Chapter 580 Lobbyist

Chapter 580 Lobbyist

Chapter 580 Lobbyist
Xia Pi (now north of Suining and south of Pizhou) has been the throat of the north and south and the strategic point of the east and west since ancient times.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, it was the State of Pi.

Zhang Liang once met Huang Shigong here.

When Han Xin was the King of Chu, his capital was Xia Pi.

This city is located at the confluence of the Yi and Si rivers and is surrounded by water on all sides, like an island.

As the grain transport industry gradually developed, Xia Pi's status gradually increased, and in the Ming Dynasty it became the seat of the Xuzhou governor.

However, Xia Pi has been an important town since the Han Dynasty, probably because it had three layers of city walls, which was extremely rare at the time.

The small city is located at the innermost side, with a circumference of about two miles. It is small but strong, and its walls are higher and thicker than those of the middle and outer cities.

The central city is about four miles in circumference and is guarded by Lu Bu.

The outer city has a circumference of twelve and a half li. Emperor Wu of Wei captured Lu Bu at Baimen, which is the gate of the outer city.

Not far to the south-west of Xia Pi there is a small city with a circumference of 370 steps, built by Shi Chong.

Six miles west of the city is Yiyang Mountain (also known as Geyi Mountain, now Qiu Mountain), on which a camp was built.

From a military perspective, even without the assistance of the navy, Xia Pi's defense facilities were very complete and difficult to attack.

Of course, wars are ultimately fought by people. No matter how strong a city is, it still needs people to defend it. The fighting will of the defenders is also crucial.

The combat quality of the more than 10,000 soldiers led by Zu Ti was average, and could only be described as mediocre.

So he wisely chose to defend, relying on the terrain advantage to wear down the attacking side's morale, which was a more pragmatic approach.

His old nest was in Huaiyin, the first stop when he went north. He gained the support of local scholars and powerful people, gathered refugees and bandits, built a furnace to smelt weapons, and reclaimed wasteland to meet military needs.

Now the main forces have all moved north, and Huaiyin has been taken over by others.

After the defeat in the first battle in Xiapibei, Zu Ti sent a report to Jianye for help. Sima Rui and Wang Dao came forward, and Dai Yuan and others from Yangzhou mediated. They also raised 1,000 soldiers from each of the five counties of Wu, Wuxing, Kuaiji, Dongyang, and Linhai, led by Ruan Fu, as backup.

But these five thousand soldiers did not come to support Zu Ti.

They were soldiers from powerful families and it was impossible for them to obey the Jianye Shogunate completely. In the end, they compromised and stationed in Huaiyin to guard the Huai River defense line - to guard the Yangtze River, one must also guard the Huai River, and this was what the Jiangdong powerful families were happy about.

In addition, the Jiangdong navy would go to Huaiyin and Xiapi from time to time to deliver supplies.

This is the situation that Sima Rui, Wang Dao and others achieved after their utmost efforts.

Shao Xun always felt that he was constrained internally, and others were actually the same, or even worse.

This is the trend of the times, there is nothing we can do about it.

In the afternoon, the sound of war drums in the north and west of the city became more and more frequent, and the cry of killing was deafening.

Zu Ti personally went to the top of the city wall and had a panoramic view of the whole situation.

About 3,000 Shao soldiers set out from the north of the city, built a pontoon bridge on the other side of the river north of the city, and attempted a wading attack.

During the bridge-building process, the defenders on the south bank of the river fired bows and crossbows from behind the earth wall, shooting the Shao soldiers, who were only protected by shields, to pieces. Countless of them screamed and fell into the river.

Teams of soldiers continued to advance from the Shao army camp in Hebei to replenish the casualties.

They even fought back with bows and arrows on the floating bridge, but were quickly suppressed. How big was the floating bridge? How many people could stand on it? In just one round of fighting, most of the archers were killed.

The battle lasted for more than an hour. For the defenders, it was almost a one-sided massacre. They had few casualties, but Shao's soldiers suffered hundreds of casualties.

Zu Ti did not pay much attention to the north of the city; he was focusing on the west of the city.

At the foot of Mount Yiyang, flags stood tall and drums and horns sounded.

Battalion after battalion of Shao's soldiers climbed the mountain trail and bravely charged at their own camp halfway up the mountain.

The casualties were of course huge as the enemy attacked the well-defended camp from the bottom of the mountain. However, the commander of the Shao army did not care about human lives at all and launched wave after wave of attacks.

The mountain path was littered with corpses, and the tree trunks were covered with twisted arrows.

Today is the fifth day of the attack on Mount Yiyang.

The earthen walls on the mountain road were breached, the arrow towers on high ground were demolished, and the trenches were filled in.

By this time, the two sides were already fighting below the camp. Anyone could see that Yiyang Mountain could not be defended for much longer.

Zu Ti then looked towards the area between Yiyang Mountain and Xia Pi.

The more than 3,000 defending infantrymen had just advanced one mile when they encountered the overwhelming cavalry of Shao's army.

The infantry retreated in a hurry and there was some confusion.

The cavalry was divided into several groups, and they took advantage of the infantry's panic to get close and shoot, further exacerbating the chaos.

Three thousand infantrymen ran to the bank of the Yi River crying and shouting.

The boats anchored on the river fired bows and crossbows, killing a group of cavalrymen who dared to approach, making them terrified and afraid to come near. Only then did they send people to gather the defeated soldiers.

More than 3,000 people went west, trying to reinforce the Yiyang Mountain camp more than four miles west of Yishui. However, they were blocked by Shao's cavalry. In just a short moment, nearly 1,000 people were killed or wounded, and only a little over 2,000 people escaped.

Zu Ti sighed.

At this point in the war, the direction of the war can basically be seen.

The combat strength of the more than 10,000 soldiers under his command was uneven. The stronger ones might be able to fight Shao Bing head-on, but most of them did not have this ability.

They could only hold their ground, using the numerous rivers and lakes and cities to gradually wear down Shao's soldiers' morale.

When morale drops, combat effectiveness also drops.

As it stands, Shao's army does not dare to cross the river and go south, but to attack from the south side of Xia Pi - they are worried about being cut off.

If they could only attack from one direction, they would have more manpower and it would be very convenient to defend across the river, thus maximizing the casualties to Shao's soldiers and weakening their morale.

The only pity was that the Yiyang Mountain in the west of the city could not be defended. He was inexperienced, overestimated the strength of his own soldiers, and underestimated the combat effectiveness of Shao's soldiers. After suffering this loss, he had to learn a lesson.

The sun gradually sets in the west.

After nightfall, Zu Yue retreated with hundreds of defeated soldiers and generals with the support of the navy, and Yiyang Mountain was declared lost.

Shao's army also stopped attacking, and the battlefield became quiet for a while.

******
There are more than a dozen thatched cottages dotted in the valley.

The bright moon is reflected on the river surface, making it sparkle.

The scholars with tall hats and wide belts walked unsteadily along the river bank in wooden clogs and with wine in hand.

There were several people lying in a disorderly manner on the grass, looking relaxed and chanting to themselves.

On the big bluestone, someone was leaning against a strong pine tree, playing the piano under the bright moon.

"Jingheng is here." Someone saw him and greeted him with a big laugh.

Hua Ji sighed, what a bunch of people!
At this moment, he suddenly realized that the world seemed to be in a state of chaos.

Most of the people in front of me are children of Xuzhou officials. They have official positions, but they often disappear for several days, ignoring government affairs and wandering outside.

How can you survive in troubled times if you act like this?
"There's war raging outside, Xi Daohui and Zu Shizhi have killed each other and the blood has flowed like a river, yet Taizhang, you still have the leisure to play the piano facing the moon. I really admire you." Hua Ji said unhappily.

Xun Zu stopped what he was doing, stood up from the bluestone, and looked up at the bright moon.

Hua Ji stood not far from him, waiting for him to speak.

"Is Jingheng here to be a lobbyist?" asked Xun Zu.

"That's right." Hua Ji did not hide it from him and said directly: "Shao's cavalry was killing people everywhere in Hebei and was unstoppable. For the sake of the family, I surrendered to him. The battle in Xuzhou was fierce, but Taizhang, you closed the door and did not help anyone. Fanyang Lu Zidao could not sit still, so he visited Pingyuan. My family was forced to no choice but to send me to the south overnight to persuade him."

Xun Zu was silent after hearing this. After a moment, he chuckled and said, "What does Pingyuan Hua's trouble have to do with me?"

"I don't care." Hua Ji started to act like a spoiled child, saying, "You are my brother-in-law, so you have to help me."

Xun Zu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He pointed at Hua Ji and said, "You, you..."

"Has Taizhang decided to serve the King of Langya?" Hua Ji looked at him doubtfully and asked.

Xun Zu stood solemnly under the moon among the pines with his hands behind his back, sighing in silence.

"It seems that Jianye has approached you, but you refused." Hua Ji nodded and said, "Since you have refused the recruitment of the King of Langya, you might as well surrender to Shao."

Xun Zu still didn't answer, but his brows were furrowed, revealing the confusion in his heart.

At this point, Hua Ji finally understood that his brother-in-law was really hesitating.

Perhaps at the beginning, he stood on the side of the court, closed the door and guarded himself, trying to protect Xuzhou for the emperor and prevent it from falling into the hands of any party.

But after Mi Huang, Zu Ti and Xi Jian fought fiercely in the counties and kingdoms of Xuzhou, he found it difficult to even remain neutral.

Both the North and the South continued to exert pressure, trying to influence his decision-making and make Pengcheng side with them.

At present, both sides were fighting in Xia Pi and had no time to deal with him. But once the victory or defeat was decided, it would be difficult to keep Pengcheng and it would definitely be captured by others.

"Jingheng, do you know why I have not made up my mind to surrender to Shao?" Xun Zu lowered his head, looked at Hua Ji, and said.

"Why?"

Xun Zu did not answer directly, but said to himself: "Pengcheng and Xiapi are both important towns in Xuzhou, but in comparison, Pengcheng is not as easy to defend as Xiapi. If Xi Jian leads his troops to besiege Pengcheng, I may not be able to hold it for long, at most one or two months."

"Shao Xun is from Xuzhou. When he married his wife, some powerful people in Xuzhou even sent him gifts from afar. Since the start of the war, there have been generals and officers who have repeatedly hinted to me that I can surrender the city to Shao."

"Xi Jian has many and sharp soldiers, while Zu Ti has few and weak soldiers. He can only hide in Xia Pi. Jianye's support for Zu Ti is sporadic. If the stalemate continues for a long time, Zu Ti will most likely not get any benefits, and Xi Jian is more likely to win."

"In addition, Xi Jian has conquered Yiyang Mountain to the west of Xia Pi City. The next step is to advance from the west of the city and attack Xia Pi."

Hua Ji's eyes widened, and he asked, "Given these points, why didn't Tai Zhang surrender to Shao?"

Xun Zu glanced at him and said, "I used to be an official in the court, and I know Shao Xun. This man is extremely domineering. He threatened the civil and military officials in the court with grain and was disrespectful to the emperor. He was also ambitious and attacked Gou Xi, which was tantamount to rebellion. He also asked for official positions for military men, established his own territory, and dominated power. Based on all these, Shao Xun is very ambitious and is not a good minister. I was forced by the situation to want to serve him, but I always felt uncomfortable in my heart and could not make up my mind."

The mentality of people like Xun Group is quite typical.

In terms of his personal values, life experiences, and character, he is more inclined to uphold the emperor's authority and be loyal to the court.

But he is not like those loyal ministers who are single-minded and loyal to the end - he is loyal, but not very much.

In addition, the rapid rise of nouveau riche like Shao Xun made him very uncomfortable.

In particular, Xun Zu could not stand his efforts to promote and employ humble scholars and even the sons of local tyrants, as well as to cultivate a group of military men, because this impacted his cognition for most of his life and shattered the beautiful things he thought were natural.

This subtle psychology prevented the Xun group from making a prompt decision and surrendering Pengcheng to Shao immediately. Although he knew very well that Shao Xun had a greater chance of winning, he just couldn't get over it in his heart.

To put it bluntly, the old-line aristocrats are resentful and even jealous of the rise of the peasant-like upstarts.

"Tai Zhang." After hearing what Xun Zu said, Hua Ji couldn't help but ask, "Do you think it's necessary for the Sima family to defend the world to the death? Besides, if you keep your integrity, your wife and children will suffer. Have you made up your mind to cross the river to the south?"

Xun Zu remained silent for a long time.

"That's all I have to say. Think about it carefully. I will visit my sister in a few days, and we will talk then." Hua Ji bowed and turned to leave.

Soon after returning to the ox cart, he began writing the letter.

One letter was sent to Yecheng and given to Lu Zidao.

One letter was sent to Xuchang and handed over to Mr. Chen for review.

At this time, a new group of lobbyists had traveled eastward from Pei State and were about to arrive in Xuzhou.

(End of this chapter)