I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 315 Zuo Wenpin, You Xusheng

Not everyone possesses the keen insight of Liu Miao, Zhou Yu, and Sima Yi, who could immediately discern that Yuan Shao was highly likely to seize Nanyang and cut off their retreat.

At least Gu Yong's military talent was far inferior to his political talent.

It wasn't until news came from Guanzhong that Gu Yong belatedly realized the situation and dispatched Wen Ping to Nanyang to defend the route before Liu Miao returned to Jingzhou.

"The fortifications that Zhang Xiu and I built in Nanyang to defend against Cao Cao should still be there."

Wen Ping also knew how difficult this battle would be.

"But those fortifications alone are not enough to resist Yuan Shao. I would like to ask the Chief Clerk to send a letter to Cao Hong, the Prefect of Nanyang, instructing him to leave his troops behind to provide support and not to advance rashly."

"it is good!"

While Gu Yong was quickly preparing the provisions and supplies for Wen Ping to mobilize the soldiers, he also wrote a letter to Cao Hong.

But at this point, it's clear that if you're slow on one step, you'll be slow on every step.

"After hearing that Cao Cao had retreated to Xuchang, Cao Hong led his troops to provide support! They have probably already reached the vicinity of Kunyang!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yong and Wen Ping, two men with rather expressionless faces, suddenly felt their eyelids droop!
"Something big is going to happen!"

"Head to Nanyang immediately!"

The unexpected turn of events that Xu You caused in Xuchang caught everyone completely off guard.

From Guanzhong in the west to Qingzhou in the east, everyone was thrown into a frenzy of activity.

The current situation is unclear, and only by ensuring Liu Miao's safe return to Jingzhou can we take charge of the overall situation!

"Everything depends on the general!"

Wen Ping nodded emphatically: "Of course!"

Wen Ping appointed Huo Jun and Li Yan as his deputies to accompany him.

Gu Yong then ordered men to go to Jingnan to recruit Huang Gai, Han Dang, Xu Shu, Shi Tao, and other military and civil officials as reserves to support Nanyang at any time!

Meanwhile, Yuan Shao's army was advancing rapidly towards the walls of Xuchang.

Without Guandu as a hindrance, the subsequent plains were completely without any natural defenses.

Even with great generals like Cao Ren, Cao Chun, and Guan Yu, they still couldn't stop Yuan Shao's advance and suffered repeated defeats under Yuan's army's attacks.

Fortunately, Xuchang, as the capital of the Han Dynasty, has been renovated several times under the leadership of Xun Yu and is now a formidable city that is no less than any other famous city in the world.

Cao Cao's soldiers used this as a barrier, which prevented Yuan Shao from taking the opportunity to capture Xuchang and completely end the war.

Beneath the walls of Xuchang.

Sharpening weapons and preparing horses.

Yuan Shao's hundreds of thousands of infantrymen stood proudly beneath the city walls, each one looking at Xuchang with burning, greedy eyes, as if they wanted to melt the solid rammed earth walls of Xuchang and obtain the priceless treasure inside—the Emperor.

Guo Tu, Pang Ji, and other pro-war figures have been quite arrogant these past few days, and they can't help but look at the people of Hebei, especially Ju Shou, with a hint of smugness in their eyes.

"Now, does the supervising officer think that we were right and wrong back then?"

Ju Shou, seeing that the two men were somewhat "triumphant," had to admit: "I miscalculated in this battle."

Who would have thought that Yuan Shao would actually agree to pardon Xu You, who had betrayed him?

Who would have thought that Xu You would actually take on such a task and actually accomplish it?
With Xun Yu, this pillar supporting the heavens, fallen, even if Cao Cao had all the abilities he possessed, he would ultimately be unable to support the army alone.

Therefore, when Ju Shou learned of Xun Yu's assassination, he had long anticipated that the outcome would be exactly as Yuan Shao had envisioned.

Sweep across the Central Plains and rule the world!
Now that things have come to this, Ju Shou has no desire to defend himself.

"It is certainly cause for celebration that General Yuan has achieved such a resounding victory."

"But you two should not forget that Liu Miao still has the natural defenses of the Yangtze River to resist Lord Yuan."

Ju Shou pondered for a moment, then asked somewhat uncertainly, "Liu Miao, is he in Hedong?"

“Of course, otherwise the eldest young master wouldn’t have lost.”

Guo Tu was still resentful about Yuan Tan's defeat.

"Since Liu Miao is in Hedong, why can't we trap and kill him?"

In times of victory, all contradictions can be concealed.

Despite the differences in background, interests, and viewpoints between Ju Shou, Guo Tu, and Pang Ji, the three were still able to sit together relatively amicably and devise strategies under the cover of victory.

Guo Tu and Pang Ji are also top strategists of our time.

Upon hearing Ju Shou's words, the two instantly realized what was happening!
"Does the supervising officer mean... to seize Nanyang and cut off Liu Miao's retreat?"

Ju Shou nodded: "It's not just Nanyang!"

"Xuchang City is nothing more than a ripe peach, which Lord Yuan can swallow at any time, so there is no need to leave so many troops here to guard it."

"On the contrary, Cao Cao and Liu Miao still have influence in the local areas. If we allow them to consolidate their power, it may not be a good thing for us."

Ju Shou proposed: "We should not only seize Nanyang and trap Liu Miao, but also send soldiers to attack Guanzhong, Dongjun, Xuzhou, Huainan, and even Jiangdong!"

"The garrison troops in these places are currently in a state of panic and confusion, so we can easily take them down, saving Lord Yuan a lot of effort!"

"Even more so, if we could really trap Liu Miao in Guanzhong and cut off his connection with Jingzhou and Jiangdong..."

Guo Tu and Pang Ji's Adam's apples both twitched slightly!
That would mean that, apart from the remote areas like Shu and Jiaozhi, Yuan Shao could indeed quickly end the chaos and achieve unification!

"That makes sense!"

"I'll go discuss this with Lord Yuan right away!"

Yuan Shao was extremely sensitive to phrases like "quick victory." Hearing that it was possible to also eliminate Liu Miao and seize Jiangdong and Jingzhou, Yuan Shao felt a tingling warmth shoot from his spine to his head!
"good!"

Yuan Shao left only 50,000 troops in Xuchang, and dispersed the rest of his forces to attack other places!

First is Luoyang.

Xiahou Dun was left to guard this place.

Although Xiahou Dun was Cao Cao's right-hand man, and in some aspects even surpassed Xun Yu, his military skills were not worth praising.

The person sent by Yuan Shao to attack Xiahou Dun was Chunyu Qiong, one of the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden.

Chunyu Qiong was skilled in military affairs and had a very high prestige in the army. He defeated Xiahou Dun in a single battle, leaving Xiahou Dun with no choice but to flee to Hongnong and use the Xiaohan Ancient Road to resist Chunyu Qiong.

Next is Dongjun.

The general leading the army was Yu Jin.

Cao Cao praised Yu Jin as "able to restore order in times of chaos, able to suppress violence and build strong fortifications, possessing an unyielding integrity; even the most famous generals of the past could not surpass him!"
Yuan Shao, wary of Yu Jin's reputation, ordered Zhang He and Gao Lan to lead troops to attack.

Yu Jin's garrison in Dongjun was originally deployed along the Yellow River, and its main defense was against enemies crossing the river from the north.

Now Zhang He and Gao Lan led a large army from the south. Although Yu Jin resisted fiercely, he was eventually exhausted and captured.

Nanyang.

The troops that led the attack were Han Meng and Yuan Tan, generals under Yuan Shao.

Since being driven back to Hebei by Liu Miao, Yuan Tan had been in a state of utter despondency.

Only now, upon hearing that they were to go to Nanyang to block Liu Miao's retreat, did Yuan Tan rouse himself and once again request permission from Yuan Shao to fight!
"I hope my father will give me a chance to avenge myself!"

Yuan Tan gritted his teeth: "There's only a first and a second time, but no third or fourth!"

"I have already lost to Liu Miao twice, and there will absolutely not be a third time! I hope Father will grant my request!"

With Guo Tu speaking up for Yuan Tan, Yuan Shao finally agreed to let Yuan Tan join Han Meng in attacking Nanyang.

Yuan Jun had just arrived near Kunyang when he heard that Cao Hong had led his troops to the open fields, seemingly to support Cao Cao. He was overjoyed: "Heaven is helping us!"

Yuan Tan and Han Meng commanded a force of 20,000 infantry and cavalry!
After discovering Cao Hong's whereabouts, Yuan Jun launched an attack on Cao Hong's troops without even probing them!
Cao Hong had not anticipated that he would suddenly run into Yuan's army, so he could only hastily prepare for battle.

However, Cao Hong was eager to save Cao Cao, and his soldiers all ran at full speed without carrying much weaponry. When they encountered Yuan's army, which had a numerical advantage in cavalry, on the plains, the outcome was predictable.

It was clear that Cao Hong was about to be defeated.

"But it's General Cao Hong!"

Suddenly, a force of soldiers arrived at the battlefield from the southeast!
It was Sun Ce who, on Sima Yi's orders, led cavalry from Xiaopei to provide support!

When Sun Ce arrived in Shangcai, he heard that Cao Cao's army and Yuan Shao's army were fighting together, so he immediately rode his horse to provide support.

Cao Hong, who had originally planned to commit suicide to atone for his sins, burst into tears upon seeing Liu Miao's troops arrive to provide support!

"We still have to rely on General Liu!"

"I haven't wasted my time buying his white porcelain these past two years!"

Cao Hong immediately broke through towards Sun Ce. Yuan Tan was about to intercept him when he saw Sun Ce's incredible speed on the battlefield, as swift as cutting melons and vegetables, and was immediately terrified.

"Who is that?"

"It seems to be Sun Ce, the son of Sun Jian (Sun Wentai)!"

The shadow of a famous tree.

For a long time, the title of "the greatest general of the Han Dynasty" was bestowed upon Sun Jian. Now, seeing his son's bravery, Yuan Tan was immediately terrified.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Sun Ce charged into the enemy ranks, not wanting to linger in battle with Yuan's army. After receiving Cao Hong, he immediately headed south.

Han Meng wanted to give chase, but Yuan Tan stopped him: "Now that Cao Hong has gone to war, Nanyang will surely be vulnerable!"

"The most important thing right now is Liu Miao! Everything else is trivial!"

Yuan Tan did not pursue Sun Ce, but instead occupied Kunyang, Wuyang, Ye County and other places, thus controlling the gateway to Nanyang.

Thus, the Central Plains, which Cao Cao had fought hard for for several years, was completely occupied by Yuan Shao in just one night!
After Sun Ce brought Cao Hong back, seeing that Yuan's army was ignoring him, he wrote a letter to Sima Yi, who was still in Xiaopei.

"broken!"

When Sima Yi saw that Yuan's army had not been delayed because of Sun Ce, and heard that Cao Hong's troops from Nanyang had been defeated by Yuan's army, he immediately realized the seriousness of the situation!
"In that case, our army has no choice but to take the initiative to attack and buy time for our lord."

"But before that..."

Sima Yi had already received news that Yuan's army had occupied Dongjun.

This means that Zhang He and Gao Lan could lead their troops south at any time!

If I were to go to Shangcai, I would have to make sure that Xiaopei was well defended.

After careful consideration, Sima Yi summoned Xu Sheng, who had been promoted to military commander after his previous meritorious service.

"I am heading to Shangcai, but Zhuge Kongming and General Jiang Qin will be here soon."

"The fifteenth!"

"If you can hold Xiaopei for fifteen days, you will be the greatest hero of this battle!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Sheng immediately nodded.

"Don't worry, Zhongda!"

"Those who invade the territory of the Great Han will be defeated by Sheng!"

(End of this chapter)