A few days later, Cao Cao had less than half a month of food and grass left. He finally couldn't hold himself back and decided to go find Chen Mu.
At this time, Chen Mu was reading in the camp. He heard that Cao Cao had brought Guo Jia over, and that only Cao Hong and more than 20 guards were accompanying him. He admired Cao Cao's courage and invited him in.
After a while, Cao Cao entered the camp. Chen Mu came out of the tent to greet him. He saw Cao Cao and Guo Jia coming from a distance. Cao Hong stepped forward and laughed and said, "Brother Meng De, be filial and be honest."
"The son returns to his virtuous brother."
Cao Cao came over, held hands with Chen Mu, and laughed and said: "My dear brother, I almost made a big mistake a few days ago. Fortunately, my dear brother reminded me that I will always remember this kindness."
"
Chen Mu smiled and joked: "Brother Meng De, please remember that I saved your brother's life in Xuzhou in July of the second year of Xingwu. Remember to repay this kindness."
"Of course, of course."
Cao Cao showed a smile on his face, looking a bit like Huang Silang in the famous movie "Let the Bullets Fly", who listened to Zhang Muzhi about to split the looted dollar in half with him.
Both of them squinted their eyes, and the lines at the corners of their eyes were wrinkled together, giving them a rather cold feeling.
Cao Cao was indeed sneering in his heart at this time.
A life-saving grace?
ridiculous.
It would be interesting if Chen Mu used the topic to his advantage and asked him to withdraw from Xuzhou after Tan County was captured and hand over Xuzhou to Liu Bei.
However, Cao Cao estimated that Chen Mu was not that childish yet and was just saying something for the occasion. If he, Chen Mu, really believed that he would remember the so-called "kindness", then that would be a ghost and would make people look down upon him.
The two of them held hands and entered the tent, talking and laughing. There were only seven mats in the tent, one for the main seat and three on the left and right. Seeing this scene, Cao Cao's smiling face froze.
Logically speaking, there are currently three generals in Chen Mu's camp. In addition to Cai Yang, who is transporting grain in Xiangben, there is now Zang Ba, Gao Shun and Huang Zhong in the camp. Cao Cao also only brought Guo Jia and Cao Hong, so seven people could just sit.
Down.
But the problem is that Cao Cao's identity is different. In terms of status, he is equal to Liu Bei. Even Chen Mu is his equal only because of their "friendship" that they have known each other for many years. Otherwise, he would not even be qualified to let Cao Cao come over in person. He should be
He should go to Cao Jun's camp.
There are now seven seats. If Chen Mu sits on the main seat, he will obviously be suspected of insulting Cao Cao. But if he does not sit on the main seat, there will not be enough seats to sit on.
Cao Cao somewhat suspected that this was a show of force arranged by Chen Mu, but looking at the structure inside the tent, it didn't look like it. After all, ancient tents were not very big, and the commander's tent was already the largest. It was barely enough to hold seven mats, and it was really not possible.
You can add one more.
Chen Mu glanced at Cao Cao's expression and felt a little funny in his heart. Lao Cao was good at everything and indeed had a heroic demeanor, but his suspicious character was a big problem. He was suspicious all day long, so no wonder he had a headache.
He glanced at Zang Ba, who cupped his hands and said, "Commander, I'm going to patrol the camp."
Today he was supposed to patrol the camp, but Cao Cao happened to come over and met them at the gate of the camp, so he took them outside Chen Mu's tent. Now that he had completed his task, it was natural for him to go back and continue his work.
Chen Mu nodded: "Go ahead."
"only."
Zang Ba said goodbye and left.
Cao Cao breathed a sigh of relief. At least Chen Mu knew the rules.
Chen Mu turned around and said to Cao Cao with a smile: "Brother Meng De, please sit down."
Spread your hands and point to the left side facing the main seat, that is, the right hand below the main seat facing away from the main seat.
In the Han Dynasty, the right was respected. This was mentioned many times in the "Book of Han" and "The Book of the Later Han". It was not until the Tang and Song dynasties that the left was respected.
Therefore, in the Han Dynasty, the master was high in the center, and the first one under the right hand facing the master was called the chief.
Later, among the apprentice sect, there was the so-called chief disciple. This is the origin.
Chen Mu sat opposite him, the first one on the left, and did not sit on the main seat. This was a very polite way of hospitality.
A few people sat down and ordered drinks to be served. Although alcohol is prohibited in the army, guests are still welcome when they come. This is also a rule.
When the banquet was set, Chen Mu raised his wine glass with a smile and said to Cao Cao: "Brother Meng De, please."
"please!"
Cao Cao also raised his wine glass with both hands, and the six of them drank it down.
After everyone put down their glasses and waited for the waiter to refill their glasses, Chen Mu calmly said, "Brother Meng De, you must have something important to do when you come to my camp today? You might as well tell me."
Cao Cao pondered: "At the beginning you said you had a plan to defeat the enemy. It has been nearly two months now. Why is there still no movement?"
Chen Mu smiled and said, "Brother Meng De is in a hurry?"
"I?"
Cao Cao laughed and said, "I'm not in a hurry."
Chen Mu said with a smile: "I'm afraid the food and grass in the army are already insufficient."
"ah?"
Cao Cao turned to look at Guo Jia. Guo Jia shook his head slightly and immediately denied it: "It's quite sufficient."
Chen Mu smiled and said: "Brother Meng De, don't hold on. You and I have been friends for many years. If you are short of food and grass, just come to me. This time we attack Xuzhou, our two families must be of one heart and one mind, and we can't get into trouble over trivial matters."
.How about I give you 50,000 stones of food and grass to use first?"
Fifty thousand stones of food and grass?
Cao Cao and Guo Jia looked at each other. There was no joy in their eyes, only deep doubts.
Fifty thousand stones of food and grass is actually not much. But it is enough to support an army of 20,000 for about a month. If Liu Xuande gave it to them, they would definitely accept it happily.
But Chen Mu gave it to... would he be so kind?
The weasel gives New Year greetings to the chicken.
The first thought in Cao Cao and Guo Jia's mind was that Chen Mu was plotting against Xuzhou.
But if you think about it carefully, it should be in Chen Mu's interests that Cao Cao retreated because he ran out of food and quit fighting for Xuzhou.
After all, if Chen Mu really had a plan to defeat Tao Qian, then what he would like to see is for one of the two families to withdraw and allow Liu Bei to monopolize Xuzhou.
But now Chen Mu not only has strategies to defeat the enemy, but also provides food and grass, as if he deliberately wants to keep Cao Cao in Xuzhou...
This gesture is indeed strange.
"Alas, I know that Meng De and Feng Xiaoxin have doubts."
Chen Mu sighed, shook his head and said, "Are you wondering why I suddenly sent out food and grass to keep Brother Meng De in Xuzhou?"
Cao Cao did not hide what he was thinking, and asked: "Please ask Zigui to clear up my doubts."
Chen Mu then smiled and said: "To be honest, this is all because the army does not have enough troops to swallow Xuzhou. If I have an army of 50,000, Brother Meng De will naturally go back and forth from wherever he goes, but I only have less than 20,000 troops.
Tao Qian is not weak in strength, he has tens of thousands of elite soldiers under his command, and there is also an elite Danyang team, which should not be underestimated."
"However, there are still a large number of separatist forces entrenched in Guangling and the south of Xiapi, and it is difficult to eliminate them one by one. Therefore, I am willing to divide Xuzhou equally with Brother Mengde. I will get Langya and the two counties of Donghai. Brother Mengde will get Yanzhou, Pengcheng, Xiapi, Guangling and other places.
In addition to the Taishan County and the State of Lu, which is actually controlled by Brother Meng De, this large area of power has fallen into the hands of Brother Meng De."
"From now on, we Qingzhou are willing to conclude an alliance with Yanzhou and not attack each other. If Brother Meng De is willing, after Xuzhou is stabilized, he can go south to form an alliance with Sun Jian, Liu Biao, Liu Yao and others to invade the land of Yuan Shu in Huainan. If he wants to rebel against the imperial court again, he can
We can attack Runan and seize Yuzhou. We in Qingzhou aim to be in the north and will never touch the land of Henan."
Aiming at the north and giving up the south?
This operation left some people confused by Cao Cao.
Because he couldn't be sure what Chen Mu was thinking at the moment, he didn't dare to agree rashly. He just said vaguely: "I see, this matter is of great importance. Please let me go back to the camp to think about it."
"It's natural."
Chen Mu smiled and said: "Fifty thousand stones of food and grass will be delivered tomorrow. In addition, the enemy should be defeated within these few days. Brother Meng De, please be prepared."
"Okay, then I won't bother you."
Cao Cao stood up, cupped his hands and said, "Farewell."
"I'll see my brother off."
Chen Mu also stood up, and the two of them walked out of the camp side by side until they reached the gate of the camp.
After Cao Cao got on his horse and said goodbye to Chen Mu again, he galloped away with Guo Jia, Cao Hong and many of his guards.
Quickly returning to his camp, Cao Cao immediately summoned Cheng Yuchengong, and the four of them discussed matters in the tent.
"Divide Xuzhou equally?"
Hearing the news, Cheng Yu and Chen Gong felt incredible.
They always thought that Qingzhou was eyeing Xuzhou when it went south this time, and there would be a battle between Cao Cao and Liu Bei.
Unexpectedly, Chen Mu actually agreed to share the money with Cao Cao first. This was something they did not expect.
But if you think about it carefully, this may be reasonable.
Because the main force in Qingzhou is currently fighting Yuan Shao in Hebei, and because Gongsun Zan's strength was damaged after the battle at Geting, Liu Bei is probably not having a good time now in the face of Yuan Shao's pressure to urgently recapture Bohai.
Now he barely managed to squeeze out 20,000 troops to go south, and indeed he didn't have much troops left. It was indeed impossible to swallow up the entire Xuzhou alone, with his troops so stretched.
From the perspective of a wise person, since you can't swallow something like a whale, you can't swallow it like a snake either. It's natural to accept it when it's good.
As for encouraging Cao Cao to attack south?
Cheng Yu and Chen Gong thought for a while and then sneered.
Chen Gong shook his head and said: "Ming Gong, the main force of Liu Xuande's army is in Hebei. The troops going south now, except for Gao Shun's trapped troops, are all county soldiers who stayed in the counties. They are not comparable to the elites on the front line. I think Chen Zigui really didn't lie.
, the troops are insufficient, so Xuzhou can only be divided fairly."
"As for him asking Ming Gong to go south, he didn't have any good intentions. It's okay to defeat Yuan Shu, but if he defeats people like Sun Jian, Liu Biao, and Liu Yao, he will be attacked in groups and make enemies on all sides."
Cheng Yu also said.
"Um."
Cao Cao nodded: "I think so too."
However, Guo Jia frowned and kept thinking carefully without speaking.
Although what they said was true, from the overall perspective, Chen Mu did not lie.
Twenty thousand troops were not enough to capture Xuzhou.
But this is not in Qingzhou's interests.
If the general trend of the world is compared to a game of Go, then Yanzhou is like a trapped dragon.
To the north is Yuan Shao, to the south is Sun Jian, to the west is Luoyang, and to the east is Qingzhou.
The only place that can jump out is Xuzhou.
As a chess player, Chen Zigui would be so kind as to expose a flaw to let Cao Cao get out of the predicament?
It looks like a trap anyway.
But Guo Jia couldn't see where the trap was.
Sun Jian?
Impossible, unless Sun Jian wants to learn Tao Qian's fate.
Liu Bei?
Even more impossible, where did he get the strength?
As for Luoyang, before Cao Cao clearly rebelled, Liu Yu's character would not suddenly turn against him.
What's more, Luoyang is also in confrontation with Hebei, and it also can't spare many troops.
Then there's only the north.
Yuan Shao?
Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei were fighting to the death, but they also had no troops.
The only one who has a slight possibility is Lu Bu.
According to reliable information, it seems that Lu Bu and Yuan Shao are not getting along well with each other. They are unwilling to be subordinated and are eager to find a place to stay.
The problem was that Guo Jia knew that of the 20,000 troops under Lu Bu's command, less than a thousand were his trusted followers brought from Guanzhong. The rest were all Jizhou soldiers given to him by Wang Fen.
Including that he has five thousand cavalry under his command, all of whom are from Jizhou. Wang Fen is not stupid. It is impossible to really give this adopted son so much power. On the surface, he has given him a lot of soldiers and horses, but secretly he has laid a conspiracy.
.
If these Jizhou soldiers continue to stay in Jizhou, they will be fine. At least in name, they are still Yuan Shao's subordinates and are confronting Guan Yu in the Dangyin area. In order to appease Lu Bu, Yuan Shao does not dare to push too far.
But if Lu Bu wanted to lead these Jizhou soldiers south to attack Yanzhou, it would be purely a dream. If his subordinates rebelled, Lu Bu would be left with nothing to eat on the spot.
Therefore, those around Yanzhou who have the strength to attack Cao Cao are basically unable to escape, and those who can escape do not have the strength.
So where is this trap?
Are you encouraging Cao Cao to join the war quagmire in the south?
This is possible.
Once Xiapi Guangling falls into the hands of Cao Cao, it will be directly connected to Huainan Yuan Shu. The situation in the south is now in chaos. If it falls into it, it will be difficult to open up the situation for at least a few years.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Does Chen Mu want to drive Cao Cao south?
Guo Jia thought about it and felt that maybe this was the only possibility. As he was thinking about it, he suddenly heard Cao Cao's question.
"Follow filial piety, pay filial piety?"
"ah?"
"Why haven't you spoken?"
Cao Cao asked.
After Guo Jia thought about it, he said: "Ming Gong, Liu Xuande was caught in a struggle with Yuan Shao, and it was difficult to distinguish between them within a few years. But he was afraid that Ming Gong would become stronger, so he deliberately created a gap to lead Ming Gong south to the Huainan battlefield.
, this is hiding evil intentions."
"Yes, we think so too."
Cheng Yu said: "Huainan is a complex place with various forces criss-crossing each other. I suggest that if we really capture half of Xuzhou, we should stabilize the place and build up strength within a few years, so that we can no longer use weapons."
"Um."
Cao Cao pondered: "Chen Zigui is a good stratagem, but I will never be fooled by him. That's it. The grain and grass will be harvested from the Pi Guangling land under Pengcheng. But after taking it, they will rest and recuperate for a few years.
Domestic and stable development.”
Judging from the map, Yanzhou plus half of Xuzhou are connected together to form a 7. Below the 7 is Yuzhou. Now, except for Yingchuan and Yuzhou, this power is almost the same as Cao Cao's power on the eve of Guandu in history. If
If you can rest for a few years, just survive a wave of growth and build an army of 70,000 to 80,000 people, there will still be no problem.
Therefore, Cao Cao felt that the strategy of dividing Xuzhou equally was not unacceptable. Chen Zigui wanted to force him to go to Huainan to fight with Sun Jian, Yuan Shu, Liu Yao and others, but he refused to go, to see what he could do to him.
Thinking of this, Cao Cao felt that everything was safe, so he calmly waited for the opportunity.
Two days later, Chen Mu's 50,000 stones of food and grass were all received.
Cao Cao accepted it without hesitation.
Another half month passed.
The time has finally come.
These days, Chen Mu deliberately made the soldiers gradually become less disciplined and no longer as disciplined as they were at the beginning.
Tao Qian was not a fool. He would go to the tower to watch every day.
He has been in the army for many years, and has fought against Xianbei, Wuhuan, and later went to the northwest to fight with Han Sui. Whether the enemy has really become loose, or whether it is loose outside and tight inside, can be seen at a glance.
Chen Mu didn't specifically ask the soldiers to act. After all, the soldiers were not all movie stars. How could a group of extras act in a really unorganized manner?
Therefore, these things need to settle over time to make the soldiers truly believe that fighting is impossible during this period, so that they will no longer be as alert as before.
Not only his military camp, but also Cao Cao's side.
More than two months have passed. They have done almost nothing except occasionally calling for battle outside the city. Naturally, all the soldiers will gradually relax their vigilance.
In history, the most famous players who used this tactic were Lu Meng and Lu Xun.
After Lü Meng arrived at Lukou, he kept courting Guan Yu, and instead of making amends with him, he pretended that he did not dare to attack Jingzhou at all, leaving Guan Yu unprepared for Soochow. Then, by surprise, he crossed the river in white and captured Jingzhou.
Lu Xun did the same thing. He closed the city gate tightly and let Liu Bei yell and curse outside, but did not fight. After half a year, Liu Bei's army relaxed his vigilance and his morale dropped. He suddenly rushed out and burned the camp for 700 miles, which laid the foundation for Lu Xun's victory.
Prestige.
The only difference is that Lu Meng and Lu Xun were facing Chen Mu's eldest and second brothers at that time, and they were unprepared. But Chen Mu was Tao Qian's planner. How could I be unprepared when I devised a plan against myself?
Therefore, ordinary sergeants have indeed lost their vigilance, but Chen Mu had secretly ordered Gao Shun to hide in the rear camp and train all day long, and to be strict and not let Tao Qian pay attention.
As the days go by, the time should gradually mature.
On this day, Sun Guan said to Tao Qian on the city wall: "Ming Gong, you see, Cao and Liu's troops outside the city have no fighting spirit and their morale is low. It is the time for a surprise attack."
Tao Qian has naturally been paying attention to these things. When he saw this situation, he nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, we can indeed send troops."
"Please also ask Ming Gong to allow me to be the vanguard and lead the army out of the city tonight."
Sun Guan said immediately.
Tao Qian shook his head: "There's no rush. Today I'll send someone to contact Cao Bao and Lu You first, so that they can get ready and take action together tomorrow evening."
"only!"
Sun Guan was overjoyed and accepted the order happily.
After Tao Qian left, Sun Guan called in his brother Sun Kang and his good brother Yili to discuss matters secretly.
On the second day, a flag was erected on the tower.
There should have been flags on the city wall, but this time it was different, it was placed on the city tower.
Seeing this flag, Chen Mu made up his mind and ordered the soldiers to replace the three flags in front of the camp with one.
This is the secret signal agreed by both parties, indicating that the time is right to take action tonight.