Chapter 25 The same thing but the end of separation
The next day, Cao Cao ordered a total of 40,000 people from all his troops to go out and launch a fierce attack on Dingtao from the southeast, northwest and four directions at the same time. Many soldiers of Cao's army climbed up the city wall to fight.
The sound of the knife being struck back and forth on the top of the city can be heard clearly even from a distance of more than ten miles.
At first, Cao Jun used ants to attack the city. Due to the large number of people, it was quite effective. Soon, people climbed up the city wall and continued to tear apart the lines in the city. But Zang Hong had already prepared, and when hundreds of people poured into the city, they
Cao Jun's soldiers threw bundles of wormwood into bundles at the bottom of the city. When Cao Jun saw this, they didn't take it seriously. Unexpectedly, the wormwood was wrapped with stones inside and filled with grease on the outside. Once thrown down, all those who hit it stood up.
fell. Then the defenders shot down rockets tied with pine trees into the grass beams, and the city suddenly burst into flames. As the smoke filled the air, Cao Jun's subsequent offensive was immediately difficult to maintain, and the defenders on the city were therefore isolated and helpless, or were killed on the spot.
Beheaded, or forced to jump from the tower, thousands of people were killed or injured.
After attacking back and forth for three days, Cao Cao's army could not advance even an inch. Cao Cao was quite impatient, and then discussed the tactics of war with Tian Feng, Ju Shou and others all night, and then ordered all the three armies to say that they should not rush to attack the city yet, and ordered the entire army to advance to the barracks and surround the city wall.
They set up watchtowers and exchanged fire with the defenders in the city, and then waited for orders from the army. After hearing this, the experienced officers in the army were speculating on the commander's plan. They talked privately that the marshal was probably going to use up the arrows in the city to wait for the thieves.
After there are no arrows to release, let us attack the city. By then, our army will have arrows and the thieves will have no arrows, so it will be easy to break the city.
Things developed just as they expected. In the following days, the two armies kept shooting back and forth between the watchtower and the city wall. The sound of arrows flying through the air continued throughout the day, sounding like a knife.
Scratching back and forth on the withered bones, seeing such a fierce exchange of fire, the defenders on the city could only hold up wooden poles and crawl back and forth, while Cao's army below the city did not feel relaxed and resented the cold.
About five or six days later, the arrow losses fired by the defenders were decreasing day by day. Compared with Cao Cao's army's arrow losses, which were still like hail, they seemed like a lonely swan among the crows. The generals saw this clearly and rushed to Cao Cao's tent.
Please fight and siege the city.
After hearing this, Cao Cao was not in a hurry. He flipped through the military book and said calmly: "Zang Ziyuan is not an idiot, how could he not leave a backup plan?" Everyone looked panicked, and then Cao Cao smiled slowly and said: "You don't need to rest tonight.
, lead troops to patrol in front of the camp. If a thief comes out of the city, you will form a formation and fire arrows. Don't let him repeat his old tricks and take away a thousand of my heads."
At around midnight that night, all the generals dubiously stood in the formation and patrolled according to the commander's orders. However, the fire on the city wall of Dingtao went out silently, as if the arrows had been exhausted, or they had not been able to rest for days and were unable to fight anymore.
But when everyone was drowsy, there was a sudden sound of gongs. It turned out that Cao's soldiers on the watchtower saw a group of black shadows suddenly appeared on the edge of the city, slowly descending from the city wall, as if they were trying to sneak attack Cao's camp along the rope.
, so he used this as a warning. Seeing this, Cao's soldiers under the city all excitedly commented: "Zang Ziyuan thought he had a plan, but he couldn't compare with the marshal's skill!" Then they rushed to shoot arrows at the shadow.
The black shadow fell to the ground in the rain of arrows. According to estimates by sharp-eyed people, there must be more than a thousand Han soldiers who fell on the ground. This must be a heavy blow to Zang Hong's weak army. Unexpectedly, the sky turned white.
Finally, people were surprised to find that what fell to the ground was not a soldier with a knife, but a scarecrow wrapped in black. These scarecrows had ropes tied around their waists and were densely covered with arrows, like hedgehogs. p>
At this time, the guards on the city pulled the straw man to the top of the city in full view of the public, and loudly counted the number of arrows that the straw man had lost. At the end of the count, it was known that Zang Hong had lost 126,000 arrows in one night.
Thirty-two branches. Cao Cao's soldiers under the city heard about it, and their morale was greatly depressed. When Cao Cao heard about it, he was so angry that he couldn't pay attention to the matter.
That day, Cao Cao's army did not attack the city. At night, when the wind subsided a little, Cao Cao called his military adviser Guo Jia, who asked very calmly: "Zang Ziyuan is not only a righteous man, but also a genius. In the past, when I was under Meng Zhuo's tent, I actually
No matter what! If I get it, how can the world be settled? Is there any way to make him come under my control?"
Guo Jia was shocked when he heard that Cao Cao had cherished Zang Hong's talent before, but later gave it up because of Guo Jia. Unexpectedly, after suffering successive setbacks, Cao Cao actually wanted to recruit Zang Hong again.
This time, Guo Jia was not in a position to dissuade him. He lowered his head for a long time and then slowly said: "There are Chen Lin and Chen Kongzhang in the Duke Ming Dynasty. They were old friends and were once married to Zang Hong.
My dear family, if Ming Gong is interested, why not send him a letter and express his love in old words."
Cao Cao smiled and said, "That's exactly what I mean. Just go and discuss it with him."
Guo Jia took the order and left. That night he and Chen Lin studied the text together, and then wrote a letter every day, and sent people to shoot into the city for three consecutive days. The first two letters were sent, but there was no news, and by the time of the third letter
, there was finally a reply, so the third letter was recorded in the article. Its full text is as follows:
"I heard that in the old days of the declining Zhou Dynasty, zombies were bleeding. I thought otherwise, but I didn't expect to bear the brunt of it today!"
"Ziyuan has been guarding Tao for nearly a hundred days. Liu Bei was defeated by the generals Hong and Ren. They all thought that Ziyuan was a high-ranking talent, and he was equipped with the weapon of Qingping. The bell was silent.
Being able to make decisive decisions when the opportunity arises is a natural talent and is not something that is common to those who admire it."
"However, Liu Bei's talent for riding a horse, and the number of soldiers who cannot travel a thousand miles, is a mediocre leader, and is beyond the capabilities of a wise man. How can it be like Cao's expedition, which is like flying away from a meteor, surpassing mountains and seas, and being able to defeat a mere 30,000 people?
Ten times the enemy. This dragon Ji dare not chase, how about the slave horse, how safe is it?"
"Senior Master Ziyuan, Duke Cao loves him very much. The so-called gentleman's way is to act when the opportunity arises, not to be in danger, and not to harm the people of the city. But those who rely on the emperor and refuse to surrender can only rely on the support of Guanxi.
Now Chen Chong is ordered to be a traitor to the court, and he is in panic without a trace. He is also surrounded by the east and west. Even if Guan Zhong and Wu Qi are capable, they cannot achieve what the soldiers can do! If this happens, you will die in Jiuquan, and you will have the reputation of ending the army.
? Or how can a person named Yajiang Chong endure the humiliation of his father? It is not like joining the Gongdian Company to enjoy the highest position in the country and be famous in Kyushu for eternity."
"Having said this, the servant is waiting as ordered, looking back and forth, hoping that Ziyuan will think twice!"
After Zang Hong got the book, he immediately wrote a reply in person and sent it back to Cao's camp early the next morning. At that time, Cao Cao was suffering from a headache. When he unfolded this common towel, he found that the reply was densely packed, which was several times that of Chen Lin's book.
Xia Houyuan, who was sitting here, read to him. Xia Houyuan quickly leaned over and recited word for word. Cao Cao listened attentively at first. As Xia Houyuan read more and more eagerly, his expression became more and more serious. At the end, he was already
I sat up on the couch and said "meaning" unconsciously.
When Xia Houyuan put down the towel in a cold sweat, Cao Cao said with a smile: "Unexpectedly, Zang Hong is not only excellent in martial arts, but also writes like a knife. He can actually cure my headache!"
Speaking of this, Cao Cao sighed again: "It's a pity that such a strange person can't be used by me!"
In this reply, Zang Hong still claimed that Cao Cao was the shepherd of Yanzhou and called him his master, but he also mentioned Cao Cao's many misdeeds in governing Yanzhou, such as deceiving Chen Chong, assassinating Bian Rang, and treason against the court. He also described himself as the city's leader.
The ambition to sacrifice one's life to safeguard the country, although the words are not beautiful, but the love is so true that even Cao Cao can't help but be moved. The full text is recorded as follows:
"The longing for each other arises from the vast distance between us. Fortunately, we are separated by steps and martial arts. However, we are not able to see each other because of our different interests. This is melancholy, but it is heartfelt! I will not forget the day before yesterday, compare and humiliate Ya Kuang, and recount the misfortunes
Fortunately, public and private affairs are closely related. Therefore, those who do not respond immediately will have little learning and talent, and will not be able to cross-examine. Also, my son is carrying a side room, resting on his shoulders, his master, his home is in Dongzhou, and his servants are enemies. Therefore, even if he is wearing a robe, he will be an enemy.
Emotions fall into the liver and gallbladder, as if the body is neglected and guilty, and the words are willing to offend people, but they don't save them from beginning to end, how can they be compassionate to others?"
"With your talent, if you don't have this classic book, how can it be darkened by the great road and not reach the rest of the world? But again, if you are content with your words and don't believe them sincerely, you will save disaster. You must want to make calculations.
Long and short, debating right and wrong, right and wrong, have been spoken all over the world, and they are even more unclear. There is no harm in not saying anything. Also, the meaning of saying goodbye after injury is not what I can bear to do, so I throw away the paper and pen, and have nothing to answer.
. I also hope that I can think about my heart from afar and know my plan, so that I will not change again. I will regain my destiny, talk about my strength and weakness, and proudly count the pieces of paper. Even if I want to say nothing, how can I get it!"
"You are a small servant. Because of my service, I robbed a large state. I owe you a deep kindness. Ning Le returns the favor today! Every time I go to the city to recruit troops, I look at my master's banners and drums. I feel how old my friends are.
I feel like my face is covered with tears. Who is it? I have assisted the Zuo Cao family and have no regrets. The masters have followed each other and lived up to their standards. When I first took office, I thought that it would be a great event and we would restore the country together."
"How could you realize that after the defeat of Bohai, the state was invaded, and the generals of the county fled to Fuli? Chen Liuke's plan to create an army lost territory, lost the name of loyalty and filial piety, carried the staff on his back, and lost the distinction of making friends. Based on these two, and with them
As a last resort, losing the name of loyalty and filial piety and losing the way of making friends are all different, and the relationship is different, so I shed tears and say goodbye. If the master is to miss his old friend, the one who lives in the side seat will be restrained, and the one who leaves will be restrained.
If you don’t focus on leaving your friends and believe in punishment and killing to support yourself, then you will have no ambition to fight against Ji Zha and will not be able to fight today. How can it be effective?"
"In the past, Chen Tingjian captured Zuojun and heard that Puyang was defeated. He resigned and ran away, causing the army to bleed and the master to survive. Then he admonished the soldiers to discuss the failure and sympathized with the farmers and mourned the soldiers. In a short time, he did not expect to be killed.
My friend, my heart is hurt by the white head. The doctor on the border came here with the order, but couldn't find the beetles. What crime should I accuse him of? He saw the thorns again, and he died. The emperor later sent an order to attack Yuan, but he was not ordered to do it. He clearly promised to cheat.
, Seeking hegemony through skills, this can be said to be a person who is loyal and filial, and does not harm the country? Although the servant is not sensitive, he is never able to see the end from the beginning. He can see the subtle things and steal the master's heart. How can it be said that the three things have failed and the punishment should be punished?
?In fact, in order to unify Shandong, we increased our troops to fight against the enemy. We were afraid of the suspicion of the soldiers and could not dissuade them, so we suppressed the king’s order in order to respect and inherit the system. Now it is ridiculous to say that we have been ordered to serve the king diligently and for the sake of the whole country.”
"I have warned my predecessors to fight to the death in poverty. Even though I am a fool, I have heard the words of a gentleman. This is not my intention, but my master's decision. Anyone who betrays my country and lives in this city is a gentleman.
Violation of this is because it is not suitable for the enemy's country. If you offend the master and see that the attack is too late, you will take this meaning as our rule. It is not the same but different, and it is not the behavior of a gentleman!"
"I heard that righteousness never betrays one's relatives, and loyalty never disobeys the emperor. Therefore, the Cao family of Dongzong thought that they were close relatives, and they supported the court in the middle to stabilize the country. They killed two birds with one stone and were loyal and filial. Why is it wrong? But you want me to take advantage of it and destroy it.
The family is a master. The master is my brother. I am divided into friends. Although we are divided according to the rules, it can be said that it is done. If the son says, then Bao Xu should be killed by the members of the army, and it is inappropriate.
I cried in the Qin court. I was just in trouble, and I didn't know how to behave. I may see that the city is surrounded and the reinforcements have not arrived. I feel the meaning of marriage, but the good thing in life is to live in humiliation. It is better to keep righteousness.
And overturned."
"In the past, Yan Ying did not surrender his ambitions to the sword, and did not bend his writings to survive in the history of the south, so he wore images and his name will be passed down to future generations. Kuang Pu held on to the solidity of the golden city, drove the soldiers and the people away, and scattered the livestock for three years, thinking that it would last for one year.
Capital, to relieve the poor and replenish the deficiencies in order to please the world, why build a house instead of farming! But I am afraid of the autumn wind and dust, the court is strong and the horse's head is facing the east, Qu Yi, Gongsun, and the physical strength are in trouble.
I beg you to return sincerely. The master should learn from my Cao family, who rebelled against his troops and retreated, and led the army in Yeyuan. Why should he be humiliated and angry for a long time and violently bully my city? I am ridiculing me for relying on Guanxi to save me, but I don't care about Sun Ce's cooperation.
Evil! Add Liu Biao's subordinates to receive the king's order. In the past, the great ancestor took Peng Yue in the vast wilderness, Guangwu created the foundation in the green forest, and died with the dragon flying to the Zhongxing to become the emperor. If you can assist the master in Xinghua, why don't you blame me! Kuang servant relatives
Feng Xi Shu, work with them."
"Go ahead, Kong Zhang! One step is beneficial to the outside world, Zang Hong has given orders to the emperor and relatives; one step has entrusted himself to the leader of the alliance, and Zang Hongce has made his name in Chang'an. The son said that the rest of his body will die and his name will be destroyed, and the servants will also laugh at the fact that the son will live and die without being heard. How sad!
The original is the same but the last is different. Work hard, what else can I say!"