Three Kingdoms

Southeast of Dahan, near Jiaozhi.

Liu Bei carefully descended from the mountain. After reaching the flat ground, he took a long breath and relaxed a little. The mountains here are very steep, and many places are loose and loose. If you are not careful, you will step on the rocks and break the rocks. The fall will be minor, and you may even lose your life!

If you want to enter Jiaozhi, you must first get to Cangwu. Liu Bei muttered something. Cangwu is on the flank. If they go south, the safety of the flank is naturally very important.

Basically, the political system in the area of ​​Jiaozhou is in chaos. There are old officials from the imperial court, Liu Biao's hand, and those from Jiangdong, and naturally there are also those who belong to Shi Xie.

At that time, Zhu Fu was under Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty. In the third year of Zhongping, he succeeded Jia Cong and was appointed as the governor of Jiaozhi. Later, his brother Zhu Hao, the prefect of Yuzhang, was killed by Zhonglang general Zuo Rong. He wanted to raise troops to go north to attack. To avenge his brother, he was killed by the local barbarians.

That's the official story.

In fact, there is another theory, that is, Zhu Fu did not do any good things in Jiaozhou, which caused anger and resentment, and then he was caught and thrown into the sea to feed the fish...

After Zhu Fu's death, the Eastern Han Dynasty court sent Zhang Jin to take over as the governor of Jiaozhi. The interesting result is that not long after Zhang Jin took office, he was killed by his subordinate Ou Jing.

It would make sense if Zhu Fu said that he was seeking death due to excessive levies and extortion, but not long after Zhang Jin took office, what did he do to get Zhang Jin and his subordinates to the point of unending struggle? Obviously, it must be a matter of interests. After Zhang Jin took office, he definitely wanted to put his name into practice, but in the process of specifically grasping power, conflicts arose with certain people, and then everything fell apart.

And among these people, apart from Shi Xie, there is no second choice.

After all, Zhu Fu and Zhang Jin were both officially appointed as governors of Jiaozhou by the imperial court. Shi Xie, a native elected official, was supposed to hand over his authority when the officials appointed by the imperial court took office. Therefore, Zhang Jin As long as they are dead, dead people naturally have no need for authority.

After Zhang Jin's death, the Han court fell into chaos and had no time to pay attention to the land of Jiaozhou. Later, when Liu Biao came, he sent someone and appointed a governor of Jiaozhou, Lai Gong.

Lai Gong, the 73rd generation grandson of King Lai Shu Ying, was born in Lingling. Lai Gong knew how powerful Shi Xie was, so he did not dare to go too deep into Shi Xie's territory in Jiaozhou, and asked Liu Biao for reinforcements. Liu Biao sent Wu Ju to confront Shi Xie...

Lai Gong thought that Wu Ju came as one of his subordinates, but he didn't know whether it was Liu Biao who was dissatisfied with Lai Gong or Wu Ju who made his own decisions. Anyway, the two sides who were originally supposed to be in the same camp gradually developed a gap, and now they are like fire and water. Lai Gong couldn't defeat Wu Ju. Seeing that the situation was not good, he was ready to escape, but Liu Bei came.

So Lai Gong was determined and led some people to join Liu Bei.

Lai Gong, who was following Liu Bei at the moment, was panting and covered in sweat. The sweat flowed from his forehead and soaked his clothes. Lai Gong didn't wear a battle armor, because Lai Gong was not a general who was good at using force. Liu Bei was fine following Liu Bei up and down, but Lai Gong, who was weak, couldn't bear it and was sweating profusely.

Brother Xuande, it will take half a month before it gets cooler... Lai Gong wiped his sweat and said, it's still a bit hot now, so it's not a good time to go into the army...

Marching in the scorching heat is a taboo for military strategists.

This statement is not wrong.

It's not that Liu Bei doesn't understand the art of war, but the problem is that others also understand it, such as Lai Gong, who can also speak a few words. That's why Liu Bei sent troops out of season in order to catch Shi Xie off guard.

Shi Xie obviously didn't expect it, so whether it was combat preparations or rescue, he was always a little slow, resulting in Liu Bei advancing all the way, and now he was close to Shi Xie's central power zone.

Liu Bei heard Lai Gong's words and did not refute. He just smiled slightly, showing his signature gentle smile. Zi Qian's words made sense...

Yes, you are right!

This is the best answer to deal with the bully.

Although Liu Bei and Lai Gong didn't have much interaction before, in the past few days of contact, Liu Bei found that Lai Gong was a scholar who took death seriously and liked to pick out words and talk about big principles. It’s not that I don’t have the ability, I just don’t know how to adapt.

If Liu Bei and Lai Gong expressed why they wanted to march into the army at the moment, then Lai Gong would talk about this military book and that military book, so Liu Bei still had to explain them one by one?

Looking at the calm surroundings, Liu Bei knew that forward Zhang Fei should have occupied Zhaoping, but the movements of Shi Xie's soldiers had not been discovered so far.

Perhaps, all the soldiers of Shixie went to Yulin?

That's better.

Shijun's soldiers and horses are indeed strong...Lai Gong is obviously still immersed in self-reflection. No wonder he marched from Nanzhong and was so strong all the way...

Liu Bei still smiled and didn't argue with Lai Gong. Liu Bei could tolerate Zhuge Liang's actions and words in history, not to mention Lai Gong, who was more straightforward and easier to use than those who said nothing on the surface but had all kinds of tricks in their stomachs.

Liu Bei is relatively satisfied with the current situation. At least it can be said that he has initially gained a foothold. The next step is to gradually swallow up or eat away at Shi Xie.

Any news on the striker? Liu Bei asked.

General Zhang has not sent anyone yet. The subordinate reported.

Get the album! Liu Bei ordered.

In fact, in history, Liu Bei's military talents have always been ahead of Zhuge Liang. Brother Zhu only became self-taught in the later stages. In some of the initial battles, Liu Bei actually commanded most of them, but Mr. Luo's self-indulgence was just placed on Brother Zhu.

This time Liu Bei deviated from the main direction of attacking Shi Xie and turned to Cangwu. On the one hand, Cangwu was the flank, and it would be difficult to launch an attack on the south without first pacifying it. On the other hand, Cangwu prefect Wu Ju and Liu Bei also had a close relationship. They also drank together, and Liu Bei also wanted to see if he could fight and pull Wu Ju and his soldiers back under his command.

Lai Gong's political administration was okay, but his military management was a bit awkward, while Wu Ju was on the contrary. When Liu Biao sent the two men, they were also targeted, but it was a fine Chinese tradition for generals to be at odds with each other, not to mention that after they were far away from Jingzhou, There are no referees here to mediate the balance, only intentional or unintentional instigators, so it seems inevitable that Lai Gong and Wu Ju will be at odds.

As a forward, Zhang Fei, on the one hand, launched an offensive posture, and on the other hand, he wanted to see if he could draw Wu Ju out, and then carry out a flanking attack. Of course Wu Ju is willing to surrender directly, and Liu Bei will not refuse, but few people are willing to surrender without hitting the wall...

Especially Wu Ju, a border general with heavy troops.

Liu Bei knew this very well.

When Liu Bei was hugging Liu Biao's thigh, he accidentally or unintentionally came into contact with some of Liu Biao's subordinates. The simpler ones like Wu Ju were naturally Liu Bei's favorite.

Speaking of which, Liu Biao sent Lai Gong and Wu Ju to Jiaozhou. Perhaps he also thought that there was no use for these two people staying in Jingzhou? In comparison, the Southern Barbarians in Jiaozhou don't need to use their brains and strategies. If they can't defeat the Southern Barbarians, then it's really useless...

Liu Bei looked at the map, and Lai Gong stretched his neck to look at it.

It's just that Lai Gong can't understand it.

After all, Liu Bei's map has gradually been transformed into a map of later generations. Although there are no contour lines yet, the original freehand landscape style map drawing method has been abandoned. Distance and size are both There are certain rules, and those who don't know the rules drawn in them will be like Lai Gong, who doesn't understand them even if they get them.

Xiuqi's original map of Jiaozhou was not complete. After Liu Bei went south, he added a lot of signs based on the actual situation. Now it was densely packed with various signs, which made Lai Gong dizzy. So Lai Gong simply turned his attention to After seeing Liu Bei's expression and his eyes gradually brightening, he put his thoughts in his stomach.

Does the envoy also have a good plan? Lai Gong asked.

Liu Bei put away the map and gave it to the guards to put away, and then said: There is no good strategy... Yide came with great fanfare from the front, Wu Cangwu couldn't be ignorant... The reason why there was no movement at the moment must be It's lurking somewhere...

When Lai Gong heard this, he couldn't help but glance around at the surrounding mountains and forests, ambushing?

Liu Bei smiled slightly, nodded and said: That's right. ambush. Is Ziqian scared?

Lai Gong's neck stiffened, why should I be afraid?

That's good... There was something bothering Ziqian. Liu Bei still smiled gently and said, since Wu Cangwu is ambushing in the mountains and forests, if we search, it will be time-consuming and laborious, and we will also alert the snake, so we should lure him... Hearing that Ziqian and Wu Cangwu had a gap. If Wu Cangwu knew where Zi Qian was, he would have sent his troops to break the ambush...

ah? ! Lai Gong didn't know whether it was because he hadn't finished sweating before, or for some other reason, but beads of sweat suddenly rolled down his forehead.

Don't worry, Ziqian! Liu Bei held Lai Gong's hand, and he was sure to protect Zi Qian! All it takes is this and this...

…………

Yulin County.

Bushan.

Shi Xie's eldest son, Shi Ren, was sitting in the hall, holding a little girl in his arms and rubbing his temples together.

The little girl was dressed in men's clothes, but now her hair was messy, her eyes were silky, and she was panting. She pressed her hands on Shi Yan's shoulders, her eyes were watery, half-open and half-closed, she screamed once or twice from time to time, and then smiled softly. , regardless of whether Shi Yan's hands were rising or falling under his robe, sometimes light and sometimes heavy.

After a while, the little girl screamed half-truthfully in pain while squirming in Shiren's arms and said: General, this body is covered with sweat and sticky... General, doesn't he feel uncomfortable? Why don't you let me loosen up my clothes and serve the general well...

Hmm... wait a minute... Shi Yan squeezed a few more times, then saw something, and reluctantly let go of the little girl, patted her pert buttocks, you go to the back first Just wait and I will come back later to deal with you little goblin...

Shi Yan saw a guard outside the hall signaling that someone was coming.

Huh, if the general can't wait and come... The little girl wrinkled her nose, it's a puppy!

Hahaha... Shiren laughed and waved.

This little girl is the concubine of Shilin Xina.

Now that the military situation is urgent, strictly speaking, women should not be brought along, but...

Shiren was in his prime of life, and he had been having a fierce relationship with this concubine before. How could he bear to leave this little girl in his house to accompany his yellow-faced woman? Wouldn't it be better to wait for him to turn around, fearing that not even the bones will be left? So I simply let the little girl wear men's clothes, pretend to be an attendant, and sneak into Bushan's place.

It's just that this woman is disguised as a man. Except for those who are blind in movies and TV shows, who can't see it? Not to mention others, they are the guards of the soldiers in front of the hall. Every one of them is not Weiwei. Bending over and sucking on your lower abdomen, don't you want to make a certain part of yourself look too prominent?

Xu Ci was wearing a brocade robe and standing in the corridor with a frown.

Xu Ci was originally from Nanyang. He fled to Jiaozhou to avoid disaster. Xu Ci was born in Nanyang, so he was very familiar with scriptures and classics. On the other hand, he also had a small reputation. This time, he was entrusted by Shi Xie to assist Shi Xie in the civil affairs of Bushan. Logistics thing.

Xu Ci didn't want to come at first because of the chaos of the war. Originally, he came to Jiaozhou to avoid the disaster, but he never thought that even Jiaozhou could not escape the intrusion of the soldiers. He deliberately refused to run away again, but these days, those who eat, drink and eat are always Some of them couldn't be justified, and I hadn't fully developed my shame, so I agreed to help Shi Yan, and planned to find an opportunity to run away after a while, regardless of the outcome...

Anyway, just think of it as paying for meals and accommodation during this period.

It's a pity that Shi Xie didn't realize this. Instead, he felt that Shi Xie didn't trust him by doing this? Naturally, he felt a little uncomfortable in his heart, and he acted more or less like laughing in front of Xu Ci, but Shi Xie himself didn't think about it. How could Shi Xie be relieved based on his daily behavior?

Xu Ci was not deaf either. He could hear the small and charming sounds in the hall, high and low. Then he saw the soldiers and guards bending over. How could he still not know what was going on?

Xu Ci wanted to laugh, but also wanted to jump and scold, but he held back, and his face didn't show anything. The current war is about to begin, but this soldier is still in the mood to play these tricks. I don't know if he is being arrogant or arrogant. Is there any general who can really lead troops like Shi Yan? Xu Ci is even sure that if he really goes to the battlefield, as long as there is a little pressure, the whole situation may collapse.

Because Shiren has no military morale at all...

After a while, Shi Lin summoned Xu Ci.

Xu Ci acted as if nothing had happened, then took out a piece of military information from his arms and reported it to the general, urgent report from the front line... Liu Bei and Liu Xuande have captured Yin County, and the people we sent to rescue... were ambushed. completely annihilated……

What did you say? ! Shiren was shocked, was he ambushed? completely annihilated? !

Exactly. Xu Ci replied.

Shi Yan suddenly felt a chill rising up his spine, covering his whole body in an instant. He hurriedly grabbed the military newspaper and read it up and down, and then his hands and feet trembled a little.

Liu Bei is so fierce?

This dog who went to the rescue was so incompetent? They were also ambushed. From a certain point of view, this area should be the home field of Shi Xie and others. However, they were ambushed by Liu Bei who was playing away from home. This was simply a big joke.

this……

Wouldn't it be possible that in a few days, Liu Bei would march to Bushan, and then the two armies would face off?

When Shi Ren was young, he boasted a lot, saying that he was very good at archery and swordsmanship, especially in the spear, but when it came to a large-scale barrier between the two armies, fighting against each other, especially when Shi Ren discovered Liu Bei's troubles, I felt a little scared in my heart, and then my hands began to tremble more and more, and even my whole body began to tremble involuntarily.

General...General...Xu Ci saw that the soldier was somewhat confused and attracted more and more attention from the surrounding guards and others. Xu Ci couldn't help but frown and shouted in a low voice, General! Peace of mind!

Hearing this, Shi Yan took a long breath, then calmed down somewhat, and put the general's report aside. This development surprised Shiren. He had thought that Liu Bei's advance would not be that fast. Even the Liao general had fought for many years. What's more, Ma Yuan, the general of Liao at that time, was to suppress the rebellion and fight. What Liu Bei was fighting against were the ordinary Southern Barbarians, and now Liu Bei was facing his own soldiers...

Could it be that our soldiers are better than those of the Nanman...

This is impossible!

Shi Yan suppressed his unwanted thoughts, then looked at Xu Ci and asked: Sir, do you have any good ideas?

Faced with Shi Yan's request for help, Xu Ci deliberately did not want to take care of it, but the current situation was both destructive and it would take a while to make some space for himself, so he said in a deep voice: General, you can quickly send someone here. Build a military stronghold on the south bank of Yushui River to consolidate the fortifications and prevent bandits from crossing the river. In addition, you can write a letter to the envoy to ask for help...

Anyway, he has already arranged most of Shi Xie's logistics. Once Shi Xie's reinforcements arrive, Xu Ci can leave calmly in the name of handover.

I don’t know whether it was because of Shi Xie’s explanation or because Shi Yan was worried about being punished by his father. Shi Yan did not agree to the suggestion of applying for reinforcements. He only agreed to build a military stronghold on the south bank of Yushui as a forward position for Bushan County to defend Liu Bei. Suggestions, and then asked Xu Ci if he had any other good countermeasures.

Xu Ci had no choice but to come up with the second part of the strategy.

The Jiaozhou area is not limited to Jiaozhi, but the population composition of the entire Jiaozhou is very complex. There are local Nanman barbarians, Han people who migrated south, scholars who have been demoted for three to four hundred years, and families who have escaped disasters. Take the indigenous people of Jiaozhou. As far as the so-called Southern Barbarians are concerned, there are more than a hundred Yue tribes and there are also Miao people. Anyway, they are extremely numerous and the composition is extremely complicated.

So Xu Ci suggested that Shiren send people to contact the indigenous people of various ethnic groups around Yulin and launch their specialty mountain warfare to slow down Liu Bei's army, and preferably completely defeat it...