Chapter 14 2. Animals trapped in cages

After Cao Cao joined Liu Bei in the territory of Liang State, he commanded the army to continue to attack eastward.On this line of attack, the importance of Xiaopei (present-day Peixian, Jiangsu) has diminished, because the enemies before them were in Pengcheng (present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu) and Xiapi (south of present-day Pixian, Jiangsu), and Xiaopei was ahead of them. Farther north, deviated from the main axis of this battle. Lu Bu was also aware of this problem. Although he had already occupied Xiaopei, he quickly retreated and deployed the main force to the front line of Pengcheng. first line of defense.

Lu Bu came to the front line in person and vowed to defend Pengcheng to the death.However, in his direct confrontation with Cao Cao, he always lost more than he won, and this time was no exception. Cao Jun had the experience of beating Lu Bu many times, so he had the upper hand psychologically. In addition, he was very familiar with Pengcheng. Cao Jun quickly won the victory and conquered Pengcheng.Lu Bu led his army back to his second line of defense: Xiapi.According to historical records, after Cao Jun conquered Pengcheng, he massacred the city again.This is the second massacre committed by Cao Cao against the soldiers and civilians of Pengcheng.I really don't know what Cao Cao is thinking in his heart, why he hates the people of Pengcheng so much?If the previous explanation was that Tao Qian killed his father and his family of more than 50 people and wanted revenge, this time it is a bit puzzling.

Generally speaking, conquering the country means occupying land, and the land is actually worthless. What is valuable is the people and things on the land. Especially now, the population is declining sharply, and production is dying. Whether it is developing military resources or organizing production, human resources are all The most important and scarcest resource. The method of slaughtering the city is only ideal in one situation, that is, the territory that has been laid cannot be defended, and the people on the territory cannot be taken away. They do not want to leave it to the enemy, so they are eliminated.Judging from the current situation, there is no reason for Cao Cao to slaughter Pengcheng again.Moreover, his current status is equivalent to the deputy commander-in-chief of the national armed forces (the commander-in-chief is Yuan Shao), and at the same time the supreme head of the administrative department (Sikong), it is simply unthinkable to do something like massacre the city.

Cao Jun continued to march after conquering Pengcheng, and reached the outside of Xiapi city.After Lu Bu moved the Xuzhou government to Xiapi City, he carried out vigorous renovations here. Although this city is not as famous as Pengcheng, its current defense capabilities far exceed Pengcheng. Xiapi City was supported by Sishui, and Chen Gong suggested that Lu Bu take the initiative to attack Cao Jun before they crossed Sishui, and keep the enemy on the west bank of Sishui River.But Lu Bu seemed to be studying the art of war. He firmly believed in the art of war that "half crossing can be attacked", and felt that it would be more beneficial for him to attack while Cao Jun was crossing the river.

However, what surprised Lu Bu was that Cao Jun crossed the river so quickly, leaving no chance for him to wipe them out in the river or fight them back by surprise attack.Perhaps Cao Cao also noticed that "halfway can be attacked", so he took special precautions in advance and did not let Lu Bu take advantage. What made Lu Bu even more troublesome was that he hadn't organized an effective resistance yet, and his side was in chaos first.Lv Bu's subordinate Chen Deng, the prefect of Guangling County, revolted and disrupted Lv Bu's defenses. Lv Bu was defeated, and his general Cheng Lian was also captured by Cao Jun.After Cheng Lian was captured, there is no record about him in the history books. Maybe he was sacrificed to the flag by Cao Cao.

When Xu County left, Cao Cao held Chen Deng's hand for a long time, and Chen Deng's undercover agent finally played a big role now. The two consecutive defeats seriously frustrated Lu Bu's army and lost his confidence in a showdown with Cao Cao.Lu Bu retreated to Xiapi City, relying on the strong fortifications to resist. In order to minimize casualties, Cao Cao wrote a letter to Lu Bu, urging him to surrender.Lu Bu was really moved when he received the letter.Chen Gong became anxious when he found out, and advised Lu Bu not to surrender. According to "The Spring and Autumn Annals of Emperor Xiandi", Lu Bu really wanted to surrender. When Cao Jun was in a hurry to attack the city, he arrived at the west gate of Xiapi City. The gate tower of this gate is also called Baimen Tower. In this place, he entered the city first and commanded street fighting from the tower.Lu Bu is now standing on the White Gate Tower again, shouting to Cao Jun below: "Don't attack so hastily, I will surrender to Duke Ming!" Chen Gong heard the words and shouted: "I only heard of the traitor Cao Cao, where did Duke Ming come from?" ?" Chen Gong advised Lu Bu to give up the idea of ​​surrendering as soon as possible, because surrendering now is like hitting a stone with an egg, and life safety cannot be preserved no matter what.

In fact, if Lu Bu really surrendered now, Cao Cao might not kill him.Cao Cao didn't kill Liu Bei because he didn't want to chill the hearts of the heroes in the world. Later, he didn't kill Zhang Xiu because of similar considerations.If Lu Bu voluntarily surrendered, the possibility of Cao Cao killing him is very small. Moreover, Cao Cao loves talents very much, especially for generals with outstanding military talents. Cao Cao has always appreciated and loved brave generals such as Dian Wei, Xu Chu, Yu Jin, and Le Jin.Lu Bu's reputation and ability are much stronger than theirs. If Lu Bu is really willing to surrender, Cao Cao may still give him a lot of attention.

This is a chance for Lu Bu, but it is basically the last chance.Lu Bu wanted to catch him, but Chen Gong firmly opposed it.Chen Gong was different from Lu Bu. Chen Gong was under Cao Cao's command back then. Cao Cao trusted him and entrusted him with Yanzhou's daily government affairs. However, Chen Gong's betrayal at a critical moment made it almost impossible for Cao Cao to stand up forever.Cao Cao loves talents, but Cao Cao doesn't love traitors, not to mention that the traitor's hands are stained with his own blood. Chen Gong may have secretly calculated that if Lu Bu surrendered, he would have nine chances of living and only one chance of dying; but if he surrendered, his chance of dying would be nine and his chance of living would not exceed one.Therefore, he urged Lu Bu not to surrender, to continue to resist, and to look for opportunities to turn defeat into victory.

Lu Bu is known as the number one brave general in the world, but he is a very soft-hearted person. He usually listens to his wife at home and his subordinates outside.According to Chen Gongyi, he gave up the idea of ​​surrendering to Cao Cao, thus losing the hope of his last life. Chen Gong really thought of a plan to turn defeat into victory for Lu Bu. Chen Gong suggested that Lu Bu send troops out of the city to attack Cao Jun's food roads. Cao Jun fought a long distance and the food supply was very difficult. Once the food was robbed, the army's morale would be disturbed. Lu Bu thought Chen Gong's suggestion was very reasonable, and planned to personally lead a team to rob Cao Jun's food road.The military meeting was also held, and various arrangements were issued. Lu Bu went home to pack his things, and explained to his wife by the way.

Lu Bu's wife (to explain, it must not be Diao Chan) heard that her husband was going out of the city, and suddenly felt insecure. She wanted to object, but she was afraid that her husband would not listen, so she changed the reason to talk about the matter.She said: "Gao Shun and Chen Gong have always been at odds. Once the general leaves the city, they will not be able to work together to defend the city. If there is any difference, how can the general stand on his own?" , Lu Bu only cared about running for his own life, and left her alone once, and now he can't do that again.

Lu Bu's ears were soft in front of Chen Gong, and even softer in front of his wife.Lu Bu was unhappy, and no longer mentioned the matter of robbery. Chen Gong didn't give up, and came up with another idea, suggesting that he should defend the city. Lu Bu led a team to garrison outside the city, forming a response. Cao Jun attacked Lu Bu, and Chen Gong came out to attack Cao Jun; Cao Jun attacked the city, and Lu Bu came from behind. Outflank Cao Jun. Chen Gong believes that as long as the strategy of defending the city is correct, it will be difficult for Cao Jun to find opportunities.Moreover, it is impossible for Cao Jun to stay outside Xiapi City for a long time, because then the food supply will become a big problem. In the past, Cao Jun came to the city of Tan County more than once, and finally returned because he could not solve the problem of military food supply. If Picheng can withstand it, the siege will be solved after a long time. Chen Gong's idea may not be wise, because Cao Jun's strength has grown very strong now, even if he divides his forces into two groups to attack, it may not be able to produce the imagined situation of attacking Cao Jun from both sides.However, Chen Gong's plan also has merits, because the division of troops can disperse the enemy's attack points and weaken the enemy's offensive.At the same time, the division of troops can reduce the pressure of food shortage in the city, and after jumping to the periphery to fight, you can change from passive to active. Lu Bu also knew a little about the art of war, knew that Chen Gong's idea was feasible, and was ready to agree, but when he got home and told his wife, Mrs. Lu firmly opposed it again. Mrs. Lu said: "At the beginning, Cao Cao treated Chen Gong so well (in the past, the Cao family treated Gongtai like a child), but Chen Gong still abandoned Cao Cao. Now the general may not treat Chen Gong as well as Cao Cao, so I entrust him with the responsibility of guarding the city. General Going out alone, if the situation changes, can I still be the general's wife (how can I be the general's wife)?" Lu Bu was even more depressed when he heard that, Chen Gong's plan fell through again.