The fall of Handan City was destined.
The defender Jiang Qi did not know this at first.
He was sure that he could hold Handan City.
But after he observed the siege launched by the imperial army, he knew that Handan City could not be held.
Even if Even though the strength of the defenders was no less than that of the imperial army, the city still couldn't be defended because the fighting strength and fighting will of the two sides were really not on the same level.
The imperial siege army had clear rules and regulations for the siege.
First, large-scale trebuchets fired stone bombs to attack, causing the morale of the defenders to drop to the lowest point in the shortest time.
The extensive use of these trebuchets and firing frequency are things the guards have never experienced before.
With Yuan Jun's military quality, no one can take such a blow calmly.
Secondly, the siege soldiers are all strong and agile, and are very familiar with using siege ladders to climb the city wall.
These soldiers are like apes climbing on the siege ladders without any fear or scruple.
They quickly climbed towards the city wall as if no one else was around.
Even if arrows were shot or stones were thrown from the city wall, they did not care, or blocked or dodged with extremely easy means, and then continued to climb quickly.
In the eyes of these soldiers, the three-foot-high city wall seemed to have no height at all, as if they were walking on flat ground.
The city wall defense was broken through so easily by the siege army.
How could the city be defended?
Not only the combat power, but also the fighting will of both sides were not on the same level.
This was the reason why Handan City could not defend even the first wave of attacks.
Jiang Qi surrendered to Liu Cheng very bachelorly.
He surrendered without any reluctance.
In front of such an army, there is really nothing to be ashamed of in defeat.
The remaining 9,000 defenders in the city surrendered with him.
Liu Cheng did not dislike Jiang Qi and the more than 9,000 troops under his command.
Cannon fodder was needed anytime and anywhere, and these people could just be used as cannon fodder.
In the Grand Administrator's Mansion in Handan City, Liu Cheng was sitting on the main seat, and Jiang Qi was kneeling in the middle of the hall, with military generals and civil servants standing on both sides.
Liu Cheng raised his hand to Jiang Qi: "General Jiang was able to wake up in time and pull back from the brink, leading the entire city's soldiers and civilians to surrender to the imperial court, and saving 100,000 people in Handan.
The people should be grateful to you.
As the saying goes, he who knows the current affairs is a hero.
It’s people like the general, general, please call him up.”
"Your Majesty is ridiculous.
Although the last general is a prefect and general appointed by the Yuan family, he also uses the taxes paid by the people as salary.
How can he not care about the life and death of the people?
From now on, all the soldiers and civilians of Handan City, Including the last general, they all obey the king's orders."
Jiang Qi stood up and said modestly.
Liu Cheng smiled and said: "The general is a famous general in Hebei.
This time the court will rely on the general to quell the rebellion in Jizhou.
I plan to lead the army north in the near future.
I also asked the general to accompany him with his troops for assistance and guidance.
General, please don’t refuse.”
Jiang Qi's heart was filled with chills.
He didn't expect that just two days after surrendering, Liu Cheng asked him to lead his troops to join the battle to attack Jizhou.
This would have been impossible for any prince to do, but Liu Cheng He just did it.
He knew that Liu Cheng had confidence in his heart.
He was not worried at all that he would dare to rebel, nor would he worry about whether he dared to work hard or not.
As long as he dared to have the slightest idea of subverting the law, all the people waiting for him would be executed. .
Free novels bring you joy and joy ---> storyskyline.net
Jiang Qi had no choice but to clasp his fists and agree: "I will obey my orders in the end."
Two days later, Liu Cheng left 2,000 men to guard Handan, of which 1,000 were imperial troops and another 1,000 were surrendered Yuan troops.
He led the army to carry on.
All the cities in the State of Zhao, large and small, were very frightened when they received the news that Liu Cheng personally led an army of 50,000 to attack.
One by one, the cities surrendered.
Wherever Liu Cheng led his army, he would accept them without even a single soldier.
In the city, in just seven or eight days, the entire Zhao Kingdom surrendered.
Liu Cheng led his army to rest and rest in Xiangguo County.
Xiangguo County is located to the northwest of Julu City.
Sending troops from here can completely cut off the connection between Julu City and Yuan Shao, and cut off the reinforcement of Julu City.
When Yan Liang, who was stationed in Julu City, received the news, he was very nervous and anxious.
On the one hand, he sent someone to report the current situation to Yuan Shao and request instructions; on the other hand, he actively made preparations to retreat at any time.
Yan Liang knew very well that if Yuan Shao did not send reinforcements, he would not be able to withstand it.
Zang Hong's troops in the south had not gone far, and Liu Cheng's troops were watching from the northwest.
If these two men rushed towards Julu City at the same time, How can he resist Within two days, Liu Cheng sent a partial division north to attack the Zhongqiu and Bai people, while he led the main army eastward to attack Ren County.
Ren County only had a few hundred defenders.
How could they withstand Liu Cheng's tens of thousands?
army Liu Cheng's troops were still dozens of miles away from Ren County, so the county magistrate led a group of officials and people out of the city to greet them and presented them with the magistrate's seal and government account books over the years.
Liu Cheng accepted the official seal and account books as a matter of course.
The army did not enter the county seat and camped outside the city.
After the news reached Julu, Yan Liang had not received a reply from Yuan Shao at this time.
He couldn't wait anymore and sent a letter to Yuan Shao again, informing Yuan Shao that he had to lead his army to evacuate Julu City.
The letter was sent out.
After that, Yan Liang immediately led his people to evacuate Julu City, and more than 15,000 troops retreated to Anping County.
Zang Hong, who was not far to the south, was preparing to lead his army back to Hanoi to prevent Cao's army from crossing the river and attacking Hanoi.
However, he received an order from Liu Cheng at this time, telling him not to retreat south.
There would naturally be people to deal with Cao's army, so there was no need for him to worry.
Only one day later, he received news that Yan Liang was leading his army to evacuate to the northeast.
He immediately sent troops to occupy Julu City, and then all the main forces moved to Julu.
Ren County, camp outside the city.
Apart from Liu Cheng, there was only Han Guang, the commander of the Shadow Guard Division, in the tent.
During wartime, the Shadow Guard Division has always had the strongest military intelligence collection efficiency and capabilities.
In this regard, neither the Secret Camp nor the Bronze Mirror Division can compare.
The secret camp's intelligence collection capabilities are specialized in political, economic, and social forms, while the Bronze Mirror Division's main focus is on internal monitoring.
The three intelligence systems under Liu Cheng each have their own strengths and weaknesses. , but they also have other intelligence-gathering abilities, but these intelligence-gathering abilities are not as good as their own duties.
"There are ongoing debates within Yuan Shao.
Some people advocate dividing the troops, leaving some troops to confront Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao in the north, while the remaining troops go south to fight the king.
As long as the king is defeated, the morale of the two armies in the north will inevitably be unstable.
It’s only a matter of time before we defeat them.”
"Several other counselors under Yuan Shao believe that they need to leave a small number of troops to guard the north to defend Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao, and concentrate their forces for a decisive battle with the king.
At present, Yuan Shao has not made a decision."
Liu Cheng understood that it was not unreasonable to contain Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao with a small number of troops.
This method was highly maneuverable.
First of all, there were two armies in the north.
The soldiers and horses commanded by Zhang Liao were all cavalry and did not have the ability to attack the city; Zhao Yun The commander had only more than 20,000 soldiers and horses, more than one-third of whom were cavalry, and there were not many infantry available for siege.
Free novels bring you joy and joy ---> storyskyline.net
It can be said that as long as Yuan Jun's fighting will is strong enough, only 10,000 people can contain Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao.
However, these people can only be like a lone boat, destined to be besieged without any chance to break out.
Liu Cheng looked at the map, pondered for a while, and asked, "Where is Yan Liang's army now?"
Han Guang replied: "Yan Liangbu is now in Nangong."
Liu Cheng found the location of Nangong on the map, thought for a while and said: "Okay, please step back.
If there is any new news, please report it in time."
"Yes, Your Majesty" After Han Guang left, Liu Cheng held his chin and walked around in front of the map, but his eyes never left for a moment.
He stopped and said: "Come here, send an order to Han Hao, let him march eastward, capture Ganling and then Send troops north to capture Tobu."
Two days later, Liu Cheng sent his troops northward and captured Litao, the headquarters of Julu County, within a few days.
Yuan Shao's officials fled eastward one after another, and the troops led by Zang Hong also quickly captured Ganling, the military headquarters of Qinghe.
The news reached Yi Jing, and Yuan Shao had to make a difficult decision after hearing the report.
He left Wen Chou and an army of 10,000 men to defend Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao in the north, and directly led an army of 50,000 people to quickly go south.
Litao, the prefect's mansion in Julu County.
Liu Cheng listened quietly to Han Guang's report, "So Yuan Shao still took the advice of a group of counselors and left only 10,000 people to contain Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao.
He personally led an army of 50,000 to kill this king."
Come" "Yes" "Where is Yuan Shao's army currently?"
Han Guang replied: "As soon as Yuan Shao's army moved, our spies immediately learned about it.
According to Yuan's army's marching speed, they are probably near Gaoyang at this time."
The next day, Liu Cheng's army set off from Litao and marched towards Fuliu.
Three days later, Fuliu City was captured, and then Liu Cheng captured Zhang County without stopping.
Yan Liang, the defender of the Yuan Army who had retreated to Xindu, tried to send troops to recapture Fuliu City and cut off the supply line of Liu Cheng's army, but then Zang Hong's troops went north and captured Guangchuan, which forced Yan Liang to give up this plan.
And quickly evacuated from Xindu and retreated to Wuyi.
Zang Hong did not stop.
He first captured Xiuxian County, and then captured Gonggao in the northwest of Xiuxian County.
Yan Liang, who was stationed in Wuyi, was like a stick in his throat, but he did not dare to act rashly.
On his left was Liu.
The 50,000-strong army formed, and on the right was Zang Hong's army.
In 200 AD, Liu Cheng sent a partial division to capture Xiaba northwest of Wuyi.
At this time, Yan Liang couldn't sit still anymore.
If he didn't take action, he would be cut off from all reinforcements by the imperial army and trapped in Wuyi.
He responded quickly and led his army to attack Zang Hong's army. .
But just when Zang Hong was about to lead his army to fight, Yan Liang suddenly turned his troops and headed in the direction of success.
Anping, Yuan Jun's temporary camp.
"My lord, Liu Cheng's army has captured Zhang County.
Zang Hong's troops are currently in Gonggao.
According to the latest news, General Yan Liang has successfully retreated," Shen Pei reported to Yuan Shao.
An official immediately asked Yan Liang: "Why has General Yan Liang been retreating?
Ever since he suffered a loss at the hands of Zang Hong, he seemed to have been frightened to death.
He retreated again and again.
He has retreated successfully.
Is it possible that he still retreated?"
I can’t retreat to Nanpi” Xin Ping stood up and said something on behalf of Yan Liang: "My lord, General Yan Liang is by no means a timid person.
His subordinates thought that he must have a deep meaning in doing this.
Now we have heavy troops stationed in Yangxin, Chonghe, Dongguan, and Gaocheng areas. , General Yan Liang's successful retreat is equivalent to closing the last door to Nanpi City, and the surrounding areas of Nanpi are as good as gold."
Yuan Shao walked to the map and looked at it and said: "So our army has no worries and can concentrate on dealing with Liu Cheng's army."
Free novels bring you joy and joy ---> storyskyline.net
"Exactly" Xin Ping agreed.
Yuan Shao thought over and over again and ordered: "Come here, order the army to set off south tomorrow for a decisive battle with Liu Cheng's army."
Tian Feng immediately stood up to stop him: "My lord, you can't.
Now the imperial army is coming fiercely and unstoppably.
Jizhou is my lord's territory.
Why not fight with Liu Cheng to the end?
It's not advisable to fight Liu Cheng so eagerly."
Yuan Shao was already very dissatisfied with Tian Feng.
Every time he made a decision, Tian Feng had to stand up and stop him.
And every time he stopped him, it turned out that Tian Feng was right.
This made him lose face as the lord. put He said angrily: "What are you talking about?
Liu Chengdu has almost robbed all my territory in Jizhou.
What can I do with them this afternoon?
Do you need to support an army of 100,000 people without food, grass and money?
You said it nicely.
You can try to be this lord." " Tian Feng quickly raised his hands and said, "I don't dare."
"Humph" Yuan Shao completely ignored Tian Feng's suggestion and led his troops south the next day to prepare for a decisive battle with Liu Cheng.
Until Yuan Shao led his troops to the vicinity of Zhang County, Liu Cheng's army had not moved even half a step.
It was not until his 50,000 troops appeared thirty miles away from Zhang County that Liu Chengcai led his army out of the city to fight.
Liu Cheng had already planned to choose Zhangxian to fight Yuan Shao's army because he planned to take advantage of the wide plains here to take advantage of cavalry tactics.
In order to prevent his flanks from being raided, Yuan Shao sent a partial division to attack Liu Cheng's partial division, and at the same time located his grain, grass and baggage warehouse in Raoyang.
Yuan Shao did not attack Liu Cheng's army immediately.
The army hurriedly came south from Yijing to Anping.
The soldiers were already tired and needed time to rest and restore their strength and morale.
On the one hand, Yuan Shao sent people to inquire about the movements of Liu Cheng's army, and on the other hand, he sent people to urge Nanpi to escort grain and grass in preparation for a big fight with Liu Cheng's army.
A few days later, Gao Lan was ordered to lead an army to attack Xiabo.
The man stationed at Xiabo was Liu Cheng's general Yang Ru.
Yang Ru is a veteran.
Although he has no outstanding military exploits, he is cautious, calm and good at defense.
Yuan Shao planned to send Gao Lan to lead his army to capture Xiabo, so that he could carry out a flanking attack on Liu Cheng's Zhang County.
However, although Yang Ru lacked offensive command ability, he was a good player in defense.
The next wave is defended like an iron barrel.
Gao Lan's army attacked for several days without being able to shake Xia Bo in the slightest.
At this time, Liu Cheng and Yuan Shao had been facing off for several days
.
: