Cao Cao came to a hilltop and looked towards Chang'an.
Not long after, Cao Ren came over and said: "General, everything has been arranged."
Cao Cao held his sword and said nothing. He raised his head and glanced at the high moon, with a calm expression and a hint of pride.
Cao Ren stood beside him, hesitating again and again, and said: "General, judging from the reports from the spies, there may be more than 300,000 Yellow Turban troops, large and small. Can we really force them to surrender?"
Cao Ren is different from Xia Houyuan brothers. Since Cao Cao became General Wuwei, his title changed from 'Meng De' to 'General'.
Cao Cao smiled confidently and said: "The strategy of paying filial piety has never gone wrong."
Cao Ren said no more, because not far away, a figure seemed to be moving in the darkness, saying: "Here he comes!"
Cao Cao snorted coldly and said: "Scare them, try not to kill people, keep their mouths open and go back to eat."
Cao Ren responded and strode away.
On the small road in the distance, Gong Du led two thousand people and marched straight towards Cao Cao's camp.
A person behind him whispered: "Qu Shuai, are we going to be the first person?"
Gong Du looked stern and said: "Cao Cao's food and grass are at the rear. If someone else takes the lead, go and chew the bark of the tree!"
The others immediately fell silent.
The purpose of their march and war is actually very simple - money and food.
They would never engage in fierce battles with the government and army in order to occupy more cities to expand their territory, and they did not have the ambition of the "Sangong General" that "the sky is dead, Huang Tian will stand".
dong dong dong
Suddenly, drums sounded around them, and then the torches suddenly lit up, stretching endlessly, moving through the forest, as if there were thousands of troops.
Gong Du was startled, turned around quickly and said: "Run! Run!"
He ran first, and the soldiers behind him rushed to be the first, and soon passed him. You competed with me, and everyone ran very fast.
Cao Ren came out of the woods, looked at the scattered and shouting Yellow Turban Army, and then glanced at the fallen hoes, shovels, etc. on the ground, his face was very weird.
He had also fought several battles with Cao Cao, and this was the first time he saw such a Yellow Turban Army.
Cao Cao then walked over and looked at the Yellow Turban Army like a bereaved dog. His expression was motionless, but also a little surprised. This was very different from the Yellow Turban Army he had encountered before.
Back then, he accompanied Huangfu Song and others to conquer the Yellow Turban Army. The Yellow Turban Army at that time was extremely powerful, and Huangfu Song had many defeats. It was completely unlike today, where he would flee at the slightest sign of trouble.
"withdraw troops."
Cao Cao looked at it again, turned around and walked back.
After returning to the camp, he came to Xiahoudun's ward. He didn't see Guo Jia and Xiahouyuan, but he didn't ask. He took off his clothes and fell to sleep on the ground.
Xiahou Dun couldn't sleep, and the conversation between Guo Jia and Xia Houyuan kept coming over and over again.
Early the next morning, Cao Cao dressed up and led Cao Ren to prepare for action. Before leaving, he made a special trip to Guo Jia's room. Seeing that he was not there, he asked the guard, "You have stayed away all night as a tribute to me?"
The guard raised his hand and said, "Yes, Xiahou Sima has not returned either."
Cao Cao thought for a moment and took Cao Ren to the front of Chang'an City.
Cao Ren looked alert and said, "Mengde, there are probably hundreds of thousands of people here."
Cao Cao didn't care at all and said loudly: "Taking last night as an example, a million doesn't matter!"
Cao Ren nodded and ran away at the slightest movement. It was indeed of no use.
Cao Cao personally led the troops and made the siege very powerful, which made the top of Chang'an City panic.
As one of the thirty-six canal commanders, He Yi came with a large army after a long journey to get hundreds of thousands of grain and grass for Cao Cao. Seeing Cao Cao attacking the city, he calmly said to Gong Du: "Confirmed? Did Cao Cao really bring so much money and food?"
He Yi is not a reckless man, and the fact that he can survive until now is enough to show his ability.
Gong Du was a little ashamed of the night attack last night, and said with certainty: "Our brothers have carefully investigated several times. The warehouse stretches for several miles, and the grain and grass cover it like clouds. There is no mistake! And there is news from Luoyang. For sure!”
He Yi said no more, staring at Cao Cao in the distance with cold eyes.
He had more than 100,000 people under his command. They hid in Tibet under Zhu Jun's attacks and made a living by looting. However, Qingzhou was in a dilapidated state and there was no place to go. He wanted to go to Yanzhou, but was beaten by Zhu Jun again. return.
It was extremely difficult to survive the winter, with hundreds of thousands of mouths crying for food, and countless pairs of eyes staring at him.
Knowing that Cao Cao had so much money and food, he rushed over with his people without any hesitation.
Gong Du looked at his expression and suddenly said: "Shuai He, as we agreed before, we will divide the money and food in half, and then join forces to kill Jinan and Pingyuan."
The territory east of Beihai Kingdom was basically the territory of the Yellow Turban Army, which had long been plundered. Only Jinan Kingdom and Pingyuan County were slightly better off under Zhu Jun's management.
He Yi smiled slightly and said, "That's natural."
Seeing how fake his smile was, Gong Du felt wary.
Since its establishment, the Yellow Turban Army has been fighting constantly and has no internal unity at all. Just like the millions of Yellow Turban Army in Qingzhou, they fight independently without a commander or alliance. Even if there is short-term cooperation, it will quickly fall apart due to various reasons.
"kill!"
Cao Cao's cavalry rushed forward, drew their bows and fired arrows, and arrows rained down on the city.
The Yellow Turban Army on top of the city suddenly panicked and resisted in various ways.
Some waved half-length spears, some shook hoes, some hid under the city wall, and some even swarmed down the city.
Gong Du held up a shield, hid behind the wall, and shouted: "Defend the city! Defend the city!"
This was the first time Cao Jun shot arrows into the city, and Gong Du panicked.
He Yi was also a little nervous and picked up a broadsword, but found that Cao's cavalry under the city did not enter the shooting range of their archers, but only took turns to shoot arrows.
"Don't panic! Don't panic! Cao Jun is not attacking the city!"
He Yi shouted to calm people down.
"Qu Shuai, that's not good!"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone ran up to the city and shouted: "At the south gate, Cao Jun's long ladder appeared, they are going to attack the city!"
He Yi was startled and said urgently: "Order them to hold on! Never allow a single officer or soldier to go to the city!"
Gong Du stood up and said: "He Shuai, you stay here and I'll go to the south gate!"
"Okay, okay." He Yi nodded repeatedly. He was a little scared by Zhu Jun.
Gong Du hurried downstairs, looked back at the rain of arrows, and ran a little faster.
When they arrived at the south gate, they found that Cao Jun not only had long ladders, but also trebuchets were ready, as if they were about to attack the city!
"Hold! Everyone is guarding!"
Gong Du walked back and forth, shouting.
The Yellow Turban Army was good at attacking cities and plundering everywhere. They rarely defended the city, and Gong didn't have much experience. He just kept waving his sword and shouting.
Cao Ren, who was not far from the city, did not have any plans to attack the city, but just kept his attitude open.
It was not until night that Cao Jun withdrew his troops.
In Gongdu on the top of the city, He Yi looked very unhappy.
He Yi said: "Cao Cao did this before?"
Gong Du nodded and said, "He has been testing."
He Yi glanced at him and secretly cursed an idiot.
This is not a test by Cao Cao, it is obviously a tactic to tire out the enemy. When they are tired enough, Cao Cao will suddenly launch an attack at an unexpected time!
At that time, they will be completely defeated!
"He only has more than 10,000 people. We will fight with him tomorrow!" He Yi suddenly said in a deep voice.
Gong Du was startled and said, "What if it's a trap? You saw it last night. Cao Cao knew that he was waiting for me to attack the camp. Fortunately, I retreated quickly!"
He Yi snorted coldly and said: "There is no reason to always defend the city. We have a large number of people. What can he do no matter how cunning Cao Cao is!?"
Before he finished speaking, a soldier on the watchtower shouted loudly: "Cao Cao's reinforcements have arrived!"
He Yi, Gong Du's heart skipped a beat and he quickly went up to the watchtower.
The two stood on tiptoe and saw billowing dust in the distance, and the flag with the word "zhu" fluttering endlessly.
"At least ten thousand people." Gong Du murmured to himself.
He Yi's face darkened. If Cao Cao came, he would still be sure to deal with it. If Zhu Jun came over, he would have to be cautious!
On the other side, Cao Cao's camp.
Cao Cao looked at the head of Chang'an County with a smile on his face.
Not long after, Xia Houyuan rushed over and said, "Mengde, can you scare them?"
Cao Cao touched his beard, his narrow eyes flashed with satisfaction, and said: "A frightened bird, even if you don't believe it, you will still be half-believed."
After speaking, he suddenly turned to Xia Houyuan and said, "Where is Fengxiao?"
Xia Houyuan shook his head and said: "The military advisor brought more than thirty people, saying they were looking for wine."
Cao Cao's eyes widened and he said: "Quickly, find him! No, I will find him myself!"
This country of Beihai had long been plundered by the Yellow Turban Army and was in dilapidated condition. How could there be any wine?
Xia Houyuan thought about Guo Jia's words and said quickly: "I'll go too."
They led the men, rode horses and searched in a wide circle, but found no trace of Guo Jia, so they had to return to the camp.
One of Cao Cao's soldiers followed him and whispered: "Commander, are you running away?"
"Stop talking nonsense!" Cao Cao's face darkened and he shouted.
The soldiers immediately bowed and did not dare to say anything.
Xia Houyuan pushed him away and said, "Go and get ready. No one in Chang'an County is allowed to sleep alone tonight!"
Most of these soldiers were descendants of the Cao and Xiahou families. They were either uncles or nephews.
The soldiers responded and left in a hurry.
Cao Cao said nothing and walked straight into the tent.
Cao Ren did not follow, and had to prepare for a "night attack" on Chang'an County at night.
It had been dark for a while, and just when they were taking a rest after eating, Cao Jun suddenly sounded loud drums and the sound of horse hooves.
Cao Ren led five thousand soldiers and horses around the city and tried to attack several times.
Chang'an County was suddenly in chaos and there was a lot of shouting.
The more than 100,000 people in Gongdu were already a mixed bag, making it extremely difficult to manage; now with the addition of He Yi's more than 100,000 people, the situation became chaotic under the overcrowding.
Cao Cao stood watching from a distance and said in a decisive tone: "Ten days at most!"
After three days in a row, Cao Jun carried out an uninterrupted "siege" on Chang'an County, day and night.
On this day, Cao Cao came back from the front line, and his habitual first words were: "Fengxiao hasn't come back yet?"
The soldier quickly said: "Yes. The military advisor has not returned yet."
Cao Cao didn't expect to get a positive answer and walked towards the tent.
But the soldiers chased after him and said: "General, Xiahou Sima is missing."
Cao Cao paused and said, "You mean Yuan Rang?"
The two brothers Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun were both serving as "Military Sima".
"Yes." said the soldier.
Cao Cao stopped, turned his head and looked outside, his thick eyebrows furrowed.
Guo Jia's sudden disappearance made Cao Cao a little confused. Now that Xiahou Dun disappeared again, he calmed down, his expression moved slightly, and he said in a deep voice: "Send an order to the whole army not to attack the city tonight, and serve up good wine and meat for the soldiers to eat." What a pleasure!”
The soldier was overjoyed and said: "The villain takes the order!"
Cao Ren and Xia Houyuan got the news and hurried over. Xia Houyuan opened his mouth and said: "Mengde, we don't have much food and grass. If we eat and drink so openly, we won't be able to survive for five days at most."
Part of Cao Cao's food and grass came from the court, part was raised by himself, and the other part was given to him by Zhu Jun. In fact, it was not much.
Cao Cao wrote the official document and said, "I just received news that Dong Zhuo entered Langya County on the pretext of wiping out the Yellow Turban Army."
Cao Ren and Xia Houyuan were startled, and then Cao Ren's expression suddenly changed and he said, "What does Dong Zhuo want to do?"
Cao Cao finished writing in a hurry, took out another blank memorial, and said while writing: "Yuan Shu has captured the entire Jingzhou."
Xia Houyuan and Cao Ren were speechless. The situation changed too fast.
Cao Cao finished writing quickly, smiled calmly, and said: "No need to worry, I am sure that within two days, Chang'an will be prosperous!"
"General, is there any way?" Cao Ren asked.
Cao Cao handed the memorial and official documents to his soldiers and said: "Send them to Zhu Shijun, the Grand Sima Mansion and the Shangshutai."
After saying that, he stood up and said with a loud smile: "Let's go drink!"
Cao Ren and Xia Houyuan didn't know why, so they asked after him.
But Cao Cao didn't answer, and he ate and drank as much as he wanted with the soldiers.
In Chang'an County.
Uncharacteristically, Cao Cao did not continue to harass, but instead made Gong Du and He Yi feel uneasy.
Gong Du was eating some hard soup cakes with a solemn expression and said, "Cao Cao is probably going to attack the city."
He Yi's face was as dark as water, and she sneered: "We have more than 300,000 people, let him attack! What can a mere 20,000 people do to us!"
Originally, he came here for Cao Cao's hundreds of thousands of grain and grass, and he also thought about hunting rabbits, but he never thought that Cao Cao was too treacherous and surrounded them here, unable to advance or retreat.
"How handsome!"
"How handsome!"
A half-hundred-year-old man who looked like an old farmer hurried in and shouted: "Our food and grass outside the city have been robbed!"
"What!"
He Yi stood up suddenly and shouted: "Who did this!?"
After he finished speaking, he looked at Gong Du fiercely.
Gong Du also had a cold face, stood up slowly, and said, "You don't think I robbed the food and grass, do you?"
As bandits who have been chased by the army for many years, He Yi, Gong Du and others have long learned that money and food will not be placed in one place.
He Yi suddenly felt regretful and said quickly: "Gong Shuai, don't get me wrong, it wasn't me, that one must have been done by Cao Cao!"
Gong Du had a sneer on his face and said: "There are no more outside the city. The city can only support it for two days at most. If the news spreads, it will inevitably spread across the country."
�
The Yellow Turban Army has a loud slogan, but now, they basically make a living by looting. All the soldiers and the people they hold hostage regard "food" as their first priority. Without food, no one will listen to them.
He Yi didn't expect Cao Cao to do this, and gritted his teeth and said: "There is no other way. If he can rob us, we can also rob him! Attack the camp tonight!"
Gong Du sat down, bit into the cake, and said, "I heard that Cao Cao has opened a big stove over there. It is bright and fragrant, and the aroma is wafting into the city. He is probably eager for us to leave the city!"
He Yi's expression kept changing, and her heart was full of anger and hatred.
Cao Cao robbed their food and grass, which was equivalent to forcing them to a dead end!
They didn't have much food and grass left. They originally expected to rob Cao Cao's food and grass to last until the summer harvest, but they never thought that Cao Cao would rob them backhand!
"What do you think we should do?" He Yi said bitterly without making any plans for a moment.
Without food and grass, you can't wait to die, right?
Gong Du's heart surged with hatred, his eyes were red, and he said, "Let's talk tomorrow!"
You must not move today. If you look for an opportunity tomorrow, you may be able to defeat Cao Cao and steal his food and grass!
He Yi was a little flustered as he thought about the hundreds of thousands of mouths under his command.
Without food, those people would eat him alive!
Noon the next day.
Cao Cao was writing a letter again, and Xia Houyuan came in and said: "Mengde, there is something strange in Chang'an City. Many people are sent out one after another. It doesn't look like they are running away, but they seem to be deliberately inquiring about something."
Cao Cao looked calm and said, "Has anyone been caught?"
Xia Houyuan shook his head and said: "Those people are very ghostly. They went into the mountains and forests after leaving the city. I searched several times but couldn't find them."
Cao Cao raised his head with a strange look on his face, then smiled and said: "They are anxious."
As he spoke, he lowered his head and continued writing.
"General General!"
A soldier hurried in and said, "The military advisor is back!"
Cao Cao threw away his pen and ran out in large strides. Not long after he left the tent, he saw Xiahou Dun covered in blood not far away, with many flat cars behind him.
"Where is Fengxiao?" Cao Cao didn't care about this and looked around for Guo Jia.
Xiahou Dun stepped forward, held his helmet, and said, "Don't worry, Meng De. The military advisor drank too much and is sleeping."
With that said, he drove the flat car to a canvas, and saw Guo Jia holding the wine bottle and sleeping soundly.
When Cao Cao saw Guo Jia, he felt reassured. Only then did he notice so many carts and the sacks on them, and asked in confusion: "Yuan Rang, what did you and Feng Xiao do?"
Xiahou Dun smiled like a flower and said: "Mengde, the military advisor has determined that these rebels must have hidden food and grass outside the city, so they are confident. It took them several days, but we finally found them, and they are all here!"
Cao Cao strode forward excitedly, looked at the flat carts and sacks one by one, and said, "Are they all here?"
Xiahou Dun nodded heavily and said: "The military advisor said that Chang'an City will not be able to hold out for three days at most, so you should withdraw your troops."
"withdraw troops?"
Cao Cao was startled, and then his eyes were blazing, and he said directly: "Send my general's order to withdraw the entire army twenty miles!"
Xia Houyuan still didn't understand. When he was about to ask, Xia Houdun stopped him and said, "Miaocai, my wound is open. Please find a doctor to take a look at it quickly."
When Xiahou Yuan heard this, he immediately forgot what he wanted to say. He quickly responded and helped Xiahou Dun go to the doctor.
Without saying a word, Cao Ren began to order the soldiers to pack up and retreat in an orderly manner.
Cao Cao personally pulled the flat cart where Guo Jia lay, and also asked someone to fan Guo Jia, for fear that he would get hot.
Guo Jia lay on the flat car, sleeping soundly, letting the flat car sway, and never let go of the wine bottle in his hands.
Chang'an County quickly noticed Cao Cao's sudden movements.
In Gongdu, He Yi ran to the top of the city and watched Cao's army retreat with his own eyes, and couldn't help being stunned.
Gong Du looked confused and said, "Cao Cao, why did you withdraw your troops?"
It stands to reason that their food and fodder were robbed, and if they only waited a few more days, they would collapse without a fight. Why did they withdraw their troops instead?
But He Yi understood and said bitterly: "Cao Cao is afraid that we will fight tooth and nail, and wants to hide away and wait for us to collapse!"
"What a vicious thief Cao!"
Gong Du gritted his teeth and said, "What should we do now?"
Their only life-saving straw was Cao Cao's food and grass. Now Cao Cao ran away, leaving them to fend for themselves.
"How do I know!?" He Yi had a gloomy face, unable to think of any solution.
You can't go after more than 300,000 old, weak, women and children, right? Aren't you giving away your head for nothing?
After a long while, Gong Du suddenly looked at He Yi and said, "How about we surrender?"
He Yi was furious at first, and then was startled, frowning, and her expression kept changing.
The Yellow Turban Army actually surrendered a lot of people to the imperial court, including the so-called Black Mountain Army, who had already surrendered to the imperial court and received many official positions as captains.
He Yi hesitated for a while and said, "Can Cao Cao allow us to be like Zhang Yan?"
The Montenegrin Army now has a large territory, and the court basically ignores it and is a de facto independent kingdom.
What He Yi actually means is that they 'surrender' like Zhang Yan, but Cao Cao will give them food and grass, they will retreat, and the court will no longer suppress them.
Gong didn't say anything, sneering in his heart.
Zhang Yan's territory is surrounded by barren mountains and deep forests, and it would be difficult for the imperial court to conquer it. Now that they are all going to collapse without a fight, the court will still send money and food to appease them?
He Yi soon realized that this idea was wishful thinking, and she felt hateful and helpless in her heart, saying: "Send a letter and talk to him!"
After agreeing to surrender, Gong Du calmed down and said: "There is only one day left."
Their food and grass can only last for one day at most. If the people in the city are hungry, there will be chaos and no one can control it.
