My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 758 Xiahou Dun was frightened and Zhang He was forced to return to help
It took Zhao Yun only three days to break through Zhongshan County. It took another two days to cross the Hutuo River, temporarily block the Hutuo River, and capture Zhending County, the seat of Changshan County.

In just five days, they captured four counties in two prefectures, and also left behind eight counties in Zhongshan and three counties in Changshan, a total of eleven counties still occupied by Cao's army.

This speed of advancement is extremely exaggerated. After all, it takes a long time just to march and run, and troops that have been fighting continuously also need time to rest.

"Light cavalry galloping 300 miles in one day and night" can only be achieved in a short-distance burst of life-threatening battles. If it lasts for three or five consecutive days, the average cavalry can run 100 miles a day, which is the limit. What's more, Zhao Yun had to make an emergency landing and fight.

What’s even more terrifying is that only Zhao Yun himself knows the news that “eleven counties behind Zhao Yun are currently occupied by Cao’s army”, while the enemy on the opposite side does not know it.

At this time of chaos and overwhelming pressure, the Cao army leaders in the rear had no way of understanding the actual situation at the first time as to how many places the enemy had captured and how much progress they had made.

Of course, anyone with a brain can realize that it is impossible for Zhao Yun to occupy all fifteen counties of Cao's army north of Zhending, or north of Hutuo River, in just four or five days.

Even if Cao's army were all pigs, there would be no time to catch them or to seize territory in such a short period of time.

But, among those fifteen counties, how many have been occupied and how many have not been occupied?

The high-ranking officers of Cao's army in the rear had no idea who was responsible for Zhao Yun's rapid advance and who had committed the despicable act of surrendering to the enemy and actively aiding the enemy.

The small group of Cao's troops trapped in the county town were simply unable to organize an effective breakout, report the news, or get in touch with the rear.

Even if some of the military commanders and county lieutenants who defended the city were more courageous and thought of sending more messengers to contact the rear and deliver the most accurate military information from the front line in the midst of the chaos, these messengers were successively killed by Zhao Yun's patrolling cavalry when crossing the Hengshui and Hutuo rivers.

Even if some messengers escaped the large patrol cavalry in the open, they would eventually be discovered by spies and secret agents planted by local tyrants who secretly cooperated with Zhao Yun, and then quietly notify Zhao Yun's patrol team to intercept and kill them.

This blockade cannot last forever, but it can be easily maintained for ten days or so - this number is not Zhao Yun's blind estimate, but is based on calculations.

Because when a messenger from the front line of Zhongshan County was sent to Yecheng to report an emergency, even if it was a fast horse, it would take at least two or three days to arrive. It would also take that long for Yecheng to send someone back to reply, and the fastest round trip would be five or six days.

After sending out the messenger, the garrison commander would have to wait at least five or six days to confirm that his superior had not replied to him. Only then would he realize that "our messenger is highly suspected to have been intercepted or some other incident had occurred." Only then would they become nervous and break through the news blockade at all costs. And the second round would take that long again.

Therefore, as long as the first round of interception is successful, the news can be delayed to ten days or eight days later. If the second round of interception is successful, it will be at least half a month later.

When the situation is most critical, so many things can be done and so many things can happen in ten days or half a month.

……

As Zhao Yun deliberately blocked the truth and spread fear, just two days after the fall of Zhending, Xiahou Dun in Yecheng was stunned by the bad news that came out of nowhere.

Moreover, the bad news that reached Xiahou Dun was not limited to Zhao Yun.

Because Ma Chao and Taishi Ci also attacked one or two days after Zhao Yun took action.

With the abilities of Ma Chao and Taishi Ci, they were obviously not pushovers. They attacked the enemy army when they were not prepared, and they always gained something at the beginning. The counties along the border of Cao's army were always careless in their defense and were successfully attacked by Liu Bei's army.

"General! Something terrible has happened! Zhongshan and Changshan are in danger. Most of Zhongshan has been occupied by Zhao Yun. Changshan's capital Zhending County and all the counties north of the Hutuo River have also been occupied by Zhao Yun within three days!"

"Report to the former general! Ma Chao crossed the Yishui River from Yijing to the south and entered Hejian County along the Longshui River. The two counties of Wen'an and Gaoyang have been captured. There may be Wuyuan and Zhongshui along the way that are still holding out, but Ma Chao has bypassed the above-mentioned counties and is approaching Lecheng, the capital of Hejian County, along the Longshui River!"

"Report to the former general! Taishi Ci crossed the Yellow River from Gaotang County in Pingyuan County and has captured Yu County on the north bank of the Yellow River. His troops are approaching Pingyuan County, the seat of Pingyuan County. According to the report from the prefect of Pingyuan, when the messenger was sent out, Taishi Ci had already begun to build siege camps and was preparing to storm Pingyuan!"

"Report to the former general! We have discovered that the enemy troops in Hejian are led by the fake prime minister Zhuge Jin himself. Their flags have already crossed the Yishui River and are following closely behind Ma Chao. The enemy troops are making a fuss, saying that Ma Chao is just a vanguard appointed by the prime minister, and that there are more than 100,000 troops coming across the Yishui River!"

Urgent reports from three directions, two from the north and one from the south, were delivered to Xiahou Dun's desk one after another within less than a day and a night.

Xiahou Dun's blood pressure soared, and his face changed from blue to red and black to black. Xun You, who was beside Xiahou Dun, also changed color in horror.

Xun You was known for his composure, having faced many storms and waves, and remained calm even when faced with a mountain collapse. This time, he was also frightened by such a shocking enemy attack, as the situation had evolved so shockingly overnight.

Xiahou Dun was shocked, and the first thing he thought of was to question Xun You:
"Before, when Sima Yi came to convey the Prime Minister's order, asking us to withdraw 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers from Hebei to support Heluo, he kept saying that Zhao Yun had been pinned down by the remnants of Buyeo and Goguryeo this year, and was stuck in a quagmire and had no time to look south.

Moreover, it was a cold winter, with no grass for horses to eat and boats frozen and unable to move. It was impossible for the enemy to launch an offensive in this winter. But how could it turn out like this? The enemy suddenly invaded from three directions, and the momentum was so shocking! Although the actual losses are still unknown, at least four prefectures and more than a dozen counties were involved! "

Xiahou Dun's scolding was probably just an emotional outburst, and he had no reason to hold Xun You accountable.

But the bad news came so suddenly and was so severe and rapid that Xiahou Dun was completely helpless and had to find a channel to vent.

Wasn't it said that using cavalry in the cold winter when there is no weeds is a taboo in military strategy?
Where is the promised quagmire?

How come none of them came true? Could it be that Zhuge Jin had deceived him from the beginning?
Moreover, when did Zhuge Jin suddenly appear in Youzhou?

We hadn't received any intelligence before that Zhuge Jin had come to Youzhou in person! The enemy was hiding too deeply!
Five consecutive questions directed at his own soul made Xiahou Dun feel dizzy.

Xiahou Dun had never felt this kind of tension even during the Battle of Guandu and when Yuan Shao was under constant pressure from him.

Only eighteen years ago, when Cao Cao was fighting against Tao Qian and his hometown in Yanzhou was stolen by Lu Bu, did he feel such a desperate and oppressive situation.

Xun You was also very aware of the former general's inner anxiety, depression and shock. He also knew that this matter was not his fault, but he really couldn't immediately deny it, otherwise it would only make things worse.

He could only act humble and heartbroken, allowing Xiahou Dun to vent his emotional pressure first.

After Xiahou Dun calmed down, Xun You discussed countermeasures with him patiently in a constructive manner.

"General, now that things have come to this, it is no longer helpful to be angry at how Zhuge Jin swindled our main force and replaced it with a fake one. You should think about how to plug the gap on the battlefield and try to stabilize the situation.

I think the most urgent task now is to stabilize the morale of the people in the counties and make the officials and soldiers work together to fight to the end. If there were not so many officials and soldiers who were shaken and collapsed by the enemy's sudden attack, Zhao Yun and Ma Chao would not have been able to advance so quickly!

Therefore, we must strictly enforce military law. Even if the counties cannot go to war, they must at least defend the city and never waver! Zhao Yun's rapid advance must have been due to cavalry. In the dead of winter, supplies were difficult, so he must have used troops with quality rather than quantity. Although he seemed to be very powerful, in reality, there might not be more than tens of thousands of troops.

As long as the counties hold their ground and delay, Zhao Yun will not be able to advance too fast even if he bypasses the city! Therefore, strict military law is a must! At the same time, we can consider whether to let Jun Yi (Zhang He) shrink his forces, retreat in an orderly manner, come back to switch from offense to defense, and plug the loopholes in the defense lines.

However, Zhuge Jin was well versed in military tactics, and his wisdom and strategies were rare in the world. In my opinion, he must have been on guard against Jun Yi's return defense.

Maybe he saw that Jun Yi had built a strong siege camp reinforced with ice water in Nanpi, so he didn't want to attack. So he made a big noise in the rear, hoping to force Jun Yi to come out of the strong camp, and then fight him on the way back and inflict heavy damage on him. We have to be on guard against these situations!"

After being reminded earnestly by Xun You, Xiahou Dun finally calmed down. After thinking about it carefully, he had to admit that this was indeed the current situation. He had to act decisively and solve both problems immediately.

Zhang He had to return to defend the city. At this point, continuing to besiege Nanpi or even Tianjin was nothing but a pipe dream and pure nonsense.

But how to retreat, how to control the rhythm, and how to avoid being ambushed by the enemy halfway. So as not to be chopped off the neck by a sharp blade just after sticking out of the turtle shell, all these must be carefully planned. One mistake will lead to a complete loss, with no possibility of a comeback.

At this time, Xun You reminded him that he must "strictly guard all places without relying on Zhang He's army, so that all counties have the confidence and determination to rely on their own strength and hold out against Zhao Yun, Ma Chao and Taishi Ci for a while." This is absolutely necessary. Only when these places are "self-reliant" can Zhang He have the confidence to withdraw his troops slowly, without rushing, and choose the right time and the right route, so as not to fall into the enemy's ambush in a hurry.

Moreover, even if Zhang He wanted to withdraw his troops immediately and quickly, he had to act as if he was not in such a hurry, so that he would have a greater chance of deceiving the enemy.

If Zhuge Jin and other civil and military officials in Liu Bei's army saw it clearly and knew for sure that "as long as Zhang He did not withdraw, the rest of Jizhou would be finished", then how could Zhang He still have a chance to withdraw?

When you are in a hurry, the most important thing is to make the enemy feel that you are not in a hurry. There is no need to be anxious. You should show your "relaxation" to the enemy.

There was no way Xiahou Dun knew the word "relaxation", but he could understand the logic behind it.

"Indeed, we need to make Jun Yi retreat as soon as possible, but we can't let him appear to be in a hurry. We must also firmly defend other fronts and show that we can hold on without Jun Yi. Only in this way can we stabilize the situation!
I have made up my mind. I must issue the most severe military orders to the county garrisons and officials on the front line, ordering them not to retreat a single step! At least hold out for a month! Zhao Yun lacks infantry to follow up, and it is difficult to attack the city in the cold winter! We can definitely hold the city for a month! Officials who can't hold it, it's not a pity to die!"

Xiahou Dun fully demonstrated his autocratic courage, hoping to stabilize the situation through high pressure.

Xun You heard him being so tough, and subconsciously felt that something was wrong. But in the end, Xun You just moved his lips slightly, and still did not say anything against it.

He knew that he had to cut the Gordian knot and stabilize the situation first. Even if it was rough, even if there seemed to be some unclear risks and loopholes, he could not care about it for the time being.

Finally, Xun You gritted his teeth and expressed his full support: "I also support the former general's heavy punishment in troubled times. First use thundering means to calm the situation, force officials from all over the country to hold on and wait for help, and buy time for the front-line army to slowly withdraw."

After Xun You said this, it was tantamount to sentencing the family members of the officials who took the lead in surrendering to the enemy at the front line and who were left behind to death - of course, due to the chaotic situation, Xiahou Dun could not kill people indiscriminately.

For most of the "suspects' families", since they have not yet been confirmed and sentenced, they can only be detained first and completely deprived of their personal freedom according to the standards for prisoners.

However, it is very necessary to single out a few negative examples and execute their families in order to establish authority and serve as a warning.

In the next day or two, Xiahou Dun was busy doing the following major things at the same time.

First of all, of course, the change in Hebei was reported to Cao Cao as soon as possible. Given the distance between Yecheng and Luoyang, it could be delivered within two days in the most urgent case.

While reporting to Cao Cao, Xiahou Dun asked people to collect as much information as possible on the performance of officials and garrisons in various counties on the front line, hoping to catch a few negative examples and those who were most responsible for Zhao Yun's rapid advance.

In the end, due to mistakes made in a hurry and because he was in a desperate situation and needed to seek help from all possible means, Xiahou Dun actually captured officials and garrisons from three counties, namely Zhending County, Beiping County, and Wuji County, which seemed to be suspected of having surrendered to the enemy voluntarily.

After a hasty assessment, Xiahou Dun decided to execute the main male family members of the three county officials in public in Yecheng, hang their heads on the city gates for public display, and confiscate their wives and daughters as slaves. The rest of the distant relatives who remained in Yecheng were also imprisoned.

The families of officials from the other seven or eight counties where it was still unclear whether they had surrendered to the enemy were all imprisoned.

It is also ridiculous that the officials and families of the garrison commanders in Lunu and Anxi counties were not liquidated because they had sent a letter for help to Xiahou Dun to show that they were still holding on, but the enemy bypassed them from the neighboring counties and continued to move south. They could only defend the city and were unable to stop it.

The seals on the letters of these messengers who delivered false news were all real, and the reason why they were able to pass the two defense lines of Hengshui River and Hutuo River was all thanks to Zhao Yun's initiative to let them go - the first batch of messengers who delivered real news were intercepted and killed by Zhao Yun's strict patrols, while those who delivered false news were able to deliver and then frame their original colleagues.

In order to stabilize the situation as quickly as possible, Xiahou Dun did not have time to make a careful assessment and just picked an example to establish his authority. It was not until ten days later that he gradually received contrary news, and things became confusing for a while.

When he heard that he might have killed the wrong person and fell into Zhao Yun's trap, Xiahou Dun's blood pressure almost surged and he almost fainted.

But he forced himself to calm down, clenched his teeth and refused to show his weakness.
He subconsciously had another impulse, which was to kill the hostage families of those officials and garrisons who had actually surrendered to the enemy, and to avenge the families of those loyal and righteous people who had been wrongly accused.

But this time Xun You finally saw the situation clearly and held Xiahou Dun tightly, "General! The big mistake has been made! You must not admit your mistake at this time! You must not change your mind and overturn the verdict temporarily! Otherwise, everything will be over!

Even if we have wrongly accused the officials of the three counties, we must insist that they have surrendered to the enemy. As for those who may have surrendered to the enemy but lied to us in a false letter, we can only detain their family members and hostages and keep them under strict surveillance, but we cannot kill them anymore! It will not be too late to kill them when the time comes. Now we just need to hold the hostages!"

When Cao Cao's camp kept hostages, they did not kill their subordinates immediately when they rebelled or surrendered. For example, in history, Ma Teng was a hostage in Chang'an, and Ma Chao raised an army in Xiliang and fought all the way to Chang'an. Cao Cao did not kill Ma Teng immediately, but kept this chess piece in strict custody as a backup.

It was not until Cao Cao defeated Ma Chao that he killed Ma Teng out of revenge.

Normally, Xiahou Dun would not have killed all the hostages who surrendered to the enemy. It was just that the situation was so urgent that he had to single out a few negative examples to establish his authority. Most of the hostages who were the families of the bandits were not killed.

After realizing that he had killed the wrong person, Xiahou Dun became even more cautious, but he could not admit his mistake and could only continue to ignore it.

In this way, Cao's army's practice of keeping hostages has minimized the threat to the subsequent short-term battle in Jizhou.

The officials in the counties and prefectures on the front line who were a little smart all knew that the former general would definitely not dare to kill hostages again. When they later considered whether to surrender to Liu Bei, they had fewer concerns.

Of course, there are always people who are not smart and don't know how to listen to instructions at any time and in any place.

In any case, Zhao Yun's ability to temporarily dispel the worries of those smart frontline local officials in the enemy army about their families and hostages was already a great achievement. For the subsequent direct advance, it can be regarded as sharpening the knife before chopping wood.

Moreover, during the days when Xiahou Dun was stabilizing the situation and identifying and eliminating the families of traitors, the three armies of Liu Bei's army on the front line made new progress.

Along the way, Zhao Yun's troops were tied up quite a lot because he had been maintaining the blockade of the Hutuo River defense line, and he did not advance further south from Zhending.

However, Zhao Yun also took advantage of these few days to launch a new round of purges in the counties that had been divided and surrounded in the rear.

In particular, he brought the news that the families of Cao's officials in Beiping County had been executed, which completely made the local soldiers despair. The soldiers killed the county magistrate and two Quchang, and directly opened the city to surrender to Zhao Yun.

Although the situation in the neighboring Weichang County was slightly different, it was also captured by Zhao Yun in the chaos.

Ma Chao's group took advantage of these few days to complete the comprehensive encirclement of Lecheng County, the capital of Hejian Prefecture, and had begun to repair the siege fortifications and assemble siege equipment.

After completely blocking Lecheng, Ma Chao sent the main force of his cavalry south to approach and monitor Zhang He.

Moreover, the angle of entry chosen by Ma Chao was also very tricky. He did not directly attack Zhang He's retreat, but instead cut off horizontally from west to east from the north of Nanpi City besieged by Zhang He, thus cutting off the Zhangshui River between Nanpi and Tianjin.

The reason why Ma Chao did this was naturally because Zhang He and Gao Lan had previously besieged Nanpi and Tianjin respectively. Ma Chao wanted to insert himself between Zhang He and Gao Lan and defeat them one by one, preferably killing Gao Lan first.

Gao Lan did not sit there and wait for death. After discovering Ma Chao's unusual movements, he immediately ordered his entire army to retreat in an accelerated manner, abandoning all the carts and supplies, and forced all the personnel and horses to march to Nanpi, which was a little further behind, to meet up with Zhang He.

As a result, Gao Lan's military supplies were almost all lost, and he was still chased and killed by Ma Chao for a while, and his rearguard troops lost several thousand people in vain.

On the southernmost front, after besieging Pingyuan County, Taishi Ci divided his forces and relied half on deterrence and half on quick attack, capturing the weakly manpowered Xipingchang and Ande County, expanding his beachhead on the north bank of the Yellow River and completely gaining a firm foothold.

Zhang He was already in a situation where he had to retreat, and had to give up many things and retreat quickly, otherwise he would definitely be wiped out by the combined attack of the three armies.

The ice city fortifications that he was reluctant to leave and his attempt to rely on the strong camp to hold out and wait for reinforcements were all completely shattered as the enemy advanced rapidly.

(End of this chapter)