Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

The two battles of Jieqiao not only determined the ownership of Ji Province but also influenced the trajectory of the world's situation.

Without a doubt, feudal lords and powerful families with sufficient capabilities had secretly dispatched scouts to conduct reconnaissance around Jieqiao, aiming to learn the direction and outcome of the battle as soon as possible to make timely responses.

In the eyes of numerous scouts, the Yuan army abandoned its past indecisiveness and launched an offensive like a raging fire and flood, breaking through the Cao army's defenses at Jieqiao in just five days.

It seemed that the victory or defeat of the Yuan-Cao war was about to be decided.

However, just as the scouts were preparing to transmit the information, a shocking piece of news spread like a thunderclap.

Yuan Shao suddenly died of a sudden illness. At such a critical moment of life and death, Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi turned against each other, each claiming to be the legitimate heir, leading to the division and internal strife of the Yuan army.

With Cao's army not yet destroyed, Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi actually led their troops to attack each other.

This sudden change left the scouts who were far away investigating in bewilderment. Then, the Yuan army, which was attacking each other, seemed to be collapsing due to the exhaustion of food and supplies.

The Yuan army's elite troops, which had defeated General Baima under Yuan Shao's command and had the potential to unify Hebei and threaten the Central Plains, quickly lost morale in the face of the crisis of food shortages, and deserters appeared in large numbers.

Before Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi, who were fiercely fighting each other, could retreat, Cao Cao launched a full-scale attack, and the Yuan army collapsed on the spot. The number of strategists and generals captured by Cao Cao was countless.

Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi fled from Jieqiao in a disheveled manner, protected by a portion of the generals and soldiers they had recruited.

Yuan Xi retreated to the remaining counties and towns in Ji Province that were still under his control, while Yuan Tan fled to Bing Province…

If it weren't for the fact that a large number of scouts had witnessed the Yuan army's routed soldiers pouring towards Jieqiao like a flood, and the Cao army's pursuit almost couldn't keep up, the scene was too shocking.

The scouts suspected that they were still dreaming, that the Yuan army, which had been in such a favorable situation, had actually collapsed so completely.

Both battles of Jieqiao had been so unexpected.

As this result spread from the hands of a large number of scouts to various parts of the Han Dynasty, the first reaction of those who heard it was that it was fake news.

Even Li Ji, who had considerable confidence in Cao Cao, felt a bit of disbelief.

Li Ji hadn't even conquered Ruyang City yet, but Cao Cao had already defeated Yuan Shao and established the situation in Ji Province in one fell swoop.

“Is the Yuan family's tradition fraternal strife? Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were like this, and Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi are the same…”

Li Ji couldn't help but frown and sigh, secretly deducing the situation of the Jieqiao battle.

The possibility of Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi, who had turned against each other, blocking Cao Cao was very slim.

Even though winter was approaching, Cao Cao wouldn't have enough time to annex the entire Ji Province, but the winter season gave Cao Cao the opportunity to continue to sow discord between Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi.

Perhaps, with Cao Cao's slight manipulation.

By the time of the beginning of spring next year, one of Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi would take the initiative to send the territory in their hands to Cao Cao, who should have been a mortal enemy, in exchange for benefits.

“In addition to not underestimating the heroes of the world, this world is also a huge makeshift stage.”

Li Ji put down the information in his hand with a helpless expression.

Li Ji expected that Cao Cao had a greater chance of winning, but he didn't expect the two sides to decide the outcome so quickly, and it was such a dramatic development.

“Moreover, in this way, although Yuan Shao took the first step, he can slow down a bit on the road to the Yellow Springs, and Yuan Gonglu can catch up as soon as possible.”

With this thought in mind, Li Ji looked up at Ruyang City, which was not far away and already covered with traces of war.

Now, Zang Ba and the other four generals had been attacking Ruyang City for more than half a month, but they had not been able to truly capture a single city wall.

Of course, this was also related to the four generals all having the idea of ​​snatching credit.

The siege of the city, fighting on their own, inevitably fell into a long tug-of-war, making it difficult to make a final decision.

Compared with the Liu army, whose offensive was blocked, the Yellow Turbans in Yuzhou had killed countless people and rivers of blood during this period.

As the Yellow Turban army in Gan Ning's hands continued to capture city after city, not only did the number of soldiers not decrease, but it also continued to absorb a large number of hungry or resentful young and middle-aged people, so that the scale continued to increase.

The attitude of the Yuzhou aristocratic families towards this Yellow Turban force has changed from initial disdain and contempt to serious response, and then to panic and fear, in just half a month.

Yuzhou has no soldiers available.

This allowed the Yuzhou aristocratic families to face the butcher knife raised by the Yellow Turbans, like fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others.

Wherever the Yellow Turbans led by Gan Ning passed in Yuzhou, it was like an eraser, erasing the aristocratic families that were deeply rooted in Yuzhou, and distributing a large amount of money, food, and arable land to the local people.

Gan Ning's reputation in Yuzhou is also getting louder and louder. Even the name of "Holy Man of the Yellow Heaven" has begun to appear among the people to express their respect and gratitude to Gan Ning.

When a whale falls, all things live.

In Yuzhou, one of the states and counties where land annexation in the Han Dynasty was the most serious, Li Ji was already able to see the prosperity that would be restored soon.

For the common people, solving the problem of arable land and food would solve more than 90% of the problems.

In the past seven days, there has also been a continuous stream of Yuzhou aristocratic families sending people to Li Ji's camp, trying to ask Li Ji to send troops to quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

To this, Li Ji naturally shirked or perfunctorily dismissed them all.

The reason is also very sufficient, that is, Li Ji needs to do his best to conquer Ruyang City, and cannot spare enough troops to quell the Yellow Turbans who are causing chaos in Yuzhou.

No one can find any fault with this.

However, after Liu Bei's "Proclamation to Protect the People" was transmitted to Yuzhou, Li Ji confirmed again and again that the Yellow River dyke break was related to Xun Yu, and immediately sent a light cavalry to Yingchuan County to arrest people.

What was taken was the Xun clan.

What is Liu Bei's position and status today? Such a proclamation to the world naturally requires everything to be implemented.

Cheng Yu, as the first person to be implemented in place, is not enough to show Liu Bei's determination.

The Xun family, this top aristocratic family in the Han Dynasty, became Li Ji's target.

If you say you want to destroy Xun Yu's three clans, then you must destroy Xun Yu's three clans…

“Speaking of which, why hasn't Wei Yan, who went to Yingchuan County to arrest people, returned yet?”

Just as Li Ji was thinking about this small matter and was preparing to send someone to verify the situation in the direction of Yingchuan, Wei Yan, who was still thirty miles away from the camp, sent a fast horse ahead to report to Li Ji.

“Reporting to the Governor, General Wei has captured 893 members of the Xun clan. It is two hours away from arriving at the camp. Please instruct the Governor on how to deal with it?”

“How much?”

Li Ji first nodded subconsciously to show that he understood, then his expression froze and he asked.

“Eight hundred and ninety-three people?”

(End of this chapter)