The Most Romantic of the Three Kingdoms

Pingyuan County was only 20 to 30 li away from the county boundary. In the evening of the same day, the army marched to the west of Pingyuan City. Yuan Tan Chuan ordered the soldiers to choose a place to build a camp. Ride dozens of times, go to the vicinity of Pingyuan County, and watch the city defense.

But on the field, under the afterglow of the setting sun, stands a dark city.

The area of ​​Pingyuan County is not very large, but the city walls are tall and strong. This is due to Tian Kai. The city is adjacent to Jizhou in the west and Yanzhou in the south. It is located in the border area of ​​the three states. Tian Kai has raised, reinforced, and repaired this piece of land during his previous years in Pingyuan County.

There are ravines around the city. The ravines are one or two feet wide and how deep are they? Yuan Tan and the others didn't look closely, but they certainly didn't expect it to be shallow.

There are also flags of various colors standing on the wall of the city. Although they saw the arrival of Yuan Tan's trilogy, the guards did not make a commotion, and the atmosphere in the entire city was very calm.

Xin Pi rides on the shoulder pad, shakes the fan and says, "It's worthy of being a hero in a hundred battles."

After seeing it for a long time, Yuan Tan's defense of Pingyuan County was well-known, and he returned to the army.

The location of the camp was chosen a few miles southwest of Pingyuan County.

A large tent was temporarily set up, and Yuan Tan entered the tent to discuss the siege with Xin Pi and others.

Xin Pi knelt on his head and said, "Young Master, before the official attack on the city, you must make some preparations before the battle."

Yuan Tan said: "The pre-war preparations mentioned by Mr., are you guarding the Xuzhou reinforcements in the direction of Dongjun and Jinan?"

Xin Pi said: "Exactly. Although the Xuzhou soldiers in Dongjun are restrained by our garrison in Ganling, in order to ensure safety, scouts must be dispatched in the direction of Dongjun to guard. As for Jinan, this county is separated from Pingyuan County by a river. On the other hand, from Jinan to the aid plain, it can be reached in a day or two, so the direction of Jinan also needs to send out scouts to investigate, and it is necessary to send troops to guard the ferry on the north bank of the river.”

Yuan Tan said: "Sir is very true."

He then sent an order to select competent scouts to conduct investigations in Dong County in the southwest and Jinan, Le'an and other counties in the east and southeast. Guard the crossing.

Xin Pi said, "Young Master, in addition to these two preparations, there is one more thing that needs to be done."

Yuan Tan asked, "What's the matter?"

Xin Pi said: "Huajun said that Zhao Yun's works are mostly scattered in various counties in Pingyuan County, then in the north and northeast of Pingyuan County, our army also needs to send scouts widely for investigation; if Zhao Yun from other counties in Pingyuan County When the troops come to help, our army can make preparations early."

Yuan Tan agreed, accepted Xin Pi's suggestion, and sent scouts to the north and northeast to investigate the movements of the counties in Pingyuan County.

Pingyuan County is basically located in the northernmost position of Pingyuan County.

In Pingyuan County, there is only one Gaotang County on the other side of the Yellow River, which is farther north than Pingyuan County. If they came to support Pingyuan County, they could only come from the north or the northeast.

The enemies that may be in the three directions have already been alerted, so the siege can be discussed below.

After Hua Yan joined Yuan Tan's account, although Yuan Tan's attitude towards him had changed and he no longer doubted him, he had not yet appointed an official to him, so he sat with him at the last seat. Hua Yan waited for a while, and seeing that Xin Pi had nothing to say for a while, he took the initiative to speak, and made a suggestion very actively, saying: "Master, I have a humble opinion, I don't know if I should say it or not."

"Sir, please speak."

Hua Yan replied yes, and then said: "Master, Zhao Yun's troops are now scattered in the other counties of Pingyuan County, and in the city of Pingyuan, there are only a thousand guards up and down, ... my humble opinion is, why not my son? After the camp is built, will you besiege the city and attack it?"

Xin Pi does not agree with Hua Yan's suggestion.

This time, I asked Yuan Shao's consent to let Yuan Tan come to fight Pingyuan County. To further enhance Yuan Tan's prestige.

Now, the real purpose has been achieved.

So in terms of specific battles, in Xin Pi's view, it is natural to be cautious.

One, the reputation of Xuzhou soldiers, to be honest, Xin Pi is very jealous.

Second, if Yuan Tan's army is defeated because of his aggressive advance, then the purpose of further enhancing Yuan Tan's prestige will not only be a waste, but may also have a negative impact.

Because he didn't wait for Yuan Tan to answer, Xin Pi frowned and said, "Young Master, although there are not many guards in Pingyuan County now, but just now, Young Master also saw the garrison of Pingyuan County. This city in Pingyuan is quite strong. The soldiers are elite and heavily guarded. If our army rashly launches a fierce attack, I am afraid it will not be a problem for this city to be brought down. - I think that Xun Cheng will definitely not sit idly by and ignore the plain for our army to attack, he may be mobilizing Reinforcement is one, and Xuzhou soldiers from Jinan and Le'an counties are more likely to have set off, and the second is the south bank of the river. In this way, if the reinforcements from Le'an and Jinan arrive when our army cannot attack the plain, then The only way for our army to be defeated is to retreat, and it will be a big thing! Therefore, in my humble opinion, the best strategy at the moment should not be to attack Pingyuan City, but to tentatively hit a dozen first, and after the investigation is clear, the reinforcements of Le'an, Jinan and Qi countries should be made. After the situation, it is not too late to do the next deployment.”

Yuan Tan agreed and said, "What Mr. said is very true."

Following Xin Pi's suggestion, he did not plan to attack for the time being, but tried to attack first.

The next day, the camp was stationed and rested overnight. The next day, Yuan Tan dispatched a group of troops to launch an attack on Pingyuan County.

But it was a day of siege, from morning to afternoon, without even touching the edge of Plain City.

The arrows in the city head are like rain, and the resistance is tenacious.

The Tan soldiers who attacked the city charged several times, and the one with the most progress was only when more than 100 soldiers stepped on the long wooden boards on the ditch and rushed across the ditch, but they were quickly repelled by the rain of arrows on the city. .

Yuan Tan, Xin Pi, Jiang Qi, Wen Tong, Hua Yan and others watched the battle behind the siege troops.

However, after repelling Tan Bing's attack again, the head of the city showed his head, and Zhang Gong shot at Tan Bing's position outside the ditch. The ditch is far away from the city wall, far more than an arrow. His arrow must have missed the Tan Bing formation, and landed on the inside of the ditch crookedly. However, although no Tan soldiers were shot, the guards on the top of the city mostly made a gesture of laughter.

Seeing this scene, Wen Tong murmured, "Arrogant, too arrogant!"

Yuan Tan asked, "Who is the archer from the city head? Is it Zhao Yun?"

Hua Yan recognized Zhao Yun and replied, "Young Master Qi, Zhao Yun has a strong physique and can shoot a strong bow, that would not be Zhao Yun."

Yuan Tan asked, "Who is that?"

Hua Yan said: "Looking at his posture, it may be a young general under Zhao Yun's account, named Yan Meng. This person is Zhao Yun's fellow countryman. He has known Zhao Yun since he was a child, and has always followed Zhao Yun to the north and south, winning Zhao Yun's trust. After Zhao Yun came to our Pingyuan County, he has always been arrogant and domineering, bullying the people and doing all kinds of evil! The people in our Pingyuan County are extremely angry."

I don't know if this Hua Yan has suffered from Yan Meng's anger? Yuan Tan turned his face, glanced at Hua Yan, and said nothing.

There was no progress in the siege that day, so Yuan Tan ordered Ming Jin to withdraw his troops.

In the morning of the next day, a new army and horses were changed, and then the city was attacked.

Another day of attack, still no progress.

According to Wen Tong's words, the guards on the city became more and more arrogant, and some even took off their pants and urinated on Tan Bing's side outside the city.

Not only Wen Tong looked angry, but Yuan Tan, Jiang Qi and the others all held back their anger.

That night, the generals Jiang Qi and Wen Tong gathered in Yuan Tan's tent, all actively seeking battle, asking Yuan Tan to allow them to participate in the siege tomorrow.

Xin Pi was very calm. He calmed the boiling emotions of the generals and said to Yuan Tan: "Young Master, there are only a thousand guards in the city, but they are so rampant, in my humble opinion, there may be deceit! The more so, The more you have to be cautious.”

Yuan Tan thought for a while and agreed with Xin Pi's opinion, so he suppressed his anger and did not issue an order to attack Pingyuan County tomorrow.

The next morning, Tan Binggang began to attack Pingyuan County again.

Suddenly, a military official came to report: "Young Master, the scout sent to the north led a group back, saying that it was a heroic man from the plains who came to vote."

"A strong man from the plains?"

"Yes."

"Bring me to see you."

After waiting for a long time, several people were brought to Yuan Tan, and the leader was a strong man.

The strong man bowed down to the ground and said, "Xun Cheng is cruel and inhumane. He has violated the territory of Qingzhou and harmed Kong Rong, the prefect of Beihai. All the people of Qingzhou are filled with righteous indignation. Hearing that the son of the master of the heavens came to retaliate, the villain was overjoyed. That's why I led the troupe here to defect, willing to die for the son!"

Yuan Tan observed the demeanor of this strong man, and then looked at the few people who followed him, and felt that they all looked like bad people, not good people.

But it turned out that the hero who came to vote was a hero, but one of the many thieves in Pingyuan County.

This strong man and the few people behind him are the big and small leaders of this group of thieves.

They were beaten by Zhao Yun and had nowhere to live. When they heard that Yuan Tan was coming, they hurriedly rushed to meet each other.

Whether it is a bandit or not, if you ask that they have brought more than 300 people, at least these are more than 300 strong men, and most of these people are from Pingyuan County and are familiar with the facts and human feelings of the various counties in Pingyuan County. not against.

One day after the siege, there was not much progress.

However, although the siege made no progress, the thieves who came to vote for Yuan Tan started from noon, one after another, three or four in a row, and the one who came first to vote, adding up to a thousand. the rest.

Yuan Tan's headquarters only had more than 4,000 troops, and out of thin air more than 1,000 bandits joined the army, and the momentum of the troops and horses suddenly increased.

That night, Yuan Tan asked Jiang Qi to buy wine and entertain the leader of the bandits who came to vote.

Yuan Tan did not participate, what kind of identity is he? Why would you personally entertain the thieves in the district?

...

Plain county seat, city tower.

Zhao Yun stood upstairs, raising his eyes to the southwest.

Yuan Tan's military camp several miles away, from his position, under the night, the camp was brightly lit.

During the day, the scene of several bandits coming to Yuan Tan one after another, Zhao Yun could see clearly in the city, and he said to Yan Meng, "At this moment Yuan Tan, do you think he is entertaining those bandit leaders? "

Yan Meng curled his lips and said, "Yuan Tan has been attacking my Pingyuan county for three days, and he has not achieved an inch. Suddenly there are so many thieves and bandits, he must be overjoyed, I am afraid it will be as the general expected. Set up a feast for them, and entertain them."

Zhao Yun turned his face to look at Yan Meng, and said with a smile, "I hear your tone, why does it seem a little unhappy?"

Yan Meng said: "These bandits have been ravaging the people in Pingyuan County for many years, and now they have joined Yuan Tan! The general regrets not being able to exterminate them sooner."

Zhao Yun smiled slightly and said, "If you had exterminated them earlier, how would there be any good things today?"

Yan Meng said in surprise: "General, what's the good thing? You mean they voted for Yuan Tan? I saw it at the top of the city today, and there are more than a thousand thieves who voted for Yuan Tan! With the participation of more than a thousand thieves, the army has been strengthened, how can it be a good thing?"

Zhao Yun said: "Yuan Tan is also careful, he has been in my city for several days, and he has been attacking the city for three days.

But they refused to put in the main force. If he always fights so unhurriedly, how can my strategy of setting him up for ambush come true? There are more than a thousand thieves and bandits to vote, maybe he will let go of his courage and attack my city! My plan can also be realized, isn't this a good thing? "

Yan Meng said: "If he still fights so unhurriedly, the general will be foolish, and the general will not have to worry."

"What? Do you have any countermeasures?"

"Since the end of the war, can you order Taishou Tian and Taishou Qin to stop setting up an ambush in Xipingchang, but to go to Pingyuan City instead. Unlike our internal and external attacks, can you defeat Yuan Tan's troops?"

Zhao Yun shook his head and said, "You can't fight like this."

"Dare to ask the general, why not?"

"In such a fight, defeating Yuan Tan is indeed able to defeat him, but it will be difficult to completely wipe him out."

Pingyuan County was too close to Jizhou, and Yuan Tan could easily escape to Jizhou, so he had to lure him into the northeastern part of Pingyuan County to realize Zhao Yun's plan to wipe him out.

...

The scouts sent to investigate the situation of Qingzhou reinforcements returned to the camp one after another.

A scout sneaking to the vicinity of Qi State reported that within the territory of Qi State, there was no news that Xun Cheng had dispatched troops to aid the plains.

The scouts who inquired about the enemy's situation in Dongjun reported that the Xuzhou soldiers in Dongjun had no sign of going north, and they were mainly guarding Ganling.

Regarding Jinan and Le'an, the scouts reported that both counties are mobilizing troops and horses, but the speed of assembling troops and horses in these two counties is very slow. time of day.

After combining several pieces of information, Yuan Tan was confused.

He invited Xin Pi, Hua Yan and others, as well as generals such as Wen Tong and Jiang Qi, and told them these pieces of information.

Wen Tong said, "Young Master, it is to be expected that there is no sign of Xuzhou troops in Dongjun going north; it seems a little strange not to see Xun Cheng dispatching troops to the plains, but if you think about it carefully, it is not surprising."

"Oh? Why isn't it weird?"

Wen Tong replied: "It is not surprising for two reasons, one is that in Beihai and Donglai County in the eastern part of Qingzhou, there are 100,000 or 200,000 Yellow Turbans surrendered. Xun Cheng may be worried. , Donglai's Yellow Turbans will cause trouble; one is that after all, our troops only have more than 4,000 soldiers and horses, Xun Cheng may think that without him sending troops to help, Zhao Yun, Tian Kai, and Qin Qian will be able to defend the three counties together. Pingyuan, because of this, he did not send troops to assist Zhao Yun."

Yuan Tan thought for a while, then nodded and said, "Your statement is reasonable." After a pause, he said, "However, how to explain the two counties of Le'an and Jinan? Why did the reinforcements from these two counties mobilize so slowly? It will take seven or eight days to reach the plains?"

Xin Pi pondered and said: "Jinan Tian Kai is slow in deploying troops and his support is not strong. It may be because he has newly surrendered to Xun Zhendong, but Jinan Qin Gan is an old acquaintance of mine. He is a villager in Zhendong. , why is Zhendong's confidant so slow to deploy troops? It's really a strange thing." His face was full of doubts, and he couldn't figure it out.

A person in the seat smiled and said, "Gong Xin, it's not surprising."

Yuan Tan asked, "Why not?"

The person speaking is not someone else, but it is Hua Yan.

Hua Yan stroked his beard and asked, "Dare to ask your son, do you know how Kong Beihai died?"

Yuan Tan said: "I heard that he was poisoned to death."

Hua Yan said: "Exactly, the young master knows who the person who poisoned Kong Beihai was?"

Yuan Tan said, "I don't know this yet."

Hua Yan said: "The person who poisoned Kong Beihai was Qin Qian's son Qin Xiang."

Yuan Tan said, "Is it the son of Qin Qian, Kong Beihai who was poisoned by Qin Xiang?"

Hua Yan said: "After Qin Xiang poisoned Kong Beihai, Qin Gan was forced by Xun Zhendong to write a letter to Qin Xiang. After Qin Xiang read the letter, he also took poison and died. Then why did Qin Xiang poison Kong Rong? Wasn't it because Kong Rong insulted Xun Zhendong? Qin Xiang was loyal and humiliated for Jun Xue, but Xun Zhendong not only did not appreciate it, but also forced Qin Gan to kill him. My own son! Young Master~www.wuxiaspot.com~ How can Qin Gan not hold grudges about this? So it is not surprising that he sent troops slowly."

Yuan Tan was stunned, and said, "So there is such a secret here!" He couldn't help sighing, "Kong Beihai's death, of course, is wrong; Xun Zhendong's move is also inhumane!"

Xin Pi's expression moved slightly, as if he disapproved of Yuan Tan's comments on Kong Rong or Xun Zhen, but in the end he didn't say anything.

Hua Yan said: "Young Master, from the point of view of the information, Tian Kai and Qin Gan clearly have different opinions! Since they are unwilling to try their best to help the county town of Pingyuan, with the stupid view of servants, isn't this the time when the son seized the Pingyuan? "

Xin Pi frowned and said, "Although Tian Kai and Qin Qian were slow to rescue, the city of Pingyuan might be hard to pull out."

Hua Yan was confident, and said with a smile: "If we only rely on our army to fight, then it may be a little difficult to take down Pingyuan County, but if there is an internal response, it will be easier."

Yuan Tan said, "Inner response? Where does inner response come from?"

Hua Yan respectfully said to Yuan Tan: "So that the son knows that this should come from Li Zhong."

Li Zhong was the leader of one of the bandits that came to Yuan Tan yesterday.

Yuan Tan said, "Li Zhong? Sir, what do you mean by that?"

Hua Yan said: "My son, I have known Li Zhong for a long time. His home is in Pingyuan County, and there are many his cronies in the city. He told me that all of his cronies hate Zhao Yun. He is willing to contact the city for the son. , so that they will be the inner responders for the son!"

"Now that the gates of Plain City are closed and the city is heavily guarded, how can he contact his cronies in the city?"

Hua Yan said: "You don't need to worry about this, Li Zhong and his cronies in the city have long agreed that as long as he lights up three stacks of beacon smoke in the northwest corner of the city, his cronies will be in the city at the third watch that night. Raise troops to respond."