Xu Churen originally thought that Cao Cao and others did not know the combat power of Fang La's army, so they underestimated the enemy after winning a battle, so he went out of his way to tell Master Lu in detail about the power of the twelve gods.
But he never expected that after all his good intentions and a lot of spitting, the group of people would actually laugh in unison, with nonchalant expressions on their faces.
The man who looked like a scholar even uttered wild words, saying that if the opponent crossed the river, he would give up a big victory for nothing.
Shocked, Xu Churen suppressed his anger and couldn't help but count the soldiers and horses again. That's right, there were more than 3,000 people. Even including the defeated army he brought, it was less than 4,000.
Xu Churen couldn't help but look sad, and his heart was filled with anger. He gritted his teeth and said, "That's all. He is worthy of being the vanguard appointed by Tong Guan. He is indeed as happy with his success as he is."
This was the second time that he was disrespectful to Tong Guan. Cao Cao rolled his eyes slightly and inquired: "Xu Zhizhou seems to be quite prejudiced against the Prime Minister?"
Xu Churen snorted without covering up, and said proudly: "I am at odds with those treacherous ministers, and this matter is known to the whole world. During the Daguan period, I was appointed as the commander of the Yongxing Army, and he criticized Tong Guan's bad government. He impeached me, so I had to After returning to the court, he was ostracized and framed by the eunuchs because of their illegal writings. He rushed to guard the ancestral temple. He returned to the court at the end of last year. He also hated Cai Jing because of his proposal of "living within one's means, frugal expenses, and giving up excessive expenditure". I was demoted to Yangzhou and became a magistrate."
Cao Cao sighed: "That's it! Grand Master Cai and Privy Council Tong are so powerful that if Mr. Xu dares to go against them, this is the gateway to the true country."
Xu Churen looked at Cao Cao twice and asked doubtfully, "Aren't you afraid of offending Tong Guan by talking like this?"
Cao Cao smiled and said: "In this expedition to Fangla, the 150,000 troops are all elites of the Western Army, but we are the Qingzhou Army. Our general, Wu Zhi, was promoted by Tong Guan because of his contribution to the suppression of Wang Qing and Tian Hu. I was an envoy to Qingzhou, but last year I went on an envoy to the Kingdom of Jin. Unfortunately, I was unable to return, and we became motherless children."
Xu Churen was old in the officialdom, so he naturally said: "I see! No wonder you are so eager to make contributions. Yes, those Western armies are all arrogant and powerful generals. If you don't wait for the generals to come forward, and you are not of the Western Army, if you don't With all the credit, how can I survive safely? I have to be a cannon fodder."
"Mr. Xu can clearly see that this is the truth."
Xu Churen thought for a moment: "Come to think of it, I also served as the governor of Qingzhou back then. Since you and I are Qingzhou soldiers, we are also destined to be together. Today, we are being rescued by you and others. How can we just sit idly by and ignore it? I have a plan to help you succeed. "
Cao Cao cupped his hands and thanked him: "If that's the case, I'd be very grateful. Please tell me, Mr. Xu."
Xu Churen smoothed his beard twice and said slowly: "I was defeated in the battle, and was attacked from both sides by him. I can't return to the city. Now there are only strong people guarding the city. Although the city wall is high and thick, but there is no strong general to command, sooner or later I will be defeated." Broken. Since you are brave, why not detour to the north of the city, rush into the city in one go, and help me defend Yangzhou? Wouldn't it be a great achievement?"
Wu Yong frowned and said: "Xu Zhizhou's plan is a mature method. As Xiaosheng said before, if the rebels fail to attack the city and retreat to the south bank, wouldn't it be a waste of effort?"
Xu Churen couldn't help but said angrily: "Don't you hear: Those who are good at fighting have no great achievements? You just want to make great achievements, but you don't want to make mistakes, Yangzhou will change hands, and the overall situation will be in turmoil. Who can bear this great responsibility?"
Wu Yong was unhappy and sneered: "My old husband is the one who knows the state. If Yangzhou is lost, it will naturally be your responsibility alone. Do you still want to interfere with us?"
When Xu Churen heard this, his old face turned red instantly, he patted his chest and shouted: "With such words, do you think that I am someone who is trying to get the credit? If Yangzhou is lost, I will die at the worst. However, the rebels successfully crossed the river. Jiangbei is rotten and all lives are in ruins. It's only for now! We all live on the national salary, who has no responsibility to protect the land and the people? How can we only care about the front of our own house!"
His words were so generous and heroic that Wu Yong couldn't help but feel ashamed. He cupped his fists and said, "That's all. It's a young man who said something inappropriate. Don't blame me, the old magistrate."
Seeing that he had admitted his mistake, the old man said no more, but continued to breathe heavily.
Lao Cao tried to smooth things over and said: "Xu Lao is an old man who is planning for the country. He is scholarly and vigorous. There is nothing wrong with each other. It is just about defending the city and defeating the enemy. It is not necessarily one or the other."
The old man glared and said, "Why is it not necessarily either/or? You can't defend the city and defeat the enemy at the same time, unless the rebels are all crazy and line up to climb up the city wall and let us kill them all."
Cao Cao waved his hand and said: "Don't be anxious, don't be anxious, I have my own plans. We will divide our troops into two groups. First, we will separate hundreds of soldiers and horses, and together with Xu Lao's men, we will make up a thousand, and then we will send a few fierce generals to help. Entering Yangzhou with great fanfare, the enemy generals will know that they must think that we are going to defend Yangzhou, so they can lay siege to the city with peace of mind. The other group is waiting in ambush, waiting for his army to disperse, and then swarm into his middle army. This is the "capture the thief and capture the king" If his plan fails, the dragons will be without a leader. Even though they have many people, there is nothing to worry about."
Wu Yong's eyes lit up and he shouted loudly: "What a great idea! Let's get more than a hundred water-savvy people and let the Ruan brothers lead them and lie down in the reeds. As soon as the enemy is defeated, they can immediately rush out and seize those ships. If you tell him that he won't be able to cross south!"
After hearing this, the three men of the Ruan family became very energetic. They all patted their chests and said, "Don't worry, brother. I'll give you 200 men to discipline him. He won't be able to escape even a boat."
After hearing this, Cao Cao said: "If this is true, Jiangnan will be defeated without knowing it, and Runzhou is just a thing in my hands."
After hearing this, Ruan Xiaoqi went crazy. He tilted his head and slapped his neck with his hands, shouting: "My younger brother is willing to issue a military order, but if he escapes in a boat, my elder brother will just use his knife to chop here."
Cao Cao grabbed him and smiled and said: "He will bring 20,000 troops and horses, and he will need 200 or 300 ships. If there are many of us, I will obey your military order. However, if I only give you three with 200 men, it will be difficult for me to do so." , Just do your best as your brother, even if you really run away to report the news, your brother will have his own plan to deal with it."
Xu Zhizhou was speechless for a long time, thinking over and over again about Cao Cao's plan in his mind. He felt that this man's courage was shocking. He had also seen the Western Army fighting in the past. Although there were elite soldiers and strong generals, none of them dared to use more than 3,000 men to completely destroy the opponent's 20,000 troops.
At this moment, seeing that he did not allow Ruan Xiaoqi to issue a military order, and his face became more and more serious, he couldn't help but ask: "You are a man who is knowledgeable, courageous, and tolerant. You must not be a thing in the pond. I would like to ask for your name."
Cao Cao smiled and said: "It's easy to say, I won't change my name in business, but I won't change my surname in office. I am Qingzhou Deputy General Li Dunzi, who is known in the world as...'Rolling on the Ground Mad Dragon'!"
Xu Churen was slightly stunned. He never expected that he was such an outstanding person with such a simple and unpretentious name. He couldn't help but secretly thought: With such a size, he is not called a "dunzi" in vain. No wonder he is rolling on the ground. Hey, rolling all over the ground, what kind of crazy person can he be? dragon? I'm afraid it's an earth dragon.
With a smile on his face, he said: "It turns out to be General Li! What a crazy dragon. Just by his name, he is already extraordinary."
Cao Cao cupped his fists and said, "You're welcome, you're welcome! Since we all have no objections, let's allocate the troops. Among you and other brothers, who is willing to help Xu Zhizhou enter Yangzhou?"
When the old man heard this, he thought to himself, this is just a matter of speed and slowness, how can I wait for him to sort it out? Of course, I have to grab someone brave and talented, so I quickly shouted: "The Qingzhou Poet Immortal has the courage to be a good wife, and the Qingzhou Poet Saint has Qin Qiong's ability. If they can help each other, it will be absolutely foolproof."
Niu Gao's eyes widened and he was overjoyed: even though Wu Song, Du Bo, Bian Xiang, Shi Jin and other ruthless people were here, old man Xu singled out himself, and really showed himself as a saint in front of people, seizing the honor from Aoli. This is so impressive. Face!
I was agitated for a moment, and inspiration suddenly came to me. I laughed out loud and wrote a poem: "This Zhizhou has a sharp eye and knows that the hero is Niu Gao! Let him fight into Yangzhou! Yeah, yeah, bah--"
He challenged, turned around, and appeared with a bang: "Red-blooded heart-dyed shirt!"
When all the brothers heard this, they all applauded. Xu Churen was in a daze. After hearing the last sentence, he realized that the other party had... made a poem? This, this is Nima Qingzhou Poet Saint? Did he want to sing with me before?
The Poet Saint Niu Gao appeared in front of the people, and the Poet Immortal Tieniu could not help but think of the wise man. When he came to Shixing, he shook his big head and opened his mouth: "Old man, don't worry if something happens. Remember to look for Tieniu in the war! I'm here for you!" With the two big axes here, it’s hard for any enemy to survive!”
The cheers got louder, and Xu Churen was shocked again. This Poet Immortal was even wilder than the Poet Saint...
Li Kui saw that his eyes were straight, thinking that he was surprised by his poetic talent, so he kindly hugged the old man's neck, sprayed the smell of garlic in his big mouth, and said with a smile: "Don't panic, old man, actually writing poetry is not difficult." , if you want to learn, Tieniu can teach you later.”
Old Man Xu said with a bitter face: "No, no, the general is talented in poetry, has the courage to be a good woman, and is both civil and military. He is not a person that I can match..."
Li Kui asked doubtfully: "You always talk about the courage of a good woman, Qin Qiong and Qin Shubao, but I know who this good woman is?"
Wu Yong laughed and said: "Fuhao is the queen of King Wu Ding of Shang Dynasty. She wields a big axe, is good at fighting, and has the courage to be unstoppable by ten thousand people."
Li Kui became more and more confused after hearing this: "Queen? Shouldn't the queen be a woman?"
Wu Yong's smile became brighter: "Yes, she is a woman. Tieniu, you will have another nickname in the future, called 'Men and Women are Good', and 'Wu Mengde', 'Huo Dianwei', 'Little Wen Hou' 'They all have different approaches but the same effect."
Li Kui was furious after hearing this: "Old man, how dare you compare me to a woman?"
The two big fists clenched loudly. After all, this guy only fought strong men in his life. Seeing that Xu Churen's hair and beard were gray, he suppressed his temper, otherwise Xu Churen's life would not be saved.
Niu Gao had a good impression of Xu Churen and quickly stepped forward to persuade him: "Brother Tieniu, don't be angry. Xu Zhizhou also means well, but his talent is limited, so he will inevitably say the wrong thing. According to my younger brother, since this good woman is a hero among women, in the future my brother will If you pass on this ax technique to Agua, wouldn’t it just be called ‘Saifu Hao’?”
When Li Kui heard this, his anger turned into joy: "Oh, brother, you are right. This woman is indeed a queen. My Agua will be the queen in the future, so she has some fate."
Seeing that the two of them were getting farther and farther apart, Wu Yong was afraid that Lao Cao would be turned against him, so he quickly said: "Let's talk about these household matters later. Since Xu Zhizhou values you two and has ordered soldiers and horses, let him kill the old man." Entering Yangzhou, we can take advantage of the opportunity to make trouble."
The two agreed to the promise, and immediately ordered five or six hundred people. Together with Xu Churen's defeated troops, they gathered a thousand people and took the road north, intending to enter Yangzhou from the north gate.
Lao Cao ordered Ruan's three heroes to lead 200 people and sneak along the river bank, preparing to seize his boat. He led the remaining 2,000 people to find a remote trail and quietly headed towards Yangzhou.
There are different teachings: Who can say that it is difficult to defend the war? Aha has clever plans and clever plans. Kill the generals and rob the camp on the left side of Huaihe River, and seize the boats to cross the water to Runzhou.
(End of chapter)
