Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 227 Yuan Shao: It seems I have to leave Yecheng first
The morning glow rises and the morning light is faint.

"Hoo ho ho..."

The sound of horse hooves suddenly sounded at the end of the track, then became louder and louder until it was deafening.

Teams of knights came riding on horses, with their heads held high, bows drawn and swords hanging, and long spears piercing the clouds.

Horns and drums sounded in unison, and the central army was still waving the Han flag, which fluttered in the wind, as if it was trying to destroy the enemy's formation, like light breaking through the clouds.

Seeing this, Lu Zhi couldn't help but sing: "How generous the warrior is, he wants to dominate the world."

Zheng Xuan also stroked his beard and nodded, praisingly saying: "The banners cover the sun and the enemies are like clouds, arrows fly and the soldiers compete for the lead."

"The soldiers under General Liu are as swift as thunderbolts, and they march in a measured manner, with their battle formations divided into different groups and their divisions organized into different units. The soldiers and officers are well-equipped with weapons and bows and crossbows, and they already have the might of Zhou Yafu's army at Xiliu."

Even Zheng Xuan, who knew nothing about military affairs, gave a very high evaluation.

The cavalry gradually reined in their horses and stopped a hundred steps away from the crowd. Liu Bei turned over and dismounted, took the initiative to walk forward to Lu Zhi and Zheng Xuan, bowed and said: "I greet the teacher and Lord Kang Cheng."

Lu Zhi looked at Liu Bei carefully with a smile, helped him up and said with a smile: "It's good that Xuande is back safely. In the war, you should show the ability of the soldiers, plan for success or failure, and consider life and death. This is the majesty of a general. But you still need to worry about your own safety."

"Zheng Kangcheng, the old scholar from Beihai, greets Envoy Liu."

Zheng Xuan, with his white beard and eyebrows, also smiled and bowed in greeting.

He did not act like a great scholar, but rather spoke in a very easy-going tone, which left a very good impression on Liu Bei.

"Lord Kang Cheng and my teacher have been friends for many years, so you can just call me Xuande." Liu Bei also said with a smile.

The three of them had a lively conversation. Finally, Liu Bei sent the two elderly scholars to their carriages. He then stood there and watched them return to rest before he breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Bei looked sideways at Xun Yu who was walking over, and said with a wry smile, "Wen Ruo, I heard that Master and Lord Kang Cheng were coming to greet me personally. The pressure I felt was even greater than when Yuan Shao ordered Qu Yi to lead an army of tens of thousands to station in Ganling County."

Xun Yu also smiled bitterly, bowed his hands in apology and said: "Your Excellency, Lord Lu and Lord Zheng are great Confucian scholars in the country and of high seniority. Even Yuan Benchu, who was a Confucian scholar for four generations, did not dare to let Qu Yi come to harass him frequently when he heard that Lord Zheng brought many Confucian scholars from Beihai to Pingyuan to debate the classics."

"I am afraid that stray arrows will hit the city and accidentally injure the great scholar. Then the Runan Yuan family, which is respected by all the world, will lose its integrity and reputation. Yuan Shao is so cautious in treating the two gentlemen, let alone Xun Yu of Yingchuan?"

Liu Bei thought about it carefully and couldn't help but smile and shake his head.

Anyone who cared a little about his reputation would not dare to hurt these two people by mistake. Even the lawless Dong Zhuo did not dare to do anything in the court, let alone a child of aristocratic family like Yuan Shao, who would be even more careful about his reputation.

Of course, Liu Xuande naturally did not dare to do so, and he did not even dare to be negligent in the slightest. You have to know that these two gentlemen are older than him in generation. In the Han Dynasty, which emphasized filial piety, they are always superior to him. He must win them over and not offend them.

Liu Bei smiled and nodded to his wife Yin Jun and eldest son Liu Yong who were waiting eagerly in the distance.

He took off the robe with the jade Si Nan pendant hanging around his waist, which wished him safety, and handed it to Dian Wei, giving him some instructions so that he could tell his wife that he had kept his promise and returned safely, and that he would come to find her after finishing his business.

This made Xun Yu, who was standing beside him, look a little embarrassed. If Xun Yu hadn't come over to intervene, the envoy would have gone to see his family by now.

Just as I was thinking about leaving it for later, Liu Bei's voice rang in my ears. He smiled confidently and said, "Wen Ruo, please go. I know that you have a refined and elegant personality. If it wasn't urgent, you would definitely not come to me at this time."

"What on earth has made Xun Jun so worried?"

Liu Bei clapped his hands and asked with a smile. He remembered that after he wiped out more than a hundred powerful families in Xuzhou, the financial pressure on the Qingzhou treasury was greatly alleviated in terms of finance and grain, and he made hundreds of millions of dollars from money, grain and corn alone.

Wen Ruo should have been happy for a long time, why did he start to worry again? "Sir, Yuan Benchu ​​ordered Qu Yi, Zhu Ling, and Jiang Qi to station tens of thousands of troops in Ganling County, and ordered Gao Lan, Zhang He, and Dong Zhao to station more than 30,000 troops in Nanpi County, Bohai County. He moved the capital to Handan, and moved all the officials' families to the north. Only Chunyu Qiong and Wen Chou were left in Yecheng with more than 10,000 troops."

"This move is probably intended to cut off the Qing and Yan states. While attacking Qing state, they also want to shake the hearts of the Yan state's noble families."

Xun Yu said solemnly, bowing his hands.

Unexpectedly, after hearing the first words, Liu Bei frowned slightly, but when he heard the second half, he smiled and comforted Xun Yu.

Previously, he had been consolidating the gentry and wealthy families in Yanzhou. This time when he came back, he stayed in Yanzhou for some time and reassigned officials from various places.

The brothers Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao of Chenliu County had long since turned against Yuan Shao. The wealthy families of Dongjun and Jiyin County had placed heavy bets on him, not to mention that Yunchang was stationed in the north to guard against the enemy.

There is no problem with Bao Yuncheng going to pacify Jibei. Zijing is in Dongping County, and Zilong has been transferred to Shanyang County.

The military and administrative affairs of Yanzhou have basically been dispatched, and are in a state of impenetrability. If Yuan Shao wants to go and get a bloody head on him, let him go.

Instead, he was somewhat interested in the fact that Yuan Benchu ​​was finally willing to leave Yecheng and go elsewhere.

Liu Bei couldn't help laughing and said, "Yuan Shao has chosen a good place."

Handan was the key place fought for in the battle between Guangwu and Wang Lang in Hebei. I don't know whether he would follow the example of Guangwu or Wang Lang, but although Handan was occupied by Guangwu first, it was later destroyed by Wang Lang.

Wang Lang (Liu Ziyu), who falsely claimed to be the son of Emperor Cheng of Han, was persuaded by Geng Yan to lead Geng Kuang, Peng Chong and others to attack southwards from Shanggu County in Youzhou with overwhelming force. They killed generals, nine ministers and colonels wherever they went, beheaded more than 30,000 people, and conquered 22 counties in five counties, namely Zhuo County, Zhongshan County, Julu County, Qinghe County and Hejian County.

The army sent from Youzhou directly stunned Wang Lang, who was already in a dominant position. The situation took a sharp turn for the worse, and then he was surrounded in Handan by Guangwu's army.

This was also a big reason why Yuan Shao was determined to defeat Gongsun Zan of Youzhou before. What's more, Zhuo County, which was close to Jizhou, was also Liu Xuande's hometown. Once the armies of Jizhou and Qingzhou were in a stalemate.

Liu Bei's plain is closer to Youzhou in the north and has the help of Gongsun Zan, while he is in Yecheng in the south. Isn't this a reappearance of the Hebei dispute two hundred years ago?

Liu Bei had some idea of ​​Yuan Shao's worries. At the moment, Handan was indeed in a better location than Yecheng. Although Yecheng was an important town in Hebei, it was surrounded on three sides by him. If the city wall was breached, the families of his officials would be gone.

Going to Handan is undoubtedly the best choice. The three counties of Yiyang, Liangqi and Wuan surrounding Handan are in a pincer position, and the north can be defended by the river, making it a strategic location.

But...if we retreat to Handan like this, aren't you afraid that the officials under your command will remember the past of Wang Lang, causing panic among the people?

Liu Bei couldn't help but ask Xun Yu curiously.

Xun Yu had been stationed in Pingyuan County for nearly a year and knew more about Yuan Shao's affairs than he did. Moreover, the correspondence between the Xun family members, even if they did not reveal secrets, would reveal some of the trends.

"Sir, Yuan Benchu ​​is well aware of the disadvantages of moving to Handan, and has left only his family here. He has led his staff and other officials to Xindu County in Anping County."

Xun Yu bowed and spoke in a strange tone.

After hearing this, Liu Bei was stunned for a moment, then he laughed out loud.

The reason was that Xindu was the place where Guangwu defeated Wang Lang and turned the tide. In order to stabilize the hearts of officials, Yuan Shao did not even stay in Handan for long.

This must be a huge psychological pressure for him to rush to Xindu to coordinate many affairs in Jizhou.

(End of this chapter)