Of course Chen Mu didn't know that Cao Cao was behind him.
But he soon found out.
The troops could not march more than two miles, so they had to cross the Jishui River, which later became the Shuangji River.
These two rivers come together, and the water at the intersection is so huge that it is impassable. The only way is to take a detour from the Qin River in the upper reaches of Xinzheng and go through the shallow water.
Due to the slow speed of the march, when they were halfway through, someone called Tanma: "Zhonglang, a group of people is coming from behind."
As early as in Xinzheng, Chen Mu had already learned about the latest order from the imperial court.
Lu Zhi expressed his merit to the imperial court, and not only Liu Bei was promoted to Sima of the Northern Army, Chen Mu was also promoted to Zhonglang officer, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were each promoted to commander of the army.
Among them, Liu Bei's rank is equivalent to a thousand shi, while Chen Mu, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei's rank is 600 shi.
Bi, which is equivalent to the later from.
In terms of official rank, the rank of six hundred shi is almost the same as that of an ordinary Zhongxian magistrate, and equal to the seventh rank in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Chen Mu sat on his horse and looked from a distance. He saw flags waving on the other side of the river in the distance, and a large group of people walking slowly from the end of the road. Judging from their attire, they must be officers and soldiers. The first few people in the group were riding horses, coming in a mighty manner.
.
When the group of people approached both sides of the river beach and could see a little more clearly, they could see a big "Cao" written clearly on the flag.
Cao Cao?
Chen Mu rode a horse and stood on the slope of the river bank, watching the team approach with an expressionless face.
"Are they officers and soldiers sent by the imperial court?"
Zhang Fei came over.
Chen Mu said calmly: "Don't worry about it, let's go our own way."
After his men and horses crossed the river and began to cross the river on the other side, Chen Mu gathered his team and prepared to leave.
But at this moment, someone was driving a horse galloping across the river, rushing towards this side, and shouted: "The army ahead is moving slowly. I am a guard of the imperial court. I have something to ask."
The Su Wei Army was the Forbidden Army of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It was originally called the Yu Lin Army. Later, when the Yu Lin Army declined, this team became the Su Wei Army.
This group of troops was Liu Hong's last elite. Although not all of them were given to Cao Cao, they still gave them a lot of support. There were one thousand cavalry among them. For the Han Dynasty court, which was already stretched thin in terms of military strength, it could squeeze out 5,000 troops for Cao Cao.
Cao Cao is already very good.
The other party called out his name, and if he didn't stay and wait, he would offend others. The situation was not clear yet, and it was not a good thing to offend Cao Cao, who had a profound background. Chen Mu could only stand still and wait for the knight to come.
After a while, the knight came closer and asked: "This general...Sir, we are the Imperial Guards. The leader is Captain Cao. The Captain asked me to ask you where your troops are from."
, why here?”
The knight originally wanted to call him General. Although General is not that common, in the army, if you don't know the other person's position, it is a common practice to call him General. It's just like when you see a girl you don't know in the future, no matter whether she is pretty or not, just call her "General"
It is a truth that beautiful women are definitely right.
However, when he got closer, he noticed that Chen Mu was not wearing any armor or helmet, nor was he carrying any weapons. He was dressed like a scholar, and he didn't even have the standard sword of a scholar. When he couldn't figure it out for a moment, he could only shout:
gentlemen.
Chen Mu responded: "My unit is under the command of General Zhonglang of the Northern Army. I am Chen Mu, the officer of Zhonglang of the Northern Army. Now that General Lu Zhonglang's war is going well, the troops are surrounding Zhangjiao, and the big event has been decided. Therefore, we are sent.
Heading to Yuzhou to support General Zhu and General Huangfu, all necessary military orders are there. May I ask what Captain Cao has to say?"
In fact, Cao Cao already knew the details of Chen Mu, but when it came to chatting, he always had to have an excuse. He pretended not to know and came to ask, so that he could start a conversation.
The knight said: "The captain said that you should wait where you are. He will arrive soon and we can discuss anything at that time."
Have something to discuss?
I'm afraid it's the weasel wishing the chicken New Year greetings.
Chen Mu sneered in his heart, Cao Cao really lived up to his reputation as cunning.
If you want to annex, just say so. What kind of tricks are you trying to do?
Although Cao Cao was a cavalry captain, his rank was higher than that of a 2,000-stone officer, equivalent to the rank of the fifth captain of the Northern Army, and inferior to Lu Zhi, Huang Fusong, and other garrison officials.
However, the armies of the two sides do not belong to each other, and there is no superior-subordinate relationship. Even if Cao Cao is a senior official than Chen Mu, according to convention, there are only three people who can command this army: Lu Zhi, Zong Yuan and Liu Bei.
Not even Wu Lan, Bao Hong, the fifth captain of the Northern Army, could do it, because Sima of the Northern Army, according to their rank, was on the same level as Meng Zhen and others.
He no longer belonged to Meng Zhen's vanguard army, but belonged to the Guards under Lu Zhi's tent.
The superior leader had changed, and there was no connection between the subordinates of the two sides. Therefore, except for Lu Zhi and the clan members, as well as Lu Zhi's leader Guang Luxun and Emperor Ling of Han, no one else could command Liu Bei.
So if Cao Cao gives an order, Chen Mu doesn't have to listen to him at all.
But now you are making a tone like you are here to discuss things, and are not relying on the official to give you an order. That is a normal conversation.
If you don't give face, it's a slap in the face. Don't blame others for retaliating afterwards.
Because this is something else.
Some people may say, what if someone just comes to chat with you when they are bored and has no other intention?
However, I can tell with my toes, what can Cao Cao discuss with him when he comes?
It's not just a matter of uniting the troops and going to Changshe to rescue Huangfu Song.
If two groups of people go to Changshe separately and start fighting there, it will be two lines of reinforcements and two battlefields. If you win the battle, you will get the credit, and there will be no superior leader to share your credit.
But when the troops are united, one force will attack them. If they lose, they will share half of the responsibility, and whoever wins will get the lion's share of the credit.
Cao Cao is very familiar with this kind of thing of borrowing chickens to lay eggs, and he will not do it less in the future.
But now Chen Mu really can't resolve it.
Because they did not use a commanding tone, but a discussion tone. This is the so-called hidden needle in the cotton, and they use a dull knife to cut your flesh with a smile.
If you refuse, you will slap the person in the face and easily cause disputes.
So I have no choice but to wait where I am and wait and see what I can do.
After a while, Cao Cao came across the river.
Chen Mu and Zhang Fei had to dismount their horses and go to the river beach to meet Cao Cao.
When I got closer and saw Cao Cao's appearance, I couldn't help but praise him for his majestic appearance.
I saw this man with slender eyes and long beard. He looked about thirty or so. He had a ruddy face and a flying cloak. He looked calm and intimidating.
There was another tall and mighty man beside Cao Cao. He had a face like purple jade and eyes as bright as stars. He was carrying a sword with a ring that was about nine feet long. Looking at his figure, you could tell that he was not an ordinary man.
Chen Mu pretended not to recognize them, stepped forward and bowed his hands in salute: "Chen Mu, the Zhonglang officer of the Northern Army's Zhonglang general, has met the Duwei."
"I am Cao Cao, the Cavalry Commander."
Cao Cao sat on his horse and looked at him. He said he was an officer, but he didn't wear armor or a sword. He was dressed like a Confucian scholar, which was very strange.
Chen Mu was prepared and was not surprised. He calmly asked, "I wonder why Captain Cao called me."
"I heard that your troops are sending reinforcements to Yuzhou for General Lu Zhonglang. I happen to be a member of the imperial army. Now the Yellow Turbans are rampant in Yuzhou and the soldiers are as fierce as fire. I see that your troops are few and want to invite you to join forces and march together for convenience.
In response, is Chen Zhonglang willing?"
Cao Cao showed a sly smile.
According to the official position, the rank of Cavalry Captain is equivalent to two thousand shi, and the rank of Zhonglang of the Northern Army is equivalent to 600 shi. In terms of number, he has 5,000 people, while Chen Mu only has 3,000 people.
When the troops are united, he will definitely be the leader.
When the two forces come together and win against the Yellow Turban Army, how can they get half the credit?
The most important thing is that Cao Cao still used Chen Mu's lack of soldiers as an excuse to have good intentions.
On the battlefield, Chen Mu not only had to help him work in vain, but also had to accept Cao Cao's favor.
The operation was as fierce as a tiger, and for someone who didn't know what he was doing, he might actually be grateful to him.
However, Chen Mu had already seen through his trick and looked confused: "It doesn't matter if we march together, but our troops are fighting for the guest army. There are no imperial orders in the places along the way and they do not supply our army with food and grass, so I am anxious to find it."
General Huangfu asked for military supplies. If he follows the captain, our army will go hungry..."
Having said this, Chen Mu looked at Cao Cao expectantly.
If you want me to work for you, then I will ask you for food and grass, and I will make sure that every one of our troops is a pot-bellied man who can eat twice as much as ordinary people, and you will be deprived of food.
Cao Cao's face froze. His military supplies were all provided by local places. He came all the way from Luoyang and received food from Fengshi County, Jingxian County, Mi County and other places along the way. When he arrived in Xinzheng, he had just finished eating the food, and then he came from Xinzheng Lingna.
After receiving the food and grass, you have to give it out before you can warm it up?
However, I thought that the Changshe was not far away, and when I arrived at Huangfu Song's tent, it was not impossible to ask Huangfu Song for supplies. It would not be a loss to exchange some grain and grass for the blood of a group of migrant workers, so he gritted his teeth and said: "I will provide it."
"That's great."
Chen Mu had a happy expression on his face and said: "It happens that our army is short of weapons and arrows. If the captain has extra equipment, can you..."
"No, we don't have many weapons and arrows."
Cao Cao refused without hesitation.
Just kidding, Huangfu Song can still replenish the food and grass when they arrive. He doesn't have much of something as important as military supplies. If it is divided, what will happen to the soldiers under his command?
"That's such a shame."
Chen Mu shook his head and said regretfully: "When I get to Changshe, I have no choice but to find General Huangfu Yizhen and lead the team to join his account. Otherwise, the logistics of our department will be a big problem."
Cao Cao frowned.
The reason why he wanted to recruit Chen Mu to join the gang was because he did not want to integrate into Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun's account.
In ancient armies, wars were divided into chief generals, second generals, and last generals. The chief general was not just a general, but according to later generations, he was actually a marshal, which means the commander-in-chief of the three armies.
For example, when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty fought against the Xiongnu, the general was Wei Qing. So in the famous Battle of Mobei, Wei Qing was the marshal. He took charge of the overall situation and led the generals to fight.
It's just that during the Han Dynasty, the word "marshal" did not derive the meaning of "marshal", so it was replaced by general.
Now that the imperial court is on an expedition, there are three groups of soldiers and horses. Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun and Lu Zhi are the commanders of the three groups.
The troops and horses of the three of them are listed separately, with equal status, and the merits of their achievements are also distributed among them. They all have the power to report their merits to the court, and they have great autonomy.
And if you integrate into their account, you will be controlled and commanded by them, and your military achievements will be shared with them.
Therefore, Cao Cao wanted to be his own faction and did not want his credit to be shared by others.
But the idea is good, but after all, his number is not large.
Hearing that both Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun were trapped in Changshe, and that the enemy army numbered more than 200,000 people and was huge. With his small number of troops, he was still unable to win the battle, so Chen Mu took up his mind.
Little did they know that Chen Mu's army was still short of weapons and food.
The chicken hasn't been borrowed yet, and the eggs haven't been laid yet. Let's take out a few handfuls of rice by ourselves. Only fools are willing to do this kind of loss-making business.
Thinking of this, Cao Cao shook his head and said: "If that's the case, then forget it."
Chen Mu glanced at the army behind Cao Cao who was still crossing the river, smiled, and said: "Since the captain refused to take him in, Chen Mu went to join General Huangfu. Alas, it's a pity. If the captain had all the food and supplies, I would I am very willing to follow the captain, take my leave."
Good guy, I finally beat him up and said that he was willing to follow Cao Cao, but it was Cao Cao's fault that he didn't accept it, and it was none of his business.
After a Tai Chi attack, it turned out to be Cao Cao's fault, which made Lao Cao angry.
But there is no way, who can let people's reasons be legitimate.
Sending troops abroad without logistics is equivalent to an army alone.
Even Cao Cao needed to go somewhere to resupply, let alone Chen Mu.
This can be regarded as the biggest drawback of Cao Cao's desire to lead an army alone, that is, Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, and Lu Zhi took away most of the military supplies when they came out. Cao Cao received very little support, and the logistics pressure was relatively high, so he could only take care of himself. Can't care about others.