"Guo Jia thinks that ceding land and paying tribute are not the most important things. The most important thing is that the Han Dynasty can confer titles like Kings and Marquises. {}..{}
Right now, the Prefecture Overseer's territory was enough for the time being, and his official position had also reached the peak of being a minister. The only thing he lacked was the title of nobility. Although the Prefecture Overseer could fight for it himself from the Han Dynasty, it would be more justifiable for him to hand it over to Liu Dai.
At the same time, Liu Dai's conditions do not represent our side's wishes. When the two sides reach an agreement, the Prefecture Overseer will have the final say. When the time comes, whether it is large amounts of money or land, the Prefecture Overseer will have a way to make it difficult for Liu Dai to grow stronger.
Moreover, even if the two sides reach an agreement, if the Prefecture Overseer does not want to let Liu Dai fulfill his promise, it will be easier for him to take Puyang City. Perhaps there is no need to do it in the name of the Prefecture Overseer.
The Prefecture Overseer's situation has been good since the start of the war. Although it is a pity to agree to Liu Dai's conditions, if we attack Puyang City now, Liu Dai knows that he will not be able to survive and will lead his troops to fight to the death. At that time, we will not be able to avoid some losses.
It is better to agree to Liu Dai's conditions first and then capture him when he slacks off. Now that we have a reason, attacking Liu Dai is just a matter of time.
Actually, leaving Liu Dai behind could also serve as a check on others. Now that the Prefecture Overseer had seized so much of Yan Province, he would have to split it with Governor Qiao Mao and Governor Ding Yuan. At that time, if the two of them grew stronger, it might not be a bad thing to have Liu Dai keeping them in check. As the saying goes, one must always guard against others!
Guo Jia thought to himself, "That's right. It is more practical to first obtain some benefits from Liu Dai. In the current situation. As long as the conditions are not too outrageous, Liu Dai will agree to them.
Of course, we still have to send troops to Puyang City. When our troops arrive, it will be more advantageous for the negotiations, and it will be easier for Liu Dai to make an agreement … "
Facing their questioning gazes, Guo Jia took the initiative to explain. When he made this suggestion, he was already prepared.
"Military Advisor's words are not without reason, but Military Advisor will have to think about how to make the agreement …" Zhang Ning said.
"Military Advisor's words are reasonable. It would be a pity to give up on attacking Liu Dai … "Zhang Liao said.
"Yes, that's true …" Wu Anguo agreed.
“.....”
After hearing Guo Jia's words, they began to discuss among themselves. Only Gao Shun listened quietly and did not speak again.
Although they couldn't immediately reach an agreement, judging from their expressions and words, they had more or less recognized Guo Jia's identity as the military counselor. They even helped Yang Rui to win over Guo Jia. Yang Rui had already sensed this.
The strategists and generals could communicate and coordinate with each other objectively. This was undoubtedly a very good atmosphere, and Yang Rui was also happy to see it happen. Therefore, he was not in a hurry to speak.
Yang Rui was used to Gao Shun's lack of words. Just like before, if Gao Shun had any specific ideas or information of his own, he would definitely say it. The fact that Gao Shun didn't say much at this moment could only mean that his suggestions weren't mature yet.
"I understand what you all have seen. Why don't we temporarily lead the army to Puyang City and make a decision on the way there?"
"As my Lord (Lord Governor) commands!"
“.....”
After discussing for a while, Yang Rui finally stepped forward and decided to lead the army to Puyang City first before discussing how to respond to Liu Dai's request to surrender. Guo Jia's original intention was to approach Puyang City first and force Liu Dai to sign the agreement.
In truth, Yang Rui himself hadn't made up his mind. Whether to kill Liu Dai or to reap the benefits, both plans had their own advantages.
Therefore, Yang Rui first reorganized the army and set out the next morning, heading straight for Puyang City. There were only 20000 Fourth Grade Yellow Turban Soldiers left behind in Guan County to guard the city and the captured Liu Dai soldiers.
Since the start of the war with Liu Dai, Yang Rui's two armies had captured over 20000 of Liu Dai's subordinates. It was inconvenient to bring these prisoners along, so Yang Rui decided to leave some soldiers behind to guard Guan County.
In truth, Liu Dai's forces around Guan County had already been cleaned up, and there was no one left who could pose a threat. Therefore, Yang Rui's soldiers were left behind to guard the prisoners.
Yang Rui's two hundred and seventy to eighty thousand strong army traveled swiftly without any obstructions from Liu Dai's forces. Two days later, they had arrived near Puyang City. After another half a day, they had forced the city to descend into a fortified camp. Yang Rui then sent an envoy to the city.
"Governor, Lord Blazing Sun has ordered this humble servant to deliver a letter and deliver a message on behalf of Lord Blazing Sun. He hopes that Governor will be able to fulfill his conditions within one day."
Yang Rui and Guo Jia had a lot of conversations on the way to Puyang City. After asking Guo Jia about the details of his plans, Yang Rui accepted Liu Dai's suggestion without any hesitation.
It didn't matter whether it was Guo Jia's conditions for compensation or the specific terms of Liu Dai's conditions, they were all very clever. Guo Jia had even left two or three traps for Liu Dai. If Yang Rui ever wanted to attack Liu Dai again, it would be much easier for him to do so.
Under such circumstances, Yang Rui was naturally willing to accept Liu Dai's surrender. It just depended on whether Liu Dai would accept his conditions.
The messenger was none other than the ordinary Fourth Grade Yellow Turban Soldier, Shuan Zhuzi.
After so many battles, Shuan Zhuzi had become much more mature from his initial youth. In particular, the aura he exuded was something he couldn't compare to in the past. It was the same even when he was facing the provincial governor, Liu Dai.
Shuan Zhuzi remembered the military advisor's instructions and tried his best to speak in a tone that was neither servile nor overbearing. While he gave ample respect to Liu Dai's tone, he didn't try to flatter Liu Dai. From the fact that he dared to meet Liu Dai's gaze. One could clearly see Shuan Zhuzi's courage when facing Liu Dai!
Liu Dai hurriedly took the letter from Shuan Zhuzi's hands. He tore open the letter and read it in front of Shuan Zhuzi.
It was no wonder Liu Dai was behaving in such a manner. This was the most difficult time for him, especially after Yang Rui's troops indiscriminately surrounded Puyang City. He even suspected that the letter of surrender had not been delivered to Yang Rui's hands.
When he heard that Yang Rui had sent a messenger into the city, Liu Dai let out a sigh of relief. He knew that there was still room for negotiation. He even guessed that Yang Rui had chosen to surround Puyang City to increase his bargaining chip.
However, when Liu Dai opened Yang Rui's letter, his expression turned darker and darker. In the end, it was so dark that it couldn't be dissolved!
How could this governor still be negotiating? The conditions he proposed were no different from asking for his life!
"So it's like this …"
After reading Yang Rui's conditions, Liu Dai wanted to tear up the letter on the spot. However, just as he was about to curse and throw the letter to the ground, he realized that the messenger was still in front of him. As such, Liu Dai forcefully suppressed his impulse and stopped halfway through his sentence.
If this were any other time, Liu Dai would have never felt so cowardly. However, he had no choice but to swallow his anger. Then, he even smiled apologetically at the soldier who delivered the letter.
The enemy was already at the city gates. What could he, Liu Dai, do?
"You may reply to Lord Blazing Sun. Please allow me, Liu Dai, to consider for half a day … "
Liu Dai also noticed that the messenger soldier was not at all intimidated, even though he was only Fourth Grade. His tone was methodical, and there was not a single hint of discomfort in it. Moreover, no one could find anything wrong with his words.
Liu Dai even suspected that this messenger was a high-grade general or strategist. However, no matter how he looked at it, the messenger was still a Fourth Grade soldier. With a soldier like this, how could they possibly lose a battle?!
Liu Dai's current state of mind was already affected. He felt that he could not compare to Yang Rui in any aspect.
Not only did Shuanzhu Zi leave the city to reply to Yang Rui, but after Yang Rui had surrounded Puyang City, Qiao Mao, who was originally at the southern bank of the Yellow River, crossed the river with the help of the Green River ships and found Yang Rui.
In truth, before Yang Rui's army arrived, Qiao Mao's troops could have started crossing the river. However, Qiao Mao only had less than fifty thousand troops left, while Liu Dai had over a hundred and fifty thousand soldiers defending Puyang City. From the bottom of his heart, Qiao Mao did not have the courage to face Liu Dai alone.
"Lord Governor is truly brave. We have taken Dingtao City. The Green River soldiers have already taken over a dozen cities. Qiao Mao is far inferior! Qiao Mao admires you! "
Qiao Mao was indebted to Yang Rui for saving his life, so he praised Yang Rui the moment they met.
"Dingtao City is strong. Brother Yuanwei was able to take it, and that is enough to show your strength. Moreover, because Dingtao City was surrounded, a large number of Liu Dai's troops were tied down. This is also a great achievement for Yuanwei … "
Yang Rui held Qiao Mao's hand and sat down, while also praising Qiao Mao's achievements.
After being in the game for so long, Yang Rui still had some insights from interacting with NPCs. Thinking about it from another perspective, how could these insights not be applicable in real life?
"Lord Governor's army has arrived. Qiao Mao also has forty to fifty thousand soldiers. Why don't we start the siege now?" After the two exchanged pleasantries, Qiao Mao spoke again.
Qiao Mao had a feud with Liu Dai, so he was very eager to take over Puyang City.
"Brother Yuanwei, don't be anxious. Puyang City is not like other cities. Its moat is wide and its walls are sturdy. Even if we have the advantage in numbers, I'm afraid it will be difficult to take down in a short period of time. Why don't I lead the soldiers to surround the city while Brother Yuanwei leads the troops to eliminate Liu Dai's forces in the East County?
The East County was originally Brother Yuanwei's old home. Now, we can use this opportunity to restore Brother Yuanwei's reputation. Even if we are unable to take down Puyang City, we can still weaken Liu Dai's foundation to the greatest extent … "
Yang Rui had already prepared a response to Qiao Mao's urging. Moreover, these words were very much to Qiao Mao's liking, so Qiao Mao quickly agreed.
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