Chapter 274: The warehouse has surrendered to Liu
In the first year of Jian'an, late August.
Guan Yu sent troops at Yingyin, Yingchuan, and headed south along the Ying River. The troops headed straight for Dingying.
It took only two days for the troops to be sent out. As soon as they arrived at the edge of Ru River, Lin County fell into the wind.
This Lin County is the location of the great victory in Lin City where later generations Yue Wumu went north to regain the lost territory, defeated the strong with the weak, attacked the many with less, and severely damaged Jin Wushu Guaizima and Tie Futu in the first battle.
On the same day, Guan Yu sent Guan Ping to lead 2,000 people as pioneers, marched twenty miles quickly, arrived at Lin County before dark, and successfully entered the city.
After the good news came back, Guan Yu arrived at Lin County the next day and ordered Guan Ping to be the vanguard to attack Ying Ying.
Dingying is only a few dozen miles away from Lin County, and the infantry can reach the city in a day's march.
When Guan Ping arrived at Dingying City and was about to camp for the night, the gate of Dingying City was opened wide, and the Yellow Turban Army entrenched here actually surrendered.
I saw a burly man leaving the city first, holding the seal of the Dingying County Magistrate in his hand.
Guan Ping saw that this big man was quite burly. Although he was not tall, he was extremely stocky, and he did not dare to underestimate him.
After some questioning, it turned out that this big man was Zhou Cang, the commander-in-chief of Quzhou under Liu Pi, whose courtesy name was Yuanfu.
The strength of the Runan Yellow Turban Army is slightly stronger than that of Yingchuan. It is headed by Liu Pi and has Zhou Cang, He Man, Pei Yuanshao, Liu Jiang, Zhang Peng and other commanders under his command. In various places, while cultivating fields and accumulating grain, they also defended Gebei and Pingyu.
Among them, Zhou Cang led more than 20,000 people to live in Dingying, Pei Yuanshao led more than 20,000 people to live in Shangcai, He Man led more than 40,000 people to live in Xincai, and Zhang Peng led more than 30,000 people to Linyang. , Liu Pi's younger brother Liu Jiang led more than 60,000 people to Gebei, while Liu Pi himself led 80,000 people to Pingyu.
The number of Yellow Turbans in Runan is as high as more than 200,000, and their strength is even higher than that of the Yingchuan Yellow Turbans.
Most of their forces are grouped together in five or six cities with Gepi and Pingyu as the core. They have no desire to expand externally. They just farm and accumulate food locally and become a local overlord.
After Liu Feng's suggestion, Liu Bei's order to Guan Yu clearly required Guan Yu to focus on stability along the way, coordinate the main force, and attract the attention of Gepi Huangjin so that it would not affect Liu Bei's main action. Can.
As for the Yellow Turbans in Gebei, I hope Guan Yu can use the influence and connections of He Yi and Huang Shao to divide and disintegrate them. Political offensives will be the main force, military offensives will be the supplement, and decisive battles should be avoided.
There is no way, Guan Yu's total troops are only 18,000, half of which are surrendered by the Yellow Turban Army.
The initial number was even smaller, only 15,000. A month ago, Huang Shao finally surrendered and was willing to be loyal to Liu Bei. In this way, the die-hard loyalists of Huang Shao's unit suddenly became Liu Bei's side. Guan Yu's reliable soldiers increased the number of Guan Yu's troops by 3,000.
Zhou Cang had more than 20,000 troops, including 3,000 to 4,000 elite soldiers, but Zhou Cang only selected half of the 2,000 soldiers to be his troops.
In this surrender, Zhou Cang directly took all two thousand people out of the city and disarmed them to show his sincerity.
Guan Ping did not humiliate the other party. Although he was cautious and did not return his weapons, he respected Zhou Cang very much and immediately sent a letter to Guan Yu to report to him, waiting for his order.
After receiving the letter, Guan Yu immediately invited He Yi and Huang Shao.
The two were greatly surprised when they heard that Zhou Cang surrendered the city without firing an arrow.
"The general doesn't know that Zhou Cang is one of the most capable warriors among the Runan Qu commanders. Whenever there is a big battle, he will fight bravely to take the lead. Therefore, he is a Kansai man, but he is favored by Liu Commander, and he is promoted to Fang Qu commander. "
He Yi shook his head and was surprised: "I didn't expect him to surrender so simply."
Huang Shao was silent for a moment and said, "Zhou Yuanfu is not a Taoist. If you don't believe in Huang Tian, the reason why you join us is just because of the corrupt officials. Liu Shijun's army has strict discipline and does no harm to the people. He can be said to be a teacher of benevolence and righteousness, especially treating all our Taoists equally. Without discrimination and harsh treatment, Zhou Yuanfu may have already wanted to surrender."
Huang Shaozhi was extremely tough at the beginning and would rather die than surrender.
But after being imprisoned by Guan Yu for several months, he gradually softened. The biggest reason was that Liu Beijun treated the Yellow Turban Taoists equally and did not discriminate or oppress each other because of their identity, let alone kill them. evil deeds.
Coupled with He Yi's constant persuasion, Huang Shao finally lowered his head and surrendered.
Huang Shao, who has gone through this psychological journey, seems to have a better understanding of Zhou Cang's mentality.
Guan Yu sat in the first place. After listening to He Yi and Huang Shao's guesses, he didn't say anything more. Instead, he stroked his beautiful beard and issued an order: "Send the order for the entire army to move quickly and arrive at Dingying today." Rest."
"Yes, general!"
Huang Shao, He Yi and other generals responded in unison.
In the evening of that day, the main force of Guan Yu's army arrived at Dingying, and Guan Ping and Zhou Cang went out of the city to greet him.
Seeing that Guan Ping was safe and sound, Guan Yu quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
For this unexpected son, Guan Yu felt guilty. He was also worried that Zhou Cang would fake surrender, so he was worried on the way here.
Seeing that Guan Ping was unharmed at this time, Guan Yu felt more happy than surrendering to Zhou Cangzhen.
After seeing Guan Yu, Guan Ping and Zhou Cang both looked happy and came forward together.
Guan Yu stopped his mount, dismounted, and stood there under the retinue of He Yi, Huang Shao and other generals, waiting for Guan Ping and Zhou Cang to come to see him.
"Ping and Cang respectfully welcome General Guan."
Guan Yu stroked his beard and nodded. After passing over Guan Ping, his eyes fell on Zhou Cang.
Zhou Cang has a face with a Chinese character, which is quite upright and awe-inspiring. His eyes are firm, and he does not give an inch when he looks at Guan Yu. This open-minded and confident look makes Guan Yu quite like it.
“Are you Zhou Cang and Zhou Yuanfu?”
Zhou Cang generously replied: "Exactly! The last general has long wanted to serve Liu Shijun. Today I meet General Guan, it is God who helps me."
"Yes."
Guan Yu He was full of admiration in his heart, but asked with a cold face: "I heard from people that you are Liu Pi's confidant and favorite general, and you are deeply used by him, so you are responsible for guarding Dingying. Since you have received great favor from Liu Pi, Why surrender so easily? "
Guan Yu's character is like this. He rarely takes care of other people's emotions when he speaks. After all, except Liu Bei and Zhang Fei, there is no one worthy of him restraining his temper.
Only a character like Guan Yu would ask such a harsh question.
In any case, Zhou Cang abandoned the secret and turned to the light, and directly sent him to the strong city of Dingying. In the city, there were more than 20,000 Yellow Turban troops surrendering, as well as a large amount of food, grass and equipment.
Is it because I gave you such a big gift just to listen to your cynicism?
However, Zhou Cang was not angry, but said righteously: "Liu Pi is indeed kind to Cang, but it is just to appreciate Cang's bravery. This is a small kindness. Liu Shijun's name is benevolence and righteousness. All over the Central Plains, even though Cang is a warrior in Guanxi, he also knows the word benevolence and righteousness. The purpose of surrendering to the general is to save the lives of 20,000 innocent Taoists in Dingying. This is a great kindness."
"Well said. !”
Guan Yu’s eyebrows were raised high, his eyes were wide open, and the corners of his mouth were raised, showing his admiration for Zhou Cang, and he praised: “Yuanfu knows the righteousness, is sensible, and is practical. He is a loyal and righteous man.”
This is Guan Yu's character. Just now he was ridiculing Zhou Cang for his betrayal and betrayal of his lord. Now he saw the opposite, and immediately called him cousin, and even praised Zhou Cang as a loyal man.
Zhou Cang prostrated himself and said, "Cang is not interested in glory and wealth, but only the lives of the 20,000 people in the city. If the general can treat each other fairly, Cang is willing to be the general's vanguard."
"Be kind. ! "
Guan Yu nodded: "Yuan Fu, you can rest assured. My brother's army has never killed any soldiers or robbed the people. If any soldiers disrupt our military discipline, they will be killed. "
Zhou Cang said gratefully: "Thank you, General!"
"Yuanfu, let's enter the city with a certain person."
Guan Yu greeted Zhou Cang and headed towards the gate of Dingying City.
He Yi, Huang Shao and others behind him couldn't help but look at Zhou Cang with envy.
They have been getting along with Guan Yu for a while, and they all know what kind of character Guan Yu is.
Being able to greet Zhou Cang is enough to prove how much Guan Yu appreciates this big man from Kansai.
Didn't you see that Guan Ping, his biological son, had been waiting for a while and still didn't get this treatment?
Zhou Cang didn't know this, so he just got up quickly and followed Guan Yu.
Guan Yu's army set out from Yingchuan and marched down two cities in three days, surrendering more than 20,000 Yellow Turban Taoists.
After entering the city, Zhou Cang took the initiative to invite Ying and said: "General, Cang has a close friendship with Cai Yuanshao, they are like brothers. Moreover, Pei Yuanshao also praised Liu Shijun and the Hussars a lot, and he has admired them for a long time. . Cang Bucai is willing to surrender to the general Pei Yuanshao."
"Oh?"
Guan Yu looked at Zhou Cang and said with a hint of concern in his tone: "Are you sure?"
"I dare not lie to the general"
Zhou Cang replied: "There should be seven or eight Guan Yu thought for a moment and nodded: "In that case, be careful and protect yourself first. If Pei Yuanshao doesn't understand the situation and resists, someone will capture him alive."
"Yes, general!" Zhou Cang responded loudly.
The next day, after Zhou Cang entrusted everything to his deputies, he left Dingying with several cavalry soldiers and drove directly to Shangcai.
The location of Dingying is very important. It is not only at the intersection of Ru River and Shui River, but also adjacent to Heihe Stream, which almost blocks the passage between Yingchuan and Runan. It is a must-visit place for military strategists. .
Although the location of Shangcai is not as important as Dingying, it is also a key point on the Ru River. It also shields Pingyu in the northwest direction, providing security for the latter.
As soon as they go to Cai, Guan Yu's army can go straight to Pingyu City along the Qian River without any scruples, and set up camp across the river. Even if Gepi Yellow Turban comes with all its strength, it will not pose a fatal threat to Guan Yu's army.
But if Shang Cai fails to win, then Shang Cai's Yellow Turban Army can counterattack Dingying, and cross the Peishui River to cut off Guan Yu's army's retreat. Then Guan Yu will be in danger.
Therefore, the enemies of Shangcai must be eliminated, otherwise we will not be able to advance half a step towards Pingyu.
Dingying was not far from Shangcai. Zhou Cang and others were riding horses again. Just after noon, they had arrived outside the city of Shangcai.
At this time, martial law has begun in Shangcai City. Most of the city gates are closed, leaving only the south gate for people to enter and exit, but the defense force has also been strengthened.
However, the defenders were very familiar with Zhou Cang and opened the north gate directly to let him in.
Pei Yuanshao heard that Zhou Cang was coming and hurried out to welcome him.
Seeing that Zhou Cang was safe and sound, Pei Yuanshao said happily: "I heard that Guan Yu's army has captured Lin County. If you are not on guard in Dingying, why did you come to me?"
Zhou Cang Without speaking, he pulled Pei Yuanshao into the small hall.
Pei Yuanshao was full of confusion and was about to ask the other party when he heard Zhou Cang said: "I have surrendered."
"What?"
Pei Yuanshao couldn't catch his breath and looked at Zhou Cang in shock.
"Liu Shijun's reputation for benevolence is praised all over the world, and I have never seen the superior military discipline of his hussars."
Zhou Cang began to persuade: "Besides, the The strength of the troops is not inferior to the superior military discipline. More than 20,000 people marched south, and in less than a month, we, the Yingchuan Taoists, were unable to resist him. Do you think you can stop it, Yuan Shao? Live with each other? "
Pei Yuanshao's real name is Pei Yi, with the courtesy name Yuan Shao.
He also came from a powerful background and participated in the Yellow Turbans, but his belief in the Yellow Turbans was not firm.
Therefore, he has a good relationship with Zhou Cang, who was born in Kansai Ranger, and gets closer.
Sure enough, after listening to Zhou Cang's words, Pei Yi hesitated, hesitated for a moment and said: "What should Liu Shuai do?"
Zhou Cang had already planned: "I plan to personally Go to Pingyu and persuade Liu Shuai."
"Aren't you afraid of death?"
The boss with wide eyes looked at Zhou Cang in disbelief: "Liu Shuai will kill you. ”
Zhou Cang said firmly: "Cang's life was given by Liu Shuai, and in the worst case, it will be returned to Liu Shuai."
Pei Yi stared at Zhou Cang and said, "Are you crazy?"
Zhou Cang Shaking his head seriously: "I'm not crazy. In fact, Liu Shuai is not as extreme as you think. In fact, he already knew that Huang Tian's path would not go on. It's just that who around us has been worthy of our service in these years?"
Pei Yi looked back and thought, vaguely moved.
He remembered something. The year before last, Liu Shuai did send people to Yuan Shu to ask for surrender, expressing his willingness to obey the other party's orders.
Yuan Shu agreed at the time and gave Liu Shuai the title of Captain of Runan.
But what followed was endless oppression, asking for money, food, weapons, and cloth. As long as it was usable, Yuan Shu wanted it. The taxes he collected were even more severe than those of the Han Dynasty.
As a result, Liu Shuai couldn't bear it anymore and simply refused to pay taxes.
I heard that Yuan Shu was very angry at one time and wanted to send troops to attack them, but then nothing happened. As time went by, the matter was forgotten.
Zhou Cang didn't mention this matter, and Pei Yi couldn't remember it for a while.
Pei Yi probed: "You mean Liu Shuai..."
Zhou Cang shook his head: "I didn't say it, I just felt that I was somewhat sure of persuading Liu Shuai."
< br>After hearing this, Pei Yi turned around a few times and made up his mind.
"In this case, I will go with you to see Liu Shuai!"
Pei Yi still felt that he could not watch his good brother die, so he decided: "I will go with you, just in case If anything happens, I can be there to advise you.”
Pei Yi has not surrendered yet, so he will go with him. If Liu Shuai is willing to surrender, that will be great, and everyone will still be a family.
If Liu Shuai refuses to surrender, then he can also protect Zhou Cang.
Although I may not be able to save it, I tried my best at least.
Zhou Cang looked at Pei Yi and nodded heavily after a moment: "Okay, let's go together."
Zhou Cang sent someone back to Dingying to report the news, asking Guan Yu not to confront him for the time being. Cai takes action.
Pei Yi explained many affairs in Shangcai City to several deputies, and ordered them to stick to the city and not leave the city.
Afterwards, Pei Yi and Zhou Cang led a dozen cavalry soldiers and galloped directly towards Pingyu.
Shangcai is farther from Pingyu than Dingying, and there is a river to cross, so we did not arrive at Pingyu City until the next morning.
At this time, Pingyu City had also received a message from the front, knowing that Liu Bei's Guan Yu army had gone south and occupied Lin County.
While Liu Pi ordered the whole city to be under martial law, he also flew to Dingying, Shangcai, Linyang, Xincai and other cities, asking them to strengthen their vigilance, not to be careless, and not to go out to fight in the city.
The Xuzhou Army under Liu Bei should now be called the Hussars. Their field strength is too terrifying. According to the description of the old brother who escaped from Yingchuan, Yingchuan only fought two field battles in total, and the opponent completely swept away and won two victories. A big win.
Liu Pi decided to learn his lesson and defend the city.
If you attack a city, then you have to grind through the cities one by one. Let me see how many people you have to fill this flesh and blood mill.
Liu Pi has a relatively stable character and does not like to take risks. This is the fundamental reason why he tends to join the princes rather than start his own business.
Zhang Yanke from the Northland was much more enterprising than him. He created the Black Mountain Army that was famous in the north. It was even so strong that he became a chess player on the Hebei chessboard.
It's a pity that he met Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, and in the end he was kicked onto the chessboard by Yuan Benchu and Cao Mengde, and he became a chess piece again.
At this moment, Zhang Yan should still be fighting against Yuan Zan together with Gongsun Zan, struggling to survive.
On the contrary, Liu Pi is living a very prosperous life in Runan. This is almost a matter of ignorance. Cao Cao's power has not yet gone south. Yuan Shu is afraid of Cao Cao but dare not go north. Liu Biao is still tossing the no-man's land in Nanyang and Deal with the Xiliang warlords who came out from Wuguan to grab food.
There are almost no powerful enemies around, let alone fellow Taoists from the Yellow Turban Army in Yingchuan next door.
In this way, Liu Pi had a trance and defected to Yuan Shu a few years ago.
Fortunately, Zhou Cang and He Man persuaded him hard so that he could not go to Shouchun.
Otherwise, Yuan Shu might not be able to let him back. After all, Liu Pi was a Yellow Turban Army soldier, not a local tyrant or pirate.
Just when Liu Pi was thinking about how to deal with Guan Yu, someone from below suddenly reported that Zhou Cang and Pei Yi were here.
Liu Pi was surprised and happy. He was surprised that these two people came to make peace, but he was happy that he could just discuss with them how to deal with the current situation.
Liu Pi went out of the mansion in person and greeted Zhou Cang and Pei Yi outside the mansion.
He was so happy that he didn't notice that Zhou Cang and Pei Yi had serious expressions for a moment.
After returning to the hall, Liu Pi, Zhou Cang, and Pei Yi each took their seats.
After the tea was served, Liu Pi drove the servants out, and then asked Zhou Cang and Pei Yi: "Why are you two here? What is the situation in Dingying and Shangcai now? I heard that Guan Yu has captured Yancheng and is about to attack Yingcheng. Yuanfu, you came to me this time to ask for help?"
In Liu Pi's opinion, Zhou Cang Yongwu is strong and loyal, and there is no way he would run away in the face of battle. He was more willing to believe that Zhou Cang had encountered difficulties and came to him for help.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Cang's words gave him an earth-shattering shock.
"Liu Shuai, the warehouse has been surrendered to Liu."
(End of this chapter)