Chapter 9 win without a fight

In March of the fourth year of Jian'an (AD 199), under the leadership of Gongsun Xu, the son of Gongsun Zan, Zhang Yan, the commander of the Black Mountain Army, gathered 100,000 peasant troops and rushed to Yijing in three ways to help.Gongsun Zan secretly sent someone to deliver a letter to his son, asking him to lead 5,000 cavalry to raise fire to the north of Yi Jing to attack Yuan Shao.Unexpectedly, the sender of the letter was intercepted by Yuan Jun before he could get out of the siege. Yuan Shao made a plan, set up an ambush and raised fire in advance, and defeated Gongsun Zan in one fell swoop.In addition, the previously excavated tunnels had reached the center of Gai, the guard towers collapsed and damaged, and the Yijing company camp fell.Gongsun Zan, the "White Horse General" who ruled for a while, fled into his tall building, killed his wife and children, and set himself on fire!

At the same time, Cao Cao was deeply aware of the urgency of the situation, and led his army across Xingyang to the south of the river, pointing directly at Huai County, the main city of Hanoi County on the opposite bank.Cao Ren and Shi Huan's vanguard troops had already crossed the river to pursue Suigu, and Cao Cao sent Yu Jin, Le Jin, and Xu Huang to assist. After fierce fighting, the five generals wiped out the main force of Zhang Yang's remaining troops near Shegou City in Yewang County. Died in the chaos.However, Miao Shang, the prefect of Hanoi, and Xue Hong, the chief historian, who stayed in Huai County, were still stubbornly resisting.

Cao Cao sat on the south bank, set up a large camp by the river, and ordered soldiers and horses to cross the river and surround Huai County.The battle has reached a deadlock at this stage. Although Huai County is not as strong as Xiapi City, its location is very dangerous. Yuan Shao has already destroyed Gongsun Zan, and reinforcements may be sent from Jizhou and Bingzhou at any time. If not quickly Taking this city will inevitably cause endless troubles.Seeing Miao Shang and Xue Hong guarding the city defenses with deep trenches and high forts, it must be a tough nut to crack. When there was nothing to do, Dong Zhao, who had worked under Zhang Yang's tent, really came in handy. He rode into the city alone to lobby. It took only an hour for Miao Shang and Xue Hong to open their doors and leave the city to surrender. So far, Hanoi County It also belongs to the Xudu court.

Cao Cao and many generals and vassals stood by the bank of the river, watching the troops on the other side throwing down their weapons, everyone was very satisfied.With Hanoi's attack, the barrier on the west road was established again, and Yuan Shao was a step slower. A light boat floated by leisurely, and Dong Zhao took Miao Shang and Xue Hong across the river to pay respects to Cao Cao.I don't know what kind of magic Dong Zhao cast on them. The two of Miao and Xue no longer had the arrogance they had when they stood firm in the city. Although Cao Cao has won successive victories since he raised his troops, he has rarely encountered a situation like today's bloodless battle: "Submission to the court is meritorious and innocent, meritorious and innocent..."

Miao and Xue stood up, and couldn't help explaining: "Zhang Yang's troops approached the river, and Suigu led his troops to flee. It was all their wishful thinking and had nothing to do with us." Seeing that Cao Cao was surrounded by civil and military soldiers, the two quickly said to themselves Be clean. How could Cao Cao not understand this, and pretended to be confused: "I know it all, you don't have to have any doubts. But Huai County can't stay any longer, go back and collect the gold and silver, take your family with me to Xudu, and I will seal your official positions."

Miao Shang and Xue Hong couldn't help looking at Dong Zhao. Dong Zhao smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Cao is true to his word. When he arrives in Xudu, a high-ranking official must be a steed and ride. Isn't I the best example!" The two were relieved, let Dong Zhao go ashore, and ordered the soldiers to go back in a small boat to sort out their belongings.When they were far away, Cao Cao asked Dong Zhao, "They are obviously worried, what method did you use to make them surrender?" "It's easy to say." Dong Zhao said with a serious face, "Zhang Yang has no ambitions and is not strict with his subordinates, and most of his generals don't have lofty views. People like Miao Shang and Xue Hong cherish their lives when they do great things, and they don't care about their lives when they see small gains. Desperate! If you tell them about the world's morality, success or failure, they may not listen to it. But if you promise them gold, silver, treasures, fragrant cars and beautiful women, they will open their eyes."

"Hahaha..." Cao Cao laughed with his face up, "Okay! Since they are trading land for wealth, then I will give them wealth. I will present them to the imperial court and confer titles on them!" During the war, the rent and tax dropped sharply, and Cao Cao Many generals with great military exploits in the battalion do not have titles. Although Miao Shang and Xue Hong have contributed meritorious service, they are by no means worthy of the title of Marquis.Cao Cao did this to make a big fuss about this matter, and set up Miao and Xue as a sign of submitting to the imperial court. With this precedent, there will be more and more separatist generals who are willing to surrender in the future.

Dong Zhao saw the needles: "There are still thousands of soldiers and horses in Hanoi, and some can be transferred to the army." "That's natural." Cao Cao twisted his beard and had other thoughts, "It's not enough to get land. The important thing is to get people. Jingzhong Yilang Chezhou is from Hanoi. He is cautious and reticent. Now he is Xuzhou had just been pacified when the hearts of the people were gathered together, so I intended to appoint him as the governor of Xuzhou to appease the scholars in Hanoi." "It's very good to kill two birds with one stone." Dong Zhao nodded repeatedly.Che Zhou is not so much cautious as he is timid and cowardly.Xuzhou has Chen Deng, Zang Ba, Wu Dun and other strong-armed figures who occupy one side, and the governor is just a display.Cao Cao's use of the chariot can win the hearts of Hanoi first, and second, he can express his trust to Chen Deng and others, which is really killing two birds with one stone.

"Just one person is not enough. You have lived in Hanoi. If there are any outstanding people here, they will be called into the court and given official positions." Dong Zhao thought for a while: "The most famous person in Hanoi is Xiuwu Zhang Fan, the son of Zhang Yan, the former Taiwei. I heard that Yuan Kui (kui) wanted to call him his son-in-law, but he refused to agree, which angered Yuan's family. Very unhappy..." When Cao Cao heard that he had a problem with the Yuan family, he immediately regained his spirits: "That's great, invite him into the court!"

"I haven't finished yet!" Dong Zhao smiled wryly, "That Zhang Fan went to Yangzhou, and now he is not in Xiuwu County." Cao Cao was discouraged again: "Is there anyone else?" "Then there is the Sima family in Wen County. In the past, Jingzhaoyin Sima Fang abandoned the official at home..." "Is Sima Jiangong?" Cao Cao smiled - twenty-five years ago, Cao Cao was promoted as Xiaolian in Pei County, and Sima Fangzheng was appointed as Shangshu Youcheng, and he was assigned official positions with Liang Hu, the then elected minister.Cao Cao wanted to serve as Luoyang Commander, but was dismissed by Sima Fang and Liang Hu, and was only appointed as Luoyang Beiwei.Now that the world has changed, Cao Cao has become the current Sikong, and Sima Fang has become an idler.

"Ming Gong knows this person?" Dong Zhaojue smiled strangely. "Of course I do, we are old acquaintances." Cao Cao said meaningfully, "Sima Jiangong is over fifty, right?" "He is fifty-one years old. He has several sons. Among them, the eldest son Sima Lang and the second son Sima Yi have all served in Yuanfu, and there is also a nephew Sima Zhi who is under Liu Biao's command." "Very good, very good, others are fine. I must use the people from the Sima family. After you return to Beijing, discuss it with Mao Jie, and use those who should be used." Cao Cao was very proud. He was refuted for his errands, and now he must let Sima Fang's children and grandchildren work for him, so as to vent his anger back then. Seeing that they had finally finished their muttering, Guo Jiachao quickly interjected, "My lord, recruiting scholars is not an urgent task. Who entrusts the defense of Hanoi?" North, out of touch with Cao Cao's other territories.But Hanoi is connected to the Taihang Mountains, Jizhou to the northeast and Bingzhou to the northwest, both of which are Yuan Shao's territories.Only by guarding this place well can the safety of the hinterland of the Central Plains be ensured.But defending this place means hanging Hebei alone against the enemy. Those who undertake this task need to have great courage and ability. Cao Cao thought about it for a while, and felt that this matter was a bit embarrassing, so he simply pointed to the opposite bank and asked Man Ying Wenwu loudly: "Which one of you has the courage to defend this place for me?" As soon as the words were finished, a subordinate who was listed in the last shift volunteered to stand up: "I am not talented, and I am willing to guard Hanoi for the master." Everyone was stunned when they looked at it—it was Wei Zhong who begged for his life! Wei Zhong felt ashamed because he had surrendered to Lu Bu, and he always felt that someone pointed out that he was a coward.A few days ago, I followed Cao Cao back to his hometown of Yanzhou, and saw that Wan Qian became the governor, Li Dian and Xue Ti were both county guards, and even the small officials under him in the past were promising, but now Xiaolian, Cao Cao's personal choice, wants to Start from scratch.He secretly made up his mind that he must establish miraculous achievements to wash away his shame.So when I heard that the task was difficult, I immediately stood up. When the generals saw this unscrupulous literati stand up, they all whispered to each other and showed disdain; Cao Cao's eyes lit up—Hanoi County had just surrendered to the imperial court, guarding this place not only depended on bravery, but also had to be able to deal with the powerful and unite the officials and the people. A group of generals may not be able to handle it well.Wei Zhong followed him to start a business in Yanzhou, and knew the essence of it, and now he must have the determination to make great achievements to clear up the shame, so he is really the best candidate.Thinking of Cao Cao looking at Xun You, Guo Jia, Cheng Yu, and Dong Zhao, all four of them nodded and smiled. Wei Zhong knocked his head on the ground, but he didn't hear Cao Cao's answer, he raised his head again and said, "I know it happened before, but can't you give me another chance, Mr. Ming?" Obviously he has decided to use him, but Cao Cao deliberately said in a strange manner: "Guxuan Hebei defends the enemy, do you have the guts to take on such a heavy burden?" "Yes!" Wei Zhong hated others saying that he had no courage. Cao Cao continued to push forward: "The land of Hanoi is the gateway to the Central Plains. There are Yuan Shaoxiong soldiers in Bingzhou in the northwest and Jizhou in the northeast. This task is extremely difficult and dangerous, and it is not easy to stabilize the local tycoons and people!" "I am forgiven by my lord, and I should repay my kindness with all my heart." "You have to think about it. Now Xudu is going to be fortified everywhere. I can't give you many soldiers and horses. You have to recruit village braves to raise food and grass by yourself." "My lord, I don't need to talk about it. I have to bear all kinds of difficulties and dangers." Wei Zhong almost cried, "Give me a chance to wash my shame, let alone hang in Hebei to resist the enemy soldiers, it is just a spear Armed with ribs and white blades, I am willing to live and die with Hanoi!" After saying that, he kowtowed again. "I don't want you to die, I want you to live and guard Hanoi, and return to Xudu to drink celebration wine safely in the future! It seems that the old man still has a vision, and you, Xiaolian, did not make a wrong choice after all. I will appoint you as the prefect of Hanoi now, Full authority to supervise and lead the war preparations here." "Thank you, my lord, for fulfilling the task!" Wei Zhong stood up. Cao Cao took two steps forward and leaned into his ear and said, "There are 18 counties in Hanoi County, and it is impossible to take care of all of them. Your task is to guard the counties along the river, especially the Huai County in front of you. Soldiers cross the river from here and go south to Xingyang and Aocang. The battle will be impossible. I will give you two thousand soldiers and horses first, and you can try to recruit some. If it is not enough, you can ask me for it. Don't worry, the old man will not I don't care about you." "Understood!" Wei Zhong's nature was clever. In this way, Hanoi's defense arrangements were finalized.Cao Cao rested his troops along the river for three days, waited for Miao Shang and Xue Hong to tidy things up, counted the profits of the surrendered troops, and distributed some troops to Wei Zhong, and then set off from camp.But after walking for half a day, Wang Si, a member of Liufu, came suddenly with Xun Yu's letter. "The Son of Heaven issued an edict to Jin Dong Cheng to be a chariot general!" Cao Cao was surprised holding the letter in his hand. This incident is extremely paradoxical. Cao Cao's official position is Sikong, but Sikong didn't have the right to command the army, so he added "general of driving and riding". Dong Chengjin's position as general of riding and riding was equivalent to giving him his position.But everyone knows that the emperor Liu Xie has no real power, and to issue an edict, Xun Yu, the Minister of the Book, must handle it, not to mention the appointment of No. 1 Tianzi.Could it be that Xun Yu also stabbed him in the back? After Cao Cao finished reading the letter, he handed it over to Xun You, Guo Jia, Dong Zhao and others one by one, and everyone felt strange.Dong Zhao was the best at this kind of thing, and asked Wang Si seriously: "Who gave the emperor this idea?" "This is what the Holy One wanted." Wang Sidao, "Even Dong Cheng didn't want to do it, he didn't know beforehand. But the Holy One didn't know what happened this time, so he made up his mind and argued with Xun Lingjun several times. In the end Ling Jun thought about it, after all, Dong Cheng was from the Liangzhou Department, and being promoted to an official position would also help win over the generals in Guanzhong, so he didn't insist anymore. Anyway, it's just a title in name only, so give it to him." That's what he said, but in Cao Cao's view, Emperor Liu Xie played a trick on him, and there may be other conspiracies hidden behind it.He was silent for a long time, and suddenly asked: "Is there any other movement in Beijing? Is there any troop transfer?" Wang Si shook his head: "There is nothing else. Dong Cheng, Fu Wan, and Wang Zifu are all honest, and the palace is busy treating the little prince." "Think about it again, is there any other inconspicuous appointment?" Wang Si frowned and thought for a long time, then shook his head and said, "No... Really not..." Cao Cao was dubious. Liu Xie had been the puppet of Dong Zhuo and Li Jue (jue) for so many years. He should have figured out what the famous and powerless emperor should do. He would not act rashly without a clear plan.Now that Yuan Shao had just unified Hebei, something like this happened right after Chaoli.Saying it is related doesn't seem to be related, saying it doesn't matter but how can it be such a coincidence?Cao Cao was puzzled, patted his forehead, and sighed heavily: "Oh... Ling Jun shouldn't have agreed to this matter." Dong Zhaoyin reminded with a sullen face: "If you don't keep secrets, you will lose your ministers, and if you don't keep secrets, you will lose your status. Regardless of whether there is a secret behind it, Ming Gong should return to Beijing quickly." Wang Si also said: "That's right, the envoys sent by the generals in Guanzhong are about to arrive in Xudu, and the Lord is just going to meet them." "Okay. Half of the troops will go back to Beijing with me, and the rest will be stationed in Aocang under the command of General Jianwu. The shogunate subordinates, Liu Bei, Zhang Liao, Miao Shang, etc. who need to express themselves will also follow me." Cao Cao panted. Roughly, with a helpless face, "Press the gourd to float the ladle, I don't worry about it inside or out!"