Chapter 223: The Living Xiao He
Before returning to Hefei, Li Yuanhui discussed with his staff about taking over Pei County and the Huaibei area under Xuzhou, including Huaiyin, so as to form a strategic buffer zone with Wagang and avoid the enemy from directly attacking the banks of the Huai River when a conflict breaks out.

However, due to the advice of Yang Sui and Cui Xiaotong, Zhai Rang dispatched troops with extraordinary decisiveness, quickly captured dozens of counties in the three prefectures of Langya, Donghai and Xia Pi, and drove the Xuzhou rebel army led by Liu Yuanqing to Pei County.

Zheng Shandao did not expect the other side to act so quickly. Such a situation happened before the 3,000 county soldiers he sent out arrived in Pei County. Fortunately, the county magistrate Lou He, who commanded the troops, saw that the core area of ​​Pei County had been occupied by the Xuzhou rebels, and that the 3,000 troops would be in danger. So he made a prompt decision and led the army by water along the Wo River and occupied Qiao County, which was Cao Cao's hometown.

Qiao County is the junction of Xuzhou and Yuzhou. Going south along the Wo River is Zhongli, which was one of the five capitals during the Cao Wei period.

Lou He immediately sent a military report to the governor Zheng Shandao and the governor's office in Hefei, informing them of the situation.

After receiving the intelligence, Li Yuanhui went directly to Zhongli, intending to command nearby and take over the situation in Xuzhou more quickly.

Because he was accompanied by many people, Li Yuanhui did not go to Zhongli County, but stayed in Huangjue Temple.

The old abbot of Huangjue Temple came to greet them personally and vacated many courtyards in the temple for Li Yuanhui and his personal guards.

Li Yuanhui himself did not believe in Buddhism, but once he entered the temple, he still had to burn incense sticks and pay some incense money, as if it were room money.

After staying in the temple for more than half a month, the situation in the north miraculously stabilized.

This scene even made Li Yuanhui doubt whether this Liu Yuanqing was supported by Wagang?

He made a big fuss in Xuzhou, and all his territory was taken away by Zhai Rang, and then he fled to Pei County. If all this was really planned by Wagang, then we can only say that there is a master behind the scenes.

This move was beautifully played.

If it wasn't planned by Wagang, then Zhai Rang should be paid more attention to.

He was so decisive in his actions that he took over most of Xuzhou in less than a month, and he also played the game of keeping the enemy at bay to protect himself. This method even Li Yuanhui thought was impressive.

However, in this way, the three forces in Xuzhou directly formed a delicate balance.

The governor of Xuzhou, Pei Minzhi, occupied the provincial capital of Xuzhou and the core area of ​​Pengcheng. The Xuzhou rebel Liu Yuanqing already had more than 100,000 followers, but was no match for the tempered Wagang Army.

Zhai Rang of the Wagang Army personally led tens of thousands of troops to gather in Xia Pi, and Shan Xiongxin stationed thousands of troops in Lu County, which is between Pengcheng and Xia Pi.

It seemed that they had already controlled most of Xuzhou and could advance to Pengcheng at any time.

The initiative in Xuzhou was entirely in the hands of the Wagang Army, and this situation was a huge headache for Li Yuanhui.

Although there has been good news in Guanzhong, this good news may not be good for Jianghuai.

Once my father and brothers enter Chang'an, they will basically turn against Luoyang.

By then, Jianghuai will be surrounded by enemies.

So before this can happen, there must be enough strategic space, as well as the manpower and resources to resist a siege.

Therefore, Li Yuanhui immediately came up with a bold idea.

If the Xuzhou rebels did not rebel against Wagang, it would mean that these people could not stand the oppression and were fighting for their lives.

If this is the case, then you can try to recruit these people for your own use.

There are not many forces in the world today that can produce a large amount of food at once and support more than 100,000 people.

JAC is one of them.

First of all, Huainan is a large plain with a well-developed water area and a land of fish and rice. In addition, Li Yuanhui has been cultivating military farms in recent years and has accumulated a large amount of grain.

The most acute contradiction of this era was the problem of food. Not all the people who revolted were those who could not afford food, but the vast majority of them did so because they could not afford food.

Therefore, if we solve the food problem, we can solve most problems.

Liu Yuanqing now occupies Pei County. If he carries out large-scale looting, he can still hold on for a while.

If they don't do this, the Pei County treasury will basically not be able to support them for long.

But the problem is that if large-scale looting is carried out, the original order of Pei County will be destroyed, the people will be displaced and become refugees, and some people will be forced to join the rebel army. Such a place cannot serve as a base to support the activities of the Xuzhou rebel army.

Therefore, Li Yuanhui planned to find someone to meet Liu Yuanqing and persuade him to surrender with Pei County.

However, after looking around, he found that the people he brought with him were all warriors. Luo Shixiang and Wang Fobao were both powerful men who could fight against a hundred people alone, but such people definitely could not be lobbyists.

Li Yuanhui was able to explain the reason clearly, but no commander would do such a job.

While he was hesitating whether to arrange for a messenger to ask Liu Yuanqing to meet in a relatively central place, Luo Shixiang came to report that a wealthy man from Zhongli came to ask for a meeting and brought a letter of recommendation from the prefect of Huainan.

When Li Yuanhui heard this, he naturally let the person in with Zheng Shandao's book recommendation.

The meeting place was in a pavilion inside the Zen temple. Li Yuanhui used a clay stove to boil water and make tea, which was considered as an attempt to show off his elegance.

The man was a middle-aged man in his thirties, more than seven feet tall, of medium build, handsome, wearing a decent robe, with a neat beard, and a bright look in his eyes. After seeing Li Yuanhui, a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes, and then he bowed and said, "I am Li Baishi, the wild man of Zhongli, and I am here to see the governor."

Li Yuanhui was shocked when he heard this. Li Baishi? Isn't this the reincarnation of Zhu's Xiao He?

But his face was calm, and he decided to test him: "Mr. Li, there is no need to be polite, please take a seat. I heard that you are a virtuous person. You are here today, and you must have something virtuous to teach me."

After saying this, he signaled his attendant to pour tea.

Upon hearing this, Li Baishi bowed and thanked him, then entered the pavilion and sat opposite Li Yuanhui.

"May I ask, Commander, what is the purpose of the virtuous words you want? Commander, do you want to be a loyal minister of Great Yan, or do you want to help the world?"

Li Yuanhui laughed and said, "What is the difference between the two?"

Li Baishi said: "If the governor wants to be a loyal minister of Great Yan, he should reduce his troops and wait for the court to punish him. I heard that Emperor Guangping is kind and benevolent. For the sake of Princess Jinyang, perhaps the governor can be spared from death."

Li Yuanhui asked, "What have I done to deserve my apology?"

Li Baishi looked directly at Li Yuanhui and said, "What crime did King Han Xin of Chu commit? Why did he become Marquis of Huaiyin? Commander, you own three counties and have 100,000 soldiers, and your father and brother occupy three states. This is a serious crime."

Li Yuanhui laughed and said, "You are just making alarmist remarks. What if I want to help the world?"

Li Baishi said: "During the war at the end of the Qin Dynasty, Emperor Gao of Han rose from the common people. He was open-minded and generous, knew how to appoint people to positions, and did not kill people indiscriminately. In five years, he established the foundation of the emperor. Now the moral principles of Dayan are in chaos, the country is torn apart, and there are countless people who claim to be kings and emperors. If Lord Tang and the governor, father and son, brothers, follow the example of Emperor Gao of Han, the world can be easily pacified!"

Li Yuanhui smiled again when he heard this. "What Mr. Li said is a little empty. Why don't you tell me what I should do?"

Li Baishi thought for a moment and said, "Although the governor dominates three counties, Jianghuai is connected to the Central Plains in the north, Jiangdong Cao Yuanjing in the south, and Jingzhou Cao Xuan in the west. These two are both heroes of the time. The governor should not be too hasty to take them."

".Recently, Xuzhou has been in turmoil. I think the general can try to seize Qiaopei as a vassal state to block the westward advance of Qingyan and Wagang."

"The governor should implement benevolent policies in the north of the Yangtze River, gather grain and soldiers, and guard the Yangtze River. When Duke Tang leaves from the Jiao-Han Pass in the east, it will be the day for the general to go north to the Central Plains."

(End of this chapter)