Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 138: Lü Bu Encounters Yuan's Army
When Liu Bei entered Ji County, all the defeated soldiers from Liang Province had been wiped out. Upon learning that the county government had been set on fire by the rebel army, he found a courtyard house with green tiles and white walls to temporarily stay.

The soldiers were all cleaning up the battlefield and burying the broken limbs and bodies.

Xun You stepped on the broken tiles that had not been swept away and entered the courtyard and reported: "Your Excellency, the subsequent food and military equipment have been transported to the outskirts of Ji County, and the official Sun Gongyou is counting and coordinating them."

Liu Bei looked at the bloodstains that had dried on the corner of the wall for a long time and pondered in silence.

After a while, he turned around and said, "Since the food and equipment have been replenished in time, it is a good opportunity to divide the troops."

"We will take a short break today. Tomorrow, we can order Yide to lead the way to Gong County and defeat the Liangzhou army. Once we occupy this city, even if Yuan Shao orders Wen Chou to lead thousands of cavalry south along the river, it will be useless."

"Yuan Benchu ​​dared to risk the loss of Yecheng and dispatched Wen Chou to lead his troops to support Henei County. Yunchang can lead his troops to attack Ye County directly, unless Yuan Shao personally dispatches the main force of Jizhou to stop me from retaking Luoyang. However, Bogui is not that easy to deal with."

Liu Bei said with a smile on his face.

Gongsun Zan had written back to express his gratitude earlier, and it happened that the correspondence between him and his teacher Lu Zhi had arrived just in time. He was just about to send someone to kill Liu Yu, but when he received the letter from his teacher Lu Zhi, he was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat.

Lu Zhi said bluntly in the letter: "Liu Yu's reputation is well-known throughout the world and he is a role model for the Liu clan. If you kill him by force, you will be considered a traitor to the court. You don't have to call me Master anymore. From now on, there will be no Gongsun Bogui among my disciples."

But if he was not killed, there would always be people who would come to rescue him. Both the Xianbei and Wuhuan people sent people to try to redeem Liu Yu. The more people stood on Liu Yu's side, the more afraid Gongsun Zan became.

Gongsun Zan was wavering and was indignant when he heard a letter from his old friend Liu Xuande. He thought that if Liu Bei had been willing to join forces with him, he would not have been defeated in Jizhou.

He wanted to kick the messenger out, but then he remembered that Liu Xuande had once reminded him to pay attention to Qu Yi's powerful crossbow, which prevented the White Horse Volunteers from being wiped out at Jie Bridge. He took the letter and read it carefully.

Gongsun Zan stroked his beard and said to his cousin Gongsun Fan with emotion: "Xuan De is still Xuan De. He still has feelings for me. However, he is too kind and easy to suffer in troubled times."

Then he wrote back a letter of gratitude, saying: "Without Xuande's advice and suggestions, Zan would have made one mistake after another."

At that time, Liu Bei returned to the Qingzhou plain. When he received the letter, he thought he had finally persuaded Gongsun Zan.

Relying on Liu Yu to control Youzhou, Yuan Shao would never easily defeat Gongsun Zan again.

After a year or two, when he has occupied Xuzhou, Yuzhou, and several Heluo counties, he will be able to withstand the attack by Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, who bring with them the disciples and former officials of the four generations of the Yuan family to fight against him.

However, it is now the second year of Xingping, and Yuan Gonglu has been stroking the jade seal for a long time, and he can no longer resist the desire to become emperor.

Liu Bei pondered.

Another sound of footsteps was heard, and Guo Jia hurried in, bowed and said, "Sir, a scout has come to report that Wenhou Lü Bu, on his way to capture Linlu County after taking Dangyin, encountered Yuan's general Wen Chou, who led 2,000 cavalrymen to charge fiercely into Hanoi. The two armies collided on the north side of Xishan. Lü Bu, riding a good horse, led 700 cavalrymen with Zhang Liao, Cheng Lian, Wei Yue and others, regardless of life and death, to charge into the front line. Wen Chou was caught off guard and fled north in defeat."

"Lü Bu's cavalry also suffered heavy losses, and has now led its troops back to Dangyin to rest and recuperate. I'm afraid it won't be long before Lü Fengxian delivers a letter."

Liu Bei and Xun You looked at each other in surprise. As soon as they mentioned Yuan Shao, he would appear.

Liu Bei smiled and said, "Fengxian has helped me a lot this time. It's not a loss to give him some money and grain."

"But Lu Bu suffered a great loss. After this battle, at least one third of his war horses and military horses were lost." Guo Jia also said with a smile.

Without any replenishment of war horses and cavalry, Lu Bu will only become weaker and weaker.

Guo Jia bowed and congratulated him, "Congratulations, sir. The handle of the sharp blade has fewer thorns and is more convenient to use."

The next day, at sunset, Lü Bu's messenger and his followers rode across Chaoge and finally arrived in Ji County.

"Greetings, Lord Xuande!" the visitor bowed respectfully.

"Wenyuan, I haven't seen you for a few months. How have you been?" While waiting for the messenger to enter the courtyard, Liu Bei discovered that Lu Bu had actually sent Zhang Liao to him. Thinking that he was trying to curry favor with him, he couldn't help but laugh in his heart.

"Lord Xuande, Marquis Wen has asked me to deliver a letter to you, so I hope you will forgive me for coming here uninvited."

Zhang Liao explained politely.

Lu Bu also wanted Zhang Liao to pick out a set of armor that was damaged in the fierce battle with Wen Chou's cavalry and bring it to Liu Bei to let the other party know his predicament and provide him with reinforcements of soldiers, weapons and food.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Liao disagreed and refused, saying, "Lord Xuande is kind and loving, and is a real man. Why do you have to take advantage of the falsehood and cheat? Lord Wen should treat you with sincerity, and only then can you gain something."

Lu Bu was speechless, waved his hand and said: "Well, let's do as Wenyuan said. Lu Bu stood on the wall of Dangyin City and looked forward to your return soon."

He also knew that Liu Bei favored Zhang Liao. At present, the strength of the cavalry was greatly damaged, and the number of soldiers killed in the battle was more than Guo Jia had guessed. They suddenly encountered Yuan’s army more than ten miles north of Xishan. Taking into account the previous new and old grudges, he dared not bet that Wen Chou would let him go.

Besides, the other side had three horses and one rider, while his cavalry only had war horses and pack horses. There was a large plain area in front of the West Mountain. If they were chased, there was a high probability that their entire army would be wiped out.

Relying on his prestige among the cavalry over the years, Lu Bu led everyone in a desperate fight and finally defeated Wen Chou's troops. Wen Chou escaped with 200 cavalrymen.

But when they took inventory after the war, they found that most of the men and horses were killed.

Lu Bu's heart instantly sank. This was the brave cavalryman who had fought with him since Bingzhou and had fought against countless princes over the years.

Nowadays, there are only about 300 people who can wield spears, draw bows and shoot arrows. In this battle, 400 people were killed or wounded. It was a tragic victory.

There are not many infantry troops, and they basically rely on cavalry. If Liu Shijun does not lend a hand, Lu Fengxian will not be able to hold on, and it will be difficult for him to defend Liyang and Dangyin.

Zhang Liao told Liu Bei the whole story. After listening to it and reading the letter, Liu Bei thought that Lu Bu was really unlucky to run into Wen Chou leading his troops south in the plains, and he didn't even have a chance to escape.

Liu Bei suppressed his smile and said after a moment's deliberation: "Wenyuan, I can allocate some of the food and fodder that Fengxian needs, but I can't really provide additional knights. All of my cavalry are from Qingzhou. Even if they are transferred to other places, they still need to return home to rest for several months every year. My comrades are reluctant to leave their hometown and I'm afraid they are unwilling to leave Qingzhou."

"Fengxian is from Bingzhou, so it is safer to recruit soldiers from Bingzhou. Shangdang in Bingzhou, which is adjacent to Henei, is mountainous and difficult to reach, but it is not impossible to attack. We can take Sheguo County in Weijun, Jizhou, and follow the river valley to attack Shangdang."

"Since Fengxian is the lieutenant of Sili, and the Xiongnu have been wreaking havoc on the capital for a long time, he can recruit soldiers in the name of attacking the Xiongnu. This will not only replenish his troops, but also allow him to return to Bingzhou. This is a two-pronged approach."

Zhang Liao sighed and said, "Lord Xuande, it would be great if you could return to Bingzhou, but Marquis Wen has no money to recruit soldiers. All the taxes are usually used to pay for food and fodder, so there is not much money left."

Guo Jia chuckled and suggested, "Why don't Wenyuan let Lü Fengxian give Liyang and Dangyin to the envoy as money, and lead 300 cavalrymen to stay in Qingzhou and Yanzhou for a while. When our army breaks through Yecheng, takes Weijun and opens the road to Shangdang County in Bingzhou, it won't be too late for Wenhou to lead his army back to Bingzhou."

"The envoy is especially kind to the soldiers. Even if the enemy troops have made great achievements in battle, they will be rewarded with good farmland and fine silk. When the time comes, they can be exchanged for money and used to recruit soldiers from Bingzhou."

It's no wonder that Zhang Liao was somewhat tempted. Liyang was like a chicken rib in his hands, Dangyin had a large territory and few people, and was also facing the threat from Yuan Shao.

If it were Lord Xuande, being a guest in Qingzhou would be a good place to stay.

(End of this chapter)