"How many troops does Cao Hong have?" Lu Bu asked in a trembling voice, "Will Zang Ba come to help? My wife and children are all in Tancheng. If this falls into the hands of others, wouldn't it mean that we should go back to Tancheng immediately to save Tancheng..."
"Strategist, strategist! Can we bypass Xiapi and return to Tancheng!?" Lu Bu asked loudly for advice, but Chen Gong was sitting on the ground with his hair disheveled, his eyes were blank, his lips were slightly open, and he was letting out a weak gasp.
His mind was completely blank, only the afterglow of the fierce collision of emotions in his heart just now remained.
Chen Gong did not answer.
Lu Bu was so anxious that he grabbed Chen Gong's collar and lifted him up with both hands. His eyes were bloodshot like wolves, staring at Chen Gong closely, and asked in a deep voice: "I ask you, do you still have a plan?" ?Can you judge the current situation?"
"Where will Cao Cao be now?"
As soon as the news of this defeat came, it was equivalent to Lu Bu and others being in a desperate situation, but if you think about it carefully, it is not difficult to find that he never saw the shadow of Cao Cao from beginning to end!
How humiliating it is to accumulate wealth in Xuzhou and prepare for a bloody battle with Cao Cao, but when they are on the verge of defeat, they still haven't seen Cao Cao!
He, Lu Bu, has been fighting for many years. He ambushed Cao Cao with General Xu Rong and defeated Cao Cao. Although Lu Bu was not at the front at that time, he was also involved!
Unexpectedly, after leaving Xu Rong, it would become like this? !
"I don't know..." Chen Gong couldn't calm down at all. He was still immersed in the pain of being smuggled out by Cao Cao using the same trick.
If Cao Cao defeated Lu Bu with his so-called benevolence and military prowess, he could say that time is fate, and if he loses, he will lose. But this is different, this is a strategy.
It was a strategy he had used on Cao Cao. Not only could he prevent it and capture the entire territory of Yanzhou in one fell swoop, he could even use it to attack Xuzhou. How could he bear this?
"I don't know, I don't know... Please don't ask me again, I, I..."
Chen Gong looked at the ground, sweating profusely, and his eyes were shaking erratically. He still couldn't recover his mind.
"Chen Gongtai!!" Lu Bu shouted several times, trying to wake him up, otherwise the crisis will only become more critical now, "Don't forget, your and my family are still in Tancheng. Now we have to go back as soon as possible to defend ourselves, so that we can get Zang Ba's help. , resist Cao Cao again!"
"When winter comes, Cao Cao will definitely retire to recuperate, and then he will try to change his plans!"
Chen Gong immediately shook his head with empty eyes, and his face became even more ugly. He said in a low voice: "After the autumn? The sky is dry and the ground is dry, and the grain harvest is poor. Yanzhou has fortified early and preserved the cultivated soil. Even if the harvest fails this year, there will still be food in the warehouse. But We have millions of people to survive the winter, and we can't transport food and grass to the military camps for the expedition. Wouldn't it be even more difficult after autumn?"
It’s even more difficult... Why is your vision so clear when you look here?
But can’t see a way out?
Lu Bu was really panicking now. He understood that Chen Gong had lost the ability to calmly judge the situation and win by surprise. He was heartbroken and was in a desperate situation, but the cavalry could not stop. Stopping would mean death.
He looked around and saw that Hou Cheng and Hao Meng were clasping their fists and bowing their heads in front of them, waiting for military orders. Their families were also in Tancheng, or rather, the family members of military lieutenants and important figures lived in Tancheng.
If you want to give up, it will be equivalent to all your family assets and family members being empty.
Of course, it is not that they have never abandoned them. When they fled from Chang'an, they abandoned everything and fled to Yuan Shao, and then fled from Yuan Shao to garrison in Zhangyang.
"Go to Yuan Shu. We don't have to fight here. We still have good soldiers and generals who can definitely break through the siege. Yuan Shu is currently fighting the thieves in Runan. There are his soldiers and horses in Yuzhou. If our army goes to defect, he will definitely Come and greet me! Then we’ll fight back together!”
Lu Bu's eyes were blood red, and he stared at the two generals with blazing eyes, his expression was quite expectant and excited, and he was waiting for them to nod. In fact, he didn't need his subordinates' consent, he only needed to give orders, but now he felt a little scared, and he didn't know that his subordinates would nod. The two generals were wondering whether they were still willing to sacrifice their lives.
Zhang Liao was captured, and his life and death are unknown. Wei Xu led his troops and failed to return, and Cao Xing's troops stationed at Xiapi were defeated by Chen and his son, and he himself would become a lost dog.
Lu Bu is most afraid to think about one thing in his heart right now, that is, during the Battle of Yanzhou, if he successfully entered Yanzhou, Cao Cao's fate would be exactly the same as now.
He thought that Cao Cao would be defeated at that time, so why could he win now?
In this way, a strange paradox formed in Lu Bu's heart. After a long period of struggle, he had lost confidence, because he had now truly become the bereaved dog Cao who he thought at the time would definitely be defeated.
The cavalry are not good at defending the city and are only good at roaming and plundering. What's more, there is no city for them to defend now.
"good."
Hou Cheng and Hao Meng looked at each other and knew that they had no choice but to run away again.
Cao Mengde, if you want to kill them all, I will definitely be able to fight back before death, and let you see flying generals and wolf cavalry! If you dare to chase me, you will never come back!
Lu Bu made a prompt decision and called several people to help Chen Gong. After descending from the city gate tower, he gathered his troops and turned eastward to find a way to Shouchun, Yangzhou, to find Yuan Shu for help. He firmly believed that Yuan Shu was saving manpower now. When the time comes, he will definitely not refuse to go to seek refuge.
As soon as he left the city gate, his pursuers immediately came behind him. Cao Ren led his army and chased him all the way, blocking the road to the east. After chasing for a day and night, Lu Bu did not dare to fight the enemy and could only protect a single army and horse. Yuan Shu asked for help, but his army had no choice but to retreat to the small city of Xiaqiu.
When Lu Bu wanted to go further north toward Xiapi, soldiers and horses also arrived from behind, and they were Cao Hong's soldiers.
At this time, it was like a huge bag, and two armies were closing in it.
"Cao Jun wants to catch him in a jar——" Lu Bu was halfway through his sentence, unable to say the last word.
It had already taken a day and a half to go back and forth, and his military rations were even more stretched.
After several unsuccessful attacks, Lu Bu could only choose to stay in the small city of Xiaqiu. In the next day, Cao Ren and Cao Hong continued to torture Lu Bu.
They only besieged the city but did not attack it.
After the two armies were assembled, there were about 30,000 to 40,000 people, and generals were assigned to occupy various key passes to guard against Lu Bu's breakthrough. The rest of the main troops were stationed at the southern and northern entrances of the city.
As for the flowing rivers on the east and west sides, the terrain is mountainous and forested, making it difficult for the army to flee, but Lu Bu also guessed that there might be an ambush in the forest.
It's not easy to leave.
Lu Bu's heart sank. Looking at the surrounding scenery from the tower, he saw that there were dead ends. If he didn't pay attention, his palms would become sweaty.
At this time, there were footsteps behind him, and Lu Bu responded in horror. He was relieved when he saw that it was Chen Gong.
He has been in a daze for the past two days and has not slept for a long time.
Chen Gong folded his hands, bowed in salute, and whispered: "Marquis Wen, we only have three days of food. If we can't break through, the soldiers will have no choice but to kill horses to satisfy their hunger."
"Cao Ren and Cao Hong were generals. They were very brave generals. They may not have seen such a big trend. We were forced into this city. It is impossible to guarantee that it was not Cao Cao's plan. He has mastered the situation in Xuzhou. Now he can only try his best to break out. There is no other way.”
"Hey!" Lu Bu smashed his hands on the city wall, and his palms were swollen with blood. "Wait one more day and night, if no troops and horses arrive, then gather together to break out! Yuan Shu has already advanced to Xuzhou for more than eighty miles, and the cavalry can only reach Xiaqiu in half a day. !”
Chen Gong's face turned pale and his expression showed no change. He bowed deeply and turned around to leave.
Lu Bu waited in Xia Qiu and did not wait for Yuan Shu's reinforcements. Yuan Shu also had no news of sending troops. Cao's army, who was stationed in the pass outside, remained unmoved.
But on the evening of the second day, Cao Cao arrived.
Soldiers and horses were supplied from Xiapi and Pengcheng. Cao Cao's flag appeared in the camp. As soon as Cao Cao arrived, a group of black-robed elite cavalry from Xiapi did something that was against humanity and asked Lu Bu to fight. I feel in my heart that they are really not human beings.
Cao's troops who were besieged before and after moved their cooking stoves to the front of the formation, right under the city!
Those in the direction of Xiapi were even more shameless. They actually killed pigs and sheep, cooked food and cooked rice with smoke rising from the kitchen, and even placed hundreds of jars of wine.
While eating, he talked about how delicious it was, his words were playful and arrogant, and he didn't take the defenders seriously at all.
“A bunch of foodies!!”
Lu Bu was jealous and angry after seeing him in the city. During this period, he could only eat dry and bitter cakes. After being humiliated, tears flowed down from the corners of his mouth, and his teeth itched with anger.
Especially a brat in Confucian robes who dared to walk down to the city and squat down to eat!
I must kill you! !
But that night, a small mutiny actually broke out in Xiaqiu City.
