The Yingshui River, like a jasper belt, runs straight under the white clouds, but when it reaches Qingniutan, it makes a "wow" turn and gets into the green shade, leaving only a gurgling stream. The sound of flowing water makes people feel like entering a paradise in the hazy, very quiet and quiet. On the bank of the river at the corner of Qingniutan, which is inaccessible, a fisherman wearing a round hat and coir raincoat is sitting on a high rock and fishing quietly.The face of this fisherman in coir raincoat was mostly covered by the green shadows of branches hanging from above his head, making it difficult to see clearly.Behind him, squatting a young man dressed as a fisherman is grinding the fishing shuttle and drying the fishing net, but a pair of bright and sharp eyes are raised and looked around from time to time.

"Master, how many fish did you catch today?" An old and vigorous voice came slowly.The fisherman in coir raincoat was still sitting firmly on the mountain, but he saw an old woodcutter in plain old cotton robes, accompanied by a young woodcutter, each carrying a bundle of dry firewood on his shoulders, slowly approaching in front of him. The edge of the round hat of the fisherman in coir raincoat was already low enough to reach the brows, but after hearing the old woodcutter's question, he gently lifted the round hat up with his left hand, with a clear, energetic and elegant look. Ruxian's face suddenly appeared - it turned out that he was Xun Yu, the famous minister of the dynasty.

"Old man, you have gathered a lot of firewood today!" Xun Yu smiled and replied to the old woodcutter, "You can come to this old man to have a rest." The old woodcutter chuckled, walked up to Xun Yu, put down the bundle of dry firewood, sat up on it, bent his back and leaned towards Xun Yu and whispered: "Xun Lingjun really deserves to be the one who can show and hide." , infinitely changing, invisible, unpredictable' dragon warrior. Lang is polite here." Xun Yu pulled down the bamboo hat again to cover his eyebrows, and his voice was as clear as the sound of water in the river: "Doctor Wang, it is really inconvenient for Xun to return the courtesy with this outfit, please forgive me. Alas... I am so grateful The doctor, with the honor of a state scholar and the weapon of a virtuous man, stoops and hides, wears the clothes of a woodcutter, disguises himself as a villager, and sets foot in a remote place, Yu is really disturbed."

It turned out that this old woodcutter was disguised as Wang Lang, a second-rank important official in the current dynasty and an admonishing doctor.And the young fisherman drying his nets is Xun Yu's eldest son, Xun Yun, and the young woodcutter is, of course, Wang Su, the son of Wang Lang. Sitting on the bundle of dry firewood, Wang Lang cast his eyes on the billowing waves in the Yingshui River, and said leisurely: "Cao Mengde's eyes and ears are all over Xudu, and he is monitoring the evil wind of informers. It is really a last resort to bend one's body, change one's appearance and meet in secret. "If you are general, follow the scriptures, if you are poor, you follow the power." Those little etiquettes can't be taken care of."

Xun Yu nodded slightly, without turning his head, and told Xun Yun who was squatting behind him: "Yun'er, you and nephew Wang Xian will go around to watch the wind, and discuss important matters with your father. " Xun Yun responded, picked up the polished fishing shuttle, retreated from Gaoyan, and together with Wang Su, went to the forest intersection by the river to look out for the wind. "Xun Lingjun, Lang has obtained news from the Ministry of War in the past few days. I heard that Cao Mengde's southern expedition is in turmoil. Jingzhou Shepherd Liu Biao suddenly died of illness, and his heir Liu Cong has surrendered." He said anxiously, "Besides, Lang also heard that at Changbanpo, Dangyang County, Cao Mengde personally led eight thousand 'tiger and leopard riders' to defeat Liu Bei's troops in one fell swoop, and drove Liu Bei to the most desolate and barren Xiakou City in the east of Jingzhou. Jingzhou The three major counties of Nanyang, Xiangyang, and Nanjun in the north of the Jiangbei have all fallen into the hands of Cao Mengde! Now he can be said to have won in Jingzhou. I am afraid that after he takes advantage of the victory to chase and wipe out Liu Xuande, he will soon return to Xudu to abolish the Han and stand on his own. ! In such a situation, what can I do! What can I do!"

Xun Yu sat there quietly like a stone statue, listening silently, but the fishing rod in his hand was firmly held in his hand, and he didn't even shake it. "Oh! The Han Dynasty is in danger! The Holy One is in danger! Mr. Xun Ling, you must come up with a countermeasure for everyone earlier!" Wang Lang frowned and sighed while rubbing his knees. "Doctor Wang, do you know? Among the upper and lower reaches of the Yingshui River, I found that only the fish in Qingniutan are the most difficult to catch." Xun Yu suddenly spoke in the deep silence, but he was distracted. Opening up the previous topic, "they are a little different from other fish - they are very calm, and they will not easily take the bait in the face of the most delicious bait. Hehehe...they can probably always start from the tempting bait. You can detect the deep crisis beneath the surface. Here, take a look at the fishing basket next to Yu. Since Chenshi this morning, only three or four fish have been caught..."

"Xun...Xun Lingjun? You...you..." Wang Lang almost thought that his ears had heard it wrong—unexpectedly, when the situation was so impatient, Xun Yu would actually get him involved in fishing!well!He still has the leisure to talk about these chores. Xun Yu turned his head and glanced at him. Only then did he get to the point: "Calm your mind, concentrate your mind, and not be confused by appearances. Only then can you understand the true meaning of current events. The current situation in the court is certainly worrying, but Please don't panic, Doctor Wang. You are saying that Cao Cao's victory in Jingzhou is decided at this moment, and it is still too early for Yi Yu's opinion."

"Too early?" Wang Lang was startled when he heard this, "Fu Guozhang, Yang Taiwei, General Ma, and Wei Shangshu all think so——Cao Mengde is now going all out to win the land in the north of the Jingxiang River. Shocking Wuyue, this...isn't the victory already settled?" "According to the news sent by Gongda (Xun Youzi Gongda), although Liu Bei and others lost many elite infantry in the battle of Changbanpo, the main force of their three armies borrowed Fancheng and Jiangxia troops from Hanjinkou. With the help of the boat divisions from the two places, Jin Chan escaped and fled to Xiakou, the gateway to the east of Jingzhou. According to Gongda’s estimate, Liu Bei’s original force should be 20,000 horses, divided into 10,000 sailors, 9,000 infantry, and 1,000 cavalry. In the Battle of Banpo, Liu Bei was defeated and scattered and lost four or five thousand troops. He still had 10,000 sailors, 4,000 infantry, and hundreds of cavalry left in his hands. That's all right, the key is that they seized the current "cardinal fortress" of the entire Jingzhou - Xiakou City. This is a brilliant and ingenious move, and it may be used in the future to play a wonderful role!" Xun Yu's tone seemed very meaningful.

"Xiakou City? Lang heard that Xiakou City is only a medium-sized county in Jingzhou. How could it have such a magical effect? ​​Xun Lingjun, I'm afraid you are exaggerating." Wang Lang's face showed a look of surprise. "Doctor Wang, don't underestimate Xiakou City. Its geographical location connects the east to the west and crosses Wu to Chu. From the Jianghan Plain to the east, it must be the gate; as far as Yangzhou is concerned, it is the hub for the Wuyue Navy to go back to the west from Poyang and Chaisang. If Cao Mengde can boost morale and attack decisively after the battle of Changbanpo In one fell swoop, he led his troops from the Han River to advance into Xiakou City and stayed still. It would be like a giant gate of thousands of feet to cut off the alliance between Liu Bei and Sun Quan. To the east, he could bend Sun Quan and make him bend his knees; to the west, he could seal Imprison Liu Bei and wait for his own harm. In this way, it can be said that "the general situation is decisive"!

"Conversely, now that Liu Bei is guarding Xiakou City, he has introduced reinforcements from the Jiangdong side to join forces against Cao Mengde and opened Jingzhou's "Eastern Gate". Shun Shunduo took the road from Xiakou City back to the west, passing through Guiyang County, Changsha County, Dongting Lake, Yunmeng Lake, and went straight to Jiangling City to confront Cao Mengde. In this way, Cao Mengde will definitely fall into In the protracted stalemate and unable to extricate themselves. In such a situation, how can it be said that the victory is determined?" "But... but... Xun Lingjun, please forgive me for speaking bluntly. Cao Mengde's military operations have always been unpredictable, unpredictable, and he often bends down and turns defeat into victory. How can a mere Xiakou city contain its inexhaustible deceit? Liu Bei Didn’t you also abandon the city and run away when you heard that Cao Mengde came to guard Xuzhou back then?”

"Doctor Wang's words are not unreasonable. However, according to Yu's opinion, Cao Mengde's decision to take Jiangling and abandon Xiakou is really an act of greed for small profits and neglecting long-term goals. If he makes a mistake, it can be said that he is missing a thousand miles. If this is the case, he will be farther and farther away from his dream of "surviving the Southern Expedition" in the future..." While talking slowly, Xun Yu cast his eyes on the surface of the Yingshui River, watching the waves splashing in the river, and said leisurely: "Doctor Wang, do you still remember the young man from Jingzhou mentioned by Han Song in Japan? Is it Zhuge Liang, a rare scholar? Yu learned from Gongda’s letter that this Zhuge Liang is now the chief counselor under Liu Bei’s account, and he set up a plan for Liu Jun’s “fleeing east and west”, “hiding soldiers among the people”, and “escape the golden cicada’s shell”. Suspicious Soldiers' and 'Crossing the Sea' and other serial ingenious schemes are so brilliant that it is almost impossible to take advantage of them. There are talents from generation to generation in the country, and the waves of the Yangtze River push forward. Cao Mengde and Yu are old, old... I'm afraid they are so vigorous It is inevitable that people who are less advanced will feel powerless..." "Why did Xun Lingjun say this? Zhuge Liang and other young people who are young and backward are certainly commendable, but in terms of their integrity, wisdom, decision-making, rich experience, and profound knowledge, how can they compare with your "eternal ages?" Is it comparable to a sage or contemporary Confucianism?" Wang Lang shook his head disapprovingly, "I don't want to talk about him as an outsider. How could he commit the fallacy of the overall strategy of "greeding for small profits while ignoring long-term plans"? Hehehe... It is really a great fortune for the Han family that he is committing such a fallacy of overall strategy now!" Xun Yu heard his question, but didn't answer, he just sighed in his heart: Doctor Wang Lang, you don't know something!If it weren't for the old man's nephew, Xun You, who has been trying his best to interfere and mislead Cao Cao's impromptu decision-making, how could Cao Cao have committed the fallacy of the overall strategy of "taking Jiangling and abandoning Xiakou, greedy for small profits and ignoring distant plans"?Gongda was by his side "seeking stitches in every corner" and "making things right", he was indeed stepping on every step, taking risks, fighting hard all the way!Judging from the situation in front of him, he has basically completed the "top-secret mission" entrusted to him by his secret orders.However, Cao Cao is by no means an idle person. After careful reflection in the future, he should also realize that Gongda played a subtle and secret role in "misleading" and interfering with his wrong decision-making. Da somewhat suspicious and alienated.well!From now on, Gongda's life in the Prime Minister's Office of the Cao Mansion will be even more difficult and dangerous... However, Xun Yu is such a person. Every effort is deeply buried, and I will always bear it silently, and I will never confess or reveal anything to anyone outside.He felt that he and his entire family should be obliged to pay for all of this, and everything should be taken for granted without complaint or regret. There was silence for a while in the arena, and Xun Yu suddenly said again: "Actually, what Yu is most concerned about now is whether Jiangdong Sun Quan will seize this opportunity and form an alliance with Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang to fight against Cao Cao as soon as possible. Of course, According to Yu’s previous observations, Sun Quan has been sharpening his sword in Jiangdong, and has always had ulterior motives for Jingzhou. He probably would not have hoped that this strategic location would fall into the hands of Cao Cao. Therefore, the motivation for Sun Quan and Liu Bei to join forces to resist Cao is sufficient. of. "Then again, although Liu Bei's side retreated to Xiakou City to get a respite, their strength is too weak... If Jiangdong doesn't send troops to help as soon as possible, in case Cao Cao mobilizes all his troops to mobilize Liu Bei In the end, the lonely city is hard to defend, outnumbered. Alas! The time God has left for both of them to move around is really running out..."