Chapter 193 Chapter Twenty-Eight

Cao Cao bowed slightly when he saw Xia Houyuan.Xia Houyuan hurriedly prostrated himself on the ground, saying: "The Prime Minister praised the last general for his minor meritorious deeds, and he will be killed." Cao Cao helped him up, and the two exchanged a few more pleasantries.After Cao Cao listened to Xia Houyuan's report on the pacification work in Xiliang and Yongzhou during the banquet, his desire to attack Hanzhong became stronger. "General Xiahou, Cao Cao is about to send troops into Hanzhong to attack Zhang Lu and choke the throat of Shuzhou. The general has heard of it." Cao Cao marched and fought, and the command of the backbone troops was often handed over to Cao Ren or the Xiahou brothers.

Xia Houyuan said: "The last general has just returned from the northwest, and I haven't heard of this matter yet. Please tell the prime minister in detail. The last general is willing to be a pioneer." Cao Cao told Xia Houyuan about Liu Bei's occupation of Yizhou, Hanzhong's strategic position, the suggestions of all the advisers, and his own determination.He finally said: "General Xiahou, I know that you moved to Xiliang and Yongzhou, and you have been stationed in Guanzhong for a long time. You are quite familiar with the geography, human customs and customs in the west. I decided to let you be the vanguard, and this important task is not yours. It’s impossible to do it.”

The Xiahouyuan brothers have followed Cao Cao loyally for many years. Because of their bravery in battle and their repeated achievements in battle, they are deeply loved by Cao Cao. In particular, Xiahouyuan is as brave as his elder brother Xiahoudun, but his strategy is better than that of his elder brother. Cao Cao knows people and uses them well. Important military affairs are often assigned to Xiahouyuan serve.Looking at this talented and general commander, Xia Houyuan listened to his instructions, and his blood was already boiling.He felt that he was a treasured sword, and Cao Cao also regarded him as a treasured sword to conquer the enemy and win. State, take the head of Liu Bei to see the lord."

Cao Cao was very satisfied with his words, but he knew that it was not easy to mention Liu Bei's head. However, he still encouraged Xia Houyuan: "May the general succeed! Please have a toast!" The silhouettes of the two drinking happily in the curtain are clearly reflected by the light of the red candle. When the soldiers started the second watch, Xia Houyuan said his goodbyes, and Cao Cao sent him to the stone steps in front of the mansion, where the soldiers led the horses and stood at the foot of the steps.Cao Cao held on to Xia Houyuan's hand and warned him: "When marching and fighting, know yourself and the enemy, and you will never be imperiled in a hundred battles. When the general returns to dispatch troops, he must first send a special officer to the Hanzhong area to carefully observe the terrain and military situation. Don't be negligent. Once there is news, report it directly to I."

Xia Houyuan nodded in agreement one by one, and the two bid farewell.Xia Houyuan stepped down the stone steps with a loud noise and jumped on his horse.In the moonlight, the armored helmet shines brightly.Xia Houyuan clasped his fists in his chest, said "My lord, rest early", reined in his horse and turned around, and the horse rushed out of the gate of the prime minister's mansion with a "clack". Cao Cao watched Xia Houyuan's back, until he disappeared completely and the sound of horseshoes stopped, then he walked back to the bedroom. In November of the nineteenth year of Jian'an, 194, when Cao Cao dispatched troops and generals, prepared food and grass, and prepared the army to attack Zhang Lu in the west, a coup occurred in Xudu, which delayed the time to march into Hanzhong.

This coup turmoil made Cao Cao face difficult and painful choices.The coup turmoil was caused by the power struggle between Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and Cao Cao. The foreign relatives asked the father-in-law Fu Wan to be secretly summoned by his daughter Empress Fu, and wanted to bring down Cao Cao, but the secret was leaked unexpectedly.Cao Cao ordered Hua Xin, the censor, to handle the matter. Hua Xin slaughtered Empress Fu and the prince, and killed more than 300 people who participated in the coup.This incident put Cao Cao in an embarrassing situation of being reviled politically.

After dealing with this incident, Cao Cao once wanted to abolish the puppet of Emperor Xian, but this was his idea after being drunk. In fact, Cao Cao still did not take any measures. One day, he talked with Liu Ye about dedicating himself to the emperor, and Liu Ye's words made him suddenly enlightened. Cao Cao asked Liu Ye: "If I am marching and fighting, and the rear is on fire, how will I deal with it?" Liu Ye knew that Cao Cao had already had a countermeasure for this kind of thing, but since he asked this question, he must be asking himself to give some reasonable suggestions so that he can make up his mind.

Liu Ye said: "My lord, Empress Fu contacted the head of the state, and the rebellion caused troubles. Before Liu Ye finished speaking, Cao Cao said to himself: "My relatives, my relatives..." After Cao Cao said this word, he went to meditate in silence.Seeing that he was moved, Liu Ye also remained silent. Cao Cao thought to himself: Emperor Xian has no power, and his relatives are naturally powerless. Emperor Xian is powerless to control the whole situation, but those foreign relatives are not reconciled, and they seek opportunities to murder me in order to make a comeback.Those conservative scholar-bureaucrats blindly obeyed the Han Dynasty. Xun Yu was an example. It is very possible for these people to help their relatives to revolt. Then, the emperor’s relatives are me, so where does the internal trouble come from?

Cao Cao made up his mind and asked Liu Ye again: "How about the method of eradicating foreign relatives?" Liu Ye said, "My lord, why not be a relative." Liu Ye's words were very explicit, but Cao Cao also thought it had to be so. In order to stabilize the rear and get rid of future troubles, Cao Cao married his three daughters to Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and chose one of them as the main palace. This is a matter of 20 years since Jian'an.Cao Cao did all of this for his military purposes, but he may have focused too much on military affairs, and less attention to politics. Therefore, this will pry him off for several coups in Xudu in the next few years. Hidden dangers remain.

In 195, after Xia Houyuan received Cao Cao's order, he immediately dispatched capable agents to sneak into Hanzhong and did a full investigation. In the mid-winter of December, Xia Houyuan rode his horse to the Prime Minister's Mansion, and handed over the information about Zhang Lujun collected for several months to Cao Cao. The weather in the north was extremely cold. Cao Cao was wearing a mink fur robe, sitting on a leather cushion, and analyzing the situation with Xia Houyuan. "General Xiahou, Zhang Lu is still prepared to guard against our army. He deployed heavy troops on the dangerous road from Sanguan to Zhengjian. This is a favorable terrain where one man guards the pass and ten thousand men cannot open it. It may not be realistic to attack it. Do you have any tricks to teach Zhang Lu to defeat the army?"

Xia Houyuan rubbed his frozen hands and said: "My lord, Zhang Lu's Taoist soldiers have never fought a battle, and their experience and field combat are not as good as our army. Zhang Lu's character is cowardly, and he is indecisive in making decisions. He has lived in Hanzhong for many years. The only magic weapon is to defend against danger. He is a frog at the bottom of a well. If our army sends a dead soldier to seize the pass and kill the general, he will stand by and wait to be captured." Cao Cao was not very satisfied with Xia Houyuan's statement. He frowned and stroked his beard up and down with his right hand. This is a distinctive feature of Cao Cao's meditation.He only heard clichés in his contempt for the enemy towards Xia Houyuan, but Xia Houyuan mentioned the specific tactical issues with the phrase "lead the dead to win the pass and kill the general".