"Defeated? How could it be defeated? ”

In Guangxian City, Yuan Tan, who received the report of the Guandu battle, was stunned.

The 400,000 troops of the northern kingdom were defeated by Cao Cao's 100,000 soldiers and horses, and he could not accept this fact.

Before that, he had been in a state of anxiety, because after Wen Chou lost contact, his morale was low, and Tian Feng's death made the army's morale even more turbulent, Rao is 100,000 soldiers and horses in his hands, but he could only stagnate.

But he still had a fluke, feeling that as long as Yuan Shao defeated Cao Cao at the head of Guandu, the Lu army would definitely fall into chaos, and when the time came, he would take Xuzhou in one go, and after all, the merits would outweigh the faults.

Now, his father, whom he worshiped in his heart and respected since he was a child, has failed so badly.

Yuan Tan could even clearly feel that the faith in the depths of his heart was collapsing inch by inch.

Suddenly, I only felt that the so-called battlefield feats, prestige in the army, and even the position of the prince who had been thinking about it for a long time became insignificant.

He put down the bamboo slip with trembling hands, and then touched his eye socket sneeringly.

It's not sadness, or rather, the strange emotions that occupy my heart at this moment are not entirely sad.

What is that, what is that.

He was eager to know what kind of emotion this feeling of powerlessness was in his heart.

"Report!"

A sergeant ran in, and with an ordinary sound, Yuan Tan stood up from the handsome chair in shock, holding the hilt of the sword with his right hand reflexively, and the sword body was unsheathed for three points.

This action startled the sergeants.

"Tell me, what's the matter?" Yuan Tan looked at each other angrily, and the hand holding the sword did not let go, but on the contrary, he clenched it tighter.

"Gongzi, Lu"

"Is Lu Bu here?"

"No, Lu Bu's messenger sent this letter."

The sergeant shook his head again and again, not daring to look directly at Yuan Tan, and said in a loud voice: "I also returned more than 10,000 old units of our army." ”

Hearing this, Yuan Tan's tense nerves relaxed, and after exhaling a breath, he inserted the sword back into the scabbard, and waved his hand after sitting down, "Stand down." ”

After the sergeant retreated, Yuan Tan did not immediately read the contents of the letter, but raised his hand and touched his back, and found that it was already soaked at some point.

I. I'm scared?

Is this scared?

He seemed to finally understand what the emotion of the previous strange appearance was, yes, it was fear, fear from the heart.

The army was defeated, and he was uncomfortable; Wen Chou lost contact, and he was uneasy; Tian Feng died, and his heart ached

But from the beginning to the end, I was never afraid.

Why, because he knew that there was an indestructible backer behind him, it was his father, Yuan Benchu, the overlord of the four northern states.

As long as he is there, even if he is defeated, no one can shake the general trend of the world after all.

However, the content of the battle report in front of him clearly told him that Yuan Shao was defeated, and he was completely defeated, without a trace of suspense.

In just one battle, the 300,000 troops were folded in Guandu.

Moreover, Yuan Shao vomited blood every day and was seriously ill in bed.

His proud father's indestructible backer collapsed at this moment.

From now on, there will be no one to protect him.

This incident hit him harder than defeat.

Yuan Tan's whole person leaned back on the handsome chair as if he had been evacuated, and his eyes looking at the dome were extremely hollow, not knowing what he was thinking.

Even, Xin Ping and Xin Bi brothers did not find it when they entered the council hall.

"Childe, I heard that Lu Bu sent someone to deliver a peace book, what did the letter say?"

Yuan Tan nodded sneeringly, but did not say anything.

Of course, the brothers of the Xin family also knew the news of the Guandu fiasco, and they were also anxious about it, afraid that Lu Bu would take the opportunity to come up and entangle, so they were very excited when they heard that he sent the invitation and book, so they ran over.

Seeing Yuan Tan's appearance, he had no intention of reading the book immediately, and comforted: "Childe, things have happened, now the northern country is in turmoil, Gongzi, as the eldest son of the lord's father-in-law, should cheer up and set an example for the sons, this is the way of the son of man." ”

"I want to go back to Yecheng, my father is seriously ill now, and I don't know what the situation is." Yuan Tan's voice was soft, or rather, helpless.

"Childe!"

Seeing Yuan Tan like this, Xin Bi couldn't help but step forward and said earnestly: "The lord does not believe in you to return to Yecheng in the future, you go, who will preside over the overall situation of Qingzhou, and how should we face Lu Bu's thief's heart?"

The more you get to this time, the more you have to stabilize your mind, as long as you keep this Qingzhou, it is the greatest filial piety of the prince to the lord, and the lord will definitely understand! ”

"Yes, Childe, think about it, if you leave Qingzhou at this moment, once the enemy comes to attack, this. Isn't this a talk to the third son? Xin Ping also echoed.

Although Yuan Tan was in turmoil, after all, what the Xin family brothers said was also reasonable, even if it was uncomfortable, he could only dispel this thought.

Then he raised his forehead towards the bamboo slip on the table, "I just sent it, I haven't seen it, you can take a look." ”

Helpless, the Xin brothers could only go forward and read it by themselves.

confirmed that it was Lu Bu's invitation and letter, and his attitude was more humble than the two of them imagined, to sum up, Yuan Tan, you are the Qilin of the Yuan family, and I, Lu Bu, would never dare to be your enemy, because I was afraid that your northern army would be forced to fight back.

Although I won a game by luck, as long as you Yuan Tan is willing to clean me up at any time, I am very panicked, so now I want to ask you for peace, and I will listen to you in the future, and return all the more than 10,000 prisoners of war to you as a show of sincerity.

If you agree to my request for peace, I will reply to a letter, I will immediately take someone back to Xuzhou, and I will never dare to have any thoughts about the northern country in the future, and as long as you Yuan Tan speaks, I, Lu Bu, am willing to obey your dispatch.

This is like a winning battle, and it is clear that the desperate people are begging for mercy.

However, the brothers of the Xin family don't think that there can be any conspiracy here, Lu Bu won, it is true, but it is also the end of the strong crossbow, and it is a fool's dream to counterattack with his little soldiers and horses.

And the long-term confrontation on the front line is a huge drain on logistics, so it makes sense for him to want to withdraw from the army.

"Childe, this is also good news, sending this invitation and letter to Yecheng is enough to reassure the lord of the situation in Qingzhou!" Xin Ping was very excited, and this invitation and letter was actually enough to invite credit for Yuan Tan.

Of course, the current situation is not suitable for this, but the more critical this time, the more we must behave and let everyone know that Yuan Tan is the son who can stay in danger.

Yuan Tan raised his eyes and looked at the invitation and book that Xin Ping had come over to unfold, and there was finally a trace of wave in his eyes.

Lu Bu's attitude made him find a sense of security, especially the last sentence, he was willing to obey the dispatch in the future, as if he had surrendered.

Of course, he understood that this was a kind word, but it also gave the panicked Yuan Tan some confidence.

Naturally, his messy heart also began to have a slight sense of depression, and he bowed his head and said: "Lu Bu also took the initiative to return the prisoners of our army, and his attitude is indeed sincere, it seems that he has now reached the point of exhaustion." ”

"What Gongzi said is very true, in fact, Cao Lu has an old hatred, and this alliance is just a plan to survive, once we no longer set foot in the Central Plains, they will have a suspicion, Lu Bu's attitude, in fact, there are also considerations for the follow-up, Gongzi must take advantage of this opportunity." Simbi gave encouragement at the right time.

"Sir is right, I really should cheer up, my father is seriously ill now, and I should set an example."

He took a deep breath and began to regain his confidence, "The two gentlemen followed me to the barracks, these captives have just returned from the camp of Lu, and their hearts are fluctuating, I should go among them to appease them." ”

Hearing this, the brothers of the Xin family looked at each other with a look of relief, and nodded their heads again and again, "I am willing to go with my son!" ”

My father is now old, he can't protect me anymore, and from now on, I will have to rely on myself

Yuan Tan told himself over and over again in his heart, and he also encouraged himself.

The northern kingdom is now in danger of being overhanged, and if you want to inherit the throne, you should show the demeanor of the eldest son!

After receiving Yuan Tan's letter agreeing to ask for peace, Lu Bu sneered, "Does this kid think I'm really afraid of him!" ”

"I don't mean that when I look at it, Lord Yue-in-law thinks too much." Lin Mo smiled, people really didn't mean it, but they just said a few good words, for example, Wen Hou is a pillar of the Han Dynasty, and he should not be with the national thief Cao Cao, I also know that Wen Hou was deceived by the villain, so I will expose it this time, I will not attack you in the future.

"According to my intentions, he will never withdraw if he does not give me 108,000 stone of grain and grass!"

Lu Bu was still thinking about the issue of grain and grass in his heart, and then he thought about it, this was originally arranged by his son-in-law, and there was no need to be angry, "You said that you wanted to open the chapter of entering the northern kingdom with this, but I didn't see you make any moves." ”

Lin Mo stretched his waist and said crisply: "Yes, some of them, haven't you gone back yet, you want our Langya Taishou to run to the north again." ”

"Rong?"

Lu Bu's eyes rolled, and he was surprised by something amazing, "You have already sent him to the northern country once, you said at the time that you were going to give a gift to the Yuan family, this person has not been activated so far, isn't the battle situation too smooth, this person as a backup?" ”

Lin Mo shook his head and said with a smile: "It's just that the time hasn't come yet, this time when you enter the northern country, in addition to contacting this person, you need to find two more helpers." ”

"That's a lot of money, isn't it?"

What Lu Bu knows is that what kind of ability Zhenrong can have, it is nothing more than bribery and gift-giving that comes in handy, and often such plans are accompanied by the use of large amounts of money, and he felt distressed in advance, "But I can remind you that not everyone in the northern country loves money, at least not everyone can buy it with money, don't be self-defeating." ”

"Master Yue, where is he worried that I am self-defeating, is he worried that the money will not be enough to spend?"

In the face of Lin Mo's ridicule, Lu Bu was not embarrassed, but pouted and shook his head, "In this battle, our army has not gained much, but the loss has used seventy percent of the silver in the treasury. After returning home, the purchase of war horses, the maintenance of ordnance, and the pensions of soldiers and soldiers are all expenses that cost money like water.

And now that the autumn harvest is far away, I now count on your glaze factory to bring enough income, otherwise I will have to let Xingba go back to the Yangtze River to be a brocade thief to subsidize the family. ”

Lin Mo laughed out loud when he heard this, Lord Yuezhang is quite funny.

There is no way, I am afraid, this is understandable, after all, Lu Bu's subordinates did not have so many families behind Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.

Xuzhou, a family that had run a lot after the Yellow Turban, and then Zhenrong had a lot of people, so the strength of the Xuzhou family was so weak.

"Lord Yue, these two people must be found, and spending some money can save us a lot of trouble in the future."

Lin Mo rubbed his hands and sighed: "Everything that can be bought is a bargain, I'm afraid that I can't buy it with money." ”

"You always have your reasons, of course I believe you, but I just need to remind us that we are very poor now, don't spend too hard." Recalling that the 20,000 gold that Zhang Yang took away, he still had some pain, and if he gave it to Zhang Yang directly, he wouldn't say a word, but it turned out to be just to find someone, indicating that the price was a bit big.

The battle, which lasted for more than half a year, finally ended, and the army began to return south.

In order to show sincerity, no garrison was even arranged on the Linqu front.

said that he won the battle, but Lu Bu didn't know what he had won in this battle, and he would always envy Cao Cao for getting those benefits.

After all, after this battle, the number of troops left was more than 40,000, a full third, and the cavalry was the worst, from 4,000 to more than 1,200, and even the wolf cavalry in Bingzhou was reduced by more than 200 people.

For more than two years, this battle has been fierce.

On the way back, Lu Bu took the initiative to discuss the issue of rewards with Lin Mo, which was nothing more than the issue of sealing officials.

In this battle, the people who made the greatest contributions were naturally three people, Jia Xu, Zhao Yun and Xu Shu.

Jia Xu was originally a Taishou in the East China Sea, an official of two thousand stones, and he was so high, and it was impossible to add another military position to him if he broke through the sky, after all, he also had to consider the feelings of Zhang Xiu.

Zhao Yun can be directly promoted from the captain to the general of Dangkou this time, and he is just a miscellaneous general, but Yu Lu also mentioned 1,200 stones.

Then there is Xu Shu, if it weren't for his quick wit this time, something would definitely happen in the final battle, plus he was originally from Ziyang Academy, Lin Mo proposed to worship Pengcheng County directly.

As a humble family, he entered Ziyang Academy, and did not follow any county orders, pengguan, or gongcao, and jumped directly to the county of 600 stones, which can be called a steady rise and soaring into the sky.

You must know that the positions of officials in various parts of Xuzhou are now extremely scarce, and for these positions, the Chen family, the Lu family, and the Huainan Gang led by Liu Ye have sharpened their heads.

Lu Bu didn't think much about it, and nodded happily, "It's okay, by the way, I will show up the signboard for your Ziyang Academy." It's just a pity that the people inside are not clean. ”

Recalling that the Chen family actually stretched out their hand to Ziyang Academy, Lu Bu still felt very unhappy.

"It's already good, that is, it's just in Xuzhou, if it's in Yingchuan, I'm afraid it may not be able to do it."

Lu Bu nodded with a dry smile in agreement.

Then came the adjustment of Zhang Xiu, Gao Shun, Wei Yue, Gan Ning and others.

Wei Yue can be promoted to Zhonglang General, and ask the court for the purpose of the Dao, if you agree, you agree, if you don't agree, you will worship yourself, the last time he was injured in Anfeng, he should be given this position, after all, he was exchanged for his life.

But Gao Shun is a Zhonglang general, one level higher than the miscellaneous generals, and this time he can't talk about many great military exploits, so he can only record them in the merit book first.

Zhang Xiu is also simple, he doesn't have any military rank at the end of the court now, and directly helps to seal a broken general like Zhao Yun, mention his identity, and the bad guys are also thousands of miles away.

Moreover, the battle is also very fierce, Anfeng killed Li Tong in the big battle, and when he fought in the Xiaoguan battle, he was also injured for this, and this time he was rewarded together.

"If you want to talk about military merits, Xingba probably won't be able to move this time." Lu Bu finally thought of Gan Ning.

The next chapter is under review, so let's release it in the afternoon

(End of chapter)