General's Mansion in Yecheng.
On this day, a major event occurred in the Yuan Mansion. Yuan Xi's first lady was poisoned, and her life or death was uncertain.
When Yuan Xi rushed to the General's Mansion, Zhen Mi had already led the maids and women to prepare for Gao Yue's funeral.
There was a sea of white clothes and armor inside and outside the General's Mansion. The penetrating white reflected a sad light in the sun, making Yuan Xi's scalp numb and his hair standing on end.
Yuan Xi hurriedly picked up a shivering boy on the ground and roared, "Madam, madam is dead?"
The boy was almost frightened by Yuan Xi's terrifying expression. He shook his head repeatedly and said: "No, no - soon -"
After calming down, Yuan Xi threw him to the ground like a lifeless sack. The servant's wailing was completely unable to inspire Yuan Xi's sympathy. People are so selfish!
Yuan Xi rushed into the courtyard where Gao Yue lived, and Zhen Mi happened to greet him from inside. She cried so hard that her voice became hoarse; "Husband, we are sorry for you—Sister Wu Gu—"
Yuan Xi looked solemn and asked anxiously: "Is she still alive?"
Zhen Mi burst into tears and said: "Husband, go and see her, I'm afraid it won't be more than an hour."
"Get out—" Yuan Xi shouted to everyone in the room, including Princess Wannian and Bu Lianshi.
The black curtains, the flickering soul-inducing lamp, and the lonely flames danced in front of Gao Yue's lying body. Yuan Xi seemed to be trembling with fear. He took two steps forward and lay down in front of the couch. After just one glance, Yuan Xi couldn't help but burst into tears and burst into tears.
Emperor Taizong Xuanwu and Yuan Xi had a very indifferent attitude towards women, with the exception of Gao Yue. Just like Li Shimin treated Empress Changsun and Liu Xiu treated Empress Yin Lihua, Gao Yue was the last soft place in Yuan Xi's heart. .
Gao Yue was wearing a plain robe, lying there motionless, her cherry lips as red as peony, pale and without a trace of blood, her charming face full of life, turned into a dead silence, her beautiful eyes filled with a charming smile, tightly closed Closed.
Looking at Gao Yue, the expectation in her eyebrows was vaguely visible, as if she was trying her best to maintain the weak flame of life and wait for him to come back.
Yuan Xi was distraught and tightly held a pair of catkins she placed flat on her chest.
This is how creation teases people. Yuan Xi lost his voice and said: "Wugu, don't die, don't die. I said I will protect you for the rest of your life. You have to give me a chance - you haven't become my queen yet -"
Gao Yue's fingers suddenly moved slightly in Yuan Xi's hand. Yuan Xi was startled and his whole body went numb.
Shocked, Yuan Xi leaned over and shook Gao Yue's delicate body; "You're not dead, Wugou, get up, get up, you can still be saved, hold on, I'll save you, hold on -"
I almost forgot, Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing are the top doctors in the Three Kingdoms, and right here in Yecheng, caring can lead to chaos.
Then Yuan Xi loudly ordered, "Quickly, please quickly invite Mr. Hua and Zhang, come quickly!"
Luzhu outside the door responded, "No!"
"Wugu, when you die, I will let all the quack doctors in Jizhou bury you with you. Including Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing." Yuan Xi swore in his heart.
Soon Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing arrived in a hurry, and Yuan Xi stood up to make way for them. Then Hua Tuo took out the silver needle in his arms.
Zhang Zhongjing conveniently took Gao Yue's arm, felt his pulse, and listened to the faint and almost disappearing melody of life.
Two quarters of an hour later.
With two soft "squeaks", Zhen Mi pushed the door open and came in. Seeing Yuan Xi's solemn behavior, she was frightened and at a loss.
Yuan Xi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, looked at Zhen Mi and said solemnly: "Don't worry, Wugu won't die for the time being."
Just because she can't die for the time being doesn't mean she can survive. If the poison in her body is not cured, she won't be able to wake up, and her life will be in danger at any time. What matters is, what kind of poison is this?
Who poisoned her? Could it be?
Yuan Xi had just handed over this matter to Liu Ye and Zhang Hong, asking them to take the secret guards and shadow guards to handle it, and mobilize the city's secret agents to search for all possible clues.
Yuan Xi's instruction to them was: "I would rather kill a thousand by mistake than let one go, including the people in the general's mansion."
One day later, a scout rushed into Cao Jun's tent.
"What?" After listening to the scout's report, Cao Cao, who was in charge, suddenly had a cold look in his eyes, which could almost freeze a person's flesh and blood: "You said that Yuan's army at Liyang camp raised its camp and withdrew. ....Withdrawn ten miles?"
The scout nodded hurriedly when he heard this: "Back to my lord, that's exactly what it is!"
"Are you sure you read that correctly?"
"My lord, this is such a big deal, even if I take ten courages, I would not dare to make fun of you, my lord!"
On Cao Cao's right, General Xiahou Dun burst into laughter and remonstrated: "Meng De, it must be that Ye City is in ruins, the troops in the Liyang camp are unsettled, the morale of Yuan's army is low, and Yuan's mediocre people cannot support him on the stage, so he retreated. If we don’t rush now, when will we wait?”
Cao Cao thought for a while, shook his head and said: "Otherwise, although Yuan Mai is nothing to worry about, Ju Shou, Jia Xu, Guo Jia and others are all wise men in the world. Zhang Jia and Zhang Xiu are both famous generals, and Yuan Xi also has many others in the army. Sima Yi, Zhang Liao and others are holding the battle, they are not so easy to deal with, how could they do this unwise thing of suddenly retreating?"
Xun You stood up, raised his hands to Cao Cao, and said, "My lord, your words are very kind. Let's take it slow."
Another day passed and the scout came to report again.
"Prime Minister, Yuan's army retreated another fifteen miles yesterday and set up another camp."
After hearing this, Xiahou Dun hurriedly admonished: "Mengde, Yuan Jun has withdrawn again. If we wait any longer, we may miss the opportunity!"
But I saw Cao Cao with a sneer on his face and said: "Why are you panicking? We only retreated fifteen miles a day. It is obvious that he is tempting us. How can you hide this from me... don't chase us!"
Dian Wei on the side said in a naive voice: "Yes! Play with him!"
Another day passed and the scout came to report again.
"How many miles did Yuan's army withdraw today?" Cao Cao asked in a cold voice as he knocked on the table with a bad expression.
The scout was stunned when he heard this and said hurriedly: "How could the Prime Minister guess that Yuan Jun was withdrawing today?"
Cao Cao suddenly became energetic and said happily: "Did Yuan Jun not withdraw today?"
"No, we evacuated, we evacuated for thirty miles!"
Cao Cao's expression suddenly darkened again.
Beside Cao Cao, Xun You touched his chin, thought carefully for a long time, and finally stood up and raised his hands to admonish: "My lord, Yuan's army is withdrawing more and more every day. If they use this as a trick to suspect troops, they will really withdraw to Jizhou and recapture Ye." City, I'm afraid that all the hard work of brothers Xin Ping and Xin Pi will be in vain, and we will also lose a God-given fighting opportunity, my lord must not ignore it."
Cao Cao's face was gloomy and he said: "But what if this is Yuan Jun's plan? If we pursue him like this, wouldn't we be falling into a trap?"
Next to Xun You, Cheng Yu stood up and said: "In this matter, my lord can select elite soldiers and fast cavalry overnight to harass Yuan Jun under your banner, but be careful not to go deep into it. Take advantage of the night to see if you can draw out Yuan Jun's ambush. If so, If there is an ambush, order the light cavalry to retreat quickly. If there is no ambush, then the lord will lead a large group of soldiers and horses to attack them. Wouldn't it be wonderful?"
Cao Cao nodded when he heard this: "Zhongde's words...are very good!"
So, at Xiahou Dun's enthusiastic request, Cao Cao sent a troop led by him and quickly advanced towards the rear of Yuan's army, while the rest of Cao's army were ready to go and displayed in the camp, just waiting for the news to come back. Then attack each other.
Yecheng the next day.
Shadow guard Han Long suddenly ran in from outside, his face covered with sweat and said excitedly: "Lord Qi, we have a clue, we have caught the person."
Yuan Xi stood up suddenly, rushed over, and grabbed his collar: "Who, who did you catch?"
Han Long panted along the spit: "He was a Huns who came up from the desert. He had a poison in his hand that was extremely powerful. A total of two hundred such people were captured in the city and more than fifty were killed. In the end, they were After scaring and investigating, we determined that it was this guy's poison, and he also said that the poison was snake venom."
Snake venom! No wonder Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing tried so many detoxification drugs on Gao Yue but none of them worked. It turned out to be snake venom! It’s a chronic neurotoxin! Only serum can save lives!
"Bring him up, quickly, no, take him to the prison, ask your people to come over and guard this room. No one can come in except me, not even Madam, go. Don't let any news leak."
Xiahou Dun's work efficiency was indeed quite fast, not inferior to Xia Houyuan, the pioneer who died in the Battle of Liyang. Soon, the scouts he sent back brought back an important message.
Yuan Jun indeed has an ambush!
After hearing the news, Cao Cao couldn't help laughing with joy.
"Hahaha, everyone, how are you? As I said, Ju Shou and others are all wise men of the world. Jia Xu and Guo Jia are both in troubled times. How could they do such a terrible thing easily? See? Sure enough, they do. The ambush...how about General Yuan Rang? Did Yuan Jun's ambush injure him? How much did he lose in terms of troops and horses?"
"Reporting to the Prime Minister, General Yuan Rang was not injured, and none of his soldiers and horses were injured. Although the ambush of Yuan's army the night before came out all over the mountains and fields with great momentum, it was extremely slow. General Xiahou Dun quickly evacuated. After pulling Yuan's army 800 miles away, Hebei's soldiers would not be able to catch up..."
When he finished speaking, Cao Cao suddenly stretched out his hand, grabbed the soldier's collar, and said angrily: "Are your words true or false?"
The soldiers were startled when they heard this, and nodded in agreement: "Hui, Hui, Prime Minister, of course...it's true!"
Behind Cao Cao, Xun You heard a bitter smile, sighed with emotion, and said: "The truth is false, the truth is false, the truth is false, there are indeed capable people in Yuan's army, Prime Minister, it seems that Yuan's army has really withdrawn this time."
Playing hard to get, pretending to be true, making false claims in the east and attacking in the west, the Liyang War combines the hard work and energy of Jushou, Jia Xu, and Guo Jia. You scheme against me, I encourage you, come and go, you fight for me, and finally reach the end. situation.
After learning that Xiahou Dun was pursuing Yuan's army, leading an ambush but not being attacked, Cao Cao and other counselors finally reached a consensus that Yuan's army had indeed retreated. Cao Cao decisively issued the order to pursue Yuan's army. One hundred thousand Cao's troops came one after another, swarming towards Yuan's army. pursued from behind.
"The general wants to ask questions. All the servants must gather in the courtyard." |
Half an hour later, all the servants and maids of the General's Mansion gathered in the wide white stone square facing the main entrance of the hall. Yuan Xi stood on the steps, with Han Long on his left and the Huns on his right.
There are roughly 400 to 500 servants in the General's Mansion, with a male to female ratio of one to three. Yuan Xi pretended to tell them some hygiene issues, and led the Huns to look at the maid sister all over.
The servants all felt that the general was stimulated or had a high fever, and it was a damn shame to leave the country alone and care about such trivial matters.
After saying a few words, Yuan Xi returned to the hall and quietly asked the Huns: "Did you see clearly? Is there any?"
"General Qi, I've already seen it and it's not there."
Yuan Xi was shocked. Could it be that he had made a mistake? Wugu was not poisoned by this kind of poison?
Yuan Xi called the housekeeper Yuan He, who was in charge of daily affairs, and asked in a low voice, "Are all the girls in the house here?"
Yuan He knew that the general was in a bad mood recently, and he always wanted to hide away, but now he came over bravely, trembling with fear when he spoke, nodding at first, and then shaking his head.
"There is—one—Bu Lianshi's wife's maid Lian'er is sick and has a fever, so she didn't come."
Step trainer! Yuan Xi's head was suddenly struck by lightning. After a moment of dizziness, he waved his hand: "Let them all disperse."
"Trainer, I heard that you are sick, and this general came here to see you. Come on, bring the gift in." Yuan Xi shouted outside.
Han Long and the Huns pretended to be soldiers, holding a few pieces of jewelry and walking in with their heads lowered. Han Long shaved off the Huns' mustache, darkened their faces, and put on a hard helmet, making them unrecognizable without looking carefully.
strangeness! The step trainer's eyes flashed with the characteristic look of a frightened deer, as if he was ready to run away at the first sign of movement. Seeing Yuan Xi's evasive eyes, her tone became more trembling: "No, no, I feel uncomfortable there, no."
Yuan Xiwen smiled and said, "By the way, where's Lian'er? Let her come out. The general has a gift for her."
Trainer Bu shuddered and chuckled: "Lian'er, she is really sick. She is in the back room."
"Then you should let me take a look. Don't forget, we have two famous doctors here." Yuan Xi pretended to be nonchalant.
"How is that possible? How can a lowly girl like her do this to her husband? It's not allowed." Trainer Bu was extremely reluctant.
Her expression made Yuan Xi more suspicious, so his face darkened: "Why, I don't even have this bit of face, general. I can't even see the beautiful girl next to you."
Trainer Bu felt a sense of desolation and fear in his heart, and sighed secretly, it would be okay if you were really a womanizer, but who doesn't know that you, Yuan Xi, are the world's most powerful overlord of Hebei, how could you suddenly miss the average-looking Lian'er? Could it be that -
Trainer Bu was not too stubborn and went to greet Lian'er. There was a sound of dressing in the room, and then there was a burst of palace shoes being broken, and Lian'er came slowly, twisting her graceful body.
"It's really a sin for Lian'er to see the general and let the general miss me as a little girl." Lian'er is articulate and lively and lovable.
There was a "clang" sound. The tray in the Huns' hands fell to the ground, and the gold, silver, and jade jewelry fell all over the floor.
Trainer Bu jumped up in fright, his face turned frighteningly white, and he kept smoothing his chest with his hands.
Yuan Xi's expression changed and he shouted at Han Long: "You bastard, if you don't take him down here, I'll give him a hundred more blows. Hurry."
Of course Han Long understood what Yuan Xi meant, which was to let him take the person away without exposing any flaws. How could the dignified deputy commander of the Shadow Guards not even understand this little trick!
Lian'er raised her head, but she hadn't seen the Huns' face clearly yet. Han Long shined a light on the Huns, who had two mouths anyway, and beat the Huns until their mouths were filled with blood. Han Long used his body to block the sight of Lian'er and Bu Lianshi, pinched the Huns' neck, and carried him away.
Lian'er didn't see anything, but she seemed to think that the soldier was going to be in trouble. Lian'er bent down and picked up the jewelry.
Yuan Xi felt very confident at this time and said to Lian'er: "Pick two pieces of jewelry to give to you. I'll give them to your lady in a few days. Just send them over."
Lian'er didn't doubt his presence, picked out a few pieces of jewelry, and was about to leave. I stopped her and took her pulse. Lian'er's arm was held by me, her pretty face flushed, and even her pulse beat faster.
She did have a fever, and she wasn't lying. So why is the step trainer so flustered? Could it be that he has a guilty conscience?
Lian'er took the jewelry and exited. Yuan Xi stepped forward and held the Bu trainer in his arms and said softly: "These days, the general is too busy to take care of you. Don't be offended."
Trainer Bu's pair of autumn eyes seemed to be filled with enchanting magic power as he looked at Yuan Xi. She put her head close to Yuan Xi's chest and cried: "I know, I don't care, I am born with a miserable life -"
After comforting and talking for a while, Yuan Xi came out in a hurry.
The Huns and Han Long were waiting for Yuan Xi in Gao Yue's room.
The Huns were so frightened that their faces turned yellow. When they saw Yuan Xi, their lower limbs were weak and they knelt down: "General, this villain deserves to die. The villain's poison was sold to that little girl named Lian'er just now-"
He looked at Gao Yue lying on the bed: "Then - this lady has been poisoned by the Seven Snakes. The villain will know it at a glance."
As expected, it was a walking trainer. Yuan Xi's heart tumbled, like bubbles in boiling water.
What should the step trainer do? Why did she do this? Was it jealousy and competition for favor in the harem? Or maybe it’s because of my grandfather a few years ago.
Han Long whispered: "Master, would you like me to go and capture her?"
Yuan Xi thought, now is not the time. Shake his head.
That night Yuan Xi rushed 800 miles to the front line, and we would discuss the matter in the backyard later.
The terrain of Chengzirong Ridge is not very steep, nor is it easy to defend or attack. Although it is named after the ridge, the mountains are low, widely spaced, flat and broad. The road section in the middle can be called a plain, which is more accurate. Some.
However, this section of the road is not conducive to attack, but all Yuan's troops are ambushing here, preparing to snipe and attack Cao's troops who are about to fight with him.
On the mountain ridge, the main force of Yuan Jun in Liyang has met with Yuan Xi who came from Yecheng. All the senior civilian personnel of Yuan Jun are also stationed here, including the boss Yuan Xi, the fifth son Yuan Mai, Ju Shou, and Jia Xu. , Guo Jia, Sima Yi and others.
Chunyu Qiong looked left and right, and glanced back and forth for a long time. Suddenly, he pinched his waist with his hands and complained aloud: "Why? Such a flat road, with no forest in front and no valley behind, is it suitable to ambush the enemy? Is this the same? What's the difference between a head-on conflict with Cao's army? Which idiot designed this route! How damn stupid!"
But seeing Guo Jia, Sima Yi and others looked at Chun Yuqiong sympathetically, then coughed heavily, raised their hands and pointed at Yuan Xi, who looked to the right of Pang Ji with a gray face.
Yuan Xi's face was gloomy. He gave Chunyu Qiong a hard look, snorted heavily and said, "It was me, an idiot, who designed the route. I really let General Chunyu down."
Chunyu Qiong trembled when she heard this and smiled dryly at Yuan Xi. "That, that!"
"How about you design one, General Chunyu Qiong?" Yuan Xi smiled, but there was a hint of coldness in his smile. Although Chunyu Qiong is a minister of Conglong, now is not the time to seize the direct line.
Chunyu Qiong laughed awkwardly: "No need, my lord is very capable, and the route he designed must be far-sighted and incomprehensible to anyone. My subordinates are only superficially talented. I won't imitate my skills in front of you."
Yuan Xi stopped his smile, gave Chun Yuqiong a fierce look, and changed the subject: "You know I have long-term plans, so don't make trouble with me in the future, and just calm down. I won't be tired of you all for one day." .......That's right, the reason why I chose this location that is not conducive to ambush is because there are too many wise men in Cao Cao's army, and Cao Cao himself is also the number one hero in the world! Where the terrain is too steep, he We will definitely not fall into the trap, so we can only do the next best thing and ambush him in a relatively flat place like this, so that the chance of trapping him will be relatively greater."
In the Three Kingdoms, Yuan Shang did not adopt Yuan Xi's strategy, but was completely annihilated by Cao Cao, who liked to use strange methods.
Guo Jia sighed with emotion and said: "Yes, for someone like Cao Cao, if you want him to follow our strategy, you must make some sacrifices in some aspects, otherwise it will not be enough to lure him into taking the bait."
Yuan Xi nodded and said: "That's right, there is really no way..."
Jushou looked up at the sky, estimated the time, and said, "This time has not come yet. Could it be that Cao Cao really doesn't want to pursue him anymore?"
The sun in the east gradually rose to the top of my head, but the scouts in the south still showed no movement.
Could it be that the arrangement of the serial plan was all in vain? Jushou was unwilling to accept it!
"Report~!"
Everyone was anxious when they finally saw a scout riding back on Pegasus and reported to Yuan Xi on the hillside.
"Your Majesty, the sand and dust are rising to the sky in the south. Cao Jun's troops have arrived! The main generals and flags are all ready. It can be seen that they are the main force of Cao Jun!"
When everyone heard the words, they were suddenly shocked, but they saw Yuan Xi turning to the ordering soldiers beside him and loudly saying: "The three armies are ordered to be on alert and prepare to fight against Cao's army!"
"promise!"
*****************
At this time, Cao Jun was also traveling very fast. In their eyes, they could only break the deadlock and lay the foundation for regaining Hebei in one fell swoop. .
When he thought of this big piece of fat in Hebei, Cao Cao couldn't help but feel a little smooth in his eyes.
It’s been too long! It’s been too long! Since he raised his army, he has wiped out the Yellow Turbans, defeated Dong Zhuo, surrendered Lu Bu, eliminated Li Jue, defeated Yuan Shu, and defeated Liu Bei. Today, he is finally able to march into Hebei, and he also has hope of victory!
Although the world is big, there is no disaster greater than Hebei. As long as Hebei can be pacified and the northern land is unified, what will Liu Biao, Liu Bei, Sun Jian, and Liu Zhang care about? The world is so big that no one can stop Cao Cao!
Therefore, if you want to rule the world, you must first level Hebei!
"Lord, go to a valley. Will there be an ambush by Yuan Jun?" The voice of General Cao Chun pulled Cao Cao out of his wandering thoughts. He looked up and saw that although there was a valley ahead, it was low at both ends. The middle is wide and flat, and there is no way to ambush it.
After thinking for a while, Cao Cao shook his head and said: "There is no advantage at all in using this place as an ambush. Besides, Yuan Jun is in a hurry to return to Yecheng. His morale is not high and his mind is confused. If he doesn't pursue him at this time, what else will he do?" hour?"
Cao Chun understood what he said, and then turned to the Cao army beside him and shouted in peace: "Soldiers, work harder, rush through this valley, wipe out Yuan Jun, capture Yecheng, and pacify Hebei, and then we can go home!" "
After hearing this, Cao Jun received the order and charged towards the valley with great morale.
“Dong dong dong dong——!”
A loud drumbeat sounded in the valley, but Cao Jun's generals were shocked. Looking up, they saw Zhao Yun's cavalry camp, open-jawed euphorbia soldiers, and Xu Chu in the flat valley plain. The soldiers and horses leading the Guards Battalion appeared in Cao Jun's sight at leisure. In the center of the soldiers and horses, a huge banner with the word "Yuan" was fluttering in the wind, with a magnificent momentum, as if reflecting their powerful force. Fighting spirit.
All Cao's troops who were hurrying and rushing slowly felt their hearts sink suddenly when they saw this sobriety, and an unpleasant feeling surged into their hearts.
Cao Cao was stunned for a moment, then looked at Yuan Jun in front of him who was free and leisurely, and the large flag among them that marked Yuan Xi's official position. A helpless smile suddenly appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Oh, this Zhuzi actually set up a trap for Gu. Yes, yes, he is really good at it!"
Xiahou Dun narrowed his eyes, gritted his teeth and said to Cao Cao: "Prime Minister, Yuan Jun has already made arrangements, and he will not retreat!?"
"Retreat for what? Fight Gu! Fight hard! No matter what plot they set up, Gu has decided that no matter what today, we will defeat the main force of Yuan's army and capture Yecheng!"
It's not that Cao Cao is stupid and doesn't retreat, but that he can't retreat at this time. If he retreats now, the whole army will be destroyed. If he survives in death, he may still have some chance of survival.
"promise!"
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"
While he was talking, the sound of horns suddenly sounded from the hillsides on both sides, and there were several huge black waves composed of Yuan Jun, mixed with earth-shattering power, rushing towards Cao Jun.
The final song of Cao Cao's Northern Expedition finally sounded in Chengzirong Ridge!
