Chapter 5 Chapter Two: The Death of White Wolf Mountain

Cao Cao was busy selling dog meat, and Yuan Shao in Hebei was not lazy: in 198 AD (the third year of Jian'an), Gongsun Zan, the most powerful opponent, was finished, and Gongsun Kang, who was far away in Liaodong, seemed to be quite obedient. For now, don't worry about it. Yan's black mountain bandits and Yan Rou's minority coalition forces can't make much trouble... Qing, You, Ji, and the four prefectures are all included in the bag. Hebei, Shanxi, and Shandong are all surnamed Yuan, forming a pressure on the Central Plains Potential. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, childhood friends and grown-up comrades, have finally changed from allies fighting side by side to the biggest opponents fighting for world hegemony.Thus kicked off a great battle to determine the fate of the North.

Regarding the history before and after the Battle of Guandu, I will not say much here, because that is not the focus of this book.It is worth mentioning that during the confrontation at Guandu, many officials under Cao Cao felt that their master was no match for Yuan Shao, so they secretly wrote letters to Yuan Shao to give themselves a way out; at the same time, some people were also writing letters to Cao Cao. The man is Yan Rou, who raised his troops against Gongsun Zan and has a high prestige among ethnic minorities such as Wuhuan and Xianbei. Why did Yan Rou write a letter to Cao Cao? I have to start with the situation in Youzhou after Gongsun Zan's defeat:

After Liu Yu's death, Gongsun Zan became the master of Youzhou, and fought against Yuan Shao with powerful force.But Gongsun Zan's rule was not stable. When he was alive, there were a lot of people who opposed him—minorities hated him because he fought too hard, broke his promise, and killed Liu Yu, a good man; I don't like him because he doesn't know how to govern, he can only destroy, and he probably doesn't treat scholars very well. Gongsun Zan was killed, but is Youzhou peaceful?No. When Gongsun Zan was around, he could still use force to suppress everything. Once he died, Youzhou became a land of no man. Liaodong was still Gongsun Kang’s territory. Gongsun Zan’s right Beiping prefect was also succeeded by Xian Yufu. He and "Hero" Yan Rou control a large area in the northern part of Youzhou.Although Yuan Shao took over Youzhou in name and appointed his second son Yuan Xi as governor, Yuan Xi probably can only manage a few relatively large cities.Even Gongsun Zan dared to fight the people mentioned above, let alone Yuan Xi?Therefore, Yuan Shao's rule in Youzhou was very unstable.

Many people are not optimistic about Cao Cao, but those leaders who are struggling on the northern border don't think so.Who is Yuan Shao?Four generations and three males, that is, four generations and three males.The family fortune will be eaten up, and if you want to gain a foothold in troubled times, you must rely on your own ability.What is Yuan Shao capable of?Basically no. The answer is clear and judgment is easy. Therefore, Yan Rou sent spiritual support and expressed willingness to join Cao Cao during the most difficult time. Does this help Cao Cao to win the battle?Basically useless.Yan Rou would not openly rebel against Yuan Shao, unless he was a fool.But his hand is called long-term investment.If Yuan Shao wins, there is no loss or benefit to him. He has "surrendered" to Yuan Shao; if Cao Cao wins, then his move will be of great use.Facts have proved that Yan Rou's vision is very accurate.

In 200 A.D. (the fifth year of Jian'an), Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao in Guandu; In 201 AD (the sixth year of Jian'an), Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao again in Cangting; In 202 AD (the seventh year of Jian'an), Yuan Shao died of illness; In 204 AD (the ninth year of Jian'an), Cao Cao occupied Ye County and controlled most of Jizhou; Yuan Shao's remaining sons and nephews basically don't have much fighting power. In the first month of 205 A.D. (the tenth year of Jian'an), Cao Jun beheaded Yuan Shao's eldest son Yuan Tan Yu Nanpi, and Zhang Liao led his army to defeat Liu Yi, the governor of Yingzhou appointed by Gongsundu, and regained the Denglai area of ​​​​Shandong Peninsula controlled by Gongsun's family.Jizhou and Qingzhou were pacified, followed by Bingzhou and Youzhou.

Not long after, Zhang Yan, the leader of the Black Mountain bandits, came to defect with a large group of men, and gave Cao Cao the dangerous route from Taihang Mountain to Wutai Mountain.Then Gao Gan, Yuan Shao's nephew, surrendered and was appointed governor of Bingzhou.However, Gao Gan rebelled shortly after his surrender. After being beaten by Cao Jun, he wanted to defect to the Huns, but when he saw that the road was blocked, he had to go south to defect to Liu Biao, and was killed on the road.Hebei could no longer be defended, and Youzhou had no foundation, so Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang had no choice but to continue northward, preparing to defect to Wuhuan, and even lost their wives to Cao Pi, who was lustful and not inferior to his father.

Well, the overall situation is settled.The rest are the ethnic minorities in the north of Youzhou and Gongsun Kang in Liaodong. Cao Cao felt that Wuhuan was a serious problem, and if this problem was not resolved, Yuan Xi, Yuan Shang and other people with ulterior motives would use Wuhuan's power to move around.Cao Cao didn't want the army to go ahead, so Wuhuan started to make trouble behind him. He spent a lot of effort to pacify Hebei, but in the end he had to go back and clean up the mess.To do one thing, we must do it to the end.Therefore, he decided to attack Wuhuan.However, to do anything, you need a reason, a high-sounding reason.Fortunately, the opportunity came soon, and it was given by Wuhuan himself.

In the summer of this year, seeing Yuan Shaoxin's defeat and Youzhou being empty, Wuhuan went south to attack Liu Yu's remaining troops, Xianyufu.What Xian Yufu took over was Gongsun Zan's original territory, but his fighting skills were far worse than Gongsun Zan's—Wuhuan also knew how to pick soft persimmons. How dare you hit me before I hit you; since you hit me, don't blame me for being rude!In the autumn of the same year, Cao Cao led his army north to Youzhou, and decided to take care of these disobedient tribes. Before starting the fight, it is necessary to introduce the Wuhuan nation.

Wuhuan, also known as Wuwan, is one of the oldest ethnic minorities in northern China. It is the same Donghu as the Xianbei, and was later destroyed by the Huns, so it moved east to Wuhuan Mountain (also known as Wuwan Mountain), so the mountain was named after it.Speaking older, Wuhuan belonged to a branch of the Xiongnu.After Huo Qubing defeated the Xiongnu, he moved the Wuhuan tribes to the five prefectures of Yuyang, Shanggu, Youbeiping, Liaodong, and Liaoxi outside the Great Wall.After Wang Mang usurped the throne, he made a mess of diplomacy and ethnic relations-Goguryeo became independent, and Wuhuan also defected to the Huns again.In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Wuhuan often joined hands with the Xiongnu to invade the border areas of Youzhou.During the reign of Emperor Guangwu, Wuhuan moved to the south, and the original settlement was occupied by the newly rising Xianbei people.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, wars continued in the Central Plains, and the imperial court repeatedly recruited minority cavalry to suppress uprisings.Among the conscripted Hu cavalry, there are a huge number of Wuhuan cavalry. Some of these cavalry were conscripted due to sudden wars, and some were uniformly selected by the government. They became an important part of the field army and imperial guards of the Han Dynasty—— Wuhuan Tuqi and Wuhuan Suwei.Liu Yu, Yuan Shao and others all used Wuhuan's power to attack their opponents. After Qiu Liju's death, his nephew Tadun came to the throne.He was an outstanding tribal leader who had the courage to stand out from others. He successively unified Wuhuan, the three counties of Liaodong, Liaoxi, and Youbeiping.After defeating Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shao knew that the border minorities hated Gongsun Zan, and his strategic direction was in the Central Plains, so he followed Liu Yu's policy of focusing on appeasement and sent people to make friends with Wuhuan's various tribes.All the ministries of Wuhuan were "grateful" to Yuan Shao's kindness, so there was no trouble.

As early as when Cao Cao attacked Nanpi Yuan Tan, Wuhuan wanted to go south to help Yuan Tan, but Yuan Tan was defeated and died before he could send troops.Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang felt that they could not beat Cao Cao, so they threatened more than 100,000 military and civilian households in Jizhou and Youzhou to defect to Tadun.Who are Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang?After San Gong!Even a supercilious master like the Yuan family took the initiative to come to defect, and brought more than 100,000 households (more than 100,000 households are not more than 100,000 people, but hundreds of thousands)! In that era, population was strength, and whoever occupied the most people was the boss.Ta Dun's ambitions began to swell. When Cao Cao divided his troops to attack various parts of Hebei, he led troops to invade Youzhou counties and counties many times.Cao Cao was keenly aware that Tadun's ambition was no longer satisfied with going south to plunder without food or drink, but with the help of Er Yuan, he would separate the north and establish himself as king! We must strike while the iron is hot and solve the Wuhuan problem in one fell swoop. Of course, ethnic issues are different from ordinary military struggles, and if they are not handled properly, they will cause even greater troubles. Should we follow Gongsun Zan's example and use force to solve the problem, or continue Liu Yu's policy of appeasement and appeasement?Cao Cao's generals and counselors had different opinions: most of the generals and counselors felt that Yuan's power was gone, and even if he took refuge in Wuhuan, it would be difficult to make a fortune again; the war on the northern front had been going on for several years, and the soldiers were exhausted. The famous Liu Biao and Liu Bei are also ready to move, so it is better to take advantage of the victory to withdraw troops, first recharge your energy, and wait until you have enough strength before going out. What most people think is right may not be right, so most people can't become heroes, they can only work for others. At this time, Guo Jia stood up.Among Cao Cao's five great advisors, Cheng Yu is just strict, Xun Yu is loyal, Xun You is prudent, Jia Xu is old-fashioned, and Guo Jia is clever. The five have their own strengths.Cheng Yu, Xun Yu, and Xun You are good talents. It is right to use them to deal with government affairs, settle the people, develop the economy, and plan the people's livelihood; while Jia Xu and Guo Jia are good at using ingenuity, often finding new ways to break through the stalemate.Guo Jia immediately made an incisive analysis of the situation in the north: "... Hu relies on his distance, so he must not have equipment. Because he is unprepared, he can be destroyed if he suddenly hits it. Moreover, Yuan Shao has kindness to the people and barbarians, but Brothers survive. Today, the people of the four prefectures are only adorned with prestige, and no virtue is given. A heart that is in a hurry becomes a plan for coveting, fearing that youth and hope are not your own. Show, sit and talk to guests, knowing that self-knowledge is not enough to guard against, fear that if you take a heavy responsibility, you will not be able to control it, and if you take a light responsibility, you will not be able to prepare for it. , even though the country is empty and goes on an expedition, the public has no worries." ("Three Kingdoms·Book of Wei") Guo Jia believes that because Wuhuan is located in a remote area, it must not have thought that we would launch a surprise attack, and we can just seize this opportunity to win the battle.In addition, the Yuan family has a good relationship with Wuhuan, and the people in Hebei also care about the old kindness of the Yuan family. Once we let Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang brothers go and give them a chance to breathe, the rest of the Yuan family and Wuhuan will join forces to rebel, and then we will try to deal with them It is difficult.Liu Biao is talented and famous, and he will definitely not reuse Liu Bei, so there is no need to worry about them at all, and he can devote all his strength to expedition to Saibei. Guo Jia's suggestion can be described as extremely bold, and it is completely like a gambler who wants to give it a go.But war is gambling, and only those who are not afraid of losing their wealth can win the final victory.Guo Jia's suggestion fit Cao Cao's appetite-Cao Cao himself is an unconventional person who likes to surprise and win. However, war is not a child's play. A very adventurous military operation requires adequate pre-war preparations.Therefore, although Cao Cao listened to Guo Jia's suggestion, he did not rush into the expedition, but did two major things: The first thing is to settle in Hebei.While Cao Cao sent people from all walks of life to pacify the rest of the Yuan family in Hebei, he also sent officials to appease the people in the territory, free the people from the chaos of the war, and restore social order and agricultural production as soon as possible. The second thing is to repair the canal.As the saying goes, soldiers and horses go first without moving food and grass, and food needs to be transported in war, and it is unimpeded to transport food.Considering that the surprise attack must be carried out when Wuhuan was unprepared, the marching speed must be fast, and the transportation of military rations must also keep up. The traditional transportation of mules and horses obviously cannot meet the needs of a fast march, so Cao Cao decided not to go. Land, change to water. In 206 A.D. (the eleventh year of Jian'an), Cao Cao ordered Dong Zhao to preside over the canal repair project: one is the "Pinglu Canal", which runs from Raoyang to Cangzhou in present-day Hebei Province; the other is "Quanzhou Canal", which is located in Baodi, Wu Within the territory of Qinger County.The most direct purpose of building the canals is to quickly transport the military rations, and by the way, let the refugees in Hebei have something to do, and they will not be idle to rebel and make trouble; after the war, these two canals can also be used to irrigate the farmland, which can be said to serve multiple purposes. . In May of 207 A.D. (the twelfth year of Jian'an), Cao Cao led an army to Wuzhong (now Ji County, Tianjin).Since Wuhuan battles are dominated by cavalry and are highly mobile, the main force of Cao Jun's northern expedition is also dominated by cavalry.The cavalry of the Cao army is mainly composed of two parts: one is the cavalry of the Cao army, including the famous tiger and leopard cavalry. Those who accompany them are all fierce generals in the Cao army who are good at cavalry combat, such as Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Zhang He, Zhang Xiu, Cao Chun, Cao Xiu, Shi Huan and others; the second is the Youzhou local cavalry led by Xian Yufu, Yan Rou and others, with a luxurious lineup. At this time, two inconspicuous but very important people came to Cao Cao's command. These two people are both surnamed Tian, ​​one is Tian Yu and the other is Tian Chou.The two have no blood relationship and are both natives of Youzhou. Tian Yu was originally Gongsun Zan's subordinate. After Gongsun Zan's defeat, he defected to Xian Yufu.Xian Yufu had no great ambitions, but Tian Yu saw that Yuan Shao was not someone who could calm the world, so after Yuan Shao's defeat, he persuaded Xian Yufu to submit to Cao Cao.After Cao Wei unified the north, Tian Yu was ordered to guard the northern border. He made outstanding achievements repeatedly, and also defeated the invasion of Soochow, making great contributions to the state of Wei. Tian Chou was a strange person in the Three Kingdoms period.