"No, General Le only sees the superficial, but doesn't know what's going on in Xuzhou." Xun You shook his head and said, "Xuzhou is controlled by wealthy families. They are powerful. Even Tao Qian wants to act based on their appearance."
"What does this have to do with Yuan Xi?" Le Jin asked confused.
"We get food from the enemy, but this is not a long-term solution. After we capture the whole territory of Xuzhou, we still need to stabilize the people and cultivate them. Or move the civilians from Yanzhou. But after all, Tao Qian has a profound influence in Xuzhou. If we and Yuan were to The family fought decisively, and Tao Qian suddenly returned to Xuzhou to recruit his old troops. Then our army would have a wide open door behind us, and we would see how Gongsun Zan was defeated before." Xun You explained.
"This is an unknown number. We are about to attack Xiapi City." Cao Cao said firmly.
Xun You had complicated thoughts. It was Cheng Yu, Xi Zhong and others who came out to take advantage of the natural disaster to attack Xuzhou. This move forced the Qingzhou Army and Jizhou Army to wait and see without rescue, and watched Xuzhou being annexed by Cao Cao.
However, the negative consequences of using war to support the battlefield are also very obvious. The Yanzhou Army has too deep grievances in Xuzhou. After conquering the entire territory of Xuzhou, the resettlement of civilians and the recovery of production will be a big problem.
After this tragic strangulation battle, Xuzhou's population will inevitably decline to a certain extent. This is a war, not a game.
It may take three to five years for the prosperous place in the past to recover. If the Yuan family's power hadn't grown too fast, Xun You would have disapproved of this strategy.
"My lord, I have a favor to ask of you," Xun You said.
"Gongda, just say it." Cao Cao agreed readily. He relied heavily on his two uncles and nephews from the Xun family.
Xun You hesitated for a moment, but still advised: "If the city is destroyed, my lord can only kill Tao Qian. Please spare the civilians in Xiapi City."
Cao Cao's face darkened and he said, "If they don't help Tao Qian resist our army, then I won't embarrass them. But if they follow Tao Qian and fight to the death, I won't be merciful!"
"The villagers are all ignorant people. They were just bewitched by Tao Qian. If my lord really wants to secure Xuzhou and achieve a great cause, he must be tolerant. After all, people's livelihood is the foundation of hegemony." Xun You advised again. .
Cao Cao snorted coldly, so-called father and son, ruler and minister. In this era, the relationship between father and son and son and father is very special. The father tells the son to die, but the son dare not not die, otherwise it would be treason. The hatred for killing one's father is irreconcilable. This is in view of the rule of filial piety at this time.
The wife has a subordinate status. Liu Bei said that a wife is like clothes, including his wife and children. Like in history, when Cao Cao's father was killed, he could massacre the people of Xuzhou to vent his anger. But his son Cao Ang was killed. He could tolerate Zhang Xiu's second surrender, at least on the surface.
Xi Zhong and Cheng Yu knew what Cao Cao was like, but they didn't say anything. Maybe they could sacrifice the innocent civilians in Xuzhou who were robbed and killed in order to achieve Cao Cao's great cause.
Cao Cao rode away and paid no attention to Xun You. In fact, he also had pain in his heart. My father was murdered inexplicably, and the murderer escaped without a trace. He was full of anger and had nowhere to vent his anger, so he could only find Tao Qian as the target to vent his anger.
After the defeat in the last battle of Xuzhou, Cao Cao calmed down and followed Xun You's policy to develop towards Yuzhou. As a result, his strength increased greatly in just over a year.
But suppressed hatred brewed in his heart. At this time, it broke out even more ferociously and violently. Otherwise, with Cao Cao's talent and knowledge, he would not have done anything to kill civilians.
Once you take the first step in some things, it is difficult to look back. Just like Cao Cao decided that Tao Qian was the enemy who killed his father, so he would take revenge regardless of the consequences, otherwise he would be ridiculed by the world, or despised for his unfilial piety. .
But the consequences of swallowing Xuzhou in one gulp were very obvious. He got a barren territory. A large number of troops must also be sent to defend. Instead of annexing Xuzhou, firstly, there is no excuse for revenge. Secondly, Xuzhou, east of Yanzhou, is always an uncertain factor. In the decisive battle with the Yuan family, being cold and decisive is the key to victory.
The sky was gray, and the east and south gates of Xiapi City opened at the same time. More than 10,000 Xuzhou Army soldiers poured out of each of the two gates. They were on alert, monitoring the movements of the Yanzhou Army on the opposite side. After a while, a large number of carriages, horses and civilians also poured out of Xiapi. They fled southward under the organization of about 10,000 other soldiers.
War drums. Bugles sounded everywhere, and after a while the Yanzhou army also moved out of the camp and formed an array.
"Lord, which part to attack?" Le Jin asked urgently.
Cao Ren, who had retreated to Xuzhou, also came to the Chinese army to ask for orders. Cao Chun, who had assembled more than two thousand tiger and leopard cavalry, was even more eager to try.
Cao Cao looked at the Xuzhou soldiers and the civilians heading south. He asked, "Gongda, Zhongde, and Zhicai, how do you think we should fight?"
"Although the Xuzhou Army withdrew, their formation was not in chaos. They must have been well organized to prepare for our attack. Their soldiers must have fought desperately to escape. At this time, there is no benefit in forcing our army to fight." Xun You said.
"Just let them go like this?" Le Jin asked angrily. "Gongda is right. We can't attack by force at this time." Cao Cao nodded in agreement, "Our army only needs to follow closely. After a day, their soldiers will slack off and just run for their lives. Attacking again at that time will definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort!" "
Le Jin, Cao Ren and others thought it made sense and all agreed.
"Zihe, lead your tiger and leopard cavalry to follow them closely and report the battle situation to the Chinese army at any time!" Cao Cao ordered.
"promise!"
On the other side, Yuan Xi, surrounded by five hundred tiger guards, commanded eight thousand Qingzhou soldiers to retreat in an orderly manner. Cao Cao's army did not attack immediately, which gave Xuzhou army and more than 60,000 civilians time to retreat. Tao Qian had already evacuated many civilians before. Among the more than 60,000 civilians, at least half were tenant farmers of wealthy families.
With 60,000 civilians and 30,000 Xuzhou troops, such a large team moved very slowly. Fortunately, Tao Qian and others had prepared in advance and allocated the troops and horses at the rear and organized the civilians, so that although the movement was slow, it was still orderly.
In the evening, nearly 100,000 Xuzhou soldiers and civilians stayed overnight beside the official road. The long team lit bonfires everywhere, which looked like stars from a distance, and also looked like a coiled fire dragon.
Yuan Xi led a group of subordinates on horseback to patrol, and the more they watched, the more they frowned. This time the troops evacuating Xuzhou brought more money and food, and took away everything they could. The rest of the land that could not be taken away was burned down. Xiapi was already an empty city.
However, the money, food and baggage carried were much heavier, which not only affected the marching speed, but also required a large part of the soldiers to organize the transportation.
Soon Yuan Xi and others found Tao Qian and several of his staff.
After a day of traveling, Tao Qian looked even more haggard. He fed his two sons soup and medicine.
Seeing Yuan Xi coming, Tao Qian asked: "Second Young Master, you see that Cao Cao did not pursue him. Why is that?"
"We are on strict guard and there is no opportunity for Cao Cao to take advantage of," Cao Hong said.
Yuan Xi shook his head and explained, "This is just one of them. After we retreat for a certain distance, the soldiers will slack off, and that's when Cao Cao launches an attack."
"I don't think so. As long as we take strict precautions, how can we give Cao Cao an opportunity to take advantage of us?" Mi Fang retorted.
He is very confident in his "Danyang soldiers" and is trying to establish military exploits. However, the "Danyang soldiers" were Tao Qian's personal soldiers, so they naturally had to protect Tao Qian.
"What the Major General said is that after escaping for a while, the soldiers will definitely slack off. No matter how rigorous the defense is, they will lose their energy. Once the battle goes wrong, it is likely to be the result of a defeat." Chen Deng worried.
"It's not about escaping, nor is it about defending. It's better to rush forward and fight!" Zhang Fei, who was standing behind Liu Bei, complained again.
"Don't take offense at your brother-in-law's nonsense," Liu Bei said apologetically.
Guo Jiaze, who was following Yuan Xi, his eyes lit up and said: "What General Zhang said is that retreating blindly will only give the Yanzhou Army an opportunity to take advantage of. It is better to take the initiative to attack, which will not only catch him off guard, but also delay him." Keep their main force behind and give the team transporting baggage a chance."
"It's a good idea." Mi Zhu said. The Mi family's money, food, and property were mostly transported by horse-drawn carriages and were already heading towards Guangling. According to the speed of their Mi family's horse-drawn carriage, Cao Cao's army could not catch up. Once the family's small assets were free of worries, Mi Zhu felt at ease.
"Who can lead the troops to attack Cao Cao's army?" Tao Qian asked.
Cao Bao didn't say anything. He didn't want to do this hard work and couldn't do it. Yuan Xi didn't say anything. He didn't have to risk his life for Xuzhou and Tao Qian.
Liu Bei looked at the crowd, then looked at Tao Qian, gritted his teeth and asked for orders: "Tao Shijun, if you don't give up, I would like to lead your troops to attack Cao Cao."
"Okay, okay! Xuande is indeed a person worthy of entrustment." Tao Qian coughed for a while, then handed the talisman for mobilizing ten thousand soldiers to Liu Bei and said.
Liu Bei solemnly took the mobilizing talisman and said, "I will do my best to stop Cao Cao."
Yuan Xi took the opportunity to ask: "How is Tao Shijun considering whether to retreat to Guangling and fight to the death, or to take refuge in Hebei?"
As soon as this was said, everyone fell silent, waiting for Tao Qian's decision.
Tao Qian kept coughing. He shook his head and nodded again.
Because of Tao Qian's reliance, Liu Bei had to bite the bullet and accept the task of raiding Cao Cao's army.
"Okay, okay! Xuande is indeed a person worthy of entrustment." Tao Qian coughed for a while, then took out the military talisman for mobilizing ten thousand soldiers and handed it to Liu Bei.
"I will do my best to stop Cao Cao's army!" Liu Bei solemnly took over the troop mobilization talisman.
Yuan Xi took the opportunity to ask: "How is Tao Shijun considering whether to retreat to Guangling and fight to the death, or to take refuge in Hebei?"
As soon as this was said, everyone fell silent, waiting for Tao Qian's decision. Tao Qian kept coughing. He shook his head and nodded again.
"What will happen to the people of Xuzhou when I leave?" Tao Qian asked weakly.
"But our army is no match for Cao Cao. If this continues, won't the people suffer?" Cao Hong advised: "Your Excellency, you are not running away for your own life. You are retreating for the time being to better protect the people of Xuzhou!"
"Cao Hong, are you trying to trick Lord Tao into handing over Xuzhou to Cao Cao?" Mi Fang asked.
"I'm just discussing matters. The current war situation is very unfavorable to our army. Even Xiapi has been lost, and Guangling is not a defensible place! It's better to retreat temporarily, not only to avoid casualties, but also to preserve our strength." Cao Hong argued. He was originally Tao Qian's confidant, but after taking refuge with Yuan Xi, he was ordered to play beside Tao Qian.
"Sir, it will be very disadvantageous for us to continue fighting like this. It is better to retreat to Qingzhou." Mi Zhu finally advised.
Tao Qian coughed and sighed, and said, "It's not that I want to abandon Xuzhou. I can't do anything about it!"
"Don't be sad, sir. As long as you maintain your strength, he will make a comeback in the future." Cao Hong advised.
Tao Qian hesitated for a while and asked: "The Yanzhou army is chasing closely, how should they retreat to Qingzhou? What should they do with these people and baggage?"
Seeing that Tao Qian had decided, Chen Deng had to say: "We still have to let General Xuande attack Cao Cao's army. Give us a chance. As for the people, let those who are willing to go to Qingzhou with your Excellency go north by land with Major General Yuan. The rest. The common people escorted them to Guangling first, and then handed Cao Cao a document saying that Tao Shijun should withdraw from Xuzhou and that Cao Cao should stop killing people. Tao Shijun and all of you escorted the baggage northward by sea."
Tao Qian nodded and said, "Just do as Yuan Long said. I wonder what General Yuan thinks about it?"
"Very appropriate." Yuan Xi naturally couldn't find fault with anything.
Tao Qian closed his eyes deeply. After a while, he waved to Liu Bei. Liu Bei stepped forward and knelt down. He thought Tao Qian was worried and had any other instructions.
Tao Qianqian said weakly: "I am old and ill, so I can no longer do anything. I will never return to Xuzhou after leaving Xuzhou this time. Xuande, you are a descendant of the Han Dynasty royal family, with great virtue and talents." , It’s just that you are trapped in shallow water and cannot stretch your ambitions. Now I will pass on Xuzhou Mu’s seal to you. I hope that in the future, Xuande, you can take control of Xuzhou again under the protection of Yuan Cheqi."
Everyone was surprised. Although Tao Qian had the intention to surrender Xuzhou, they did not expect that Tao Qian would pass the seal to Liu Bei at this time. Although Xuzhou was almost completely destroyed at this time. But this move undoubtedly handed over the remaining 30,000 Xuzhou soldiers to Liu Bei.
"Bei is so virtuous and capable, please take back your life!" Liu Bei stepped forward to support Tao Qian, his eyes overflowing with tears and said, "Bei was unable to defend Pengcheng and caused Xiapi to suffer a military disaster. This has betrayed the great trust of the envoy. Now that the envoy has entrusted the future of Xuzhou, how dare you let the future of tens of thousands of officials and people be ruined again!"
Tao Qian held Liu Bei's hands tightly and said, "Xuande, please don't refuse at this critical moment. When Yuan Cheqi sends troops to conquer Cao Cao, you will use this seal to regain Xuzhou."
"Brother, I trust you sincerely. Just accept it." Zhang Fei advised from the side.
Liu Bei waved his hand to signal Zhang Fei to silence him, and said, "Both young masters are talents of a moment. Why don't you entrust them to me?"
Tao Qian looked at his two sons Tao Shang and Tao Ying beside him, shook his head and said: "They have been studying classics and literature under my protection since they were young. They are very unfamiliar with military and government affairs. They are far less experienced than Xuande. Don't worry. To shirk."
"Xuande, Tao Shijun clearly shows his trust in you by entrusting you with such a big thing at this time of crisis. If you refuse again, wouldn't it mean that you don't want to accept this sincerity?" Chen Deng advised.
Liu Bei hesitated for a while, but when he declined, he had to bow deeply to Tao Qian and said, "Bei will do his best to not let you down." At this time, Liu Bei was not entirely hypocritical, but he was still a little moved. As for later in history, Baidicheng Tuogu was probably inspired by Tao Qian Tuogu.
Tao Qian smiled happily and said to his two sons: "You two brothers are not suitable for becoming officials, but you can keep a bit of the family business and go on to study with peace of mind."
Tao Shang and Tao Ying were considered kind and filial people, and they always obeyed Tao Qian's orders. They all nodded in agreement. So what if they disagreed. The Tao family in Xuzhou didn't count.
Tao Qian reached out to summon Yuan Xi again and said, "Second Young Master, these two useless dogs are entrusted to you. I will let them settle down their family business in Qingzhou, but I still need Young Master to take more care of them."
Yuan Xi felt uncomfortable hearing this, as Tao Qian seemed to be explaining his funeral arrangements. Yuan Xi could not afford to feed the 30,000 Xuzhou soldiers, but he gave them to Liu Bei, which made Yuan Xi unhappy.
But then I thought about it, Liu Bei could be used to fight against Cao Cao in the near future, and Liu Bei would not be given an advantage.
"Please be at ease, Commander Tao. I will take good care of the two young masters." Yuan Xi said silently.
Tao Qian took a long breath and said weakly, "Thank you so much, sir..."
As he spoke, he closed his eyes, which were already cloudy and dim, and another old minister of the big man passed away.
"Shijun!" "Sir!" "Father!" "Shijun Tao!" everyone called anxiously.
But no matter how they called, Tao Qian still closed his eyes and fell unconscious. Liu Bei, Tao Shang, and Tao Ying held Tao Qian's body and cried bitterly.
