Tiger Guards

Chapter 733 Dilemma
Zhao Ji returned to Jinyang, and the news reached the north bank of the Yi River in just four days.

Since the siege began in February, Yuan Jun has been constructing fortifications around the city, and two core satellite cities have already taken shape.

To reinforce the two besieged fortresses on the north bank, Yuan's army built a third fortress on the south bank of the Yi River.

Yuan Jun also established military settlements in the Yi River basin and mobilized the settlement residents in the Yi River basin to participate.

By late April, the wheat planted by Gongsun Zan's military camp last autumn had already sprouted ears.

On the south bank, in the wheat fields, when the northwest wind blows, the wheat waves surge like the waves on the Bohai Sea.

Yuan Shao leaned on a cane, dressed in a light spring-green robe, with a turban tied around his forehead, exuding the air of a refined scholar from the countryside.

Ju Shou followed Yuan Shao closely. Yuan Shao casually broke off an ear of wheat and tried to squeeze it. It felt quite hard. He smiled and said, "Good! A report came from Ye City recently that Hebei is about to have a bumper harvest this year."

"My lord, the Zhao bandit has made no move so far. I observe that the garrison of Yijing is exhausted and showing signs of complacency. Should we send an envoy to persuade them to surrender?"

Ju Shou followed half a step behind Yuan Shao, wearing a Jinxian crown and a loose robe with a light blue background and red vertical diamond patterns. He also looked relaxed and continued, "Now that the two armies have been locked in a stalemate for a long time, our officers and soldiers are also suffering from homesickness and war fatigue. Moreover, we are worried that the Zhao bandits will come to our aid. Our situation is not much better than that of Gongsun Zan."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao's smile slowly faded, and he frowned, saying, "Our army's morale is high. How can there be talk of war-weariness or homesickness?"

Yan Liang, who was a few steps behind, immediately spoke up: "What the Commander-in-Chief said is not entirely true. Gongsun Zan has amassed wealth and beauties from four prefectures and gathered them in Yijing. Now that the city is about to fall, all the officials and soldiers are overjoyed. If we lift the siege and retreat now, the officials and soldiers will be furious. Who can appease them?"

Once Yijing is captured, with all the wealth Gongsun Zan has accumulated... anyone who dares to stand in the way of the army will be killed by an arrow.

Upon hearing this, Ju Shou turned around and glanced at Yan Liang. His disdainful gaze suddenly dampened Yan Liang's cheerful mood, and he dared not meet Ju Shou's eyes.

Seeing that Yan Liang's morale was low, Ju Shou turned to Yuan Shao and said, "My lord, there are more than 80,000 soldiers on both sides of the Yi River. Among them, 20,000 to 30,000 are eager to break through the city and plunder its wealth, while another 20,000 to 30,000 are homesick and reluctant to fight. If the situation changes, the number of those seeking wealth will be few, while the number of those reluctant to fight will be many."

"I understand what the strategist means: we should try to persuade Zhao to surrender before he sends out his troops."

Yuan Shao then changed the subject, saying, "I fear that Gongsun Zan may already be considering a ceasefire and surrender to the court. If I send an envoy into the city to persuade him to surrender, he might just see through our true strength."

Ju Shou was speechless now; Yuan Shao's considerations were quite reasonable.

With Yijing besieged and unaware of the situation outside the city, the officers and soldiers from Gongsun Zan down were like blind men, trapped in the isolated city.

If we try to persuade them to surrender now, the defending troops might interpret it as a change in the situation, that Yuan's army is at a disadvantage, and that they have no choice but to resort to persuasion to gain an advantage.

But if we don't send someone to persuade him to surrender, are we supposed to wait for Gongsun Zan to send an envoy to surrender himself?

Putting aside everything else, Yijing City has no less than three million shi of grain reserves, which is enough to sustain the garrison until next winter.

The only problem for the defenders was fuel, but in such a summer, they had no shortage of vegetables or cooking fuel.

It is only in winter that there is a shortage of fuel for heating.

Yuan Shao's question left Ju Shou speechless, which is also a characteristic of Ju Shou. Although he can make long-term plans, he is slightly lacking in the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

Yuan Shao's good mood, which had been dampened by the lack of reply from Ju Shou, was ruined when he went for a walk outside the camp.

So I composed myself a little and continued walking along the country road.

After walking only a few dozen steps, Yuan Shao suddenly heard the sound of hooves behind him. He turned around and saw Xu You personally driving a simple single-shaft, two-wheeled chariot at a brisk pace.

Upon seeing that it was Xu You, the dozens of guards following behind did not stop him. They led their horses on foot and watched Xu You's carriage pass by.

"Whoa!" Xu You reined in his horse in advance, but unfortunately the carriage had no braking system, so the horse had to slow down on its own.

The deceleration process needs to be smoother, which will put the driver's control skills to a very high level.

This type of chariot is very lightweight, unlike heavier chariots which have greater battlefield resistance and can stop quickly when the horses are at rest.

Even though Xu You pulled the reins and reined in his horse in advance, he still managed to overtake Yuan Shao by more than twenty paces.

After the horses stopped pulling, Xu You threw away the whip, jumped off the carriage, took out a stack of papers from his bosom, and quickly walked towards Yuan Shao, handing them to him with one hand: "My lord, urgent report from Shanxi."

Shanxi refers to the Taihang Mountains.

Yuan Shao's last bit of good mood vanished completely. He reached out and took the paper. Just from the folded paper, Yuan Shao knew that it was the most expensive blue paper in Xizhou.

This paper is famously tough and smooth, its size and texture just like a young girl's fair back.

He unfolded the paper and looked at it with his brows down.

At this moment, Ju Shou also came up and stood beside Xu You, tilting his head and whispering, "Ziyuan, is it the Zhao bandits who have sent troops?"

"There's no definite news yet, but it shouldn't be long."

Xu You replied in a low voice: "There is also an urgent report from Yanmen, saying that Xu Gongming's official correspondence with Jinyang is three times more frequent than before."

Xu Youcai was in charge of intelligence in the west. His tone was normal, and he showed no emotional fluctuations.

He was well aware of the negative impact of Zhao Ji's military campaign, but what could he do?
He personally compiled and organized this intelligence. Despite being two thousand miles away, he analyzed Zhao Ji's actions through this fragmented information, almost watching Zhao Ji mobilize for war.

Upon hearing Xu You admit it, Ju Shou looked up at the slightly scorching sun overhead, frowned slightly, and gazed at the wheat fields in the distance.

After a moment's thought, Ju Shou spoke, looking slightly puzzled: "Does the Zhao family intend to advance in the sweltering heat at this moment?"

Xu You replied in a low voice, "Xu Huang's troops will definitely arrive in mid-May. That's the problem we have now, and it's quite thorny."

As he spoke, Xu You squinted and looked around at the wheat fields on both sides of the road.

After Yuan Jun finished building the city, he would send most of his officials and soldiers back to Jizhou to harvest the summer wheat. If Xu Huang took half a month to reach the Yi River, he would not be able to capture the three fortresses, but he could take over the military and civilian settlements in the Yi River basin.

Ju Shou also began to observe the withered wheat here, and found it quite troublesome.

Consuming a bushel of new wheat here can save a bushel of grain for the rear.

The difference between saving manpower in transportation and engaging in agricultural production is enormous!
After reading the book and listening to Xu You and Ju Shou's hushed conversation, Yuan Shao asked directly, "Is it possible to hold off Zhao's vanguard?"

Yan Liang was invigorated upon hearing this and was about to step forward to request permission when Ju Shou took half a step forward, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply, saying, "It is only possible if Your Excellency personally supervises."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao's eyes narrowed, and he looked at Xu You again: "What does Ziyuan think?"

Xu You hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "We must not let Xu Huang enter Youzhou, otherwise the heroes of Youzhou will respond. Before the Zhao traitor arrives, the Youzhou troops will be close by, and our army will be in a dilemma."

"Hmm, let me think about it."

Yuan Shao was in no hurry to make a decision, after all, he had not yet received news of Xu Huang's deployment of troops.

(End of this chapter)