On the fourth day of September, when the heads of Sun Ce, Cao Hong, Le Jin, Li Jin, Gao Gan, Zhang Chao and Dong Xi were sent to the front line of Guandu on horseback, there was a fierce battle there.
This is of course. The battle of Wuchao five days ago naturally brought hope to the Guandu battlefield to end the battle. Therefore, starting from the previous day, the Yan army continued to attack fiercely.
Correspondingly, the Central Plains Allied Forces have obviously lost their ability to maintain stalemates in the past, and their morale and number of usable troops have dropped to a certain level.
In this regard, Gongsun adopted an extremely heart-wrenching strategy to assist the front line. Every time there was a change in the front line of the battlefield, no matter who advanced or retreated, the Yan army would definitely give a gift to the Southern army.
In just two days, the Southern Army had already received six gifts, including Huang Gai, who was seriously injured and was unconscious and basically had to wait for death; Xu Sheng's head; and Zhou Tai's head, which was cleaned and sewn on.
The coffin; Chen Wu's general flag; Mao Jie's general flag... The sixth copy turned out to be Cao Cao's favorite general, Yingchuan Du Xi Du Zixu himself, who escaped into Wuchao and chose to surrender!
God knows how Cao Mengde felt when he received these prisoners of war, general flags, and corpses, but it had been a long time since he had appeared on the front line to boost morale.
In fact, the only successful counterattack by Cao's army among the so-called six advances and retreats was accomplished by Cao Ren's courage... Just the day before, on the third day of September, during the day, after the Southern Army lost three lines of defense in a row, in the evening
, Cao Zixiao retreated back to the camp in embarrassment, only to find that a battalion of hundreds of soldiers had not received the order to retreat in time, and the entire battalion was trapped on the front line.
In shame and anger, Cao Ren personally led hundreds of his own soldiers to launch a night attack and rescue. As a result, the whole army was shaken and followed suit. Even after the southern army successfully rescued its subordinates, it actually killed the Yan army by surprise and directly seized a line of defense.
However, the courage in this extreme state is destined not to last long. The next day, that is, the fourth day of September, Cheng Pu resumed his steady attack and mobilized, including the dismounted Yan army cavalry, to advance in turn with an absolutely superior force. Cao Jun
Not even halfway through the afternoon, two more lateral directions were lost, directly exposing the camp in front of them.
At this time, Cao Mengde still did not show up.
As a result, Gongsun sent six of the seven heads, plus Huang Zhong's general flag, all in one go.
However, unexpectedly, in the nearly empty Cao Jun camp, the several people in charge of the Southern Army in Guandu, namely Cao Cao, Cao Ren and Liu Ye, were able to remain calm and appear to be calm and calm.
His magnanimity is quite admirable.
"Mr. Cao!"
Seeing the people in the tent focusing on the six heads of different shapes, Sima Yi, who was not even a messenger, as a person who gave away the heads, forced himself to explain. "My Lord Yan, I must do this.
Let me tell you a little bit... Among them, your son-in-law, Sun Bofu, was hiding in the Huangze swamp while escaping alone, so he was quite muddy; while General Le died together with our army Pingyuan Captain Guo Du on the top of the city, and was hit before his death.
He turned over the brazier, so he was burned by the fire; as for Dong Xi, the captain of Kuaiji, he was trampled to death by Ye's armored cavalry, so he was in a miserable shape; and Li Tuizhi, my Duke Yan said that although he was stupid, he was still considered a good person.
He will deal with his old generals on his own... In short, our army did not deliberately insult or hide the corpses, and we asked Mr. Cao to see clearly."
"I understand." Cao Cao, who was sitting at the top, looked away from the six heads and spoke calmly. "Thank you for your hard work, envoy, Duke Yan."
"Besides," the more calm Cao Mengde became, the more cautious Sima Yi became. "Your son-in-law, Cao Ang, was sent back by your son-in-law before crossing the river. He should have been sent to the governor of Xiahou overnight. Although our army had already conquered Puyang the day before yesterday,
The three cities of Lihu and Juyang did not capture Mr. Cao... My Duke Yan said, please don't worry too much, Mr. Cao, just feel free to worry."
"I know." Cao Cao sighed slightly, but he still said the same thing.
"And..." Sima Yi felt uneasy and continued to bow his head. "My Duke Yan also asked me to tell Duke Cao... that he was not lucky enough to notice the battle of Puyang's surprise attack. On the contrary, it was Duke Cao who
You are lucky, but he doesn't have to be lucky. Back to the basics, the Yingzhou soldiers and the Liaodong soldiers are the icing on the cake. You can go to Xuzhou a few days early or go to Xuzhou a few days late. At that time, Cao Cao
Duke Cao can't wait any longer, so this is the result! The general trend is the general trend, the strong and the weak are clearly defined, please don't be dissatisfied, Duke Cao."
"I understand." Cao Cao laughed for a moment, but then turned around and said, "Your words are appropriate. I don't know where your name comes from. Can you please enlighten me?"
"Sima Yi, named Zhongda, from Wen County, Hanoi, is just a soldier in the front line and dare not take the initiative to sign up." Sima Yi was still cautious.
"How could I not know about Sima Zhongda?" Cao Cao suddenly understood. "The talented scholar from Yexia University is well-known in Hebei, and even after his old friend... I think back then, when I first entered the official career, I was appointed as the Northern Wei of Luoyang, which was recommended by my father.
Dear father, can you return peace and tranquility? Where do you serve now?"
"My father is in good health, but since Dong Zhuo's rebellion, he has been living at home, farming, and educating a few younger brothers, and has not served as an official."
"This is natural and a good thing." Cao Cao sighed for a moment, and it seemed like a private conversation between elders and juniors. "After all, my respected father is a veteran of the Han Dynasty and an upright person. It is right not to serve in an official position, but this behavior...
It will definitely implicate your brothers... I'm not saying that at this time, at your age, it doesn't matter what you do. On the contrary, it shows that your family Yan Gong's careful training, I am talking about the great future in the future, if Zhongda, if you
If you want to find a big deal in the future, your family will be a little involved."
Sima Yi looked up blankly, not knowing how to reply.
"It's like this. Although your Sima family has an old relationship with Gongsun Wenqi, firstly, they are ministers of several generations of the Han Dynasty; secondly, after all, they are a well-established family that has been established for hundreds of years... Needless to say, the former is, but the latter is
It's what Gongsun Wenqi is most taboo about." Cao Cao laughed for a moment when he saw this, but he became more and more friendly. "It should be noted that between Han and Yan, there is not only a family and surname difference, but also a fundamental difference in system. Although the former has been suppressing
The strong and powerful suppress the aristocratic clan, but it is difficult to fundamentally get rid of the two. Therefore, the aristocratic clan and the powerful are the foundation of the country in the Han Dynasty; and Gongsun Wenqi, Cao Cao, Liu Xuande and others, the reason why we raised our troops here is our original intention
The above is that when I was young, I saw the decline of the Han Dynasty, and felt in my heart that the powerful family could no longer support the world, so I decided to clarify the situation and establish a new system..."
Sima Zhongda's heart moved slightly, but his face became increasingly confused.
"Don't you understand?" Cao Cao also became more sincere and natural, but in the deserted Chinese army tent, there were six heads between the two of them, this kind of sincerity made people feel guilty. "Actually,
In terms of understanding Gongsun Wenqi's thoughts, Liu Xuande may act closer to Gongsun Wenqi, but it's just daily experience and natural habits. From a political perspective, I understand your family Yan Gong better. But it just happens.
Now that you are my old friend again, I’ll just say a few words. Just listen to me..."
"You don't dare." Sima Yi immediately bowed down.
Cao Cao did not pay attention to it, but pointed out to himself: "If I were in your position as Duke Yan, then even if you, Sima Zhongda, have outstanding talents and clear resume, your future achievements and qualifications will all come naturally, but just by your Sima clan
Even though I have a family like you, I will never let someone like you become the Prime Minister! Even more ruthlessly, I won’t even let you do the two prime ministers, and at most you will be one of the four prime ministers. Even after I die, I will still have to do it.
Leave a last word to your son, so that he will not need you! Why is this? Because in the future, Dayan's world will be guarded against you, the family that has lasted for hundreds of years! In fact, looking back now, when Gongsun Wenqi first recruited talents,
Naturally, I have some considerations in this regard. This is where I am inferior to him. Of course, it is also possible that he was really looked down upon by the disciples of the family at that time..."
Hearing this, Sima Yi, who was still wary at first, remained calm on his face, but his heart was finally shocked beyond measure. He seemed to have remembered the origins of the current prime ministers... Although there had been a lot of discussion among his subordinates before, it was also because of these seven people's backgrounds.
There was some discussion based on their background, but considering the qualifications and contributions of these people, they didn't put much emphasis on them.
But now, after following Cao Cao's reminder, Sima Zhongda finally realized that the positions of Lu, Lou, Han, and Wang were natural, but not inevitable.
There were doubts about their origins, but why did the first few Yuan Cong of Yan Gong all have this identity?
Doesn’t this just illustrate the problem?
As for saying that the descendants of the noble family looked down upon him? Sima Yi found it ridiculous.
All in all, Sima Yi's heart was almost shaken by this thought.
"You don't have to think too much." Cao Cao didn't know if he saw that the other party was being persuaded, but he smiled. "You are just from the first level. If you can achieve special honors like Shen Zhengnan, think about it.
With Gongsun Wenqi's generosity, he will also look at you with special regard... In the final analysis, it still depends on merit and personal talent."
Sima Yi quickly leaned over again and said he was taught.
"I'm tired. Let's go back and give my regards to your Duke Yan and your father." Upon seeing this, Cao Mengde stopped saying anything and waved his hand.
Sima Zhongda did not dare to stay longer, so he left in a hurry, and then returned to the Yan army camp full of thoughts.
However, just after Sima Yi left, Cao Mengde, who had been gentle for a while, suddenly became distressed and covered his face with his forehead... To put it bluntly, Cao Mengde's performance just now was the real gaffe. Facing the total failure of the decisive battle, he had to use this method
He used boring words and topics to cover up his emotions and sent the messenger away.
Because, just now, he really didn't know how to deal with the head and Gongsun's intimidation in front of him!
There was silence in the tent for a while. Finally, Cao Ren, who was covered in smoke, dust and blood, spoke up and broke the silence: "This battle has been lost. Our army has no chance of victory. Brother, please leave quickly! If you don't leave, it will be too late."
"Where are we going?" Cao Cao suddenly raised his head.
"According to what Xun Wenruo said, take the last of us and save the emperor to Huainan or Jingzhou... or even Jiangnan." Cao Ren glanced at Liu Ye beside him without any scruples. "As of now, no matter what
What can we do if we do this? Can we still surrender?"
Hearing this, Cao Mengde looked at the heads again almost instinctively.
The one covered with mud is his son-in-law and adopted son; the one burned to a disgrace is his first general with a foreign surname, who has been his confidant since he was the county magistrate; apart from that, even within the clan,
Cao Hong and Cao Zilian, who were most at odds with him, also committed suicide calmly, and their heads appeared here; and Li Tuizhi, who could have surrendered, but still insisted on his loyalty to himself... In addition to the previous Xia Houyuan and Cao Chun,
Cao Xiu, Xu Chu, Wang Bi, Mao Jie, all their lives are here. As Cao Ren said, how could Cao Mengde surrender?
At this point, the only choice is to leave or die!
Of course, in a heroic posture, death should be avoided unless absolutely necessary, because no one knows what will happen in the future, and no one can guarantee that there will be a glimmer of hope... Gongsun did not get carried away by the advantage this time, and next time
Woolen cloth?
This time, because the emperor was young and impulsive, he lost the hearts of the old ministers of the Han Dynasty. Next time the Han Dynasty is really at the critical point of destruction, who knows if the hearts of the Han Dynasty will still gather together?
Not to mention, the more people die, the more the living should cherish themselves...
It’s not that you can’t die!
As a last resort, Cao Mengde will definitely die calmly, but he cannot be forced to death by Gongsun using such clumsy tricks!
That's not him, Cao Cao!
"If I leave, what will happen to you and Yuan Rang?" Cao Cao thought for a while, then gritted his teeth and made up his mind. Now that things have happened, there is really no need to hold on.
"Brother Yuan Rang and Zixiu must retreat immediately!" Cao Ren replied seriously. "Puyang, Lihu, and Juyang have all been lost. The Yingzhou soldiers gathered in Neihuang and the Liaodong soldiers should immediately go south along this passage. They
If we don't go there, we will be surrounded in vain and will be useless to the situation. But here in Guandu, I have to leave one or two to support... Because since we want to escape south and live under the fence, the only foothold is the emperor. If Guandu is vacant,
I'm afraid that if you can't even reach Wancheng in time, you will be overtaken by the cavalry behind you."
This was a very rational answer, and Cao Cao could only nodded slightly, but then he looked at Liu Ye, who had been silent.
Liu Ziyang immediately understood: "Don't worry, Mr. Cao, we are dependent on each other after all. I will naturally stay here and continue to assist General Zixiao. Some auxiliary troops in the camp will not withdraw again. But where Lu Zijing is, my master Liu Yuzhou
There are very few troops under my command, and we need to evacuate to Pengcheng immediately. Even here in Guandu, I still want to bring back as many troops as possible, so I also ask Duke Cao not to hesitate and go to pick up the emperor as soon as possible..."
"This is natural." Cao Cao sighed. "But if I leave, how long can you last?"
"Three or four days, right?" Liu Ye glanced at Cao Ren, who was silent, and answered sincerely. "In three or four days at most, Guandu won't be able to hold on anymore, and General Zixiao and I should go back to chase Duke Cao..."
"At that time, I would like to ask you to cut off the queen." Hearing this, Cao Cao also glanced at Cao Ren, and then said something quite unusual to Liu Ye. "Our Cao family and Xiahou family are almost one. Under the current situation, there is no way for Zixiao to break up."
The principle of surrender is that once you are trapped, there is only one way to die, but you can surrender with a single step. Because your Liu Yuzhou and Jiangnan two counties, maybe the four counties are enough to stand, you can still talk to Gongsun Wenqi
Words."
Liu Ziyang was silent for a moment, but in the end he nodded slightly and reluctantly agreed.
"My son is filial." Cao Cao stared at the silent Cao Ren again and spoke seriously. "Brother, I know that you have a gloomy mood in your heart. Even before the war, Gongsun Wenqi only thought of you as a horse. He felt grievances.
After Miaocai and Zihe left, you even wanted to risk your life and give Gongsun Wenqi a good look... But have you ever thought about it, since Zihe, Miaocai, and Zilian are all
Go, if you go again, it will be a temporary pleasure, but how should I deal with myself? The dead are gone, what will happen to the living? I agree to be my brother, and I must keep myself useful unless I have to!"
Cao Ren was finally moved, and then his eyes turned red, but he gritted his teeth and nodded as a promise.
"I will leave at the second watch tonight. After I leave, you have people come to pick up Zi Lian's and his family's heads and send them to Pei State for burial... People will send some lime to you. Don't disturb me until now." Seeing Cao Ren nod,
Cao Cao, relieved in his heart, waved again, but was completely speechless.
Cao Ren and Liu Ye knew that Cao Cao wanted to personally clean up the faces of Cao Hong, Yue Jin, Sun Ce and others and then preserve them with lime, so they had nothing to say and could only say goodbye.
In this way, until the second watch of the evening, Cao Cao, who knew that there was no hope for this battle, or that the ownership of the Central Plains had been decided, watched as only a few personal guards escorted the heads of Cao Hong and others to the southeast for burial in Pei State, and then just
He led three to four thousand old and disabled soldiers out of the camp and headed to Yingchuan and Nanyang in the southwest.
However, he had only been out of the camp for three or four miles, and Cao Ren, who was seeing him off, had just turned around. Behind him, the Guandu camp suddenly became noisy and the sky was bright with fire!
It was only the second watch, and such a large-scale night attack had already been launched. It was obvious that Gongsun had calculated that Cao Cao was losing his ambition, so he sent troops to seize the camp at night without stopping!
Cao Mengde looked back at the fire behind him and was speechless for a moment. Just when he was about to give the order to turn around and rescue him, he suddenly froze on his horse and couldn't make a sound for a moment... It turned out that as the fire started to grow in the north, Cao Cao suddenly recognized it.
, a white-haired old soldier with a frightened look on his side looked very similar to the farmer who was carrying water for his grandson that day. He didn't know if he was the same person.
Counting it all together, it's been about twenty days, right?
After a while, Cao Cao sighed, turned around and rode south, never looking back.
I am the dividing line that never looks back
"...Sima Yifang was weak and sent Cao Ying back to pay a visit to Taizu. He said that Cao Cao had lost his ambition and the soldiers were timid, so he could attack at night. Everyone was suspicious. Taizu also hesitated: 'How do you know?
'Yi said to him: 'Your Highness Ren Nian, two days and nights, he returned to the head of the enemy's general with seven flags. When I heard about it, I heard that six figures earlier, Cao Cao all received their heads and mourned, without asking about the envoy. Now I will go there,
Cao Cao did not look at his head, but he asked about his origins and how he came to be an official. It was clear that he was exhausted mentally and physically! Taizu accepted it with a smile, and promoted Yi to the rank of Qujunhou. He then sent troops to attack Cao's camp at night without stopping."
"Xin Yan Shu". Volume 76. Biography 26
ps: Thank you to the 122nd cute leonyu, and also thank you to the original person who recorded the blessing video in Antarctica... thank you all for your concern and love.
By the way, happy second day of Mid-Autumn Festival!
