When Cao Cao's army and Guan Yu's army escaped into Henan, it was already the ninth day of March. On the way to withdraw, the Black Mountain Army also tried to pursue them, but when they saw Guan Yu's formation behind them, they gave up. They just followed all the way westward and watched the opponent pass through.
After Yangwu, Yuanwu, and Xingyang merged with Liu Bei's main force, the Black Mountain Army joined forces with the Gengcang Army and faced off with the Han Army at Honggou Water.
Before Xun Yu abandoned the city, he had already sent an envoy to deliver a message to Liu Bei. Therefore, Liu Bei had already made preparations. He built a fort in Guancheng and prepared a short-term reserve of food and fodder to wait for Cao Cao's arrival. But when he saw Cao Jun in person,
Even then, I was still surprised.
When Guan Yu wrote to him, he often said that Cao Cao's army was strict and his soldiers were solemn. Although he was not as good as Sun Jian, he was also like Han and Bai Zhifeng. But when Cao Cao's army crossed the river, he saw with his own eyes that all the soldiers crossing the river looked depressed.
, walking in vain, casually abandoning their armor and weapons on the ground, and soon they were squatting on the mud in a scattered manner, falling into a large piece, as if their souls were also scattered into the dust.
Seeing this scene, Xu Shu said to Liu Bei very seriously: "Ming Gong, although I don't know what the enemy's plan is, the Yan people are so decadent and demeanor, which will definitely affect the morale of the army. Please order Ming Gong immediately to let these people use their weapons."
Pick them up and put on the armor neatly. If anyone disobeys, he will be punished with a whip."
Liu Bei nodded and said yes, and was about to send Wei Yan to supervise the matter. Unexpectedly, at this time, he saw a troop of Yanzhou soldiers walking through the Yanzhou crowd with flags, slapping the fallen soldiers with the back of their swords, and scolding them loudly.
While talking, the soldiers looked very frightened when they saw the officer in charge, and quickly stood up again. Under the command of the officer, they stood in a row. About half an hour later, although these soldiers were still depressed, they
Most of them actually restored order and formed arrays on the West Bank again.
Liu Bei was very surprised by this, so he called Wei Yan down and went up together to ask the officer's name. The officer was about thirty years old and slender. Although he was wearing a cowhide armor, he stood upright like a lone pine in the crowd.
He had a long beard and a very majestic appearance. Seeing the general coming to ask questions, he stood at attention with his knife in hand and answered, saying that his surname was Yu, whose given name was forbidden to be Wenze.
Military discipline.
Yu Jin's answer was neither humble nor arrogant. Seeing that Liu Bei was fine, he went to patrol the army again without showing any pride or slackness. Liu Bei then sent someone to inquire about his actions. It turned out that after Yu Jin was appointed by Cao Cao, no matter who committed the crime, he would be punished.
The military laws were enforced strictly, and more than a hundred people were killed who violated the prohibition. From then on, the soldiers did not dare to disobey anyone.
Liu Bei was greatly impressed by this and said to Zhang Fei on the side: "There are such talents under Meng De's account, which shows that he is really good at running the army."
Fa Zheng, who was admonishing on the side, heard this and suddenly said: "Ming Gong, even though there are such cruel officials in the army, military discipline is still lax in Duke Cao's army, which shows the depth of this setback. The top priority is to rectify the morale of Yan people.
, otherwise in the future war, Yan people will not be able to use them, and it will be a big disaster."
This statement hit exactly what Liu Bei was thinking. He glanced at Fazheng in surprise, then patted the horse's neck and said with a smile, "Xiao Zhi said it very well! But after all, these are Meng De's soldiers. We have to meet them first."
He is."
After about an hour, Liu Bei finally saw Cao Cao again. After many years of seeing him again, Liu Bei could hardly recognize him. Several years of military service had made Cao Cao more capable, but the tragedy of losing his father also made him depressed, and he suffered from a headache.
, he couldn't eat for several days and lost weight very quickly. When Liu Bei saw Cao Cao's appearance, he almost thought that he would float when the wind blew.
Liu Bei was about to exchange a few words with his old friend, but Cao Cao was the first to say: "General, Cao Cao is the governor of a state and is responsible for guarding the territory of the imperial court. However, he has repeatedly lost his troops and lost his land. Now he has abandoned the city to survive. It is the so-called hundred sins."
Mo Shu, this is what happened. To clarify the right and wrong of obedience and disobedience, please ask the general to punish him, remove Cao Cao from his post, and choose a wise man."
The words were so raw that Liu Bei frowned and said nothing for a long time: "What did Meng De say? Although Yanzhou was lost, it was not the king's fault. But you tried your best. As we all know, Yun Chang often writes to me."
Mentioned, the war has just begun, it is the time for the country to use force, how can we change the generals before the battle?"
Cao Cao still wanted to resign, but Liu Bei pressed his shoulders again and said: "Meng De, there is no need to say more. I already know the affairs of your family. How can the country let the loyal ministers feel cold? I have sent a letter to the court to appoint you as the shepherd of Yanzhou."
, I hope Meng De will not refuse."
Cao Cao still refused, but Xun Yu, Chen Gong and other staff came over and persuaded him in unison: "Everyone in Yanzhou regards Duke Ming as their parents. The people of Yanzhou are still in the cauldron, so will Duke Ming abandon him?" Cao Cao then said
Reluctantly accepted the appointment.
After this incident, Liu Bei was greatly unhappy. He reluctantly exchanged a few words with the people in Yanzhou, then rode away and waited for Guan Yu's return on the river bank. By this time, it was midnight, and the sky was extremely dark, with the moon and stars hiding their traces.
The rest of the staff also went back to rest, and only Zhang Fei stayed by his side.
The accompanying guard said: "Today the army crossed the river and it was safe all day. I think General Guan is also fine. Why should Ming Gong worry? It's so late, Ming Gong should rest early. When General Guan arrives, he will naturally go to find Ming Ming."
Sir. What’s more, it’s late at night today. Even if General Guan is here, where can he be seen?”
Liu Bei lit a torch, shone it on his face, and said to the guard: "If you can't see me when the clouds are crossing the river, you will definitely be disappointed. If you are tired, go back and rest first."
A few people stood by the river again and listened to the sound of flowing water for more than half an hour. Gradually, there were fewer people crossing the river. When the large group of people were about to withdraw, someone suddenly said loudly on the other side: "It's eldest brother and me."
Wing De?" Liu Bei was extremely happy, waving the torch to the other side and saying: "Yun Chang, I am here!" Nothing makes people happier than the reunion of the three brothers. When Guan Yu boarded the ship, Liu Bei and Zhang
Fei then rode his horse down into the water, letting the water wet the horse's belly and boots. When Guan Yu's ship approached, they stepped forward, grabbed the cable, jumped into the ship, and overturned the ship. The three of them
We fell into the water together and were soaked from head to toe.
Liu Bei was wearing heavy armor and it was inconvenient to stand up. At this time, two hands grabbed him and pulled him up. Then he saw two pairs of bright eyes. The three of them didn't change much when they saw each other. They all laughed heartily.
They all looked like three- or four-year-old children, so that when the last soldiers looked over, they all sighed: "Even biological brothers sometimes have disagreements, so why are there sworn brothers who can seem to be one body?"<
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Some sincerity is like the bright moon shining brightly, and there is no need to pretend or pretend. Only sincerity can exchange for sincerity. People may be ignorant in other places, but they are sensitive only on this point.
The three of them went back to the camp to talk together until dawn. The three of them were still full of ideas and full of energy. Unfortunately, they were still on the battlefield and Chen Chong was not here. Otherwise, they could go hunting in the countryside in the early morning like they did in their youth.
At that time, the three of them had their own strengths and weaknesses, and Chen Chong always shot the least, but he still walked with them every time. The four of them went so frequently that people in Taoyang said: "Go less often! Don't go there."
You have almost wiped out all the deer and sparrows in the mountains."
Recalling these past events, the three of them were all sighing. Liu Bei said to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei: "When we were chatting together, although we pointed out heroes and criticized heroes, how could we imagine the scene today? Now we are all in high positions and have assistants.
Son of Heaven, you must not relax in the important task of governing the world. When we win, the four of us brothers will drink in Chang'an again!"
On the other side, Cao Cao was lying on the couch, talking with Xun Yu about what he had seen and heard during the day. After Liu Bei left, they went to inquire about the conditions of the various tribes in the Eastern Expedition, and visited Duan Xuan, Tian Chou, Zhang Xian, and Xun You successively.
After one day, I was very amazed.
Cao Cao said: "It is said that the Liang people and the Yan people are brave and good at fighting. I didn't feel that at the time of the Battle of Bianshui. I just felt that I fell into the trap and my plan was inferior, so I was defeated. But now that I have experienced battles for a long time,
Only when you see them with your own eyes will you know what a good soldier is."
Xun Yu recalled what he had said to his nephew Xun You about the purpose of Liu Bei's eastern expedition: "The general first conquered Zhang Xian and promised him to be the shepherd of Xuzhou. It must be that this eastern expedition is aimed at destroying Linzi.
It is indeed a good plan to use all the land in Henan and then push the north and south to restore the authority of the imperial court."
Cao Cao looked at his fingernails and asked, "Wen Ruo, what do you think is Xuande's chance of winning during this trip?"
Xun Yu said with a smile: "The general has been fighting against the Qingzhou moth bandits for a long time, and he can keep Xu Qing safe for a long time, which shows that he is indeed extraordinary. Later, the late emperor mobilized the general to join the annexation, and the Qingzhou moth bandits became uncontrollable. This shows that he has his own
Countermeasures. Besides, is Duke Ming really worried about the war?"
Cao Cao was silent for a while, then he laughed and said: "I really can't hide anything from Wen Ruo! I have been determined to serve the country since I was a child, but at this time I suffered the pain of destroying my family. I am extremely angry with the moth thief in my heart. If I can't kill him with my own hands,
I am afraid that I will not be willing to accept the slaughter. In the past, when I supported the country, I fell behind Xuande. Today, when I avenge my family, do I have to borrow it from others?"
As he spoke, he gritted his teeth, clenched his hands into fists, and his eyes were as cracked as cracks, showing an extremely angry look. Xun Yu couldn't help but sigh when he heard the words, and comforted Cao Cao: "If this is the case, you can just fight on the battlefield. Why does Ming Gong have to fight today?"
How about performing such a play in front of everyone? I can see that the general is quite unhappy about this today."
Cao Cao was silent after hearing the words. After a while, he sighed: "Wen Ruo, things are unpredictable and people are fickle. Dong Zhuo also had a helping heart in the past, and he was a sincere and filial son at first. Who could have expected that he would be in this situation now? I
I haven’t seen Xuande for three years. If I don’t clear my name today, how will I deal with myself if he accuses me tomorrow?”
When the words reached this point, Xun Yu could not refute for a while, and in the end he only let out a sigh.
He blew out the candles, opened the tent and left slowly, feeling a little sad in his heart. He knew that Cao Cao must have some words that he had not said, and he had changed.