Tiger Guards

Chapter 264 The Difficult Situation
Ge Township, the setting sun is at your side.

Lu Bu climbed up to a high place to look around, and saw burning Cao's chariots outside the barrier.

The new recruits from Liang State under Lu Bu's command have already adapted to the battlefield and are gathering the dead Cao army officers and soldiers outside the fortress. Among them are many wounded, and some are even pretending to be dead.

The dead and wounded Cao army officers and soldiers had their armor, clothes and shoes stripped off and were dragged to a place more than a hundred steps away from the fortress, waiting for the Cao army to withdraw.

As for the Cao soldiers who pretended to be dead, or those whose injuries were minor and did not affect their work, they were detained in Ge Township, interrogated, and forced to do hard labor.

Various weapons and arrows near the fortress will also be swept up by the Liang soldiers.

As Lü Bu waited and watched, Wei Yue and Zhang Liao approached. Wei Yue bowed and said, "Sir, the Cao enemy's attack today was fierce. Counting the casualties, the Cao army has suffered no less than a thousand casualties."

"There's a change in the north, Cao Cao has to be anxious."

Lu Bu commented calmly that since the stalemate in Gexiang, the highest number of casualties were among the Danyang soldiers of Xu Dan's army and the new recruits of Liang State, while Lu Bu's old subordinates served as supervisors and reserve troops.

It is obvious that after this period of fierce fighting, the Liang army has become a powerful force.

Today, more than 4,000 Liang soldiers guarded the front line of the fortress. Under the command of Gao Shun, they repelled the successive attacks of more than 10,000 Cao troops.

Lu Bu asked again, "Does King Chen have a messenger?"

Zhang Liao bowed and replied, "No. Perhaps Cao's army has established a tight blockade, making it difficult for Prince Chen's envoy to break through."

Lu Bu turned his head to look at Ningling County in the south, where smoke was floating in the sky and more than 10,000 Chen soldiers were stationed.

At least it can tie down Cao's army of the same size. Cao Cao not only has to guard against this Chen army supporting Gexiang, but also has to guard against them attacking Cao Cao's camp.

At this moment, Cao Cao also led more than a hundred cavalrymen to patrol the battlefield, watching the Qingzhou soldiers in the distance collecting the dead and wounded, and the cries of the wounded soldiers continued to be heard.

Cao Cao frowned at the disturbance, but at this moment he could only spare the wounded soldiers and watch them being helped back.

While he was thinking, the sound of horse hooves could be heard behind him. Cao Cao turned around and saw Ding Fei galloping towards him. He reined in his horse as he approached, jumped off, and quickly walked to Cao Cao. He took out a silk letter and handed it to him: "Mingsir, Zixiao has an urgent message."

Cao Cao reached out to take the urgent report sent by Cao Ren, spread it out and read it. The content was very simple.

Cao Ren has set his sights on the new Yanzhou governor, Zang Hong. Zang Hong is leading the exhausted people of Dongwu City to gather the surrounding disaster victims, totaling 40,000 to 50,000 men and women, and is heading towards Puyang.

Cao Ren wanted to attack Zang Hong and put an end to the growing anti-Cao sentiment in Yanzhou.

With Bian Rang of Chenliu and Zang Hong of Guangling, if they really start fighting, can the anti-Cao momentum in Yanzhou be suppressed?

Also, is Cao Ren really so brave that he would sacrifice his own reputation to protect Cao Cao's lineage from disaster?
If Cao Hong had sent such a military letter, Cao Cao would not have doubted Cao Hong's position.

After all, Cao Hong is Cao Cao's cousin and they have a common grandfather; while the brothers Cao Ren and Cao Chun are more distant, and the brothers separated very early, just after their father died, and they each developed well.

Even brothers are so clear about the differences between each other, so how could they sacrifice everything for him, their cousin?
Will Cao Ren rebel?

No, the question should be, will Cao Ren come to his senses and return to the court?

Cao Cao held the folded horsewhip and scratched his sideburns lightly, feeling very embarrassed and unable to judge the change in Cao Ren's position.

But there is one thing he is sure of, Cao Ren's younger brother Cao Chun must be in contact with the court now.

I just don't know what the situation is between Cao Chun and the court. If I find a way out for Cao Ren, maybe I will issue an order to agree to Cao Ren's attack on Zang Hong, and then Cao Ren will take this order to find Zang Hong.

For the sake of the continuation of the family, other members of the Cao and Xiahou families would even understand and condone the actions of Cao Ren and Cao Chun.

After all, it has only been a few years since Cao Song and Cao De died.

Even outsiders couldn't stand it, let alone the Cao and Xiahou families.

Cao Cao considered for a long time and said, "Send the letter to Zixiao and order him to attack immediately."

He was more worried about the Ruying battlefield than Cao Ren's possible changes.

Of the two factions, Cao Ren and Cao Hong, Cao Hong was definitely the one who followed him all the way to the end.

Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan here... Xiahou Yuan is no longer the brave young man who was willing to take the blame and go to jail for him.

Even if Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan changed their positions, they would not do anything to take advantage of others' misfortune.

What really worries Cao Cao is the Yingchuan battlefield, but there is only one Cao Hong. Should he help Xun Yu stabilize the Yingchuan battlefield, or help Xiahou Yuan attack Chen Gong?
On the Yingchuan battlefield, Xun Yu and King Chen remained silent and no one dared to take a step back.

After such a long standoff, who can guarantee that there was no correspondence between Xun Yu and King Chen?
The court returned to Luodu, so how could it ignore Xun Yu?
However, the battlefield in Yingchuan was a scene of mutual confrontation, and there was no legitimate reason to transfer Cao Hong there, which would instead alienate the people of Yingchuan.

If Cao Hong went to help Xiahou Yuan, what would happen even if he defeated Chen Gong?
If Chen Gong's madness is not defeated in one fell swoop, he will pounce on them like a mad dog and continue to delay the actions of Xiahou Yuan and Cao Hong.

What's more, Chen Gong and Xiahou Yuan had been in a stalemate for a long time, and the camps of both sides were well-formed and solid, and could not be easily broken.

Thinking about this, Cao Cao was very angry with Zhao Ji.

Who could have thought that Zhao Ji would so easily release the emperor and the court back to Luodu? Wasn't he afraid that the court would turn around and retaliate after it had caught its breath?

The court's return to Luodu directly led to widespread unrest in the Guandong counties. Only the fool Yuan Shu was still obsessed with attacking Xuzhou, attempting to split off Xuzhou and Yangzhou and dominate the southeast.

After the imperial court dealt with itself, the next target would definitely be Yuan Shu.

As the sun gradually set, Cao Cao also looked calm as he led his cavalry back to the camp.

When the bright moon illuminated the earth, Xu County was shrouded in frosty moonlight, and all the checkpoints were strictly enforced at night.

Xun You was dressed in casual clothes, wearing a travel cap on his head, and carrying a food box as he followed the servant into the side hall.

Xun Yu sat at the head of the table in the hall, while the older Xun You, clutching his food box, bowed deeply, "Uncle."

"I already know your intention, but Cao Gong has shown me kindness, and I cannot betray him."

Xun Yu stood up and led Xun You to sit in front of the candlelight.

Xun You put down the food box, took out the dishes he had brought with him, and said simply, "Today I am here to discuss personal matters, not for official business."

Xun You took the chopsticks with both hands and handed them over. Xun Yu calmly took them and asked, "If it was a private matter, why would Gongda come here in person? Was it Zhao Taiqing, Yang Ziqi, or Fu Wan?"

What Xun Yu was asking was about Xun You's current supporters in the court.

If Sikong Zhangxi were still alive, there would naturally be no such difficulties.

But that damned traitor Zhao Ji actually killed three officials and persecuted the prime minister Zhang Xi, who committed suicide out of injustice.

Zhang Xi was just one step away. As long as he could return to Luodu alive, even if his legs were broken by Zhao Ji, if he was still alive, he could immediately speak on behalf of the Ruying scholars!

After the death of Zhang Xi and Zhong Yao, the only person who could represent the Ruying people in the court was Han Rong, the Grand Coachman and Han Yuanchang, one of the four surnames of Yingchuan.

It is not correct to say that he was the Grand Coachman. When the heroes rose up to fight against Dong Zhuo, Han Rong was the Grand Coachman. This is because his career has not been smooth in recent years, so when people refer to him, they use the highest and most famous official title to specifically refer to Han Rong.

The same goes for Zhao Qi, who had served as the Grand Coachman and had previously represented the court on diplomatic missions to Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Liu Biao. The three parties still regarded Zhao Qi as a nobleman and addressed him as the Grand Coachman in their correspondence.

When one’s status and influence reach that level, it makes no difference whether one holds a noble position or not.

The same was true for Yang Qi. Even though Zhao Ji personally stripped Yang Qi of his official position, everyone from the emperor to the scholars and common people believed that Yang Qi was the current leader of the officials.

While the emperor and his ministers were staying in Anyi, Han Rong, Shizhong Zhong Ji, and Zhao Qi traveled around Guandong.

When the court moved to Luodu, unfortunately, the ministers sent Han Rong to Anyi to work with the Minister of the Interior Zhao Yan.

As long as Zhao Ji's army did not suffer a major defeat, no one would dare to propose abolishing the system of three provinces and six ministries. In the long run, this was Zhao's new policy.

Since the implementation of Zhao's new policies at the end of March, the court has reversed its decline and has indeed shown signs of revival.

All officials in the court began to gradually support this new system, and the theory of reform gradually spread.

If we maintain this momentum, there may really be signs of revival.

As long as the imperial court still maintained the system of three provinces and six ministries, the army led by Zhao Ji would be the emperor's army! The army of reform!
But the problem is also very prominent. You, the people of Langya, hold high the banner of reform and support the court in restoring the Han Dynasty. How can other people live?

Faced with this sharp conflict, Han Rong, a kind and honest man, felt that the theory of reform was very good, and actually took the initiative to run over to assist Zhao Yan.

After all, the two of them are old acquaintances, having known each other since their youth.

Thirty-nine years ago, Han Rong's father, Han Shao, was the mayor of Ying County in Taishan Commandery. At that time, Gongsun Ju of Taishan was in rebellion with more than 30,000 followers. They respected Han Rong's father and did not invade. Later, the court dispatched Duan Jiong to defeat Gongsun Ju.

Thirty-five years ago, the Taishan bandits Shusun Wuji and others rebelled again, invaded Langya and occupied Ju County. The Zhao Yan clan followed Nanyang Zongzi to suppress the rebellion, and Duan Xing was fighting in Liangzhou and could not be transferred.

In order to help Zong Zi ask for reinforcements, Zhao Yan presented the "Five Yang Method" with the words of a sorcerer.

He used Qi Men Dun Jia to calculate the Feng Shui of the enemy's stronghold and determined that troops should be dispatched from five counties with the character "Yang" in their names in order to defeat the enemy. Emperor Huan was a Taoist worshipper and thought this made a lot of sense.

Emperor Huan immediately dispatched troops to reinforce Zong Zi. After receiving reinforcements from the Wuyang County troops, he defeated Shusun Wuji's 20,000 rebels in one battle and forced another local rebel army in Langya to surrender.

At that time, Han Rong met the very popular Zhao Yan.

As a native of Langya, it is normal for Zhao Yan to study astronomy, calendar, and Qimen Dunjia. Learning this is a trend in Langya and it is also convenient to learn, unlike studying the Six Classics, which has various barriers to entry.

It is not known whether it was the Langya atmosphere that shaped the Langya Taoist Palace, or whether the Langya Taoist Palace influenced the academic tendencies of the Langya scholars.

In short, in Langya, the threshold for learning and practicing Taoism is very low.

Emperor Huan's worship of Taoism did not mean that Zhao Yan would have a good career. Instead, it became an obstacle in his career.

So after Zhang Xi's death, when the Ruying scholars needed Han Rong to carry the banner the most, Han Rong, this honest elder, actually ran away and became a reformist.

Besides this, where can we find people who can carry the flag?
Xun You was helpless, and Xun Yu was also melancholy.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, and the uncle and nephew looked at each other in silence.

(End of this chapter)