novel-bin Chapter 152 Gongsun Zan's Defeat and the Fall of Yuzhou
Chapter 152 Gongsun Zan's Defeat and the Fall of Yuzhou
Chapter 152 Gongsun Zan's Defeat and the Fall of Yuzhou
The first year of Yonghan, early February.
General Fenwu Gongsun Zan personally led an army of more than 20,000 and deployed his troops 20 miles south of the Pu River.
Yan Gang and Zou Dan were appointed as the left and right wings, each with 5,000 soldiers. Gongsun Zan personally led an army of 10,000 as the central army, waiting for Yuan Shu.
Yuan Shu rode on a tall horse, holding a sword in his hand, looking at Gongsun Zan's camp with a look of confidence.
Next to him stood a middle-aged man wearing coarse cloth, with a hunched back and a haggard look.
Yuan Shu glanced at him and said loudly: "Yuan Hao, do you think I can defeat Gongsun Zan?"
Tian Feng seemed not to hear it and did not respond at all.
Yuan Shu didn't care and laughed loudly, saying, "Let's make a bet. If I can defeat Gongsun Zan, how about you loyally assist me?"
Tian Feng still turned a deaf ear.
Yuan Shu's expression darkened and he snorted coldly.
Tian Feng was a retainer of the Yuan family, but he never expected that Tian Feng would refuse to be loyal to him!
"Lord Yuan, Qu Yi requests a fight. I will defeat Gongsun Zan for you and take his head!" Qu Yi stepped out from the side and shouted.
Qu Yi was a short and strong man, his face full of disdain for Tian Feng.
"it is good!"
Yuan Shu took out a talisman, threw it to Qu Yi, and said in a deep voice: "If you win the first battle, I will ask Lord Han for credit for you!"
Qu Yi was borrowed by Yuan Shu from Han Fu.
"Thank you, Lord Yuan!" Qu Yi took the token, turned around, mounted his horse and left.
Not long after, Qu Yi led 5,000 soldiers and horses and deployed them to confront Gongsun Zan's army at a close distance.
The composition of his army was very complex, including crossbowmen, shield soldiers, cavalry, infantry, etc.
Ji Ling, Yuan Shu's newly appointed lieutenant general, saw him and said to Yuan Shu, "Master Yuan, a great battle is about to take place here. It would be better for us to return to the main camp and wait for a great victory."
Yuan Shu raised his head high and shouted, "A real man should not fear weapons! Today I will capture Gongsun Zan alive and establish my power over the world!"
Ji Ling heard this and looked admiring.
The other soldiers were also excited. They believed that their lord was no ordinary man and would accomplish great things!
Gongsun Zan saw Qu Yi approaching with 5,000 men. He stood on the chariot, watched from afar, and laughed, "Yuan Shu, you dare to challenge me with only 5,000 men! Pass my order, charge on both wings, kill these 5,000 men, and capture Yuan Shu alive!"
"Order!"
The messengers rode away on horseback, with flags rustling and orders shouted.
Yan Gang received the order and without hesitation, he sent his troops first.
"kill!"
Gongsun Zan's left and right wings, with flags flying and shouts of killing like thunder, rushed straight to Qu Yi's camp.
Yan Gang took the lead and led the troops. The cavalry behind him were as fast as the wind and as sharp as swords, and they went straight to the center of Qu Yi's army.
Qu Yi was not panicked at all. He stood in the middle of the army and shouted, "Raise the shield!"
The shield soldiers at the front of the army raised their shields one after another, and then placed them on the ground, with all the soldiers hiding behind their shields.
"Capture Yuan Shu alive!"
The sound of the horses' hooves of Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers was like thunder and an earthquake, and their momentum was overwhelming.
Qu Yi stood in the army formation, his eyes grim, constantly calculating the distance, until these cavalrymen approached, only fifty feet away, he suddenly said in a deep voice: "Strong crossbowmen, shoot!"
The archers behind the shields stepped out and shot thousands of arrows like a rain of arrows towards the Baima Yicong.
Donkey peeing~
Gongsun Zan's cavalry was caught off guard and immediately fell into chaos.
The crossbowmen fired repeatedly, and the White Horse Volunteers fell to the ground one after another. The infantry following behind them had no time to dodge and fled in panic.
Gongsun Zan's left and right wings were instantly thrown into chaos, and they fled and trampled on others recklessly.
"The enemy's formation is in disarray, kill them!"
When Qu Yi saw this, he mounted his horse quickly, drew his sword, and rode forward.
Five thousand men switched to defending and besieging, attacking Gongsun Zan's left and right wings.
The army was already in great chaos and offered no resistance at all. They were slaughtered one-sidedly by Qu Yi and were defeated like a tide.
Yan Gang fought hard and did not retreat.
"Gongsun Zan is nothing but this!"
Qu Yi rushed forward and fought with Yan Gang.
"Qu Yi, stop being so arrogant!"
Yan Gang's right wing was in disarray and could not be organized at all. He fought a fierce battle with Qu Yi to encourage the soldiers.
"kill!"
Qu Yi seized the opportunity when Yan Gang was distracted and swung his sword fiercely, beheading Yan Gang.
"Attack!"
Yuan Shu, who was behind him, was overjoyed when he saw the great victory. He drew his sword and shouted to the person behind him.
The flags of the 20,000-strong army were suddenly opened, and the shouts of killing were like waves. They moved forward in waves, with high morale, and rushed forward.
Gongsun Zan tried his best to stabilize the situation, but the front army was in disarray and the pursuing troops were approaching, so he could not suppress the chaos at all.
"retreat!"
Gongsun Zan was a veteran on the battlefield. He made a prompt decision and retreated to the back of the Pu River with his 10,000 intact men and formed a camp.
"Hold this bridge and wait for another chance to fight!"
Gongsun Zan stood on his horse with a calm face, not panicking.
Yan Gang died in the battle, and Zou Dan's life or death was unknown in the chaos. He commanded the troops to form a battle array, preparing to use the river bridge as a stronghold.
Qu Yi's morale was high. He chased the enemy to the river bridge and without any delay, he rushed forward to kill them.
"Gongsun, today your grandfather will teach you how to fight!"
Qu Yi was very proud. He led his army and charged forward without any fancy moves.
There were Yuan Shu's 20,000 reinforcements in the rear, and at a glance, they covered the mountains and plains with no end in sight.
Gongsun Zan's troops, already in great disarray, became even more panicked after seeing the situation. With just one charge from Qu Yi, Gongsun Zan's 10,000 men's formation suddenly exploded and fell into pieces, leaving them completely powerless to resist.
Qu Yi became even more excited, charging ahead and roaring, "Where is Gongsun? Capture him alive for me!"
Qu Yi's army was in high spirits. They outnumbered the enemy and fought fearlessly without any fear.
Gongsun Zan's eyes went red with anger. An army of 20,000 was defeated almost as soon as they met!
"General!"
Zou Dan rushed over with the remaining soldiers, grabbed him and said, "If you don't leave now, it will be too late!"
"Fight to the death!" Gongsun Zan was not willing to retreat and shouted as he was about to charge forward.
Zou Dan pulled him over with all his strength and said urgently, "General, if it doesn't work today, we can retreat to Yangcheng to reorganize our troops and fight again. If we don't leave now, we really won't be able to leave!"
Seeing that Yuan Shu's reinforcements were about to arrive, Gongsun Zan gritted his teeth and said in hatred: "Pass my order, retreat!"
Zou Dan knew how much hatred Gongsun Zan had in his heart, but he still tried his best to cover his retreat and let Gongsun Zan retreat first.
Yuan Shu's army arrived and attacked and killed Gongsun Zan's remaining troops.
Yuan Shu rode on his horse, and with Tian Feng and Ji Ling beside him, he laughed loudly and said, "Gongsun Zan, the so-called famous general outside the Great Wall, is nothing more than this! Your Excellency will eliminate the bandits today!"
"Lord Yuan is so mighty!" Ji Ling shouted loudly, raising his hand behind Yuan Shu.
Yuan Shu listened with great joy. He looked towards Luoyang and shouted, "Pass my order. Pursue Gongsun Xiaoer, flatten Yingchuan, and line up the army at Luoshui! Follow me to recapture Luoyang, eliminate the thieves, and achieve immortal merit!"
Tian Feng's expression changed immediately, and he suddenly said, "No!"
Yuan Shu's excited face turned cold, and a murderous look flashed in his eyes. He looked at Tian Feng and said calmly: "What does Yuan Hao have to teach me?"
Tian Feng said with a blank expression, "Have you forgotten that Chen State still has Dong Zhuo's 30,000 troops, Tao Qian's 20,000 troops in Xuzhou to the east, and Wang Rui, the governor of Jingzhou, to the south. If you go north and they suddenly attack Runan, what will you do?"
Ji Ling was startled and said quickly: "Mr. Yuan, what Tian Sima said makes sense. Runan must not be lost!"
Yuan Shu had more murderous intent in his heart, but a smile appeared on his face. He said, "What Yuan Hao said makes sense. When I conquer Yingchuan, I will gather my troops and fight that old villain Dong Zhuo to the death! For the sake of family feud and national hatred, I will kill that old villain with my own hands!"
Tian Feng heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this.
"Lord!"
At this time, a soldier came over in a hurry and said, "There is a man named Xu You and styled Ziyuan. He said he is an old friend of the lord in the Eastern Capital. He knew that the lord was going to do something important, so he came to join the army to help."
Yuan Shu didn't take it seriously and said calmly, "Old friend from Luoyang, please sit down and wait for me to wipe out Gongsun the Young Master before we talk!"
Tian Feng listened at the side, feeling heavy-hearted.
Yuan Shu has defeated Gongsun Zan and his power is unprecedented. I wonder how many villains who are chasing fame and fortune will come to him for help!
"Han Dynasty..."
Tian Feng looked towards Luoyang and sighed deeply in his heart.
Yuan Shu led a large army in pursuit of Gongsun Zan, and almost occupied the entire Yingchuan along the way.
Gongsun Zan retreated to Yangcheng, holding his ground with his remaining troops and generals.
Yuan Shu left 5,000 men to Qu Yi and sent Ji Ling and others to attack Pei State, Liang State and other states. Within three days, almost all of Yuzhou, except Chen State, fell into Yuan Shu's hands.
When the news reached Luoyang, the whole city was in panic.
Jingfu Hall, study.
Wang Yun sat next to Yang Biao and said impatiently, "Your Majesty, please issue an order quickly and order Dong Zhuo to send troops immediately to resist Yuan Shu!"
Xun You, Zhong Yao and others looked solemn and worried.
Who could have thought that Gongsun Zan would collapse at the first blow. Not to mention annihilating an army of 20,000, they couldn't even resist at all and were routed thousands of miles away!
Yingchuan County is separated from Luoyang by only a river. Once Yangcheng falls, the rebels can march straight into Luoyang!
Yang Biao frowned and raised his hand, saying, "Your Majesty, I request that the Imperial Army camp be dispatched to the capital to protect the Eastern Capital, and that the troops from the three auxiliary provinces rush to support Gongsun Zan. Yuan Shu must be stopped in Yingchuan!"
Huangfu Song was sitting on the side, yet seemed very far away from the crowd, with a blank expression on his face and a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Liu Bian was at ease, drinking his tea leisurely, and said with a smile: "I have said before that you should be calm when encountering major events. You should stay calm and don't panic."
Wang Yun was so frightened that he could not calm down. He raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, this is extremely urgent and there is no time to delay. I beg Your Majesty to issue an order immediately!"
Liu Bian put down his teacup, smiled softly, and said, "Grand Sima."
Huangfu Song bowed and said to Wang Yun and others, "Prime Minister, Lord Wang, five days ago, Xu Rong was ordered to lead 20,000 troops to station at Huanyuan Pass."
Everyone was startled when they heard this and looked at Huangfu Song.
Such a big thing, and they don’t even know about it?
Huanyuan Pass, located at the junction of Yingchuan and Luoyang, is the only way for Yingchuan to enter Luoyang.
This Huanyuan Pass was one of the eight passes established during the reign of Emperor Ling to prevent the Yellow Turban Army from invading Luoyang.
Soon after Liu Bian ascended the throne, he ordered Huangfu Song to reorganize the eight passes, with Huanyuan Pass being the key one.
The worried people were relieved. There were 20,000 soldiers and horses at Huanyuan Pass. If they held on, it would be enough to block Yuan Shu's way to Beijing!
Wang Yun snorted coldly and said, "Your Majesty, Dong Zhuo watched Gongsun Zan lose without giving him any help. He should be punished!"
Everyone glanced at him and shook their heads secretly.
Changing generals in the middle of a battle is a big taboo, especially now the situation is very bad. If we forcibly hold Dong Zhuo accountable, wouldn't that force him to rebel?
"rational."
Before everyone could react, Liu Bian said, "Send an order to order Li Ru, the Minister of Punishment, to go to the State of Chen to punish Dong Zhuo!"
Before he finished speaking, everyone in the room was shocked.