Chapter 17 Yangbing Hebei

Yuan Shao never dreamed that Cao Cao, who had less than half his troops, dared to take the lead in provoking. In July and August of the fourth year of Jian'an (199 A.D.), although Yuan Shao had decided to move his troops south, he was still entangled in the aftermath of the Heishan Army, the old Youzhou Ministry, and the Karasuma Tribe. Cao Cao had already led his army to Hebei.Because Yuan Shao's side had no mental preparation in advance, Cao Cao invaded Liyang County, Jizhou almost without any resistance.At the same time, Zang Ba, Sun Guan, Wu Dun and other Xuzhou generals also rushed into Qingzhou with their troops, plundered and killed various counties, and played guerrilla warfare with Yuan Tan.The deployment of the entire Hebei front line was in chaos. Yuan Jun's camps that were still being deployed were all destroyed, and many advance troops were killed by Cao Jun.In fact, Cao Cao's elimination of Lu Bu was only three months faster than Yuan Shao's elimination of Gongsun Zan, and it was these three months of preparation that gave him the upper hand in the entire battle layout!

But just when Cao Jun's soldiers were fighting bravely and unstoppably, Cao Cao suddenly ordered to stop, and reassigned five thousand troops from Yujin and Lejin to fight westward along the river to protect Hanoi County where Wei Zhong was stationed; Burn the camp and retreat to the south bank. The good situation was given up, and many generals sighed when they withdrew their troops and crossed the river.Cao Hong, Xia Houyuan and others couldn't bear their temper, so they came to Cao Cao to reason, but Cao Cao didn't explain, and ordered them to go back and restrain the generals, so that they should not come again.

The torrential Yellow River flows continuously, and the big ship with the "Cao" flag flying high wind and waves sails to the south bank.Cao Cao stood on the bow of the boat, looking at the rolling river, he couldn't tell whether it was surging or nervous.Standing behind him, Xun You, the military advisor, suddenly heard him sigh, and hurriedly asked, "What's on your mind, Mr. Ming?" Although Cao Cao had the upper hand, and Guo Jia and others kept singing his praises, from the bottom of his heart, he was still very worried about the battle before him, but the situation forced him to fight.Cao Cao had many concerns lingering in his mind, some of which actually existed, some were inevitable in the development of the war, and more of them were an inexplicable sense of unease!In a trance, I feel that an unexpected and sudden event will happen, but I don't know what it is.Seeing Xun You asking himself now, he stared at the vague yellow sand and muddy water in front of him and said: "I remember that the great Sima Zhang Rong once said that 'the river is turbid, one stone of water, six buckets of mud', and the people used the river to irrigate the fields. The water has gone away and the sediment has silted up. Whenever the peach blossom flood comes in March, the place where the canal is diverted will be flooded. The imperial court built dikes, causing the water to rise and the dike to be high, and the water level in some places is higher than the flat ground.”

Xun You knew that he was deliberately changing the subject, but he said along the way: "Dredging the river course is something that must be done. Minggong can order Yuan Min, who visited the embankment, to conduct a detailed survey and treatment. After several years of work, it will be effective." After all, he turned to face the river , said with ulterior motives, "Things in the world have many twists and turns, but if you persevere and do your best, it will eventually come to fruition..." Cao Cao heard that there was something in his words, and knew that he had seen through his uneasiness, so he simply stood up and asked, "Does the military commander know why I withdrew the troops?"

Xun You looked around and saw that except Xu Chu and a few confidantes were rowing and rowing, he said bluntly, "My guess is that my lord is trying to lure Yuan Shao across the river to fight." "A military adviser who knows me." Cao Cao looked at Hebei Road, "The victory in front of us is just a small fluke of a sudden attack. If Yuan Shao mobilizes all walks of life to support us, we will immediately be surrounded. The generals don't understand what he means, and they say I don't Dare to defend Liyang, they don't know the pros and cons, and I can't tell them..." First, the disparity between the enemy and our troops will make the soldiers even more nervous; second, it is a secret military intention to lure Yuan Shao across the river. Clarification will surely leak information.

Xun You was quite sympathetic to his difficulties: "The Master said, 'The people can be taught, but not taught'. In fact, it is the same when leading troops to fight. Now if the soldiers know how different the enemy is from us, everyone will be timid. There is no way to fight." "If the stalemate across the river drags on for a long time, and Yuan Shao's soldiers are spread out in many places, we will be the ones to collapse first, so we must let him cross the river. His battle line will be stretched after crossing the river, and it will be difficult to supply food and grass. We are the only ones who can be used." Cao Cao seemed worried when he said this, "But I am the first to use aggressive tactics, I am afraid that Yuan Shao will still refuse to come to the south bank!"

Xun You was also helpless about this: "We have done what we have to do. Yuan Shao decides whether to come or not. We can only do our best and cannot determine the destiny. But Ming Gong does not need to worry. Although Li Yang's battle cannot be immediate, it is still big. It is beneficial. Guanzhong has just attached itself, and Xudu is in a panic. With this small victory, at least it has brought out its courage, and it has also given the rear a reassurance!" Hearing what he said, Cao Cao turned his head and looked back—but he saw that the small boats on the big river were all crossing the river and returning home. All the soldiers were rowing and rowing the oars with smiles on their faces, singing triumphant songs to celebrate the victory just now, and everyone was full of confidence. , it seems that the upcoming difficult battle is not in the eyes.It is a good thing to have such optimism to be relaxed but not slack but moderate.

Cao Cao was relieved a lot. He twirled his beard and thought for a while, then suddenly his eyes sparkled and said: "Provocation is not enough, I will prepare some more bait for Yuan Shao, and pull him over by the nose!" "Bait?!" Xun You thinks this idea is good, but how to make this bait?But Cao Cao smiled with his hands behind his back, as if he had a plan in his chest. The warship moved forward slowly, and gradually approached the Yanjin Ferry on the south bank. Cao Ren and the people staying on the south bank had been waiting for a long time.Before Cao Cao and others disembarked, Cao Ren couldn't wait to greet him: "Qingzhou sent a battle report. Zang Ba, Sun Guan, and Wu Dun succeeded in disturbing the enemy and killed hundreds of Yuan soldiers in various counties. Yuan Tanfa's reinforcements have not yet arrived. They It has been successfully returned to Xuzhou."

Cao Cao got out of the boat with Xu Chu's support, "These boys from bandits are best at fighting guerrillas. As long as they continue to make trouble like this, Qingzhou will never be peaceful." "However..." Cao Ren changed the subject, "All the ministries in Xuzhou fought bravely, but that Chang Ba not only did not assist in the battle, but also robbed the food delivered by the officers and soldiers. Isn't this a rebellion?!" Changba has been unwilling to submit to the imperial court since the very beginning. Even though Cao Cao gave him the post of county guard, he still refused to listen to his orders many times.But at this time, we can only strive for unity, not internal slaughter. Cao Cao thought for a while and said, "Open your eyes and close your eyes, and ask Sun Guan and the others to persuade Chang Ba not to do stupid things."

Cao Ren reported again: "Zang Ba also wrote a letter, imploring you to pardon Mao Hui and Xu Xi for his sake." Regarding the two traitors from Yanzhou, Dongping Xu Xi and Shanyang Mao Hui, Cao Cao had already asked Liu Bei to , Zhang Liaoming sent Zang Ba several execution orders privately, but Zang Ba refused to kill because of his friendship, and he wrote repeatedly to plead for them. "This Zang Nukou..." Cao Cao recalled Zang Ba's nickname, "He was born in the county yamen jail, and he made friends with criminals at the beginning, but he made friends with traitors now. These people, If you don't know what rules are, you will know loyalty!"

Xun You smiled and said: "Xuzhou has been settled, Lu Bu has been punished, and it doesn't hurt to keep Xu Xi and Mao Hui. Minggong might as well sell his favor to Zang Nukou." Cao Cao was relieved: "Since I have shown kindness, I will simply be tolerant to the end. Military division Lao Lao wrote back to Zang Ba, saying that I spared their lives for his sake. And asked him to tell Xu Xi and Mao Hui that if they fight well in Qingzhou, In the future, the old man will restore them to official positions." During the conversation, there was already a commotion on the river bank. All the soldiers and horses gradually landed, and Xia Houyuan, Zhang Liao, etc. gradually gathered;All the soldiers set up tents, set up camps, and planted antlers (big tree branches).After busying for half an hour, Cao Cao just took his seat in the new big tent, and the soldiers sent by the ban reported victory: "My lord, my general marched westward along the river, destroyed Yuan Jun's camp in Jiahuo and Ji counties, and wiped out the enemy's army. There are more than a thousand troops, and more than 20 generals from the Yuan army, including He Mao and Wang Mo, have been captured, and we are here to report victory to our lord!" The western barracks were completely broken, and Yuan Jun's threat to Hanoi County was eased.Cao Cao was quite pleased: "Go back and tell your general and General Le that they did a good job this time, and tell them to come to Yanjin to join the army." "Promise." The soldier did not leave after answering, knelt there and said, "My lord, my general has something to tell you, he said that if there is an errand for a single army to guard against a single-faced enemy, please Be sure to keep it for my general.” The generals all frowned when he said this—this Yu Wenze was too greedy, and he even wanted to grab the job here in Hanoi. Cao Cao felt that Yu Jin's courage was commendable, and readily agreed: "Okay! Tell your general, I will entrust him with the important task of guarding Yanjin." "No." The soldier left happily. Yu Jin was very happy, and all the generals in the tent felt dissatisfied. Suddenly, Cao Cao said again: "There is another important point that needs to be guarded. Let me see which of you is suitable..." The generals regained their energy and looked at him expectantly. Master, I hope to be selected this time. Unexpectedly, Cao Cao didn't even look at them, but looked around in the pile of subordinates, and suddenly raised his hand and said, "Liu Yan, come out!" Liu Yan has been advising on civil affairs since he followed Cao Cao, and has never led an army to fight. He was stupid to stand there when he heard Cao Cao's call, but it was Wu Zhou, the supervisor beside him, who pushed him out.Liu Yancheng bowed in fear and trepidation: "Subordinate, did this subordinate..." "I know you haven't fought in the war, but you are from Baima County, right?" "Yes yes yes..." Liu Yan trembled. Cao Cao looked him up and down, and said slowly: "Baima County is a good place! You can produce good officials and wise men. First, go to Li Yunshang, the magistrate of Baima County, to impeach the traitor. If you are framed by eunuchs, you would rather die than bend your knees. People! But now it is an important place where the enemy and the enemy must fight. There is Puyang in the east, Yanjin in the southwest, and Liyang City is across the river. Every movement and movement of each other can be seen clearly. It is necessary for Yuan Shao's army to go south. Stationed in Liyang, Baima County will be the first line of defense against him...Liu Yan, as a native of Baima, do you dare to call on the people to defend the city?" If Cao Cao asked if he could, Liu Yan could answer no, but now he asked if he dared, how could Liu Yan say no with a straight face?When Cao Cao was pushed to this point, Liu Yan became courageous even if he didn't have the guts. He simply gritted his teeth and stomped his feet, straightened his back and said, "Your subordinates have no talent to defend against the enemy, but my lord has the kindness to know your subordinates. Don't tell me to garrison them." It’s dangerous, so why would you complain if you told me to die? Fortunately, Baima County is my hometown, so I will try it reluctantly. Even if the city is destroyed and people die, I will be lucky enough to die at home.” This is really worthy of the name! "Very good," Cao Cao picked up a command arrow, "I now enlist you as the prefect of Dongjun, and order you to lead 2,000 troops to garrison Baima!" , and only gave him 2,000 soldiers, wouldn't that make him die in vain? Liu Yanqiang gave the command spirit, and Cao Cao drew another command arrow: "Zhang Liao, Xu Huang listen to the command!" "The end is here!" The two stood out and fell to their knees. "The two of you led your troops to build a camp at Guandu, pile up earthen barriers, and prepare for the army to station." The public will be even more uproar when this order spreads.Guandu is on the bank of the border divide in Yangwu County, far away from the front line of the big river. How can we set up a company camp there?Others don't know, but Xun You, the military adviser, has a bright spot - Yu Jin even broke Yuan Shao's camp, and he thought he was guarding Yanjin as an aggressive general; Liu Yan was a scholar, and he thought he was guarding the white horse as a sign of weakness.They are the two decoys used to lure Yuan Shao to cross the river, and the real decisive battle is at Guandu! Zhang Liao and Xu Huang took orders to leave inexplicably, but Cao Cao didn't even look at the astonished generals, and raised his hands casually: "The rest gather the ships and repair the ordnance, let's disperse the tents!" What kind of medicine was sold, except for Xun You, all retreated in a regular manner. "What do the military advisers think?" Seeing that all the generals had left, Cao Cao couldn't help but turned his head and asked Xun You. "Set up cages to capture tigers and leopards, and prepare fragrant baits to catch golden ao. The master's ingenious plan is beyond my reach!" Xun You said the truth. "The military division is overrated." Cao Cao smiled wryly. "It's provocative and lures the enemy. We have done everything we can, but whether we can make a quick victory depends on Yuan Shao's plan. No matter how precise the deployment is, we can only do it." Fifty percent, the other fifty percent is in the hands of the enemy!" Xun You felt that these words sounded like a wise saying, and he couldn't help but sighed: "You have known Yuan Benchu ​​for more than 20 years, and I am afraid that you know his character better than him. If you ask him to come, how can he not come?" "I hope so, then let's recharge our batteries and wait here. Waiting is more frustrating than desperate..." Cao Cao remembered another thing while talking, "Liu Bei, Zhu Ling, and Lu Zhao have already dispatched troops soon. It's been two months, Yuan Shu is dead after leaving Yanzhou, passing Xiapi, Benshouchun, they should come back immediately, why is there no news..." Before he finished speaking, he heard a loud and clear voice from outside the tent: "Congratulations, Lord, Hexi Lord!" Guo Jia walked in quickly.He temporarily left Xu Du to deal with the confidentiality, so he came a step late. "What is such a small victory?" Guo Jia said mysteriously: "Master, I misunderstood, what I congratulate is not Li Yang's victory, but another good thing." He took out a silk book from his sleeve and held it over. Cao Cao laughed when he saw it—it turned out that after Yuan Shu's death, his subordinates split. His son Yuan Yao, his chief history Yang Hong, and his general Zhang Xun led the remnant soldiers to seek refuge with Sun Ce.Yuan Yin and Huang Yi were unwilling, so they took advantage of the chaos and fled to Wancheng to join Liu Xun, the prefect of Lujiang, and told about all the treasures left by Yuan Shu after his death.Liu Xun was so moved that he sent troops to attack Yuan Yao to snatch the treasure.Yuan Yao protected his father's coffin and was unable to resist, and was ransacked by Liu Xun. Zhang Xun and Yang Hong were all killed, and the remnant soldiers were defeated and surrendered.Liu Xun got a lot of benefits, but because of his feud with the Sun family, he felt uneasy, and his adviser Liu Ye persuaded him to surrender to the court.Liu Xun recalled that he had been an official in Peiguo and had an old relationship with Cao's family. He felt that this method was feasible, so he hurriedly sent envoys to Xudu to make a statement, promising that Lujiang County would submit to the imperial court and take Cao Cao as a backer.For Cao Cao, with Liu Xun as a powerful faction, there is an extra guarantee for defending Sun Ce. "Hehehe, Liu Zitai, a miser, has come to bow his head to me." Cao Cao handed the letter to Xun You again, "Now there is Liu Biao in the east, Liu Xun in the north, and Chen Deng in the northwest. Can't show it." Xun You is not very optimistic: "This Liu Xun is a villain who is enmity with others for the sake of wealth. Duke Ming should be more careful about such people." "It doesn't matter. Loving wealth and treasure is easier to deal with than loving power and country. As long as we give him enough benefits, everything will be done for us. Yuan Shu died suddenly, Sun Ce was restrained, and there are two less worries about the future." Guo Jia saw the needles: "There is also Zhangxiu in Rang County!" When mentioning Zhang Xiu, Cao Cao just frowned.Among the many opponents, Zhang Xiu was the weakest, but he caused Cao Cao the most trouble.From the first year to the third year of Jian'an, Cao Cao crusaded against Zhang Xiu three times, but he was unable to eliminate it, not to mention the loss of soldiers. Even his son Cao Ang, nephew Cao Anmin, and his favorite general Dianwei all died in their hands.Although Zhang Xiu lived in Rang County and his troops were severely weakened, even a small boil could turn into a fatal wound in a decisive battle. Xun You said: "Over the past few days, General Annan Duan Yan has been writing letters to Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu, but their attitudes have always been vague. It seems that Yuan Shao also wants to win them over." Cao Cao couldn't help sneering: "Zhang Xiu sees the wind and turns the rudder, let's see who is stronger, Yuan Shao or I. This kid only wants to be the winner. But he doesn't understand that only when you plant a tree can you eat fruit, and what you open your mouth to wait for is bird droppings!" Xun You reminded: "In case we are a little weak when we fight Yuan Shao, he will surrender to Yuan Shao immediately and attack us from behind." Cao Cao thought in his mind: It is much more difficult to guard against thieves for all ages than to be a thief for all eternity. Zhang Xiu will eventually have hidden dangers if he does not surrender.But that would be too bad for your reputation, and it would have a bad influence on Duan Yan and other generals in Guanzhong. What should we do about this matter... Guo Jia suddenly said loudly: "Master, I would like to go to Rang County to persuade Zhang Xiu to surrender!" "Huh?!" Cao Cao was stunned, "Are you going?" "Yes." Guo Jia clasped his fists together, "Ming Gong and Liu Biao are in peace now, Zhang Xiu has lost his backing, and the north and south are far away, even if he wants to follow Yuan Shao, he can't get it. Now that things are over, Zhang Xiu can no longer be an enemy of Ming Gong. There is a 90% chance of winning in Minggong's conquest!" "Ninety percent chance of winning...you are so sure?" Cao Cao waved his hand, "Do you know the crux of Zhang Xiu's problem?" "I know..." Guo Jia did know but couldn't say, because Cao Cao secretly took revenge on Aunt Zhang Xiu for murdering his son.He didn't mention this matter, but instead said: "I guess Jia Xu must know the interests of the north and the south and is willing to submit. It's just that the family members are restrained by Duan Yan and known by Zhang Xiu, so it's inconvenient to speak out, just to avoid suspicion. If I go In Rang County, Zhang Xiuxiao will be benefited and righteous, and he will guarantee that Minggong will not harm him, and if Jia Xu is blowing the wind, Zhang Xiu will definitely surrender!" Everyone understands the truth, but it is not easy to get things done.Cao Cao glanced at Xun You, seeing that his brows were furrowed tightly and he was not sure about it, so he said, "This method is feasible, but it is not necessary to be a filial relative. It is better to send other people to test it first, and see how Zhang Xiu reacts." "No! This job belongs to me." Guo Jia was very resolute, "When the soldiers entered Wancheng, Jia Xu and I had a lot of lingering. Only if I go, can I discuss unexpected things with Jia Xu. Moreover Well, if Duke Ming sends someone who is not a human being and is accidentally killed by Zhang Xiu, then the feud between our two families will be even more difficult to resolve. The lobbying must be successful once!" Cao Cao agreed with this reason, but he was reluctant to send Guo Jia to do this matter.In his mind, Guo Jia's position is very important, he is another counselor who is second only to the military adviser Xun You, and his future is limitless at a young age.The feud with Zhang Xiu has not yet been solved, lobbying is very risky, if a little carelessness causes this confidant to die in Rang County, wouldn't it be heartbreaking to die? Seeing Cao Cao and Xun You's expression of unbearable expression, Guo Jia was very grateful in his heart, but he said carelessly: "My lord and military advisor, please rest assured, I will be able to succeed in no time with my three-inch tongue. Let Cao Gong ten victories that day Saying the theory again is enough for Zhang Xiu to move his mind!" Seeing his playful smile, Cao Cao said with confidence, "Okay, but you must be careful." Guo Jia patted his chest and said, "I will definitely succeed in no time!" Cao Cao shook his head meaningfully: "It doesn't matter if you succeed or not, but you must come back alive. I still expect you to go to the grave for us old things!"