The bloody battle is still going on, but the sound of killing is fading away. The Jizhou army is fleeing to death. Yuan Fang's banner has been carefully raised over the entire camp.
Nearly 40,000 Jizhou troops collapsed. After leaving more than 10,000 corpses, they fled westward to Jizhou in embarrassment.
Yuan Fang, covered in blood, rode his horse and carried his stick, and crashed directly into Yuan Shao's gorgeous Chinese army tent.
The tent was completely empty, and Yuan Shao finally escaped, leaving only a mess in the tent.
Yuan Shao¡¯s golden armor, golden helmet, sword, seal and ribbon, as well as a large number of albums and documents, were scattered all over the floor. It can be seen how embarrassed and hasty Yuan Shao was when he escaped.
Yuan Fang jumped off the horse and sat on the seat that originally belonged to Yuan Shao. He glanced at the gorgeous tent and couldn't help laughing wildly.
It was a confident laugh, a laugh of relief, a hearty laugh after the weak defeated the strong.
Just over a year ago, he was still a humble illegitimate son, suffering injustice from Yuan Shao and being bullied by the Yuan family's children.
Today, he is sitting on a state, killing Yuan Shao, a behemoth, and fleeing in embarrassment.
¡°He miraculously accomplished all these incredible feats.
During the great victory, Yuan Fanggao sat in the seat that belonged to Yuan Shao. He had the capital to laugh wildly.
"My lord, Yuan Shao has escaped, should we pursue him?" Hao Zhao, bathed in blood, stepped into the tent and asked.
Yuan Fang waved his hand and said: "Of course we have to chase him. It would be best if we can chase and kill Yuan Shao. If we can't catch him, it doesn't matter. Tell the generals to stop when they see a good chance. Don't chase him too deep into the enemy's territory."
Although this battle was a complete victory, Yuan Fang still remained calm. He knew very well that Yuan Shao was defeated. Still powerful.
Although the 40,000 men on the front line were defeated, Yuan Shao still had many soldiers and horses in the counties behind, and Yuan Xi's army in Bingzhou was also intact.
"If he pursues Yuan Shao too closely, he will force Yuan Shao to use all the troops of the two states to fight him to the death.
And with Yuan Fang's current strength, he does not have the ability to eat up Yuan Shao in one go. If he and Yuan Shao fall into a protracted all-out war. Gongsun Zan will only benefit from it.
The best choice right now is to give up when things are good, take advantage of the power of victory, and continue to implement the strategy of integrating Qing and Xu.
Hao Zhao then passed down Yuan Fang's military order, and the victorious troops continued to pursue Yuan Shao's defeated troops westward to maximize the victory of this war.
Hao Zhao stayed in the camp. Clean up the battlefield and count the battle damage.
He was counting the documents left by Yuan Shao, but suddenly he found a stack of letters. When he opened them and looked at them, he couldn't help but feel shocked.
"Lord, these letters are all from state officials. They are secretly colluding with Yuan Shao's letters. I didn't expect these people to betray the lord and surrender to Yuan Shao. They should all be arrested and questioned!" Hao Zhao presented the secret letter to Yuan Fang angrily. road.
Yuan Fang picked up the letters. I planned to take a look, but was silent for a moment. But changed his mind.
He stood up, threw the pile of letters that collaborated with the enemy directly into the brazier, and burned them all.
"Lord, these are all evidence of the traitors' collaboration with the enemy. How can they be burned like this?" Hao Zhao was shocked and rushed forward to snatch the unburned letters.
However, Yuan Fang waved his hand and stopped him, sighing: "When I was forced to stand on my own, I was desperate and put myself to death to survive. However, Yuan Shao is powerful and everyone knows that these people are intimidated by Yuan Shao. "Wei, it's normal to form a secret relationship. Now that Yuan Shao has been defeated, there is no need to pursue it anymore to avoid panic."
These words awakened Hao Zhao, making him suddenly realize and understand Yuan Fang's intentions.
Looking at the letters burned into ashes in the brazier, Hao Zhao sighed: "My lord's magnanimity is really unparalleled. If Yuan Shao is undefeated, it is really not allowed by nature."
Yuan Fang smiled, walked outside the tent, and looked into the distance with his hands behind his back.
The sky above our heads is clear and the sun is shining brightly.
Thirty miles to the west, Yuan Shao was still on his way to Yecheng.
Yuan Fang's army actually stopped chasing after chasing for twenty miles, but Yuan Shao, who was frightened, did not dare to stop for a moment and fled westward all the way.
From Pingyuan to Ganling, from Ganling to Guantao, and from Guantao to Yecheng, Yuan Shao ran for several days and fled back to Yecheng in one breath.
Yuan Shao, who was still in shock, was afraid that Yuan Fang would take the opportunity to advance westward. He urgently mobilized troops and horses to strengthen the defense on the eastern front. At the same time, he urgently sent an order to Yuan Xi, asking him to lead the Bingzhou Army to assist in the battle.
It wasn¡¯t until the scouts sent back intelligence one after another that Yuan Fang had withdrawn his troops and returned to the plains, celebrating his victory without a large-scale attack on Jizhou, Yuan Shao, who was physically and mentally damaged, finally recovered from his shock.
Yecheng, the residence of the chariot and cavalry general.
In the dark room, the faceYuan Shao, who was pale and bedridden, sighed from time to time, looking depressed.
The servant in the room came to report that it was the counselor Ju Shou who was out looking for a meeting.
"Hurry, tell the public to come in." Yuan Shao cheered up a little when he heard that Ju Shou was coming.
In the battle of Pingyuan, Jushu was ordered to stay in Yecheng and did not go with the army, so he did not participate in the defeat.
In that unbearable defeat, the plans of Xu You, Feng Ji and others were discovered by Yuan Fang one after another, resulting in Yuan Shao's defeat. Yuan Shao was deeply disappointed with those counselors.
Only Jushou is the only person Yuan Shao can trust now.
Not long after, Jushu entered the room and bowed his hands in greeting.
Yuan Shao summoned Ju Shou to the bedside and sighed: "My lord, if I had known about this battle, I should have brought you with the army as a staff officer, otherwise I would not have been defeated by that traitor."
Jushou cupped his hands and said: "The defeat in Pingyuan was mostly caused by underestimating the enemy. Now my lord still hopes to merge the two states with Hebei. The foundation has not been shaken. We should cheer up and regroup."
Yuan Shao nodded slightly and asked: "Then what should I do now when I meet you?"
Ju Shou pondered for a while and then said slowly: "Now that Gongsun Zan has annexed Youzhou and his strength has exploded, the next step must be to go south and fight for Jizhou. According to Shou, Gongsun Zan is our biggest enemy. As for Yuan Fang, You can put it away first.¡±
Now Yuan Shao's mind is much calmer, he weighed it for a long time, and he was convinced.
Jushou continued: "So my subordinates feel that my lord might as well make peace with Yuan Fangyan first, concentrate on destroying Gongsun Zan first, annex Youzhou, and then use the power of the three states to attack Qingzhou. It will be a decisive battle. "
"You want me to make peace with that traitor? No, absolutely not! If word spreads, where will my Yuan Benchu's face be?" Yuan Shao shook his head in denial without thinking.
But Jushou said seriously: "For the sake of the overall situation, my lord must do this. Besides, General Gao is still in Yuan Fang's hands, doesn't my lord want to rescue him?"
Yuan Shao fell silent and hesitated for a moment.
Of course he knew that the overall situation was important, and of course he wanted to save Gao Gan's nephew, but he didn't want to lose this face.
Jushu could see what Yuan Shao was thinking, so he added: "Actually, I don't think Yuan Fang wants to start a full-scale war with the lord, otherwise he should take the opportunity to send troops to pursue him. The lord does not need to make peace in a big way, but he can send someone secretly. Convey the message of peace on behalf of the lord in a private name, so that the lord's reputation will not be damaged."
Yuan Shao thought about it over and over, but had no choice but to nod and say: "Okay, for the sake of the overall situation, that's all. Who can take on this important task?"
Jushou thought for a while and said: "Since Yuan Fang has robbed Zhen Gong of his daughter, he must give some face to Zhen Gong. My lord, you might as well ask the Zhen family to come forward and send someone to the plain to make peace secretly. By the way, Bring back General Gao."
After pondering for a long time, Yuan Shao let out a long sigh, waved his hand and said: "Come here, go to Quliang and invite Zhen Shidi to me."
¡¡
In Pingyuan City, the celebration continues.
The citizens of the city were all immersed in the incredible joy of victory over Yuan Shao.
When they first heard that Yuan Zhoumu openly betrayed Yuan Shao and made a desperate choice to stand on his own, everyone was secretly sweating.
They were worried that Yuan Fang was no match for Yuan Shao in terms of strength after all. Once defeated, Yuan Shao would most likely turn his anger on them and wash out the plains with blood.
But now, their young Yuan Zhoumu miraculously defeated Yuan Shao. Such an incredible outcome not only made the soldiers and people of Qingzhou breathe a sigh of relief, but also made their admiration and loyalty to Yuan Fang reach its peak.
After this battle, Yuan Fang finally gained control of Qingzhou.
It was not relying on the reputation of the Four Generations and Three Dukes, nor relying on conspiracy and trickery to steal, but using blood and fire, and using a pair of fists to secure Qingzhou firmly.
In the state capital, Yuan Fang has already begun to prepare for his wedding.
He promised Zhen Mi that once he defeated Yuan Shao, he would marry her and fulfill his promise to her.
Moreover, Yuan Fang is now the shepherd of a state and needs to get married as soon as possible. After all, a married man can make his people and soldiers feel more stable and enhance their trust.
While preparing for the wedding, Yuan Fang did not forget to pay attention to the war between Cao Cao and Tao Qian. He was waiting for an opportunity, a perfect opportunity for him to send his army south and capture Xuzhou.
That day, in the state capital, Yuan Fangzheng and other civil and military officials were discussing the situation in Xuzhou.
Yuan Gui came from outside, cupped his hands and said with a smile: "My lord, there is a man outside the mansion who claims to be Zhen Yao, the eldest son of the Zhen family, and wants to see the lord."
"Zhen Yao? What is he doing here?" Yuan Fang Yiqi.
Guo Jia had wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth and said with a smile: "Obviously, Yuan Shao wanted to make peace with his lord and concentrate on dealing with Gongsun Zan, but he was afraid of sending his own people here and damaging his face, so he invited The Zhen family acts as the intermediary and mediates the peace."
"I see, dignified Yuan Shao, it's really not easy for you to put down your dignity and come to me to ask for peace." Yuan Fang sneered and waved his hand to bring Zhen Yao in.
A moment later, Yuan Fang was sitting on top, and a group of civil and military officials lined up around him.
The sound of hurried footsteps sounded, and Zhen Yao walked into the lobby. Although he tried his best to pretend to be calm, he could not hide the uneasiness in his heart.
Yuan Fang's eyes were as cold as ice, staring at him.
When Zhen Yao raised his head, he met Yuan Fang's razor-sharp eyes. Instantly, his body shivered, and he quickly lowered his head.
There was no more arrogance or disdain. Zhen Yao bowed deeply and bowed his hands with great respect: "Zhen Yao has met Yuan Zhoumu."