The first day of the first lunar month of the first year of Yonghan.
Cao Cao gathered 20,000 soldiers and horses in the Forbidden Army camp, accepted the order, obtained the seals and talismans, and after clear delivery, he led his army eastward.
After walking for just over twenty miles, Cao Cao ordered to set up camp, make food and rest.
In the camp, Cao Cao stared at the map of Yanzhou and thought deeply.
News came one after another from Yanzhou that Shanyang County had fallen into the hands of Qiao Mao, and the other seven counties responded, as well as the Yellow Turban bandits and Yuan family forces who had been dormant after being suppressed by Huangfu Song last time and took advantage of the situation. , the entire Yanzhou was already in chaos.
"Chen Liu."
Cao Cao stared at Chenliu County, judging the direction of his advance.
"Mengde."
Xiahou Dun came in with a bad look and said: "A letter came from Luoyang City, saying that many people are impeaching you and causing trouble in front of His Majesty."
Cao Cao's expression remained as usual, his narrow eyes flashed with coldness, and he said, "No need to worry about it. Miaocai is gone?"
Xiahou Dun sat down and approached Cao Cao and said, "Well, Zi Lian has gone to Nanyang."
Miaocai was named after Xia Houyuan, and Zilian was named after Cao Hong. These two men were ordered by Cao Cao to go to Pei State and the other to Nanyang to raise food and troops.
Cao Cao was still very relieved about these two people. He picked up the map and went out of the tent and said, "Where is the military advisor?"
Xiahou Dun was very dissatisfied with Guo Jia, snorted and said, "I'm looking for a place to drink."
Cao Cao didn't care about this. As soon as he came out of the tent, he saw Guo Jiazheng walking towards him. He quickly greeted him and said, "Feng Xiao, I intend to leave Yuan Rang here to create a suspicious formation. I will lead my troops to attack lightly and go straight to Chen Liu." ,What do you think?"
Guo Jia drank the wine leisurely and said: "General, how long has it been since you returned home?"
Cao Cao was startled, then realized in shock, and said, "Feng Xiao means that you want me to bypass Pei State and go straight to Shanyang County?"
After saying that, he quickly glanced around, pulled Guo Jia into the tent, and said, "Fengxiao, please elaborate."
The three of them entered the camp and sat down separately. Guo Jia took another sip of wine, wiped his mouth, and then said: "Qiao Mao and others acted in a hurry, so they urgently need to capture Shanyang County to build up their momentum. What does the general have to do? , that is, to conquer Shanyang County, it can not only penetrate into the hearts of the rebels, but also severely damage the morale of the rebels!"
Cao Cao was greatly shocked, his eyes widened, and he said solemnly: "Feng Xiaoguo is my son! Tonight, I will lead the army and take a detour to Pei State! Yuan Rang, I will leave you two thousand men to attack Chenliu with a bluff. Remember, go fast and slow sometimes to attract the attention of the rebels!"
Xiahou Dun looked deeply at Guo Jia, stood up and raised his hand and said: "The last general takes orders!"
Cao Cao waited for him to go out and said to Guo Jia: "Feng Xiao, you are not in good health. I will ask Yuan Rang to protect you. We will meet in Shanyang County."
The wine bottle in Guo Jia's hand was brought to his mouth. He listened, looked at Cao Cao, and said with a smile: "General, are you afraid that I will cause trouble by drinking and drag down the general?"
After saying that, he threw the wine bottle and said: "It's fine if you don't want to drink. But when we get to Shanyang County, the general will have to treat me to a drink."
Seeing Guo Jia's decisiveness, Cao Cao immediately said: "When I conquer Shanyang, I will personally get some good wine for Fengxiao and let's drink together until we get drunk!"
"It's a deal," Guo Jiada said.
The two looked at each other and laughed endlessly, as if their victory over Shanyang was certain.
That night.
The camp was calm as usual, but Cao Cao, with his troops and horses, quietly left the road through the dark night.
After walking some distance, Cao Cao and Guo Jia rode horses, bypassed Chenliu, entered Jizhou, and went straight to Peiguo.
Pei State borders Shanyang, but Pei State belongs to Yuzhou.
Waiting until daybreak, Xiahou Dun pretended that Cao Cao was still in the army and went to the big tent to 'report' from time to time.
After resting for two days, 'Cao Cao's' 20,000-strong army broke out of camp and continued to march towards Chenliu.
Inside Luoyang City.
It was supposed to be an annual holiday, but the big shots in the court didn't really get much rest.
Everyone is paying attention to Qiao's rebellion, and naturally they are also staring at Cao Cao's army to quell the rebellion.
At the Chancery's desk, the Prime Minister is on duty.
Wang Yun, Xun You, Li Ru, and Zhong Yao were sitting on both sides, discussing matters with Yang Biao.
Li Ru raised his hand to Yang Biao and said in a deep voice: "Prime Minister, Ding Shijun is trapped in Dingtao. The whole Yanzhou is in danger. Cao Cao is marching slowly and is afraid to move forward. Please replace him!"
Xun You and Zhong Yao looked at each other, eyes flashing with concentration.
It took Cao Cao three days, but he still hadn't left Sili! What he did most was to write letters to the court one after another, urging him to request military rations!
Wang Yun glanced at Xun You and Zhong Yao with solemn eyes and said: "If the rebels capture Jiyin County, Chen Liu will not be able to defend it! Do you want Da Sima to lead the troops in person?"
No one doubts Huangfusong's ability. Seeing that the rebels were powerful and threatening Luoyang, but Cao Cao was stagnant, the voices in the court gradually became louder to replace Cao Cao.
Yang Biao's face was sullen, his expression majestic, and he said nothing.
He couldn't figure out the meaning of His Majesty in the palace, so he didn't dare to say anything. Similarly, if he spoke for Cao Cao, he would be implicated in Cao Cao's defeat in the future.
Therefore, silence is golden.
Seeing Yang Biao pretending to be thoughtful and keeping silent, Wang Yun said with sharp eyes, "Prime Minister, could it be that the rebels invaded Luoyang and you still didn't say a word?"
Yang Biao looked at him, then glanced at Xun You and Zhong Yao, and suddenly said in a deep voice: "It is a taboo to change generals before the battle! In the name of Shangshutai, the prime minister will issue a letter urging him to speed up the army and immediately join forces with him. Join Ding Yuan and wipe out the rebels!"
"What if Cao Cao ignores him or misses the opportunity to fight?" Wang Yun chased after him.
Instead, Yang Biao looked at Xun You and said, "Xun Shangshu, how much money and food has the imperial court raised?"
Xun You bowed and said: "Currently there are only ten thousand stones."
Yang Biao snorted coldly and said: "Ten thousand dan, now Cao Cao may have run out of military rations!"
Yang Biao didn't say anything to Wang Yun and Li Ru, but they were still blocked.
Seeing that the atmosphere was too intense, Zhong Yao muttered: "Prime Minister, Prince, please come forward to raise money and food from the big families in the capital."
Yang Biao saw Zhong Yao walking up the steps, ignored Wang Yun, and came down, saying: "I have been hosting banquets these days. I have borrowed 10,000 dan, but I have to pay it back."
"Of course I have to pay it back,"
Xun You quickly answered and said: "As soon as the summer grain arrives, we will plan accordingly and pay a certain amount of interest."
Wang Yun suppressed his anger and said: "I will also think of ways to get money and food, but I must urge Cao Cao to quickly advance his troops and join Ding Yuan. I'm worried that Ding Yuan won't be able to support him for long."
Ding Yuan was trapped in Dingtao, Jiyin, and was besieged on all sides. He couldn't even defend, let alone attack the rebels, and was in danger!
"Your Majesty is here!"
Suddenly, the waiter's sharp scream sounded outside the door.
The five people in the room stood up hurriedly, turned their heads, and saw Liu Bian wearing regular clothes and coming in with a warm smile.
"I will see your Majesty." Yang Biao and the other five raised their hands in greeting.
Liu Bian sat down at Yang Biao's seat and said, "No courtesy."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The five people divided their seats again and surrounded Liu Bian.
Liu Bian got straight to the point and said: "I came here today to talk about two things. The first thing is about the change of Yuan Dynasty after the break of the court and the promulgation of the policy outline. The second thing is about the Yanzhou rebellion. Shangshutai must focus on repairing internal affairs. , Regarding the counter-insurgency, the Grand Sima Mansion is responsible. Everyone must perform their duties and focus on their tasks, and do not distract your energy."
Wang Yun looked angry and said: "Your Majesty, Cao Cao's march is too slow. When he reaches Chenliu, I am afraid that Ding Yuan's head is missing, and Yanzhou will become more and more out of control!"
Liu Bian nodded and said: "I have ordered Grand Sima's Mansion to send a letter to urge you. Don't move the Chancellor's desk anymore, so as not to put too much pressure on you and shake the morale of the troops to quell the chaos."
Others don't know Cao Cao's plan, but Liu Bian knows it clearly.
Wang Yun hesitated and slowly put down his hand. In his heart, he still wanted to replace Cao Cao and safely lead the army with Huangfu Song.
Seeing Liu Bian suppressing Wang Yun, Xun You said, "Your Majesty, please go to Yingchuan to raise money and food."
Liu Bian waved his hand and said: "Leave the matter of money and food to Cao Cao. Let's discuss the promulgation of the policy outline."
Xun You looked at Liu Bian and hesitated to speak.
Since the outbreak of the Golden Rebellion, the imperial court has actually had fewer and fewer means of controlling the generals. Now there is almost only one method left: money and food.
This last point was also given to the leading generals, that is, the offensive and defensive changes, and the court had to beg them to do something.
Yang Biao blinked his little eyes, observed Liu Bian's expression, thought for a moment, and said: "Your Majesty, regarding the tax reduction in the outline, Shangshutai believes that the amount should not be too large or excessive. For states and counties with severe disasters, three levels should be adopted. Limited to years..."
Liu Bian waited for him to finish, thought for a moment, and said, "Continue."
Yang Biao bowed and said: "As for the administration of Su Duwei, I believe that Sili, Bingzhou, and Youzhou are feasible for the time being. Ji, Yan, and Yu need to be looked at again. Yi, Xu, Yang and other places are far away and are prone to bandits. There are so many that the imperial court is beyond the reach of the government, and it is still necessary to supervise the affairs of the state shepherds and governors..."
Liu Bian took the teacup handed over by Pan Yin and said: "What the Prime Minister said is reasonable. You all can speak freely and brainstorm."
As for Liu Bian, Xun You, Zhong Yao, Wang Yun, and Li Ru spoke one after another and had in-depth discussions on the collective measures of the policy outline.
On the other side, Cao Cao arrived in Feng County in less than three days.
In the evening, Cao Cao hid his troops in the mountains and forests, summarizing the news from the spies, and said solemnly to Guo Jia: "In order to honor Xiao, Qiao Mao appointed Bao Xin as the governor of Shanyang, and gathered 10,000 troops to guard Changyi. In other places, they are all bandits. No need to worry about the possession.”
Guo Jia looked at the map in his hand and said: "Ding Shijun is besieged in Dingtao. If we can conquer Changyi, Dingtao can relieve itself, and then go all the way north, approaching Puyang!"
Puyang is the administrative seat of Dongjun and the base camp of Qiaomao.
Cao Cao thought the same thing. He looked back and said with a worried look on his face: "We are marching too fast and our talents are too late. The current army rations are only enough for three days at most."
The so-called three armies go ahead without using food and grass, which shows the importance of food and grass. If the food and grass are exhausted, there will be no need for the rebels to attack, and Cao Cao's 18,000 men will be defeated without a fight.
Guo Jia's expression remained unchanged, his eyes fixed on Changyi, and he said to himself: "The rebels are surging and have gathered tens of thousands. The food and grass they need must be countless. Then, where will their food and grass be stored? "
Cao Cao was startled, opened his eyes fiercely, and searched everywhere on the Yanzhou map.
Not long after, he said: "Rencheng State, Dongping State is definitely not the case. They want to go west to Luoyang. These two places are too far, and the same is true for Dongjun. The most suitable place should be in the Dingtao area. Now there are still Dingtao Ding Shijun is holding fast, so the place to store grain and grass may be near Changyi!"
Guo Jia looked up at him, reached out and subconsciously touched his waist, touched the space, smiled casually, and said: "Regardless of whether it is true or not, if we capture Changyi, the general will get at least ten days of military rations!"
"enough!"
Cao Cao was overjoyed, pacing back and forth, and suddenly said in a deep voice: "Send my order to the general to rest for half an hour!"
Guo Jia stretched out his hand to stop him and said, "I heard that General Cao is familiar with many aristocratic families in Yanzhou?"
Cao Cao was confused and asked, "What does being filial piety mean?"
Guo Jia smiled calmly and said: "Qiao is planning to cause chaos, which is unpopular. Many aristocratic families must be involved. If the general lends a helping hand at this time, countless people will express their gratitude."
Cao Cao was so excited that he said, "I'll write a letter right now!"
When these letters come out, some of the rebels in Qiaomao will definitely be moved, some will tip off the news, some will come to defect, and some will stab Qiaomao and the others in the back!
More importantly, this is a good way to alienate Qiao Mao and other rebellious officials, divide their forces, and shake their military morale!
Guo Jia knelt down and sat aside. He thought Cao Cao would write five or six letters, but he didn't expect that in just half an hour, Cao Cao wrote nearly thirty letters!
Cao Cao summoned his guards and ordered him to send someone out. Then he couldn't wait to inspect the military camp. Taking advantage of the dark wind and high moon, he marched straight to Changyi!
Cao Cao led three thousand men and sneaked all the way into Yanzhou and arrived at Dongmin in the evening.
Cao Cao rode his horse and picked up the kettle to drink water. He saw Guo Jia beside him, with a sallow complexion and dry lips. He said with concern: "Fengxiao, please bear with me for one more day. When you get to Changyi, you can drink as much as you want!"
Guo Jia was addicted to alcohol. It was the first time for him not to drink for so many days. He forced a smile and said, "Okay."
"who!"
Before Cao Cao could react, suddenly, a patrol of hundreds of soldiers appeared not far in front of them.
Cao Cao's army became nervous for a while. Even Guo Jia's eyes narrowed and he held the reins tightly with both hands.
Cao Cao was calm and spoke the dialect of Pei State loudly: "Ming Gong ordered us to go to Feng County to raise military supplies. We have just returned."
The patrolling soldiers saw him without doubting his presence, and left after taking a quick look.
When they were far away, Guo Jia relaxed and saw that Cao Cao showed no signs of panic and continued to move forward, so he nodded secretly.
Without any delay, Cao Cao crossed Dongmin and marched quickly at night. In the early morning two days later, he finally arrived outside Changyi City.
"Fengxiao, what should we do now?" Cao Cao lay on a stone and looked at Changyi City from a distance.
The city is not big, but it is still too laborious for three thousand people to attack it.
Guo Jia's lips were so dry that they were about to crack. He looked haggard but calm, and his eyes were clear. He said: "The incident at Qiaobao was in a hurry. I sent letters to various counties and counties, and countless people defected. They must be so messed up that it is difficult for anyone to tell them apart. The general pretended to be someone else." , it’s easy to deceive the city gate. Once you enter the city, show your flag, and Changyi will be captured!"
Cao Cao's face was as sharp as iron, his eyes were burning, and his heart was filled with excitement.
I think of how many ups and downs Cao Cao had along the way. Today, he finally had a wise man to help him!
"With Fengxiao here, Cao Cao has no need to worry about everything happening!" Cao Cao couldn't help but hold Guo Jia's hand and said in a deep voice.
Guo Jia coughed slightly and said, "General, it's not too late."
It was early in the morning, the time when Changyi's defenses were at its lowest.
Cao Cao looked serious, turned around and began to assign tasks, and then led the army out of the hiding woods, came to the official road, and marched straight to Changyi City in a swagger.
The soldiers guarding the city gate of Changyi looked at the three thousand troops approaching the city gate slowly and slowly, looking at and whispering to each other without much panic.
Cao Cao arrived not far from the city. He held up a seal in his hand and said loudly: "I am here to transport grain on the order of Duke Ming."
The guard at the top of the city opened the door without any hesitation.
When Cao Cao saw this, his long and narrow eyes flashed with cold light, and he rode his horse slowly into the city.
A military prince on the tower looked at him and said loudly: "Are you the Cavalry Commander? Are you from Jiyin?"
At this time, Cao Cao had already entered. When he passed through the city gate, he suddenly drew his sword and shouted: "Cao Cao, the mighty general of the Han Dynasty, has been ordered to punish thieves. Those who surrender will not be killed!"
"kill!"
Cao Cao's three thousand men immediately opened their flags, hunted like the wind, and charged into Changyi City.
Changyi was caught off guard and there was chaos.
Cao Cao ignored it and led his men to kill the county government in Changyi.
Bao Xin, the prime minister of Jibei who was appointed as the governor of Shanyang by Qiaomao, heard the commotion and ran out while putting on his clothes. When he got to the door, he saw Cao Cao leading the way and charging toward him with his army.
Bao Xin was once a member of General He Jin's palace, so he recognized Cao Cao. He thought that Cao Cao was coming with 20,000 troops, so he sat down on the ground in fright.
Immediately, he got up, knelt on the ground, put his hands on the ground, and shouted loudly: "Mengde, spare your life!"
Cao Cao rode up to him, put a knife on his neck, and said coldly: "Order everyone to put down their weapons!"
Bao Xin was frightened and shouted loudly: "Put down your weapons! Everyone, put down their weapons!"
Seeing that the Changyi soldiers around him were hesitating and putting down their weapons one after another, Cao Cao immediately commanded his troops and began to control these soldiers and control the key places in Changyi.
In just half an hour, Cao Cao captured Changyi and surrendered nearly 6,000 people.
He brought Guo Jia in from outside the city and said excitedly: "Fengxiao, I personally checked that there are 100,000 shi of grain stored in Changyi warehouse. We don't have to worry about military rations for the time being! This pot of wine was specially brought by me. It’s the best wine in Changyi!”
Guo Jia took it and did not drink it. Instead, he said seriously: "General, without further ado, please send troops to Dongjun immediately!"
Cao Cao was startled and said: "The army has been marching for days and is exhausted. Moreover, Changyi has just been conquered and needs to be reorganized. Yuan Rang, Miaocai and others have not yet followed. If we continue to march, I am afraid it will be disadvantageous for me."
Guo Jia naturally knew this, and said with a serious expression: "Shanyang County is the hinterland of Yanzhou. It is difficult to distinguish between the enemy and ourselves. If we want to defeat the rebels as soon as possible, it is not enough to capture Shanyang. We must go straight to Dongjun and destroy its foundation!"
Cao Cao thought over and over again and said, "How about a half-day rest? The soldiers are trapped and extremely exhausted."
"No!"
Guo Jia flatly refused and said: "The rebels in Qiaomao will definitely attack Dingtao day and night. Once Ding Shijun is defeated, the general will be alone and will not be able to protect him. If he sends troops to Dongjun at this time, the rebels will definitely be frightened. If we can’t look after each other, we will only end up in defeat!”
Cao Cao's face was sullen and his expression was troubled. He had actually ordered the soldiers to rest and eat and drink to their heart's content.
Seeing this, Guo Jia further said: "General, at this point, you must not relax, victory or defeat depends on this!"
Cao Cao and Guo Jia looked at each other, their hearts tangled, and the corner of his face twitched several times. His eyes suddenly opened, he turned around and shouted: "Send the order, all soldiers will be rewarded with three coins each, distribute them immediately, follow me to continue the expedition!"
Second update, five thousand words arrived.
Two updates and 10,000, please give me a monthly ticket~~
(End of chapter)
