Chapter 784 Undercurrent
The ballista was ignited and a curl of fireworks rose into the sky.
Yuan Shao, who had been observing this direction, saw it and laughed loudly. And when he smiled, the nearby staff and generals also laughed in agreement.
At this time, it was almost midnight, and Yuan Shao and his party had not eaten yet. The bowl of millet porridge that Yuan Shao loved so much in the morning would have been completely digested by now.
But even so, Yuan Shao didn't ask anyone to prepare meals, and if he didn't eat, all his staff could only starve with him.
Previously, the Taishan Army's ballista position in the northeast had been suppressing Yuan Shao's own army in the middle. Otherwise, the center with the advantage in strength would not have been unable to hold the line.
Therefore, Yuan Shao asked one of his generals to lead three hundred cavalry to attack the ballista position. When he saw thick smoke burning there, he thought that his men's action was successful.
Once he relaxed, Yuan Shao immediately felt hungry, so he laughed loudly and ordered the Red Heart Team outside the curtain:
"Bring all the food and eat inside the curtain."
As soon as he finished speaking, a dozen warriors from the Red Heart Corps in crimson uniforms came in from outside the tent. Each of them carried a basin of mutton and brought it to everyone in the tent.
In fact, Yuan Shao's in-house chef had already stewed the mutton, but because Yuan Shao never ordered it, he kept it on the stove to keep it warm.
Yuan Shao's in-house chefs are a group of Runan cooks, with three chefs and ten assistant cooks. They have all served the Yuan family for generations, so even if the battlefield environment is limited, they still try their best to prepare delicious food.
The mutton stewed now is not only stewed to a pulp, but can be pulled off the bones. The meat is plump and juicy, and because some particularly expensive spices are added, there is no fishy smell at all.
Therefore, when the stew was placed in front of everyone, even though you were so reserved, you couldn't help but swallow your saliva.
It's not that they were disrespectful, but that Yuan Shao asked them to take a sip of water and rice porridge so early in the morning, which was too much.
Because he was in a good mood, Yuan Shao had a big appetite. He first took a sip of the soup, then grabbed the lamb chops with his hands and started chewing.
Here Yuan Shao started, and other advisers and generals also started to make waves.
The battlefield is changing rapidly, so there is no need to worry about the etiquette of eating and drinking.
And this momentary change came in the blink of an eye.
First, when Xu You took a sip of soup, he inadvertently looked at the black smoke over there. The more he looked at him, the more he frowned. Finally, he violated his own principles and said:
"Lord, I'm afraid the black smoke looks wrong, right? The enemy's crossbow position must have had at least a hundred sorties. If wood of that size is burned, the black smoke will definitely not be this. We have to let the Red Heart Team Let’s go to the front line and take a look.”
To be honest, these words really go against Xu You's principles, because in his style of acting, Xu You would never do this kind of reporting of worries, especially when Yuan Shao was just overjoyed to report worries. of.
But in this battle, Xu You knew that they could not afford to lose. If those Yingchuan scholars could still rely on family inheritance to gain a foothold in the new dynasty, then Xu You could only rely on Yuan Shao.
Over there, when Yuan Shao heard this, he was chewing a piece of lamb ribs. He obviously paused. He first looked up at the black smoke burning on the opposite side, then threw the meat on the plate, and finally gave it a faint Said to the Red Heart Team outside:
"Go to the front of the formation alone and see what's going on over there."
After that, Yuan Shao sat on the horse, saying nothing and not eating any meat.
When everyone saw this, they could only silently push the mutton away and wait together. However, in their hearts, no one complained about Xu You, because they knew that Xu You might be right.
Yuan Shao was equally anxious. While waiting, even Mazha couldn't sit still and stood up from time to time to smack his lips.
This kind of behavior would never happen to him when he went out of the palace, but at this time, it happened.
Soon, the Red Heart Team came back, and they told everything that happened in front of the formation, especially the Jianghuai Cavalry that made the final assault and surrendered in front of the formation.
At this moment, Yuan Shao's whole face was flushed. He bent down and swept away the mutton on the table, then kicked the table away and cursed:
"Zhao Pei is really a waste, Li Tong is even more waste, you are all a bunch of waste."
At this moment, Yuan Shao was furious. He kicked away everything he could see while cursing the generals in the most vicious and dishonorable words.
He even scolded Zhao Pei even more. This man was the cavalry commander who had been ordered by Yuan Shao's army to organize a cavalry to attack the ballista position. He resented Zhao Pei for embarrassing himself.
As Yuan Shao vented his anger, the generals sitting in the curtain were as quiet as ice. They all lowered their heads. Except for a few who silently moved the mutton behind them, the others did not dare to express their anger.
Soon, Yuan Shao finished venting his anger and sat on the horse in a mess, looking around at the lowered heads. At this moment, he felt a little panicked.
Although all the information on the front line has not been compiled yet, the current intelligence alone shows that they are now at a disadvantage.
What worries him is that the generals below are not trying their best. They may have other ideas. Otherwise, the enemy's number is only half of his own. How could it be possible to fight like this?
At this moment, Yuan Shao still simply thought that he was the superior side.
In fact, it's not to blame for his simplicity. Yuan Shao's own experience was like this. With his superior military strength, strong family background, and political advantages, he could conquer everything.
At this time, Yuan Shao suddenly sighed. He should not have placed his formation behind the slope. Although it was safe, he was slow to respond to the situation of the front formations.
At this time, the front line was more than ten miles east to west, and it was impossible for him to command anything. The generals of each army could only adapt to the situation.
The limited order was to let Chunyu Qiong from the west dispatch an army as preparation.
At this time, Yuan Shao did not know that it was his order that caused the avalanche on the Western Front.
At this moment, the Handan merchant who had been presiding over the Chinese army's military affairs in person ran over on horseback. He broke into Yuan Shao's military tent directly. After seeing the mess on the ground, he subconsciously shrank his head, and then he gritted his teeth. To Yuan Shao:
"My lord, Yuan Shu just rode into the army alone and said that the battlefield on the Western Front can no longer hold up."
Yuan Shao's face suddenly turned pale, and his mind went blank without replying to Handan Shang's words.
At this time, Xu You broke out with sweat on his forehead, grabbed the Handan merchant's sleeve, and asked:
"How could this happen? Our army on the Western Front has four more armies than the other side. How could they collapse?"
Handan Shang's forehead was dripping with sweat. As a frontline general, he knew better than everyone present what the collapse of the Western Front meant.
Pulling at his dry throat, the Handan merchant said hoarsely:
"No one can tell what happened there, but currently only the two troops of Chunyu Qiong and Ji Ling are supporting it, so the chaos is still limited to the western front, but we won't know if it gets later."
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In fact, the Handan merchant's last words were a hint to Xu You, asking him to persuade Yuan Shao to make plans early. Xu Youru woke up from his dream and turned around to persuade Yuan Shao to leave, but before he could speak, Yuan Shao suddenly stood up. With his eyes red, he shouted to all the generals present:
"Now it's time for all the princes to take action in person. This time we focus on the front. Forward, forward, forward!"
Finally, Yuan Shao roared:
"In this battle, you and I will die in front of the battle. Whoever dares to take a step back will be killed."
All the generals stood up together and sang to Yuan Shao. Then they went out to their subordinates to prepare to attack with Yuan Shao.
But at this moment, Xu You suddenly jumped out and warned the generals present:
"After you return to your respective ministries, tell your subordinates without saying a word what just happened that the two wings have achieved a great victory, and we are about to ask our central army to make the final decision."
Of course the generals understood what Xu You meant. Although their expressions were ugly, they still nodded and obeyed the order.
After the generals retreated one after another, the Handan merchants also nodded to Yuan Shao, Xu You and others, and then rushed back to the central army to continue presiding over the war. Now that Yuan Shao's direct subordinate troops were about to be dispatched, he had to rush to the battlefield in advance to stay for them. Exit the channel.
After the Handan merchants left, Xu You looked at Yuan Shao with complicated eyes. He knew that Yuan Shao's choice just now could not be said to be wrong, because in such a chaotic battlefield, if the coach could appear on the front line of the battlefield, it would be very important for his own officials. The soldiers were a great boost.
But this is also a dangerous move, because once Yuan Shao's flag moves from the rear to the front, Yuan Shao will never be able to leave again, because the entire army can see it at that time. Once Yuan Shao runs away, the entire front line will inevitably collapse.
Of course, once Yuan Shao's banner appears on the front line, it goes without saying that those Taishan troops will inevitably attack here. By then, Yuan Shao will be under greater pressure.
If it were in the past, Xu Youhui thought that Yuan Shao had a heroic spirit that was rare among the disciples of Gongqing, and would risk his life in order to win. But this time, when Xu You looked at Yuan Shao with red eyes, he felt like a gambler who had lost everything.
He sighed silently in his heart and said to Yuan Shao:
"Lord, let's set off too."
Yuan Shao hummed, and then asked hesitantly:
"I don't know, how is Ju Yi doing now?"
Xu You was stunned, then shook his head, and followed Yuan Shao out of the curtain.
Outside, the warriors of the Red Heart Corps were already waiting there holding Yuan Shao's flag high, and there was also a shoulder carriage parked there, waiting for Yuan Shao to come up.
But Yuan Shao did not choose to ride on a more comfortable shoulder carriage. Instead, he got on his horse, and then, surrounded by the warriors, he shouted the call to attack and started running along the marching road.
On the way, the battalion heads stationed near the formation began to gather in one after another. Under the leadership of the "Golden Spike Flag" in front, they rushed to the front line with high morale.
And they do not include those generals who know the inside story. These people probably understand that this time they are really going to hell together.
……
In the rear camp three or four miles away from the battlefield, injured Yuan Jun officials were constantly being sent here for treatment.
At this moment, several military officers with disheveled robes pulled back an injured and unconscious general. As soon as they came over, they shouted:
"Where are you, come to the doctor quickly? Come and save my husband."
When one of them saw a doctor bandaging the wounds of the wounded, he went up to him and picked him up.
The doctor who was pulled over was about to lose his temper, but when he saw the group of warriors with their heads wrapped in yellow scarves, his courage suddenly weakened. He knew that these people were the remnants of the Yellow Turbans of Zuo Hujun, and they were the most arrogant.
Therefore, the doctor could only submit honestly, but after seeing the injured general, he was shocked and couldn't help but said:
"Is this the Lord Zhou?"
That's right, the unconscious and injured person in front of him was Zhou Fei, the commander of the Zuo Guard Army.
The reason why this medical craftsman knew Zhou Fei was because he had received favors from the Zhou family, so he was still half a guest of the Zhou family.
So, the doctor hurriedly ordered his men to clear an area and treat Zhou Fei first.
However, this person did not see that after sending Zhou Fei to the front line, the Yellow Turban generals did not return directly to the front line. Instead, they walked in circles to a military tent under the leadership of a majestic warrior.
After these people were recognized by the tooth soldiers outside the tent, they took them into the tent. Inside, there were already more than ten generals sitting cross-legged and discussing matters in a low voice.
If Yuan Shao were present at this time, he would be surprised to see Han Fu surrounded in the middle of this group of people.
The Han Fu who was ridiculed by Yuan Shao and could only dance under the tent.
After the yellow scarf generals entered, they nodded with everyone present and found an open space to sit cross-legged.
Because the matters being discussed were too confidential, Han Fu's military tent was completely closed, and there were no candles even lit, so the tent was completely dark.
It was also in this darkness that Han Fu asked the leading Yellow Turban general:
"Pei Da, what is the situation on the front line now?"
Yes, this Pei Da is the Yellow Turban remnant general Pei Yuanshao. Due to the lack of seafood, Pei Yuanshao could not see clearly in this dim environment. He could only reply in the direction of the sound:
"Yuan Jun is finished."
Then he told the rebels present what he saw. That's right, everyone in this military tent, including Han Fu, is a rebel.
Either they were dissatisfied with Yuan Shao, or they had the opportunity to judge that the Taishan Army was the one who determined the world, and wanted to change ships at the last moment.
By coincidence, Su Fei, who was patrolling at the time, rescued a general of the Taishan Army from among the dead. This man turned out to be a member of the Zhang family in Dashangli, and was the core of the Taishan Army system.
As a result, an undercurrent spread among Yuan Shao's army. At first, only a limited number of low-level military officials such as Su Fei joined. Later, when Han Fu also took the initiative to come closer, this rebellious force officially became a climate.
At least judging from the military officials currently present, the rebels at least have an absolute number in the rear.
And Han Fu was the leader of this group. Because of Han You's incident, the entire Han clan was suppressed by Yuan Shao. Some clan members chose to endure, but Han Fu chose to resist.
It's not that Han Fu is so fierce, it's that Yuan Shao is too insulting. He actually let a proud member of the royal family dance in front of everyone. How humiliating was this?
But even after organizing such a rebel force, Han Fu was still hesitant about the uprising. In his heart, he did not think that the Taishan Army could win.
So in the rear, Han Fu felt quite tormented. It wasn't until Pei Yuanshao sent accurate battlefield information that he finally felt relieved.
After that, Han Fu discussed the time of the uprising with everyone, but he didn't notice that behind him, his son Han Rang was thinking a lot:
"I don't know if Ah Tao is still alive. At this time, the peach blossoms in my hometown are almost withered. If you don't go back, you will miss this year's peach blossom brewing."