Cao Cao left with his troops. The eldest son Cao Ang went with Cao Cao on the expedition, while the second son Cao Pi stayed behind and followed Xun Yu to learn how to deal with internal affairs. However, compared to Cao Ang, Cao Pi was obviously far behind, not only in age, but also in terms of his own status.
Cao Ang's biological mother died young, and he was raised by Cao Cao's first wife, Mrs. Ding, who is equivalent to Mrs. Ding's son.
In other words, Cao Ang is Cao Cao's eldest son.
His status is far better than that of Cao Pi, who was born to Cao Cao's concubine, Mrs. Bian.
Historically, Cao Ang was killed in Wancheng, Mrs. Ding had a conflict with Cao Cao, and left Cao Cao in anger, so Cao Pi's mother, Mrs. Bian, could become Cao Cao's official wife, and Cao Pi had a chance.
Now that Cao Ang is not dead and Mrs. Ding is still alive, Cao Ang's status is as stable as Mount Tai.
Not only that, Cao Ang has a humble personality, is smart and agile, and is good at fighting, and is deeply loved by Cao Cao. The rest of Cao Cao's disciples are not as good as Cao Ang in terms of status, qualifications, age, and Cao Ang, especially Cao Ang.
After many years of fighting with Cao Cao, his position cannot be shaken.
Cao Pi was young, only thirteen or fourteen years old.
When Cao Pi stayed in Chenliu and studied with Xun Yu, Pang Tong arrived in Chenliu. He directly submitted a famous assassin to visit Cao Pi without being recommended by others, hoping to get into Cao Cao's sight.
At that time, Cao Pi met with Pang Tong.
You don't know until you see him, he was frightened when he saw him. Cao Pi was also frightened by Pang Tong's appearance.
Pang Tong was not good-looking, poorly dressed, and had a wine gourd hanging around his waist. In Cao Pi's eyes, he did not have the demeanor of a worldly expert. Instead, he thought Pang Tong was like a beggar. In addition, Pang Tong had an arrogant, eccentric and withdrawn personality.
It's lovable, especially after Pang Tong met Cao Pi, he didn't restrain himself at all and acted like a celebrity, as if he was testing Cao Pi.
But Cao Pi didn't like people who were trying to show off their opinions, so he just said, "Where does this ugly guy come from?" which made Pang Tong angry.
The two did not talk in detail, and Pang Tong left directly.
In this way, Pang Tong's trip to Cao Wei completely failed.
Pang Tong had no thoughts at all about Yuan Shao, who was still lingering in the north. He had gone to Jiangdong now, and now came to Cao Wei, and Zhuge Liang occupied Liu Bei, leaving Pang Tong with only Western Shu.
Finally, Pang Tong embarked on the road to Xishu.
Traveling all the way west, we headed towards Luoyang, preparing to turn back and head to Sichuan.
…
When Sun Qian went to Cao Ying as an envoy, he encountered difficulties on the way.
Because Cao Cao had already used the banner of avenging Liu Biao and believed that Liu Bei should be punished for murdering Liu Biao, Sun Qian found it very difficult, almost struggling.
If he didn't handle it well, he might be directly killed by Cao Cao.
Although Sun Qian was not good at marching and fighting, nor was he good at dealing with internal affairs, he was good at communication. He handled these matters with ease even when he encountered great difficulties.
Sun Qian went to see Cao Cao alone, appearing neither humble nor arrogant, and showing no fear.
Even though Cao Cao was about to kill people, Sun Qian still talked and laughed calmly and still spoke with reason. After some hard work, Sun Qian finally completed the task given by Liu Bei. However, Sun Qian was able to deal with it calmly on the one hand;
Cao Cao only agreed if he thought it would be profitable.
Liu Bei ceded the territory in the north of Jingzhou, and Cao Cao could conquer the land north of Jingzhou at will.
At the same time, because Cao Cao could not ignore Wang Can's power and needed someone to keep the Shu army in check, Cao Cao finally agreed to send troops to rescue Liu Bei. Cao Cao did appreciate Sun Qian's talent, but he considered the interests of Wei.
In Cao Cao's position, every move he makes must be based on the overall situation.
Therefore, Sun Qian's success can also be promoted by the interests of both parties.
…
As night falls, a waning moon rises into the sky.
Under the soft moonlight, blurry shadows gradually approached from outside Xiangyang City.
On the city tower, Liu Bei stood with his head held high.
Liu Bei was surrounded by personal guards protecting him, and behind him were Yang Yi, Yi Ji, Fu Xun and other important ministers. As for Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang were standing far away, unable to integrate into Liu Bei's core. What Liu Bei valued was recruiting Cai Mao. , the reputation of Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang, and wanted to use this to gain the connections of Cai and Kuai.
Even if Liu Bei wants to take Cai Mao for his own use, now is a critical period and Liu Bei will not take risks.
He put his hands on the tower and looked at the figures approaching the tower in the distance, his face flashing with joy because it was no one else but Zhang Fei who came back.
Previously, Zhang Fei sent a message to Liu Bei, so Liu Bei waited on the tower in person.
About a quarter of an hour later, Zhang Fei arrived with his army.
Liu Bei gave an order, and the suspension bridge in Xiangyang City was lowered with a creak.
Afterwards, Zhang Fei and his soldiers quickly entered Xiangyang City. After the troops they brought back were settled, Jian Yong and Zhang Fei breathed a sigh of relief and no longer had to worry. They were in such a state of embarrassment all the way back that they almost fled back instead of withdrawing on their own initiative. Zhang Fei suffered a lot when he came, especially the pursuers from behind.
After Zhang Fei and Jian Yong returned, they rested for a day to recuperate their spirits.
The next day, Liu Bei summoned Zhang Fei and Jian Yong to discuss matters.
Liu Bei asked: "Xianhe, you and your third brother have experienced this battle with the Shu army. What do you think?"
Jian Yong was planning to report the Shu army to Liu Bei. Now Liu Bei took the initiative to ask questions. Jian Yong immediately told everything he saw and heard. In particular, the Shu soldiers threw strange explosive objects and sharp crossbow arrows. It was something Jian Yong emphasized that made Liu Bei wary.
However, the other weapons have not been discovered by the two of them because when Lu Meng led the Shu army to the battle, they did not use large ballistas to shoot, so neither of them knew the situation.
After hearing this, Liu Bei fell into deep thought.
Through Zhang Fei's battle, Liu Bei also had a general understanding of the Shu army.
Liu Bei said in a deep voice: "The military advisor and Gongyou have not returned. We will not move for the time being and defend Xiangyang. When the military advisor and Gongyou ask Cao Cao and Sun Jian to send troops to rescue and arrive in Xiangyang, the three armies will attack the Shu army to win."
Jian Yong said: "My lord, what you said makes sense. We are currently guarding Xiangyang. Even if the Shu army is fierce, there is nothing we can do."
In the end, the three decided to choose the turtle strategy and defend Xiangyang.
Two days later, Zhuge Liang and Sun Qian both returned to Xiangyang and brought back good news. Sun Jian and Cao Cao both agreed to send troops to help, and had already set off with their armies. As long as it took ten days and a half, the two armies would arrive in Xiangyang. When the time comes to attack from both inside and outside, Lü Meng's army, even if it is powerful, can only retreat.
After Zhuge Liang and Sun Qian returned, Lu Meng arrived with his army.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The sound of powerful war drums resounded inside and outside the city, and the passionate sound of horns echoed continuously in the city. Lü Meng led his troops on horseback to display outside Xiangyang City, and sent people to scold the formation, hoping to provoke Liu Bei and make him take the initiative to attack.
Zhang Fei has a bad temper and cannot be stimulated the most.
At this moment, Zhang Fei was ready to go out and fight Lu Meng.
With a solid city and a strong backing, Zhang Fei can fight happily. Moreover, Zhang Fei is not afraid of the generals under Lu Meng, so he wants to go out and kill the generals to establish his power.
However, Zhuge Liang advised Liu Bei not to leave, and Liu Bei issued orders, so Zhang Fei had no choice but to obey.
After hearing what Zhuge Liang said, Zhang Fei was so angry that he stomped his feet, secretly saying that Zhuge Liang was just a young boy with no ability, and he was dissatisfied with Zhuge Liang. And with Chen Gong in front of him, Zhang Fei would be even more rude to Zhuge Liang. If it weren't for Liu Bei
Keeping Zhang Fei suppressed, Zhang Fei might knock Zhuge Liang over with one punch and kill him directly.
No matter what Zhang Fei did, Liu Bei's army still avoided fighting.
Lu Meng came to challenge him every day, but Liu Bei refused to leave and continued to be a coward.
…
In the city, Cai Mansion.
The courtyard in the north of the mansion was isolated by Cai Mao. Not only that, the servants of the mansion were not allowed to approach, so no one knew the news here.
Wang Can lived there and planned to cause trouble in the city.
Lü Meng led the army to Xiangyang, but it was difficult to conquer the city. Only by starting an uprising in the city could he have a chance to defeat Liu Bei.
Ps: The third update is completed, the last day of the year is coming, and the New Year is coming. I wish all book friends a prosperous new year.