Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Broken Bottle

Since the last plan also fell by the wayside, Lu Bu had no choice but to stay in Xiapi, drinking gloomily all day long to soothe his worries.And Cao Cao, who was besieging Lu Bu and besieging the city, was also quite upset at this time. "It has been more than 60 days since Xiapi was surrounded. The defenders are tenacious and unable to attack for a long time. If the enemy forces rise from the rear during this period, our entire army is in danger of self-destruction in this severe cold wilderness." Cao Cao was very anxious about this. When the war started this time, it had already entered winter, countless soldiers and horses froze to death, and the food and grass had also been exhausted.At present, the mountains and fields are covered by heavy snow, and it is very difficult to retreat even if the army returns from afar.

"what can we do about it?" Cao Cao furrowed his brows anxiously, staring at the enemy city that could not be conquered for a long time, meditating alone. The blizzard was raging in the field, and it was rapidly attacking Cao Jun's position. At this time, there was an urgent military report: Zhang Yang in Hanoi had a long-standing friendship with Lu Bu. He claimed to be a reserve army to rescue Lu Bu. Unexpectedly, his subordinate Yang Chou quickly changed his mind and killed Zhang Yang and seized the command of the entire army.So the whole army was in chaos, and one of the generals named Sui Gu killed Yang Chou in the name of revenge for Zhang Yang, and led the army to fight in the area of ​​Quanshan.

Cao Cao thought that the other party came at the right time. He immediately asked his general, Shi Huan, to prepare his army for battle, just in case.And ordered: "Don't give up the meat that is delivered to your mouth, you take an army to Quanshan to destroy Suigu." Shi Huan led his army to brave the wind and snow to march towards Quanshan. Cao Cao felt more and more uneasy.Winter is indeed a long season. Whether it is day or night, the sky over the field is shrouded in grayness, only white snowflakes are dancing. "If the siege time is prolonged, it will inevitably cause troubles in the confidants. It has become a fact for all to see that those criminals took advantage of the emptiness of our army to create small chaos in the rear. Besides, the worries in the north and Xiliang have not yet subsided. Liu Biao and Liu Biao in the east Zhang Xiu in the west is all staring at them again, they may be waiting to attack this exhausted army on the way our army retreats in defeat..."

Perhaps Cao Cao had considered it carefully, so he immediately called a meeting of the generals. At the meeting, he finally said with some frustration: "Our army will retreat immediately! Although it is a pity, there is no way...we will make another expedition next time." Xun You remonstrated loudly, "What the Prime Minister said just now does not seem to be in line with his character. Yes, after such a long-term battle, our army has indeed gone through hardships. The pain we have suffered cannot be described in words. But the enemy has been trapped in the isolated city for a long time. Their uneasiness and pain must be far greater than our army. Now is the time when the besiegers and the defenders are in a life-and-death struggle. The defenders know that they have reached the point of no return, and their sense of crisis is stronger than that of the siege. Therefore, under such circumstances, our generals must not have the dream of returning to the capital, and we must not let the soldiers feel homesick and war-weary. However, the prime minister himself said such discouraging words just now. What about boosting the morale and morale of the entire army?"

In an unexpectedly tough tone, Xun You tried to state the reasons why the retreat was unfavorable. Then, Guo Jia also said: "I think the reason why Xiapi City has been unable to attack for a long time is that the opponent relies on the geographical advantages of Surabaya and Yishui. If our army can effectively use the water of these two rivers, we will surely be able to attack quickly. Destroy the enemy." He immediately proposed a strategy to defeat the enemy, "Build dams on the Sishui River and the Yishui River, and merge the waters of the two rivers to flood Xiapigu City."

Guo Jia's strategy was a huge success. Cao Jun recruited 20,000 civilians to work day and night under the supervision of soldiers, and merged the waters of the two rivers according to the target plan.Not long after the embankment was built, when the weather got warmer and it rained continuously, Xiapi City was soon flooded by the muddy currents of the two rivers. It can be clearly seen that the water outside the city wall is constantly rising, and the defenders on the city are helpless, showing a scene of panic. Two feet, four feet, seven feet... Every day at dawn, the height of the water is always rising, and the whole city is soaked in the river water.The river swirls, swallowing the streets and alleys of Xiapi, and the swelled and deformed corpses of horses, soldiers and all kinds of garbage are floating on the water.

"What exactly is going on?" The soldiers in the city have lost their living space, and their living quarters have become very small. However, Lu Bu uttered big words to the panic-stricken and frightened generals: "Don't panic, my name is Ma Chitu, and I can cross the water like walking on flat ground, but you must be careful not to panic too much, and don't fall into the water and drown... Ah, It doesn't matter, a snowstorm is coming soon, and Cao Jun's position will be buried under a hundred feet overnight." Relying on illusory dreams, Lu Bu continued to indulge in binge drinking.In fact, his heart is extremely weak, and he just likes to forget the harsh reality in intoxication.

One day, just waking up from a hangover, he accidentally brought a mirror.Looking at his own image in the mirror, he couldn't help being extremely astonished, and sighed: "Ah, I've become so old without knowing it, my hair has turned gray, and my eye circles have all turned black." Trembling with fright, he threw away the mirror and said to himself, "Alcohol is really harmful. I'm not so old, it's all because of alcohol poisoning. Drinking too much can corrupt people." body, so we must resolutely quit drinking from now on!" Lu Bu was deeply aware of the dangers of drinking, and immediately issued a prohibition order.His idea should be good, but at the same time, he also asked all the soldiers in the city to prohibit alcohol.In the Prohibition Law, it was sternly pointed out: "Anyone who dares to drink in violation of the law will be beheaded!"

Hou Cheng, the general guarding the city, owns fifteen horses. Suddenly, the horses are stolen overnight.After investigation, it was found that the horse-breeding soldiers colluded in partnership and stole the horses collectively out of the city, preparing to donate them to the enemy camp for rewards to satisfy personal self-interest. After Hou Cheng heard the news, he immediately caught up with the soldiers who stole the horses, killed all those hateful guys, and drove all the horses back to the city. "very good!" The other generals all congratulated Hou Cheng, and urged them vigorously, "You should treat this matter and celebrate."

It happened that at this time someone hunted and killed more than a dozen wild boars from the mountains in the city.So Hou Cheng ordered his soldiers to open the wine warehouse and cook wild boar.He said happily: "Today we must toast and drink." Then, Hou Cheng ordered the soldiers to bring five altars of fine wine and a big fat pig to Lu Bu. Hou Cheng first reported to Lu Bu how he had cracked the horse theft case and punished the thief.Then he said: "This is also thanks to my lord's mighty tiger, which finally turned danger into good fortune. All the generals are also congratulating on this. It just so happened that my men hunted and killed wild boars on the mountain, so I want to hold a small celebration banquet. Please, my lord." I can accept that with a smile.”

After Hou Cheng finished speaking, he ordered the soldiers to put all kinds of gifts in front, while he bowed down on the ground and waited for instructions. Seeing this, Lu Bu couldn't help being furious. He kicked over a wine jar, and shouted, "What is this?" The wine jar shattered when it collided with other wine jars, and fine wine sprayed out from it.Hou Cheng's whole body was drenched with wine.The strong smell of wine made Lu Bu even more furious, "I quit drinking myself and issued a ban on alcohol in the city. But you generals are looking for excuses to hold a banquet for a trivial matter?" While cursing, Lu Bu ordered the warriors on the left and right to push Hou Cheng out and behead him.One of the panicked near ministers hastily called the other generals, and they all complained in front of Lu Bu, pleading for Hou Cheng's mercy. "My lord, please spare him." However, the anger on Lu Bu's face did not disappear, and he remained unmoved. "At this time, beheading such a rare general as Hou Cheng will only make the enemy happy, damage one's own morale, and cause tragic consequences." The generals aggravated their tone and pleaded for Hou Cheng. Lu Bu finally regained his senses. He said, "You pleaded for him. You can only save his life at this level. But I can't ignore his violation of the prohibition. Well, beat him with a hundred sticks. To serve as an example to others." After speaking, he immediately handed over the whip to the two warriors. Facing the back of Hou Cheng who was kneeling and worshiping, the two warriors began to whip them in turn. "Two..." "Three..." "Four..." They whipped and counted the number of whips. After a while, Hou Cheng's clothes were torn, revealing his skin. His skin was covered with welts and began to bleed, and the scars on his back protruded like fish scales. "Thirty..." "Thirty one..." With the sound of whipping, the generals couldn't bear to turn their faces away. Hou Cheng gritted his teeth and endured without saying a word. The sound of whipping and counting whips continued to intertwine. "Seventy-five..." "Seventy-six..." There was only a painful moan of "um", and Hou Cheng fainted for a while. Seeing this, Lu Bu hid in the pavilion impatiently. The generals winked at the warriors and jumped to count the number of whips. Soon, Hou Cheng woke up leisurely. He looked around and found himself lying in a room, with an aide guarding him. Hou Cheng couldn't help but burst into tears, with a painful expression on his face. "Does it still hurt? It must be very painful, right?" friend Wei Xu asked with concern. "I am also a general, and I never shed tears for a little pain." "Then why are you crying?" After Wei Xu's question, Hou Cheng looked around the pillow vigilantly, and asked softly, "Now, are you and Song Xian the only ones here?" "Yes, the three of us are usually good friends who talk about everything, so you can talk with confidence." "The reason why I hate the lord is that he despises our military generals like garbage, and he obeys his wives and concubines' flattery. In this state, we died, just like a dog died. I feel sorry for this." sad." "Hou Cheng!..." Song Xian called out.He walked up to Hou Cheng's side, leaned close to his ear, exhaled warmly, and whispered to him, "You are right at all. In fact, we are also sad about it. Instead of doing this, it is better to go out of the city to Cao Ying Surrender, what do you think?" "...But, isn't the city wall surrounded by torrential floods?" "No, only the east gate is safe now, because it is located at the foot of the mountain and the terrain is high, so the road is not flooded by the river." "Really?" Hou Cheng opened his bloodshot eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling. Suddenly, he stood up abruptly and said angrily, "Go ahead! I've made up my mind. What Lu Bu relies on most is the red rabbit horse. He regards the horse as more important than our general, and he only loves his wife and children... Just quietly go to his stable and steal the red rabbit horse, and escape out of the city, you stay behind, and capture this guy alive when the time comes." "I agree!... But your body has been whipped like this, can you do it?" "What is this little injury?" Hou Cheng said, gritted his teeth, changed his clothes quietly, and prepared to act in the middle of the night. At around four o'clock in the middle of the night, he took advantage of the darkness and sneaked towards the stables of Lu Bu's mansion.Looking from a distance, the opportunity is rare, and the soldiers on duty are sitting on the side and dozing off.