After briefly asking about the information of the Beihai Navy, Xiahou Dun ordered people to arrange for Jiang Qian to wash up and rest, and summoned Wang Ling and others who joined the army to discuss matters.
The generals were all shocked when they heard that Zang Ba wanted to be rebelled. Now that Xuzhou and Qingzhou were lost, the eastern part of Yanzhou relied on Zang Ba to defend with the help of Mount Tai. Once he had second thoughts, the eastern defense line would completely collapse, and the Han army would attack from three sides. , how to resist it?
Xiahou Dun circulated the letter to everyone and said: "Although Jiang Qian is highly valued by the Prime Minister, after all, he and Zhou Yu are classmates and friends, and they have been together for half a year. Zhou Yu is cunning, and there is no guarantee that there is a conspiracy. What do you think about this?"
Zhong Jin said: "Zang Ba was originally a Taishan thief. He changed his master many times just to protect himself. These people only seek personal gain and have no loyalty. This is probably the case."
Zhong Shen also said: "Previously, the king had doubts about Zang Ba and wanted to deprive him of his military power. He ordered the governor to be careful. This is definitely not groundless."
Seeing Wang Ling holding the letter and lowering his head without saying a word, Xiahou Dun asked, "Wang Canjun, what do you think?"
After Sima Yi arrived in Yanzhou, he saw Wang Ling's extraordinary ability and both civil and military skills. He admired Wang Ling very much and vigorously promoted him and kept him by his side as a military counselor.
Now that Sima Yi had returned to Handan to recuperate, Xiahou Dun saw that there was no one available, so he appointed Wang Ling to join the army. Now that there was a shortage of talents in the army, he felt powerless.
Wang Ling looked at it for a while before replying: "Zhou Yu knows the art of war well and is familiar with strategies, so he is afraid that this is a plan to alienate people. When it is time to employ people, we must not judge people based on past events. Zang dominates Mount Tai, and he is as important as Mount Tai." , I hope the Governor will consider it carefully."
Xiahou Dun frowned and said, "With Jiang Qian as a person, how dare he come to deceive me?"
Zhong Jin said: "Why not get Zang Ba's old official documents and check the handwriting to know whether they are true or false."
Xiahou Dun ordered people to fetch Zang Ba's old official documents, and everyone checked them carefully. Although some of the handwriting was wet with sweat and a little skewed, overall it seemed that it was indeed written by Zang Ba.
Xiahou Dun said angrily: "What a great Zang Ba. The Prime Minister treated him well in the past. How dare you be ungrateful?"
Wang Ling sighed: "Although Zang Ba was a thief in the past, he has been a thief for a long time. He has been dormant and guarding the good for several years. This is because the prime minister is powerful. Now that the prime minister has been harmed, he sees that the situation is not good, and he has second thoughts. However, the generals in Taishan are a mob. It’s not a big deal to be smart but big, but if we join forces with Zhou Yu, we’ll be in big trouble!”
Xiahou Dun was furious and said in a deep voice: "As expected, the king expected, I will personally kill these villains."
Previously, Cao Pi was dissatisfied with Zang Ba and planned to abolish him. However, when Cao Cao suddenly returned to the Central Plains, he gave up. He secretly told Xiahou Dun to be on guard against Zang Ba, but his words came true.
Wang Ling hurriedly tried to dissuade him: "Captain, calm down! There is a powerful enemy ahead. The general is in charge of the Central Plains, so he must not act rashly. Since Zang Ba only conspired with Zhou Yu, he must still be hesitant. If he sends troops to conquer, it will strengthen his heart." !”
Zhong Jin said worriedly: "Today, Xuzhou is in chaos, and Taishan County is an important place under the jurisdiction of the original road. Isn't it true that I am under the authority of others when I entrust this person with two minds?"
While they were discussing, they suddenly came to report that Zhou Yu led a large army to attack Jinan, seemingly intending to echo Liu Qi and carve up the Central Plains.
Wang Ling said: "Zhou Yu stayed in Beihai for several months without moving, sitting and watching the fight between tigers. Then he suddenly sent troops. He must have seen that the letter had been stolen by Jiang Qian. He was afraid that the matter would be leaked and struck preemptively."
Xiahou Dun said anxiously: "Zhou Yu did not attack Mount Tai, but instead captured Jinan. The two men are indeed secretly colluding. What should we do?"
Wang Ling suggested: "Why not order Zang Ba to send troops to rescue Nan? If you rescue him and see that he still wants the Prime Minister to save him, you can pretend not to know about it, and he will be considered guilty and meritorious. If he refuses to send troops for some reason, he has different intentions, and you can send another one. The army entered Mount Tai and captured him unprepared."
"Yan Yun's plan coincides with mine!" Xiahou Dun took a deep breath and told everyone: "This matter must be kept strictly confidential and must not be alerted."
Then he ordered people to send an order to Zang Ba, asking him to support Jinan and fight against Zhou Yu with Tian Yu, and not to allow him to enter.
The letter was returned to Jiang Qian the next day. When Jiang Qian heard that Zhou Yu had sent troops to pursue him, he scolded Zhou Yu for not caring about his friendship as a classmate and going into such a big fight.
Xiahou Dun secretly laughed at you for stealing other people's confidential documents, and then bit back. These Confucian scholars and celebrities have thick skins as thick as the city walls. They just tell the truth with one mouth and confuse right and wrong.
However, this was all down to Jiang Qian. He thanked him repeatedly, held a banquet to see him off, and ordered someone to drive him to the river and take a boat to Hebei.
Jiang Gan was sent off by the Wei army in a boat, so he had no choice but to cross Hebei. The boat retreated, leaving only one man and one horse. Standing on the river bank, he was stunned and looked at the roaring torrent. He didn't know where to go for a while.
After a moment, he suddenly sighed: "What a dead man! If you follow the current of this river in your life, you will achieve nothing in the end. A man should leave his name behind, how can he be lost in the sea with the waves?"
I thought that since I had already arrived in Hebei, I might as well go to see Cao Pi. As long as I persuade Cao Pi to punish Zang Ba, I could force him to rebel and help Zhou Yu.
"I have been classmates with Gong Jin for ten years, and have read the books of sages and sages together. How can Zhou Lang be so outstanding?" After making up his mind, he got on his horse and headed straight for Handan.
Before I knew it, it was already midsummer. The weather in the Central Plains was hot, and the two armies could not fight. Xiahou Dun also ordered the general to change the training to once every two days, and each battalion to march alternately.
Whenever the weather is hot, his bad eye becomes unbearably itchy. He has to drip honey water into the eye and then apply a cold compress with well water to relieve it. In the past two years, he has suddenly felt that the other good eye also feels itchy. When he rubs it with his hands, , I often see stars in my eyes, as if the world has turned into colorful colors.
Therefore, Xiahou Dun did not dare to stay under the scorching sun for a long time, which was one of the reasons why he was unwilling to send troops. Although the military situation was urgent, he could only endure it for the time being. Zhuge Liang did not attack, just waiting for the autumn to settle accounts.
On this day, when the honey water was dripping, it was suddenly reported that the Han army was dispatched on a large scale to expand into the Dingtao and Chenliu areas. Many civilians followed, each armed with sickles and agricultural tools.
Wang Ling said: "This must be because Zhuge Liang saw no opportunity to take advantage and wanted to harvest wheat from various places to use as military rations as a long-term plan."
"Zhuge Villager, I rely on Xun Niang! You are invading our territory and you want to steal our army's food?" Xiahou Dun was feeling depressed recently and couldn't help but curse.
Wang Ling said: "Zhuge Liang knows very well that Yanzhou is the foundation of the Cao family, and if he wants to conquer the Central Plains, it cannot be done overnight. The purpose of stationing troops and storing grain at this time is to wait for Liu Qi's men and horses to join forces. If he wants to fight, he must not let him succeed."
Xiahou Dun touched his itchy eyes and asked, "What countermeasures does Wang Shenjun have?"
Wang Ling offered advice: "Zhuge ordered his cavalry to guard him, and the soldiers and civilians mixed together to cut wheat and harvest grains everywhere. Now that he has divided his troops in various places, he can first send people to detect the movement, and then attack him with elite troops. There is no need to fight with him, and he can only attack him. The harvested wheat can be robbed. If Zhuge Liang sends troops to defend it, he will not be able to make ends meet. If he does not increase his troops, it will be used by me, and it will be destroyed in the long run!"
"This is exactly what I want!" Xiahou Dun looked up to the sky and laughed loudly: "Zhuge villagers want to use war to support war, thinking that it will be a long-term solution. I want him to bite pig urine bubbles and rejoice in vain."
Then he ordered the troops to be divided into four groups. Cao Zhen, Xiahou Ba, Cao Tai, and Wang Ling each led their elite cavalry. They first sent scouts to explore the areas where the Han army was harvesting wheat, and then attacked in the evening, alternating in cycles, making the Han army unable to defend itself.
