Chapter 136: End of friendship, Liu Bei urgently urges
After Zhang Liao led the remaining tiger and leopard cavalry back to the other side, he couldn't hide his shame when he looked at the tiger and leopard cavalry who had lost hundreds of riders in the battle with the Baijie soldiers.
Ci does not command troops, and Zhang Liao does not care how many people are killed by tigers and leopards.
What Zhang Liao was concerned about was that he was still unable to capture the south bank for Cao Cao after losing hundreds of elite tigers and leopards.
Zhang Liao came to Cao Cao, bowed to him, and apologized, "I am incompetent and cannot contribute to the great king."
Facing Zhang Liao's request to fight, Cao Cao had no intention of punishing him.
Even for Cao Cao, he did not think that Zhang Liao had not made meritorious deeds.
Cao Cao looked at the tidal flat in front of him with a pair of bright eyes that had experienced the world. Because there was accumulated water on the tidal flat, there were still horse hoof prints on some of the ground.
He said to Zhang Liaoyan, "Wenyuan, you have already made meritorious service."
Hearing what Cao Cao said, Zhang Liao couldn't help but be surprised.
Seeing the confusion on Zhang Liao's face, Cao Cao rode his horse forward, came to the riverside, and said to the generals behind him: "Just now, Wenyuan, you have proved to me that the tidal flats of Zhouzhu in the river can support an army.
"
"If that's the case, how can it not be regarded as meritorious service?"
“As long as this is feasible, over time, more and more land will be exposed from the water.
By then, how can the enemy stop our army from seizing the south bank?"
The generals of Cao and Wei who were present felt depressed because of Zhang Liao's retreat.
But after Cao Cao's analysis, everyone's spirits were lifted again.
This is the charm of Wei King Cao Cao.
Cao Cao, who had outstanding military exploits and outstanding achievements, did not need to go out of his way to boost military morale through heavy rewards like Sun Quan did.
With him here, it only takes one word to boost military morale.
After finishing speaking, Cao Cao looked across at the general who had just arrived with his troops.
Times have changed, but the charm of our old friend remains the same.
But why do you have to be my enemy?
...
Guan Yu received news of the attack on Zhao Yun's troops in the camp, and he learned that it was Cao Cao's general Zhang Liao who personally led the tiger and leopard cavalry to attack.
Guan Yu was worried about Zhao Yun's safety and hurriedly brought thousands of troops from the camp to help.
By the time Guan Yu led his army to the battlefield, Zhang Liao and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry had already retreated in time.
Guan Yu looked at the horses and the corpses left by the enemy soldiers in the river, and then looked at the corpses left by the Baijie soldiers on the river, and found that the number of people killed by the Baijie soldiers was one third more than the enemy's.
It's just that the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry is one of the best cavalry in the world. Under normal circumstances, the cavalry has an advantage when fighting against the infantry, so it is normal to have this kind of battle loss ratio.
The most important thing is that Zhao Yun held his position.
Otherwise, once the tiger and leopard cavalry of the Wei army rush ashore, Guan Yu can imagine how serious the consequences will be when he looks at the Wei army's infantry on the other side, which has been arranged neatly.
After Zhao Yun saw Guan Yu leading the army to come for reinforcements, he rode his horse to Guan Yu and said to him, "Yun Chang, as I expected, the enemy is already trying to find ways to break through our defense line from other places."
Guan Yu's face was heavy, and he said to Zhao Yun, "If it weren't for Zilong today, the enemy might have succeeded."
"It's just that if you keep it for a long time, you will lose it."
When Guan Yu said this, he stared at the many horse hoof prints in the river.
If Cao Cao could think of it, he would naturally not ignore it.
So what if you don't ignore it.
He has too few troops in his hands.
When he sent troops from Jiangling for the Northern Expedition, he only had 30,000 troops at his disposal.
Later, although he fought several enemy armies, most of them won by trickery, and the losses in his own troops and horses were not high.
However, after successive battles, the troops in his hands also suffered a certain loss.
In particular, Xu Huang had captured more than 10,000 elite soldiers before, so he had to dedicate 2,000 soldiers to escort them south to Jiangling.
So now he only has about 25,000 troops left in total.
In order to prevent Cao Cao's 100,000 troops from going south smoothly, he used to rely on the natural defense line of Han River outside Xiangyang City to resist the 100,000 Wei troops with more than 20,000 troops in hand.
But now, as the water volume of the Han River gradually decreases, the Han River defense line has gradually lost its effectiveness.
Zhao Yun followed Guan Yu's worried eyes and knew what Guan Yu was worried about.
But the timing of heaven cannot be reversed by human power.
At this time, Guan Yu saw a man wearing a crown watching him on the other side. Guan Yu rode his horse forward and came to the shore to look at him.
Thinking of all that happened back then, Guan Yu immediately bowed to Cao Cao.
Although they are in different camps now and are fighting on the battlefield, Cao Cao showed kindness and care for him at the beginning.
He has already repaid Cao Cao's kindness.
Now he can only repay this love with a distant bow.
From then on, there was no friendship between the two and they were just enemies.
When Cao Cao saw Guan Yu bowing to him, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
This was the Guan Yunchang he had always wanted.
Gratitude and grudges should be clear, and loyalty should come first.
After laughing, Cao Cao took out an official seal from his arms, which he had originally awarded to Guan Yu.
When Guan Yu left him to look for Liu Bei, he placed this official seal at the door of his house.
And since that day, he has always carried this official seal with him.
Holding the official seal he had carefully carved for Guan Yu in his hand, and looking at the three characters "Pian General" engraved on it, Cao Cao's eyes turned from warm at first to cold.
He threw the official seal to the other side.
The official seal lost its power in mid-air and fell into the river, landing in front of Guan Yu.
At this moment, Cao Mengde, who had always been in love with Guan Yun but couldn't get it, was no longer there.
The only ones left were Wei King Cao Cao, who wanted to capture and kill the former Han general Guan Yu, and guard the Wei State.
After Cao Cao completed this move, he ordered the generals behind him to camp here, and then he himself returned to the camp under the protection of Xu Chu.
An old friend turning into an enemy is one of the most interesting things in the world.
After Cao Cao left, Guan Yu looked at Cao Cao's back. He turned his head resolutely and said to Zhao Yun, "In less than half a month, there will definitely be a fierce battle between our army and the Wei army."
"I want to report to the king urgently and ask him to lead the army to help as soon as possible."
...
In December of the 24th year of Jian'an of the Han Dynasty, Bajun, Yuwei County.
Liu Bei led his army to Yuwei County just yesterday night.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! After arriving in Yuwei County, Liu Bei, who had not rested for an hour because he was worried about the military situation in Jingzhou, summoned the generals currently in Yuwei County to discuss matters.
Bajun is close to Jingzhou. When Liu Bei led his army to Yuwei County, he suddenly had more information about the war situation in Jingzhou.
At this time, in the meeting hall of the Yufu County Government, Liu Bei, the King of Hanzhong, was sitting at the top looking at the information in his hands.
The ministers from Chengdu he brought this time, as well as the generals who had been summoned by his king to come to Yuwei County first, were all gathered below him at this moment, waiting for his next king's order.
Because the police are further away from Yizhou, what Liu Bei is looking at now is the battle report of Mi Yang's victory over Sun Huan that was sent not long ago.
After reading Mi Yang's battle report, a smile finally appeared on Liu Bei's worried face.
He said to Xu Jingyan who was standing aside, "You really know people."
When he was outside Sheshan in Chengdu, Xu Jing once praised Mi Yang to Liu Bei: he was smart and changeable, and he knew everything he could do.
The battle report sent by Mi Yang now details the battle between him and Sun Huan.
In the eyes of a military expert like Liu Bei, Mi Yang was worthy of such praise from Xu Jing.
Now Liu Bei loves Mi Yang more and more.
He had been worried that Mi's family would decline after his death, so he took Mi Yang with him to train him since he was a child, hoping that he would make great achievements when he grew up.
But now Mi Yang has really achieved some results according to his expectations.
I feel that Liu Bei, who has personally cultivated a talented person, feels a sense of joy and satisfaction that others cannot understand.
At this time, a general in the hall came out and said to Liu Bei:
"Your Majesty, the ancients said that if you have merit, you will be rewarded, and if you make mistakes, you will be punished. This can inspire the people to conquer anything."
"The former General Secretary first had the merits of eradicating traitors in the police force, and later he had the merits of defeating Sun Huan. Such great achievements cannot go without reward."
The person who came out to advise Liu Bei to reward Mi Yang was Li Yan, the current general assisting the Han Dynasty.
Li Yan, whose courtesy name is Zhengfang, was born in Nanyang, Jingzhou.
When Li Yan was young, he was a full-time official in the county and was famous for his talents. At that time, Liu Biao, the pastor of Jingzhou, asked him to serve in various counties in the county.
When Cao Cao attacked Jingzhou, Li Yan was serving as the magistrate of Zigui County. Because he was unwilling to surrender to Cao Cao, Li Yan went west to Shu. Liu Zhang appointed him as the magistrate of Chengdu, and Li Yan gained a reputation as a virtuous person during his tenure.
When Liu Bei attacked Yizhou, Liu Zhang appointed Li Yan as his guard to resist Liu Bei in the Mianzhu area.
Li Yan knew he was outmatched, so he led his troops to surrender to Liu Bei, who appointed him General Bi.
After the pacification of Chengdu, Li Yan was appointed by Liu Bei as the governor of Qianwei and the general of Xingye.
Later, Liu Bei appointed military advisor general Zhuge Liang, general Yangwu and prefect of Shu County Fa Zheng, general Zhaowen Yiji, general Zuo Xicao, Liu Ba and Li Yan to formulate the "Shu Ke".
Last year, the thieves Ma Qin, Gao Sheng and others raised troops in Qi County and recruited tens of thousands of troops to attack Zizhong County. At that time, Liu Bei was in Hanzhong and the army in Shuzhong was empty.
Li Yan did not choose to wait for reinforcements. He only led 5,000 soldiers from his county to attack and killed Ma Qin, Gao Sheng and others. The rest fled for their lives and returned home to serve the people.
Soon after, Gaoding, the Yi commander of Yuexun County, led his army to besiege Xindao County. Li Yan went to relieve the siege. Gaoding was defeated and fled.
Because of these military exploits, Liu Bei appointed Li Yan as the Assistant General of the Han Dynasty, and also served as the governor of the original county as before.
Li Yan had made outstanding achievements as the governor of Qianwei. Not long ago, Liu Bei heard that Jingzhou was in trouble. In order to take precautions, he summoned the generals of Yizhou to Yuwei County to stand by.
Li Yan was also recruited by Liu Bei because of his previous military exploits.
Li Yan was aloof and had difficulty getting along with ordinary people, but he still had several friends in Yizhou, such as Fazheng, who was also from the Dongzhou sect.
Li Yanxian took the initiative to advise Liu Bei to reward Mi Yang, mostly because Mi Yang was Fa Zheng's disciple.
After listening to Li Yan's suggestion, Liu Bei also showed a look of approval on his face.
He said to Li Yan: "It makes sense."
Liu Bei agreed with Li Yan's suggestion, firstly because of Mi Yang's military exploits established this time.
The other is that Jingzhou is now facing the danger of a pincer attack, and the enemy is powerful. In order to stabilize and inspire people, he wants to set an example before the war.
And for this model, Mi Yang is the most suitable candidate.
Liu Bei took Xu Jing, who had no experience in military affairs, with him into Jing, in order to use his reputation to stabilize the hearts of the Jingzhou family.
As for Guan Yu's besieging Xu Huang and defeating the Wei army, his contribution was undoubtedly greater. Why didn't Liu Bei choose to reward him?
That's because currently, in terms of status, Guan Yu's former general is already the most respected among all generals.
In terms of power, Guan Yu was stationed in Jingzhou and served as the governor of the town.
Moreover, Liu Bei has given Guan Yu the right to use the holiday axe. In Liu Bei's absence, Guan Yu can act as king. How else can he be rewarded?
Liu Bei has helped Guan Yu remember all his achievements this year.
When that day comes in the future, the most respected position will definitely be given to Guan Yu.
After finishing speaking, Liu Bei began to think about what reward should be given to Mi Yang.
But before Liu Bei could think about it, the fish belly guard Chen Dao came to the hall with a letter.
Liu Bei saw that Chen Dao's face seemed anxious, which made his face immediately become heavy.
Chen Dao's impression on Liu Bei has always been that of being calm and steady, and it is rare that he has such an expression now.
Liu Bei's courtesy officer was about to reprimand Chen Dao for entering without notice, but before he could speak, Liu Bei glared back at him.
After glaring at the ceremony officer, Liu Bei immediately asked Chen Daodao, "Is Yunchang coming to report?"
Chen Dao nodded when he heard this. Seeing this, Liu Bei quickly stood up from his seat and came to Chen Dao. He couldn't wait to take the latest letter from Guan Yu from his hand.
After opening the letter, Liu Bei read it at a glance.
Guan Yu made it clear in the intelligence the critical situation he was currently facing.
Guan Yu, who had a premonition that he might not be safe, said at the end of his letter:
"My brother, more than 20,000 athletes are trying their best to stop the enemy. The enemy's offensive has not weakened, and the future is uncertain.
If Xiangyang existed, my younger brother would have survived to meet his elder brother. If the Han River was lost, my younger brother would have died on the battlefield and his body would have been buried in the wilderness.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! If my brother can defeat the powerful enemy in the future, he will lead his troops to the Han River.
If there are waves like mountains, it means that the younger brother has come to see his older brother."
After reading the last sentence, a strong look of panic and worry appeared on Liu Bei's face. He stood in the hall, stamping his feet anxiously.
This is the first time since the incident in Jingzhou that Guan Yu calls himself his younger brother in a letter asking for help.
"Why is this happening? Why is this happening!"
"Brother is here!"
Liu Bei only received the first letter asking for help from Guan Yu in November.
In order to support Guan Yu as soon as possible, he issued an edict almost every day when he was in Chengdu, urging counties and counties not to delay the date of sending troops.
During that time, Liu Bei almost lived in Shangshu Taichung.
Now it is only December, and he has already summoned 30,000 troops to Yuwei County, not far from Jingzhou.
Guan Yu had previously written a letter saying that the Han River blocked the Wei army's cavalry and there was no danger of defeat in the short term.
But despite what Guan Yu said, Liu Bei never missed a day.
What I didn't expect was that the situation on the front line changed so quickly.
At this time, Liu Bei no longer cared about the reward for Mi Yang. He immediately ordered to the ministers in the hall, "Send troops to Xiangyang immediately!"
After Liu Bei issued this edict, one of the ministers in the hall came out and said:
"The northerners are fighting fiercely. The army should have a vanguard to find out the enemy's situation. I invite you to be the vanguard to serve as the bandit. Your Majesty should be the back guard."
The person who came out to make a speech was named Huang Quan, whose courtesy name was Gongheng, and he was currently serving as Liu Bei's governor.
Huang Quan's suggestion is very pertinent.
Unexpectedly, after Huang Quan's advice, Liu Bei immediately rejected the proposal.
"My brother is in trouble, how can I wait!"
"There is no need for you to be my vanguard. If my brother is in trouble, his elder brother should be my vanguard!"
After finishing speaking, Liu Bei waved his royal sleeves and said to all the generals present: "Order the army immediately! Go to war immediately."
"Anyone who dares to neglect military aircraft will be killed."
Liu Bei was not afraid to take risks in order to save Guan Yu despite knowing that he couldn't do anything.
Soon after, Huang Zhong, who had just arrived in Yidu County, received Liu Bei's royal edict.
"We will do whatever it takes to reach the gates of Xiangyang City soon."