Riding and cutting the imperial pirates of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 419
As soon as Wang Zheng's words came out, the audience was in an uproar, and their expressions changed at the same time.

You must know that although the situation of the separatist regime is very clear at this time, the status of the great Han Zhengshuo is still deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. General Tiangong will proclaim himself emperor sooner or later", but on the surface even a vulgar and rude man like Wu Niu knows that the time is not yet ripe.

But Wang Zheng was actually far more surprised than everyone else.

He is a time traveler, so he knows that Yuan Shu really has the heart to proclaim himself emperor. He also remembers that in the original history, Yuan Shu also proclaimed himself emperor in Shouchun around the second year of Jian'an, and took the name of Zhongshi.

But now Yuan Shu's strength seems to be slightly inferior to that of the same period in history, and the result is even earlier?
In the original history, regardless of whether Yuan Shu's proclaiming the emperor was a mistake, in terms of strength alone, the Skeleton King's confidence is not enough?

In fact, it is still enough.

In the second year of Jian'an, Yuan Shu was indeed the most powerful prince in the world in terms of the population of the territory, even surpassing his brother Yuan Shao of the same clan.

Let's look at other princes in the same period:
Cao Cao owned eight counties in Yanzhou, three counties in Yuzhou, and two counties in Xuzhou. Among them, the south of Yanzhou was dilapidated due to the Yellow Turban rebellion and the war with Lu Bu. Not to mention a county, because Cao Cao himself committed a massacre, which caused the basic collapse of the economy and people's livelihood.

Therefore, in the second year of Jian'an, Cao Cao's basic hematopoietic function was actually only Yingchuan County and the three counties north of Yanzhou, which can be described as the strength of the four counties, not even Liu Biao, who had the actual control of the six counties of Jingzhou at that time. , and Liu Zhang who firmly controlled the entire Yizhou.

Not to mention Lu Bu, although Liu Bei was driven away, at this time Lu Bu can still control only the two counties of Xuzhou, and even Xiapi, where the core is located, does not have complete control because of the Chen family.

As for Yuan Shao, who is the most powerful in terms of military strength, in terms of territory and population alone, he nominally owns only the nine counties of Jizhou plus the three counties of Bingzhou and the six counties of Qingzhou captured by Yuan Tan, a total of eighteen counties in his hands, but The three counties of Bingzhou and the six counties of Qingzhou were either devastated due to natural and man-made disasters, or they had no real control.

The real basic disk is actually the nine counties of Jizhou.

As for Yuan Shu, at this time his fierce general Sun Ce had leaped over the Yangtze River and pacified the six counties of Yangzhou. Yuan Shu himself took down Guangling County and some cities in Xiapi in Xuzhou in the war with Liu Bei, plus Runan in Yuzhou. Like the two counties of Peiguo, although it owns nine counties at the same time as Yuan Shao, in comparison, Yuan Shu's actual influence spans three continents, and most of these territories are located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Due to the relatively small number of wars and the large population, The economy is very developed, and its strength on paper is actually better than Yuan Shao.

And the key point is that Yuan Shao still has Gongsun Zan from Youzhou who is by his side, but Yuan Shu's great enemy Liu Yao has died of illness.

but now
Speaking of Xuzhou alone, Xiapi County has naturally been firmly controlled by Wang Zheng. As for Guangling, although it is still pending, Wang Zheng also said verbally that this place should be given to Yuan Shu, but it may be that he has a sense of propriety. Yuan Shu has not even sent officials.

Not to mention Yuzhou.

Peiguo and Xuzhou are very close at hand. When Wang Zheng attacked Pengcheng, he even beat up several cities. Now, although this place still belongs to Yuan Shu's territory, its influence is not as good as before.

As for Runan County, if the king's government hadn't obstructed it, I'm afraid Xiahou Dun would have already raised an army and approached the city at this time.

Under such circumstances, how could Yuan Shu still have the confidence to proclaim himself emperor?
Full of doubts in his heart, after Wang Zheng sat down slowly, he helped the case to ponder for a long time, looked at Guo Jia and asked, "Feng Xiao, do you have a good opinion on this matter?"

"Sages and sages have a saying, the emperor who observes the way, the king who understands virtue, the emperor is divided into big and small, the big one is orthodox, and the world is the master of the world," Guo Jialang said: "Those who want to do this, always come first and then come. In the end, not only must the name be orthodox, but the reality must be unified, and it must be flattened at home and accepted by guests from all over the world!"

"Even so, if a group of ministers persuaded him to advance, the princes pushed him, and then gave up three times. He couldn't say no, but looked at the southern suburbs and corrected Shuoyan. The later it was accepted, the more solid it was."

"The small ones have long ruled in peace, and if they steal a land, they must wait until all the neighboring states have been annexed, and only one or two big countries remain. Outside, the neighbors are quiet, and inside, the people are happy to attach themselves. However, from the lord to the king, from the king to the emperor, It is promoted in sequence, and it can be passed on to future generations, thinking that it is an indomitable karma in the next life."

"At the beginning of Jian'an today, Emperor Xian was still there, and there were many heroes, such as Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Gongsun Zan, Zhang Xiu, Zhang Lu, Liu Biao, Liu Zhang, Ma Teng, and Han Sui. No one dared to steal his name."

"Yuan Gonglu used Shouchun prefect to assume the title of supreme"

Guo Jia stood in front of Wang Zheng, and among the generals, his eyes were full of confidence, and he said decisively: "Jia dare to assert that if there is no accident, it will be a few months in the shortest time, or two years in the longest time, and you will be killed soon!"

"It makes sense." Wang Zheng nodded, and then asked the doubts in his heart: "Yuan Shu, who went to Yangzhou in person last year, had a lot of interactions with him. A perverse move?"

"Haha." Hearing this, Guo Jia smiled, and asked back, "Jia heard that when my lord won Zhao County that day, he also proclaimed himself emperor. Could it be that my lord didn't know that this was a perverse act?"

"Ah..." Wang Zheng was stunned, and then he couldn't help laughing: "Why should Fengxiao make fun of it? At that time, the general had just started an incident, and Cao Cao had already received the news and sent a large army to suppress it. At this moment of life and death, if you don't show the enemy's weakness , can Aneng have a follower from behind?"

"It's just a few thousand troops." Guo Jia shook his head when he heard the words, "Your lord is as brave as the enemy Xiang Ji, but I can't do this. You just need to charge forward and kill the generals, and Cao's army will be defeated. It is expected that there will be no hindrance."

Charge into battle?

At that time, I was not as strong as I am now!
Naturally, Wang Zheng didn't want to say this clearly, he just coughed dryly, and withdrew from the main topic: "The implication of Feng Xiao's words is that Yuan Shu's proclaiming the emperor also has some helplessness?"

"It's not a matter of helplessness." Guo Jia smiled and said, "There are many reasons for Yuan Gonggong's desire to proclaim himself emperor. Most of them are due to his arrogance, and the other half are forced by the situation."

"Oh?" Wang Zheng's heart moved, and he asked, "I would like to hear the details."

"According to Mi Gong's information, Yuan Shu once asked the officials in the court hall before the provincial stage. The fourth generation of my family is a public servant, and the people will return. If you want to obey the heavens and obey the people, what do you think of the kings?"

"As far as reputation and public opinion are concerned, the Yuan family's origin in Runan is indeed worthy of the respect of the world, not to mention that Yuan Shu has the imperial jade seal in his hand, plus" Guo Jia paused, and said with a smile: "That seal that has been passed down for hundreds of years The prophecy "The person who replaced the Han Dynasty should be Tu Gaoye" is interpreted as the meaning of "highway", hey, it does have some truth."

"In terms of strength, in terms of the vastness of the land and the number of scholars, Yuan Shu is indeed second to none among the feudal lords. It is not impossible to be blessed by Qi Huan and imitate Gao Zu."

This explained Yuan Shu's confidence in proclaiming himself emperor, Wang Zheng nodded, and asked again: "Then what Feng Xiao said about being forced by the situation?"

"Since the Yellow Turban of Yuzhou asked for help from the lord, it is natural that they will not fail to inform Yangzhou." Guo Jia said, "Yuan Shu must also be very clear that after Xiahou Dun wiped out Liu Pi, He Yi and others, the next step is to attack Runan."

"The battle is imminent, so Yuan Shu naturally has to think about how to deal with it. No matter how strong Cao Cao is, he may not take it seriously. It is nothing more than soldiers coming to cover the water and soil, but the emperor in Xudu may give him a headache!"

"If the so-called name is not correct, the words will not go well, and if the words don't go well, things will be difficult to accomplish." At this point, Guo Jia sighed: "Using the emperor to command the princes, hey, Xun Wenruo's plan is very clever."

"The princes of the world, except for the lord who took the path of self-reliance and self-improvement from the beginning, are all Han officials. Yuan Shu is no exception. He has been Han officials for generations. Once Cao Cao asks the emperor to issue an edict, he will designate Yuan Shu as a rebellious official. Bandit, before the battle, the Yangzhou army has already lost three points in terms of momentum, fighting spirit, and popular support."

"If you want to fight against the court, you have to take risks and stand on your own, and take back the opportunity." Wang Zheng suddenly realized: "That's how it is."

"Actually, it's not only because of Cao Cao, an external enemy, but also because of internal reasons!" Guo Jiadao: "Nominally, all civil and military officials under Yuan Shu's command are also Han officials. Once one person attains the Tao, chickens and dogs ascend to heaven, and after Yuan Shu proclaims himself emperor, he will naturally enfeoff all his officials, and his subordinates will become more prosperous and rich, which will allow them to work harder for themselves."

Thinking of the original history, Wang Zheng couldn't help but ask: "Then what if someone really rebels because of this?"

"Except for Sun Ce, who is covering up the four counties in the east of the Yangtze River, what else is there?" Guo Jia thought for a while, and said, "But since Yuan Shu has such a heart, he must have gotten through with this little overlord in advance, right?"

Hearing this, Wang Zheng frowned and fell silent.

He didn't know whether Yuan Shu had communicated with Sun Ce in advance, but in real history, Sun Ce took the lead in rebelling against Yuan Shu.

When Yuan Shu truly proclaimed himself emperor, Sun Ce immediately declared independence with the four counties in his hands. Cao Cao also wiped out Yuan Shu's forces in Yuzhou in one fell swoop.

In just a few months, under the attack of the feudal lords, Yuan Shu went from covering three prefectures and nine counties to only two counties, and finally died of vomiting blood.

After a long while, he spoke again, looked sideways at Guo Jia and asked, "Feng Xiao, you said just now that if there is no accident, it will be a few months in the shortest time, or two years in the longest time, and you will be killed soon?"

"This accident refers to."

"My lord, I know what I'm asking." Facing Wang Zheng's stern eyes, Guo Jia said with a smile, "It's an accident, it's just what the lord thinks."

"The lord is Li Yanghou and Xuzhou Mu appointed by the emperor, and now he is also a Han minister. If there is no accident, he will naturally dislike Yuan Shu's overstepping behavior, and he must follow the old emperor's old rule that no one with the surname Liu should be called. The king's order, respond to the princes, and attack the rebellious officials and thieves together."

"Feng Xiao, don't you know it well?"

Hearing this, Wang Zheng stood up, clenched a fist with his left hand, and lightly slapped the palm of his right hand, and then he looked up to the sky and laughed loudly: "The so-called auxiliary vehicles depend on each other, and the lips are dead and the teeth are cold!"

"Today, Liu Bei is far away, Tian Kai is dead, and Gongsun Zan is even more in danger. If Yuan Shu is attacked and destroyed again, how can Cao Cao and Yuan Shao's next joint target be the general?"

He stared at Guo Jia, and said word by word: "It would be a real accident if Yuan Shu was allowed to die, wouldn't it?"

"My lord sees thousands of miles!" Guo Jia bowed his hands happily, "Since that's the case, you should return to Xuzhou immediately. From what Jia saw, Yuan Shuli and other officials from Taiwan and the province are riding dragon and phoenix chariots to worship the north and the south, but only a few The establishment of the most important title system is clearly intended to test the reactions of the ministers and princes."

"So within a few days, an envoy from Yangzhou should come to Xiapi to ask the lord for advice."

"If the lord and Sun Ceren don't make their position clear, Yuan Shu will definitely not dare to act rashly!"

"There is no rush for this matter." Wang Zheng shook his head: "Feng Xiao, you leave immediately and tell Mi Heng and Zhang Zhao what I think. If there are envoys coming, you should deal with them first."

Guo Jia was startled when he heard the words, and hurriedly said: "My lord, there are priorities. The three cities of Ningping are certainly important, but in comparison, Yangzhou is indeed more relevant."

"Yuzhou is here, how could this general give up halfway without doing his best?"

Wang Zheng showed a calm and confident expression, sat as firmly as Mount Tai, and said with a smile: "What's more, how much time can a mere one-eyed guy spend?"

He has always acted decisively, and when he had an idea in his mind, he immediately turned his eyes to the crowd, and said in a deep voice: "The plan of Yi Yuan is just now, and the general quite agrees. Since Xiahou Dun stays put, our army will take the initiative to attack!"

"We now know that Xiahoudun suddenly stopped moving forward. It is very likely that Cao Cao was worried when he heard about the civil strife in Qingzhou. In addition, Xiahoudun did not have enough troops, the new city was not attached, and the logistics had not arrived, so he did not dare to advance alone!"

"As long as our army wins a big victory in Kunyang, annihilates Xiahou's army, and deals a heavy blow to it, Cao Cao will definitely give up the idea of ​​attacking Yuzhou, and the day when he will retreat is close at hand. Why not for?"

"So how to attack?"

Hearing this, the generals fell into deep thought. After a while, Gao Lan took the lead in speaking: "Zhou Mu, Kunyang is located in the southwest of Yingchuan County. If our army takes the initiative to attack, we must first consider avoiding the eyes and ears of the counties along the way. , otherwise, once the attack fails for a long time, if the four sides come to help, if the retreat is cut off, there will be great danger. According to the humble opinion of the general, before taking Kunyang, Wuyang must be taken!"

"Yi Yuan and Ben Jiang can be said to have the same views as heroes!"

Wang Zheng nodded his head when he heard the words and said happily: "Wuyang is the nearest city to Runan. It is opposite to Kunyang. The distance between the two places is about [-] li, across the river, and there is no other dangerous obstacle in between."

"We only need to send out a part of the army and rush to seize it. There are two advantages: one is Runan in the rear. Cao Jun is currently unable to cross the Yellow Turban and Yuan Shu forces in Yuzhou to cut off our retreat. The rear can be preserved. The second is to watch Kunyang. If the main force of our army fails to attack, the Cao army in Kunyang will definitely be ready to move, and with Wuyang's support, it can threaten them not to act rashly."

Gao Lan was very impressed, and said sincerely: "Zhou Mu will see you."

Wang Zheng nodded with a smile, and then asked warmly: "Yi Yuan, would you like to take down this city for this general?"

It's not that Wang Zheng trusts Gao Lan very much right now, but that he rushed to attack Wuyang and respond to the main force. If he wants to accomplish these two tasks well, he must be brave and strategic, dare to fight and be able to defend. Among the generals who came from Yuzhou last time, although Yan Ran is good in ability, he is inexperienced, and the others are even worse. Therefore, apart from Wang Zheng himself, Gao Lan is the best candidate.

Gao Lan was overjoyed upon hearing this.

Compared with the previous Yilu and Xiangxian missions, the difficulty of this task is naturally different, but the meaning is also incomparable.

Immediately fell to his knees, amidst the clanging sound of the armor, he responded loudly: "I wish to be the State Shepherd Sword!"

"Okay!" Wang Zheng jumped up, "Gao Lan listens to the order!"

"Tomorrow the pot will be buried at three o'clock, rice will be made at four o'clock, and we will set off at five o'clock. You don't need to bring too much luggage, and carry dry food for fifteen days with you."

He strode over and helped Gao Lan himself: "I hope to hear the good news within ten days, is there any problem?"

From Yilu to Wuyang is about four to five hundred li. The journey is far or near, but fortunately, the road is flat and there are no obstacles.

However, even if the starry night is galloping, it will take at least six or seven days of marching to arrive, which is equivalent to allowing Gao Lan to capture the city in a day or two, and then immediately send someone to report back.

Although Wuyang is not a big city, the garrison is expected to have at most a thousand people, but it is actually quite difficult.

Gao Lan didn't show any embarrassment. Instead, he lifted his spirits and bowed to accept the order:

"promise!"

"The last general swears not to disgrace his life."

At this time, Guo Jia on the side interjected and said: "My lord, although Xiahou Dun has no large army entering the field of vision of our army at present, he will definitely send sentry cavalry to scatter around, cruising around, spying on our army's movements, once our army moves , Xiahou Yuanrang must know immediately!"

"The old minister suggested that before I attack with the main force, I still need to get a surprise soldier, pretending to be the main force, and attracting his attention. Only in this way can we be caught off guard and strike first."

"good."

Wang Zheng nodded, and singled out Yan Ran from among the generals: "Right now, you don't need to see these people from Huangjun. The 500 people will be changed to 500 people. You can set off with Yiyuan, and put more flags on the road. The posture of the main force."

In previous battles, the Tian Army had bluffed many times, and the subordinates were all familiar with it.500 people plus Gao Lan's 2000 people, a total of nearly 4000 people, too many to say, it's easy to pretend to be 2 or [-] people.

Yan Ran bowed aloofly: "Here!"

At this time, the wind outside the hall blows in, and it is cool and pleasant, rolling the capes of the generals and the red tassels on the pockets, dancing and rustling.

The Heavenly Army is still dark, but the uniforms of the Tianzhu Camp and the current middle-level generals are still red because of the royal government. The capes of the generals, including the hanging cloth on the weapons, and the flags planted in the courtyard outside the hall It's all red too.

Spring is the season of Emperor Qing. The trees in the courtyard are lush and lush, and the red color against the backdrop is dazzling.

In the early morning of the next day, in the dead of night, the infantry held their breath, and the cavalry wrapped their horseshoes in soft cloth, turning into a black torrent, and quietly left Yilu City.

(End of this chapter)