Yecheng, also known as Yedu and Yezhen, like other ancient cities in the Central Plains, has experienced the vicissitudes of the Chinese land, and has experienced several ups and downs, and has witnessed the prosperity and suffering of this land for thousands of years.

The name of "Ye" began in the place where the son of the granddaughter of the female cultivator lived in the first place, and the Duke of Qi Huan built a city here in the Spring and Autumn Period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, which was named Yecheng. During the Warring States Period, Yecheng was taken by Wei, and Marquis Wen of Wei once used Yecheng as the accompanying capital. After Qin annexed the world, Ye belonged to Handan County. The Western Han Dynasty Gaozu placed Ye County.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shaojin to occupy Yecheng and built Yedu, which has since become the capital of Cao Wei, Later Zhao, Ran Wei, Qianyan, Eastern Wei and Northern Qi.

In the second year of the Elephant of the Northern Zhou Dynasty (Note 1), Yang Jian, the Duke of Sui and Prime Minister of the Sui Dynasty, defeated the governor of Xiangzhou, Wei Chi Hui, and in order to prevent the resurgence of the anti-Yang forces in Hebei, he ordered the burning of Yecheng, and the name of a generation became a ruin. Xiangzhou, Wei County and Ye County and most of the people moved south to Anyang City, and Lingzhi County was placed on the site of Yecheng, and Anyang replaced Yecheng as the center of the area. The original old Ye County was included in Anyang County, and Anyang County was renamed Ye County at the same time.

In the eighth year of Tang Zhenguan (Note 2), Yecheng was rebuilt and served as the seat of Ye County.

History repeats itself repeatedly, with a few people becoming kings and a few defeating others. Now, under the strong but dilapidated city walls of Yecheng, the flames of war are burning, and the blood is soaked into the ancient gray city bricks, solidified, and countless black and brown spots are smeared and splashed on the gray ancient city wall, making this majestic ancient city more vicissitudes and tragic.

It seems that God can't bear to see this fratricidal human tragedy, and a heavy snow has been raised, trying to cover up the ruins on the battlefield, but like a child who wants to cover up, he can't hide the countless broken spears like small trees destroyed by the wind and arrows like cut wheat fields.

Looking at the large area of military camp that surrounded Yecheng in the same place, Du Chongwei's face on the city wall was as dark as water, and he spit out a long breath, the fog dissipated in the cold north wind, but Du Chongwei's heart was like pressing a large stone.

Is that the end of it?

Although there are still more than 30,000 soldiers in the city, the grain and grass have been exhausted, and without food and grass, how can the 30,000 soldiers who are so hungry and have no strength that they are elite that they can resist the attack of tens of thousands of fierce troops outside the city?

It is even more hateful that all the festival envoys once swore to support him Du Chongwei, and got countless benefits from him, but when it came to the end, they all became turtles with shrunken heads, one by one they watched coldly, sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight, and no one came forward to support him. The Liao army, which he once relied on, also fled out of the Central Plains in disgrace. Raise your eyes to death, although the heavens and the earth are great, there is no place for them.

Could it be that in this world, from now on, he really has to be surnamed Liu, is he Du Chongwei really unrelated to the emperor? Is it true that more than ten years of hard work will be put to waste?

Unconvinced, really unconvinced, how can he be convinced?

"Du Shuai, what's the matter with finding the end of the future? It can't go on like this!" Zhang Lian, the commander of Youzhou, strode forward and complained loudly. "The soldiers have nothing to eat, how can they fight? And those Diao people, more than a dozen people fled last night. ”

Zhang Lian was a Liao general, with 2,000 soldiers under his command, and was ordered to guard Yecheng. Originally, Zhang Lian did not intend to resist Liu Zhiyuan, and in the world of the Central Plains, who would be the emperor and what did he have to do with him? Who would have expected that a few months ago, several small soldiers who had fled from Kaifeng wanted him to cry about something. When Liu Zhiyuan's army attacked Kaifeng City, although the 1,500-strong Yan army of Liao who stayed in the capital Bian Liang surrendered to Liu Zhiyuan, they were still killed by Liu Zhiyuan for the crime of plotting rebellion.

When his soldiers heard about this, they were worried that Liu Zhiyuan would repeat the incident of killing and surrendering in Fantai, so they also killed them, and they all opposed the surrender of Liu Zhiyuan.

At the right time, Du Chongwei was attacked by Gao Xingzhou, and most of the walls of Wei Bo and Wei Bo had already been stripped off and could not be defended, the two hit it off, Du Chongwei led the crowd to retreat to Yecheng, and joined forces with Zhang Lian to resist Liu Zhiyuan's soldiers and horses.

Du Chongwei turned around and asked, "General Zhang, do you have any good ideas?"

In Yecheng, although Du Chongwei's soldiers and horses are far more than Zhang Lian, he treats Zhang Lian's Yan soldiers quite preferentially, and he is even more polite to Zhang Lian and Du Chongwei. It's just that Du Chongwei still points to a bit of hope, hoping that the Liao State can help him in the future and compete for the position of emperor of the Central Plains. At worst, he can still defect to the Liao State and leave a way back for himself.

Zhang Lian's eyes were ruthless, and he lowered his voice and said: "Du Shuai, the last general has a way to solve the urgent need for food shortage in the army, but I don't know if Du Shuai is ruthless." ”

Du Chongwei's eyes lit up and said, "General Zhang, what clever plan do you have in mind?"

Zhang Lian looked at the soldiers around him, Du Chongwei came over, waved his hand, and signaled the surrounding soldiers and guards to retreat a few feet away.

Seeing that the surrounding soldiers had retreated, Zhang Lian lowered his voice and said: "In fact, there is still a lot of grain and grass in the city, it only depends on whether Du Shuai dares to take it or not!"

Du Chongwei's heart was shocked, he understood what Zhang Lian meant, Zhang Lian wanted to say, kill the people in the city, take their flesh and eat them. Killing the people as military rations is not something that the Shatuo people have never done before. However, since Li Keyong led the Shatuo people into the Central Plains with Feng Tang Xizong (Note 3), he gradually became sinicized, and he no longer dared to use this method.

"This winter is very cold, and I don't think there is necessarily a lot of grain and grass for the Han army. Seeing that Du Chongwei didn't speak, Zhang Lian continued to instigate, "As long as we hold on for a while, the Han army will definitely withdraw, and they can't afford it."

As soon as the Han army withdrew, Du Shuai and the others pierced Liu Zhiyuan's papier-mâché tiger. I am afraid that the situation is about to change dramatically. It is not certain who the princes who are watching around will be headed. Du Shuai, big things can be expected!"

Du Chongwei's face was cloudy.

Yes, Zhang Lian is right, the successive wars have already exhausted the vitality of the Central Plains, Du Chongwei is having a hard time here, and Liu Zhiyuan is also uncomfortable. If according to Zhang Lian's suggestion, killing the people in the city for food, plus the food hidden in the people's homes, can indeed make Yecheng hold on for more than two months, and it is a harsh winter at this time, and the corpses of the people are not easy to break, which is indeed a good strategy.

For more than two months, I am afraid that the Han army will not be able to support it. It's cold and freezing, not to mention whether Liu Zhiyuan has food to adjust, how much food can be adjusted, and even if there is, the road is difficult to travel, how much manpower will it take to transfer it?

When the time comes, it will make people angry, even if Yecheng is really defeated and Du Chongwei is killed, I am afraid that Liu Zhiyuan's world will not be stable.

For Liu Zhiyuan, the best way is to preserve his strength and retire.