Can I get to the other side?

In the study, many counselors cast their eyes on Liu Biao, and it was obvious that they were all moved by Cai Mao's words.

If Liu Biao became emperor, they would all be loyal ministers. No one could resist such a temptation. Who would refuse that their future was not broad enough?

"My lord, I think what the military advisor said is very true!"

Pang Ji was the first to agree, with a faint excitement on his face, saying: "Although the orthodoxy of the emperor of Xu County is not enough to convince the world now, there is still a title of emperor."

"If the lord supports him, and then expands externally under the title of emperor, and waits for the power to grow in the future, then abdicate and become emperor, and achieve hegemony!"

Cai Mao and Pang Ji did not want Liu Biao to become emperor immediately.

They meant that Liu Biao had the qualifications.

He was a relative of the Han Dynasty. As long as his power was strong enough, plus "the emperor abdicated", many people would be willing to support him.

Even Kuai Liang said: "My lord, didn't the emperor say that he was held hostage by Cao Cao? Cao Cao is attacking Yangzhou now, you can use this as an excuse to attack Yuzhou and Yanzhou!"

"If you can occupy these two Central Plains, my lord will own three states, and then go north to invade Jizhou. By then, even Yuan Shao will not be able to compete with you!"

The three counselors repeatedly advised Liu Biao, hoping that he could support Emperor Xian of Han, then expand outward in the name of the emperor, and ascend the throne to become emperor in the future.

And they became meritorious officials who followed the dragon!

Facing the eager eyes of his confidants, Liu Biao shook his head again and again, and said solemnly: "The Han Dynasty is declining. As a relative of the Liu family and a minister of the Han Dynasty, how can I have a rebellious heart?"

"Besides, I am the governor of Jingzhou, and I just need to manage Jingzhou well. I don't want to dominate the world, and I don't want to invade other states."

Liu Biao did not take the advice of Cai Mao and others.

He had no idea of ​​competing for hegemony or ascending the throne to become an emperor. In his opinion, it was enough to manage Jingzhou well and be a good minister of the Han Dynasty.

Cai Mao heard this and said anxiously: "My lord, there is a great opportunity in front of us, how can we turn a blind eye? You must know that if you don't take what God gives you, you will suffer from it!"

"The emperor of Xu County came to Xiangyang just as God hinted to my lord!"

They were really worried about Liu Biao.

Pang Ji and Kuai Liang also persuaded Liu Biao to support the emperor and compete for hegemony, but Liu Biao still stubbornly refused and then turned and left the study.

...

Jizhou, Yecheng.

Cui Lin, who went to convey the will to Yuan Shao, had returned to Yecheng and reported to Liu Xie: "Your Majesty, Yuan thief is a treasonous person. He refused to accept the imperial edict on the grounds that it was a false edict from Wen Gong and the General of Chariots and Cavalry."

On the dragon throne, Liu Xie was not surprised to hear this result. He didn't think that Yuan Shao would surrender with an imperial edict.

If Yuan Shao could agree, he would not be Yuan Shao.

Although there was no ripple in his heart, Liu Xie showed anger on his face, and snorted coldly: "Since Yuan Shao refuses to repent, we can only fight!"

"Pass on my decree, remove Yuan Shao from the position of general and general! Anyone who follows Yuan Shao will be treated as a traitor!"

This decree represents a complete break with Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao was labeled a traitor at the court level!

Then, Liu Xie cast his eyes on the ministers in the hall and said: "Yuan Shao is not loyal, I want to send troops to attack him, but before that, I need to recover Jizhou."

"At present, the counties of Jizhou are still under the control of Yuan Shao. My dear ministers, do you have any good ideas?"

Liu Xie has reorganized the troops during this period of time. Now Yuan Shao has also been labeled a traitor. Everything is ready. It is time to send troops to attack the counties of Jizhou and take down the entire Jizhou!

But fighting is one thing, and how to fight is another.

Liu Xie threw this question to the ministers for discussion.

This is not a strategic policy, but a specific war. This kind of thing still requires brainstorming. After all, what needs to be captured is Jizhou, not a certain place.

Upon hearing this, all the ministers in the hall became excited.

Sima Yi's eyes were about to shine.

Because he smelled the taste of merit!

After Liu Xie's voice fell, Sima Yi said quickly without waiting for others to speak: "Your Majesty! Yangping and Guangping counties have been occupied, and the remaining important places are only Julu, Pingyuan, Anping and Qinghe!"

"Take these four counties, and you can go straight to Hejian County!"

"Hejian County is Yuan Shao's most important confidant at present. As long as the troops are divided into four routes, take these four counties and then meet in Hejian County, Jizhou will be under control!"

Sima Yi was afraid that others would take the credit for his advice before him, so he spoke out the general direction of the entire attack like a bamboo tube pouring beans, and his speech speed was amazing.

Guo Jia, Jia Xu, Cui Yan, Xun Chen, Yang Xiu and others all cast strange eyes at Sima Yi, while the latter looked at Sima Yi with his eyes and nose, pretending not to see everyone's eyes.

Although the ministers were very unhappy with Sima Yi's behavior of stealing credit, they had to admit that what he said was right.

The most important thing at the moment is these five counties.

So Cui Yan said: "Your Majesty, my family is quite prestigious in Qinghe County. I have two plans to take Qinghe County!"

"First, send my brother back to Qinghe County, led by my Cui family, and unite with major families to behead the county governor!"

"Second, if beheading the county governor is not possible, when the king's army is at the gates of the city, launch a mutiny to open the city gates, welcome the king's army into the city, and take over Qinghe County!"

Cui Yan said this with full confidence.

Qinghe County is where his hometown is, and it is easy for him to take Qinghe County!

"Good!"

Liu Xie approved Cui Yan's plan and said to Zhang He: "Weiwei, you lead 2,000 Yulin Guards and 3,000 Huben Army, and take Qinghe County together with Huben Zhonglang Jiang!"

"I obey the order!"

Zhang He and Cui Yan accepted the order together.

After the two left, Jia Xu continued: "Your Majesty, the governor of Julu County is suspicious by nature. You only need to send one person to persuade him to surrender, reveal that most of his subordinates have defected, and forge a letter of surrender from his subordinates so that he can intercept it. He will definitely be panicked."

"Give Julu County to me, and I will take it within ten days!"

Jia Xu never fights a battle without confidence. Since he dared to say such words, it means that he has a full understanding of the governor of Julu County and is full of confidence in taking Julu.

Liu Xie looked around at many generals, and finally landed on Yuan Xi who was eager to try, and said: "General of Chariots and Cavalry, you lead a group of people, with the Minister of the Central Secretariat as the military supervisor, to seize Julu County!"

Yuan Xi was stunned and looked at Jia Xu.

And Jia Xu just looked at him and said with a smile: "General of Chariots and Cavalry, I didn't expect that you and I can work together."

Yuan Xi secretly complained in his heart. Although he didn't want to work with this poisonous scholar who had pitted him many times, but the emperor's order came first, he could only smile reluctantly: "Please give me more advice, please give me more advice."

Since Jia Xu stood up, Guo Jia was naturally unwilling to lag behind, and also said: "Pingyuan County is in a dangerous position, but there are very few food reserves. As long as the north-south communication is cut off, it will not last long."

"Pingyuan County, please let me conquer it."

Guo Jia was calm and confident.

Liu Xie certainly would not doubt Guo Jia's intelligence, and nodded and said: "In this case, General Anxi will lead a group of troops, with the Imperial Censor as the military advisor, to capture Pingyuan County!"

"I obey your order!"

Guo Jia and Zhang Liao both bowed their hands and accepted the order.

Then there is only one Anping County left.

The other advisers who did not speak were about to offer their suggestions, and Lu Bu took the initiative to say: "Your Majesty, just leave Anping County to me!"

Seeing Lu Bu's offer, Liu Xie had no choice but to approve it directly: "Then leave it to Wen Gong, I am waiting for your good news."

Lu Bu had Chen Gong to give him advice.

No need to equip advisers.

He probably wouldn't listen to others' words.

After allocating the troops from the four routes, Liu Xie was excited - he had never fought such a rich battle!

This feeling is so damn good!

In the past three years, he has been conscientious.

Even after he captured Yecheng, he was still terrified because of the lack of troops and the small size of the territory, fearing that Yuan Shao would counterattack Yecheng one day.

Now it is different. With the conquest of Qingzhou, the arrival of Lu Bu's army, and the growing strength of his counselors and generals, the offensive and defensive situation has changed!

As the saying goes, if the enemy can go, I can go too.

Now the active attacker is no longer Yuan Shao, but him!

Lu Bu was also excited.

Now Yuan Shao's position as the general has finally been removed, and the position of the general is vacant. As long as he destroys Yuan Shao, he will be able to be named the general with this achievement!

This position is at the end of the generals!

Thinking of this, Lu Bu felt that his fighting spirit was burning, and he wanted to lead a troop to attack Hejian County directly, and then kill Yicheng.

Yuan Shao's head is the stepping stone for his position as the general!

As for Yuan Xi, he was also very excited.

"I am already a general of chariots and cavalry. If I can kill Yuan Shao, His Majesty will definitely value me more. The position of the Three Dukes must belong to me!"

"The rise and fall of the Yuan family depends on me... Father, for the sake of the Yuan family, you can go with peace of mind! I am the one who will revive the Yuan family!"

"I will prove to you that I am better than Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang!"

Yuan Xi's eyes were filled with murderous intent.

Ambition also expanded unprecedentedly.

Liu Xie suppressed his excitement, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice: "After taking the four counties, the four armies will gather together in Hejian County!"

"In addition, Fengxiao, you draft an order for me, and pass it to Ma Chao and Han Sui, asking them to attack Bingzhou with all their strength, and make sure to delay Guo Yuan and Bingzhou's troops, and not let him return to Jizhou!"

"If Guo Yuan is allowed to come back, I will hold them accountable!"

Yuan Shao still has 30,000 troops in Bingzhou, which Liu Xie has always been afraid of. Since he plans to take Jizhou, he must definitely kill Guo Yuan's troops in Bingzhou.

If he were to lead the troops back to help, the situation in Jizhou, which had just stabilized, would fall into chaos again. Thirty thousand troops would be a huge threat.

Guo Jia accepted the order with a bow.

After making this last arrangement, Liu Xie stood up from the dragon throne, waved his dragon robe sleeves, and said condescendingly: "This battle should be a battle to determine Hebei!"

"Long live the Han Dynasty! Long live my emperor!"

Many ministers bowed down one after another, and the sound of cheers spread out of Tai'an Hall and reached the sky.

Everyone knew that if this battle went smoothly, it would not only be a battle to determine Hebei, but also Yanzhou, Yuzhou... the entire north would be pacified.

If the north is pacified, Your Majesty will have the foundation of Emperor Guangwu in the past.

By then, going south along the Yangtze River, the recovery of Jiangbei, Jiangdong, and Jingzhou is just around the corner.

This is a battle to determine the outcome!

...

Liu Xie's decree to remove all official positions and titles of Yuan Shao and label him a traitor was quickly conveyed, with Yecheng as the center, and quickly spread outward.

It soon caused an uproar among the people.

Yuan Shao has always had an excellent reputation. Even after Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor, fell out with his own son, and was accused of being a traitor who held the emperor hostage, his halo as a "role model for the world" and "loyal minister of the Han Dynasty" was only weakened, but it did not fade.

But now this imperial edict is different. It is not a personal accusation from Yuan Xi, but was issued in the name of the emperor, labeling Yuan Shao a traitor!

For a time, both the government and the public were talking about it.

"The governor of Jizhou is actually a traitor who disobeyed the emperor? How is this possible? He was a loyal minister who led the fight against Dong!"

"Yes, when Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor, he killed his own brothers for the sake of justice. What a loyal act!"

"I don't think he is necessarily a loyal minister. After all, even his own son said he was a traitor. Would his own son slander his father?"

"I think so too. Moreover, this time even the emperor issued an order, which shows that this matter is not groundless. He has been holding the emperor hostage for so long!"

"If he is not a traitor, why would he disobey the emperor? Against the will of the emperor?"

"You can't know a person's heart by his appearance..."

"It's a pity that the Yuan family has three dukes in four generations and has been blessed by the Han Dynasty. There are two traitors in one family. The first one is the false emperor Yuan Shu, and the second one is the traitor Yuan Shao. The family tradition of the Yuan family is corrupt!"

"But Yuan Shao has a good son. Yuan Xi would rather break off relations with his father than be loyal to the Han Dynasty. What a noble character!"

"The reputation of the Yuan family depends on Yuan Xi."

"Wen Gong is the best general in the world. This time, he will surely defeat the traitor Yuan Shao!"

...

The people talked about this matter.

Due to Yuan Shao's reputation, there are still many people who believe that he is not a traitor, but no matter what, the emperor's will is there.

Yuan Shao is not a traitor. Would the emperor wrongly accuse a loyal minister?

Of course, the biggest evidence is Yuan Xi.

No one thinks that a biological son would throw dirty water on his father and turn against his father. Compared with this, they believe that Yuan Shao is actually plotting a rebellion.

After all, people only believe what they want to believe.

It is very difficult to build a reputation, but it is not so easy to destroy it. People's words are scary and every word is heartbreaking.

...

Bingzhou, Jinyang City.

It has been nearly three months since Guo Yuan was ordered by Yuan Shao to guard here, and his situation in Bingzhou is not optimistic.

Ma Chao and Han Sui, the former enemies, now jointly sent troops to attack Bingzhou. He could not resist head-on and could only passively defend.

But at the same time, Yuan Shao's order to mobilize troops was also sent from Youzhou.

Guo Yuan looked at the military order in his hand and couldn't help sighing: "Move troops back to Hejian and recapture Jizhou... How can I get away now, alas."

Didn't he want to mobilize troops to rush back to help?

But Ma Chao and Han Sui held him tightly, let alone mobilize troops back, even if he fought head-on, it would be a problem, because all his troops were infantry.

Infantry has a natural disadvantage against cavalry.

Unless they prepare in advance, set up various traps, chevaux de frise, deer horns, etc., or have heavy infantry like the Xiandeng Camp under Ju Yi, they can fight against the cavalry.

Otherwise, the infantry will be a living target for the cavalry.

The cavalry is highly mobile and can play with and consume the infantry at will. Even if they can't beat them, they can run away. The infantry can only let them slaughter them.

The most fatal thing is that the north is mostly plains, which means that the north is destined to be the world of cavalry, and the infantry can't beat them.

However, on the contrary, as long as he keeps defending the city, those Liangzhou cavalry who are not good at attacking the city will have no way to deal with him, but the other side doesn't seem to have the idea of ​​attacking the city.

"General, what should we do now?"

The deputy general asked, his face full of worry, "The lord's military order has been sent. If we continue to keep our troops in place, we will inevitably be blamed by the lord."

"And according to the intelligence, the emperor has removed all the lord's positions and titles, labeled him a traitor, and sent Lu Bu, Zhang Liao, and Yuan Xi to attack the counties of Jizhou."

"If this continues, Jizhou will be taken by them."

Guo Yuan's expression was complicated. After thinking for a long time, he gritted his teeth and said, "Pass on my military order, mobilize 3,000 troops, and leave Jinyang City at night."

"We will retreat in batches and try not to attract the attention of the enemy!"

The large-scale withdrawal would make too much noise.

He planned to find another way and adopt the method of evacuating in batches to withdraw the garrison in Jinyang City and give up defending the city.

"Yes!"

The deputy general responded respectfully and turned to leave.