Liu Bei looked sourly as he watched Cao Cao entertain Chen Deng, wishing he could take his place.
After a round of banquets, Liu Bei returned to his camp with jealousy and envy. He kept thinking in his heart, what is the gap between me and Cao Cao?
As for Cao Cao and the others, they immediately followed the plan and promoted benevolence to the outside world, publicizing that Chen Deng had come to seek refuge, and that Cao Cao would not harm the Chen family's integrity and would no longer kill.
Through Chen Deng's affairs, he recruited other aristocratic families in Xuzhou.
Guangling County surrendered, but there were also places such as Donghai and Langya. Cao Cao needed those governors to surrender voluntarily, win without a fight, and then concentrate his forces to deal with Xiapi.
Implement Chen Zhou's policy of "Government of Xuzhou by Xuzhou people" to the end.
Chen Deng received courtesy and warm hospitality from Cao Cao, and put aside his previous worries, thinking that Cao Cao was really different from the last massacre.
Inside Cao Camp, it was quite happy today.
Only Liu Bei, who was standing next to the camp, still doubted his life and continued to wonder how he was inferior to Cao Cao who massacred the city.
This situation lasted until night.
In the evening, several fast horses galloped rapidly from the south to Xiapi in the dark night.
Although Cao Jun tried to blockade Xiapi, Xiapi occupied a large area and it was difficult to blockade it from the outside. They just concentrated their troops to garrison near the city gate.
As for other city walls, sentries were set up to keep an eye on the walls to prevent anyone from slipping off the rope and escaping.
At this time, those fast horses were passing between the sentry posts.
The distance between each sentry post is 300 steps, and there are 300 people inside, and war drums are placed.
The sound of horse hooves sounded suddenly before nightfall, which was particularly obvious.
As soon as several fast horses approached, they were spotted by the people at the sentry post.
"who!"
A Cao Jun soldier on guard shouted.
Other soldiers also noticed that war horses were approaching and immediately beat the war drums. The sound of the drums echoed in the wilderness outside the city, which was very obvious in the dark night.
When one sentry post was heard beating a war drum, other sentry posts followed suit.
The drums rumbled.
Not only did they alert all the Cao soldiers who had blocked Xiapi, they also alerted Xiapi's guards near the moat.
"Someone breaks through, archers prepare!"
The soldiers on the sentry post quickly rushed out, drew their bows and shot at the knights and horses.
The knights on horseback were all good men in Bingzhou's wolf cavalry. They drew their swords from their scabbards and knocked down the incoming arrows. Cao's cavalry also rushed towards them.
"Lower the drawbridge."
The Xiapi guards on the edge of the moat shouted loudly when they saw that one of their own had returned.
boom!
The drawbridge soon fell over the moat.
Cao Jun's soldiers rushed out at this time. It was too late to intercept them. They rushed across the moat and the suspension bridge was quickly raised.
Seeing this, Cao Jun's soldiers could only draw their bows and shoot towards the other side.
The impact was not great. Those fast horses ran back directly and the city gate was closed again.
On the edge of the moat, the guards of Xiapi quickly defended themselves.
However, Cao Jun did not attack. The moat connected the Surabaya River, which was deep and vast. In the past, Tao Qian had to dredge and widen the moat for the convenience of defending Xiapi. It was not easy to attack.
Cao Jun stopped and reported the news quickly.
In fact, they also received Cao Cao's order and deliberately released the water, so that the fast horses could pass through the defenses between the sentry posts and return to Xiapi.
After a while.
Cao Cao, Chen Zhou and others also arrived near the sentry post just now.
Looking up to the other side of the moat, I saw that everything inside and outside Xiapi City had returned to quiet.
"Watazuki guessed it right again."
Guo Jia admired him: "Lü Bu would indeed send someone to contact Yuan Shu and ask for Yuan Shu's support. The person who went to contact him finally came back."
Chen Zhou raised his head and said, "In the near future, we have to strengthen our defenses. Lu Bu is sending his daughter south to marry Yuan Shu."
"Lu Bu is really willing to marry a girl?"
Cao Cao asked.
Chen Zhou said: "I must be willing. Xiapi is surrounded. He is more panicked than us. As long as there is a chance, how can he let it go?"
"Do as Duzhi said and strengthen your defenses. If there is any movement outside Xiapi City, we must not let it go."
Cao Cao pondered for a moment and directly followed Chen Zhou's plan.
This cut off Lu Bu's retreat from asking Yuan Shu for help.
——
Inside Xiapi City.
A girl of fourteen or fifteen years old wielded a spear that was much longer than herself.
The barrel of the gun broke through the air, making a sound like a tiger or a tiger. It was very fierce, and the marksmanship had certain achievements.
"My father said that the heart of a gun is like fire, and the gun is like my heart."
"Within six feet, I am invincible."
"Look at my Prairie Fire Hundred Slashes!"
The girl swung her gun faster, and the gun shadows overlapped one after another. Within six feet, no one could get close to her.
Lu Bu watched from the side, smiled slightly, and praised: "Lingqi's spear skills have improved so quickly!"
That girl is none other than Lu Bu's only daughter, Lu Lingqi.
Lu Bu is not only good at using a halberd, but his spear skills are also good, but in his opinion, the halberd is more useful and more lethal.
"You!"
Next to Lu Bu, there was a beautiful woman in her early thirties, Lu Bu's wife Yan. She shook her head slightly and said, "How will you get married in the future if you teach Lingqi how to wield a knife and a gun?"
"Lingqi likes it, of course I have to teach her."
Lu Bu laughed and said: "Who said no one wants my daughter? Yuan Shu has always wanted to marry our Lingqi for his son, but I refused directly!"
Yan knew these things. When Lu Bu mentioned it, he looked at Lu Lingqi and asked, "If Yuan Shu insists on Lingqi before he is willing to help us defend Xiapi, will my husband be willing to marry Lingqi to Huainan?"
This question made Lu Bu fall silent.
He still looks down upon that guy Yuan Shu.
But Yuan Shu must have asked for it, and Lu Bu was not sure whether he should marry his daughter. If not, Xiapi would not be able to defend it, and their whole family would die.
The only person who can save them seems to be Yuan Shu.
"well……"
Lu Bu sighed and said nothing, unable to answer this question.
At this time, Lu Bu's subordinate, a counselor named Wang Kai, walked in hurriedly.
"Husband, you have something to do, let's go talk!"
Yan understood that there should be another urgent military situation.
Lu Bu nodded slightly and left the backyard first.
At this time, Lu Lingqi finished her drill, put away her spear, and ran back jumping.
"Mom, where is my father?"
"Did I practice well?"
Lu Lingqi asked expectantly.
"Your father received military information and went to work. He said that he practiced well and made rapid progress."
Yan wiped the sweat from her daughter's forehead.
"Really?"
Lu Lingqi was excited. At this time, she didn't have much sense of crisis. She saw Yan's face full of sadness and asked: "Mom, what's wrong with you? Did your father bully you? I'm going to go find him to settle the score."
Yan hugged Lu Lingqi, shook her head slightly and said, "Your father didn't bully me, I was just worried about Xiapi!"
"Sister, Lingqi."
At this time, another more beautiful woman walked into the backyard.
The person who came was Diao Chan, who asked worriedly: "What's wrong with you? Are you worried about something again?"
Xiapi was surrounded, so Lu Lingqi was protected by her father and didn't feel much. They kept frowning and getting more and more worried every day.
