The Warriors of the Three Kingdoms

The news reached Ding Yuandi's ears and immediately attracted Ding Yuan's attention.

"Quickly call those people in and let me ask!"

When Ding Yuan learned that those people escaped from Liu Zheng's barracks, he was immediately interested and wanted to know why they were able to escape from Liu Zheng's hands?

Not long after, a few of those who escaped, to be precise, those who were released by Liu Zheng, were brought to Ding Yuan.

"I've seen adults."

These few people stood obediently in front of Ding Yuan, as if they were a little scared, after all they lost the battle, they were considered guilty, afraid that Ding Yuan would deal with them.

However, Ding Yuan did not blame them, but asked how they came back.

"Wai Li, how did you escape back?"

Ding Yuan asked these soldiers without hesitation, even if he described the whole process.

After some explanations, Ding Yuan finally understood, and at the same time he also knew the strength Liu Zheng had in Baling County.The whole person looks bad.

With an army of tens of thousands, even if Ding Yuan wants to deal with Liu Zheng, he has to figure out whether he has the ability. Not to mention that he only has 1 people left now. With the same strength, it may not be Liu Zheng's opponent.

This made Ding Yuan more afraid of Liu Zheng, and the less he dared to attack easily, he could only stick to the city and wait for the arrival of Liu Biao's army and the return of Zhang Liao from Nanyang before making plans.

Ding Yuan didn't dare to attack rashly, but Liu Zheng was indeed planning how to attack Jiang Xia.

Because once Liu Zheng wins Jiang Xia, then Liu Zheng will be able to get through the connection with Nanyang, and then Yuan Shu's crisis will be resolved.

At this time, Liu Zheng didn't know that Yuan Yao had returned to Runan, intending to persuade his father to give up Runan and join Liu Zheng.

On the other hand, Yuan Rou, who stayed in Baling, was very pleasantly surprised when he heard that Liu Zheng had won the battle and captured Lu Bu alive, because he saw the possibility that Liu Zheng would attack aggressively and even capture Jiangxia.

Yuan Rou originally wanted to go to Liu Zheng to inquire about the news, and asked whether Liu Zheng would attack, but received a message.It is said that Liu Zheng left Baling overnight.

Yes.

Liu Zheng left Baling overnight by boat, and took away Zhou Tai's [-] sailors, as well as the Wenpin troops stationed in Yuzhang.

Because after Liu Zheng recruited Lu Bu, Gao Shun and others, he was preparing to lead his own people to launch an attack on Jiangxia, but the news from Qingzhou finally reached Liu Zheng.

Liu Zheng took the news from Xu You and fell into deep thought.

Zhang Mancheng was killed, and the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army fell apart and was in danger.

Only Zhang Ning was left to stick to Beihai County, and he might be wiped out by the coalition forces of Liu Bei and Cao Cao at any time.

Although Zhang Ning still has [-] to [-] remnants of the Yellow Turbans, although the strength of these remnants of the Yellow Turbans is not weak, they are not comparable to those of the Yellow Turbans, but when they meet Liu Guanzhang and Cao Cao, it is almost a doomed situation.

That is to say, Zhang Ning can persist for a few days under the joint attack of Liu Bei and Cao Cao.

Of course, Liu Zheng will not let Zhang Ning bear all the responsibility alone.

In any case, Zhang Ning has a place in Liu Zheng's heart.

Even if you don't talk about personal feelings, it's just the geographical location of Qingzhou.The importance to Liu Zheng.It definitely has enough weight for Liu Zheng to send troops to support Zhang Ning.

The reason why he didn't send troops to help Zhang Ning before was because he was not helping Zhang Ning, but Zhang Mancheng, the surviving Yellow Turban Army. After all, among those Yellow Turban Army, it was not Zhang Ning who had the final say, but Zhang Mancheng who had the final say. However, Liu Zheng and Zhang Mancheng are not of one mind, because Liu Zheng knows that Zhang Mancheng is not a person who can accomplish things at all.

But now that Zhang Mancheng is dead, the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army can be said to be a mess, and Zhang Ning has become an independent force again, just like when Zhang Ning came to Jiaozhou to join Liu Zheng, Liu Zheng will place her in Lingling County. They maintain a high enough level of autonomy in their self-development.

And now Liu Zheng is the same, he chooses to help Zhang Ning.One is to prevent the Yellow Turban Army from being completely wiped out, and the other is to keep the turmoil in Qingzhou so that it cannot fall into the hands of the court.

The imperial court has already begun to stabilize, and if they are allowed to pacify Qingzhou and get the Yellow Turban Army, and regain control of Qingzhou, then the imperial court will have to face only two enemies.

In that way, the pressure on Liu Zheng and Yuan Shao will inevitably increase, and.Relatively speaking, Liu Zheng's pressure will be greatly increased.

Because Liu Bei and Cao Cao's soldiers and horses are bound to go south again to deal with Liu Zheng's Wu County after they pacify Qingzhou. Instead of meeting them sooner or later, it is better to take the initiative to move the battle location to Qingzhou, so as to avoid Yangzhou. The people suffered losses.

So no matter how you look at it, going to Qingzhou to help Zhang Ning is a must.

Due to time constraints, Liu Zheng even gave up attacking Jiangxia directly, and instead led the trap camp he had just incorporated, and Zhou Tai's water army quickly headed towards Qingzhou by boat.

He was worried that bringing only [-] sailors would not be enough to resist the attacks of Liu Guanzhang and Cao Cao, so he also took all the Wenpin army stationed in Yuzhang.

The reason why Liu Zheng is so relieved about the war in Jingzhou is also because he has just defeated Lu Bu, which severely weakened Ding Yuan's strength, so that Ding Yuan should not take the initiative to attack in a short time, with Zhou Cang, Huang Zhong, and Gan Ning as soldiers The horses are stationed in the Jingzhou area, even if Ding Yuan intends to take the initiative to attack, I am afraid that he will not get any benefits.

But the battle in Qingzhou was more intense. Liu Bei and Cao Cao had at least [-] troops under their command, and Zhang Ning was weak.If Liu Zheng wants to get mixed up, he must bring [-] soldiers and horses to achieve some effect, otherwise he will also be at a disadvantage in fighting them head-on.

So Zhou Tai and Wenpin's men became Liu Zheng's choice. At the same time, in order to put pressure on Liu Bei and Cao Cao, Liu Zheng immediately ordered Tai Shici, who was recuperating in Wu Jun, to mobilize troops and prepare to attack Huainan from the north of Wu Jun.

He wants to change from passive defense to active attack. Once Liu Zheng is able to attack Yanzhou, Liu Bei and Cao Cao's people in Qingzhou will inevitably be afraid. They must either withdraw their troops and return to aid, or find a way to resolve the battle in Qingzhou as soon as possible in a short time.

But with the help of Liu Zheng's people in Qingzhou, it will definitely not be defeated by Liu Bei and Cao Cao's people in a short time, so they will only withdraw their troops.

Chapter 571 Deadlock

The journey from Baling County to Qingzhou is not short. Even if Liu Zheng tried his best to go there at the fastest speed, it would take more than ten days.

But just when Liu Zheng passed by Wu County by boat.

His subordinates sent him the news that Zhang Muyu, who had been raising a baby, finally gave birth.

And another son.

Liu Zheng was ecstatic when he heard the news.Yu Wujun was delayed for half a day, so he went back home to meet Zhang Muyu and Cai Yao, and hugged his son himself.

Looking at the little one crying in his hands, Liu Zheng really wanted to stay with Zhang Muyu and his mother. After all, it was a warm moment. Liu Zheng didn't accompany Cai Yao well back then, but now he really wants to be with Zhang Muyu. But the war in Qingzhou waits for no one.

Liu Zheng was worried that if he went late, Zhang Ning might have his life in danger.

So he still reluctantly stayed in Wu County for a longer period of time, told Cai Yao to take good care of Zhang Muyu, and then led the troops directly north.

In early November 189.

Liu Zheng's men are already approaching Qingzhou, and the situation in Qingzhou at this time is not optimistic.

After Liu Bei and Cao Cao led the army to attack Linzi City from the west all the way, in order to eliminate these Yellow Turbans as soon as possible, they did not delay too much, but directly sent troops to chase and kill the remnants of the Yellow Turbans.

A few days later, Liu Bei and Cao Cao's men finally came to Beihai County, and they knew that the Beihai Navy still had tens of thousands of elite units of the Yellow Turban Army.

Instead of attacking rashly, they chose to fight steadily and gradually regained the small and large counties near Qingzhou, and then gradually came to Beihai County, which was controlled by Zhang Ning.

In Beihai County, there were more than 4 soldiers from Zhang Ning, and some others were scattered in Donglai County by Zhang Ning. Zhang Ning himself also formed a defensive belt here.

A few days ago, Zhang Ning and Liu Bei's men fought a big battle, but Zhang Ning hardly took the initiative to attack, and only took defensive measures.Most of the time, they closed the city and went out, sticking to the battle, with Guan Hai, Chu Yan and others commanding the troops, but there was not a big rout. Considering the loss of thousands of men, Zhang Ning still blocked Liu Bei's attack. Waves attack violently.

After the attack failed, Cao Cao and Liu Bei were helpless. Although they wanted to forcibly attack the city, they would definitely lose a lot of manpower.Losing a large number of soldiers and horses for these remnants of the Yellow Turbans is not worth the loss. Liu Bei, who has always been kind to his people, does not want to attack the Yellow Turbans in this way.

And once he chooses to attack by force, it will definitely affect the people in the city. Liu Bei, who cares more about his own reputation, is naturally unwilling to kill the remaining Yellow Turbans. He wants to use gentle means to persuade these remnants of the Yellow Turbans to surrender.

In this way, not only can Qingzhou be obtained without bloodshed, but also this group of Yellow Turbans can be incorporated into a new force.

At least if these people can surrender, Liu Bei can quickly form an army from these Yellow Turbans to supplement his lost troops.

In Liu Beijun's big tent.

Liu Bei and Cao Cao are discussing how to deal with these remnants of the Yellow Turbans in Beihai.

Cao Cao advocated a quick battle and a quick decision, and used tough methods to break through Beihai County and eliminate the last Yellow Turbans.

But Liu Bei did not agree to do this. Liu Bei wanted to recruit these Yellow Turbans. At the beginning, the recruitment of soldiers and horses in Yanzhou had reached its limit. It was difficult for Liu Bei and the others to directly recruit suitable personnel from Yanzhou.

The same is true for Qingzhou. The young and middle-aged people in Qingzhou have long been absorbed by the Yellow Turban Army. Even if the imperial court recovers Qingzhou, Qingzhou will not be able to bring enough soldiers to the imperial court in a short time.

That's why Liu Bei set his sights on the few remaining Yellow Turban soldiers.

"Brother Meng De, it's not that I want to let these rebels go, but you've also seen along the way. The Yellow Turban bandits in Qingzhou are rampant, and the people suffer. Even if we regain the lost land, there is no way to recruit more soldiers and horses here."

"But the remnants of the Yellow Turbans in Beihai County at this time are quite powerful. If they can be used by us, it will save us from recruiting soldiers and horses."

Liu Bei expressed his thoughts.

Liu Bei took a fancy to the strength of these remnants of the Yellow Turbans, which was different from the Yellow Turbans they had encountered before.

Cao Cao also recognized this point.

"These Yellow Turbans are indeed much stronger than the ones we encountered before, but Brother Xuande, the Yellow Turbans will not surrender so easily."

Liu Bei's words of persuasion to surrender were put on Cao Cao's side, but Cao Cao didn't quite approve of them. From Cao Cao's point of view, these Yellow Turbans were not so easy to surrender.

If they are willing to surrender, they will not wait until now.And even now, they are still gathering in the city and defending, stubbornly resisting, it doesn't look like they are going to surrender.

So Cao Cao is not optimistic that these Yellow Turbans will surrender.

"Perhaps these Yellow Turbans would not have surrendered earlier, but now, most of Qingzhou has been taken down by us. In a few days, Tao Qian's soldiers and horses will surround us and besiege Beihai together. By then, we will have a total of [-] soldiers. Soldiers, with so many troops besieging Beihai, within half a month, the Yellow Turban Army in Beihai City will surrender."

"We just need to encircle and not fight. Tens of thousands of troops are cut off from water and food in the city. They can't hold on for long. Once they can't hold on, they will definitely leave the city and surrender."

It is precisely because of this intention that Liu Bei is so calm.

Cao Cao saw that Liu Bei had already made a decision, so he didn't continue to say more, and Liu Bei still did it. Anyway, he was not optimistic about the Yellow Turban Army in Qingzhou.

At the same time, in Beihai City.

Zhang Ning stood on the city tower with a gloomy face, looked outside the city, saw the tents that had been stretched outside the city, and felt even more worried.

He knew the plan of the enemy troops outside the city. The purpose of setting up so many tents was obvious, that is to besiege the city and fight a long war of attrition with them.

The Yellow Turban Army was short of food, and they could rely on Liu Zheng to alleviate their difficulties temporarily. Now it is the beginning of spring. If they can't farm outside the city, not to mention that there will be no food in the future, they are worried about the food and grass in the past month alone.

"Guan Hai, did our people send him the news?"

Zhang Ning is already considering whether to continue to stick here.

"Half a month ago, someone sent the news to me, but the person who came back told me that Liu Zheng went to Jingzhou and no longer in Yangzhou. It must take a few days for him to get the news. I guess it should be now." I know what happened in Qingzhou."

Guan Hai speculated and answered Zhang Ning's words.

Seeing that Guan Hai said that Liu Zheng already knew about it, Zhang Ning didn't say much, but just nodded.

Chapter 572 Wu Anguo

"Looking at the appearance of these enemy troops outside the city, they don't seem to plan to attack the city anymore. If they want to besiege the city here, I'm afraid we will have a hard time in the future."

"What are you afraid of, miss, we still have 4 people here, and there will be no shortage of food for a short time. If they want to besiege the city, let them besiege it. As long as they hold on for a while, I think it's not us who are anxious, but them!"

Guan Hai was not too worried about these enemies outside the city. Although Guan Hai had also seen the strength of the enemy army in a previous battle, but with the convenience of the city wall, these enemies did not have enough siege equipment. It is not that easy to take down Beihai City.

Because of this, Guan Hai felt that they could hold on for a while longer.

"What about Chu Yan, let him rest more, put him on duty tonight, you and him take turns to rest."

"Understood, miss."

Although Liu Bei and Cao Cao did not take the initiative to attack Zhang Ning's Beihai City, during this period of time, Liu Bei and Cao Cao were not idle at all.

While sending people to recover other counties, they besieged Zhang Ning's men and horses. They wanted to take down the nearby cities first. In the end, Zhang Ning couldn't bear it anymore, and then they came to deal with Zhang Ning, the last yellow scarf army.

In this way, the two sides stalemate for several days.

After a few days, although Zhang Ning's Beihai City is not in any crisis for the time being, all the surrounding counties and towns have been recovered by Liu Bei and others.

A certain fishing village along the coast of Dongnae County.

It is a bit wrong to say that this is a fishing village, because it has become prosperous since it was selected as a transit point by Liu Zheng's merchant ship.

There are usually several ships that come and go here in a day, because there are more ships that come and go. Naturally, this place will become popular and the natural population will gather.

Of course, most of the people under Liu Zheng's command are stationed here.

Some of them are Liu Zheng's hundreds of sailors stationed here, as well as the stewards left behind by the Mi family caravan, and various recruited workers.

When Liu Zheng's navy fleet landed here, the person in charge of the dock immediately came to contact him, and at the same time reported to Liu Zheng the work during this period and the local situation in Qingzhou.

The steward on the pier is Wu Anhong, who is a native of Qingzhou. The last time Liu Zheng stayed here, when the pier was established, the first batch of people recruited, because of their outstanding performance and good ability, only took more than a year. So he moved to the position of the master.

After Liu Zheng's army disembarked, they asked Wu Anhong to inquire about the local situation. Of course, they mainly asked about Zhang Ninghe's situation.

Although the people arranged by Liu Zheng on this pier are mainly business people, some of them are naturally tasked with the identity of secret workers. Collecting information about Qingzhou on weekdays is also what they need to do. matter.

So when Liu Zheng asked, they were basically able to tell Liu Zheng all the information they had under their control like a few treasures.

"My lord, the current situation in Qingzhou is not optimistic. The imperial army has wiped out all the Yellow Turbans, leaving only a part of the Yellow Turbans who are still stubbornly resisting."

"Well, I know all these situations, so please be more specific."

What Wu Anhong described was not detailed. After Liu Zheng nodded, he didn't say much, but asked him to explain in more detail.

"The seven counties below Qingzhou, now Pingyuan County, Jinan State, Qi State, Le'an County, and Chengyang County, have all been recovered by the imperial army. Only a part of Zhang Ning's Yellow Turban Army is left to defend Beihai and Donglai. However, in the last few days, our spies found out that some people from the imperial court were taking a detour from Langya County to surprise Donglai."

Qingzhou is originally a peninsula, and its geographical location is not very good. In the case of ancient sea transportation is not convenient, the territory of Qingzhou can be regarded as one of the thirteen prefectures of the Han Dynasty, which is relatively small.

And Beihai and Donglai occupied half of the entire Qingzhou. In fact, as long as Beihai and Donglai were occupied, it could be said that they occupied half of Qingzhou.

Originally, Liu Zheng heard Wu Anhong say that at least Beihai and Donglai were still in Zhang Ning's hands, and there was still room for this battle.