, eastern Liaodong and other places, in order to receive the effect of surprise soldiers.

Shandong. Since ancient times, Shandong and Jingxiang are like the two wings of the southeast. To the south and advance to the north, out of the front of the Jianghuai, it is better to go out of the two wings. If the front line of the Huai River is too far from the front of the Jianghuai River, its attack and defense will lose its support: and the two wings will have a relatively favorable situation of mountains and rivers to rely on. As far as Shandong is concerned, if it can occupy this place, whether it is the south or the north, it will achieve a very favorable situation. For the south, Shandong, the Central Plains can be won by entering, the Youyan can be bordered by the north, and the Huaisi can be covered by the wings and the Jianghuai River can be consolidated; For the north, Shandong, advance can force Jianghuai in the south, and retreat can cover Hebei.

And Shandong has been defending since ancient times, the land of four wars. On the northwest side of Shandong, there is Jinan, Jinan is dependent on Mount Tai in the south, and the Yellow River is blocked in the north. On the southwest side, there are Yanzhou and Jining, which are close to the mountains and rivers and control one side. On the southeast side is the Yi River and the Shu River, the valley lowland formed by the alluvium of the two rivers, sandwiched between Yi Mountain, Meng Mountain, Langya Mountain and Wulian Mountain. This valley lowland is the passage between the hinterland of Shandong and the Jianghuai River. And on the northeast side, there is Qingzhou, near the ancient Linzi, the capital of Qi. In the important places of Shandong, the solidity of protection is not as good as Linzi. The topography of Shandong is not as good as that of other corners, and it may be attacked on three sides, and it is not easy to hold; Moreover, the low mountains and hills of Shandong are only a few hundred miles in radius, lacking depth, and the whole territory may be penetrated as soon as several dangers are broken through. Therefore, some people say that Shandong: it is easy to be weak and die by self-discipline, and it is enough to strengthen oneself and gather things by attacking others. If Shandong is used as a base, it is enough to make a difference. If you take advantage of this, you will overturn sooner or later.

Now Cao Ying retreated to the north of the Yellow River and opened the northern ferry, so that the general Xiahou Yuan had his back against the Yellow River and stuck to the line of Jinan and Licheng. Obviously, we see the shortcomings of the strategic location of East Afghanistan. Therefore, he ordered several generals from Hebei to go to Qingzhou to rush to prevent the southern army from crossing north.

In the autumn of 212 A.D., Taishi Ci of the Jiangdong Group opened a huge field, chiseled through Wen and Si Ershui, connected the Yellow River, and opened the door to the waterway to invade the Central Plains. At the same time, Zhang Liao led 50,000 soldiers out of Shanyang to the west, always maintaining strong pressure on Dongjun.

In the same year, Gao Shun got the meaning of Tian Feng, ran to Mount Tai, and controlled Tai'an. Because Tai'an blocks Mount Tai in the north, Wenshui in the south, between Qilu and Qilu, it is the pivotal place, if it is from this vertical and horizontal four out, control the three Qi, all become a high-rise momentum. If you want to go north out of Qingzhou and invade Youyan, Tai'an is really a place where soldiers must fight. Since Gao Shun controlled Tai'an, he led the soldiers to Linli to the city.

The ancients said: "Qizhou should be the rush of four reaches." If you can't Qizhou in the south, you can't ask about the river; If you can't Qizhou in the north, you don't dare to peep into Huaisi; If you can't Qizhou in the west, you can't get to Linzi; If there is no Qizhou in the east, there is no contention with Ajuan. Therefore, Shandong is in trouble, and Qizhou is often the rush of war. "Qizhou is Jinan. In Qizhou, the most critical hub is Lixia City. Lixia City, built during the Warring States Period. In the sixteenth year of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, he was separated from the Qi State. During the Warring States period, the princes attacked together, and they fought every time. After Qin destroyed Wei, he marched eastward, and the troops were under the army, and the troops pressed the Qi realm, and the king of Qi surrendered without a fight. During the Chu-Han War, the debater Li Shiqi lobbied the Qi Wang Tian Guang to join the Han Dynasty, so that Qi could strike the war, and Han Xin was able to penetrate the Qi realm and slightly settle the three Qi.

If the Jiangdong Army wants to win the title of Heji and go north to Jiyan, it will be a place of contention.

With the importance of the location of the city, Cao Ying saw that if Jinan missed again, the war would inevitably burn north of the Yellow River. Therefore, Cao Ying personally ordered Xun You to assist Xiahou Yuan to hold Licheng, and let Xiahou Dun lead 50,000 horses into the East County and join forces with Xiahou Yuan to resist the Jiangdong Army. He also ordered the general Cao Ren to go to Qinghe County as a backup. At the same time, Cao Hong raised the people of Qingji and entered Leling from Nanpi to support the Linzi line of Qingzhou.

Under such circumstances, Zhang Lang ordered He Qi to go out of Langya and open up the North Sea Front, in order to contain Cao Hong's forces and reduce the pressure on Gaoshun's eastern front. He led the army from Wuping to Dingtao, and began to put pressure on Dongjun, forcing Xiahou Dun not to fully support the Licheng front, so he began to prepare to join forces with Tai Shici, Gao Shun, and Zhang Liao in Jinan. At the same time, Zhou Yu pressed into the front line of Chenliu and Zhongmu from Yingchuan, intending to contain the Hebei troops at the same time, open the gap in Guandu, and begin to prepare to cross the Yellow River north.

The Jiangdong Army is connected by several roads, echoing each other from afar, and the momentum is extremely huge, no matter which way it breaks through, it can support the overall situation and threaten the north.

Cao Ying saw that the east of the river invaded the nest and invaded the Yellow River in the north. was forced to raise the army again, and Cao Zhen entered Tunguandu to support the front line of Zhongmu and Xingyang. He went to the plains, Gaotang, and prepared to confront Zhang Lang again.

The Great War of the North and the South broke out at one touch. As a third party watching from the sidelines, how could Liu Bei let go of such a great opportunity? Although Zhuge Liang transferred 100,000 troops to Nanping Meng, the country of Shuchuan Tianfu was fertile for thousands of miles, and the two fronts were fighting at the same time, plus Ma Chao and Ma Dai joined one after another, and the army became stronger and stronger. At this time, Zhou Yu contained a lot of troops in Hebei, Liu Bei personally raised troops, Ma Chao and Ma Dai were the vanguards, Fa Zheng and Zhang Song were strategists, and 80,000 infantry were raised. At the same time, Guan Yu was sent to guard Hanzhong, cooperate with the main army, and surprise troops to go to the sloping valley and encircle Chencang Road.

Lixia City.

Gao Shun led an army of 50,000 troops and camped thirty miles outside the city.

After several days of tentative attack and defense, Gao Shun knew that it was impossible to take the city easily.

Xiahou Yuan's familiarity with the military books, Xun You's foresight, and the majesty of the city walls hinted at the difficulties of the battle situation.

Gaoshun Dazhai is built according to the mountain, the grass is camped, the radius is ten miles, the flag is fluttering, and the voice of the people is boiling.

Gao Shun was on the high sentry platform, borrowing a telescope to carefully observe the enemy situation in the distance.

Outside the city, bright flags fluttered everywhere, and many guards were in high spirits and meticulously patrolling back and forth.

Occasionally, I saw a few generals pointing in the direction of the side, analyzing something.

Gao Shun took off the binoculars and looked pensive.

The terrain around the history is gentle, and there is no danger to defend, originally the turtle retreated in the city, but did not lose a partial plan. But Xiahou Yuan did the opposite, letting his henchman Niu Jin lead 10,000 troops and refuse outside the city. Gao Shun always felt a little inappropriate, with Xun You's strategy, how could Niu Jin and his 10,000 horses be sent to death so easily?

Gao Shun was uncertain, so he asked the deputy general Zhu Ran: "Yifeng, will you tell me the news from the spies in detail?" ”

Zhu Ran nodded and said, "Okay." There are about 30,000 Cao troops in Lixia City, which are all the elite troops of the Hebei Army that Cao Ying incorporated into the Hebei Army during the Battle of Chidu, and the enemy general Xiahou Yuan personally sat in the town, and the combat effectiveness was extremely strong. And Dong'a, which is closest to Lixia City, is home to about 10,000 soldiers of Cao Xiu. The fast horse only takes about one day and one night, and if there is a war, I believe that the fastest reinforcement will be Cao Xiu's troops. In Dongping City, there are about 10,000 horses in Han De, and the burden of this road is relatively heavy, as the connection point between Dongjun and Licheng, taking into account the heavy task of transiting between the two places, if there is no important military information, they will not be easily dispatched. ”

Gao Shun frowned, and said in a deep voice: "What else?" ”

Zhu Ran continued: "It is rumored that Cao Ren has sent his younger brother Cao Chun to lead 30,000 horses into Jibei to support Licheng at any time. At the same time, let Xiahou Mao lead 20,000 troops to block all ports on the Yellow River except for military bases to prevent our army from crossing the river. ”

Gao Shun sneered and said, "Cao Ren is very thoughtful. ”

Zhu Ran said with a solemn face: "Not only that, Cao Ying has let his brother Cao Bin lead the troops down, and the vanguard troops have reached Gaotang." At most, it will not take ten days for Cao Ying's main army to reach Jibei. ”

Gao Shun's face was a little helpless and said: "Several people are complementary, and it seems very difficult to take Lixia City." ”

Zhu Ran said: "So what is it like now?" ”

Gao Shun's rugged face showed an indifferent expression, his eyes looked into the distance, and he said indifferently: "With this kind of waiting and watching the changes, it is better to take the initiative to attack, I am just about to mobilize people and horses, and go to the camp tonight to find out the military situation." ”

Zhu Ran volunteered: "General, my subordinates are willing to complete this task." ”

Gao Shun shook his head and said: "You listen to me first, since Niu Jin is outside the city with great fanfare, he must have something to rely on." I'm afraid this is a trick to lure the enemy. This is a dangerous place to steal camps. ”

Zhu Ran said strangely: "In that case, why did General Gao go to rob the camp?" ”

Gao Shun smiled indifferently and said: "If we don't break this equilibrium, Lixia City will always put on this posture, and as for us, as long as we can mobilize the enemy army, victory will be inclined to us." ”

Zhu Ran asked again: "In this case, my subordinates are willing to complete this task." ”

Gao Shun stared at Zhu Ran for a while, and the latter was a little inexplicable, so he said indifferently: "Wait until I think of the whole plan." ”

Zhu Ran was a little disapproving, looking at Gao Shun just now, he obviously saw a trace of suspicion, is he not enough to be qualified for this task? Zhu Ran agitated: "If you don't take advantage of the current situation, I'm afraid that it will be even more difficult to attack the city at that time." Since the general is worried, if his subordinates go to rob the village, the general will lead the troops to wait and see what happens, and if there is fraud in it, the general can also lead the troops to save me. In this way, even if Niu Jin has the ability to reach the sky, he can't do anything with us. ”

Gao Shun wanted to refuse, but seeing Zhu Ran's expectant gaze, and there was no good way for a while, he couldn't help but nod and said: "In this case, you will take 3,000 men and horses to rob the village tonight, if the enemy army is on guard, you must not be reckless, retreat immediately, and I will come to meet you." ”

Zhu Ran was overjoyed, and after thanking him, he immediately rushed forward to get some armaments.

Gao Shun watched Zhu Ran leave, and struggled a little in his heart, although Zhu Ran was familiar with the Spring and Autumn Period, and knew the art of war, but he usually skipped the frizz, and he was so happy, he went to rob the camp tonight, if he didn't make some arrangements, he was afraid that there would be more luck and less luck. Thinking of this, Gao Shun said to the guards in a deep voice: "Let Zhang Hu and Tai Shiheng come to see me." ”

When I was young, two young talents came in a hurry.

Zhang Hu and Tai Shiheng are both generals, and they are the sons of the famous Zhang Liao and Tai Shici.

Zhang Hu passed on from his father, a halberd method out of the blue, has long had his father's demeanor, although impulsive, and rarely his father's strategy is sophisticated, but if you are willing to make up your mind to experience, I am afraid that soon it will be a tiger general. Although Tai Shi Heng is not as ruthless as Tai Shi Ci, he joined the army at a young age, he is hardworking, and he is good at using his brain, and he is brave enough to be prepared. Although these two are weak in the age of the crown, they are heroic, young and old, and belong to the leaders of the new generation in Jiangdong.

It was also a helpless move for Gao Shun to bring these two generals. Although Tai Shici and Zhang Liao were generals, they didn't want to spoil their sons, so they were left to Gao Shun to discipline. You must know that Gao Shun's military discipline is serious, he never pretends to be public and private, and his prestige in the army is extremely high, and it is precisely because of this that Tai Shici and Zhang Liao are very relieved to let go of Gao Shun.

Zhang Hu is not tall, his cheeks are dark, his big black and white eyes are bright, and some thin bones on his body bear the black armor weighing dozens of catties, but this does not affect his actions at all, like a piece of black carbon full of firepower; And Tai Shiheng is just the opposite, his face is very white, his figure is also very slender, and with a silver-white armor, he looks like a scholar quietly.

Gao Shun saw that the two were coming, and his serious expression did not change at all: "Zhang Hu, Tai Shiheng." ”

The two of them said respectfully: "No." ”

(To be continued)