Chapter 12 long drive blocked

This time the Northern Expedition did not go as smoothly as Cao Cao had expected. Yuan Tan did not use his troops according to the rules in every battle, which kept Cao Cao busy for a long time.But what really troubled him was not the enemy in front of him, but the high-ranking governor of Bingzhou. Gao Gan, Yuan Shao's nephew, has gone to the west to win people's hearts since Guandu, controlled the generals in Guanzhong and local tyrants by coercion and lure, and even won Guo Yuan, the nephew of Zhong Yao, the captain of Sili, and used him to openly fight against his uncle, seriously damaging the Cao Cao's plan to lure Guanzhong without moving.Wei Zhong, the prefect of Hanoi who guarded the dangerous place in the Battle of Guandu, died of illness, and Wang Yi, the prefect of Hedong, was not Cao Cao's confidant, and the overall defense of Bingzhou tended to be weak.Seeing that Cao Cao was fighting with the Yuan brothers, Gao Gan took this opportunity to attack suddenly and caused a storm in Guanzhong.

Gao Gan raised troops to invade Hedong County, appointed Guo Yuan as the governor of Hedong without authorization, and stormed the real governor Wang Yi.Not only local powerful bandits and grassroots responded, but even the Xiongnu Shanyu Huchuquan, and the Guanzhong land was in chaos.Relying on his prestige, Zhong Yao gathered all the forces that had surrendered to the imperial court, and led the troops to besiege Pingyang County where Huchuquan was stationed; Gao Gan and Guo Yuan immediately returned to rescue Pingyang after hearing the news, and encouraged Xiliang warlords Ma Teng and Han Sui to rebel, and then Attack Zhong Yao.At this point, not only could Zhong Yao fail to conquer Pingyang, but he had to deal with the enemy's two rescuers, and fell into the danger of being attacked by the enemy.

Cao Cao is well aware of the pros and cons. Once Zhong Yao fails, the generals in Guanzhong will inevitably turn to high-ranking officials, the imperial court will lose control of Guanzhong, and the achievements of hard work in the past few years will be destroyed.But he was fettered in Jizhou, not to mention unable to escape, even a temporary retreat would not be able to save Zhong Yao.Since he didn't care about it later, he could only make up his mind to go to Yecheng, Yuan's headquarters. "Sun Tzu's Art of War" has a saying: "In any method of using troops, the whole country is the top priority, followed by breaking the country." Cao Cao naturally knew this truth, and even added a sentence in the commentary: "Raise troops and drive deep, reject their cities, and never destroy them." Internally and externally, the priority is for the enemy to conquer the whole country, and the second is to defeat it." This means that when attacking the enemy, we should drive straight in and destroy the enemy's lair in one fell swoop.Now if Yecheng is conquered, the whole territory of Jizhou will surely surrender upon hearing the news, and it may shake the unfavorable situation in Hedong.

Ye County has been an important military town since ancient times. During the Warring States Period, it served as the accompanying capital of the Wei State. Ximen Bao served as Ye Commander.However, the location of Yecheng is very close to the southern boundary of Jizhou, which is a convenient condition when Yuan Shao competes in the Central Plains, but once the enemy invades Jizhou from the south, its geographical location becomes a disadvantage.Because starting from Liyang City and heading north, it is only 150 miles to Yecheng.In this area of ​​one hundred and fifty miles, Yuan Shang sent troops to stop them in succession, but they were all defeated by Cao Cao. By April of the eighth year of Jian'an (AD 203), the Hebei army was unable to carry out large-scale resistance, and the main force of Cao's army went deep into Ye County... …

"Mr. Cao has an order. Go ahead and don't set up camp for now..." The herald's sharp shout spread far and far. Although it has already entered summer, the sky is still a lot darker after the unitary hour, and I am afraid that if we go on like this, we will have to camp in the dark.Fortunately, after several victories in a row, the enemy stopped attacking, and they couldn't even see sporadic scouts.From the generals down to the officers and soldiers, everyone has a high fighting spirit. After rushing for a long time, no one complained of being tired. They walked through the fields and woods confidently and boldly.However, Cao Cao and others under the protection of the tiger and leopard cavalry of the Chinese army were shrouded in anxiety.

Military advisor Xun You, Jijiu Guo Jia, Xu You, and Lou Gui are all around Cao Cao, but this does not alleviate everyone's doubts, because the next move is difficult to decide.Several military masterminds were silent, looking down at the road ahead. It was Cao Cao who broke the silence first: "How far is this place from Yecheng?" Xu You has served in Hebei for nearly ten years, and it has become a living map of this expedition. Looking at the village that looms in the distance: "There are about ten miles left?" "In such a big city, how can you not see the tower for nearly a dozen miles?" Guo Jia was used to joking with him, "Could you remember wrongly?"

Xu You glared at him: "What the hell can I do wrong? Open your sleepy eyes and take a good look, the large land on the east side of the road is already the land assigned by the Goutou military division! It's not like you haven't stayed in Hebei before, Are you pretending to be confused with me on purpose?" Guo Jia pursed his lips and laughed happily, but Lou Gui was not in such a good mood, he grabbed the rein and said in a low voice: "It's getting late so I can't see that far, if I rule..." He restrained his old habit, "I I think it's time for us to set up camp."

"No!" Cao Cao categorically vetoed, "The war can no longer be delayed. There is no news from Zhong Yao, we can only advance but not retreat, we must quickly defeat the enemy!" "Yecheng is the most fortified city in Hebei. Even our army can't win in an instant. Maybe there will be a protracted battle." Lou Gui's tone implied a trace of complaint.Cao Cao promised him to lead an army for another Sima, and the official title was very fast, but not half of the soldiers were directly assigned to him. "It's the same as arriving early and arriving late." Xu You can think about it, "Anyway, even if something happens to Zhong Yao, we can't save him, so let's just move forward."

"I'm not worried about that side, but I'm afraid that we will be ambushed by the enemy in our hurry." Lou Gui explained. Xu You pushed back again: "With me, there will be no more ambushes. I know how many soldiers the Yuan family has. The dog Yuan Shang was repelled several times by us, and it was too late to gather the remnants. How could he provoke him again? We are on a smooth road, which is not conducive to ambush." Cao Cao thought the same thing, but turned around and asked Xun You, "Why doesn't Gongda speak?" The military master had a gloomy face, and he didn't reply until he heard the question for a long time: "I don't understand. Zhong Yuan is always very careful in his work, no matter whether he wins or loses, there will always be an explanation, but so far there is no such thing as Pingyang." news, and our follow-up rations have not been delivered..."

"What's there to be afraid of? We don't lack food." Xu You said carelessly. Xun You glanced at Xu You, and thought to himself——No wonder Yuan Shao and Shen Pei look down on you. After all, it’s an opportunistic skill, and your knowledge is still far behind! However, Cao Cao said to the point: "What is there to be afraid of? The military newspaper and food and grass are not available, which is very abnormal! Shen Zhengnan and Guo Gong are old, treacherous and cunning people. How can we be so easily called into Ye County? It must be ..." It must be that the Hebei army went around and blocked the river, and our army could not cross the river, so the army reported that the food and grass could not pass.Cao Cao clearly thought so, but he couldn't say it out loud. If the soldiers heard it and spread the word to the whole army, the battle would be impossible!

Guo Jia is not as confused as Xu You, he knows in his heart and looks relaxed: "My lord, don't think too much, Xunyan and Jia Xin have already left Xunyan and Jia Xin to guard Liyang, if there is any accident, they will report it. Let's just push the car if it doesn't fall!" Cao Cao sighed secretly, this battle was really not as simple as imagined, he thought that Hebei would collapse as soon as Yuan Shao died, but he didn't know there were so many difficulties.It seems that Yuan Benchu ​​is indeed not simple, he has already completely attracted his subordinates, and it is not a simple act to make Yuan Shang his heir. Stop and set up camp at the edge of Yecheng." "The former army is not allowed to stop, and set up camp at the edge of the city..." The order came again and again. In this expedition, Cao Ren is on the left, Cao Hong is on the right, Xia Houyuan is behind, Yu Jin, Le Jin, Zhang Liao, Zhu Ling and other generals are all in the front, but Zhang Xiu and Liu Xun have retreated to the second line, Zhang He is the vanguard , High view.They are Hebei generals, and they are very familiar with the terrain of Jizhou, and the roads they lead are the nearest and most convenient. Seeing that it was the end of the day, it was getting dark, and the soldiers who had worked hard all day began to relax.Some chatted with their companions, some hummed a ditty from home, and some ate beans from dry food bags.The scouts who reported the news were also tired, and it was too dark to recognize the way, so the horse ran much slower.Anyway, the enemy has already been beaten to pieces. Tonight, we will camp on the edge of Yecheng and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, we will have to risk our lives to attack the city. After about two or three miles, the scouts who were checking at the front found a group of civilians in front of them.In fact, this is also the normal state during the march, especially now that they have arrived near Yecheng, where there are many wealthy families in Hebei, and naturally there are more tenant farmers.Not to mention the huts of the village households, there are three or four decent manors passing by. There are a few ordinary people who are not new. After a while, they will be scared away when they see the situation clearly-it is also fun to be the first to be a domineering man! Unexpectedly, these few people did not run away, and even waved their hands and shouted.Ordinary people who came to surrender?The scouts were a little uncertain, and two bold horses rushed forward to meet them. Before they had time to ask, they suddenly saw a few more bows in the hands of the group of people!The two soldiers turned pale with fright, and hurriedly pulled their horses to escape, but how could they run faster than flying arrows?He was shot dead on the spot.Seeing the change, the people behind wanted to turn their horses around to report the news, but before raising the whip, they heard the sound of strings clanging and another rain of arrows—all of them turned into hedgehogs. Zhang He and Gao Lan are old partners, and they have a tacit understanding in leading troops to fight. One supervises the front and the other postpones.At this moment, Gao Lan was just in front of the vanguard, talking to his confidant Xiaoxiao, when he suddenly heard the loud shouts of killing, he was startled, and the enemies had rushed over.These soldiers have all kinds of clothes, some wear armor, some don't wear armor, and some have gray cloth wrapped around their heads. They have all kinds of weapons, such as swords, guns, swords and halberds. They are messy and have no formation.But they were so numerous, and the flags they erected suddenly were like dense forests; in addition, the sky was already late and hazy, and it was unknown how many were behind, this formation alone was terrifying enough! Cao Jun met the enemy in the past few days and almost defeated the main force in Hebei. It is impossible to gather again in a short time. How could there be so many people?Unprepared for the sudden attack, Cao Bing was timid before fighting.Gao Lan is a tough guy, so the matter has come to an end and he draws his sword out of its sheath: "Follow me!" The vanguard army is already in chaos, and it is difficult for everyone to protect themselves. How can anyone dare to charge forward with him?For a while, people shouted and horses shouted like a beehive, and Cao Jun collided with the enemy unprepared.This group of enemies was different, they rushed forward desperately, without hearing any sound of weapons colliding, they rushed the vanguard army to pieces, one by one fled a hundred, and they dropped their weapons and ran back.Zhang Yun wanted to stop him from behind, but was knocked down by the rebel army before he could say a word, and almost fell to the ground. The second part is Liu Xundu's front team. This miser is just thinking about how to get more land after he seizes Jizhou.I didn't know that I was still happy, but the defeated army had already arrived.The blink of an eye is also messed up.Liu Xun raised his big knife: "Damn it! Don't let me make money, I will kill his whole family, young and old! Kill him!" He was willing to spare, but only his confidants followed him to fight with his life. Zhang Xiudu is in the rear team, and he was already hungry if he didn’t set up camp when he passed the application. Rao, the Liangzhou warriors were excellent riders, holding dried meat in one hand, and holding a water bag in the other, eating and drinking with the horse between their legs. Don't delay your journey.He had just bitten a ox tendon into his mouth, when he suddenly heard a commotion, the defeated soldiers had already arrived.Zhang Xiu threw away his food, and snatched the silver gun from the soldier's arms, a silver dragon swung its tail and stabbed two deserters who were rushing towards them.The gun brushed the meat in his mouth and swallowed it, and then he shouted: "Why are you panicking? Whoever dares to escape and kill!" But he couldn't control the distance, and there were still deserters scattered from the left and right...and so on One team rushed to the other, and Cao's soldiers and horses seemed to be swept by a big wave. The enemy and the defeated army were mixed together, and everywhere they went was like a mess. Hearing the commotion ahead, Cao Cao hastily reined in his horse, hit the generals Shi Huan and Han Hao and quickly moved all the shieldmen and spearmen to guard in front of the Chinese army—not only to defend against the enemy, but also to prevent the defeated army. , the whole army is in chaos!After a while of frizz and panic, the shields were arranged properly, and the infantry crowded in front of the shields, and all the cavalry, except the tiger and leopard cavalry, retreated to the rear to prevent the horses from being frightened.Cao Xiu led the tiger and leopard riders to form a circle, protected Cao Cao and others, and sent an order to Xia Houyuan, telling him to restrain the rear army and stop moving. The shouts of killing became louder and darker. In order to avoid being attacked by the enemy, the Chinese army did not even dare to light a torch. Cao Cao and others could only stay in the dark in a daze.After a while, a small school reported from the east: "General Cao Ren's former army was attacked!" A while later, news came from the west: "General Cao Hong was thrown into disarray by the defeated army!" "How did this happen!" Cao Cao slapped the saddle in anger. Guo Jia continued: "Since Guandu until now, we haven't lost a single battle. These warriors are inevitably proud. In addition, we have walked for half an hour today, and the soldiers have also slackened." "Hmph! When I chased Yuan Shu and chased four cities in a row, and defeated Liu Bei for thousands of miles, none of the soldiers dared to relax. It seems that we must rectify military discipline!" "Don't rush and take your time." Guo Jia didn't panic at all, "The enemy's formation is loose, and they fight in the dark like this. If we mess up, they will also mess up. When we were young, we couldn't tell who was who." Things were exactly as Guo Jia expected, Cao Jun was defeated at the beginning, but after a long time, he found that the enemy was not very strong. Since the organizational systems of both sides have been disrupted, let's just fight it out!The soldiers of the two armies looked for their opponents to catch each other and fight each other, and the noisy shouts were mixed together.After the time of You, it was dark and the battle was really impossible to fight again. Cao Jun rang the gongs and gathered troops, and the Hebei army surrounded them chaotically. . When the soldiers gradually calmed down, the Chinese army lit the torches.Zhang Xiu, Liu Xun and others approached Xun Zhuoliang and killed them like blood. Looking at their appearance, Cao Cao didn't bother to blame them, so he ordered to count the dead bodies first.Xu You and others stared at the dead bodies all over the ground, puzzled: "Yuan Shang's main force has been dispersed by us long ago, how can we kill so many people now? Moreover, these people have different clothes and different armors, and they are even in battle. Nothing at all, it looks like a bunch of bandits. Could it be the soldiers and horses of Zhang Yan, the Black Mountain bandit?" "No." Lou Gui also frowned, "In the fierce fight just now, there were eight thousand enemies if not ten thousand. Which grass bandit can have so many people? Heishan Zhang Yan and the Yuan family are enemies, and they will never be here Time to help." Xun You pondered for a long time, then he looked around and suddenly realized: "I understand...these teams are not soldiers of the Yuan brothers, nor bandits, nor are they under the command of Montenegro." "What do you mean?" Cao Cao's mind was in a mess at the moment. "Alas..." Xun You shook his head again and again, "My lord, why have you forgotten that since Yuan Shao took over Jizhou, he has supported powerful people to work for him, and those people's fields and houses are here. Yu soldiers." "It's more than ten thousand? There are thousands of households and tenants in the single family of the judge." Xu You also came to his senses, "As long as the dog-headed military commander spreads a word saying that there will be no land rent this year, or no money for loans, all The tenants of the series will all come out to fight! No wonder the banners and armor are uneven." Cao Cao was terrified when he heard this remark—what a powerful toubob!I killed nearly 80,000 enemies in the battle pit at Guandu. Since Cangting, I have won consecutive battles. I never imagined that so many people could go to the battlefield.I only thought that Yuan Shao indulged the powerful and incompetent orders, unexpectedly this move was also beneficial, although my attack was aimed at Yuan's, but I also touched the brows of these local tyrants, how could they not fight me desperately?There are countless powerful and powerful military strategists here, and it is endlessly exhausting to know how long it will take to break through Yecheng.If Zhong Yao is defeated, and I am still unable to win here, then maybe it will be... The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became, and he couldn't help but look up into the distance.In the dim moonlight, the city of Ye could already be seen in the distance. The abrupt city and the pitch-black city wall stood like a huge monster on the plain; there were sporadic lights flickering from the watchtowers, which were the guarding soldiers patrolling the city, presumably strong Bows, hard crossbows, rolling logs and stones have already been prepared! When Cao Cao was in a daze, Zhang Yun ran over with a sad face: "I report to Cao Gong, the front army has lost nearly half, Gao Lan died in the battle..." He and Gao Lan were good brothers when they were under Yuan Shao's tent , Taking refuge in Cao Ying is also fighting side by side, why don't you feel sad when your partner dies in battle? After losing the battle at the door of the enemy's house, and losing a general in a daze, everyone stopped talking.Under the dim light of the fire, Cao Cao's expression could not be clearly seen, and it took him a long time to hear him sigh and say: "Wrap up General Gao's body and bury him alive, and I will pay homage to him when the battle is over... Set up camp at the same place, and come back tomorrow." Discuss the plan to defeat the enemy." "We can fight again after only a small setback. Are we going to retreat? Since General Zhang's troops are damaged, the last general is willing to be the vanguard, and if we encounter the enemy, we will kill him without leaving any behind!" Zhu Ling was the first to initiate complain. Liu Xun also yelled: "Damn it! It's nothing to kill a few people. I think we should continue to kill. I don't believe that we can't smash the thief's den of Yuan's dog!" "Yes, yes, yes..." The two of them quarreled, and the other generals followed suit. "Presumptuous!" Cao Cao glared at them, "Who dares to disobey the old man's order? You are becoming more and more unruly, and such a loose formation has caused chaos. You still have the face to shout in front of me? Who cares more about words? Military law, I will settle accounts with you when I go back!" After saying that, he turned his horse and led the way, and all the generals also took their soldiers in disgrace. The large army set up camp and followed up with three military reports from Liyang. It turned out that Gao Fan, the prefect of Wei County under Yuan Shang's command, went around the bank of the Yellow River while Cao Cao was advancing, and cut off the supplies of Cao's army; Jia Xin who stayed behind in Liyang The troops were limited, and Gaofan was supported by Yan Jing, the guard of Yin'an, so the enemy was still unable to be defeated, and the Pingyang military report could not be transmitted.At the critical moment, Li Dian and Cheng Yu, who were escorting the grain and grass, arrived, and they used the grain boat as a cover to attack Gaofan, and then broke through the enemy's defense line. The news of Gaofan's defeat in Pingyang also arrived. It turned out that although Ma Teng and his two leaders were invited by senior officials to join forces, they actually had a lot of concerns about the war.Zhong Yao sent envoys to lobby, and Wei Duan, governor of Liangzhou, wrote a letter to persuade him. Ma Teng finally turned his back on the battle and sent his son Ma Chao to lead his troops to raid the high-ranking army. Guo Yuan, the pseudo-prefect, was beheaded in battle, and Gao Gan was defeated and returned to the territory of the prefecture.Seeing that the reinforcements were defeated, Hu Chuquan had no choice but to surrender in Kaesong——the land in Guanzhong escaped unharmed. But even more unexpected is the third military newspaper.Before Cao Cao's Northern Expedition, he ordered Xuzhou's various tribes to attack Qingzhou as a countermeasure.However, Changba, the prefect of Changli who was born as a bandit, took advantage of the time when Zang Ba, Sun Guan and others went north, and led his troops to occupy the counties in the East China Sea and rebelled.Chang Ba has always been unwilling to work for the imperial court, and has repeated several times since he was recruited. This is his fourth rebellion!This bandit leader seems to be rebellious, with only a few thousand troops, but he is tossing endlessly, which is really dumbfounding. Cao Cao was also tired after marching and fighting all day. After reading the three military newspapers, both good and bad, he really didn't want to discuss any more. Let's discuss the strategy of attacking Ye City." The generals were scolded and left with their heads bowed. Xun You, Lou Gui and others also left the tent, but Guo Jia was the last one to tidy up his clothes. "What do you want to say about Feng Xiao?" Cao Cao knew that something was wrong when he saw his unhurried steps. Guo Jia stopped immediately, and leaned towards him with a bright smile: "Our army is now approaching Yecheng, my lord, can you think of a strategy to defeat the enemy?" "As expected of a young man, he still has such great energy in the middle of the night." Cao Cao yawned and said perfunctorily, "Yecheng is hard to take, it's best to lure Yuan Shang out to fight...it's getting late, let's discuss it tomorrow." Guo Jia didn't intend to say goodbye, but asked again: "What if Yuan Shang can't hold on?" "It's nothing more than a siege by the army until the food and grass are exhausted." "Tonight's defeated lord has seen with his own eyes that there are many powerful tribes in Hebei. If soldiers surround the city, they will inevitably come to disturb them. What's more, Qingzhou and Youzhou still have soldiers and horses. What if they come to rescue them?" Cao Cao thought for a while: "Soldiers will block the water and cover it with soil, and surround Yecheng just to fight for help." Unexpectedly, Guo Jia asked again: "If Yuan Shang abandons the city and finds another place to settle down, will we continue to besiege the city?" Isn't this all nonsense?Cao Cao was tired now, and wanted to send him away, but seeing Guo Jia's smirk all over his face, he finally understood: "What kind of detours did you make with the old man, did you have some evil plan?" "I can't escape my lord's insight with my intelligence!" Guo Jia didn't forget to flatter me, "But I think it's time for us to retreat now." "Retreat...it's hard to fight here. Wouldn't it be a waste of all previous efforts to retreat easily." Although Cao Cao said so, he had thought about it silently on the road just now. "I'll try to analyze it for my lord." Guo Jia has seen through Cao Cao's helpless eyes, "Although our army has reached Yexia, we are still in the enemy's territory and surrounded by soldiers. If Yuan Xi sent troops from Youzhou and needed to divide the troops against the enemy, and he was in a dangerous place and could not attack, this is a worry for the present.” Guo Jia talked with his hands behind his back, “Furthermore, although the high-ranking cadres of Bingzhou were defeated, their power has even touched Guan. It’s been a long time in the West, so it’s not impossible to make a comeback. If the danger in the east of the river reappears, will Zhong Yao still be able to barely win? This is also a second worry. Besides, Liu Biao in Jingzhou is close to Liu Bei’s help. What should we do if we seize Nanyang and attack Xudu?" Cao Cao had no choice but to nod: "Your three worries are very serious. I have thought about them before, but you can't give up easily after hunting for thieves. If Yuan Shang is asked to stay in Hebei to recuperate, with the abundance of Jizhou, he will soon return to his former state... ..." "Impossible!" Guo Jia sneered for a while. "How dare you make that assertion?" Guo Jia poked his head into Cao Cao's ear and said, "Forgive me for speaking bluntly, if Yuan Tan hadn't sent troops to fight, what chance would my lord have of winning?" Cao Cao was taken aback by his question, but after thinking about it calmly, Guo Jia's question made sense!Gao Fan stationed troops on the river to block the grain road, and Gao Gan made another big fuss in Hanoi. If Yuan Tan insisted on holding on to the city, the outcome of this battle would be completely reversed. It was not the Yuan brothers who lost but him. Someone Cao!Thinking of this point, Cao Cao suddenly felt a bit of fear, and felt more and more that Yuan Shao's prestige was still there, and that all the results he had achieved were luck. Guo Jiarong thought for a while before saying: "My lord, you already have the answer in your heart, right? But it just so happened that Yuan Tan was eager for military success and quick benefits, and was repeatedly defeated by me, so that it was difficult for him to fight again. Seeing that his brother was trapped, Yuan Shang refused to send an army. Rescue each other, and finally Li Yang fell. Don't you think the actions of the brothers are a little abnormal?" Cao Cao seemed to have been doused with a basin of cold water, and all his fatigue was swept away, and he said with gleaming eyes, "You mean... between their brothers..." "Of course!" Guo Jia sat down beside him and explained, "Yuan Tan is the eldest son of Yuan Shao. He has military exploits in Qingzhou Guang, and is quite powerful in the army. However, he is brave and lacking in strategy. He is arrogant. Yuan Shao's third son, Yuan Shang, Although this son is able to ask for the same people to appease the powerful, but he has never been in battle. His seniority is shallow. The two brothers already have a lot of quarrels, and Guo Tu and the judge are fighting each other under their own masters. The soldiers are pressing down on the border, and the two sides are forced to cooperate and protect each other due to the situation. If our army does not attack again, the brothers will have to wait for a while, and there will be internal fighting!" "what do you mean……" "Your Majesty, you can temporarily withdraw your troops and pretend to be marching south against Liu Biao to urge your brothers to fight against the wall. Wait for his troubles and then attack them. The land of Hebei is decided at one stroke!" Although Cao Cao felt that it was reasonable, he still hesitated: "The way to victory or defeat should not be sought outside." "My lord, why worry any more!" Guo Jia resolutely said, "In the past, Duke Huan of Qi respected the king and fought against the barbarian and nine princes. In the end, the five sons fought for the throne but starved him to death in the palace. It's all because there is no distinction between the elders and the younger ones. Yuan Benchu ​​ordered The three sons and one nephew each ruled a state, and Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang each had their own cliques to fight for power and power. The disaster of this Xiaoqiang is even worse than that of foreign enemies! Didn’t the lord hear the proverb of the previous generation: "One foot of cloth can still be sewn; A bucket of millet can still be pounded; two brothers are incompatible!'" This remark was no less than a slap in the face. Cao Cao lowered his head and meditated upon hearing it for the first time, then turned to the sky and laughed: "Hahaha... good! I think that Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu fought each other back then, and now Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang have to follow their parents' generation Dust. Let them fight wildly with snipe and clam for a while, and I will reap the benefits of the fishermen. Immediately send an order to the three armies to return to Liyang tomorrow and prepare to retreat." "Wait a minute." Guo Jia stopped with a smile again, "There are still a few important things to do when the troops are withdrawing. First, this year's grain will be ripe, and the lord should grab Yuan's grain before he is out; We might as well move the people back to Henan to cut their labor; Yin'an County is adjacent to the border between the enemy and us, if we take this place and Liyang to form a corner, we can have a smooth food road and not be controlled by the enemy." "Everything is based on the plan of filial piety!" Cao Cao was worried for a long time, and now he was happy, "Ren Jun is sick and lying in the army, let Xia Houyuan supervise the military rations on his behalf." Guo Jia added: "Although General Miaocai is approachable but has a quick temper, my lord needs to give more instructions." This reminded Cao Cao again that successive victories made the army's pride and underestimation of the enemy extremely inflated, and it was time to rectify military discipline.He took a blank scroll of letters casually, and wrote a military order: 〖"Sima Fa" says that "the general died in Sui", so Zhao Kuo's mother, begging, could not sit in Kuo.It is an ancient general, the army is broken outside, and the family suffers from the inside.It is not a national standard to pretend to be a general, but to reward merits and not punish crimes.It ordered the generals to go out to fight, and those who lost the army would be punished for their crimes, and those who lost would be exempted from official titles. 〗 After writing, he blew the ink and handed it to Guo Jia: "Pass this order to all the generals, and tell them to behave themselves! Today's retreat is tomorrow's advance, don't let them talk casually about leaking military plans." Guo Jia knew it well - since the establishment of the army, he has been in danger many times, and he has always indulged the generals to win the hearts of the people. Now that the power has grown, it is time to blacken his face and talk about the rules!Even though he thought so, he said flatteringly: "My lord's handwriting is really good..." "Follow the filial piety and make great achievements. After passing the military order, let's rest early." Cao Cao twisted his beard and looked at the young man with indescribable love in his heart.Although Guo Jia is a military strategist offering sacrifices, his strategy is not weaker than that of military strategist Xun You, and he has a promising future in his early thirties, so he may be the one to work on many major events in the future... With the decree of rectifying military discipline and punishing crimes for defeats, the generals no longer dare to relax and neglect.When Cao Cao returned to attack Yin'an, everyone fought bravely and never retreated. Zhang Liao and Le Jin attacked the city first and killed Yan Jing, the guard of the Yuan army. Yuan Shang never dared to fight, Cao Jun took the opportunity to snatch the grain near Yecheng, and then threatened the people of Zhouza to move to the south of the Yellow River, turning Yecheng into a land of no one for nearly a hundred miles.Later Liu Jiaxin divided his troops to guard Liyang, ordered Xun Yan to monitor the movements of the Yuan brothers, sent Xia Houyuan to supervise the military supplies of Yanyu and Xu Sanzhou, Zhang Liao went to the East China Sea to conquer the traitor Changxi, and Cao Cao himself returned to Xudu with an army.This time the Northern Expedition failed again, but a brand new plan came up under Guo Jia's staff, Cao Cao wanted to pretend to attack Liu Biao, prompting Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan to kill each other...