In mid-July, Liu Bei's army passed by Jibei Kingdom, joined Bao Xin, went south from Dongping Kingdom, and entered Shanyang County.
Bao Xin did not die at the hands of the Yellow Turban this time. Over the years, he has been helping Cao Cao stabilize the Jibei Kingdom, Dongping Kingdom, Rencheng Kingdom and other small counties near Qingzhou. He gathered the few remaining people to farm and grow grain for Cao Cao.
Provide food and grass.
Since these counties are very small in area and have a small population, with a total of only 200,000 to 300,000 people, and they are close to Qingzhou, they are blocked by Onezawa, Dongping Lake, Liangshan and other eight hundred miles of water. Photographed by Lu Bu in Liu Bei
Due to issues such as the front line and the terrain being extremely unfavorable for cavalry, Bao Xin has never dared to attack. Instead, Bao Xin has been very safe in the past two years and has not encountered any crises.
When we arrived in Changyi County, Shanyang County, it was supposed to be the busy summer farming season, but what we saw in the wilderness was a desolate scene. The farmland outside the city was covered with weeds, and many village houses were abandoned. Even the government officials
The pavilions along the road are all dilapidated and covered with dust, and there are no longer any officials in the pavilions.
Liu Bei knew that Shanyang was the front line of the previous battle between Cao Cao and Lu Bu. The two sides fought many times here. Although the original locust plague in Yanzhou has been put down since the third year of Xingwu, which was last year, and the weather has gradually become smoother, man-made disasters are still there, and the people
Still difficult.
When a group of people rode horses to the outside of the city, Cao Cao was already waiting for them at the city gate.
It was noon, the sun was shining brightly, and the blazing sunlight seemed to dry the earth. The green mountains in the distance were blurred, and the air became distorted.
Seeing them coming from a distance, Cao Cao immediately greeted them: "Brother Yuncheng, Xuande!"
"Mengde."
"Brother Meng De!"
The three of them laughed and hugged each other tightly.
"Xuande, I haven't seen you for a few months."
Cao Cao glanced at the endless Liu Bei army on the official road in the distance and said with a smile.
"Yes, Meng De. In just a few short months, the world has become a little more chaotic."
Liu Bei sighed.
Bao Xin said: "It's hot outside, let's go inside and talk."
Everyone walked into the city, reminiscing about old times as they walked.
After entering the mansion, Cao Cao did not sit on the main seat, but removed the main seat and the three of them sat on the same table.
Just like in Luoyang.
After the wine was served, Cao Cao poured the wine for the two of them himself and sighed: "It's a pity that Wentai Bogui is not here, otherwise we would have been able to discuss big things together."
"It doesn't matter."
Liu Bei smiled: "When we go south this time, we will meet up with Wentai to attack Yuan Shu together."
"Um."
Cao Cao nodded. Before Liu Bei set off, he had already written to him and told him that he would go with him on this trip south. After all, if Lu Bu was not dealt with, it would be a serious problem for him.
This time everyone gathered together. Liu Bei, Bao Xin, and Cao Cao were sitting at the top. Guo Jia, Cao Hong, Xia Houyuan, Ju Shi, Tian Feng, Zhang Fei, Dian Wei, etc. were all sitting in rows.
"Come, drink!"
Bao Xin raised his glass and everyone drank it down.
After waiting for the first glass of wine, Liu Bei looked around at the crowd and said: "I only heard that Wentai was seriously injured and Yuan Shu attacked Runan fiercely. Now I don't know the situation in the south. How do Meng De think we should deal with the enemy?"
Cao Cao asked his men to bring the map, spread it out on the table, pointed at it and said, "Xuande, please take a look."
Liu Bei came over and saw that Cao Cao was referring to Ruyin County, Runan County.
"Yuan Shu destroyed Liu Yao, occupied Jiangdong, solved his worries, and began to send troops to the west and north to attack Runan."
"At that time, Wentai and I attacked Lü Bu together. Although Lü Bu was defeated, Wentai was also wounded by Lü Bu and is still recovering from his injuries. All his troops and horses were in Liang State, and there were less than 20,000 soldiers and horses in Runan led by his son.
Sun Ce leads."
"Yuan Shu has a large number of soldiers and horses, with more than 100,000 followers, occupying the Jianghuai area. He divides his troops into three groups. He goes all the way north to take me Guangling, Xiapi, all the way to the Pei Kingdom, and all the way west to Runan."
"Among them, Runan is the main force, with as many as 50,000 to 60,000 troops. Sun Ce could not resist, so he retreated to the north. He had sent me a letter two days ago, saying that Yuan Shu was currently in Gushi County, and Yuan Shu was coming fiercely, and I was afraid that Gushi would also
We can't resist it. At this time, Runan is in danger."
"So I think that we should not worry about Yuan's army in Peiguo and Guangling for now, but should concentrate our forces to destroy Yuan Shu's main force in Runan first, so that the other two groups of troops will withdraw on their own because Yuan Shu is defeated."
Cao Cao analyzed the current situation to Liu Bei.
After Liu Yao was eliminated, Yuan Shu had no worries at all, so his troops were divided into three groups. Except for the tens of thousands of troops who defended Liu Biao from his hometown in Lujiang, almost all of them moved in with the purpose of attacking Yuzhou and Xuzhou at the same time.
Among them, Cao Cao sent people to investigate the troops that attacked Xuzhou and Pei. It was found that the two forces combined only numbered 40,000 and were not Yuan Shu's main force.
Then it is obvious that this is just the flank, the real main force is obviously to the west, and Yuan Shu's intention is to capture Runan.
After all, the Yuan clan in Runan is deeply rooted. If Yuan Shu is allowed to recapture Runan, his strength will be greatly increased. Therefore, Cao Cao believes that there is no need to take care of Yuan's army in the Xiapi area of Guangling. The right way is to rendezvous with Sun Jian first and then deal with Yuan Shu's main force.
"Um."
Liu Bei nodded: "Yes, that's exactly what it should be."
This is a very conventional military response method. If the enemy divides his forces, then you attack head-on. Concentrate your forces to attack the enemy's main force first. After destroying the enemy's main force, you can then defeat them one by one.
Cao Cao continued: "The only problem is, Lu Bu."
"Lu Bu?"
"Yes, it's Lu Bu."
Guo Jia took over the conversation and said: "Lü Bu is now newly defeated and has fled to Chenliu. Our army originally planned to take advantage of the situation to eliminate him, but Yuan Shu went north and delayed our progress. We guess that this must be Lu Bu and Yuan Shu uniting together again.
, once we attack Yuan Shu, it may not be easy for Lu Bu to sneak attack from behind."
"Ha ha."
Liu Bei, Jushou Tian Feng and others looked at each other and immediately laughed.
Cao Cao wondered: "Why is Xuande laughing?"
Liu Bei smiled and said: "My fourth brother has already guessed this, so he asked my second brother to lead 20,000 troops southward just to deal with Lu Bu."
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Oh?"
Cao Cao also laughed, nodded and said, "If that's the case, then everything is foolproof."
Everyone laughed, so they no longer had to worry about Lu Bu's sneak attacks.
Luoyang's soldiers and horses also want to go south?
And just when everyone was looking forward to defeating Yuan Shu, only Guo Jia suddenly frowned when he heard the news.
Liu Bei has already transferred 30,000 people from the front line. If Luoyang removes another 20,000 people, the forces of Qingzhou and Luoyang against Jizhou will be greatly reduced, and the frontal pressure on Jizhou will fall on Gongsun Zan in an instant.
Although they also knew that Yuan Shao had deposed the emperor and declared himself a vassal to the imperial court, all fools understood that this was Yuan Shao's delaying strategy, deliberately making Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan relax their vigilance.
Now that Liu Bei has mobilized his troops south on a large scale, if Yuan Shao suddenly takes action against the two of them, what will happen to the situation in the north?
Wait a moment...
With Chen Zigui's talent, how could he not see this?
The situation in the south has become like this, and he didn't follow Liu Bei here in person. So what is he planning?
Deliberately setting a trap, or...
Guo Jia sat on the table, with his hands in his sleeves, his head lowered, and fell into deep thought.
Chen Zigui.
What exactly does he want to do?
...
...
"Ayawn!"
Chen Mu sneezed.
I always feel like someone is talking about me now.
Is it because the wife is missing her at home, or the son misses his father?
"Si Ming?"
Hou Xu watched Chen Mu wipe his nose with a towel and asked, "Do you have a cold?"
It was very common to get heat colds in summer in ancient times. Because there were no electric fans and air conditioners, the air was too hot and stuffy, which would lead to physical disorders. In ancient Chinese medicine, this was called "extreme heat generates wind, and it is caused by excessive heat."
Chen Mu shook his head and felt that his thinking was quite clear, so he shook his head and said: "It's okay, it's nothing serious. Where did you say just now?"
"Let me go to Jizhou to meet someone."
"Well, yes, this matter is of great importance, so you must proceed with caution."
"Meeting whom?"
"You should ask where to meet."
"Where to meet?"
"Tingwei Mansion."
"Tingwei Mansion?"
"good."
"I see."
Hou Xu touched his chin.
Before Jizhou, there were three officials and nine ministers, all of whom were party members.
And this court captain was Zhao Gong, the son of Zhao Yan.
After coming out of the Prime Minister's residence in Pingyuan County, Hou Xu mounted his horse and left the city.
There were people waiting for him outside the city.
"Ziyi."
Hou Xu smiled, and Chen Mu sent Tai Shici to perform the mission with him again.
Taishi Ci rolled his eyes: "I finally became a general and can lead troops to fight. I will follow you to Jizhou."
Hou Xu patted him on the shoulder: "Whether you are leading troops in the army to fight, or returning to the Military Intelligence Department to perform tasks, you are all serving Duke Ming."
"Okay, okay, we are in the pavilion."
Taishi Ci waved his hand.
Hou Xu entered with him. Once inside, he saw two people, an old man and a young man.
The older one is 80% similar to Hou Xu, with an ordinary face.
The young man looks a little different from Taishi Ci, but they are about the same height. If they put on a little makeup, they might be somewhat similar.
"Ling Shi, Cao Shi."
When the two saw them coming in, they bowed and bowed at the same time.
"Um."
Hou Xu waved his hand: "Sit down first."
The two of them knelt down and sat in the hall of the pavilion, four of them sitting opposite each other.
"Ling Shi, my current identity is a small vendor in Yecheng West Street. My identity and family background are very clean. I am the eldest son in the family. I only know my neighbors and a few old customers. I usually live in seclusion and will not reveal my secrets when interrogated.
..."
The older one told him in detail who he was in Jizhou and who he had come into contact with.
This is a method used by Qingzhou to train Siwei. If an important person is needed to go to the hostile force, then he must have an identity.
Although the Military Intelligence Department now has power all over the world, as the personnel structure has increased, traitors have appeared in various places. Therefore, there is news in Qingzhou that the Military Intelligence Department is spying on intelligence everywhere, and many princes know it.
Fortunately, Chen Mu used a single line of communication with the subordinates of the Military Intelligence Department. There were often five or six Military Intelligence Department strongholds in a certain enemy's sphere of influence in a county, but they did not know each other's existence, so even if there were traitors
, the losses caused are not big.
Hou Xu and Tai Shici listened carefully to the two guards telling them all their information, and kept it in their hearts. At the same time, they also compiled their information into a book, including who they knew, their appearance, name, background, and their special habits.
Keep it in mind.
For underground workers, every time they go on a mission, especially in areas occupied by the enemy, they need to be careful and not be careless.
After collecting and summarizing all this information, Hou Xu and Tai Shi Ci set off on their journey the next day.
To go to Yecheng from the plains, you definitely cannot go through Qinghe State. You can only detour to Yanzhou, enter Weijun from the north of Puyang, pass through Neihuang Pingyang City and other places, and enter the scope of Yecheng.
After walking for almost ten days, Hou Xu rode a donkey. This donkey was used by the person he replaced to load goods. Because he was a merchant, it was not surprising to have an animal for transporting goods.
Taishi Ci led the donkey.
On the outskirts of Yecheng, the Zhang River passes around the city. There are countless fields, green mountains, willow trees on both sides of the road, mulberry ponds in the distance, and countless farmers working in the fields.
From time to time, carriages of dignitaries would pass by on the road, and all the people in Guizhou would give way, not daring to block them in the middle of the road.
In this era, common people were not counted as human beings, and they were killed if they were killed by nobles. Especially under Yuan Shao's rule, many of Yuan Shao's respected subordinates had random murderers in their families, and they were still protected. There was no rule of law at all.
When I got closer to the city, I saw this renovated city. As the current seat of Jizhou, Yecheng is connected to the former Wei County. The two places have close exchanges and have already become a commercial and economic center.
There were countless merchants coming from north to south, and they lined up at the city gate to enter. It wasn't until he got close to the city that Hou Xu saw the army.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! The Military Intelligence Department has already clearly understood the military situation in various places in Jizhou. Yuan Shao has deployed heavy troops in Yecheng and Wei County. The two cities are horns with each other, and there are countless grains stored in the city.
, if the troops and horses marching north from Luoyang break through the first line of defense, the defenders in the Dangyin Linli area will be difficult to break even if they advance into Yecheng.
However, Hou Xu glanced at Zhangshui outside the city, chuckled, and then followed the flow of people and slowly began to walk into the city.
After handing in household registration information and proving that they lived in the city, Hou Xu and Tai Shici entered the city smoothly.
"Uncle Zhou, you are back."
Before I even arrived at the door of my house on West Street, my neighbor who was pouring water outside the door greeted me warmly.
Except for Hou Xu, Taishi Ci was very different from the young man, but because he deliberately chose to enter the city in the evening, the light was relatively dark, and Taishi Ci shrank his body and lowered his head. Unless he was a particularly close person, it would be difficult for ordinary people to see the problem.
Hou Xu looked about eight times the same as the old man, and with the make-up, he was almost nine times similar. He said with a smile, "Yeah, I'm back. Ah Si, how's your business lately?"
The neighbor named Ah Si was a little surprised that Uncle Zhou's voice next door seemed a little different from before, but he was just a little strange. He didn't think too much and said: "It's okay. There are wars everywhere now, and the price of corn has increased again."
, barely enough for an old snack.”
"hehe."
Hou Xu opened the door and said casually: "Fortunately, there are only two of us in our house, father and son, so we don't have to worry about food and drink."
He was in his 40s more than ten years ago and is now in his 50s. Taishi Ci is 30 years old, so there is no sense of incompatibility with him playing father and son.
The two chatted for a while, and Hou Xu was about to go in.
Suddenly I heard footsteps behind me, and an official and a few soldiers walked over quickly. They were Cao officials patrolling the streets and were responsible for the population and household registration information of each street.
In a world with a small population like the late Han Dynasty, the household registration of each city's population had to be compiled, and the foreign population had to be registered.
If you don't impersonate your identity, you will be caught and interrogated very quickly if you go directly to the city.
So Hou Xucai had to come here with a new identity.
"Are you the master of this family?"
The official stopped Hou Xu and asked.
Hou Xu turned around and asked, "Who is your honor?"
"I am the new official of Hucao. I have to re-compile the household registration a few days ago. Why are you not at home?"
The official asked.
"It turns out to be the official Hucao."
Hou Xu cupped his hands and said: "Some things happened at home a few days ago. I have been back home for a few days. I have already reported these to the previous officials."
"I am new to the job and must create a new registration."
"Just follow your orders."
"What's your last name?"
"week."
"what is it call."
"week........"
The two of you answered me. Hou Xu had already memorized the information backwards and forwards, but he didn't miss anything.
After the official confirmed that it was correct, he turned to his neighbor Ah Si and asked, "Is this person your neighbor?"
"Yes, Uncle Zhou has lived here for four or five years."
Ah Si replied.
"Um."
The official nodded and said, "Okay, no problem."
Confirmed, it is me.
"Send to the official."
Hou Xu watched him leave and smiled slightly.
After having a new identity, it will be easier to do things in Yecheng.