This is the cruel historical experience left to the people of the world by the wonderful showdown between Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty and the Overlord of Chu.
Xiang Yu defeated Liu Bang several times and won major decisive battles several times, but he was always just a breath away. Liu Bang, who was in desperate situation, made a comeback with the help of Xiao He, Han Xin, Lu Ze, Zhang Liang and others.
Correspondingly speaking, Xiang Yu just ran out of energy and made peace with Liu Bang to divide the world. Zhang Liang and others caught a glimpse of the truth, and then Liu Bang, who tore up the agreement, led the world's princes to surround Gaixia and came to Jiangdong without shame.
Father.
Therefore, after winning simultaneously on the two fronts of Xiapi and Wuchao, Gongsun Xun no longer hesitated and immediately launched an all-out general offensive under the huge pressure of attrition, and on the morning of October 6th, in
After nearly three days and nights of fierce attack, they successfully broke through the Guandu Camp of the Central Plains Allied Forces, and then launched a strategic march.
However, it was said to be an advance. In fact, as Liu Ye led the remnants of Guandu to surrender, Cao Cao and Cao Ren fled in a hurry with only a few thousand remnants. Lu Su, who was near Chenliu, also made a prompt decision to lead the Huainan army south after noticing the situation.
In Pengcheng, there is not much actual military pressure on the Yan army's march... This kind of march is more like some kind of strategic pursuit.
Not to mention other things, the troops and horses here in Guandu were basically divided into two. They chased Cao Cao all the way to Yingchuan and Nanyang; they chased Cao Ren all the way to Chenliu and Chenjun. They captured cities and territories along the way, just like eating.
Drink water.
With the war going like this, and the news about the three battles of Xuzhou-Wuchao-Neihuang spreading as the two armies advanced and retreated, the people of the world had already woken up - after all, Duke Yan won this battle!
But what failed was definitely not just Cao Cao, and what Yan Gong was about to gain was definitely not just Guandu, or Chen County, or even the Central Plains.
"It's become obvious!"
Nanyang Wancheng, the southern capital of the Han Dynasty that had been peaceful for almost a whole year, instantly fell into unprecedented chaos, because everyone knew that in addition to annexing the Central Plains, Gongsun Xun would definitely attack if there was even the slightest possibility in this battle.
Please ask the emperor to go back and explain the situation!
So for everyone in Wancheng, what else can be better?
"The matter has become very obvious and urgent! Cao Zongzheng is on the way, and Xun Wenruo has also arrived in Runan with the Central Plains nobles who are willing to be loyal to the Han Dynasty. The two of them want us to transfer from Caiyang, the imperial hometown.
Entering Jiangxia as a continuation... Everyone, do you have any opinions?" Above the so-called court, Taiwei Yang Biao, who was speaking, seemed to be more than ten years older, with white hair and shrinking back.
It’s hard to have the same spirit as before.
In other words, this is not just due to the cruel situation at hand, nor is it just worrying about the future of the Han Dynasty. To a large extent, it is due to the person who really took on the so-called responsibility for the rise and fall of the Han Dynasty in the previous year.
Due to hard work.
Think about it, Nanyang is a large county, and Lu Bu, who was used by the Han Dynasty to squeeze out Cao Cao and control half of Nanyang County, is indeed an easy person to coax. But in the war ahead, everything is based on military supplies. Basically, the small court can only
Maintaining it at the lowest economic level. And that's fine. The key is that as the most important minister of the central government, Yang Biao also has to contact the three princes in the center and dance on three eggs. Today, he has to find a way to appease Cao Cao who is working hard on the front line.
Tomorrow he would have to find a way to persuade Liu Biao and his subordinates not to have capitulationist tendencies, and the day after tomorrow he would have to fight the autumn wind with Liu Bei in Runan next door to ask for some funds for Mid-Autumn Festival sacrifices... And if there was a slight disturbance on the front, he would have to coax the frightened little boy here.
Emperor!
In addition, every possible effort must be made to maintain and expand the influence of the Han Dynasty.
But, so to speak, no matter how it was maintained, the situation became increasingly unbearable day by day, and finally reached today's stage - Liu Bei, who had strong strength and seemed to have the most secure territory, lost Xuzhou first, and the entire territory was exposed to the Yan army
Under the front of the army, Cao Cao, who led hundreds of thousands of troops, was still defeated and could only flee here in embarrassment; Sun Ce, the loyal Wujun tiger general, was missing; Liu Biao simply became ambiguous to an extremely dangerous situation.
situation.
At this moment, Lu Bu and his small army of 10,000 troops may be able to rely on them. In fact, Lu Bu had just rushed back to Wancheng from Yingchuan with 4,000 troops and horses.
"What do Marquis Wen think?" After a moment of silence, Yang Biao looked at Lu Fengxian as a matter of course.
"I absolutely cannot believe in Cao Mengde and that Xun Wenruo." Lu Bu, who had just withdrawn from Yingchuan and was standing in the lobby of the former Nanyang Prefecture in military uniform and now in the Emperor's Hall, frowned slightly and expressed some unmistakable doubts. "But.
Where should the emperor go in a place like Jiangxia? They have already reached the Yangtze River. Once there, how will the people of the world view the imperial court?"
This is reasonable and reasonable...but the question is, where can we go if we don't go to Jiangxia?
"Where are we going if we don't go to Jiangxia?" Deng Zhi, a native of Nanyang, a young minister of Huangmen, and a famous founding official of the Han Dynasty after Deng Yu, who was trusted by the emperor, thought for a moment and said with emotion. "There is a big fight ahead.
After half a year of fighting, countless people died. At this point, will Hebei still let us go? Moreover, even if we can abandon our official positions and ask for the peace of a barbarian, will the emperor still be in the hands of Yan Ni?
What other outcome? Now that things have happened, I can only go to Jiangxia with Cao Gong and Xun Wenruo."
As soon as this statement came out, the imperial court, which had not many people in it, became even more deserted.
The logic is that simple. At this time, unless the small court of the Han Dynasty has the courage to die together, it has no choice but to flee south. Once fleeing south, it will definitely be extremely dangerous to go to the core territory of Liu Bei and Liu Biao. Here is the plan
, we can only try our best to gather the forces fleeing south, and under the banner of the Emperor, go to the intersection of the two territories, that is, the Jiangxia area to establish a foothold.
There was nothing to discuss in the first place, but after a long pause, the little emperor sighed, and the matter was settled. Jingze and Deng Zhi were responsible for the relocation of the emperor's guard of honor and palace confinement, while Yang Biao went to take stock of the treasury.
Lu Bu went to prepare the army, but he was ready to go south together when Cao Cao arrived.
Leaving aside others, Lu Bu, who hurriedly returned to Wancheng, returned to his mansion, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt aggrieved and unacceptable, and he immediately alarmed someone.
"What are you worried about, husband?" A woman in gorgeous clothes, about fifteen or sixteen years old, came over. Seeing that Lu Bu was depressed, she also looked worried, but she was Lu Bu's wife and Yuan Shu's eldest daughter.
As the saying goes, an old husband and a young wife are naturally weak in the legs, not to mention Lu Bu, no matter what, he has always been very particular about his treatment of his wife. Especially since this wife is the legitimate daughter of the Yuan family and a relative of the Yang family, he cherishes her even more.
So when Lu Fengxian heard this, instead of being angry, he forced himself to look happy. He quickly got up to catch him, helped him sit down in the hall, and comforted him a little: "Madam, don't worry, it's just court affairs."
"Husband, why do you need to hide it from me?" Mrs. Yuan took advantage of the situation and sat down, but she was not afraid. "It is said outside that Cao Sikong was defeated, and Nanyang will be moved to Jiangxia... won't our family leave?"
Lu Bu sighed, but became more and more helpless: "I didn't expect that it would spread throughout the city so quickly!"
"Are you really going to Jiangxia?" Mrs. Yuan also frowned.
"That's right." Lu Bu had no choice but to be honest. "Now that things have happened, there is no other choice but to go to Jiangxia... Are you worried about the remoteness of the road, madam? Don't worry, I will personally protect you to Jiangxia safely."
"I also know there is nothing we can do." Mrs. Yuan shook her head repeatedly, but then she remembered something and became even more helpless. "Husband, do you think we can live in the house where we were married when we return to Jiangxia this time? It's Huang Zu's house.
Building."
Lu Bu was startled for a moment, then became sad.
"I think so." Mrs. Yuan immediately forced a smile when she saw this. "It's no better than before. Now when I go to Jiangxia, the emperor, my uncle, and I heard that Cao Sikong are going, so where can we and my wife be in the original house?"
share?”
Lu Bu smiled more and more bitterly, and the wrinkles on his head became tighter: "Why would I want to go to Jiangxia for my husband? You must know that I am from the north, and Nanyang is the hinterland of the Central Plains after all. I can still adapt. Unless it is absolutely necessary, there is a big house.
Who would be willing to go to Jiangxia?"
"I mean the same thing." Mrs. Yuan also became completely sad. "I have grown up between Ruying and Wanluo since I was a child. How can I be willing to go to the south? Moreover, considering the time when my husband came back from Luyang two months ago,
I haven't been able to get up for more than a month now. It's hard to say that I'm pregnant. I always feel it's not worth it when I think about letting my children not know the customs of the Central Plains in the future."
Mrs. Yuan was feeling sad here, but unexpectedly, Lu Bu was already dumbfounded... He is now nearly forty years old, but he only has one daughter in Chang'an. It is said that when he was growing hair this year, he was betrothed to Gongsun Xun who happened to be in Chang'an.
Giving it to Jia Xu's son is already a spilled water. Now I hear that my wife may be pregnant, how can I not be happy?
But given the current situation, this kind of happy event seems particularly worrying.
The war is in chaos, what should I do if something happens on the road?
After thinking about this, Lu Feng first comforted the other party, and then asked about the other party's health. After recovering for a while, he could only become more and more angry: "If there is a long-term solution for peace and stability, why should I be willing to take you around?
How wonderful would it be for the family to be stable and wealthy?"
When Mrs. Yuan heard this, her face and heart moved slightly.
Lu Bu's eyes were outstanding. When he saw her, he took the initiative to ask: "Madam, do you have anything to say?"
"It's not me, but I just happened to go to the backyard to see my father yesterday." Mrs. Yuan said carefully. "They all say that we are not close to each other. Although Cao Sikong and his uncle previously said that my father was guilty and they were not allowed to go out of the backyard.
Half a step, but now the situation is so chaotic...can you, my husband, make the decision and take the opportunity to release my father?"
After hearing this, Lu Fengxian immediately stood up and sneered: "What Madam said is true. Even Cao Sikong and the others can't protect themselves now. Why can't my father-in-law be released? Let's go to the backyard to see my father-in-law now."
Mrs. Yuan finally showed her face slightly, and Lu Bu was instantly excited when he saw this.
Not to mention Lu Bu's meeting with Yuan Shu, what kind of radiant sparks will burst out from this pair of sons-in-law, but it is said that the Yan army has made rapid progress in the past few days. Not only Chen Liu has taken all the troops, but Chen Jun has also taken all the troops, and even Yingchuan has already suppressed them.
Xu Rong could not hold back and advanced rapidly under the attack of the Guandu reinforcements.
Cao Mengde originally wanted to wait for news in the Xu County area and gather some Yingchuan disciples who were willing to follow him south. However, Xu Rong, who came out of Shenyuan Pass, was so red that his military exploits had reached the extreme. How could he give Cao Cao a chance to breathe?
After he and Zhang Liao joined forces to conquer Yangdi, they worked almost non-stop and led the troops south to attack Xu County.
In this regard, Zhang Liao and other main forces in Guandu naturally didn't say much. They just suffered a lot from Cao Cao. As a last resort, the latter could only come and go non-stop, but he went south in embarrassment, directly abandoning the entire Yingchuan and arriving at Lu, the northern gate of Nanyang.
In Yangcheng...there were some of Lu Bu's fresh troops who had withdrawn from the front line, which gave him a little breather, but he no longer dared to move for fear that he would not be able to get rid of Xu Rong's cavalry.
At this time, Gongsun Xun, who had personally moved to Xu County, received letters from Lu Bu, Cai Mao, and many, many others.
Of course, these letters do not need to be burned this time, because all of them have kept their posture as low as possible and come here with genuine sincerity. And now, Gongsun Xun really hopes to avoid unnecessary casualties and use diplomacy.
Means to obtain the greatest benefits possible.
"Cai Degui (Cai Mao) said in the letter that he does not need me to come in person, but as long as I agree, he is willing to hand over all the places north of Mianshui, except Deng County, to Zhong Yuanchang in the direction of Wuguan before this year... Two military advisors
What do you say?" In the lobby of Xu County Official Temple, after Gongsun Xun read a letter, he threw it directly to Lu Meng who was standing aside. The latter quickly took the letter and handed it to Wang Xiang who was sitting in the hall for archiving.
"This should be the limit of Liu Biao's concession." Jia Xu thought for a moment and came to the conclusion. "Deng County is the cover of Xiangyang City in Mianbei. He must protect the city from your lord's attack on Xiangyang; and let Zhong Yuan
Chang went to take over the task, but advised the lord not to go to Nanyang, as if he was worried about the lord's army. As for handing over Nanyang before the end of the year, but did not mention the emperor, it seemed that he had tacitly agreed to let the emperor go to Jiangxia, and was not prepared to make any countermeasures that would violate his ministerial integrity.
Lift, and then hand over the territory..."
"Since he is so sincere, what should I do?" Gongsun Xun smiled and said, "Gongda!"
"It depends on the order of His Highness's next advance!"
In the north of the Yangtze River, it is better to try our best to catch up with Cao Mengde and the emperor, and then we have to make some arrangements and assignments; and if we go further down, the river is thousands of miles away, from west to east, Yizhou, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, which one should be taken first, or simply
To take it all at once, you have to think carefully... So whether you agree with Cai Degui's words depends on whether His Highness has the intention to calm down Jingzhou first. If not, what about making a promise? If there is a direct march to Jingzhou
Naturally, you don’t need to pay attention to it! However, what your Highness’s plan is, it can’t be delayed even for a moment.”
Gongsun Xun was sitting in the imperial chair in the hall. After hearing this, he held his waist and was silent for a long time. After a while, he spoke seriously in the expectant eyes of all the court officials: "I won't hide it from Wenhe, Gongda, in the past Guangwu had his words.
If you are not satisfied, after pacifying Long and looking back at Shu, every time you send out troops, your hair and temples will be white...The military is constantly connected, the chaos is constant, and the people are in poverty. If I have the power, I naturally hope to calm down the world without stopping. But Guangwu
After proclaiming himself emperor, he conquered seventy-eight percent of the world in six years. However, he spent six years in Long and Shu, losing many troops and defeating many before he unified the world, but he still left the root of the Qiang chaos in Longshang. Now, if
Counting from the oath of the Changshan Alliance after Dong Zhuo's rebellion, I have conquered seven or eight of the world in six years. Therefore, although I am determined to conquer thousands of miles like a tiger, I can't help but worry that those who can travel hundreds of miles will be frustrated at the Yangtze River. On the contrary,
Slow down the pace of progress in the world."
Everyone had different expressions, but none of them spoke.
"So, I am determined to make continuous progress in the offensive, but I am not ready to finish it in one battle... There will be a disaster in Qingxu this year, and the Central Plains has been hollowed out by the war. In this battle, I intend to go to the riverside first, and then let the Central Plains
Hebei is recuperating, and instead the three auxiliaries who have not worked too much, and the Liang and Zang areas work together to plot the Shu area; and if the Shu area is lowered, the navy can threaten South China along Wu County and Kuaiji, so it is best to say
In this case, it will be as easy as taking over Jingzhou and Yangzhou... Although it may take a year or two to dominate the world, there is no possibility of repeating it!
I can deal with it calmly." After saying this, Gongsun Xun looked around and asked seriously. "What do you think?"
"I have a question." Jia Xu thought for a moment, but responded first. "If we divide our troops to pacify Shu, pacify Wu, and pacify Jianghan, will my lord still come to lead the troops in person?"
"The one who knows me is Wen He." Gongsun Xun laughed again. "This is the problem... Since I have taken the top seven or eight in the world today, although I am not planning to become famous again, I have actually achieved democracy in the world.
As a democracy in the world, taking charge of the overall situation, even if it wins, it will not be enough to add force. Once it is defeated, it will shake the world. In this case, why not send generals to take Shu, Wu, and Jianghan in turn? Victory will lead to self-improvement, and defeat will lead to nothing.
Frustration...at worst, we can just change another general and do it again."
"That being the case, I think it's very appropriate." Jia Xu leaned over and saluted.
Immediately, all the court officials, Yi Cong, and officers from Xun You on down also stood up and saluted.
"Okay, then write back to Cai Hao and ask him to hand over Nanyang to Zhong Yuanchang before the arrival of the twelfth lunar month!" Gongsun Xun obviously didn't care about this, but he took out another letter from the case while greeting everyone.
It was the letter sent by Lu Bu. Then he shook his head and threw it to Lu Meng as before. "There is another thing. Lu Fengxian said that he was appointed by the court to be the prefect of Nanyang, but later he only served as a human being.
I was ordered by the emperor... He has no intention of going against me, but he is worried that I will not be able to tolerate him, so he gathered his troops in Luyang and Luhun Pass. Now, he has voluntarily abandoned half of Yingchuan County and returned to Luyang to show his sincerity.
, I hope to be pardoned by me and continue to be the governor of Nanyang, so that he can protect the emperor from coming to see me and make peace between our monarch and his ministers."
"This is not something Lu Bu can say." Jia Xu was immediately speechless. "Someone must teach him."
"He hopes that I can pardon his father-in-law Yuan Shu." Gongsun Xun seemed to have thought of something funny, and he couldn't help laughing for a moment.
Jia Wenhe became more and more speechless and simply kept silent... Speaking of which, his second son married Lu Bu's daughter, and Yuan Gongluo was Jia Wenhe's elder!
"Is this really possible?" Xun You suddenly asked. "Although he has thousands of soldiers, most of them were recruited locally in Nanyang, and half of them are still in Luyang. And now Cao Mengde has also retreated to Luyang. I really promised him
, with the behavior of this pair of father-in-law and son-in-law, I am afraid that it will be self-defeating and ruin the reputation of His Highness in vain..."
"Yes, now that things have happened, it is no longer a matter of concern as to what happens to the emperor, so why bother with extraneous matters?" Jia Xu came back and expressed his attitude clearly.
Gongsun Xun nodded slightly, as if he had the same idea as the two military advisors.
In other words, this is the problem. Not to mention Yuan Jiujiu, whom everyone hates, at this moment, Gongsun Xun really hopes to see the discredited little emperor and the little court in Wancheng being sent here, and then there will be a '
Explain the situation' in order to further kill the final afterglow of the Han Dynasty's idea, but the premise is that you can't make mistakes, let alone be self-defeating!
It should be noted that in Nanyang now, not to mention Cai Mao, who is unlikely to be involved in this matter, as Cao Cao led the defeated troops to enter, the remaining military strength was basically divided into two, with a small force of four to five thousand troops in Wancheng. Lu Bu was in control; but more than half of the seven or eight thousand people were concentrated in Luyang, the northernmost gate of Nanyang, while Cao Cao and two generals under Lu Bu were exactly there.
In other words, if the fight really breaks out, even if Lu Bu seems to have the advantage at first glance, Gongsun Xun doesn't think this guy can outplay Cao Cao.
What's more, with Lu Bu's martial arts attitude and his father-in-law's unscrupulousness, what if this quarrel ends up destroying the little emperor?
The times are good, at this time, even if the emperor died in the conflict between Cao Cao and Lu Bu, everyone in the world will definitely blame him, Gongsun Xun, okay?
In fact, this is indeed the case. All of Lu Bu’s letters have been sent here. Is there irrefutable proof?!
At this time, Gongsun Xun really didn't need to cause trouble. The emperor could die, but there was no need to die! The emperor could send him to 'explain the situation', but he could escape to the south, away from the foundation of the Han Dynasty, and attract a group of Han Dynasty. As a die-hard loyalist, going to Jiangxia is forgotten by the world, but it’s quite appropriate, right?
Don’t you see, Gongsun Xun didn’t contact Jingze? He couldn’t have forgotten, right?
"Then write back a letter!" Gongsun Xun thought about this and ordered Wang Xiang. "Tell Lu Fengxian... his father-in-law's sin cannot be forgiven, and how can a minister take advantage of the emperor? By the way, Lu Yang , hinting that even if Cao Cao controls the troops there, he won’t be able to accomplish anything.”
Naturally, everyone had nothing to say.
In this way, everything was basically settled. In the next few days, Gongsun Xun sat in Xu County, assigned various ministries to attack the city and capture the territory, and waited for the Central Plains to be captured. As Taishi Ci led tens of thousands of Liaodong troops, Yingzhou reinforcements arrived at Lou Gui's tent , Lou Zibo also began to take on a lot of advancement tasks, and Gongsun Xun became more and more idle here in Xu County. He just kept writing letters with Liu Biao, Cai Mao, and Lu Bu for fun.
However, everything cannot be smooth sailing, especially with the level of communication these days, so just a few days later, no matter where it was thousands of miles away... Just saying that two unexpected things happened in Nanyang in front of Gongsun Xun. .
First of all, without knowing that Gongsun Xun and Cai Hao had reached a de facto agreement, Yongzhou Mu Zhongyao and Zhong Yuanchang took the victory of the decisive battle of Guandu as an opportunity to directly lead five thousand troops out of Wuguan, and then attracted people from all over Nanyang. Being caught off guard... This is of course a good thing. Without warning, Cao Cao, who has always been unable to get rid of his pursuers and can only hold on in Luyang, and the small court who had to stay in Wancheng because they were waiting for Cao Cao, can be killed in one fell swoop.
But soon, the second thing ruined Gongsun Xun's perfect idea of Nanyang - Xu Rong, who had been confronting Cao Cao in Luyang and refused to let go, after hearing that Zhong Yao sent troops to Wuguan, probably to gain credit, couldn't bear it. Zhu tried to cross Funiu Mountain from the trail to achieve a miraculous feat. However, Cao Mengde noticed it in advance, and then joined forces with two of Lu Bu's generals who stayed behind in Luyang, namely Wei Xu and Huang Yuan, in the mountains to the west of Luyang. A great ambush was fought.
The front and rear valley entrances were sealed, the mountain was set on fire in the middle, and then arrows rained down one after another. When the Yan army arrived, they actually suffered a defeat?!
And we must know that in this battle, Xu Rong lost his troops and was defeated for a while. The key is that Cao Mengde seized the opportunity after this battle and was able to get rid of the large group of pursuers behind him, break away from Luyang, and calmly withdraw his troops. This can almost be declared
, Zhong Yao’s efforts with Cai Mao will be in vain!
Gongsun Xun was of course furious about this, but he could only quickly ask Cheng Pu to personally lead the Chinese army resting in Xu County to quickly march to Luyang, to meet Xu Rong's defeated troops, and to join forces to continue the pursuit.
However, when Gongsun Xun was furious because of Xu Rong in Xu County, he would never have imagined what would happen to Cao Cao, who he thought was destined to escape.
"Not to mention armaments, why is there no food in Pheasant County?" At noon on October 16, in Pheasant County, an important town north of Wancheng, Cao Mengde, who had just led seven or eight thousand soldiers and horses to retreat here, asked Wei Xu in astonishment, Huang
Second General Yuan. "Isn't this where the logistics center behind Lu Yang is?"
Generals Wei Xu and Huang Yuan just looked at each other, as if they were also a little confused.
However, after questioning the local officials, they figured out the reason - Lu Bu ordered everything to be taken away!
Moreover, Lu Fengxian seemed to have guessed that Cao Mengde and his subordinates would have doubts, so he left a special letter here.
Cao Cao opened it with his own hands and read it briefly, but the three of them were each at a loss... It turned out that Lu Bu claimed in the letter that the reason for this was because Cai Mao, who controlled the southern half of Nanyang County, had an ambiguous attitude and was vaguely interested in directly approaching Danshui.
Yongzhou Mu Zhong Yuanchang gave a sign of half of Nanyang. The situation was critical. For this reason, the small court in Wancheng hurriedly set off south two days ago, that is, just after Cao Cao won the battle, and food and ordnance were lost.
It was at that time that someone was sent to take him away.
Although Cao Cao had no choice but to accept this explanation with a wry smile, because the ambiguity between Liu Biao and Gongsun Xun was there, this situation seemed very likely to happen.
Only...
"What can we do if the situation has collapsed so far?" Cao Cao has been traveling hard for days, and he was already in a state of embarrassment due to the previous defeat. He is even more helpless now. "But Lu Fengxian is also a man who knows the army, why can't he leave some rations?
, so that the army can keep up? Please note that the pursuers are two days' journey behind us, and the cavalry may catch up tomorrow!"
Huang Yuan was dissatisfied when he heard that Cao Cao still complained about his lord. "Cao Cao thinks too much. In such a situation, how can we really retreat calmly with the whole army? Moreover, these soldiers and horses were originally recruited from Nanyang."
, and it is impossible for him to really go to Jiangxia with us. Besides, my lord has already written very clearly in the letter. After the Yan army was defeated before, he must be cautious. It is possible that he has no intention of pursuing the pursuit and just wants to take over the territory of Nanyang...
... Mr. Cao wants to complain, so why not ride with us quickly to Wancheng to meet my lord, he is still waiting for us there!"
Cao Cao did not comment, but looked at the silent Wei Xu again, and although the latter had no expression on his face, he nodded instantly: "That's the only way! But you two may as well go ahead, I will stay here to disband the troops.
Then we will meet up in Wancheng."
Cao Cao looked at this man, then looked at him and saw that he didn't care about Huang Yuan, and immediately nodded in agreement.
In this way, Cao Mengde and Huang Qianjiu went first. They only brought two to three hundred trusted soldiers, and because the hundreds of cavalry were brought back to Wancheng by Lu Bu in advance, they were short of horses and could only hurriedly find some army horses and even mules.
The donkeys gathered together and managed to get three hundred riders, and then they hurried southward, leaving only Wei Duduan behind.
But that afternoon, when he left the county seat of Pheasant County and headed south, but could not walk more than five miles along the Tui River, Cao Cao suddenly reined in his horse and proposed on the road to cross the river temporarily.
Huang Yuan thought it was ridiculous, and immediately asked on his horse: "What happened to Mr. Cao today? There was a floating bridge outside Zhi County before, but you couldn't cross it. I thought you were going to cross at the bridge in Bowang, but you ended up going
Crossing the wilderness...could it be that the previous defeat at Guandu made Cao Cao lose his mind?"
Cao Cao sneered, but the situation was helpless, so he could only explain to this tough guy: "Huang Sima, let me ask you, why do you think Wei Duwei stayed behind?"
No matter how stupid Huang Yuan is, he is still a veteran in the army. He can't even hear such a sensitive meaning, so he frowned for a moment: "What does Mr. Cao mean, Wei Duwei wants to take the opportunity to surrender? He is my lord's brother-in-law."
…”
At this point, without waiting for Cao Cao to explain, Huang Qianjiu stopped abruptly, as if he had reacted - it was for this reason that Wei Xu surrendered! Because Lu Bu's two wives and Wei Xu's sister were in Chang'an,
There are even rumors that his niece directly married Jia Xu’s second son!
In fact, Wei Xu had always been a bit grudge because Lu Bu married a daughter of the Yuan family.
When Cao Mengde saw Huang Yuan's awakening, he ignored it and crossed the river alone... In fact, Cao Cao had a lot to say about what happened today, but he was just too lazy to say it.
For example, he didn't expose Wei Xu just now because he was really worried about Huang Yuan's impatience, and Wei Xuhui would jump over the wall in a hurry. Then he would not even have time to escape, so he would cause a chaos in the army and die there. At that time, it would be better to let Wei Xu stay and surrender with peace of mind.
, and it can also delay time.
For another example, Lu Bu took away all the weapons and supplies in Pheasant County first. To be honest, Cao Cao believed that Wancheng was in danger, but was there really such an urgent situation that he would cut off the frontline supplies? Bring more.
Isn't it good for the troops to go south?
In other words, Cao Mengde had some suspicions at that time. Lu Bu and Yang Biao were worried that they would lead the army south and easily control the situation in Jiangxia, so they did such a disgusting thing.
As for why Yang Biao did it instead of Lu Bu alone? Because Cao Cao knew very well that it was impossible for Lu Bu, a warrior alone, to do this. There must be someone with rich political experience to teach him.
Of course, Cao Mengde would never say this to a warrior like Huang Yuan who was loyal to Lu Bu. Moreover, he was not worried about what would happen when he arrived in Jiangxia, because he had already arrived at Xun Yu on the border between Runan and Jiangxia.
You must be prepared, even Liu Bei will not sit back and let someone like Lu Bu control Jiangxia. When the time comes, Cao Cao will have 10,000 ways to easily control Jiangxia.
The situation was ruined. Just in case, Cao Mengde and Huang Qianjiu kept silent and took advantage of the dry season in winter to cross Feishui from Yedu in advance, and then continued southward along the west side of Feishui...
However, what they didn't know was that their precautions were meaningless. Even Wei Xu, who was about to surrender, was stunned that he had just sent an envoy to Luyang in the north to find the Yan army to surrender and offer the city, and it had only been less than half an hour.
, then four to five hundred cavalrymen of the Yan army, who were in disarray, came from the north.
Obviously, this group of cavalry did not do anything because they received Wei Xu's surrender document, but set out earlier and in an extremely hasty manner.
But what is interesting is that these cavalrymen did not seem to be surprised by Wei Xu's waiting here. After their leader, an officer named Xu Xing, briefly inquired about Cao Cao's whereabouts, they continued to gallop south to catch up.
Cao Cao went...ignoring Wei Xu and the county seat of Pheasant County the whole time.
Probably because of the outstanding horses, in the evening, Xu Xing's pursuers discovered Cao Cao, Huang Yuan and his party across the river. Then they were so happy that they also temporarily found a wild beach to cross the river and tried to capture the two of them.
In fact, Xu Xing couldn't help but be so excited. After all, his inconvenient clan brother had just done that kind of thing again. In fact, if it weren't for this, as a forward, he wouldn't have just believed the letter he received in Luyang yesterday.
The incredible letter, and then directly mobilized hundreds of cavalry from various sources to pursue the adventure here.
And now it seems that he actually made the right bet!
On the other side, Cao Cao and Huang Yuan were both stunned. They never expected that the pursuers would be so fast.
However, in this critical situation, people have to make their own decisions, not to mention Cao Mengde and Huang Qianjiu, a Central Plains hero and a Northland general? The two saw Xu Xing personally leading the troops across the river, looked at each other, but did not run away, but Huang Yuan was there
In front, with Cao Cao behind, they all led a mere two or three hundred men on horseback, and the soldiers with mules and donkeys charged in the opposite direction!
Poor Xu Xing had just landed and saw Cao Cao right in front of him, but he was caught off guard and was attacked by the opponent successfully, losing dozens of people in an instant.
Xu Zixin himself was shot by Cao Cao with an arrow, fell off his horse, hit his head on a river beach stone, and died on the spot!
Poor Miao Hong, a veteran of Gongsun's command who had good roots and a bright future, but lost his life in vain when the situation was about to be decided.
Xu Xing suddenly died in battle, and the remaining knights of the Yan army hesitated for a moment on the east bank of the Feishui River. Then Cao Cao and Huang Yuan secretly said that they were lucky, so they simply seized the dozens of Yan army's good horses, and then continued to flee south with all their strength -
-Now that things have happened, all I can do is continue to run away.
However, what they didn't expect was that the Yan army only had a few hundred cavalry who had advanced so far, and since the leader Xu Xing was dead, the others hesitated for a while and did not continue to pursue... The reason was simple. They were not gathered according to the organizational structure.
Xu Xing was temporarily recruited with the special status of Army Sima after he entered Luyang and obtained the incredible information.
Among them, there are Xu Xing's headquarters, Xu Rong's Guanxi cavalry, and the Chinese army that Cheng Pu hastily brought from Xu County. Now that Xu Xing is dead, the two Qu Junhou who accompanied him have differences at this time.
.
A Qu Junhou was a subordinate of Xu Xing. He took the lead and wanted to return as quickly as possible with the body of his senior officer. To this, the rest of Xu Xing's subordinates and some of Xu Rong's subordinates naturally agreed. At the same time, they also felt that the current military strength
Damaged, since this best opportunity has been missed, it is useless to pursue it, because there is nothing Cao can do. The opponent can calmly enter the Xi'e City ahead tonight!
The other Qu Junhou was basically an infantry commander on horseback. He was Sima Yi who had just been reinstated due to his merits as an envoy. Sima Zhongda and some people seemed to have seen Cao Cao himself and were reluctant to give up this merit.
...and Sima Zhongda also believes that they are the only ones who understand that they are the only ones pursuing the army, and it is impossible for Cao Cao to know. The latter will only think that there is a large group of cavalry following behind him, and there are dozens of good horses.
, so we won’t fight again!
In fact, as long as the pursuit was tight, Cao Mengde would not dare to hide in front of Xi'e City and Sunset City because he would be worried about being surrounded.
The two sides argued for a while, but in the end it was Sima Zhongda who made the superior move: "Think about it for a moment, your Xu Sima chased after you in such a hurry before, as if he was eager for this great achievement. If you retreat now, your Sima's death will be in vain...
...On the contrary, if we pursue him now, no matter who captures Cao Cao, it will be because of Xu Sima's plan. Only in this way can we comfort his spirit in heaven."
This kind of moral oppression made Xu Xing's subordinates unable to refute. Therefore, after some discussion, everyone recommended Sima Zhongda as the leader and continued to cross the river to organize the pursuit.
And sure enough, just as Sima Yi had guessed, Cao Mengde and others turned around and saw the smoke and dust behind them. That night, they really did not dare to enter Xi'e City to escape. The next morning, they also did not enter the sunset gathering. They just tried their best to fight day and night.
Don't stop, just go to Wancheng.
But even so, it was extremely difficult for Sima Yi and his party to pursue... Because Cao Cao's personal guards were extremely loyal and brave, and Huang Yuan, who was obviously a Northland general, was also extremely experienced in combat. It was fine during the day, but overnight, the opponent kept attacking.
They divided their troops under the moon to stop them, making it impossible for Sima Yi and others to catch up.
Finally, that is, in the morning of the second day, when they saw the Wancheng city wall on the horizon in the distance, they basically lost confidence in capturing Cao Cao - the reason was very simple, they went too far alone, and the word "LV" on the Wancheng city wall
The banners are clear and the soldiers on the city are dazzling in armor.
Obviously, the recognized tiger in the world is leading a sufficient number of soldiers and horses to the city to prime minister Cao Cao.
The north gate of Wancheng is tall and majestic, and its whole body is white. It was specially painted with lime after the emperor arrived to show his majesty. However, he had just painted the north gate when he was stopped by Cao Cao who rushed here, because it was gradually called "Wancheng".
Baimen Tower is said to complement the Baimen Tower in Xiapi and is both famous in the world.
And just in front of the Baimen Tower, Cao Cao and Huang Yuan led the remaining dozens of horses to gallop not far from the city gate downstairs, and suddenly stopped. Many horses simply fell dead. However, no one cared at this time.
Because Cao, Huang and others saw the city gates closed, the soldiers on the city shining brightly, and Lu Bu himself appearing on the top of the city in the distance, they were already overjoyed.
Correspondingly, Sima Yi and others, who were also exhausted to death, could only stop their horses more than a hundred steps outside the city in despair. At the same time, they were also temporarily worried because some of their horses fell to death... They already regretted chasing them here.
After all, no one knows whether they can escape Lu Bu.
"Don't look at it now, open the door quickly!" Cao Cao fell over because his horse fell to death. His face was covered with dust, and he was sweating all over. He was already dirty and embarrassed, but he still looked excited and cheerful. When he saw Lu Bu, he
After he poked his head out of the city, he sat down on the ground and laughed loudly after regaining his breath. "The pursuers are only a few hundred, so just open the city gate and let us in without putting down the hanging basket!"
Lu Bu took a careful look at Cao Cao on the top of the city, and then looked at the Yan army cavalry in the distance who did not dare to get close. However, he also smiled slightly, and first turned around and gave an order, asking hundreds of crossbowmen to come forward and stand down at the top of the city.
He held his bow and arrow, and then hurriedly turned down the city... Looking at him, he seemed to be going down to the city in person to pick up Cao Mengde.
Seeing this situation, the Yan army cavalry, who were more than a hundred steps away, under the leadership of Sima Yi, retreated slightly, as if they were particularly worried about Lu Bu.
However, the interesting thing is that the city gate that could have been opened in a moment did not open after a while.
At first, Cao Cao and others were still waiting for each other under the city, but after a full quarter of an hour, not only did the city gate not open, but Lu Bu also did not appear at the top of the city again... Now, it became more interesting.
Huang Yuan was furious and yelled at his subordinates in the city, but there was no explanation or response from the city. At the same time, Sima Yi's heart moved slightly, as if he remembered Xu Xing's previous order to pursue the incident.
Weird thing, and then he had some suspicion in his mind, so he took the initiative to move forward dozens of steps, still facing each other at a safe distance more than a hundred steps away from the city wall.
As for Cao Mengde, he was sitting in front of the city gate, motionless and silent. He just smiled and looked with interest at the young face that still had an impression of him more than a hundred steps away.
Huang Yuan cursed for a while, but there was still no movement in the city. This was completely unreasonable. Therefore, even Huang Qianjiu, a rough man, was panicked for a moment, but he could only continue to curse and had no other choice... and with
At the same time, Cao Mengde, whose sweat was washed away by the north wind, calmly stood up and walked directly towards Sima Yi and the Yan Army knights behind him. When the two sides were only ten or twenty steps apart, Cao Mengde ignored the city behind him.
The strange scene where he suddenly shot Huang Yuan to death under the city gate tower, but he finally stood still in the middle of the road outside the city gate tower.
Immediately, the big man Sikong proudly faced the Yan troops who were so nervous that they drew their swords and retreated, and waved to Sima Yi who was panting heavily but gritting his teeth without taking a step back, smiling as usual:
"Come! Let me be the founding prince with you!"
————I am the dividing line between you, Wanhu Hou————
"When Cao Cao was defeated in Guandu, he fled to Nanyang alone, with hundreds of soldiers pursuing him. When he arrived at the foot of Wancheng City, he saw Prime Minister Lu Bu at the top of the city and did not dare to enter any further. Cao dismounted his horse and opened the door with a smile. Bu also smiled and nodded, and went down to the city and disappeared.
After a moment, the city could not be opened, and Bu did not return. Cao Nai realized that Bu would not accept it, and he could not escape, so he turned around, held up his head, smiled and called to the pursuers, "Come, follow me, the marquis of ten thousand households!" The pursuers went on to kill him.
, at the age of forty-two. It may be said that when Taizu heard about it, he felt as if his liver and gallbladder were broken, and his heart was broken." - "Dianlue". Notes by Pei Song, Yan.
The poem says:
Don't you see, the north wind is blowing, the waves on the river are black, and thousands of white horses are in one color.
Don’t you see, the soldiers of Qin and Yan are strangulating the upper ranks, and Ah Yu and Ah Xun are all scheming.
It's midsummer and the days are getting shorter, and all the heroes are vying to be the first and not to be the last.
The execution of horses with tassels shakes the heaven and the earth, and the flaming soldiers are so majestic that they have never been seen before.
Now that you are a son and a daughter in a fighting spirit, I am afraid that your name will never end.
What a waste of time when the enemy first comes, and everything will be destroyed overnight.
Alas, once the yellow dragon flies over the white building, where will the old friends sing their last autumn songs?
This volume is finished.
ps: I actually coded 5,000 words before 12 o'clock yesterday. After thinking about it, I continued to code for half the night, and then revised it for half a day during the day. It will save trouble to publish it together today. This chapter is not suitable for deconstruction.
By the way, happy third and fourth days of Mid-Autumn Festival together!
