The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 156: Qin and Jin are not in harmony, Wu and Yue are fighting, marriage causes war

Li Yi opposed Liu Bei's wait-and-see attitude towards Cao Cao's dispatch of troops to Nanyang.

This made Liu Bei unable to understand.

They had just defeated Yuan Shu, and Xuzhou was exhausted, so it was not appropriate to start another war.

Because it is a real ancient war, it is not a map coloring game. As long as you capture a city, that city will truly belong to you.

Your strength will literally double immediately.

It’s like if Liu Bei were to go to war with Cao Cao now, even if all conditions were put aside, it would be possible to really destroy Cao Cao in a year.

And annex all of Cao Cao's territories.

Then Liu Bei had one year left to prepare for the fight against Yuan Shao.

However, Liu Bei's strength was not enough to maintain his original territory in Xuzhou, and he had to prepare for two years to become stronger.

The only thing you gain immediately by conquering a new territory is strategic depth.

It takes a lot of time to transform it into your own strength.

Among them, including but not limited to.

Militarily, the remaining forces must be encircled and eliminated.

In terms of domestic affairs, administrative management must be restored and the original officials must be reassigned.

In terms of people's livelihood, materials need to be uniformly distributed, household registration needs to be re-controlled, production needs to be resumed, and infrastructure needs to be rebuilt.

In terms of public security, refugees must be settled, weapons must be confiscated, and transportation must be restored, otherwise it will cause a series of social problems.

This is also the reason why Liu Bang ranked Xiao He first among the three heroes of the early Han Dynasty.

The original text reads, "Xiao He always kept Guanzhong intact to wait for Your Majesty, this is a merit that will last for all eternity."

"The Emperor Gaozu said, 'Good,' and he ordered He Diyi to wear a sword and shoes to the palace, and he did not have to bow when entering the court."

At that time, many people were dissatisfied and believed that Xiao He's achievements were not as good as those of Han Xin and Zhang Liang.

Liu Bang replied, "Now you can only catch the beasts, which is a meritorious dog. As for Xiao He, he can find the tracks and point the way, which is a meritorious man."

In Liu Bang's view, except Xiao He, everyone else was just a useless person.

Now that Lao Liu has just conquered Jiujiang, it will take a lot of time to digest this rich land.

Convert it from a blood draining slot into a blood replenishing pack.

So during this period, Lao Liu did not want to worry about any military affairs and wanted to rest and take care of the people's livelihood.

Not to mention the war far away in Jingzhou, the supply lines were too long and the losses were enormous.

Xuzhou didn't get much benefit from it at all.

"I am not asking you, my lord, to send troops to Nanyang to support Cao Cao."

Li Yi explained, "It is to support Cao Cao and support him in his campaign against Zhang Xiu."

"Oh? What do you mean, military advisor?"

Liu Bei raised his eyebrows and was even more unable to understand Li Yi's arrangement.

In fact, if he did not intervene in the matter, it would be equivalent to tacitly approving Cao Cao's attack on Nanyang.

Why should we express our support for him specifically? What a waste of time!
If I have to say something, supporting Cao Cao is a statement.

But this would undoubtedly make Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, lose face.

After all, Zhang Xiu was a guest general from another state invited by Liu Biao, and Liu Bei had an apparent friendly relationship with Liu Biao.

Why must we go to such extremes and offend Liu Biao?

Wouldn't it be better to just wait and see and not offend both Cao Cao and Liu Biao?

"Yi also weighed this matter for a long time before making this decision."

Li Yi frowned and explained patiently.

From the perspective of a time traveler, Cao Cao's expedition against Zhang Xiu might end in failure.

So, let’s look at it from Xuzhou’s perspective.

Xuzhou still has Lao Liu, so what kind of results does Cao Cao need to achieve in the Battle of Wancheng?
Cao Cao is the most important ally in the future fight against Yuan Shao, so he must not die.

However, if Yuan Shao was really defeated in the future, the two families would divide Hebei at the same time.

Then there is no doubt that by then the Cao and Liu families will be the two most powerful princes in the world.

For Lao Liu, this undoubtedly meant defeating a strong enemy and creating a new strong enemy.

So, if we can add fuel to the Wancheng romance scandal, let it develop smoothly.

By letting Cao kill the three sages with one shot, he could plant a mine in Cao's camp.

Among them, Cao Ang and Dian Wei are the most important to Cao Ying.

For Cao Cao, Dian Wei was a fierce general at the level of Fan Kuai.

Li Yi liked him very much, but they each served their own master and should put national affairs first and not sacrifice public interests for personal ones.

Since he cannot be used by Liu Ying, he can only be killed.

The greatest respect for the enemy is to do your best to kill him.

but,

Even if Dian Wei was lost, for Cao Cao it was nothing more than losing a powerful general in the camp.

It won't be a serious injury that will cause you to never recover.

The one who really had a huge influence on Cao's camp was Cao Ang.

If he hadn't died, he would undoubtedly be the future heir of the Cao family.

But Cao Ang is a very capable person.

Cao Ang was selected as a filial and incorrupt official at the age of 20, and he often fought with Cao Cao in the battlefields.

For a long time, he has had a good reputation and military achievements.

In Cao Pi's own words, "My brother is filial and honest, and it is his duty."

This means that if Cao Ang were still alive, he would naturally be the one to inherit this position.

In addition, there is Cao Ang’s identity.

Just remember one thing: the status of the eldest son is more important than anything else in the Three Kingdoms.

In the late Han Dynasty, most of the aristocratic families held the concept of primogeniture.

Cao Ang respected Lady Ding as his mother, and was both the legitimate son and the eldest son.

In front of Cao Ang, Cao Pi and Cao Zhi were both defined as illegitimate children.

And since Cao Ang is the only legitimate son, the three families of Cao, Xiahou and Ding will all fully support him.

Naturally, there will be no more struggle for succession after Cao Ying, let alone internal power struggle.

After weighing the pros and cons, Li Yi decided to plant this landmine.

Because the Cao family's fight for succession will not become apparent until at least seven or eight years later.

It would take at least seven or eight years to completely destroy Yuan Shao and eliminate his power and influence in the north.

In other words, when the Cao and Liu families really break up, the bomb buried by Li Yi will almost take effect.

The intensity of the Cao family's struggle for succession was no less than that of Yuan Shao.

Cao Cao took advantage of the internal strife within the Yuan family to defeat the Yuan family and unify the north.

Cao Pi has always been Cao Cao's backup.

When Cao Chong died, Cao Pi comforted Cao Cao, but Cao Cao did not appreciate it and said:
"This is my misfortune, but your fortune."

This statement reveals Cao Pi's nature as a spare tire.

Later, in order to support Cao Zhi and suppress Cao Pi, Cao Cao's camp was seriously divided.

In his later years, Cao Cao finally decided to choose Cao Pi, and began to eliminate Cao Zhi's forces on a large scale to pave the way for Cao Pi to succeed to the throne.

The internal power struggles and political turmoil within Cao's camp weakened Cao's own strength.

What a camp needs most is a stable regime and the prohibition of internal strife.

And Cao Ang's survival is crucial to Cao's camp.

but,

With the arrival of Li Yi, the historical line and timeline change, and the impact of the butterfly effect.

It remains to be seen whether Cao Cao's expedition against Zhang Xiu will trigger a romantic incident that will harm the three sages.

So, in order to ensure the smooth progress of this matter.

Li Yi decided to add fuel to the fire and help Lao Cao.

Cao Cao is the type of person who likes to act recklessly when things are going well and is easily proud and complacent.

In history, he who fought against Zhang Xiu not only quelled the civil strife in Yanzhou, but also marched into Yuzhou and welcomed the emperor to Xu County.

Although Cao Cao in this dimension does not have as great an advantage as in history.

But he also occupied a large amount of land in Yuzhou, and joined forces with Liu Bei to defeat the arrogant Yuan Shu and divide his Huainan territory.

You have every right to be proud and complacent.

Simultaneously,

In history, Zhang Xiu chose to surrender at the beginning because he saw that Cao Cao was very powerful.

Cao Cao won without fighting and became more arrogant and looked down on Zhang Xiu.

Therefore,
If Xuzhou could support Cao Cao and support him in his expedition against Zhang Xiu.

Not only will Cao Cao become more confident, but Zhang Xiu will be even more likely to surrender without a fight when he sees that Cao Cao still has the support of Xuzhou.

At this time, I don't believe that Cao Cao would still take Zhang Xiu seriously, and it would be strange if he didn't force him to rebel.

"In addition to supporting Cao Cao, Xuzhou can also provide him with some money and food."

"First, it shows my attitude towards Xuzhou. Second, it helps Cao Cao win the war. Third, the friendship between our two families will make it easier for us to fight against Yuan Shao together in the future."

Li Yi only said that he supported Cao Cao in order to strengthen the Cao-Liu alliance and make it easier to fight against Yuan Shao in the future.

As for the secret mines, it is because such events are too accidental.

Man proposes, God disposes.

No one can be 100% sure whether this kind of thing will definitely be triggered, and whether those people will definitely die.

We can only go with the flow.

Besides, Li Yi did not want Cao Cao to suffer such a terrible defeat that it would hinder Xuzhou from defeating Yuan Shao in the future.

So we just gave him some money and food to help him make ends meet.

Liu Bei also believed that Yuan Shao was currently a major concern and that Cao Cao's power was indispensable.

There was no harm in providing him with some money and food, so he followed Li Yi's advice.

He summoned Cao's envoy to the palace and stated that Xuzhou was willing to provide Cao Cao with some money and food, as well as a hundred pounds of iron, to show the meaning of the alliance.

After hearing this, Envoy Cao was overjoyed. He never expected that this mission would be so smooth.

Originally, the task Cao Cao assigned to him was to keep Liu Bei and Xuzhou neutral and not interfere with his attack on Nanyang.

As a result, Xuzhou's reaction was encouraging. Liu Bei not only supported Cao Cao, but also sent money and food. What a kind man!
The envoy Cao thanked the emperor repeatedly, took the money and food, and returned to Yingchuan happily.

When he met Cao Cao, he told him about Liu Bei's good words.

When Cao Cao heard this, he was both surprised and happy.

"Liu Bei is so kind?"

Cao Cao stroked his beard and pondered for a moment.

He was overjoyed and told everyone:
"Heaven is on my side! Zhang Xiu will be defeated tomorrow."

"Pass my order, order Xiahou Dun of Yushui to set out immediately and attack Wancheng."

"My army will march in three directions and will be here soon!"

The generals took the order and left.

Cheng Yu advised:

"I heard that Liu Xuande and Liu Jingsheng were secretly communicating and trading with each other. Now my army is attacking Liu Biao's Nanyang."

"Liu Bei not only did not intervene, but also provided me with money and food. Why is that?"

Cao Cao stroked his beard and smiled:

"Zhongde is too suspicious. Now Yuan Shao is powerful, and our two families will join forces to fight against Yuan. We will be mutually beneficial."

"I want to eliminate the threat from the southwest first. If I don't destroy Zhang Xiu, when Yuan Shao sends troops in the future, the Nanyang route will be a hindrance to me."

"If I am constrained in Nanyang, Liu Bei will also be constrained by me and will not be able to resist Yuan Shao."

"Only if our two families join forces can we resist the troops from Hebei."

"We are now fighting against Zhang Xiu, and Liu Bei is supporting us. Why should we be suspicious?"

After a slight pause, he continued:

"Besides, I know Liu Bei is a kind person."

"How can you send troops to attack Yanzhou after sending me money and food and supporting Yingchuan?"

"Wouldn't that make people lose the support of the people?"

Cao Cao rejected Cheng Yu's idea that Liu Bei wanted to paralyze him and might launch a sneak attack.

In his opinion, since Liu Bei had already made his attitude clear on this matter, there was no reason for him to go back on his word halfway.

If he really stabbed me in the back and pushed him into a rage, then he would fight to the death and would really surrender to Yuan Shao.

Cheng Yu felt somewhat uneasy in his heart and said:
"Liu Bei is indeed kind, but what about his military advisor Li Yi?"

"This man is very cunning and strategic. Would he be so kind?"

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice:
"Even if it was Li Ziyu who advocated sending me money and food, it certainly wasn't to harm me."

Cheng Yu remained silent and could not answer, because that was the fact.

If you want to attack Zhang Xiu, ask Xuzhou's attitude.

Xuzhou not only supports you, but also gives you money and food.

But you say Xuzhou has bad intentions. Isn't that ungrateful?
Cheng Yu could only advise:
"Liu Bei was never inferior to others, and he never tasted water in his life."

"Now with Li Yi's assistance, it is like a dragon encountering rain, rising to the sky."

"My Lord, please remember to be on guard."

Cao Cao laughed and said:

"Don't I know Liu Xuande's ambition?"

"Although this tiger must be eliminated, it cannot be eliminated in this way."

"Now is the time to use heroes. We cannot destroy the alliance between the two families for the sake of one person."

"If Yuan Shao led his army across the Yellow River, could I, with my family's strength, stop Hebei?"

Cheng Yu answered no.

"That's it."

Cao Cao patted Cheng Yu on the shoulder and said sternly, "In Henan, only Liu Bei and I can contend against Yuan Shao."

"If our two families fight each other during this period, Yuan Shao will reap the benefits."

"At that time, Yuan Shao only needs to send troops along the way, and he can take all of Henan without any effort."

Cheng Yu fell silent, unable to refute Cao Cao's theory.

Yuan Shao's strength is self-evident.

To use the original words of the history books,

——"He crossed the north of the Yellow River, united the land of four states, gathered heroes and talents, and had millions of people."

In particular, Jizhou is known as the first of the Nine Provinces, a saying that originated from the Xia Dynasty.

Dayu of the Xia Dynasty began his flood control work in Jizhou.

Its abundance of resources, density of population, and sufficient military resources are the best in the world.

Not to mention that Liu Bei had no confidence, even Cao Cao himself did not have the confidence to fight Yuan Shao at this moment.

Cao Cao originally wanted to destroy Liu Bei, unify Xuzhou, then conquer Yuzhou and take over Guanzhong.

After unifying the entire Henan Province, it developed for a few more years before breaking with its big brother.

But the problem now is that he cannot destroy Liu Bei, and Liu Bei cannot destroy him in a short time.

And time waits for no one.

Then the two families can only cooperate to fight against Yuan Shao together.

Subsequently,

Cao Cao personally led the troops, assembled his brave generals, and specially trained successor Cao Ang, and set out to attack Wancheng.

……

However, the commander of Wancheng was Zhang Xiu, a native of Wuwei in Liangzhou.

After the death of his uncle Zhang Ji, he took over his troops and accepted the olive branch extended by Liu Biao.

He took his troops and stationed in Wancheng.

A scout had already reported to Zhang Xiu the news that Cao Cao was leading his troops to attack.

It is said that Xiahou Dun, the vanguard general of Cao's army, has led his troops to set up camp at Yu River, and Cao Cao's army will arrive soon.

The Yu River is not far from Wancheng, so the situation is extremely critical.

Zhang Xiu was shocked when he heard this and quickly summoned Jia Xu to discuss the matter.

"Mr. Wenhe, you advised me to accept Liu Biao's recruitment."

"We have just reached Wancheng when Cao Cao leads his troops to attack."

"Can I stop Cao Cao's army with the troops I have?"

Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu had a very good relationship.

Jia Xu had previously been affiliated with Duan Wei, but Duan Wei was quite suspicious of him.

Therefore, in order to protect himself, Jia Xu turned to his fellow villager Zhang Xiu from Wuwei.

Zhang Xiu was very happy and excited about Jia Xu's arrival, and he performed a special "rite of descent and grandchildren".

Out of respect for Jia Xu, Zhang Xiu immediately sought Jia Xu's opinion.

Jia Xu analyzed seriously:
"Cao Cao is good at commanding troops, and his civil and military officials are both experienced in fighting."

"Now I am personally leading a large army to the Yu River, and we are coming in three directions. This shows how powerful they are and how impossible it is to defeat them."

After a slight pause, he frowned and said:

"I heard that during this expedition, Liu Bei of Xuzhou also provided Cao Cao with money and food, which shows that Xuzhou has a close relationship with Cao Cao."

"Considering that the two families attacked Yuan Shu together last year, Cao and Liu did have an alliance."

"Yuan Gonglu was a man of three generations, occupying a dominant position in Huainan with a strong army and sufficient food. However, he was defeated by Cao and Liu."

"General, it is only a temporary measure for you to gather the remaining troops and attach yourself to Liu Biao."

"Liu Jingsheng invited the general to Nanyang simply because he wanted the general to guard the northern gate for him."

"General, why should you really work for Liu Jingsheng?"

Zhang Xiu was silent for a moment. Jia Xu was right. He relied on Liu Biao just to find a temporary place to stay.

Liu Biao wanted to use him as a gun and guard the gate for him, but how could such a good thing happen.

"Then according to Mr. Wenhe's opinion, what should I do?"

Zhang Xiu asked.

Jia Xu stroked his beard and said:
"Now that your uncle is dead, Liu Biao's army is no longer reliable."

"In my opinion, it is better for us all to surrender."

what! ?

Zhang Xiu suddenly jumped up and shouted:

"Sir, do you want me to serve under Cao Cao and be a humble and obedient defeated general?"

Jia Xu shook his head and signaled Zhang Xiu to calm down.

Zhang Xiu also felt that it was impolite, so he sat down again and said in a gentle tone:

"Sir, if you have any good advice for me, please let me know."

Jia Xu raised his eyebrows and asked in a persuasive manner:

"Today the world is in ruins, and heroes are rising up."

"General, you rose from Liang Province with your bravery and military prowess. What do you want from facing the world?"

This……

Zhang Xiu was stumped by Jia Xu's question.

Like Lu Bu, he started from the border.

The border warriors all have one thing in common: they lack political goals.

Lu Bu lacked political goals and no one reminded him.

Zhang Xiu also lacked political goals, but Jia Xu pointed it out to him at this moment.

"In troubled times, who can protect themselves?"

Zhang Xiu sighed, "I have been practicing martial arts since I was young, hoping to serve my country in the future. If I can be promoted to a general and be granted a title of nobility, and bring honor to my wife and children, it will be a great blessing."

"But the government is in ruins and the kingdom is in tatters. I don't know where to go."

"I just want a place to rest."

Zhang Xiu made his political goal clear. He wanted to be appointed a general and be granted a title of nobility, but he did not have the opportunity.

Today, the princes of the world are fighting against each other, and he only hopes to preserve his life in the chaos.

good……

Jia Xu nodded and analyzed for Zhang Xiu in an orderly manner:

"Today, Yuan Benchu is as majestic as a dragon and as powerful as a tiger, and he is dominating Hebei. He has the potential to unify the country."

"Sikong Cao and General Liu are stationed in Henan and are poised to challenge Hebei."

"Liu Biao of Jingzhou is a man of name only, good at making plans but unable to make decisions, and incapable of doing anything."

"Liu Zhang of Yizhou is a dog guarding the house, and it is really difficult for him to do anything big."

"If the general wants to protect himself, he must choose one of the three families, Yuan, Cao, and Liu."

"However, Yuan Shao is very powerful. If you surrender to him, you will not be able to use him in a high position."

"Besides, Hebei is far away from Nanyang. If Nanyang is in trouble, Yuan Shao will not be able to rescue it."

"Sikong Cao's seat of government, Yingchuan, is adjacent to Nanyang. He sent troops this time only to eliminate the threat from the southwest."

Jia Xu stood up and walked up to Zhang Xiu.

There was a sly look in his eyes as he offered him some advice:
"We can surrender to Cao Cao and then send someone to contact Liu Bei in Xuzhou and show him our friendship."

"Between Cao Cao and Liu Bei, bet on both sides."

"Although Liu Bei is Cao Cao's ally on paper, this alliance is not unbreakable."

"If we can establish a force in the southwest of Cao Cao, Liu Bei will never let go of this opportunity."

"If Xuzhou intervenes at that time, we will be able to preserve Nanyang."

"Since Cao Cao has already accepted our surrender, and because of the alliance between Cao and Liu, he will definitely not tear his face off over this."

As Jia Xu spoke, he raised his hand to Zhang Xiu and raised three fingers, saying with a smile:
"If it is true, Cao Cao can eliminate the threat from the southwest, Liu Bei can gain a vassal, and Liu Biao has not lost the land of Nanyang."

"Don't offend any of the three families."

"And the general can protect all the people and stay in Wancheng with peace of mind."

"This is what is called the way to survive in troubled times."

Jia Xu was an expert at self-preservation, and Zhang Xiu's forces were weak.

Being surrounded by many princes, if you want to protect yourself, you must play with both sides and make friends with those far away and attack those nearby.

This is also the way for small countries to survive and thrive.

Zhang Xiu was overjoyed when he heard this, and stepped forward, holding Jia Xu's hand, and said gratefully:

"Mr. Wenhe's words really opened my eyes and enlightened me!"

"In this case, I will send an envoy to Xuzhou to pay a visit to General Liu."

Jia Xu nodded, "In this case, we must hurry."

"Before Liu Bei intervenes in this matter, General, you must be patient and not mess up the matter because of a momentary anger."

Zhang Xiu nodded repeatedly to reassure Jia Xu.

……

The words are divided into two parts,

But Cao Cao led his troops to the Yu River and met with Xiahou Dun.

He was accompanied by Cao Ang, a filial and loyal man, skilled in warfare, and Cao Cao took him with him wherever he went.

He had already been regarded as his successor.

On this day, Cao Cao led Cao Ang to march through a forest.

Seeing a big tree standing tall in the forest, he stopped and asked:
"Ang'er, tell me, how many years does it take for this tree to grow so strong?"

Cao Ang replied seriously, "At least a hundred years."

Cao Cao asked again, "How long will it take to cut it down?"

Cao Ang smiled and said, "In my opinion, half an hour is enough."

Cao Cao frowned and sighed:

"Yes, a hundred years of business can be wiped out in an instant. That's how the world works."

"Starting a business is difficult, and maintaining a business is even more difficult. Ang'er, you must know that I am where I am today, not achieved overnight."

Cao Ang nodded, clasped his hands and said:

"Father's teachings, I will remember them."

As they were speaking, Xiahou Dun came riding back with a report.

"My lord! News has come from Wancheng that Zhang Xiu is willing to surrender the entire city to our army!"

Cao Cao was overjoyed when he heard this and laughed out loud:
“…Hahahaha, God is helping me!”

"My army is invincible wherever we go."

"Those who obey me live, and those who disobey me die. Zhang Xiu knew this, so he surrendered without a fight!"

Cao Cao was confident and optimistic by nature.

The expansion speed in the past two years has indeed been very fast.

Not only did he quell the civil strife in Yanzhou, but he also occupied a large amount of land in Yuzhou.

Not long ago, he joined forces with Liu Bei to welcome the emperor and conferred him the title of one of the Three Dukes.

Destroy Yuan Shu and invade the land south of the Huai River.

Cao Cao was at the peak of his career and was full of confidence before he set out to attack Zhang Xiu.

He also received support from Liu Bei of Xuzhou, who sent some money and food.

In this favorable situation, Cao Cao really didn't know how to lose.

"Pass on my order, the entire army will quickly march to Wancheng!"

At the command, the army broke camp and marched towards Wancheng.

Zhang Xiu led his men out of the city to meet Cao Cao in person.

Cao Cao led his army to the scene. Zhang Xiu held the seal in his hand, bowed and said respectfully:

"General Jianzhong, Marquis Xuanwei Zhang Xiu greets Minister Cao."

Although Zhang Xiu surrendered to Cao Cao, he deliberately shouted out his official position and title.

These were the official positions he had earned when he followed his uncle Zhang Ji in Chang'an, and were conferred by the imperial court.

What he meant was that he hoped Cao Cao could respect him a little.

After all, he is the Marquis Xuanwei of the Han court. He should not embarrass himself in front of his subordinates.

When Cao Cao heard this, although his expression remained calm, he was actually angry in his heart.

I thought to myself, how dare a defeated general put on airs in front of me?

He just raised his whip and pointed, saying calmly:
"You can take the seal."

After saying this, the servant took the seal from Zhang Xiu.

Before Zhang Xiu could react, Cao Cao continued speaking.

"General Zhang can lead the way."

"What...I...?"

Zhang Xiu was stunned and looked at Cao Cao in disbelief.

Just as he was about to refuse, Jia Xu beside him grabbed his sleeve, stared at him and shook his head.

Zhang Xiu clenched his fists, suppressed the humiliation in his heart, stepped forward, took the reins of the horse, and walked in front to lead the way.

Cao Cao laughed loudly and waved his hand to lead the generals into the city.

All of Cao's soldiers were arrogant and walked with their heads held high, not even looking at the soldiers guarding Wancheng.

When the soldiers saw this, they all gnashed their teeth.

Some soldiers were so angry that their teeth itched:
"Are Cao's soldiers so arrogant that they think we have no strong men in Liangzhou?"

Another soldier advised helplessly:

"Now that the general has surrendered to Cao Cao, we should just accept his offer."

The soldier said angrily:

"I would rather die fighting Cao's soldiers than accept such humiliating surrender!"

For a moment, this depressed and angry mood quickly spread throughout the entire army in Wancheng.

After Cao Cao entered Wancheng, he only led his own troops to settle in Wancheng.

The rest of the army was stationed outside the city, with camps connected over a distance of more than ten miles.

After staying there for several days, Cao Cao drank and had fun every day, but he felt bored.

I always feel like something is missing in my heart.

Then he looked around and said, "Are there any prostitutes in this city?"

Cao Anmin, Cao Cao's nephew, immediately understood what he meant, so he leaned over to Cao Cao and whispered:
"Last night, my nephew saw a woman standing beside the house. She was very beautiful."

"When asked, she turned out to be the widow of Zhang Xiu's late uncle Zhang Ji."

Oh?
Cao Cao raised his eyebrows and asked, "Is she really very beautiful?"

"It's quite charming." Cao Anmin answered confidently.

"good!"

Cao Cao raised the corners of his lips slightly, revealing a faint smile, "You can bring fifty soldiers with you to get it for me."

The guard Dian Wei said:
"My lord, Zhang Ji is Zhang Xiu's uncle, and he passed away recently."

"If I accept it rashly, I'm afraid..."

Cao Cao laughed when he heard this:

"What about Zhang Xiu? He is a defeated general and a horse driver."

"How dare you be angry? How dare you be dissatisfied with me?"

"Anmin, please go quickly and fetch the person for me."

Cao Anmin took the order and immediately led his men into the building.

Cao's soldiers were domineering and no one dared to stop them, allowing Cao Anmin to take the people away.

When Cao Cao saw the woman he had brought in, he found her to be beautiful and plump, so he asked her name.

The woman introduced herself as Zhang Ji's widow, Ms. Zou.

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes at her and asked, "Madam, do you know me?"

Zou bowed and replied, "I have long heard of the great reputation of Cao Sikong, and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to pay my respects to him tonight."

Cao Cao smiled again and said in a pretentious manner:
"It is for my wife's sake that I am willing to surrender to Zhang Xiu."

"If not, the Zhang family will be exterminated."

Zou was afraid of Cao Cao's power, so she had to bow again, "I really feel the grace of the general for giving me a new life."

Cao Cao was even happier when he saw that Zou had a gentle personality.

"It's a blessing to meet Madam today."

After saying this, he stepped forward, held Zou's hand, and said:
"I wonder if Madam would like to dine with me tonight?"

"If you obey, I will take you back to Xu and let you live in wealth and luxury. What do you think?"

Zou said:
"It is my great honor to serve you, General."

"But if you live in the city for too long, my nephew will surely become suspicious, and I'm also afraid of what outsiders will say."

Cao Cao laughed and said:

"Madam, what you said makes sense. Tomorrow I will go to live in the village outside the city with you."

"How about staying here tonight?"

Zou had no choice but to obey.

Cao Cao ordered his men to invite Zou into the house and was about to send the servants away.

Cao Anmin stepped forward and reminded Cao Cao:

"If we marry Zou now, Zhang Xiu will surely bear a grudge against me."

"Even so, we still have to be on guard."

Cao Cao was eager to do something at this moment, and said impatiently:
"Then what suggestions does Anmin have?"

Cao Anmin said:
"I heard that Zhang Xiu has a strong general named Hu Che'er."

"This man can carry 500 kilograms and walk 700 miles a day. He is an extraordinary person in the world."

"He bravely penetrated Zhang Xiu's army, but he was greedy for money."

"Why not give him gold, bribe him, and use him as a henchman to guard against Zhang Xiu?"

Cao Cao paused when he heard this and forced himself to suppress the lust in his heart.

"I have also long heard of Hu Che'er's bravery. It would be great if we could use him."

That’s right, the story of Hu Che’er stealing the halberd in the novel is fictional.

In history, Cao Cao was indeed impressed by Hu Che'er's bravery and planned to bribe him.

After all, sleeping with someone else's wife and using someone else's person, is there anything better than this in the world?

"Anmin's words are very good. I will leave this matter to you."

"You can give him a hundred ounces of gold to show my respect for him."

Here...

Cao Anmin took the order and left.

Cao Cao grinned and went into the bedroom.

Not stated.

Soon, the news that Zou was taken to Cao's camp reached Zhang Xiu's ears.

Zhang Xiu was furious when he heard this, "Cao Cao has bullied me too much!"

So he drew his sword and wanted to confront Cao Cao.

Jia Xu hurriedly stopped him and repeatedly advised:
"General, calm down. General, calm down. A little impatience can ruin a great plan."

Zhang Xiu said angrily:

"Sir, do you want me to endure this great humiliation?"

"Someone is raping your aunt, can you remain indifferent?"

"Sir, I was advised to temporarily rely on Cao, but this villain treated me like nothing!"

Jia Xu advised:

"The envoy sent to Xuzhou has not yet returned. General, you must hold back your anger for the time being."

Zhang Xiu gritted his teeth and said angrily:

"Instead of pinning our hopes on Liu Bei, we should let that thief Cao see that the men of Liangzhou are not easy to bully!"

As they were speaking, another spy came to report.

"General, someone saw someone from Cao's camp secretly delivering gold to Hu Che'er."

"what?"

Before Zhang Xiu could recover from the rape of his aunt, he heard that Cao Cao had secretly bribed a senior general in his army.

"Sir, did you hear that?"

Zhang Xiu was furious and roared:
"The thief Cao raped my aunt and bribed my general. He defended me and humiliated me. How can I remain indifferent?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Xu couldn't help but sigh.

I was quite disappointed with Cao Cao's move.

Seeing that Jia Xu remained silent, Zhang Xiu stood up and said:

"Sir, please don't worry about this. I will go find Cao Cao and fight him to the death!"

After saying this, he ordered his men to select soldiers and generals to attack Cao's camp.

Jia Xu hurriedly stopped Zhang Xiu and advised:

"Cao Cao has now moved to the camp outside the city, and he has the fierce general Dian Wei as his guard."

"No one is allowed to enter unless they are called. This is how the inside and outside are separated, and the security is strict."

"If we act recklessly, the consequences will be disastrous."

Zhang Xiu said:

"Since you said so, you must have a plan to teach me."

"Xiu is all ears."

Jia Xu called Zhang Xiu over and whispered the secret plan to him.

After hearing this, Zhang Xiu nodded repeatedly and agreed happily.

……

The next day.

Zhang Xiu personally went out of the city and came to Cao Cao's camp, requesting to see Cao Cao.

Cao Cao was busy performing the Zhougong ceremony with Zou every day, and was afraid that Zhang Xiu would discover this, so he did not want to see him.

He ordered his men to reject Zhang Xiu's request for an audience.

However, Zhang Xiu said:
"Since Lord Cao does not want to see me, I can tell him why I came."

"I want to station my army on the mountain. I beg Lord Cao to grant my approval."

The servant told Cao Cao what Zhang Xiu meant.

Cao Cao wished Zhang Xiu would stay away from him, so he readily agreed.

Afterwards, Zhang Xiu pleaded with Cao Cao again:
"Our army has too few vehicles, and it is difficult to transport supplies and equipment."

"Can all the supplies and equipment be worn by the soldiers?"

Zhang Xiu's words were almost begging.

At this time, Cao Cao was feeling very proud and did not think too much about it. Seeing that Zhang Xiu's attitude was so humble, he agreed to his request.

Zhang Xiu bowed his head repeatedly to express his gratitude.

Afterwards, Zhang Xiu found Jia Xu and said:

"As you expected, Cao Cao actually agreed to let our soldiers put on armor and go up the mountain."

"What to do next?"

Jia Xu said:
"Prepare bows and arrows, armor and soldiers in advance, and inform each camp."

"When you are ready, attack Cao's camp immediately."

Zhang Xiu followed his advice and led his troops into Cao's camp at the second watch that night and set it on fire.

At this time, Cao Cao was having fun with Zou in the tent when he suddenly heard people shouting and horses neighing outside the tent.

He quickly got out of bed, dressed, and ordered someone to investigate.

The soldiers reported that Zhang Xiu was plotting a rebellion.

Before Cao Cao could react, he suddenly saw fires all around and hurriedly called Dian Wei into the tent.

Dian Wei bowed to Cao Cao and said:
"My lord, Zhang Xiu is leading his troops to attack us!"

Cao Cao was shocked and immediately left the tent under the escort of Dian Wei.

Only the sounds of gongs, drums and shouts of killing could be heard, and the soldiers from Liang Province had already arrived.

The soldiers of Liang Province were very brave and, as they were well prepared, they caught Cao's troops off guard.

In addition, the soldiers of Liang Province have been suffering from the attacks of Cao's troops in recent days and are looking for revenge, so they are all fearless and brave.

Cao's troops were unable to stop them and were defeated by the Liangzhou troops.

Dian Wei hurriedly stepped forward and brandished his halberd, blocking Cao Cao's way and shouting at him:

"My lord, please leave quickly. I will stop you here!"

As they were talking, Cao Ang and Cao Anmin had already arrived.

"Father, I have brought your Jueying horse. Please mount it quickly!"

Cao Ang shouted loudly, calling on Cao Cao to mount his horse.

Cao Cao did not care about much at the moment and hurriedly mounted his horse with the support of his son and nephew.

Zhang Xiu shouted loudly over there:

"Don't let this thief Cao leave!"

Countless Liangzhou soldiers and horses, each with a spear in hand, rushed into the camp.

Dian Wei roared, rushed into the formation, wielded his double halberds, and hacked and killed indiscriminately.

He hacked to death more than twenty people in a row and fought hard to repel the pursuing cavalry formation.

As the cavalry retreated, the infantry arrived.

The spears on both sides were like reeds, stabbing at Dian Wei.

Dian Wei pulled himself together and fought hard, although he was wounded dozens of times by the spear, he still fought to the death.

The Liangzhou troops were afraid of Dian Wei's bravery and no longer dared to step forward to fight.

So the generals in the army ordered their men to shoot at it from a distance with bows and arrows.

Suddenly, arrows rained down like heavy rain.

Dian Wei wielded his double halberds so tightly that no arrows could hurt him.

As soon as one round of arrows was fired, another round of arrows arrived suddenly.

Suddenly, an arrow hit Dian Wei's shoulder blade. Dian Wei felt pain and his arm became weak.

In just that moment of hesitation, he was hit by two more arrows in the abdomen.

Then, three arrows, four arrows, five arrows...

Countless arrows shot at Dian Wei. Dian Wei screamed a few times, but still stood there with blood all over the ground.

The Liangzhou soldiers were shocked to see that Dian Wei could not be killed, and dared not to move forward.
Only Zhang Xiu came with a sword in hand, walked closer and watched.

Although Dian Wei's eyes were wide open and he was standing, he had been dead for some time and was no longer breathing.

Then he chopped him down with his sword, turned around and shouted to the soldiers:

"Dian Wei is dead, kill Cao the thief quickly!"

The morale of the Liangzhou army was greatly boosted, and they stepped over Dian Wei's body and chased after Cao Cao.

On the other side, Cao Cao had Dian Wei blocking the gates of the camp, and he was able to mount his horse and flee under the escort of his sons and nephews.

The elite cavalry of Liangzhou, most of whom rode on fine horses from Dayuan, quickly caught up.

Although it was dark, he just drew his bow and arrow and shot towards the sound.

The horse Cao Anmin was riding was the worst, and he was running at the back, so he was hit by an arrow.

The horse felt pain and threw Cao Anmin off.

The infantry caught up and chopped Cao Anmin into pieces on the spot.

The cavalry then gave chase, shooting arrows at them.

Cao Cao was hit by an arrow in his right arm and his horse was hit by three arrows.

Fortunately, this is a good horse. It can endure the pain, walk fast, and escape from the pain.

Just as he reached the Qing River, Cao Cao shouted loudly and rode his horse across the river bank.

Unexpectedly, Jueying was shot in the horse's eye by an arrow from the Liangzhou army. He let out a wail and fell to the ground.

He and Cao Cao fell off their horses.

Seeing this, Cao Ang hurriedly dismounted and rescued Cao Cao, saying:

"Father, get on the horse!"

As he spoke, he helped Cao Cao onto his horse.

At this time, another arrow shot over.

It hit Cao Ang right in the back.

"Ang'er!"

When Cao Cao saw Cao Ang was shot by an arrow, he roared in shock.

Cao Ang endured the pain and used all his strength to slap the horse's buttocks to drive it away.

A rain of arrows came from behind and shot Cao Ang to death.

Cao Cao mounted his horse and galloped away, just in time to run into Xiahou Dun's troops.

Xiahou Dun hurriedly said:
"I heard there was a change in the village, so I came to help."

Cao Cao breathed a sigh of relief; he finally managed to escape.

He hurriedly ordered Xiahou Dun to lead the army back to rescue Dian Wei, Cao Ang, and Cao Anmin.

Xiahou Dun hurriedly gathered the generals, collected the remaining soldiers, and rushed back to rescue.

After a night of fighting, they finally recovered the bodies of Dian Wei, Cao Ang and Cao Anmin.

But all three of them were dead, and no one survived.

Xiahou Dun was very sad. After hesitating for a while, he told Cao Cao the news.

"Well!!!"

When Cao Cao heard that the three men were dead, he felt a blackout and had a severe headache.

He screamed and fainted on the ground.

The soldiers rushed to rescue him and brought him back to the camp.

Not stated.

……

"Good move!"

In Xuzhou Xia Pi, Liu Bei had a rare moment of leisure and was playing chess with Li Yi.

"Military Advisor, this move is a great one. You captured three of my chess pieces in a row."

"I really don't know how to break this situation."

Liu Bei looked at the deadlock on the chessboard with a frown on his face, unable to think of a way to break it.

Li Yi smiled and said:

"One wrong move and the whole game is lost."

"The same is true of the art of war."

"In general, if the enemy does not make mistakes in military operations, how can our army defeat them?"

"It is like playing chess. The two opponents are evenly matched. If one move goes wrong, there is nothing that can be done to save it."

"Victory and defeat in ancient and modern times are usually due to just one mistake, let alone multiple mistakes!"

Liu Bei sighed:
"……yes."

"If you make a mistake once, you can easily lose everything, let alone make several mistakes in a row."

"I will carefully accept the wise words of the military advisor."

Then he looked out the window at the scenery again, and saw the setting sun and the lone wild goose flying together, which made him feel emotional.

He stood up and sighed:
"I don't know why, but I'm in an unexpectedly good mood today."

Li Yi also stood up, walked to Liu Bei and enjoyed the beautiful scenery with him.

"Maybe something good will happen."

Liu Bei was just about to say that there weren't so many good things in the world.

Suddenly someone reported that the envoy from Wancheng wanted to see him.

……

(End of this chapter)