He was as wise as Ju Su, and he never expected that the battle in Liaodong would be the result, so he didn't know how to explain it for a while.

Yuan Tan sighed even more, unable to hide his inner depression. Since Rencheng was captured, he has never underestimated Sun Ce anymore. He regards Sun Ce as the most difficult opponent, fearless and dares not slacken at all. But he found that he was still not enough. It doesn't seem to be true if he pacified Liaodong within ten days. Gongsun Du has been in Liaodong for several years and has always been domineering. How could he easily bow to Sun Ce?

"Isn't this... a misinformation?" Yuan Tan murmured to himself. Guo Tu did not experience the battlefield personally, maybe the news was wrong.

"It shouldn't be." Ju Su quickly calmed down, picked up Guo Tu's handwritten letter again, and read it again. "Why did Gongsun Du face Sun Ce in the Dashi? Where did Xu You go?"

Yuan Tan turned his head and looked at Ju Shu's eyes, feeling a little unhappy. When is it time to forget the party struggle?

Ju Su flicked the letter paper in his hand. "Justice, think about it carefully, especially time."

Yuan Tan turned his eyes and felt something was wrong. He turned around and ordered people to get the information he had received before, and compared it with the one he had just received, he immediately discovered the problem. From several time nodes, Gongsun Du returned to Xiangping and rushed to Dashi. Shen You rushed to the Dashi. He was defeated by Gongsun Du and asked for help from Sun Ce. Sun Ce gave up the plain and rushed to Dashi. A series of events were linked to it, and it was easy to find the problem: Gongsun Du arrived at Dashi so fast that it was unbelievable. There was only one explanation: he did not go out step by step, but the light army rushed and suddenly surrounded Dashi. The preparation time was very short, and it was far from enough, and he didn't even have time to prepare enough food.

It is a good thing to win by surprise, but if you don’t win by surprise, it is a disaster. The easiest problem is that food and supplies cannot keep up.

Ju Su pondered: "Gongsun Du probably underestimated the combat power of the Jiangdong Army. He failed in the decisive battle in the front and was cut off from the food route. He had to surrender. Alas..." Ju Su sighed and shook his head. "A arrogant soldier will be defeated. Gongsun Du has been invincible for many years, and it is inevitable that he underestimated the enemy. But he encountered an opponent like Sun Ce who had made complete plans. It is not impossible to be frustrated."

Yuan Tan still didn't give up. "Even if the battle was unfavorable, it wouldn't be surrendered at once, right?"

"The envoy, based on Sun Ce's habit of using troops, he will be himself. If he doesn't take action, he will be a continuous heavy blow. He will never die. Gongsun Du encountered Hu people who fought when they were profitable and dispersed when they were not good. He had never seen such an opponent. If he was not careful for a while, he would be difficult to reverse the situation. As the saying goes, those who were sold will be broken, while those who were bright will be easily defiled. Gongsun Du was arrogant and had no children. Once he was defeated, he would not be as good as others who could be wronged. If he did not see Gongsun Zan, he would rather commit suicide than escape."

Yuan Tan was deeply moved. "There are many martyrs in Yan and Zhao, so it is not a false statement."

"Yes, there are many martyrs in Yan and Zhao, but few wise men." Ju Su waved his hand, as if he drove away a few mosquitoes and flies. "These people are only warriors, not kings. Throughout history, who can achieve great things can rise to the top without setbacks? The envoy, Gongsun Du is not enough, Sun Ce took over Liaodong and solved the problem of shortage of war horses. This is the biggest trouble."

Yuan Tan was deeply moved, and his originally depressed mood also relieved a little. Yes, there are a few people who have accomplished great things that have not suffered setbacks. The one who can go to the end is often not the strongest, but the toughest. Emperor Gaozu of Han had lost several losses and lost his generals, and Emperor Guangwu also encountered the dilemma of his brother being killed and he could not even be sad, but they all gritted their teeth and persevered, so they had the opportunity to win the world.

He looked at Ju Su's calm eyes and was very grateful. There was indeed a different wise adviser.

Ju Su and Yuan Tan discussed it. Sun Ce occupied Liaodong and had a great impact on the situation in Youzhou. It was not only them who were threatened, but also Liu Bei. When Liu Bei received this news, he would take risks and strive to quickly seize Zhuo County and occupy the counties in the western part of Youzhou. The battle in Zhuo County is no longer possible, but inevitable, unless Yuan Tan gave up Zhuo County.

This is obviously impossible.

Ju Su spread out the map, repeatedly weighed the pros and cons, and finally proposed a plan: Sun Ce himself could not be stationed in Liaodong for a long time, so he would inevitably appoint a general as the prefect of Liaodong. Sun Ce was not very good at cavalry warfare, and even fewer could govern the people. He would probably appoint Taishi Ci as the prefect of Liaodong. In this way, the vassal states of Youbeiping, Liaodong and Liaodong lost their backbone. Gongsun Xu and Gongsun Fan were not worth worrying about. It was a good opportunity for the Wuhuan of the three counties to attack. If he could defeat Gongsun Fan and Gongsun Xu and occupy the three counties, he could also have a certain interference effect on Sun Ce's Youzhou strategy. If he could advance westward and attack Liu Bei, it would be better.

But there is a problem with the Wuhuan in the three counties, and there is no strong and powerful leader. The Wuhuan in the three counties originally took Qiu Liju as the leader. After Qiu Liju's death, his son Lou Ban was young, so he took over the affairs by his conquer Tadun. However, Tadun died in Guandu not long ago. The Wuhuan in the three counties had no leader and was already a mess. It was probably not a real threat, but it might be defeated by Taishici. If he wanted to gather the Wuhuan in the three counties, he should send someone to coordinate the major issues.

"It's a pity that Liu Gongheng is gone, otherwise he would be the most suitable candidate." Yuan Tan said, looking a little depressed. The Wuhuan in the three counties had a very good relationship with the Yuan clan, otherwise they would not have sent troops to assist Yuan Shao in the battle. However, when Guandu was defeated, Yuan Shao died and Tadun died, the connection between them would be weak. If Liu He did not die, he could still use Liu Yu's Yuze. Now that Liu He is also dead, he could no longer find a suitable candidate to contact Wuhuan in the three counties.

Originally, there was another person suitable: Yan Rou. Yuan Shao once helped Yan Rou kill Xing Ju, the captain of the Wuhuan, and his relationship was always good. However, Yuan Shao died, Liu Yu and Liu He also died one after another, and Yan Rou and Yuan Tan became distant. Not long ago, he attacked Yan Liang with Liu Bei, so he naturally could no longer use it now.

Ju Su recommended a person to engage in tricks.

Yuan Tan knew about Qian Zhao, but he did not expect that Ju Su would recommend Qian Zhao to take on this important task, so he was a little hesitant for a moment. Qian Zhao was from Guanjin County, Anping Kingdom. After Yuan Shao took over Jizhou, he turned Qian Zhao into his work and even asked him to take charge of Wuhuan cavalry, which was considered a respect, but there was a knot between Qian Zhao and Yuan Shao, which affected Yuan Shao's further trust and reuse of Qian Zhao.

Qianzhao was a disciple of Leyin, a great scholar in the same county. During the Zhongping period, Leyin was exterminated by General He Miao of the chariots and cavalry and went to Luoyang for office. Later, Dong Zhuo disrupted the government and He Miao and Leyin were killed. Wu Kuang, who killed He Miao and Leyin, was the party of Yuan Shao. In a sense, Leyin died indirectly under Yuan Shao. Qianzhao always wanted to avenge Leyin, and later killed a close minister of Yuan Shao who had participated in the matter. Although Yuan Shao did not punish him, he refused to really use him. He just praised him verbally, and soon deprived Qianzhao of his military power on the ground.

There is another reason why Yuan Shao refused to use Qianzhao: Qianzhao had a very good relationship with Liu Bei, and he could be called a friend. After Liu Bei rebelled against Yuan Shao, Qianzhao was also affected and he had no chance to lead troops independently. If the situation was not for the urgent situation this time, Yuan Tan would not have asked him to command the cavalry to save the plains, and this itself would have avoided the confrontation between Qianzhao and Liu Bei.

The three counties are separated by Yuyang and Youbeiping between Wuhuan and Jizhou. The challenge is equivalent to breaking away from Yuan Tan's control and taking another part, which is undoubtedly very dangerous.

Seeing Yuan Tan's expression of confusion, Ju Su said, "Qian Zhao has always been upset because of Le Yin's death. However, Wu Kuang died, and the person involved in the matter was killed by him. Now even Ling Zun has passed away. This matter can be put aside. Qian Zhao has something to do with Liu Bei, but he is a loyal and righteous person and will not harm the public for personal gain. I, Ju Su, wishing to guarantee my wealth. Qian Zhao is both wise and brave, and is familiar with the customs of Wuhuan. I will be able to contribute to the Wuhuan in three counties."

Seeing that Ju Su was willing to guarantee his wealth, Yuan Tan was not easy to refuse. He also knew that it was an extraordinary time and it was worth taking some risks. He accepted Ju Su's suggestion and sent someone to summon him to the Wuhuan in the three counties.

Qianzhao was surprised when he received the order, but he said nothing, and then set off with dozens of sects.

A few days later, Yuan Tan received the news that Liu Bei withdrew to Zhuo County, recruited civilians all the way, and collected all the nearby counties. It was obvious that it was a strong wall and clearing the countryside, and that Yuan Tan would not have any chance to obtain supplies.

Soon, Guan Yu also withdrew from Yi County and retreated to Fan Yang. At Ju Su's request, the scouts noticed that the battle flags of Taishi Ci, Gongsun Xu and Yan Rou were gone, and Zhao Yun led the cavalry to assist Guan Yu.

Yuan Tan knew that everything was as Ju Su expected. Liu Bei was determined to take Zhuo County, and this battle was inevitable. But he was not in a hurry. Zhang He's injuries gradually recovered, and Liu Bei's plundering also made the family of Zhuo County disgusted him. The possibility of internal and external cooperation with Liu Bei was extremely low. Before the food was cut off, the possibility of Zhuo County being broken by Liu Bei was not high. He prepared step by step, sent people to transport grain and grass, collect reeds on the Yishui River, and prepare various winter supplies. It was not until a month later that the grain and grass allocated by Tian Feng arrived, and Yuan Tan brought his men and horses to Zhuo County again, forcing Fan Yang step by step. He walked for less than a hundred miles. He walked for five days and did not give Guan Yu any chance to attack.

Guan Yu sent Liu Bei a message, then closed the city gate tightly and acted as if he was determined. Yuan Tan was not polite, and lived in the city of Fan Yang, creating siege equipment, and preparing to attack the city. Although Fan Yang was not a county governor and his city defense was not as strong as Zhuo County, it was also an ancient city. It was always in the Spring and Autumn Period. King Zhao of Yan once built a golden platform here to attract talents from all over the world, which was comparable to ordinary county towns. Guan Yu set up a formation here to block Yuan Tan, and was also doing his best to make the land. It was not easy for Yuan Tan to break through Fan Yang, so he could only siege the city step by step and build military equipment, and at the same time monitored Liu Bei's every move, so that Liu Bei could not attack the city with all his strength.

Liu Bei came to rescue tentatively, but Yuan Tan was unwilling to have a direct contact with him, so he immediately led his troops to retreat. Seeing this, Liu Bei knew that there was no hope of quick victory, so he had to grit his teeth and patiently surround Zhuo County to prepare for a long-term confrontation.

Neither side was willing to retreat first, and prepared for the battle, waiting for the other party to reveal their flaws and decide the outcome.

At the end of November, Zhuo County ushered in the first heavy snowfall in winter, and the real test began.
Chapter completed!