Chapter 194 Chapter Twenty-Eight

Cao Cao re-examined the content of the intelligence, and he did not miss every word.Cao Cao was not satisfied with his impassioned speech, and Xia Houyuan was a little apprehensive.Cao Cao appreciated him and asked him to fight independently, mainly because he wanted to train him to be an independent person, but he seemed careless in such matters, so he couldn't help blaming himself and buried his head. When Cao Cao made a stroke of Wudu, a place name uploaded in the information, he asked his followers to invite the staff officer Liu Ye. When Liu Ye came, Cao Cao asked Xia Houyuan about Wudu.

Xia Houyuan said: "Wu's capital is in Gansu, and some clans and tribes live in this area. Zhang Lu didn't send troops to garrison it." Cao Cao asked Liu Ye, "What if we bypass Wudu and then enter Hanzhong?" Liu Ye and Cao Cao have been considering the best plan to enter Hanzhong for several months, but the information they received from each other is not yet detailed, and they have not yet drawn up the route from which to enter Hanzhong.After hearing Cao Cao's words, he praised: "My lord's idea is sublime. The art of war says: Unexpectedly, the enemy strikes the west. The lord led the army to detour through Wudu. Although the march was difficult, he avoided the truth and attacked the false. He hit Zhang Lu from the back without anyone noticing, and his defeat was irreversible. And Where Zhang Lu deployed heavy troops, the lord only needed a small number of elite soldiers to feign an attack to restrain Zhang Lu. He gave Zhang Lu the illusion that the army was under pressure, and he would order all the troops to move here, and the rear was self-defeating. Then the sneak attack was successful, and Hanzhong was captured by the lord. .”

Cao Cao laughed happily when he heard Liu Ye's exquisite analysis, and Xia Houyuan also fell in admiration. After laughing happily, Cao Cao said in a rather secretive tone: "I heard that Zhang Lu pretended to be a ghost in Hanzhong, drew symbols to test the water, and confuse the soldiers and the people. Hanzhong people are superstitious, and we also believe his way. Hehe, we will do whatever we want. Come pretend to be ghosts and gods." After speaking, he waved to Xia Houyuan, who walked over, knowing that there were secret tricks to teach.Xia Houyuan had a hulking back, a tall man, and Cao Cao's short stature, so Xia Houyuan had no choice but to bow down. Cao Cao beamed in his ears and whispered in his ears for a long time, Xia Houyuan laughed while listening, and when Cao Cao finished speaking, he never Unable to bear it, he straightened up and laughed, and Cao Cao kept laughing too.Infected by the atmosphere, Liu Ye laughed out of nowhere. The guards outside were puzzled by the laughter. Monk Zhang Er was puzzled by the laughter. He wondered why the solemn Cao Mansion in the past was so "frivolous" today. The guards looked at each other. I, I looked at you, but I couldn't help laughing, I started to chuckle, and the prime minister's mansion was immersed in joyful laughter.

In 1966, the determination to attack Zhang Lu was made. Cao Cao himself said to the generals that Hanzhong must be attacked first. Otherwise, Liu Bei will go out and occupy Hanzhong, Guanzhong will be threatened, and the consequences will be disastrous. Liu Ye and other important staff quickly drew up a plan to go to Hanzhong.When Liu Ye brought the plan to the prime minister's mansion, Cao Cao was discussing with Emperor Xian of Han in the court about going to Hanzhong. After Cao Cao got rid of his relatives, he became a relative again. He is currently the Duke of Wei, the prime minister, and the father-in-law of Emperor Xian.

Cao Cao said to Emperor Xian: "I will march into Hanzhong. Please discuss with Hua Xin more about the affairs of the court." Emperor Xian was already terrified of Cao Cao, obedient and obedient, and had no respect for an emperor.Hua Xin is also the enemy of Emperor Xian. Cao Cao recommended this person to Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, of course he had ulterior motives.At least it can serve as a deterrent to the officials, so that he will not have to worry about the future when he is fighting outside. After sitting with Emperor Xianku for a long time, Cao Cao said goodbye and returned home.When he arrived at the mansion, Cao Cao's mood improved.He felt that in Emperor Xian's palace, it was like falling into a tomb, facing a walking corpse; while in his own mansion, no matter the advisers, generals, wives, or sons, everyone was full of vigor.He was deeply moved: Which of the founding ancestors of the Han Dynasty is like such an emperor of the last days, such an emperor does not matter.Thinking of the descendants of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, he immediately thought of his own sons, whom he had cared about training for a long time.The eldest son Cao Pi is relatively calm, the second son Cao Zhang is just a valiant warrior, the third son Cao Zhi is indulgent, drinks excessively, and has no talent, and Cao Xiong is really as stubborn as a bear.After thinking about all the scholars, he turned his attention away again, because Liu Ye was waiting for him to review the plan to march into Hanzhong.

Cao Cao read the plan in great detail.Since Cao Cao was sixty years old and his eyesight was a little weak, Liu Ye wrote the proposal in larger characters, so that Cao Cao could review it faster. In the plan book, the arrangements for marching and troop deployment are very detailed. Soldiers dispatched: 100,000, claimed to be 200,000. Commander in Chief: Cao Cao Main advisor: Liu Ye Assistant advisers: Jia Kui, Sima Yi, Wang Can, Zhang Cheng, Xin Ping, Yang Xiu, Chen Jiao Logistics: Du Ji Main troops: Commander-in-Chief of the Right Army: Xia Houyuan Adviser with the battalion: Guo Huai

Generals: Zhang He, Xu Huang, Zhu Ling Commander-in-Chief of the Left Army: Xiahou Dun General: Cao's father and son soldiers, Cao Zhen commander Reserve Army: The army led by ethnic minorities outside the Great Wall. Cao Cao slightly modified the plan and added some content, and then issued an order to the commanders-in-chief of the various troops to rest and reorganize the troops for a few days, to stock up on food and grass, and prepare for the expedition. Cao Cao was already sixty years old when he conquered Zhang Lu. Although he still had the lofty sentiments and ambitions of an "old man", after all, his age was not forgiving, and his energy had been greatly exhausted.He suffered from insomnia for several nights before his expedition to Hanzhong.Because he was thinking too much and didn't have a good rest, migraine, the chronic disease that had been tormenting him, recurred again, and he was bedridden. The generals and officers were deeply worried about him after paying their respects every day, but Cao Cao was heroic to the generals. Said: "I have been a soldier and a horse all my life. I have been born and died. I have been wounded by swords and swords no less than a dozen times. This minor illness is not a problem."

"Small illness" is not a problem, but the worries in his heart make him uneasy.Cao Cao was concerned about several things: first, when he marched into Hanzhong, he would definitely deploy troops, and if the number of soldiers guarding the south was reduced, would Sun Quan take advantage of the situation to invade; second, if he marched into Hanzhong, would Liu Bei march out of Yizhou to rescue Zhang Lu's crisis is an excuse to unite with Zhang Lu and fight against himself; third, will Sun Liu reunite and march north from Jianye and Jingzhou.Faced with these possible emergencies, he was helplessly afflicted by the disease, and he still couldn't figure it out.

One day, Wang Bi, a general of Cao Cao’s Royal Forest Army, heard from a doctor that applying ice cubes to the head was very effective in treating migraines, but it was already summer in July, so where could I find ice?