Han Dynasty Achievements

Chapter 232 Siege

Chapter 232: Siege

Seeing that Lü Bu was well prepared and even led his men to attack, Ding Yuan's face instantly darkened and he said, "Lü Bu, you want to kill your father!"

Lü Bu thrust his spear forward and shouted, "Old thief Ding Yuan, I treated you like a father, but you wanted to kill me! Today I am not the one who kills my father, but Lü Bu is the one who kills the thief! Kill him!"

Lu Bu shouted loudly, took the lead, and charged forward with a spear.

"Stop him!" Ding Yuan shouted anxiously.

He didn't have many people in ambush, and he was frightened when he saw Lu Bu brought so many people.

Ding Yuan's guards tried their best to stop him, but they were no match for the brave Lu Bu. It didn't take long before Lu Bu reached Ding Yuan.

"You old thief, die!" Lu Bu's spear stabbed directly at Ding Yuan.

Ding Yuan looked terrified and said in a hurry: "I am the governor of Yangzhou appointed by the court, Lu Bu, you can't kill me!"

"You want to kill me, why can't I kill you!" Lu Bu split open the guards of Ding Yuan who were blocking him, and his long hair went straight to Ding Yuan's chest.

Ding Yuan stepped back in fear and shouted, "Are you trying to rebel?"

puff

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Bu's spear pierced his chest.

Ding Yuan's eyes were wide open, his face full of fear and astonishment. He never thought that Lu Bu would dare to kill him!

Lü Bu killed Ding Yuan and cut off his head. Holding it in his hand, he shouted to the remaining defeated soldiers of Ding Yuan: "The old villain is dead. Those who surrender will not be killed!"

Ding Yuan's men dared not resist, and if they did, they would be killed instantly. In less than half an hour, Lu Bu took control of Gaoyou.

Gao Shun stood beside Lu Bu and said, "My lord, what should we do now?"

After all, Ding Yuan was the governor of Yangzhou appointed by the imperial court. The imperial court would never let it go if he was publicly killed.

Lu Bu sneered and said, "Let's go all out and take over the entire Xuzhou! Everyone, listen to my command. Recruit Ding Yuan's troops and march north immediately!"

There were roughly three forces in Xuzhou: Ding Yuan in Guangling County, Lu Bu who occupied Xia Pi, and Tao Qian and others in Langya County.

Now that Ding Yuan is dead, only Lu Bu and Tao Qian are left.

Gao Shun said nothing and ordered the troops to be assembled.

Lu Bu left Ding Yuan's mansion, mounted his horse, and led Gao Shun and others. He first incorporated Ding Yuan's troops, and then led his troops directly north.

By the time Huangfu Jianchang, Cheng Yu, Shi A and others arrived, Gaoyou had already changed hands.

In an inconspicuous house, a group of people were summarizing information, and each of them had a serious expression.

Cheng Yu sat opposite Huangfu Jianchang, unable to conceal his panic, and said, "Second Master, this Lu Bu is really rebelling!"

Huangfu Jianchang had a cold expression on his face and said, "I'm not surprised that he rebelled against me, but I didn't expect him to be so bold!"

Shi A stood beside the two men and said, "It's useless to say these things. Now Lu Bu has sent troops to Langya County. If Envoy Tao can't defend it, the whole Xuzhou will fall into Lu Bu's hands. Add Dong Zhuo, and the consequences will be disastrous."

Cheng Yu glanced at him, then frowned and said to Huangfu Jian: "Second Master, we should immediately write to the Grand Marshal's Mansion and ask him to mobilize troops. We must stop Lu Bu!"

Huangfu Jian frowned and said, "How can we mobilize troops in the cold winter? Besides, where should we mobilize them? The troops of Qingzhou cannot be moved, otherwise the Yellow Turban Army will surely rise again. The troops of Yanzhou have to guard against Dong Zhuo of Chen State and the Black Mountain Army of Jizhou. The only one who can be mobilized is Sun Jian of Wujun. Lu Bu is a fierce tiger, and Sun Jian is a vicious wolf. Besides, I may not be able to mobilize them..."

Cheng Yu frowned and thought hard, then asked, "Then what about Gongsun Zan of Runan County?"

Huangfu Jian gave him a long look and said, "My father wrote me a letter asking me to get his permission before I mobilize the troops."

Cheng Yu immediately understood and said, "Mr. Huangfu must have made other plans. The most urgent task now is to stop Lu Bu."

Huangfu Jian thought hard but couldn't find a solution.

Seeing that neither of them spoke, Shi A said, "Hurry up and write the letter."

Huangfu Jianchang suddenly realized what was happening and said, "Yes, I will write a letter to your majesty right away."

Shi A saw that Huangfu Jianchang was already flustered, and said calmly: "Write to Envoy Tao first, and quickly."

Cheng Yu then realized and said, "Yes. Also, write a letter to Envoy Zhu of Qingzhou to see if he can provide support. We should also write to the court, but distant water cannot quench nearby fire, so we can only report it."

Huangfu Jianchang had already picked up the pen and started writing. He didn't just write one letter, but five or six.

After finishing writing, he threw it to the guard, and then said to Cheng Yu: "I want to go to Langya County."

Cheng Yu looked at him and said, "I suggest that the second young master go to the State of Chen."

Huangfu Jian was startled for a moment and asked, "Why?"

Cheng Yu looked a little gloomy, and said: "Second Master, I think that Envoy Dingtao cannot stop Lu Bu. We must stop Lu Bu from falling to Dong Zhuo!"

Huangfu Jianchang suddenly understood, and said with a solemn heart, "Okay, let's go now!"

Cheng Yu suddenly reached out his hand, stopped him, and said, "Second Master, before you leave, you have to do one more thing."

"What's the matter?" Huangfu Jianchang asked.

Cheng Yu said: "Lü Bu is too chaotic and will definitely not be able to handle everything. Although we cannot stop him, we can burn his food and grass to delay time!"

嘭

Huangfu Jian stood up fiercely and said, "I'll do it!"

Huangfu Jianchang was very experienced in this kind of thing. He immediately called a few people and said, "You, go and find out where Lu Bu's marching route is, especially where the food and grass are. You, go and gather all our people in Guangling County!"

"Yes!" The guards responded and strode away.

Huangfu Jian walked around in a circle, and said to Shi A: "Old Shi, find a way to find out Lu Bu and other rebellious family members, and I will send them to Luoyang!"

Cheng Yu said, "It's better to kill him directly. For a man like Lu Bu, his family can't threaten him."

Shi A glanced at him and shook his head secretly.

Huangfu Jianchang is not the kind of person who kills without restraint. He has his own principles in his heart.

As expected, Huangfu Jianchang said, "It's better not to kill them. It will at least make them hesitate. Old Shi, go ahead and do it."

Shi A nodded, turned around and left with the sword in his arms.

Huangfu Jian thought for a while and said, "This should delay some time. I hope Envoy Tao will be prepared and hold out for a while longer to give the court time to react."

Cheng Yu shook his head and said, "Xuzhou is full of plains, so there are no dangers. Mr. Tao Shijun's soldiers and horses are at most , and they have to be divided into different places. One month is the limit."

Huangfu Jian thought about it again and again, and couldn't help but feel a little irritated. He said, "How can Ding Yuan be so useless? He even held the Hongmen Feast and was killed in retaliation. I really don't know how he got to be the governor of the state!"

Cheng Yu couldn't answer.

Since Emperor Cheng, the promotion of officials has emphasized reputation rather than ability. No matter how well they do their work, as long as they manage their reputation well, they will be promoted.

Such people can be found everywhere, from Luoyang to the entire Han Dynasty.

Huangfu Jian complained and said, "Let's go. We shouldn't stay here for long."

Cheng Yu followed behind Huangfu Jianzhang and said, "Second Master, I think we should mobilize the troops. Even if we can't stop Lu Bu, it can still have a deterrent effect."

Huangfu Jianchang did not hesitate and said, "Okay, I have some friendship with Guan Yu. With the military token given by your majesty, it won't be a problem."

Cheng Yu said nothing more. He was deeply shocked by Ding Yuan's death and worried that the situation would change drastically and unpredictably.

At the same time, Lu Bu, who had incorporated Ding Yuan's troops, led an army of 20,000 and headed north as quickly as possible, attacking Langya County.

Lu Bu sent his troops too suddenly, and Zang Ba, who was guarding Donghai County, was caught off guard and had to lead his troops to retreat.

Lu Bu pursued relentlessly, and had almost no obstruction along the way. He directly entered Langya County and surrounded Kaiyang without encountering any obstacles.

In the backyard of Kaiyang government office.

Tao Qian was lying on the bed, coughing constantly, with blood on the corners of his mouth. He looked at Zang Ba and Zhao Yu beside him with a difficult expression, saying, "I originally wanted to entrust Xuzhou to Liu Xuande, but things did not go as I wished. This Lu Bu is a tiger and wolf, and now he has surrounded Kaiyang and Langya County. I can only entrust it to you."

Zang Ba looked fierce and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, sir. I will never let Lu Bu enter the city gate!"

"cough cough"

Tao Qian coughed violently, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said, "Originally, I invited Cao Ren to take control of Langya County, but the Yellow Turban Army in Beihai was rebellious, so we had to withdraw. Now, we have no reinforcements, the city is small, the soldiers are few and the food is low, so we can't stop Lu Bu at all..."

Zhao Yu looked solemn and said, "Sir, we have 5,000 soldiers in the city, as well as many young and strong men. We can hold out for a month without any problem!"

Tao Qian smiled bitterly and said, "Although I don't know much about military affairs, I know that as long as Lü Bu besieges the city, Kaiyang will fall without a fight in half a month at most. I am a dying man, and I have no other requests. I only ask you two to protect more civilians and prevent them from being slaughtered."

What Lu Bu did most in Xia Pi was to let his soldiers plunder and kill at will to replenish money and food, so he had an extremely bad reputation.

Zang Ba said in a hateful voice: "Sir, I will definitely be able to hold on!"

Tao Qian sighed, looked at Zhao Yu, and said, "Once Langya County is lost, Lu Bu will become more powerful, and the court will definitely send troops to attack him. Xuzhou will be in even greater trouble, and I don't know how many people will suffer."

Zhao Yu was different from Zang Ba. He was a civil servant and his face looked a little solemn when he heard this.

In troubled times, the worst sufferers are undoubtedly the people who have no power to resist. When Lu Bu's army approaches Langya County, countless people will inevitably die.

Zang Ba was very angry that Tao Qian looked down on him, but he held it back.

Tao Qian gave a few more instructions, and Zang Ba and Zhao Yu came out.

The two men didn't say anything else and went straight to the city wall.

Not far from the city gate, Cheng Lian rode on his horse, holding his sword at an angle, and shouted, "Everyone listen, those who surrender will not be killed, and those who resist stubbornly will be killed!"

Zang Ba swung his sword and said in a cold voice: "Grandpa Zang, just wait!"

"Zang Ba, go out of the city and fight!" Cheng Lian pointed directly at Zang Ba.

Zang Ba remained unmoved and looked into the distance.

Lu Bu rode a huge white horse, holding a long horse in his hand. He was taller than everyone else and was extremely eye-catching.

Zhao Yu's face was gloomy. He said, "Brother Zang, we will take turns to defend the city. We must not let Lu Bu break into it!"

Zang Ba turned to him and said, "I remember that Brother Zhao has some friendship with Cao Ren. Can you write a letter to him?"

Zhao Yu said: "I don't know where he is now."