"I can defeat the Jizhou Army once, and I can make them hate you this time!" Xiahou Dun said as he geared up.
"I'm afraid they won't dare to come, otherwise they will kill more enemies than last time!" Everyone agreed.
Xun Yu shook his head, "You are commendable for your courage, but we cannot underestimate the current Jizhou army. We must be fully prepared before we can retreat and kill the enemy."
"What Wen Ruo said is true. Yuan Xi occupies the four states and has many soldiers and sufficient food. Although there is no need to be afraid of him, we need to be careful in dealing with him." Cao Cao said cautiously.
"Strength, weakness, and numbers are just a situation. As the saying goes, troops are impermanent, power and water are impermanent. As long as the tactics are appropriate, our army can still defeat the enemy and gain the upper hand. But I don't know how many troops, horses, and forage our army can deploy in this battle against Yuan Xi." Xun You. said.
Xun Yu pondered for a while and replied: "In the past few years, Runan has been the granary of our army. Other counties in Yanzhou and Yuzhou have also resumed grain production. Wancheng, which was acquired not long ago, has also stocked up some grain. If it is collected, it should be There are four hundred thousand dendrobium."
"This is a huge amount of food!" Cao Hong said in surprise, "Mr. Wen Ruo is really a wise man in governing the world, comparable to Prime Minister Xiao He!"
Everyone was also satisfied. This can be said to be the richest wealth ever for Cao Caojun.
"If it hadn't been for the continuous use of troops in the past two years, I'm afraid the food stockpiled would have been even more." A wry smile appeared on Xun Yu's face. "It sounds like this is a lot of food, but apart from other consumption, it can only support an army of 100,000 for three months at most."
The joyful atmosphere suddenly disappeared, and everyone fell into deep worry. The soldiers and horses have not moved forward with food and grass. Yanzhou and Yuzhou are densely populated. If all the strong and mature men are recruited, there will be no problem with 200,000 men. But without enough food, these 200,000 people could only fight for more than a month.
Cheng Yu also looked serious: "Hebei is a land rich in materials. Their land base is richer than Yanzhou and Yuzhou, and they have rarely mobilized troops in the past two years. According to the information gathered in the past two years, Yuan Xi can mobilize more than 200,000 There are soldiers and horses on the ground, and the supply of food and fodder is also very abundant."
Kong Rong sighed and said: "Hebei has many soldiers and sufficient food, and Yuan Xi's men are both civilized and military. Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Han Meng and others are very brave. Guo Jia, Ju Sue, Tian Feng, Xu You, Jia Xu, Sima Yi and others He is also extremely talented.”
Cao Cao remained sullen and did not answer. He was planning the outcome.
Xun Yu knew that he could not lower his morale at this time. Then he laughed and said: "You guys only see the strengths of the Hebei Army, but not their fatal weaknesses!"
"I would like to hear the details!" Kong Rong raised his hands and asked for advice.
Xun You said confidently: "Xuchang is where the emperor is. The Hebei army is violating morality by attacking our Yingchuan army. This is because the army has no name, and the heroes of the world will not respond to him. And from Hebei to Yanzhou, we have always crossed a long river, and the road in between is even longer. So Their food road will definitely be lengthened. As long as our army lures the enemy deep and sends a surprise attack, how can he defend the long food road? And our army's barracks guard the throat and fight for ground. This can contain the enemy's offensive. So we can wait for work. , it is said in the art of war that when the enemy is full, he can be starved."
"This is exactly what I want to say." Cao Cao agreed: "Hebei has many soldiers, but they also consume a lot of food and fodder. As long as we can lure the enemy deep and clear the country with strong walls, and then use surprise troops to intercept Yuan's army's food routes, we can Yuan Jun is hungry and tired."
"One more thing." Cheng Yu added: "Although Yuan Xi is more talented than his father, his subordinates are divided into two major factions, Qingzhou and Jizhou. People like Xu You, Guo Tu, Shen Pei and others are constantly fighting for power. Yuan Xi It can scare them at the moment, but once the troops are sent out for an expedition, there is no guarantee that those who stay in Jizhou will not cause some trouble, such as..."
"Zhongde, you are right." Cao Cao blocked Cheng Yu's words at the right time.
Cheng Yu came to his senses. Understandingly said: "For example, Xu You is greedy for money and has many illegal acts. Shen Pei, Cui Yan, and Feng Ji are all upright people, and there is no favoritism from Yuan Xi. They will definitely deal with it impartially."
Xun You thought for a while and said, "We can also contact other heroes and let Yuan Xi's backyard catch fire."
"Gongda, tell me who you can contact?" Cao Cao asked.
"Ma Teng!" Cheng Yu replied with a smile.
Cao Cao's face was gloomy, "Ma Teng took over my Guanzhong, and they colluded with Yuan Xiduo, how could they help us?"
Xun You suggested: "As long as the lord puts aside his grudge against Ma Teng for the time being, your majesty can issue an edict to order Ma Teng to recover."
The land east of the river, then Ma Teng will definitely do it. "
"Why is that?" Cao Cao asked.
"Ma Teng has always admired General Fubo Ma Yuan. He has always regarded himself as a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. As long as his majesty issues an edict, Ma Teng will find it difficult to resist." Cheng Yu smiled confidently, "And Hedong is one of the most important granaries in the world. , Ma Teng and the others would not be willing to be occupied by Yuan Xi."
"This is a strategy to drive away tigers and devour wolves. From this point of view, our army has a great chance of winning!" Cao Cao said with a smile.
Chang'an.
Shortly after Zhengdan, Ma Teng and his son welcomed a mysterious guest.
"General Ma, this is a letter written by my general. The content is about making an appointment with you to attack Cao Cao." said the tall, thin middle-aged man with a mustache.
Ma Teng read the letter over and asked, "What do you call me sir?"
"I am Yang Hong, a member of the general's palace." The tall, thin middle-aged man replied.
Ma Teng pondered for a while and wondered why: "Our army is very tired after capturing Guanzhong, and it has to defend various places. I'm afraid it will be difficult to mobilize extra troops and horses to attack Wancheng."
"Since our two families have formed an alliance, General Ma does not need to worry. Even if Yongzhou's troops and horses are mobilized, don't you still trust the general?" Yang Hong said.
"It's not that we can't trust the general. It's just that the road from Guanzhong to Nanyang is dangerous. If something goes wrong, the consequences are unpredictable. At the time when the Xiliang army was at its peak, Master Dong wanted to send troops out of Nanyang many times, but it was difficult. Now our army has food and supplies. Not enough." Li Ru replied.
Yang Hong smiled and said, "The land of Nanyang is extremely rich. As long as General Ma takes Wancheng, are you afraid that there will be no food and grass?"
"I agree to the general's invitation. Mr. Yang, please go down and rest first, and we will discuss the attack on Wancheng later," Ma Teng said.
"General Ma is really a wise man!" After saying this, Yang Hong happily followed the servant down to rest.
"Does father really want to help the Yuan family attack Cao Cao?" Ma Chao asked.
Ma Teng took out an edict from his arms and said, "His Majesty the Emperor asked me to take possession of Hedong. Although this may be coercion by Cao Cao, if I resist the edict, wouldn't I become a disloyal and unjust minister?"
"This is the result of Cao Cao's daughter being coerced by evil villains. Besides, if the general refuses to obey the order of the foreign king, it is not considered disloyal for the general not to obey the order." Chen Gong advised.
Because the generals and prefects who were out guarding at this time wanted to keep their families as hostages. As soon as Chen Gong returned and surrendered to Ma Teng, Cao Cao slaughtered all his family members, so Chen Gong and Cao Cao naturally became mortal enemies.
"It is also a land that produces a lot of grain, but the east of the river is close at hand, and the road to Nanyang is difficult and dangerous. Why should our army abandon the near and seek the far away." Li Ru advised, "Besides, Yuan Xi is strong and Cao Cao is weak. If Yuan Xi defeats Cao Cao, then free up his hands. We are dealing with you, the general, so helping Yuan Xi is really not a wise move!"
Night, General's Mansion.
Yuan Xi sat at the top of the table, his brows furrowed, and he asked Xu Chu, "Zhongkang, are the gentlemen here soon?"
Although Yuan Xi had a discussion with a group of ministers, it was an open matter, but he was still a little uneasy secretly.
"Go back to my lord, right away." Xu Chu replied.
When Cao Cao arrived, he saw Gao Rou, Sima Yi, and Liu Ye already entering the study of the general's mansion.
Yuan Xi finally felt a little happy when he saw the three people arriving.
"Sit down!" Yuan Xi told the maid.
After the monarch and his ministers took their seats. Yuan Xi first spoke up and asked, "The current situation is in chaos, and a war in the Central Plains of Hebei is imminent. What do you think?"
Gao Rou cupped his hands and smiled and said, "Rou thinks that I, Hebei, should win. My lord is brave and has a clever strategy. This is the first victory. My lord is tolerant and benevolent. This is the second victory. The virtuous can be used. This is the third victory. The people's hearts." The hope of returning to a noble family is that these are the four victories. The lord has been ordered by the emperor to attack the rebels. The lord can sit down and decide."
Seeing Gao Rou analyze it like this, Yuan Xi laughed heartily and said, "Haha, Wen Hui's words are overstated!"
Then, Yuan Xi looked at Liu Ye and asked, "What do Ziyang think?"
Liu Ye bowed his hands and saluted, "What Gao Bingzhou said is true. Cao Cao has a strong ambition but a small weapon. His first defeat means he is powerful but not gracious. His second defeat means his soldiers are disintegrated. His third defeat means his family is not attached to him. This He was defeated four times, and his troops were thousands of miles away, but there was no harmonious response. Therefore, even though Cao Cao is still alive, he will always be my enemy."
Yuan Xi's eyes lit up when he heard this. Good guy, this Gao Rou and Liu Ye have a double act.
What a great song, "Zi Yang's words are so true!"
Yuan Xi looked at Sima Yi who was silent and asked, "Zhongda, please tell me too!"
Sima Yi saluted and said, "Returning to my lord, Zhongda thinks that Cao Cao will definitely shrink the battle line and strive for a decisive battle and a quick victory. Therefore, our army should do the opposite, disperse its battle line, fight steadily, and wait for the opportunity to send out cavalry to harass. But before doing so, we should do the opposite." Dingheishan.”
……………………………………………
Bingzhou Taihang Mountain.
Things in the dark seem to be slowly forming invisibly, just like a stream forming a river. The river meets the sea, everything is so natural.
At this moment, the scout came to report: "Commander Qu, we have captured a few officers and soldiers. They said they are the envoys sent by the Yuan family in Jizhou to see you. I don't know what to do with them?"
"The young master of the Yuan family? What does he want to see me for?" Zhang Yan was a little confused, her eyes flashed with excitement, and she waved her hand and said, "Bring the person up and present the letter for reading!"
The scout took the order and brought two envoys over in a short time. Rather than being caught, it is better to say that they were actively looking for Black Mountain bandits, because they had just been sent over by Yuan Xi.
Xin Pi saluted Zhang Yan: "I have met General Zhang. I came to see you on your orders. I have a letter to hand over. I believe the general will make his own decision after reading it!"
Zhang Yan unfolded the letter and took a look at it. There were only a few lines: "How can I become a thief, a beautiful lady? I am Yuan Yuan Xianyong, the great general of Jizhou, and I am currently revolting against the general. I have heard for a long time that General Zhang is a loyal man, and I am heartbroken. I admire you very much. If you can surrender to Hebei and help our army to pacify Taihang, I should confer on you the position of Zhonglang General!"
Zhang Yan had long wanted to join Yuan Xi, but Yuan Xi had not paid much attention to the Black Mountain bandits before and focused on killing them, so Zhang Yan never found the opportunity. Now that Zhang Yan is in a desperate situation, she will naturally be moved by the olive branch offered by Yuan Mai.
"Is this letter really written in handwriting?" Zhang Yan couldn't hide her excitement and asked with joy on her face.
Xin Pi replied affirmatively: "Of course it was written by General Yuan himself, how dare we pretend to be!"
Where is your son now? "Zhang Yan has been frightened by Yuan Xi, and now he has no confidence in facing the powerful Yuan family.
Zhang Yan is still a little worried. If Yuan Zi deceives him and refuses to accept this team in the end, Zhang Yan is afraid that he will die without a place to bury him. If the tens of thousands of Montenegrin troops don’t dig him out and spread his ashes, That’s weird!
Xinpi pointed to the east: "Young Master, we are stationing troops somewhere far away from here."
"Go back quickly and tell me that Zhang Yan has long wanted to defect to the general, but it's a pity that no one recommends him. If he is really willing to accept our Black Mountain Army, we are willing to submit, but Zhang Yan has no respect for him, so he only relies on letters. I don't know if my promise is true, and I feel uneasy. Can I meet you? Along the valley to the east, there is a big one-year-old locust tree, and we can't hug each other. If I are willing, you can ride alone with me under the tree tonight. Make an agreement to surrender!" Zhang Yan carefully put forward her conditions.
Xin Pi was a little embarrassed: "If you agree, can it be that I come back to inform General Zhang?"
"That's not necessary! I'll leave later and wait under the big locust tree."
Zhang Yan had already thought of a countermeasure. She would lead dozens of people to hide first. If Young Master Yuan rode alone to the appointment and sincerely accepted her, she would surrender him. If he was playing tricks, he could also have a defense first.
"In that case, let me go back and inform the young master." Xinpi promised, mounted his horse and left with his companions.
Seeing the envoy walking away, Zhang Yan summoned several trusted military commanders and ordered them to temporarily command the troops to station in the valley. After he and Yuan Zi negotiated the terms, he would decide on the next step. After the arrangements were made, Zhang Yan led more than thirty of his trusted friends and galloped toward the east, looking for the big locust tree.
Speaking of which, Yuan Mai also took a gamble.
Just after Yuan Mai reunited with Wang Shuang and Xu Yi's guards, Xinpi, who had been sent to persuade him to surrender, came back. He relayed Zhang Yan's words and asked Yuan Mai to make his own decision.
Speaking of Xinpi, I have to say that since the Xin family rebelled, Xinpi has been keeping his tail between his legs. In order to break the situation, Xinpi shamelessly betrothed his daughter Xin Xianying to Yuan Yuanmai as his wife. Faced with the surrender of the Xin family .
Yuan Xi also turned a blind eye, but Xin Xianying, a young talented girl, had no chance with Yuan Xi. Of course, Cai
Yuan Xi no longer cares about Xin Xianying because of Yan, a talented woman.
"Young master should not go into danger alone. If this swallow cheats, you will be in danger." Although Xin Pi is resourceful, he also understands that if Yuan Xi's younger brother has some shortcomings, it is not certain whether he can save his head. .
Yuan Mai firmly believed in his own judgment. If Zhang Yan suddenly came to surrender, he would not dare to comment on whether he was sincere or a fake surrender. But now that he was beaten up by his second brother Yuan Xi, he should not think of the strategy of fake surrender again. In that case, his name would not be Zhang Yan, but Zhuge Liang or Sima Yi!
"I believe Zhang Yan must be sincere in coming to vote. I'm going to meet him right now." Yuan Mai put his strong bow on his back, hung his arrow pot on his waist, and hung his sword on his waist, preparing to meet Zhang Yan under the big locust tree.
Xin Pi advised: "If the young master insists on going, he can lead three hundred people to protect him. If Zhang Yan uses deception, he may be in danger!"
"I'm not afraid of him cheating. My horse is fast. If Zhang Yan plays dirty tricks, I'll just turn the horse and go!" Yuan Buyi said with a confident look.
After Yuan bought it, Xin Pi was worried and summoned Wang Shuang to come over and asked him to lead three hundred elites to follow him to prevent Zhang Yan from attacking. After the arrangements were made, he felt relieved and ordered the entire army to rest temporarily and wait for the outcome of the negotiations between Yuan Mai and Zhang Yan.
Under the locust tree in the mountain forest.
"Is this Yuan Jiazi coming?" Zhang Yan saw a horse running slowly from a distance and shouted loudly.
"Exactly!" Yuan Mai stopped his horse ten feet away and agreed, "I am the General Yuan, and Yuan Mai is Yuan Xianyong. I must be the person in front of me is General Zhang Yan, right?" "
Seeing that Yuan Mai was calm and unhurried, Zhang Yan dismounted from his horse and saluted: "The villain is Zhang Yan. I pay my respects to the young master."
Yuan Mai stared at Zhang Yan quietly and said: "Brother Yan, if you are willing to lead the Black Mountain Army to join the Yuan family, our Yuan family will definitely treat you with the courtesy of a national scholar. You will never break your promise! He said that he will wait until our Yuan family's hegemony is established. If it works, you will be one of those who will be granted the title of lord and general. When the time comes, you and I will lead our troops together to defeat the heroes of the world. Wouldn’t it be great to do so?"
Zhang Yan looked at Yuan Mai for a while, as if he was wondering, thinking, or hesitating.
A little while. But I saw this strong man showing a heroic smile, nodding and saying: "You want to accept the Montenegrin Army, this is what you said yourself, I didn't ask you."
Yuan Mai couldn't help but smile to himself when he saw that he was still saving face at the moment. He nodded and replied: "Yes, even if Yuan is a dog, please mind your own business."
Zhang Yan was furious when he heard this: "Are you beating around the bush and calling me a rat? But then again. Although I have fallen in love with you, it is still unknown whether the commanders of the various ministries agree or not. The soldiers and horses under my command also need to be integrated, you If you can trust me, give me two months! Wait until I know how to command the various units of the Black Mountain Army. I will do my best to serve under Long's command. Everything is ready and I will come to surrender to you. How about that?"
Yuan Mai nodded and said: "Okay! Two months later! I will also persuade my second brother to accept the Black Mountain Army, turn enemies into friends, and work together with the world!"
"Okay, if the young master rides alone to the appointment, you will know that he is a man of his word. I will go back and organize my troops." In order to gain Yuan Mai's trust, Zhang Yan took the initiative to submit a letter of surrender.
"Okay, it's a deal. When the time comes, I will lead an army across the valley to support you!" Yuan Mai promised.
Between the mountains and on the snow, two broad hands struck each other in an oath, establishing a life-and-death friendship, an agreement between men.
It is known in history that Wang Xuedi of Zhongshan spoke to Zhang Yan.
............
After making an agreement and leaving the forest, the two immediately parted ways.
