In terms of height alone, Yuan Xi of this world stood at seven feet eight inches, only two inches shorter than Zhao Yun below the city.
However, Yuan Xi knew in his heart that the gap between them was far more than just two inches.
If he were to go out and face him, he feared that he wouldn't be able to withstand even one or two strikes, and he would become a laughingstock in future history books.
If he was lucky, he might leave behind a pitiful name, attesting to the beginning of Zhao Yun's legendary life.
Looking at Zhao Zilong below the city, Yuan Xi's heart was bleeding.
This Yun-mei, originally was mine!
More than three years ago, after he received permission to guard the city of Youzhou, he traveled day and night, ignoring the sporadic battles along the way, and hurried away from Yecheng.
He didn't go to Beixin City, but went straight to Zhengding, Hebei, just to stop Zhao Zilong, who was about to join Gongsun Zan.
But it was still one step too late, Zhao Zilong had already left half a month ago.
Losing Zhao Yun made Yuan Xi beat his chest and stomp his feet.
When he read history books, he wondered why Zhao Yun didn't join Yuan Shao, but instead went to Gongsun Zan, thinking that he should try to win him over, but he still failed.
Regret is useless, he can only think of ways to remedy it.
In the past few years, he has been thinking about how to pull Zhao Yun from the opposite camp.
He firmly believes that as long as the corner is dug well, Yun-mei can also be pushed down.
Otherwise, in a few years, when Zhao Yun leaves Gongsun Zan and goes to Liu Bei, what will be left for him?
The current time is very delicate. Cao Cao is attacking Xuzhou, Tao Qian is asking Tian Kai for help, Liu Bei temporarily separates from Zhao Yun, and takes Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to Xuzhou to save Tao Qian, leaving Zhao Yun alone.
There is a chance!
At this time, Zhao Yun shouted below the city: "Yuan Xi! How dare you be so timid!"
"Do you dare to come out of the city and meet me!"
Yuan Xi heard this and shouted: "If you promise not to kill me, I will come out and talk!"
Zhao Yun: .
Soldiers on the city wall: .
Yuan Xi doesn't think face is important. In the future, those cannon fodder who dare to challenge Zhao Yun without knowing their own strength will be sent away with one shot. Compared with face, life is more important.
He doesn't think he is stronger than those so-called cannon fodder.
Zhao Yun had no choice but to say: "Today, I am here to persuade you to surrender on the order of General Gongsun!"
"You have been able to defend the city alone for two years, and you are also a figure. General Gongsun has ordered that as long as you surrender, the soldiers and people in the city will not be killed!"
Yuan Xi smiled and said: "Brother Zhao, as a member of the Yuan family, if I surrender, wouldn't I become an unfilial person?"
He changed his tone, "You go back and tell Gongsun Zan, who killed Marquis Liu (Liu Yu) and plundered his own people, don't try to disturb our army's morale!"
"In the past two years, I have been able to defend this city because of the unity of the people above and below. How can he use the lives of the people in the city to threaten me? Is this what a real man would do?"
"Does Xuande Gong also agree with this approach?"
"Will Marquis Liu rest in peace under the nine springs?"
Zhao Yun was speechless for a while after hearing this.
What Gongsun Zan has done in the past two years has become increasingly Stupid, especially the killing of Liu Yu, which made Zhao Yun extremely resistant and had long been thinking of leaving.
Zhao Yun has always been upright and aboveboard, and Yuan Xi on the city head is fighting against Gongsun Zan under the banner of revenge for Liu Yu, which is said to be quite popular.
But the Beixin City in front of him is what Gongsun Zan strictly ordered to be taken down.
Gongsun Zan has received news that while Cao Cao is attacking Xuzhou, Yuan Shao is likely to send troops to attack Youzhou.
The Beixin City in front of him is located in the westernmost part of Zhuo County, Youzhou, and just north of it is Wuruan Pass, an important passage to the outside of the pass.
Beixin City is stuck here, making it very inconvenient for Gongsun Zan's army to mobilize, so Zhao Yun was ordered to take this city before Yuan Shao's army arrived.
On the other hand, it may not be that Gongsun Zan has a trace of suspicion about Liu Bei, who is having a heated fight with Tao Qian, and is using this to test Zhao Yun.
Thinking of this, Zhao Yun shouted: "Yuan Xi! Since that's the case, I will attack the city!"
"At that time, swords and guns have no eyes, and life and death are determined by fate!"
Yuan Xi's head popped out from the city wall again: "Brother Zhao..."
"Don't call me Brother Zhao!"
"Okay, General Zhao, let's discuss something."
"Speak."
"My father asked me to go back to get married. Do you think you can give me a year and a half to fulfill my father's wish, leave a son and a half daughters, and then come back and fight you?"
Zhao Yun's face twitched, and he would go back for a year and a half, leaving a son and a half daughters?
Do you think children can be born whenever you want?
He snorted coldly: "Are you trying to abandon the people in the city and run away?"
Yuan Xi smiled and said: "Of course not, why don't we make an agreement that after I leave, General Zhao must not attack the city, how about it?"
Zhao Yun's face twitched again, you are really shameless.
He has been dealing with Yuan Xi on the city wall for more than two years, and the other side is soft and hard, and has no demeanor of a noble family.
Any aggressive tactics, insults, or tricks to lure him out of the city are useless.
The other side is like a tortoise with a shrinking head, hiding in the city. When Gongsun Zan's army comes, he will defend it to the death. When the army retreats, he will immediately come out to build the city.
In the past two years, the city wall has become thicker and thicker, the moat has become wider and wider, the trenches have become deeper and deeper, and the chevaux-de-frise have become more and more numerous, making Beixin City like a hedgehog, making generals who are good at attacking cities shake their heads.
Seeing that he couldn't get through, Zhao Yun waved his hand, and the soldiers behind him began to prepare to carry soil and attack the city.
Yuan Xi's head popped out again, "Brother Zhao..."
"I told you not to call me Brother Zhao!" Zhao Yun was furious.
"Okay, Brother Zilong, we are both Han people, why bother fighting each other."
"Why don't we make a bet?"
"If you win, I will open the city gate and surrender."
Zhao Yun was a little moved when he heard this, and said: "Tell me!"
Yuan Xi cleared his throat, "Since Dong Zhuo's death, Chang'an and Luoyang have been in chaos, and the Xiongnu have often invaded south from Bingzhou, plundering along the way, and the people have been devastated, and the wailing of women and children has never stopped."
"Recently, I received news that a group of hundreds of Xiongnu bandits are plundering near Luoyang, and will soon pass through Beixin City and return to Bingzhou."
"This group of Xiongnu plunders women, slaughters the people, and commits many evils. As a general of the Han Dynasty, shouldn't we let them go?"
"You and I will each lead a hundred people, with a limit of three days, and count the number of heads to see who kills more Xiongnu people."
"If I win, I will return to Yecheng to get married, and Brother Zhao will retreat."
"If I lose, I will open the city and surrender, and even give you my head!"
"Brother Zhao, dare you bet?"
The soldiers above and below the city were in an uproar, and Zhao Yun's heart was shocked.
The other party is trapped in the city, but is still worried about the foreign tribes poisoning the Han people!
Thinking that Gongsun Zan ignored the foreign tribes looting Youzhou after he was defeated by Yuan Shao, Zhao Yun's heart began to waver.
Moreover, the stakes in this bet are extremely unfair to both sides. The other party is actually betting with his own life. Is it a desperate gamble, or is there a fraud in it?
If it were someone else, they would have agreed to such a cheap thing long ago, but Zhao Yun was upright and hesitated instead.
Moreover, if he makes a decision without authorization and agrees to the bet, he will be violating Gongsun Zan's military orders!
Yuan Xi seemed to see through Zhao Yun's thoughts and smiled: "Brother Zhao, if I just said half a lie to cheat, may I be struck by lightning and die a bad death."
"If I do anything unrighteous, such as taking the opportunity to escape, or pretending to be a Xiongnu with civilians, may my whole family die!"
"Everyone on and off the city can be a witness!"
As soon as these words came out, the soldiers on both sides were silent at first, and then they whispered in shock.
In this chaotic world, they have seen too many people using the lives of soldiers to fill the gap, and slaughtering the military and civilians in the city after the city is broken, but they have never seen a noble family member use the lives and reputation of their family as a guarantee, betting on their own lives, to protect the people!
Only Yuan Xi himself knew that although this was a crisis, it was also an opportunity.
If he can't pull Zhao Yun to his command this time, even if he defends the city, it will be difficult to change the situation in Youzhou.
So he must propose a bet that Zhao Yun cannot refuse.
He did not hesitate to bet his life in order to force Zhao Yun to also come up with corresponding stakes!
Besides, he didn't say whose head it was.
Can't it be a Xiongnu's?