"Sir, the news must be sealed at this time, otherwise the morale of the army will be in chaos!" Jia Xu reminded beside Yuan Xi.
Yuan Xi nodded and said: "Everyone, the news of Tao Shijun's death must be kept secret, otherwise the army will be in chaos and will be defeated."
After Tao Shang and Tao Ying nodded in agreement, they continued to weep, while Mi Zhu arranged the affairs behind Tao Qian's death. Including preserving the body, finding a substitute for Tao Qian, comforting the generals and soldiers, etc.
Guo Jia's eyes flashed with cunning, and he whispered in Yuan Xi's ear: "Sir, this is an opportunity that can be exploited."
At noon the next day, Xuzhou soldiers and civilians set off again. In the meantime, Yuan Xi made some arrangements through Mi Zhu and Cao Hong.
After several high-level decisions, Liu Bei led 20,000 soldiers and 20,000 civilians to go north with the Qingzhou Army.
First, attack Cao Cao's army and buy time for the remaining soldiers and civilians. Second, Liu Bei followed Yuan Xi to break through the siege by land and go north to Qingzhou. Nearly 10,000 Xuzhou soldiers and guards were left with money, food and supplies, and the remaining civilians headed south to Guangling.
The team heading south was naturally led by Mi Zhu. Yuan Xi asked him to select those craftsmen. When he arrived in Guangling, he moved to Qingzhou with the sea ships. Under the leadership of Cao Hong and Mi Zhu, several other Xuzhou noble families also moved to Qingzhou, including high-ranking Xuzhou officials. Including Chen Deng’s family.
Liu Bei led 20,000 soldiers and more than 20,000 civilians to follow Yuan Xi's army to the north. According to Yuan Xi's instructions, the more than 20,000 people were the families of Liu Bei's Xuzhou soldiers. These civilians are not only fleeing, but are also responsible for escorting food and grass.
It took less than an hour to set off. A small group of Xuzhou Army cavalry scouts engaged Cao Chun's tiger and leopard cavalry, and their whereabouts were clearly unable to be concealed from the other side. The route that Liu Bei and Yuan Xi's army took northward was to go east, passing through Xiapi Quyang to Quxian, Donghai County, and then through Langya to Qingzhou.
The Chinese army led by Cao Cao was only half a day away from the Xuzhou army. As soon as they arrived at the boundary of Ling County in Guangling, a scout leader sent an urgent report.
"General, our scouts have made many inquiries and found that there are many soldiers and civilians at the rear of the Xuzhou Army wrapped in plain clothes."
"What! You can see it clearly!" Cao Cao asked anxiously.
"It's absolutely true, it started this morning. And their marching speed in the middle song and the front song seems to have accelerated." the scout leader reported.
Cao Cao looked around at the several counselors and asked, "Do you think it was Tao Qian who died?"
"If what you see is true, a big shot in Xuzhou's army must have died. And the only one who can make the soldiers and civilians look plain white is Tao Qian." Cheng Yu replied.
"Could it be a deception from the Xuzhou Army?" Cao Cao asked doubtfully.
In history, Zhou Yu used Yuan Xi's trick to plan Jiangling and defeat Cao Ren. Unfortunately, Cao Cao was not Cao Ren.
"It may be a trick by Xuzhou to lure us into the local area, but we cannot rule out the possibility of Tao Qian's death. Because Tao Qian was already old, and the war was not going well, which made him worried, and he was bumpy and homeless on the road. It is not that he died. It’s impossible.” Cheng Yu said.
"But how to tell whether Tao Qian is really dead or fake?" Cao Cao asked with a frown. He is suspicious and always pays more attention to everything.
However, the advantage of Cao Cao compared to Cao Ren at that time was that he was on the offensive side and had a military advantage, while Yuan Xi was on the defensive. This is the strategy of treating different diseases with the same treatment in traditional Chinese medicine.
"It's really hard to tell." Xi Zhong shook his head and said, "But we must not miss the opportunity to fight. If we don't step up the pursuit, we will miss the opportunity to annihilate the Xuzhou Army."
"Where ahead? Is there a dangerous pass?" Cao Cao asked again, his suspicion gaining the upper hand again.
"Guangling Ling County, further south are Lingshui, Si River, and Huai River. If they can't stop the Xuzhou army from crossing the river, they can defend the bank. It will be difficult for our army to pursue them again, so we can only let them go to Guangling." Xun You. replied.
Cao Cao hesitated and asked doubtfully: "If Tao Qian was really dead, why would Liu Bei, Mi Zhu, and Yuan Xi publicize it so much? Wouldn't this disturb the morale of the army?"
"False and true, who can know whether it is true or false except to come forward and test it." Le Jin replied.
"Whether it's true or not, our army doesn't dare to rush in and pursue it quickly. It's such a clever move, I'm afraid it's a plan made by those in Qingzhou." Xi Zhong said.
"Mengde, we have to go south to pursue him anyway. As long as we are careful to test him, we are not afraid of what he will do!" Cao Ren said confidently. In the past two years, he has won consecutive victories in Yuzhou. Not only has his ability improved a lot, but his confidence has also greatly increased.
"Otherwise, Ling County's water network is intertwined and the terrain is complex, so we cannot march rashly!" Cao Cao decided: "Instruct Cao Chun to expand the reconnaissance distance, which will inevitably find out whether the Xuzhou Army has an ambush. Let the Chinese army stop and reorganize, and send out a few troops People immediately stepped forward to seize the dangerous spot."
Two thousand "Tiger and Leopard Cavalry" were divided into teams of 500 cavalry and divided into multiple guerrilla routes. Fortunately, the terrain near Ling County is complicated and is not conducive to the deployment of cavalry. Otherwise, with only two thousand tiger and leopard cavalry, the Xuzhou Army would be in a hurry.
Among Liu Bei's direct soldiers, there are also nearly two thousand local cavalry. Most of them are the remnants of Tian Kai's Youzhou elite cavalry during Yuan Xi's attack on Qingzhou. Later, when Liu Bei was stationed in Pengcheng, he expanded the number and pieced it together to two thousand. ride.
Liu Bei's two thousand cavalry were responsible for blocking the tiger and leopard cavalry. Of course, those two thousand cavalry could not resist the two thousand tiger and leopard cavalry. Fortunately, they had Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, two powerful generals who could defeat ten thousand people, as well as Yuan Xi. More than 600 cavalry guards were deployed to provide support.
Facing the battle, Zhang Fei became excited. He waved his spear and led the cavalry to continuously attack and stab. If it weren't for the tiger and leopard cavalry who were all elites who were good at riding and shooting, they would not have been able to withstand the fierce attack led by Zhang Fei.
This time the army going south to Qingzhou all took the sea route by boat, so they couldn't bring more horses with them. Plus Yuan Xi's five hundred tiger guards. A total of more than 1,200 riders. More than 600 guards and knights were led by Zhao Yun and Tai Shici. Their combat prowess is no less than that of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, and they won't suffer any loss when fighting with spears.
As a result, the cavalry on both sides got into a stalemate and melee, although the tiger and leopard cavalry had the upper hand in the confrontation. But they couldn't break through the blocking of Liu Bei's cavalry.
Yuan Xi rode "Jueying" on a high ground and looked at the flags moving in the distance, fighting the cavalry on both sides. Guo Jia, Jia Xu and Xu Chu followed him with more than 500 tiger guards.
Liu Bei and Guan Yu were also riding horses beside them. Behind them were a thousand elite soldiers named "White Er", most of whom were disciples who had followed Liu Bei in the uprising in Zhuo County, Youzhou.
"Second Young Master, it seems that Cao Cao really doesn't dare to advance any further." Liu Bei said.
Yuan Xi smiled slightly, "Cao Cao is good at seizing opportunities and making decisions at the moment. But he also has a suspicious side. Our army deliberately let out the news of Tao Shijun's death, but he did not dare to pursue urgently."
Guo Jia also watched indifferently. His idea was to firmly grasp Cao Cao's suspicious mentality.
"That's not necessarily true. This tactic can only delay Cao Cao for one day. The harder we resist, the more he will see through our suspicious tactics." Guo Jia said.
"By then, Mr. Mi Zhu and the others will have led their troops across Surabaya, and half of our mission will be completed." Liu Bei said.
"As soon as it gets dark, let the grain and people move to Quyang. Then we won't have to worry about retreating." Guo Jia suggested.
Liu Bei nodded in agreement, and said to Yuan Xi with envy: "Young Master has so many talented people. Not only are there brave warriors like Zhao Zilong and Zhang Wenyuan, but there are also talented people like Mr. Guo. It's really enviable."
Yuan Xi smiled lightly and said, "The two brothers Xuande Gong are talented people who can be defeated by thousands of people. Why should I be envious of them?"
Guan Yu heard that it was quite useful. He didn't like the Qingzhou Army because of his stance, but he still respected the learned scholars. Apart from his status as governor of one side, Yuan Xi was also a famous talent in the Han Dynasty, and could be praised by celebrities as "the enemy of ten thousand people". Guan Yu unconsciously pushed his chest higher.
"Once night falls, when we take action, does General Xuande have any doubts about the arrangements in the field?" Guo Jia asked. After consultation. The plan to intercept Cao Cao's army was planned by Guo Jia.
"Sir, the arrangements are very appropriate. I will let them execute them." Liu Bei agreed.
As soon as the sky darkened, the Xuzhou army began to beat the war drums, and the sound spread as far as Cao Cao's army camp. Moreover, a group of soldiers continued to harass the surrounding areas of the Yanzhou military camp. As soon as the Yanzhou soldiers attacked, they immediately retreated. As soon as Yanzhou soldiers entered the camp, they left and returned again.
Cao Cao was shocked and angry. He said angrily: "The thieves from Xuzhou really bullied me too much. This is obviously a trick to weaken the army. They want to disrupt our army, but they were tricked by the Yuan family boy."
"Could it be to lure our army to attack in full force?" Xia Houyuan asked in the tent.
"General Miaocai is right, it's either a trick to lure the enemy or a trick to mistrust the soldiers." Xi Zhong replied, "No matter which strategy it is, we dare not attack easily. The person who made the plan is really very tricky. Maybe It’s Guo Fengxiao.”
"That genius Guo Fengxiao that Wen Ruo mentioned?" Cao Cao asked with a frown.
"Yes, in the old days, Wen Ruo, me, and he were all studying at Yingchuan Academy. Because we had similar interests, we were close friends." Xi Zhong talked about the old days and said, "At that time, Mr. Shui Jing came to give lectures and said Wen Ruo had Wang Zuo is a talented person, while Guo Fengxiao is a tricky genius. One is good and the other is strange. If they work together to assist a wise master, they will definitely achieve great achievements."
Recalling the scene when Xun recommended him, Cao Cao also felt it was a pity and regretted, "Wen Ruo strongly recommended Guo Jia and asked me to ask Yuan Benchu for it. But at that time, our army had to rely on Yuan Shao, so it was clear that the request was fruitless. At that time, When we met again, he was already a member of Yuan Xi’s staff, and it was really God’s disobedience!”
"Although Guo Jia is witty and good at coming up with strange ideas, he is also dissolute and thinks very highly of himself. Most people may not be able to tolerate his behavior." Xun You said, although he did not know Guo Jia well, he recognized Guo Jia.
"I wish I could gather all the talents in the world into my hands!" Cao Cao sighed.
"My lord has already issued an order to recruit talents. If I can serve the emperor's orders again, the heroes of the world will rush to join me. There is no need to sigh." Xun You said.
"Alas, there are many talented people in the world, but Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and others can easily recruit a group of talents based on their family background, and I will try my best to recruit them."
"My lord, Yuan Shao and his ilk are far behind in employing people. You are able to recruit talented people from poor families regardless of their family background. But although Yuan Benchu is a corporal, he looks down on the children of poor families." The dramatist said with a smile: "Isn't that true? I don’t know that the children of poor families are not without talents, and the Pingyuan Marquis and the Champion Marquiss are also people of low status. Emperor Wu can not appoint people based on their family background, so he has all the talented people under his command. Now that the Lord can do this, is he still afraid that the talented people will not join him? ?”
Cao Cao smiled and looked outside the camp. After a while, Le Jin was carried into the tent.
"What's going on!" Cao Cao said in shock and anger.
"General Le led his troops to attack, but was injured by the enemy general." A soldier said.
"Who hurt him?" Cao Cao asked in surprise. Among Cao Cao's troops, Le Jin's martial arts skills were among the best, not inferior to those of the Xiahou brothers.
"He is a red-faced general, like Liu Bei's brother Guan Yu."
"Ah! It's him!" Cao Cao's mood was complicated. Ever since the princes gathered to attack Dong Zhuo, he had been deeply impressed by Guan Yu. Unfortunately, Guan Yu was loyal to Liu Bei and was not easy to recruit.
"Mengde, if you attack so rashly, you might be ambushed. It's better to stick to the camp and wait until daybreak to investigate." Cao Ren suggested.
Night battles place extremely high demands on soldiers, and the probability of accidental damage and ambush is greatly increased. Unless it is absolutely necessary, half of the generals will avoid night battles in unfamiliar places.
In fact, the Xuzhou Army's defeat was irreversible. Even if they fled to Guangling, they would not be able to hold on for long. On the contrary, if Cao Cao's army falls into an ambush trick, it will give the opponent a chance to turn defeat into victory. Naturally, Cao Cao wanted to be on the safe side, so he ordered his soldiers to rest in turns to guard against enemy night attacks.
Early the next morning, news of the latest investigation came from the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry scouts.
"General, the Xuzhou Army's camp is empty. They broke camp overnight and fled north."
Cao Cao's face turned red and white, while Cheng Yu sighed: "It turns out that the Xuzhou army had made up its mind to escape in separate ways, but they couldn't do anything to make them suspicious. It must have been a bluff last night to cover the retreat of their main force.
"Should we divide our troops into two groups and pursue them, or should we concentrate our forces and pursue them all together?" Xia Houyuan asked.
"I'm afraid there are also Qingzhou troops going north. They want to flee back to Qingzhou. The remaining ones want to escape to Guangling." Xun You said.
"Send the tiger and leopard cavalry to chase after General Cao Ren. Although we don't want to encircle and annihilate them, we must be careful to prevent them from using any tricks. The rest of the troops will go south to Guangling, and they will quickly occupy the entire territory of Xuzhou." Cheng Yu suggested.
Cao Cao pondered for a while and took out the order.
On the other hand, Yuan Xi was saying goodbye to Guo Jia.
"Zilong, protect Fengxiao." Yuan Xi ordered.
Zhao Yun cupped his fists with a determined expression on his face.
"Don't worry, young master, I have the right to go sightseeing and visiting friends." Guo Jia laughed on his horse.
"Actually, you can just tell the people below to do it. You don't have to go in person to perform the duties."
Guo Jia shook his head and said, "Only I can do this. When I return to Qingzhou, I will definitely give you a surprise.
At dawn, by the Lingshui River in Ling County. It was late autumn at this time, and the rivers and streams had dried up. It was like the mountains were high, the moon was small, and the rocks were falling.
There is no ancient pavilion road, no banquets and entertainment, but Yuan Xi is here to see Guo Jia off.
"Zilong, protect Mr. Fengxiao." Yuan Xi ordered.
Zhao Yun, who was standing behind Guo Jia, clasped his fists and promised: "Don't worry, young master, Zilong will definitely protect Guo's military advisor."
Yuan Xi gave Guo Jia some more instructions and advised: "The road to Yangzhou is difficult and dangerous. Just send a few capable confidants instead of going there in person."
Guo Jia shook his head with a smile and said, "Although I don't want to take a sea ship again, for the sake of the young master's great cause, I still have to go there in person. The young master is waiting for good news from Jia in Qingzhou."
Yuan Xi gave some more instructions and asked Guo Jia, Zhao Yun and a dozen guards to set off south. Previously, Guo Jia told Yuan Xi that there should be no more wars after going north, as long as Jia Xu accompanied the army. He wanted to visit an old friend in Yangzhou.
Under Yuan Xi's questioning, Guo Jia revealed that the old friend was Liu Ye from Huainan. This made Yuan Xi very excited, so he agreed to let Zhao Yun escort Guo Jia to Guangling, and then go south from Guangling to Yangzhou.
Because they were eager to escape, even with more than 20,000 soldiers and their families, Liu Bei's army and Yuan Xi's army marched at a slow pace. They went north along Quyang in the east of Xuzhou, and took a short rest after arriving in Quxian.
During this period, Liu Bei sent an order in the name of Tao Qian with the seal of Xuzhou Mu, asking Zang Ba, who was still defending Tancheng, to lead his troops northward.
