Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 279 Catching a turtle in a urn
Liu Bei did not expect that Guo Tu did not die after jumping from the high platform. It seemed that his hands and feet were broken.

Although I felt funny in my heart, if I really laughed out loud at this time, it would be a bit disrespectful to the scholars of Yingchuan.

Liu Bei immediately waved his hand and asked the soldiers who knew some basic medical treatment to go forward to check what was going on and then find a chance to bring Guo Tu back to the camp.

He had no time to care about Guo Gongze at the moment, as he had to hurry to catch up with Yuan Shao.

At the sound of a horn, everyone was called to mount their horses. The knights raised their flags again, and the sound of thousands of horses' hooves was mighty. They whistled towards the northwest and quickly disappeared into the horizon.

……

Yuan Shao was originally several miles away and wanted to find an opportunity to lead the cavalry back, but he heard the scouts who came to report: the light cavalry had been dispersed and the armored cavalry was also in danger in the battle.

He had to abandon this plan and prepare to retreat to Yimu temporarily, ordering Ju Shou, Zhang He, Gao Lan and others to lead the infantry to rescue, and after gathering the defeated soldiers, he would fight a decisive battle with Liu Xuande.

When Xun Chen heard Lord Yuan's idea, he immediately shook his head and said, "Lord Yuan, this should never be done."

"Zhang Liao still has several thousand soldiers in Ge County. Although Zhang Junyi leads more than 10,000 soldiers, I have seen the battle reports coming in recently and Zhang He often shows signs of being at a disadvantage. I am afraid he cannot defeat Zhang Liao. Gao Lan and Dong Zhao are still attacking the eastern counties of Pingyuan County."

"If we wait for them to arrive with their army, I'm afraid Liu Xuande will arrive at Yimu first. For now, we can only retreat across the Huan River and make plans later."

After hearing this, Yuan Shao remained silent.

The Hebei official with the three-pronged beard was also in the crowd. Upon hearing the voice, he quickly offered a suggestion: "Mr. Yuan, Liu Bei's cavalry is approaching and is in a hurry. We should at least retreat to Dongwu City at this critical moment."

"I am from Guangchuan, Ganling. I heard in my early years that the Ximen family, a wealthy family in Dongwu, had an old grudge against Liu Xuande. For several years, they had been selling grain to Qing and Yanzhou at high prices and made a lot of money. If they heard that Liu had won, the Ximen family would be terrified.

Lord Yuan could first promise to help them defend the city, and after collecting money, he could reward them with money to encourage the morale of the army, or even use money to make the Wuhuan people escort him back across the river to the north.

As for Ximen, his money was all gone, so he would not dare surrender to Liu easily, fearing that his land would suffer further losses.

The clerk with a three-pronged beard bowed and smiled as he spoke.

Xun Chen was furious when he heard this. He glared at the other party and said hurriedly, "Mr. Yuan, our army has been badly defeated. We cannot recruit Wuhuan to join the army. Wuhuan are barbarians in the north. They are fickle and eager to get benefits.

"Before, we had 100,000 infantry and cavalry, so Tadun dared not have any other intentions. But now our army has suffered heavy losses, with only a thousand cavalry left to return north in a hurry. The Wuhuan have 5,000 in number. If they suddenly change their minds and change their minds, our army will be in danger!"

"This person must have an old grudge against Dongwu Ximen, so he offered this plan to expose other people's shortcomings, just to eliminate his enemies."

At this point, even Xun Chen couldn't help but snort coldly. Even with the Xun family's Confucian teachings, he couldn't help but look down on such a mean behavior.

Yuan Shao's face was filled with anger. He rebuked, "Shao is a member of the Runan Yuan family. How can you make false promises and take away the savings of several generations? Isn't that the same as Liu Xuande? Don't talk about this matter anymore."

The reason why he could mobilize so many powerful families and their troops to come for the decisive battle was that he promised not to seize the manors and fields, as well as slaves, servants, and servants of the Hebei gentry and powerful families.

Otherwise, why would the wealthy families in Hebei flock to it? Isn't it because they are reluctant to give up their one acre and three mu of land, as well as their followers and slaves?

When Liu Bei attacked the powerful, he would win over the powerful. When Liu Bei measured the land, he would make concessions. Whenever he opposed Liu Bei, he would succeed.

Unlike Cao Mengde, who, after being defeated, learned from his mistakes and looked for the reasons for Liu Bei's strength, he killed the rebellious local tyrants in Jiangdong and collected their money and farmland to support his soldiers.

If Yuan Shao dared to do this in Hebei, the gentry and wealthy families would have to surrender to Liu. Since they have to measure the land anyway, why should they follow you, the Yuan family, and become rebels?

Previously, he wanted to survey the land in Jizhou, but as Liu Xuande's power grew, he not only had to restrain himself from surveying the land, but also had to compromise with the wealthy families in Hebei.

I thought I could use the power of the masses to defeat Liu Bei in one battle, and then I could clean up Hebei. I didn't expect...

Yuan Shao thought for a moment and finally decided to build a pontoon bridge across the Huan River from Dongwu City in the northwest. He replied to Xindu and once again recruited soldiers from the counties and kingdoms to defend Anping County.

He then solemnly issued an order: "Tell Zhang Junyi to defeat Zhang Liao of Ge County and then retreat to Bohai. Gao Lan and Dong Zhao will return to garrison Dongguang, Nanpi and Fuyang counties. These three cities are closer to the Caohe River, which is convenient for transporting food and grass."

"Let Lord Ju and his cavalry rush back to Xindu to supervise the military affairs..." Yuan Shao paused for a moment, and suddenly remembered something. He looked around and saw no familiar figure. He asked hurriedly, "Where is Tian Yuanhao? Why didn't the cavalry take him with them when they retreated?!"

No wonder I always felt like something was wrong for a while; it turned out that no one stood up to give me honest advice.

Xun Chen also clapped his hands when he heard what was said, and his eyes suddenly widened, and he and Yuan Gong looked at each other in surprise.

Something bad happened. We retreated too quickly and were so busy saying goodbye to Guo Tu that I forgot to bring Tian Feng out from the rear camp.

I didn't expect that in this battle, in addition to Guo Gongze, I lost another good assistant from Hebei!
While the officials were stunned, they suddenly heard the scouts report that after the Qingzhou cavalry cut down the banner, they did not attack the infantry, but galloped towards the northwest, only five or six miles away. Yuan Shao immediately felt nervous and said to Xun Chen: "Youruo, the Qingzhou cavalry is sharp, but they have been fighting on the battlefield for a long time. They must be exhausted. As the saying goes, a spent arrow cannot penetrate a thin silk cloth. Now our army is resting and waiting for the enemy to tire. If we conserve our energy and wait for the enemy to attack, is there a chance to turn defeat into victory?"

Even if the front army was defeated, as long as the enemy's edge could be blunted for the time being, it would be considered a victory and could restore some morale for Hebei.

When people's hearts are shaken, a small victory is still a victory.

Xun Chen looked at Yuan Shao in surprise. What was the current situation? He was still thinking of turning defeat into victory. Was it possible?
He sighed and said, "Mr. Yuan, the army is trapped here now, and the soldiers have no intention of fighting anymore. We should quickly cross the Huan River and return to Xindu."

"This place is more than 300 miles away from the Huan River ferry, so it's better to set off quickly."

Xun Chen almost said directly, "Mr. Yuan, you are now like Xiang Yu who fled to the Wujiang River after his defeat. Fortunately, there are still troops stationed in Yecheng and Bohai, and you can also dispatch infantry to defend the city."

Otherwise, I’m afraid I won’t even be able to cross the Huan River.

Seeing that all the cavalry were in a panic, Yuan Shao could not help but sigh in his heart. Even if he successfully retreated to Xindu, once the news of the defeat spread, the officials and soldiers in Ganling, Bohai and Weijun counties would be shaken.

If there was a situation like Gongsun Zan attacking Jizhou, there would be countless people surrendering at the sight of him.

Yuan Shao looked around, trying to take in everything around him, and said to Xun Chen, "Send another 500 cavalrymen to resist the enemy. Do not engage in close combat. Use the method of fighting and retreating to lead the Qingzhou pursuers to Yimu. The rest of the cavalrymen will return north with us."

"Let's go. I don't know if I'll have a chance to come back..."

Yuan Shao thought dully.

He never dreamed that he would mobilize an army of 100,000 soldiers from Hebei, but would be defeated by Liu Xuande's cavalry in one battle. Even now, he still finds it hard to believe and feels as if he is still in a dream.

The ambition he once had to conquer the world became untouchable when the enemy cavalry defeated his central army. Then, Xun Chen's accidental persuasion suddenly woke him up. Thinking of the chain reaction that would occur when Jizhou and Youzhou heard the news, he became even more disheartened and depressed.

Cleaning up the mess and rebuilding morale is undoubtedly more exhausting than losing a battle.

……

On the other side, Liu Bei received a report from a scout that traces of enemy cavalry were found in the northwest, which was similar to the direction he judged Yuan Shao would escape.

Then he said with a smile: "Yuan Benchu ​​wants to cross the Huan River from Dongwu City. If we want him to escape, we can probably mobilize the nobles to defend the city."

"If we let the enemy go for one day, it will cause trouble for generations. You must not let Yuan Shao escape. Anyone who can kill Yuan Shao will be rewarded with one million yuan, exempted from taxes for fifty years, and allowed to cultivate a thousand acres of land. Soldiers or their sons can be recruited as Qingzhou officials according to their talents."

Word spread quickly from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. Those in the army who heard the news immediately became excited and motivated. They swept away their previous fatigue and became eager to fight. They wanted to chop off Yuan Shao's head immediately and come forward to ask for credit.

There were only a handful of clans that could own thousands of acres of fertile land after settling in Qingzhou, not to mention that many clans with larger populations were broken up one by one by the envoy.

Many direct relatives and indirect relatives become antagonistic due to conflicts of interest and monitor each other. Anyone who dares to break the law will be reported to the county or state department immediately.

In this case, if one is rewarded with a thousand acres of fertile land for military merit, that would be a true return home in glory. In this life, one can have enough food and clothing without worries, can go out on a horse, be respected by others, and can also be a clerk in his hometown and guard the tombs of his ancestors. In this way, one can have a perfect life!
Who can truly fight for a lifetime? Every time you fight in the battlefield, you are risking your life. After you are over 40, your whole body will ache when it rains.

At this moment, as long as they catch up and cut off Yuan Shao's head, they can retire early, and their families will no longer have to worry about food and clothing. Everyone can't wait to ride faster. Even if the opponent has 100,000 armored troops, they dare to gallop and charge forward without hesitation.

Seeing that the soldiers were greatly excited and full of fighting spirit after hearing his words, Liu Bei breathed a sigh of relief.

After a desperate battle, if you forcefully pursue the enemy, the most feared thing is that morale will gradually decline during the pursuit. If you suddenly encounter an enemy ambush, you may end up being defeated.

He then ordered the Huben cavalry to be alert and be careful to guard against ambushes with crossbows by Yuan's army while advancing.

Passing the fork in the road, the scouts who were gathering information ahead came rushing over to remind them that the enemy's thousand-plus cavalry were now divided into two groups, one heading northwest along the road, and the other heading due north.

Both cavalry forces had officials in the army, and neither of them raised their flags. The scouts did not dare to bet on where Yuan Shao had fled to, so they divided into two groups to investigate.

Liu Bei thought for a while and simply ordered the Huben Cavalry to remain intact, regardless of whether Yuan Benchu ​​would choose to retreat to Yimu to meet up with Zhang He and others.

He believed that Zhang Wenyuan, who was guarding Ge County, would never let Yuan Shao retreat easily when he saw the enemy's sudden movements.

In this case, we might as well follow our previous judgment and continue chasing the enemy in the direction of Dongwu Castle.

Even if they made a wrong judgment, they could still march north along the river overnight and use the mobility advantage of cavalry to quickly cut off Yuan Shao's last retreat and catch him in a trap.

(End of this chapter)