According to what Yu Baosi said, the head of the Zeng family, named Elder Zeng, was originally a Jurchen, but his branch was civilized earlier and had always been an obedient citizen of the Liao Kingdom. He bought low and sold high among the Liao people. , having both sides, it has flourished for a hundred years.
When the Jurchens rose up and rebelled against the Liao Dynasty, he became like a bat - birds don't care, beasts don't love, and they suffer from splints. There was no choice but for the whole family to escape. After many hardships, they changed their names and surnames and took root in Lingzhou of the Song Dynasty.
Elder Zeng had five children, all of whom were given Chinese names: Zeng Tu, Zeng Shen, Zeng Suo, Zeng Kui, and Zeng Sheng. They were all domineering and martial-minded, and were known as the Five Tigers of the Zeng Family. . He spent a lot of money to hire two teachers, one named Shi Wengong and the other an assistant teacher named Su Ding.
Don't look at the fact that there are only 3,000 households in Zengtou City, but there are 5,000 or 7,000 warriors who are capable of fighting. They practice frequently and have good fighting ability. Although they have never done any illegal things openly, they are the leading thieves in Shandong and Hebei. Many of them went to his house to sell their stolen goods, and they were known as sit-down tigers.
Cao Cao and others were shocked when they heard this.
Cao Cao kept sneering: "What a great Song Dynasty, with good officials! If I were Zhao Ji, all the officials in Lingzhou should be killed! Five to seven thousand capable warriors are in the hands of a wealthy family, hehe, hehe."
Xu Guanzhong said: "In the past, when King Xianggong implemented a new law, he felt the harm of redundant troops, so he formulated the Baojia Law, one for every ten households, one for five, one for each, and every family has two Ding. Among the above, one person will be appointed as Baoding, who will gather for military training during the off-season. This is the rural army. According to Wang Xianggong's original intention, the imperial army will guard the capital, the border army will guard the border city, the Xiang army will guard the county town, and the rural army will guard the villages. The common people can eliminate redundant soldiers. Suffering. The result, haha."
Cao Cao shook his head and sneered: "Such methods are all just wishful thinking, and they are just giving all the power to private individuals. Those security chiefs and regiment training officers will definitely take this opportunity to extort money, so that the people will not be able to live, and there are such thoughtful people, like before Zhujiazhuang, today's Zengtou market, will inevitably take the opportunity to cultivate power and dominate one area, which will definitely be a disaster in the future!"
Li Kui jumped up and said: "What harm are you afraid of him? Since this bird man has caused my brother a headache, I will go to Zengtou City for a visit and bring back Zeng Lao'er and his five sons so that I can share my brother's worries. .”
Niu Gao stood up quickly and said, "Brother Tieniu is so brave. I will go with you. We will have someone to take care of you."
The two heroes were about to pay, but Yang Lin quickly stopped them.
Xu Guanzhong said: "Brother Li, you don't know something. Most of these places follow the methods of the Western Army's fortresses. They are surrounded by mountains and mountains outside, and the fortress walls are high. The roads inside are like a maze, and there are traps everywhere. It is very easy to defend and difficult to attack. , even though you are brave and powerful, if you take it lightly, you will definitely be captured by him."
After hearing this, Yu Baosi became more and more impressed and nodded: "Brother of the Xu family, you are really wise! The Zengtou City is indeed a dangerous place. The wild water around his place is a natural moat, surrounded by high hills on three sides. Just like a city wall, many river harbors were dug out, as dense as a snake coil, and many willow trees were planted to cover the situation. If outsiders don't know the way, they will get lost when they enter."
After hearing this, Li Kui said sadly: "If you put it this way, doesn't it become a maze? How can I make him willing to stand up and let me be the first to chop him off, so that I can be happy."
Yu Baosi smiled after hearing this: "I don't know! Which of the heroes in the forest is easy to get along with? Why are you willing to trade with him and be exploited by him? It's just because the people there are really tough, not to mention those young and strong ones. He is an eight or nine-year-old kid who picks up a knife and stabs people when he disagrees with her. Old people and women can also swing knives and use guns, so it is really difficult to deal with them."
Huang Wenbing was panicked after hearing this, and suggested: "If he is so vicious, why should we argue with him? Brother, why don't you prepare some good gifts, wait for me to go for a visit, and use this three-inch tongue to talk peace with him?" , it’s best if we don’t invade each other.”
Cao Cao said: "Wen Bing's words are mature! However, Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty said something that I really appreciate: How can you allow others to snore and sleep on the side of the bed? What's more, he sent Yu Bao four to Yanggu to ambush, and the hostility was already seen. , How can I let him go?"
Jiang Jingdao: "If this is the case, my brother must invite King Chao Tianwang and Monk Hua to come here and gather elite soldiers and generals before we can fight with him!"
Cao Cao shook his head and said: "Conquering the four states is our top priority! The troops and horses of Erlong Mountain must not be moved until the four states are peaceful. As for Liangshan, two generals, Lin Chong and Hua Rong, are on Erlong Mountain. Secondly, we are waiting for the drama in Bianjing to be performed, and the imperial court will attack soon, but we must not leave lightly."
Pei Xuandao: "Brother, it is better to strike later and ignore him. When the situation in the four states is settled and the army is trained, Zengtou City can be defeated with a flip of the palm."
Cao Cao nodded when he heard this and said, "That's right." Then he frowned and thought.
However, Xu Guanzhong stood up and said: "My opinion is different from that of other brothers. The so-called tree wants to be quiet but the wind does not stop. It is just like Brother Wu said. The enemy has sent troops to ambush and the hostility has been seen. If I allow him, what kind of pass will he really reach? For example, When the imperial court conquers Liangshan, wouldn't it be even more troublesome if he takes the opportunity to join in the fun? According to my wishes, it would be a good idea to destroy this palace food with a thunder strike!"
Seeing that he was high-spirited, Cao Cao was also infected. He punched his palm and laughed and said, "Guan Zhong's words won my heart! The subordinates of the four brothers of Yubao, plus the troops of Shi'er Mountain, plus the ability of the county to mobilize There are also more than a thousand people who came out. They have calculated mentally but not intentionally, and they are worthy of a battle!"
A patchwork of more than a thousand people against five to seven thousand people was still worthy of a battle. Huang Wenbing, Jiang Jing, and Pei Xuan all changed their expressions. Only Xu Guanzhong, whose eyes brightened a lot, cheered: "Brother, this sentence There is mental arithmetic but no intention, and you have learned the essence of the art of war!"
Zhang Heng jumped to his feet and shouted: "Brother, how come you forgot about my brothers waiting on the water? Don't we think we can't kill anyone when we get to the shore?"
Xu Guanzhong smiled and said: "I am happy to hear the battle! With such a group of brothers, why should I be afraid of him?"
Cao Cao saw this and nodded secretly: "Wen Bing has the talent to govern. He has a good background as a judge and is cunning by nature. He is well aware of the many methods of officials. If they are willing to work hard and fight fire with poison, they will be put to good use. Jiang Jing has the talent for calculation. He is good at calculation and well-organized, and he will never make mistakes when doing anything. If he is entrusted with the logistics, he will make no mistakes. Pei Xuan has the talent of law enforcement, is selfless, has a straight character, would rather be slow than make mistakes, handles rewards and punishments, and can win the hearts of the people... …”
"As for Xu Guanzhong!" Cao Cao couldn't help thinking with a smile in his eyes: "Although he is young and still needs experience, he can see the overall situation, is good at planning and dares to make decisions, and has a strong sense of filial piety!"
For a moment, I couldn't help but think of the old days when Yuan Shao was so powerful, and many of his ministers were afraid and had illicit affairs. However, Guo Jia encouraged him by saying "Shao has ten defeats, and the public has ten victories." Later, he won a decisive battle.
In fact, if you look closely at the ten victories and ten defeats, there is nothing surprising. It can be summed up in one sentence: Although he has more soldiers and you have fewer people, you are better than him in terms of literary and military skills, measurement and intelligence, and moral character. , you are better than anything else, how can you lose?
Thinking about the current situation again, isn’t it normal? On the surface, Zengtou Market is easy to defend but difficult to attack, with a large number of people, but whether it is Elder Zeng or the so-called Five Tigers, how can they compare with themselves?
At this time, Lu Fang stood up and said, "Just now, Mr. Xu mentioned that his fort was very fortified. My younger brother recalled that when we attacked Zhujiazhuang, his village was high on a hillock and surrounded by Pantuo Road. It was also an easy-to-defend but difficult-to-attack place. If we didn't attack Zhujiazhuang first, I took their main force and attacked them head-on, but I don't know how much damage they will do. So I thought about how to find a way to lure him out."
Li Kui said happily after hearing this: "Isn't this what I said before? If he is willing to stand up, I will just chop off his head and the battle will be won."
Cao Cao smiled and said: "Brother Lu Fang knows how to use tricks and has made great progress. But your idea is right. The location is favorable and the people are in harmony with him. If you want to lure him out, it is not difficult, as long as-"
Xu Guanzhong suddenly said: "As long as Brother Yu is willing to make a hook himself!"
The two looked at each other and laughed at the same time.
There is a branch of teaching: Xiu Kua Bao has a high wall, and when he meets Lao Cao, the snow disappears. Prepare a nest to crouch for a tiger, and arrange fragrant bait to catch a golden turtle!
I drove all day and it's too late to get back. I'm dead today.
(End of chapter)
