The night was vast and Yanshan Mountain was vast. Zhang Ze sat motionless on the hillside, with an old face and the white hair on his temples trembled by the cold wind. His hands and feet were cold, and even the blood was cold, and he could not feel a trace of heat.

When Tian Chou sent people back to inform Xian Yufu to attack in advance, he felt the ominous, but he did not expect the result to be so tragic. The five thousand cavalry led by Xian Yufu and others were almost wiped out, and none of Xian Yufu and Tian Chou and others came back. It was probably a bad luck.

All of this was because of the appearance of the Armored Cavalry and the Euphorbia. This was the biggest accident and the only reason that could explain Liu He’s abnormal behavior. Liu He and Yuan Tan joined forces to do a game and deceived everyone. Yuan Tan refused to help, and Liu He would pretend to show it to them. In fact, it was Liu He who quietly covered Zhang He and others into Youzhou and lie in a suitable place.

Because of his personal grudge, Liu He ignored the national justice, and the strength of Youzhou was severely damaged. Not only did Zhuo County fall into Yuan Tan's hands, but Guangyang and Yuyang were all threatened. The cavalry lost all the losses, especially Gongsun Zan's death and the white horse righteousness was wiped out. This had a great impact on Youzhou's strength and no one could replace him in a short period of time.

However, Zhang Ze did not have time to regret it. What he had to consider now was how to clean up the mess. Zhuo County should not be lost. One-third of Youzhou's household registration is Zhuo County, and half of the cultivated land is Zhuo County. Zhuo County is the southern gate of Youzhou and the main granary. If Zhuo County is lost, Youzhou will not die, let alone the court's high hopes for the Yellow River.

The only hope now is Liu Bei, the prefect of Yuyang.

But Zhang was very hesitant. He didn't know whether it was a good or bad thing for the court to hand over the fate of Youzhou to Liu Bei. He could see that Liu Bei had ambitions, but he didn't know how great his ambition was, whether he would be a general or a prime minister, or a separatist? He regarded himself as the descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan, whether he wanted to revitalize his ancestors' glory, or to create a noble bloodline for himself so that he could win the world in the future?

Zhang Ze weighed the pros and cons, but finally decided to ask Liu Bei for help. He had no other choice except Liu Bei. If he wasted time, Yuan Tan would gain a foothold in Zhuo County and then annex the entire Youzhou in the future and join forces with the Hu people on the grassland, it would be more harmful to the court. Instead of leaving Youzhou to Yuan Tan, it would be better to hand it over to Liu Bei. The two of them fought each other, and the court would at least have a glimmer of opportunity.

"Shen Fu, you go to Yuyang again, no, go to Anchi first."

Zhong Shao was so cold that his mind was slow. The weather in Youzhou was so cold that it made people doubt his life, especially after the sun set, no matter how much clothes he wore, it was useless, and he didn't have any heat all over his body. I don't know how my grandfather persisted back then.

"Anji?"

Zhang Ze looked at Zhong Shao and felt helpless. "Do you think Liu Bei is such a stable person? Gongsun Zan has all his elite troops. He will definitely wait for news in the county. Once he knows that Gongsun Zan is dead, he will arrive at Anci as quickly as possible to receive Gongsun Zan's troops."

Zhong Shao reacted, nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice, and turned around and was about to leave, but Zhang Ze called him again. "Do you know what's happening now?"

"Please give me some advice."

"Youzhou must not fall into Yuan Tan's hands. Now the only one who can defeat Yuan Tan is Liu Bei."

Zhong Shao was stunned for a moment and nodded repeatedly. "I understand, I understand." He turned around and walked two steps, stung back again, his eyes wide open. "Eunuch, give Youzhou to Liu Bei? That's one..."

Zhang Ze raised his hand and signaled Zhong Shao not to say anything. "Wear more clothes and don't freeze. If your nose and ears are unconscious, don't touch them. Go quickly and be careful, I hope you won't encounter Yuan Tan's cavalry."

Zhong Shao left the position a little dizzy and got on the car. The two hundred knights arranged by Zhang Ze also turned over and protected Zhong Shao to set off. After the chaos, there were both defeated soldiers and scouts. Without cavalry protection, it was difficult for Zhong Shao to arrive in Anci safely and meet Liu Bei.

Seeing Zhong Shao gradually disappearing into the night, even the torches in the knight's hands were swallowed up by the darkness, Zhang Ze sighed and began to arrange military affairs. In addition to sending people back to Guangyang to inform the news and strengthen his defense, what he is most concerned about now is how to regain Zhuo County. Whether to enter Liangxiang or retreat to Guangyang is the problem that needs to be solved at present.

Du Kangting.

The army was rushing to the road, the sound of horse hooves, the sound of weapons hitting armor, the sound of people and horses kicking, and the sound of footsteps mixed together. The commanders and scouts shuttled back and forth like a lantern, sending messages to Yuan Tan. Yuan Tan tightly wrapped his cloak and looked at Zhuocheng in the distance, unable to suppress the joy in his heart.

Things went smoother than expected. Not only Zhang He and Yan Liang severely damaged the Youzhou army, but Liu He also died in battle and died with Gongsun Zan. For him, this was like handing over Zhuo County to his hands. Taking Zhuo County was like stepping into the gate of Youzhou with one foot and taking half of Youzhou's designated position. With this half of Youzhou, the people of Wuhuan, the Xianbei people could not refuse his invitation.

All of this was Ju Su's plan.

Yuan Tan glanced at the carriage parked by the roadside. The lights were on in the carriage. Ju Su was dealing with the continuous delivery of information. From time to time, a depressed cough came out. Yuan Tan was worried and tapped the car window. "Mr. Don't be too tired, take a break."

"Thank you, lord." Ju Su responded, followed by a sound of paper flipping. Yuan Tan shook his head, helpless. He knew that Ju Su could not rest now. The situation in Youzhou was complicated, and the messages sent by Zhang He and Yan Liang were all scattered, messy, and even wrong. If they could not analyze the truth and judge the situation in time, they would likely be in trouble.

At this time, the car door opened and a beam of light leaked out. Ju Su waved to Yuan Tan and signaled Yuan Tan to get on the car. Yuan Tan did not dare to be negligent, so he quickly got off the horse, got into the car, and then pulled up the car door. Ju Su leaned against the wall of the car, raised his head, and pondered. Yuan Tan did not say anything, waiting patiently. After a while, Ju Su took back his mind, his eyes with bloodshot eyes were bright and even a little excited.

"Lord, according to the existing news, it can be roughly determined that more than half of the cavalry in Youzhou have lost, and Zhang Ze's cavalry is very limited. He can attack and defend the city, but he does not have the ability to rush to attack for a long distance. Our food route is safe. The lord can now notify Zhongshan, Hejian, and Anping countries to transport some food as soon as possible. Then we can leave some people to stand by and withdraw the main force from Youzhou to reduce the pressure on transportation of baggage."

Yuan Tan nodded. "Who is better to keep?"

"Xun Yan or Gao Lan can do it, but the most suitable one is Zhang He. Youzhou is too cold, Zhang He is from Zheng County. He is the best adapted to this kind of weather and is familiar with the nearby terrain." Ju Su rubbed his hands and pointed to the information on the case. "The news sent by Zhang He is very accurate. This is a brave and resourceful person who can stand alone."

Yuan Tan frowned. "But the eleventh genitals are the personal guards, the elite who defeated the enemy."

"With the general taking over Zhuo County, no matter whether he stays in Hejian or returns to Yecheng, there will be no major war. The elliptical soldiers have no place to use their skills. On the contrary, after the White Horse Yicheng was injured, the elliptical soldiers were enough to shock the Youzhou army, and even Liu Bei dared not challenge Zhang He easily. The elliptical soldiers staying in Zhuo County can play a more effective role, which is also one of the more appropriate reasons why Zhang He is."

Ju Su looked around and wanted to find something, but he didn't find it. He reached out and picked up the kettle on the table and poured it into his mouth. He drank two sips of water, wiped the corners of his mouth with a towel, and then said, "Besides, Zhang He is from Jibei. He has made great contributions in Guandu and should be promoted long ago. However, the lord has lost his life and has no time to take care of it. Now is a good opportunity to use Zhang He alone to appease the family in Jibei and regain the hearts of people."

Yuan Tan suddenly realized and patted his thigh hard. "Your Majesty, you are so right, it's Zhang He."

"In addition, Yan Liang has made contributions and must be rewarded. He was transferred to serve as the prime minister of Hejian and was ready to reinforce Zhang He at any time."

Yuan Tan understood it. This was a good opportunity to poach Yan Liang from Yuan Xi's subordinates. Yan Liang made many achievements under Yuan Xi's command, but Yuan Xi's attention to him was obviously insufficient. The fundamental reason was that Yuan Xi was young, ignorant of the world, and had a strong temper; the second was that he remained unchanged in his style and had a natural contempt for warriors. He did not take Yan Liang seriously, so when He Yong went to say this, Yuan Xi let him go.

If Yuan Xi is appointed as the prime minister of Hejian, he will not think of letting Yan Liang turn back. Rewarding merits and rewards is also the power of his Jizhou governor.

Although Yuan Tan was happy, he was not overwhelmed. "Without Yan Liang, the situation in Qingzhou would probably be worse."

"The situation in Qingzhou will not change much for the time being. Although Cao Ang is married to Sun Ce, he will not agree that Sun Ce's troops will pass through Yanzhou. Sun Ce's alliance with Cao Ang had the intention of resting and recuperation. Since that's the case, Shen You and Taishi Ci's army are unlikely to break into Jizhou alone. Let Xian Yi bend for a while, and then exchange him back. Don't send someone." Ju Su stroked the beard under his jaw and pondered for a moment. "I'm worried that Sun Ce will use the advantages of the navy to enter Liaodong. Lord, you'd better send someone to contact Gongsun Du first, and don't let Sun Ce seize the opportunity. If you can convince Gongsun Du to form an alliance with us, that's of course it would be better. If you can't, at least you have to give Gongsun Du an extra choice and don't agree to Sun Ce easily."

Yuan Tan nodded repeatedly. "As far as the Duke and said, I will send someone immediately. How about Xu You?"

Ju Su thought for a while. "It's feasible, he should be very happy with the Liaodong Duobao goods."

Yuan Tan couldn't help but smile. The news of Xu You's greed for money is truly known.

"Not only Liaodong, but also Jiangdong, there are people. Gongsun Zan's son Gongsun Xu is by Sun Ce's side and finds a way to get Gongsun Xu back to compete for power with Liu Bei. We can't help but let Liu Bei take it. The court also sends people to the place. Regardless of whether the negotiation can be completed in the end, let it talk first. Of course, the matter in front of us should send people to contact Liu Bei, so that he can keep his troops as much as possible, and not attack Zhuo County. Even if he can't, he has to delay his time."

Yuan Tan was happy when he heard this. He considered everything and Ju Su. Ju Su also helped him consider it. Everything was fine and comprehensive. With Ju Su as a counselor, he was much more relaxed. I really don’t know why his father listened to Ju Su at the beginning and listened to Guo Tu. Although Guo Tu was loyal, he was still slightly inferior to Ju Su in terms of intelligence and talent, especially because his overall view was too far apart.

"Just follow the Duke and."

As the two were talking, a knight came to report to Zhuo County.

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Chapter completed!