Chapter 24 Raid on Liu Bei

In the first month of the fifth year of Jian'an (200 A.D.), Cao Cao led the newly attached General Zhang Xiu of Yangwu and General Liu Xun of Zhenglu to station in Guandu.Due to the demise of Dong Cheng and Liu Fu, the potential threats within the imperial court have been greatly reduced, and Cao Cao is free to prepare for battle: Wei Zhong, the prefect of Hanoi, was stationed in the area of ​​Huai County, occupying the main roads in Hebei; Xia Houdun, the general of Jianwu, was stationed in Aocang and Mengjin to defend against the changes in the west; Lang General Cao Hong was stationed in Wan County to defend against Liu Biao's unexpected events; Runan Prefect Man Chong and General Li Tong guarded Runan to suppress the Yuan family and the remnants of Yuan Shu; Contain the enemy in Qingzhou; General Fubo Chen Deng stationed in Guangling to guard against Sun Ce's attack--all soldiers and horses occupy the frontier to respond to each other, and fully protect the periphery of Xudu.In addition, Yu Jin was stationed in Yanjin and Liu Yan was stationed in Baima, which were the most forward for preventing Hebei.After the distribution to the various fortresses was completed, Guandu's total force was less than 40,000. This team was Cao Cao's last capital against Hebei.

At the same time, General Yuan Shao finally formally raised his troops after a long period of coordination and preparation.The marching Sima Pangji stayed behind, and the military division was responsible for the transportation of grain and grass; he led 100,000 elite soldiers and 10,000 horses to the south, with the eldest son Yuan Tan, the governor of Qingzhou, and the commander-in-chief of the general, and generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou as the vanguard. Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong commanded the army, Gao Lan, Lieutenant of the Infantry, Zhang He, Lieutenant of Tunqi, Han Xun, Lieutenant of Yueqi, Xu You, the former general of Youzhou, and Jiang Qi and Jiang Yiqu, the former generals of Youzhou, joined the army.The army was dispatched from Yecheng and marched towards Liyang, an important town on the north bank. In order to show that the teacher was famous, and to instigate the separatists in the world to attack Cao Cao, Yuan Shao specially ordered the master book Chen Lin to write an eloquent article on the conquest①, enumerating Cao Cao's various crimes, and publishing To all states and counties in the world, create a great momentum.

But when this proclamation was passed to Guandu, Cao Cao was lying on the couch and moaning unceasingly.I don’t know if it was because the Yudai Edict was too exciting, or because the grave-digging King Liang Xiao had the spirit to retaliate. From that night on, Cao Cao suffered from headaches. In addition, he rushed to the front in the severe cold. .As the war was approaching, the commander-in-chief fell ill, and the whole army was in a hurry, but the military affairs could not be delayed, so we had to report all the troops to him for disposal. Cao Cao lay on his back, covered his face with a cloth soaked in cold water, and covered his dim eyes. Only in this way could he relieve the pain a little.Fanqin was standing tremblingly in front of the sickbed holding the proclamation, slowly chanting sentence after sentence, with cold sweat on his forehead.Chen Lin's essay is too sharp, and every word is like a sharp sword. She not only scolded Cao Cao himself, but also scolded Cao Cao's grandfather Cao Teng and father Cao Song all over the place, exposing their ugly family history to the public.

"Sikong Cao Cao, grandfather's constant servant Teng, together with Zuo Jin and Xu Huang, he was a monstrous evildoer, gluttonous and unbridled, hurting and abusing the people; Father Song... Father Song..." Fanqin paused after reading this, the following words are really not good Dare to export easily. "Don't be afraid, Huber, you didn't write this. Read it...continue reading..." Cao Cao moaned and pressed the wet cloth on his forehead. "Promise." Fanqin wiped off his cold sweat, cleared his throat and continued, "Father Song was raised by a beggar, and because of the stolen goods, he bought a golden chariot and jade, transported goods to wealthy families, stole tripods, and overthrew heavy weapons. Fuck you." Eunuchs are ugly and have no virtue at all. They are cunning and cooperating, and they are very troubled and happy..." Cao Cao was lying sickly, hot all over but not sweating. Hearing Chen Lin speak so badly about his father and son, he hated him. Gritting his teeth, he felt a splitting headache, and rolled on the couch involuntarily.Fanqin was startled: "Master! You..."

"Read! I want to hear what he has to say! Keep reading!" Fanqin was terrified, he couldn't afford to make Cao Cao mad at any rate, turned around to look at Xun You, Cheng Yu, Guo Jia and the others, all of them were ashamed and speechless, but they couldn't stop them.Fanqin had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue: "In the position of the three lords, he acts like a captive, pollutes the country and harms the people, and poisons people and ghosts! In addition, it is meticulous and harsh, and the science and defense are intertwined; Roads, pits and traps block the road; raise your hands to hang a snare, move your feet to touch a trap. Therefore, there are boring people in Yan and Yu, and the emperor has a grudge. Historical records show that the ministers of no way are greedy, cruel and fierce. What the fuck!"

"I'm so angry!" Cao Cao threw the wet cloth covering his face far away, "Zizi Chen Lin, I must kill you!" "It's important to be sick, my lord, calm down..." Everyone surrounded him. Cao Cao seemed to be overwhelmed by the pain and the proclamation. He opened his hands and pushed Xun You and Guo Jia away. He grinned and said, "Read! Keep reading..." Fanqin's face turned green, how could he dare to read on, and knelt down on the ground: "This is the rebellious words of Kuangsheng, don't listen to it. My lord, please take care of your health..."

Cao Cao felt that his head was about to burst, he held his head in his hands and shook it, and shouted, "Fart! If I tell you to read, keep reading. If you don't read, I'll kill you first!" Who dares to persuade him to say that?Fanqin didn't say anything more, let Cao Cao roar and yell, and knelt down on his heart and continued to read: "The shogunate honored the mighty spirit of the Han Dynasty and charged into the universe; there are millions of long halberds and thousands of horses; The soldiers of Huang Yuhuo, who are fighting hard, are good at bows and crossbows; Bingzhou is more Taihang, Qingzhou is involved in Jiluo... and military officers and soldiers, all those who can fight are from Youji, or the old camp, salty resentment The rest of the people of Yanyu, as well as the rest of Lu Bu Zhangyang, were overthrown and threatened, and they obeyed when they were in power; they were all created and barbarian, and they were enemies... fearing that the remote states and counties would listen to and give, and violated All the rebels, in the name of mourning, laugh for the world, then wise and wise will not take it. Today, the four states of Qinghai and Hebei will be merged together..." In the front, Cao Cao's evils are listed, and in the back, he shows off Yuan Shao's military strength, which is simply exaggerated For the gods descended from the sky, they are invincible in all battles, as if Cao Cao can be wiped out with a single breath.I don't know if Fanqin is angry or fighting it out. He let go of his throat and read a few cadences until finally, "The one who wins the leadership will be granted the title of Marquis of 5,000 households, and the reward will be 50 million. Those who are partial to the generals and school officials, don't have it." Asked. Guangyi Enxin, Bunyang Talisman Reward, announced to the world, so that the salty emissary will know that the Holy Dynasty is in trouble. It is like a law!" This aggressive masterpiece is finished.

"Ah..." Cao Cao yelled, turned over, fell from the couch to the ground, and immediately passed out.All the soldiers panicked, Cao Chun and Xu Chu rushed forward, pinching people, rubbing their chests, and beating their backs.Guo Jia dragged Fanqin and said: "He told you to read it and you read it, how can you be so honest! You are still cadenced! If there is something wrong with the lord, can you afford to kill your whole family?!" "Heck..." After hearing this, Fanqin's throat groaned, his eyes rolled up, and his body collapsed—he passed out again! "It's already this time, why are you accusing him?" Cheng Yu was also in a hurry, "Hurry up and take Fanqin out, first save the lord." The big tent was noisy and chaotic, those who carried people carried people, those who rescued them Xun You, who has always been prudent, was so anxious that he slapped his forehead in a hurry. If he didn't pay attention, this great military strategist actually stumbled the soldiers.

Unexpectedly, in the midst of the chaos, Cao Cao suddenly opened his eyes, pushed away the guards who were rescued, and a carp stood up straight!The tightly locked brows were also opened, the pale face was also rosy, panting heavily, the sweat from the corners of the forehead flowed down the cheeks like a waterfall, and the single clothes were already soaked, the sweat that had been held back for several days finally came out . "My lord..." Everyone was dumbfounded. "Hahaha..." Cao Cao gasped for a few breaths, suddenly looked up to the sky and burst out laughing, took off his single clothes and balled them up, wiping the sweat all over his body.

"My lord, your headache..." "Okay!" Cao Cao smiled and knocked his head. "Chen Kongzhang's scolding made me sweat profusely. It's really better than medicine. Hahaha..." Cao Chun didn't dare to neglect: "It's even worse if you get a wind in the cold weather, so hurry up and get new clothes for the lord." Cao Cao wiped off his sweat, then wiped himself with hot water, and finally put on a dry suit. He recombined his messy hair, and sat upright behind the handsome desk—in high spirits, as if he had recovered from his illness. "Congratulations, my lord, for recovering!" Guo Jia hurriedly said good things.

Cao Cao leaned over to pick up the call-to-action, and took a look again: "Chen Kongzhang, I think he had some friendship when he entered the shogunate, but now he hurts me like this. Hehehe, but no matter how beautiful the article is, it's just a matter of talking about military affairs and fighting wars on paper. It depends on the real skills!" Guo Jia also sneered: "Yuan Shao's red tape is unrealistic, what is the age, and he even issued a letter of war when he was fighting." "That's wrong," Cao Cao sneered. "The court and justice are in our hands. If he raises troops to attack me, he will commit the crime of attacking me. If he doesn't concoct an article, how can he be famous? Listen, you can get it." The person who is my head will be given the title of Marquis of 5,000 households, and a reward of 50 million yuan. He really thinks highly of me! If I write a letter to scold him, I will say, "Whoever wins the head of Yuan Shao will be rewarded with a piece of silk, a cow, and five baht a piece." Baiwen', his worth is worth so much in my eyes!" "Hahaha..." One sentence made Zhang Wenwu laugh out loud.Seeing that the curtain was lifted again, the master secretary Wang Bi walked in dejectedly, and when he looked up, he saw Cao Cao sitting majestically in front of the case, and almost fell to the ground: "My lord, my lord, you...you..." "I'm cured, thanks to the blessings of Yuan Shao and Chen Lin!" "Heaven bless! Heaven bless!" Wang Bi murmured rejoicing, his face suddenly became serious again, "Liu Dai and Wang Zhong have just returned from Xuzhou." "How is it?" Cao Cao was very concerned. Wang Bi frowned and said: "Alas... defeated! All the troops were killed and scattered, and Wang Zhong was injured. Wu Dun, Yin Li, and Sun Kang blocked Chang Ba, but they missed the old feelings and did not fight; They fought fiercely with Xu He and Guo Zu's gang of thieves. Liu Bei took advantage of the chaos to enter Xiaopei and sent Sun Gan to cross the river to contact Yuan Shao." "Huh?" Cheng Yu was a little confused, "The big-eared thief used to work from Gongsun Zan and once helped Kong Rong. Didn't he have enmity with the Yuan family?" "Hmph!" Cao Cao became furious when he mentioned this, "I regard him as the shepherd of Yuzhou, and as soon as he took office, he promoted Yuan Tan as a talented person, so the relationship has long been hung up. At first I thought he would ease the conflict for me, but now Only then did I realize that it was all paving the way for him... Order troops immediately, and I will personally lead the army to fight Liu Bei!" As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked: "My lord's body..." "I'm not sick now." Cao Cao wiped the sweat from his forehead, "How can I dare to get sick if I don't get rid of this confidant's trouble?" "Even so, it seems inappropriate to attack Liu Bei." Cao Chun was full of confusion, "It is Yuan Shao who is fighting for the world with the lord. Now that the Hebei army has left Yecheng, if the lord leads his troops to the east, there will be no commander at Guandu. If Yuan Shao makes a big move Crossing the river, how should our army respond?" "Hehehe," Cao Cao twirled his beard and narrowed his eyes, "Yuan Shao wants to fight for the world, doesn't the big-eared thief don't want to? This guy has the depths of a city and the danger of mountains and rivers in his heart. He is far more meticulous in his actions than Yuan Shao. If you don’t take it now, it will cause serious trouble in the future!” Wang Bi said again: "General Liu Xuande Long Legs has been defeated repeatedly in many battles, but now he only occupies Xiapi and Xiaopei, so he should not cause any harm." "Repeated defeats are nothing," Cao Cao muttered meaningfully, "But repeated defeats and repeated battles cannot be ignored..." Xun You and Cheng Yu nodded one after another, and Guo Jia even analyzed: "Yuan Shao was born hesitant and misunderstood. Coupled with the slow movement of the 100,000 troops, the marching speed must be slow. Even if he reaches Liyang, he will not cross the river easily. By the way, the lord's surprise attack at this time must be decided in one fell swoop." Cao Chun, Wang Bi, etc. still didn't quite understand, and murmured: "Yuan Shao is the one who rebelled against Liu Bei. If Yuan Shao breaks Liu Bei's self-determination, why should he abolish this move? It is a thousand li journey from Guandu to Xiapi. If the battle is delayed, it cannot be turned around." Back, wouldn’t it be a big mistake?” "You guys, it's really time to understand the mind of the big-eared thief..." Cao Cao didn't understand it at first, but now he has a thorough understanding of Liu Bei. To pacify the world, this kind of favor should be unbearable, right? But he still wants to turn against... Could Yuan Shao treat him better than me? Can he give him a bigger official? Since Liu Bei is not willing to follow me, he is also not willing to follow me. Maybe he is willing to follow Yuan Shao!" Cao Cao squinted his eyes and became more serious, "For him, Yuan Shao is just like me, a temporary friend. If I am defeated by Yuan Shao, what benefit will he get? So Liu Bei must defeat me in Yuan Shao There was a plan before, and we took advantage of the fierce battle to seize the territory and accumulate our own strength. Isn't it already Xiaopei? Xiaopei has Yanzhou in the north, Xuzhou in the east, and Yuzhou in the west. Let's confront Yuan Shao. In a year and a half, the land of the Central Plains will be eaten away by him! At that time, no matter whoever wins, Yuan Shao or I will have to fight him... So the best way now is to raise troops immediately, and first kill this big ear who is taking advantage of the fire. The thieves get out of the game, and then fight Yuan Shao down-to-earth." After some advice, Cao Chun, Wang Bi and others nodded silently, as if they understood a little bit. "This round-trip must be quick, and I will strive to return within a month." Cao Cao grabbed a big order while speaking, "Now someone needs to be stationed in Juancheng to prevent Yuan Shao from aiding Liu Bei through this way..." "I'll go!" Cheng Yuzao held back his meritorious service, and snatched Lingjian away before he finished speaking. "Zhongde is so impatient!" "My lord, needless to say, I will lead 700 soldiers of my subordinates to Juancheng to monitor the incoming and outgoing soldiers. After the lord fairly destroys Liu Bei, I will continue to station there to prevent Yuan Shao from making a detour." Juancheng is west of Baima, also Cheng Yu is well aware of the pros and cons of being an important town along the river in Yanzhou. Seeing that he had said all the things he wanted to ask, Cao Cao was very satisfied: "That's it! But your army is too small, how can 700 men be enough? I will send you another 2,000 soldiers." "I don't think it's necessary!" Cheng Yu waved his hand, and said resolutely, "Yuan Shao has a crowd of one hundred thousand, and he thinks he has nowhere to go. If the big soldiers come across the river, knowing that I have few soldiers, they will definitely disdain to attack. If I go to the city, I can take the opportunity to harass and make trouble. If the lord sends me more troops, he will have to attack Juancheng. No matter how brave three or two thousand people are, they will not be able to resist tens of thousands. Not only will I die in battle, but Guandu will also be lost. The precious two thousand soldiers, why bother if they are damaged in two places? I will use these seven hundred men to defend the city, and see what he can do to me!" "Brilliant!" Cao Cao slapped the table, "You are more courageous than Meng Ben and Xia Yu (famous ancient warriors)! I will repair the watch now, and I will seal you as..." Whenever Cao Cao talked about repairing watches Fanqin had picked up his pen and waited long ago, but now he was nowhere to be seen, "Huh? Where did Huber go?" Call you dizzy chant!Guo Jia and Cheng Yu covered their mouths and didn't dare to laugh. Xun You said with embarrassment, "Uncle Fanxiu has just contracted a sudden illness, and I'm afraid he will have to take care of it for a while. Let Xu Tuo take care of writing the essay for the time being." "Don't be the one who is in trouble," Cao Cao frowned, "you transfer Lu Wenwei to me." Lu Cui is now serving as a military adviser to sacrifice wine, and follows Xun You to handle military aircraft, "Ask him to draft a form for me, Jia Zhongde is General Zhenwei." "Thank you, my lord!" Cheng Yu did his part not to allow An Ran to accept it, "Your subordinates will raise their troops now." "I have to go, too." Cao Cao stood up, "Attack Liu Bei without delay. Send Zhang Liao and Xia Houyuan's troops to go with our Chinese army, select elite cavalry, and still hold high the Sikong banner. I will give him a thunderbolt. Ear... In addition, Yuan Min, who visited the river embankment, also listened to the army." "What do you want him to do?" Wang must be puzzled. Cao Cao said impatiently, "If you're told to go, just go, don't ask so many questions." Wang Bi passed the order, and Cao Chun and Xu Chu embraced his armor pocket: "My lord, is your health alright?" "It couldn't be better!" Cao Cao patted his chest, "Thanks to Yuan Shao for asking Chen Lin to send this essay. I don't care about cursing myself, and I don't answer cursing my parents. I don't want to play this kind of fighting tricks with him. What can I say?" See you on the battlefield!" After saying that, he snatched the bag and put it on his head neatly.