Chapter 23: Tune the tiger away from the mountain and seek skin
Zhou Ping said: "There is also the second largest force in Xuzhou, Xiapi Prime Minister Cao Bao and his fifteen thousand Danyang soldiers."
When Liu Bei heard about the Danyang soldiers whom he cared about most and had the biggest headache, Liu Bei hurriedly sat up straight, as if he was all ears.
"My lord, what do you think of Cao Bao?" Zhou Ping asked again.
"He has no courage, no strategy, no ambition, but he is not willing to obey orders. This is the person I am worried about. He has occupied Xiapi and has strong troops. Now he can neither mobilize his troops nor bring them back."
The soldiers drove him away, and we were in a dilemma!"
Liu Bei looked worried as he spoke.
"Moreover, what I am most worried about is whether he will collude with Yuan Shu and plot to seize Xuzhou." Liu Bei added.
Zhou Ping smiled softly: "Haha, don't worry, my lord, Cao Bao may be rebellious, but not yet. Since we can't transfer his troops to Tan County, why not... let's go to Xiapi and watch him.
"
"Look at him? What do you think? Should we also station troops in Xiapi?"
Liu Bei couldn't figure out what Zhou Ping meant.
By the time he figured it out, Zhou Ping had already continued: "Yes, my lord can move Xiapi to rule, so that he will be under your nose. If there is any trouble, we can detect it immediately. Moreover, with Cao Bao's courage, I am afraid that he will be
Don’t dare to act rebellious under the eyes of your lord.”
"Well, that's right. This person is fierce and timid."
Liu Bei nodded. Based on his understanding of Cao Bao, it would indeed be as Zhou Ping said.
Zhou Ping once considered not to move the rule to Xiapi, but to let Liu Bei stay in Tan County, so that he would not have to leave too many troops to defend Cao Bao.
However, according to his plan, Lu Bu should not be able to come to Xuzhou when fighting Yuan Shu, and when Liu Bei sends troops to resist Yuan Shu, Zhang Fei should not be left to guard Xiapi, so that there will be no conflict with Cao Bao and the Danyang soldiers will not rebel.
Based on the current situation, Cao Bao is unwilling to transfer troops and horses to Tan County. Liu Bei must go to Xiapi to guard him while fighting Yuan Shu. It will be more convenient to transfer troops and transport grain from Xiapi.
He can only be on the defensive in Tan County, and can go on the offensive in Xiapi. Now the enemy he is mainly defending against is Yuan Shu, so the strategic focus must move south.
"Then, we can seize his power to command the troops." Zhou Ping said, raising his hand and grabbing it in the air.
But Liu Bei shook his head slightly: "It would be difficult to seize his military power. If we take it by force, there may be chaos."
Zhou Ping smiled and said: "What if Yuan Shu leads the army to attack? The state is attacked by foreign enemies. The lord ordered to send troops to resist the enemy. Even if Cao Bao is unwilling, he cannot leave his troops in Xiapi unless he wants to rebel. Cao Bao is alive
As the Prime Minister of Xiapi, I will definitely stay in Xiapi. After the Danyang soldiers leave Xiapi, the lord will have the opportunity to seize his soldiers. This is a plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain and seek revenge!"
Cao Bao's 15,000 Danyang soldiers, when there were no foreign enemies in Xuzhou, could be said to have left their troops in Xiapi, echoing Tan County.
But if Xuzhou is attacked by foreign enemies, these troops and horses of his will have to be mobilized to resist the enemy, and only some troops and horses can be left to guard Xiapi.
Based on Zhou Ping's understanding of Cao Bao, he had not made any rebellious moves during this period. If there had been, it was only after Lu Bu came to Xuzhou that he would get involved with him.
Or maybe he and Lü Bu had no connection at all, and it was only because Zhang Fei killed him out of temper that he forced the Danyang soldiers to betray and welcome Lü Bu into the city.
Due to the betrayal of the Danyang soldiers in Xiapi, the Danyang soldiers who followed Liu Bei to resist Yuan Shu were defeated, and Liu Bei was defeated and fled to Haixi.
In any case, as long as Cao Bao is unwilling to obey Liu Bei's orders, he will be a big hidden danger and cannot be retained, and his Danyang soldiers must be kept for his own use.
Liu Bei only has more than 20,000 troops at his disposal now. If he recruits troops now, it will take time to train them. And they are all new recruits who have never been on the battlefield. How can these Danyang soldiers who have been on the battlefield and seen dead bodies be useful?
For Liu Bei, time is like gold now.
"But..." Liu Bei felt that the question was coming back again, "How can we let Yuan Shu attack?"
According to history, Yuan Shu did not send troops to capture Xuzhou until the end of the second year of Xingping or the beginning of the first year of Jian'an. That is to say, he did not send troops until Lu Bu arrived in Xuzhou. He first occupied Guangling and deliberately led Liu Bei to lead his troops to resist, thus giving Lu Bu an opportunity.
, raided and captured Xiapi.
Zhou Ping could not wait until that time. He had to let Yuan Shu send troops and defeat Lu Bu before he surrendered to Xuzhou.
Even after Lu Bu came to Xuzhou, Yuan Shu still colluded with him and sent troops to attack. However, Yuan Shu was defeated once, so it would be much easier to attack again.
Moreover, Zhou Ping's most urgent goal at the moment is to seize the command of the Danyang soldiers.
"It is easy for Yuan Shu to attack. Now Sun Ce, the son of Sun Jian, is leading troops to attack Liu Yao, the governor of Yangzhou. My lord can order General Guan Yunchang to lead 10,000 troops and horses, threatening to cross the river to help Liu Yangzhou resist the enemy, and then march the troops to Xuyi
We stopped at that time and camped in Xuyi City, saying that we were waiting for grain and grass. However, our grain and grass were continuously transported to Xuyi, but we did not move our troops. Yuan Shu must have suspected that we were about to capture Jiujiang, so he sent troops to attack, but we had already prepared grain and grass.
If we send out troops to fight Yuan Shu, wouldn't it be easy to win!"
Zhou Ping's intention was to make Yuan Shu feel threatened and take the initiative to send troops to attack.
Yuan Shu has many soldiers and horses. It is impossible to sit back and watch you prepare food and fodder to attack him, because offense is the best defense.
Liu Bei's sending troops to Xuyi can also support Liu Yao and give him more confidence, thereby delaying Sun Ce's time to conquer Jiangdong.
If Yuan Shu insists on not sending troops, the troops led by Guan Yu can enter Jiangdu, contain Sun Ce's troops, and assist Liu Yao across the river.
Based on Zhou Ping's understanding of Yuan Shu, if he thought Liu Bei was going to attack him, he would definitely lead his troops to attack him first.
This is a person who has "never heard of Liu Bei in the world all his life", and there is no way he is waiting for you to attack.
Liu Bei also believed that if he did this, Yuan Shu would definitely send troops to attack. However, if he attracted him, could he repel him?
He has no confidence in this.
Liu Bei seemed to be thinking to himself: "If Yuan Shu sends troops to attack, he can mobilize Cao Bao's Danyang troops and seize the power to command the army... Sir, can we repel Yuan Shu?"
He had lost too many battles, and even pretended to be dead once when he was injured. He really had no confidence in victory.
A smile appeared on Zhou Ping's face, hoping to give Liu Bei confidence. However, there is no sure-win battle in this world. The battlefield situation is changing rapidly, and everything is possible. He cannot guarantee that he will win 100%.
On the battlefield, victory does not only depend on having more soldiers, but also depends on morale, strategy, timing and location, the general's fighting spirit, etc.
Yuan Shu was beaten by Cao Cao in the fourth year of Chuping and was "displaced and almost destroyed". In that battle, Yuan Shu was frightened, and his generals and soldiers were also frightened. Their morale was very low, and their combat effectiveness was not that great.
powerful.
If everything goes according to Zhou Ping's plan, he believes that he will be able to defeat Yuan Shu quickly.
"Definitely!" Zhou Ping replied with a smile, "Because we still have Zang Ba's Taishan crowd."
Liu Bei is confused again. Will Zang Ba listen to my orders? It would be great if he doesn't come to seize the territory. Do you still want him to work for me?
This time Liu Bei stopped asking and looked at Zhou Ping quietly, waiting for him to continue.
Zhou Ping picked up the wine gourd again and took a sip of wine. He drank all the remaining wine in the gourd and looked out the door. He seemed to want to call Zhang Wu to get some wine, but he held back. He put the wine gourd on the table and looked at it with a smile.
The Lord in front of me.
"Zang Ba has nearly ten thousand men in Kaiyang. The Taishan soldiers are as famous as the Danyang soldiers. They are all strong and capable warriors. If we can get help from Zang Ba again, what do you think our chances of winning are?"
"With the help of Zang Ba's troops, the highway will be defeated!" Liu Bei replied firmly.
Zhou Ping also said: "Zang Ba is now the Cavalry Commander, and his men often plunder the people in Langya. The lord may allow him to take the post of Langya Prime Minister and order him to send troops to help fight against Yuan Shu. Zang Ba is a man who I miss very much."
The lord has shown kindness to him, and he will repay it with his life. In this way, Yuan Shu can retreat, and he can gain the county of Langya to support his people, and they will no longer plunder the people. With him guarding Langya,
You can also block the enemy from the north for your lord, this is one strategy that can achieve many benefits!"
After hearing this, Liu Bei couldn't help but clapped his hands and praised: "Sir, this is a wonderful idea. If Danyang soldiers and Taishan people help, Yuan Shu has nothing to fear! Hahaha... As for Langya Prime Minister Xiao Jian, I can let him move to Pengcheng Prime Minister, hahaha...
…”
Zhou Ping finally saw the smile on Liu Bei's face and laughed.
At this moment, the doorman came to report: "Your Majesty, Chen Yuanlong is here."
Liu Bei was in a good mood and hurriedly said: "Please come quickly, please come quickly."
