Regarding Wang Ding's judgment that Zhang Miao would betray Cao Cao, not only Sima Yi but also Sima Lang, who was about to be brainwashed by Wang Ding, found it unbelievable.
Did Cao Cao betray his relatives?
Chen Gong's betrayal was enough to shock them, and now it was said that Zhang Miao would betray him too.
Did Cao Cao do something that made people angry?
Jia Xu didn't say anything, and he didn't know how Wang Ding concluded that Zhang Miao would also betray him.
Is it because of Chen Gong?
But Jia Xu is no longer surprised by this.
After following Wang Ding for such a long time, Jia Xu met him several times. Wang Ding seemed to make unfounded judgments, but the results were very accurate.
Now he was asked to give Wang Ding a definite reason, but Wang Ding really couldn't tell. He didn't know why Zhang Miao betrayed Cao Cao.
The two have a very good relationship, and Zhang Miao and Cao Cao have also been playmates since childhood.
The previous time, when Cao Cao conquered Xuzhou, he entrusted Zhang Miao with his whole family.
Sima Yi has just arrived, so he doesn’t know Wang Ding’s judgment.
Even though he is extremely intelligent, he is still not as good as a person who predicts the future.
Sima Yi just had doubts. The so-called exhaustive strategy was just a list of all possibilities.
Then analyze and deal with them one by one.
No matter what the final result is, he has a way to deal with it, and he will naturally be invincible.
Among everyone present, he was the only one who felt that Wang Ding's decision was a bit hasty.
Just now I thought Wang Ding was okay, but now he has doubts.
Lu Bu has Zhang Miao and Chen Gong to help him. Wang Ding is now hesitant whether to intervene.
Compared with the original trajectory, Cao Cao's crisis this time is greater, and I don't know if he can survive it.
Wang Dingdao: "Now Yanzhou only has 10,000 elite soldiers in the hands of Xiahou Dun."
All other troops were put into the Xuzhou battlefield by Cao Cao.
Seeing that the territory designated by Yuan Shao Wang is getting bigger and bigger, Cao Cao naturally wants to expand his territory.
Bingzhou!
Lu Bu has already prepared his troops and can set out at any time to attack Yanzhou.
Chen Gong was by his side, and it was rare for a counselor to seek refuge with him. Lu Bu seemed very happy and thought highly of Chen Gong.
Although not as exaggerated as when Liu Bei met Zhuge Liang.
But Lu Bu also kept Chen Gong with him at all times. If he had any questions, he would ask Chen Gong directly.
However, Song Xian, Wei Xu and others were dissatisfied with Chen Gong.
An outsider suddenly climbed on top of them.
But Chen Gong didn't care. What he wanted was Lu Bu's help to help him deal with Cao Cao.
Lu Bu said: "Gongtai, when will we set out to attack Yanzhou?"
After being told by Jia Xu and Chen Gongyi, Lu Bu couldn't wait.
Chen Gong said: "Wait a minute, wait until the food and grass from Chang'an arrive. It won't be too late to set off."
Xuzhou is now united and is not so easily broken.
They still have time.
Carloads of grain and grass set off from Chang'an City and headed towards Hebingzhou.
There were five thousand soldiers transporting grain and fodder, and it was Pound's dilapidated military camp.
These five thousand recruits have been training for many months, but have not yet been on the battlefield. They are very excited to be responsible for transporting food and grass this time.
One hundred thousand shi of food and grass is not a small amount.
The grain transport team carried sheep for more than ten miles, and such a big movement was enough to alarm other people.
The special agent is the spy sent by Yuan Shao and Cao Cao to Chang'an.
As soon as possible, they passed the news back.
But by the time Cao Cao received the news, the grain transport team had already walked most of the distance.
Cao Cao felt uneasy for no reason.
Xuzhou could not be conquered for a long time, which made him upset.
What does Wang Ding mean by transporting a large amount of grain and grass to Bingzhou at this time?
Cao Cao's eyelids kept twitching.
He immediately called for counselor Xun You and Zhicai.
Cao Cao was also worried that there would be a fire in the backyard when he attacked Xuzhou. The troops he left behind in Yanzhou, Xiahou Dun and Zhang Miao, were his childhood playmates, and Chen Gong was the main force who recommended him as the governor of Yanzhou.<
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In addition, there are Xun Yu, Cheng Yu and others, all of whom are loyal to Cao Cao.
With these people staying in Yanzhou, Cao Cao could attack Xuzhou without any scruples.
When attacking Xuzhou, Cao Cao was most worried about Wang Ding in Chang'an.
After learning that Wang Ding had sent General Zhang Liao to attack Liangzhou, Cao Cao felt relieved. At the same time, because the battlefield in Xuzhou was difficult, he further mobilized troops from Yanzhou and invested in the battlefield in Xuzhou.
Many unexpected things have happened in this attack on Xuzhou.
The first surprise was that after Tao Qian's death, Xuzhou did not become a piece of scattered sand as Cao Cao thought. First, Huang Wan airborne and became the shepherd of Xuzhou.
Xuzhou's resistance was more determined than Cao Cao expected, like a stubborn stone that was difficult for him to gnaw.
The second surprise was Ma Teng's surrender.
In Cao Cao's view, Wang Ding's move to conquer Liangzhou was not wrong, but to successfully regain Liangzhou, it would take more than half a year, not to mention one year.
As a result, just over a month later, Ma Teng surrendered and moved his family to Chang'an.
While he was in Xuzhou, he had only conquered a few counties and cities.
Although the army is approaching Xiapi, Cao Cao has no choice but to defeat Xiapi City in a short time in the face of Liu Bei's three brothers who are resolutely resisting, as well as the powerful families in Xuzhou.
The third surprise is that now, Wang Ding begins to deliver grain and grass to Bingzhou.
There is no way that such a large amount of food and grass could be given to Lu Bu for free.
Xun You plays Zhicai and is a powerful counselor in Cao Cao's hands.
The two thought for a while, and then Xi Zhicai suggested: "My lord, I'm worried that Lu Bu will attack Yanzhou."
Xun You also nodded in agreement.
"Do you want to withdraw your troops?"
Cao Cao was very unwilling.
He is about to capture Xuzhou. He is now besieging Xiapi and there is no way to break it in a short time. But after three months of siege, he does not believe that Huang Wan and Liu Bei can still hold on.
Withdrawing his troops now means that his previous efforts in conquering Xuzhou have been wasted and a lot of food, grass and troops have been wasted.
However, Cao Cao was a decisive man. Xun You and Xi Zhicai both suggested that he withdraw his troops, but Cao Cao did not hesitate.
On that day, Cao Cao ordered the withdrawal of his troops.
After ordering Xiahou Yuan to stop, he quickly retreated to Yanzhou with a cavalry force.
This was something neither Chen Gong nor Wang Ding expected.
The huge Xuzhou, Cao Cao said he didn’t want it, so he didn’t want it.
Anyone else would definitely not have such courage.
After all, it is just Wang Ding who has sent a batch of grain and grass to Bingzhou.
As for Lu Bu, he has not sent out troops yet.
Cao Cao was really too cautious.
Others, if they were in Cao Cao's position, would at least wait until Lu Bu really sent troops before choosing to abandon Xuzhou and withdraw to Yanzhou.
In Xiapi City, the three brothers Huang Wan and Liu Bei looked at the sudden retreat of Cao's army, and they were confused.
Liu Bei said: "Why did Cao Cao withdraw his troops?"
They were trapped in Xiapi City and had no information. They didn't even know that Ma Teng had surrendered, let alone that Wang Ding was transporting grain and grass to Bingzhou.
"Could it be Cao Cao's treacherous plan?" Huang Wan asked.
Although he was just a puppet state pastor, during this period, he was still on tenterhooks and prayed every day for Wang Ding to send troops quickly.
At first, he could still send envoys to Chang'an every day, but later, Huang Wan also lost contact with Chang'an.
Liu Bei said: "I don't know yet. We will stick to the city and only send a few scouts out of the city to investigate."
The gates of Xiapi City are not open.
Liu Bei just used ropes to lower a few scouts into the city, and then asked them to explore the situation.
Pang De safely transported 100,000 stones of grain and grass to Bingzhou. He immediately led 5,000 soldiers who broke into the military camp and returned to Chang'an without staying in Bingzhou.
Lest Lu Bu become suspicious again.
After receiving the food and grass, Lu Bu immediately raised his troops and set off, leading Chen Gong in a mighty attack on Yanzhou.
Lu Bu has also received the news that Cao Cao has withdrawn his troops from Yanzhou.
However, he did not give up this attack because of this.
It will also take time for Cao Cao's army to withdraw from Xuzhou.
With Cao Cao's current level of vigilance, even if there is no such thing as transporting grain, when Lu Bu sends troops, Cao Cao will receive the news as soon as possible.
Now it just gives Cao Cao three or four days to prepare.
But Lu Bu was more prepared.
Moreover, Chen Gong told him that there were other people in Yanzhou who had also betrayed Cao Cao and would support Lu Bu as the shepherd of Yanzhou.
Lu Bu led the 50,000 Bingzhou Army and was full of confidence.
Yanzhou!
Cao Cao returned to Yanzhou in a hurry and immediately summoned Xiahou Dun, Xunyu, Chen Gong and others.
Xiahou Dun, Xun Yu and others came to meet Cao Cao immediately, but Chen Gong was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Gongtai? Why can't I see him coming?" Cao Cao asked.
Xun Yu shook his head: "I have been here for some time and have not seen the public platform."
Cao Cao said: "Send someone to his home immediately, and be sure to invite Gongtai to come over."
Cao Cao attached great importance to Chen Gong, who supported him to become the governor of Yanzhou.
Chen Gong is very careful. He is not always in Bingzhou, but occasionally shows up in Yanzhou.
However, Chen Gong was not prepared for Cao Cao's sudden return.
The original plan was that he would return to Yanzhou before Cao Cao came back, but now when he received the news, Chen Gongren was still in Bingzhou.
When Cao Cao retreated from Xuzhou a few days ago, he had already informed him in advance.
Xiahou Dun, Xun Yu, Cheng Yu and others were not in Juancheng at all, but they all returned to Juancheng in the past two days.
Cao Cao sent people to Dongjun to invite Chen Gong, and the round trip took more than two days.
Cao Cao looked at Xiahou Dun and others and said, "Is there anything unusual happening in Yanzhou recently?"
Xiahou Dun led his army and stationed himself at Yangping, northwest of Yanzhou. This time he came back and brought all his troops with him.
Xiahou Dun said: "Reporting to my lord, no abnormalities have been found recently."
At this time, Cao Cao did not doubt Chen Gong or the others who stayed in Yanzhou.
He came back in a hurry just to be on guard against Lu Bu.
Only because his troops were too few now, he asked Xiahou Dun to temporarily abandon Yangping and bring his soldiers back to Juancheng.
Xun Yu and Cheng Yu also shook their heads. They stayed behind and were also responsible for Yanzhou's government affairs. They couldn't keep an eye on everyone in Yanzhou.
In their view, Yanzhou is peaceful.
The only threat is Lu Bu from Bingzhou, but Lu Bu has not sent troops yet, so there is nothing abnormal.
Just when Cao Cao summoned Xiahou Dun and others, Lu Bu sent out troops.
An army of fifty thousand rushed towards Yanzhou with murderous intent.
After returning to Bingzhou from Chang'an, Lu Bu led his army to roam the grasslands. The 50,000 troops in his hands were all elite.
Facing the Xiongnu head-on, everyone’s expression remained unchanged.
Cao Cao finally got the exact news, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
When the soldiers come, they will block it, and when the water comes, the earth will cover it up.
Yanzhou is his territory, and Cao Cao wants Lu Bu to understand that this is not a place he can touch.
However, Cao Cao now only has more than 10,000 soldiers.
The 70,000-strong army on the Xuzhou battlefield is still retreating.
After Liu Bei confirmed that Cao Cao was really retreating, he began to prepare for a counterattack.
Two days later, when Cao Cao was preparing to resist Lu Bu, he sent people to Dongjun to invite Chen Gong's people back. However, the news brought to Cao Cao was that Chen Gong was seriously ill and could not come to Juancheng.
Cao Cao finally felt that something was wrong.
Even if Chen Gong was seriously ill, he should have sent someone to inform him earlier instead of him sending someone.
Moreover, when he came back this time, the governors of other counties seemed to be too calm, and no one took the initiative to visit him.
Cao Cao said: "Have you seen Chen Gong himself?"
The subordinate shook his head and said: "No."
Xi Zhicai coughed twice. His face didn't look very good, and he was a little pale. He said, "My lord, General Xiahou Miaocai must come back as soon as possible."
Chen Gong just claimed that his illness was not necessarily a problem in the future, but Lu Bu had already personally led an army of 50,000 to kill Yanzhou.
The situation is imminent, and the 70,000 soldiers on the Xuzhou battlefield must rush back as quickly as possible to stop Lu Bu.
Cao Cao said: "Cao Hong, you go immediately and order Miaocai to withdraw the entire army within three days."
Cao Hongdao: "Here."
Xiahouyuan is very close to Yanzhou.
After Cao Hong saw Xia Houyuan, he informed Cao Cao's order. He led three thousand soldiers to the rear and asked Xia Houyuan to rush back as soon as possible.
At the rear of the army, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei pursued him. Seeing that Cao Jun had really left Xuzhou, he returned to Xiapi with thousands of soldiers and horses.
In Liu Bei's hands, now that he is fully prepared, there are only 20,000 people.
If there is a chance, Liu Bei would not mind and take the opportunity to leave Xiahou Yuan and Cao Hong in Xuzhou.
But if there is no chance, Liu Bei will not waste his troops. He does not want to confront Cao Jun head-on.
Liu Bei cherished the 20,000 people he had in his hands.
Xuzhou also needs to recuperate.
Xia Houyuan led an army of 70,000 people and marched two hundred miles a day.
Finally, we arrived in Juancheng within three days.
The 70,000-strong army has returned, but every soldier is exhausted.
But when Xiahou Yuan returned to Juancheng, Lu Bu had also led an army into Yanzhou's territory.
The counties in Yanzhou were depleted of troops. Wherever Lu Bu passed, the governors and magistrates of these counties all surrendered immediately.
"Report, Xingyang City fell."
"Report, the fall of Yangping."
……
In one day, Cao Cao received news of the fall of more than a dozen cities.
His face was gloomy and his hands and feet were cold.
Cao Cao said angrily: "In one day, thirteen cities fell."
"Does Lu Bu have the art of clones?"
Lu Bu only has 50,000 troops. Does he dare to divide his troops into thirteen groups and attack the thirteen cities in the northeast as soon as he comes to Yanzhou?
Cao Cao is not stupid.
It was said that thirteen cities fell, but I knew in my heart that it was these thirteen cities that surrendered to Lu Bu immediately.
Otherwise it would not be justified at all.
Even if the city is empty of troops, with only a few hundred defenders, if the city gates are tightly closed, it will take Lu Bu's troops and horses at least several hours to break through the city.
Cao Cao was heartbroken.
"Isn't there anyone who is willing to fight to the death?"
He led his army to attack Xuzhou. In every city, he encountered Xuzhou soldiers who resisted desperately.
And why did the governors and magistrates of Yanzhou open the city and surrender as soon as Lu Bu arrived?