Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen

In the morning, a subordinate came to Jia Xu to report quietly, saying: "Military division, have you heard?" "It's Cao Cao's business." "yes." "Suddenly withdrew from the residence and moved outside the walled city, didn't you?" "It's not about that." "What's that?" "It's a little hard to say." The subordinate whispered about the relationship between Zou and Cao Cao. After hearing this, Jia Xu went to the residence of the lord Zhang Xiu. Zhang Xiu was also depressed, with a disgusted expression on his face, and when he saw Jia Xu, he suddenly vented his anger, saying: "It's unreasonable! I don't know how arrogant he is, but there must be a sense of humiliation when insulting me. I have already You can't give in to Cao Cao."

"That's right." Jia Xu didn't touch Zhang Xiu's angry question, and replied quietly, "But...it's better not to say this kind of thing. Men and women are another matter." "But the Zou family is the Zou family after all..." "Hey, take it easy. It's the retribution that Cao Cao deserves, and he has to suffer!" Advisor Jia Xu dismissed the courtiers and whispered. the next day. When Zhang Xiu visited Cao Cao's army outside the city, he complained nonchalantly, "It's such a headache. Seeing that I am a good-for-nothing city lord, the order in the city has been very loose recently. The soldiers under him do whatever they want, and many soldiers deserted and fled. It's really helpless." .”

Cao Cao seemed to pity him for his ignorance, and said with a smile, "You, it's a waste of effort to stop this kind of thing. A surveillance team was deployed at the four gates outside the city, and the warlord was sent to patrol the whole city. Beheading. That way, it will be stopped immediately." "I thought so too. But I have already surrendered. Although it is my own soldiers and horses, deployed among your army... I still have some fear." "It's so boring to be polite. If you don't enforce military discipline by yourself, there's nothing our army can do."

Zhang Xiu rejoiced in her heart: "It's right in my arms!" But she pretended to be calm, returned to the city, and immediately whispered the matter to Jia Xu. Jia Xu nodded and said, "Please call Hu Che'er, I'll tell him." Hu Che'er, who is known as the number one general in the city, was quickly summoned.His hair was red like a vulture.He is a strange man, capable of carrying five hundred catties and galloping seven hundred miles a day. "Hu Che'er, do you have the confidence to win against Dian Wei who is beside Cao Cao?" Jia Xu asked. "There is no one invincible in the world, but I can't beat him." Hu Che'er shook his head with a rather panicked expression.

"However, if you don't get rid of Dianwei, you can't kill Cao Cao anyway." "If this is the case, I have a plan. Dian Wei is a good drinker, so I asked him to get him drunk, pretended to help him, and sneaked into Cao Cao's army." "Just use this trick! I also thought that as long as Dian Wei gets drunk and takes his halberd, he can even kill you." "If that's the case, it won't take much effort." Hu Che'er smiled, showing two big canine teeth. Just like the original Bodhisattva and the poodle at the door, the loyal guard Dian Wei often stands outside Cao Cao's house with piercing eyes.

"Ah, I'm so sleepy." With nothing else to do, he yawned as he watched the butterflies flying outside the Chinese Army--the headquarters. "It's almost summer." With a bored expression on his face, he walked ten steps forward and back ten steps, looking at the eucalyptus in his hand, as if pitying that it hadn't been stained with blood during this expedition. Once upon a time, when Cao Cao raised an uprising in Yanzhou and recruited warriors from all directions, Dian Wei responded to the call and came to serve as Cao Cao's servant.At that time, he was evaluated by Cao Cao as "you are no less than the villain next to King Zhou of Yin" because of his strange strength during the recruitment examination.From then on, he was sometimes called Dianwei and sometimes Elai.

However, even this evil Lai Dianwei, like a poodle, will get tired of standing with a halberd for a long day. "Hi, where are you going?" Suddenly, a soldier came over and peeked into the corridor as he walked.Dian Wei immediately yelled loudly to relieve his boredom. The soldier knelt down, took out a letter while bowing, and said, "Are you Dianwei?" "Hi, I have something to do." "Yes. I'm from Zhang Xiu." "So it is. The letter is for me. What's the matter?" When I unfolded it, it was an invitation card, which said: I would like to appease your boredom growing up in the village, and I have specially prepared a thick bottle to wait for you, please come tomorrow evening.

"It's been a long time, drink some wine..." Dian Wei muttered in his heart.Since he was not on duty from noon the next day, he decided to go and replied: "Please convey your thanks." Send the soldiers back. The next day, before the sun set, Dian Wei went out to have a banquet.He drank in the city until the second watch, and returned to the outside of the city until he was so drunk that he could hardly walk. "My lord ordered me to send you to the Chinese army, please put your hand on my shoulder." A soldier was protecting him and holding his body, very intimate.

"Hey, it's you!" "What a joy!" "I drank a bucket. Look, my belly is full of wine." "Can I have another drink?" "I can't drink any more... Hey, I'm already big, and you're also big. You're almost the same size." "Dangerous! You've got my neck so tight I can't walk." "Your face is amazing. Your beard and hair are all red." "Don't touch my face like that." "What are you talking about! The face is like a ghost." "Your residence is over there." "What, are you in the Chinese army?"

When they came near Cao Cao's big tent, even Dian Wei became nervous.There was still some time before the handover post, and as soon as Dian Wei entered his tent, he fell asleep and fell unconscious. "Don't catch a cold...then I'll take my leave." The soldiers who sent Dianwei back shook his body, but he snored like thunder. "In that case..." The red-haired and red-bearded soldier stepped back, and at some point he had snatched Dian Wei's halberd and held it in his hand. Cao Cao had another drink with Mrs. Zou tonight. "What's the matter with the sound of horseshoes?" He felt strange, put down his wine glass suddenly, and asked his courtiers to check it immediately.

The courtier came back and reported, "Zhang Xiu's army is patrolling to prevent deserters." "Oh, really." Cao Cao didn't doubt it. But at the second watch, there were sudden shouts from outside the Chinese army. "Go and see, what's the matter!" The courtier ran out again.Then he replied outside the tent: "It's nothing. Judging from the disorderly situation of the soldiers, the cart carrying the horse food caught fire, and everyone is putting out the fire." "It's on fire... what happened!" Immediately afterwards, red flames were reflected in the gaps in the windows.Cao Cao, who had been calm all night, was also taken aback. He opened the window and saw that there was black smoke in the village.Shouts came from the smoke, and a figure was shaking, which was unusual. "Dian Wei! Dian Wei!" Cao Cao shouted. Dian Wei never came. "Hurry up..." He hurriedly put on his armor. Dian Wei snored loudly all night and slept deeply.But when he smelled the pungent smell of smoke, he jumped up.But it was too late. Dazhai was surrounded by flames. The shouts were sharp, the drums were thundering, and one could tell at a glance that Zhang Xiu had turned his back on the water. "Oops! The halberd is gone." Dian Wei hesitated. Due to the hot weather, Dian Wei slept half naked, and didn't even have time to put on his armor. He jumped out of the tent half naked. "It's Dianwei! It's evil!" The enemy infantry fled. Dian Wei snatched a waist knife from an enemy soldier and entered the enemy's formation. He took back a gate by himself.But in a blink of an eye, a group of cavalry armed with long spears rushed to replace the infantry assault. Dian Wei beheaded more than twenty knights and infantry.When the knife is cut off, the gun is taken away, and the gun is thrown away when it becomes a broom. Grab two enemy soldiers with both left and right hands and shake them in circles, which is extremely brave. It was all like this, the enemy did not dare to approach, surrounded them from a distance, and began to shoot arrows.Arrows shot mercilessly at the half-naked Dian Wei. Despite this, Dian Wei still guarded the gate of the village, standing there like a king of Ren, but he remained motionless.The enemy soldiers approached with trepidation, and saw that he had countless arrows in his five bodies, like a caterpillar, with his eyes staring at the sky, he was already dead. At this moment, Cao Cao thought to himself: "I shouldn't die here for nothing!" He jumped on his horse and ran away. He escaped very cleverly, and no one on the enemy's own side knew it.Only his nephew Cao Anmin followed behind with his bare feet. However, the news that "Cao Cao has escaped" spread quickly, and the enemy cavalry chased after him.While chasing, he shot arrows bang bang. Cao Cao's mount was hit by three arrows.Cao Cao's left elbow was also pierced by an arrow. Anmin on foot failed to escape, fell into the hands of the enemy army, and was tortured to death. Cao Cao whipped the wounded horse and jumped into the waves of the clear water with a splash. Just as he was about to reach the opposite bank, another arrow pierced the darkness, and the arrow shot into the horse's eye.With a bang, the war horse fell to the ground. The water was dark.If it is daytime, it must be burning with blood red. Cao Cao was covered in blood, and his horse was also dripping with blood, and he could no longer stand up. His soldiers and horses fled in all directions, and almost all of them were killed in this river. Cao Cao was alone, and finally climbed to the shore. At this time, Cao Ang's voice sounded in the darkness: "Is it father?" Cao Ang is the eldest son of Cao Cao.He also escaped here with a group of warriors, who escaped from death. "Come here, please." Cao Ang rolled off the saddle and let his father mount. "Fortunately, I met you!" Cao Cao was delighted, and immediately jumped on his horse and galloped away.Before Cao Ang ran a hundred steps, he was shot by the enemy's random arrows and died in battle. When Cao Ang fell down, he shouted: "Father, go away, leave me alone! As long as you are alive, you can wait for me to avenge your shame at any time. Leave me alone, run away quickly." Cao Cao beat himself on the head with his fist, full of remorse, and said: "Having such an eldest son, how troubled I am as a father! I am on an expedition, but I neglect the affairs of the village, and I am fascinated by the poisonous flower ghost with thorns. I don't think I have any face. .Moreover, I have to let my son suffer the punishment of heaven on my behalf... Ah, Cao Ang, forgive my father!" Holding his son's body on the side of the saddle, he fled through the night. After two days, the scattered generals and remnants gradually gathered after they learned that Cao Cao was fine. Coincidentally, at this moment, Qingzhou soldiers came and told him: "Yu Jin rebelled and killed Qingzhou soldiers and horses." Qingzhou is the territory of his own arm Xiahou Dun, and Yu Jin is one of his generals. "Seeing the chaos under my feet, plotting a riot, this guy is too hateful!" Cao Cao was furious, and sent troops to attack Jin Dazhai. Yu Jin, who was the first wing of the former army to attack Zhang Xiu, had already set up a position. Hearing that Cao Cao sent troops to attack, he was not flustered, and ordered: "Dig the trenches and strengthen your defenses." Seeing that he was not as usual, his subordinates remonstrated: "This is all because Qingzhou soldiers slandered the prime minister. If you resist this time, it will really become an act of treason. How about sending someone to make a statement and clarify the facts?" "No, there's no time." Yu Jin didn't change his formation. Later, Zhang Xiu's soldiers and horses also flocked to this place.Only Yu Jin's camp was orderly, successfully defended, and finally repelled Zhang Xiu. Later, Yu Jin visited Cao Cao in person, reported the situation, and said: What Qingzhou soldiers are suing is completely contrary to the facts.They took advantage of the chaos to plunder, and I punished them. They hated me and wanted to spread rumors and frame me. "Then why did you resist the army I sent?" Cao Cao asked. "It's my own private matter to justify my guilt. If I am overwhelmed by my own safety, how can I guard against Zhang Xiu? I think it's better to solve the misunderstandings of my own people after the fact." Yu Jin replied clearly. "Okay, it's clear. I've completely dispelled all my doubts about you." Cao Cao looked at Yu Jin's face all the time, and after listening to his clear defense, he stretched out his hand to him and said powerfully.Then, he praised Yu Jin very much, and said: "You distinguish between public and private, you are not confused in the face of chaos, you ignore the slander against yourself, stick to your own fortress, and repel the enemy's sudden attack. You are really a famous general!" Cao Cao granted Jin the title of Marquis of Yishou Pavilion, specially commended his achievements, and gave Jin a pair of gold utensils on the spot as a reward. Simultaneously. They respectively punished Qingzhou soldiers who complained about slandering Yuban, and condemned the general Xiahou Dun on the grounds that "disciplining his subordinates is not effective." In this expedition, Cao Cao suffered a big defeat because of the other half of his humanity.But once he returns to the role of the commander-in-chief of the three armed forces and regains his military skills, he will be able to keep in mind the clear distinction between rewards and punishments and strict military discipline. After the matter of reward and punishment was dealt with, Cao Cao set up an altar again to commemorate the souls of the soldiers who died in battle. During the sacrifice, Cao Cao climbed up to the altar of fragrant flowers before the whole army worshiped, and with tears in his eyes, he said: "Dianwei, accept my worship!" Then he closed his eyes for a long time, unable to bear to leave. Facing the soldiers of the three armies, he burst into tears and said: "In this battle, I lost my eldest son Cao Ang and my beloved nephew Cao Anmin, but I am not deeply saddened by it... But, but, let me be loyal to me on weekdays." It's a pity that Dian Wei, a hard-working man, came to die! When I think of Dian Wei's death, even if I don't want to cry, I can't help crying." The soldiers were silent, looking at Cao Cao's tears, everyone was moved. Everyone felt how happy it would be if they could die for Cao Cao!They realize how important everyday loyalty is! In any case, Cao Cao failed miserably. However, in terms of regaining the morale of the army, it is more than enough to compensate for this failure. Reverse adversity, even turn adversity into a step forward.Cao Cao knew this trick well. Maybe that's why. Looking back on the past, Cao Cao's power has leapt forward every time it encounters adversity. After Cao Cao retreated and returned to Xudu, Lu Bu of Xuzhou sent an envoy to escort a prisoner. The messenger is Chen Deng, the son of old man Chen Gui, and the prisoner is Han Yin, Yuan Shu's retainer. "Perhaps you already know that this Han Yin came to Xuzhou as an envoy for intermarriage at Yuan Shu's will. Lu Bu was deeply grateful for receiving your favor, and was awarded the title of General Pingdong by the imperial court. As a result, he tore up the pre-marriage agreement with Yuan Shu. Later, in accordance with the policy of strengthening friendship with you, Han Yin was bound and escorted to the capital as proof." Chen Deng stated the emissary's words. Cao Cao was overjoyed, and said: "If the two sides can form a good relationship forever, Lu Bu will be very lucky, and so will I!" After finishing speaking, he immediately ordered the executioner to behead Han Yin. The criminal officials dragged Han Yin to the street, and deliberately sentenced him to death at the intersection of Xudu Street where there are many pedestrians. That night, Cao Cao hosted a banquet in his private residence, invited the envoy Chen Deng, and said, "The journey is long and hard!"