In the end, Xu You was released by Cao Cao and allowed to work under his own account. It can be said that he saved his life.
However, this process of being recruited and surrendered was obviously a bit bigger than what Xu You had originally imagined.
There was no reminiscing about the past, no reciprocity, and not even a good face. Xu You could tell that Cao Cao was actually quite annoyed with him.
If it weren't for the fear of being stabbed, and Cao Cao's attitude, Xu You would have flung up his sleeves and left long ago, without even giving him a shit. How could it be Cao Cao's turn to show off his power to him here?
The problem is that Xu You is not offering help in times of need, but is entering Cao's camp as a prisoner, so the treatment is of course different.
This incident planted a thorn in Xu You's heart, which hurt his self-esteem, but there was nothing he could do about it.
As for Cao Ang, not only was his flattery not praised by Cao Cao, but he was beaten with another twenty army sticks.
Cao Cao obviously got really angry this time. He asked the soldiers not to be merciful when he slapped Cao Ang with the stick, and directly gave Cao Ang a bloody blow.
Is it any wonder that you, the young man, have not made any progress in the art of war, strategy, literature, poetry, archery and horsemanship in recent years? It turns out that you have spent your energy on writing small articles for me?
Beat you to death, you treacherous son! Let you stop doing your job properly!
For Cao Cao, although he likes to read short essays, he doesn't like to let his own children write short essays... He only reads those written by other people's children, such as Tao Qian's son.
The most important thing in educating children is not to beat them, but to reason with them, communicate with them frequently, and tell them what is right and what is wrong.
Obviously, Cao Cao, who was busy with military affairs all day long, did not grasp the true meaning of this.
Things need to be reasoned with as a father, not with a stick. Especially since Cao Ang is an adult and has his own cognitive abilities, simply beating him will only make him have a stronger rebellious mentality.
Why can you read it but I can't write it?
The Han Dynasty ruled the world with filial piety. Cao Ang could not tell Cao Cao directly. He could only keep the matter in his heart and do it silently.
Cao Cao's actions not only did not dampen Cao Ang's enthusiasm, but actually strengthened his confidence.
Cao Ang aspired to become the best writer among the princes.
…
Tao Shang sent people to bring Yuan Tan, Gao Gan, Pang Ji and others, and told them face to face the news of Yuan Shao's defeat.
As soon as the news came out, the three of them felt as if they were struck by five thunders. They looked at the pottery merchant blankly, unwilling to believe it. "Could it be that Mr. Tao is lying? Hehehehe, as the prince of the current dynasty, your ability to lie is also incredible.
Isn’t that a bit too inferior?” Pang Ji asked the pottery merchant in a self-righteous manner.
The potter was too lazy to argue with him.
He didn't even look at Pang Ji, but looked at Yuan Tan steadily and said: "Today's war has been decided. It's time for me to fulfill the promise I made to my brother. Now that there is no war, I will send someone to send you back."
When I arrived in Yecheng, Hebei Province, I also asked my brother to persuade Yuan Gong on my behalf to express my condolences to him."
Yuan Tan's Adam's apple rolled and he said, "Tao... Tutor, is it true that my father has been defeated and returned to Yecheng?"
Tao Shang said with a smile: "Brother, Tao knows that you don't want to believe it. I also find this unbelievable. But if the general had not been defeated, the three of them should not have been let go by Tao, but by the general."
He was rescued...right?"
After hearing these words, Yuan Tan, Pang Ji, Gao Gan and others were speechless.
Indeed, as Tao Shang said, if Yuan Shao had the advantage, all of this would be too unreasonable.
But if they were allowed to accept their own failure...
With so many soldiers and horses, so many generals, and such a powerful force, how could they actually fail?
Gao Gan and Pang Ji managed to do well, but Yuan Tan was in a very uncomfortable and lonely state at the moment.
His heart felt as uncomfortable as being pricked by a needle at this moment.
Tao Shang seemed to have noticed Yuan Tan's unhappiness, so he walked over, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Brother Xiansi, there is no need to be like this. As the saying goes, victory or defeat is a common thing for military strategists. Your Hebei territory is vast, rich in resources, densely populated, and more
There is no shortage of food, salt, and horses. It will not be difficult to dominate the world in the future. You'd better not take it to heart about a minor defeat. When you go back to the meeting, you can give more advice to the general and make him feel more at ease."
Yuan Tan lowered his head and thought for a while, then suddenly said: "Brother Tao, if it is convenient, could you tell me the details of this battle?"
The war was over, and there was no need for Tao Shang to hide from Yuan Tan, so he immediately told him what had happened.
After finishing speaking, the pottery merchant paused again and said: "What's more, this defeat may seem like a defeat, but in fact it's just a scattering of soldiers and horses. Most of the troops have just been dispersed. If they are regrouped in the future, they will surely be able to regroup."
Although what Tao Shang said was correct, Yuan Tan was not a pure fool and he knew some of the actual situation.
It is impossible for hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses to be completely wiped out. Let alone killing hundreds of thousands of people, even if Tao and Cao's armies gather hundreds of thousands of them in such a short period of time, they will be exhausted to eat. Most of Yuan's army's soldiers
The horse was just a burning camp, dispersed because of panic.
But being dispersed does not mean that they will definitely return to Hebei in the future.
The world is in chaos, the people are in dire straits, and many people have lost their homes. They are still alive wherever they live, and they do not necessarily have to go back to their hometowns.
Besides, transportation was inconvenient in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Going back to Hebei from Henan was not as simple as buying a high-speed rail ticket and going back in three or four hours. Just crossing the Yellow River could kill them, and they also had to go through many checkpoints and walk alone.
In the wilderness, you may even encounter tigers, leopards and jackals.
At that time, wild animals could be seen everywhere, and tigers could not only be seen in zoos.
It is very likely that those separated soldiers and generals will settle nearby, and then inquire about the policies of the local county government, and find a place to settle down in the Central Plains or Xuzhou. Or it is possible that they are really desperate and fall into bandits, but there is a chance of returning to Hebei.
lowest.
Calculated in this way, over time, these manpower eventually became the potential population under Cao Cao and the pottery merchants, and they were advantaged for no reason.
When he thought of this, Yuan Tan couldn't help but bleed in his heart.
These are all young elites from Hebei, so they are so cheap to Cao Cao and the pottery merchants?
Cao Cao can say something else, but Tao Shang... Although he knew that he was his enemy, Yuan Tan could never hate Tao Shang.
At least he is more like a brother than Yuan Shang.
The human heart is made of flesh.
Frankly speaking, the pottery merchant was really good to Yuan Tan, and the war was not started by the pottery merchant.
The carriage for the return of several people was already outside the village. Tao Shang ordered several people to get on the carriage and ordered Ling Cao and Zhang Xun to lead a group of good people to escort them until they were sent out of the country.
Yuan Tan boarded the carriage with a complex look on his face. "Brother, take care." The pottery merchant said goodbye to Yuan Tan.
Yuan Tan was shocked. He was very moved for some reason and returned the gift to the pottery merchant. "Brother Tao, we will see you later!"
After hearing this, the potter's face showed a smile.
Don't worry, we will meet soon, but at that time, the place where we will meet will not be south of the Yellow River, but on your border in Hebei.
…
The Battle of Guandu was won, and the next step was to clear up the surrounding troubles, rectify domestic military affairs, and deal with the aftermath.
Don't underestimate these trivial matters. To be honest, these matters are trivial. To a certain extent, they are more troublesome than the Battle of Guandu.
With the defeat of Yuan Shao and the defeat of the Hebei Army, the day when the two heroes, Cao Cao and Tao Shang, parted ways began to be put on the agenda.
On the surface, everyone is still smiling and looking very kind, but they all understand each other tacitly.
They are all foxes who have been cultivating for thousands of years. Who doesn’t know who is who?
Not only Cao Cao and Tao Shang, but also the high-ranking counselors and generals of the two armies met, and there was a bit of pretense and defensiveness between them.
In a blink of an eye, the time has come for the potter to say goodbye to Cao Cao.
As the host, Cao Cao arranged a grand farewell banquet in his own tent to bid farewell to the Xuzhou allies on the common front.
But who knows whether this is another conspiracy? No one can say for sure about this kind of thing.
So, on the day of the banquet, the pottery merchant brought in fully armed generals and elite soldiers.
No one is a good person, so don’t trust anyone too much. You can eat, but the equipment must be complete.
Cao Cao did the same, leading a group of armored generals to personally greet the pottery merchant.
When he saw the formation led by Tao Shang, Cao Cao couldn't help but be startled. "Brother Zidu, this is such a huge formation. If you don't know, you might think you are here to attack the stronghold. Look, you don't look like you are here to drink."
?”
The pottery merchant said with a smile: "Brother Meng De is not bad at all. He invites people to dinner and he is so well-armed. The three soldiers are wearing armor. I don't know that you want to treat me as a banquet."