The Most Romantic of the Three Kingdoms

From the military newspaper alone, Lu Bu's initial battle seemed to be extremely smooth, but in fact, there were some twists and turns.

Back in time to the end of March, when Lv Bu just came out of Wan County and led his troops.

After leaving Wan County, and on the second day of the march, Chen Gong rode a horse, came from behind, and asked to see Lv Bu.

At noon, Lu Bu and the 4th and 5th Central Army generals were just preparing to eat in the blue tent temporarily set up by the road.

On the way of marching in the morning, Fanyi beat a hare and two pheasants. The cook who accompanied the army cooked the rabbit and chicken, and made sashimi and other dishes. In the case of several people, the aroma is fragrant.

There are also seven or eight hundred playwrights accompanying the army, or topless, wearing bloomers, standing upside down and holding the top, with the head raised, the back arched, the legs hanging forward naturally, the hands supporting the whole body, alternately going back and forth in the open space. Walking; or flying swords and jumping pills, throwing pills and swords into the air, and taking over with the hands and other parts of the body, so that the pills and swords do not fall to the ground; prosper.

A lively atmosphere, where is it like on the march?

But Lu Bu just lifted the dagger when he heard that Chen Gong came to see him.

Lu Bu ordered to invite him in.

Chen Gong entered and bowed in salute.

Lü Bu smiled and said, "Chen Jun, did you come here smelling the fragrance? I was just about to eat, and you came. Please take a seat." The chef ordered another meal to be prepared for Chen Gong to eat.

Chen Gong sniffed, looked at the meat dishes placed on the cases of Lu Bu, Fanyi and others, and said to himself, "I can't remember me when I eat meat! My position in Lu Fengxian's mind is still not enough." He declined. He said, "I've already eaten here, no more trouble."

"Have you eaten?"

"Yes. Your Majesty, I'm not asking you to meet your Majesty for dinner, but because you want to ask your Majesty about something important."

Lu Bu remembered that the first time he saw Chen Gong, Chen Gong was very dissatisfied with his impolite attitude to drink with his concubines, so he put down his daggers and told the few tricksters to go out, adjusted his robes, and finished it. Posing, he said, "Chen Jun, what are you asking me?"

Chen Gong Surong said: "Junhou, this county in Jiangxia has many mountains in the north of the county, and more water in the hinterland of the county. The army of the monarch has few naval troops, but most of the elite are cavalry, which is not conducive to mountain warfare, nor is it conducive to water warfare. I dare to ask Duke Ming, how do you plan to take down Jiang Xia?"

Lu Bu naturally thought about how to fight Jiangxia. Hearing Chen Gong's question, he smiled and said, "Sir, you were asking about this." He replied, "Chen Jun, I would like to take Pingchun, Xiyang and other four northern Jiangxia first. County, after I have conquered these four county sub-branches, I will take advantage of the victory to go south and take Xiling County. Once I have Xiling, I will collect the local navy and fishermen for my use, do some drills, and then attack Xiakou and Shaxian.” He felt that his This plan is quite good. After speaking, he stroked his beard and asked Chen Gong, "How do you think my plan is?"

Chen Gong said in his heart, "It's worthy of being a famous general, but his strategy and the steps to go into battle are the same as mine." Then he said, "Your Majesty's strategy is brilliant." However, I dare to ask Duke Ming again, how exactly do you plan to capture the four counties of Pingchun?"

Lü Bu said: "Pingchun and Xiyang counties are full of mountains, which is exactly as the king said, which is somewhat unfavorable for me to ride fine horses under my tent, but our army's infantry is brave and brave, sir, I don't know the name of our army's 'falling camp'. Gao Zixiang leads our army to fall into the camp of Jia soldiers, all tiger soldiers, all of them are invincible, invincible in battle, and they will shake the north and south, who will not be afraid? I will use this sharp soldier to attack the four counties , it's like looking into a bag to get things."

But it was Lu Bu who had the idea of ​​a hard attack.

Chen Gong said, "It's been a long time since I've been trapped in the camp, and the high school captains dared to fight, and they've been admired for a long time, but Junhou, the soldiers who are trapped in the camp are the best in a hundred, and there are not many people, so use as many as you can. In addition, I’m afraid it’s not easy to conquer the city easily, and if there is too much damage, it will inevitably make people feel distressed. Because of this, in my humble opinion, instead of attacking, why not take advantage of it?”

"Outsmart?"

Chen Gong said: "Junhou, there is a strategy below, so that Junhou will not only not fall into a hard battle, but also be able to take down these four counties quickly."

Lu Bu became interested and asked Chen Gong, "Why is Jun Ce?"

Chen Gong talked eloquently and said: "The next strategy is that the lord and marquis lead the army out of Nanyang County, and when they reach Pingchun County, they can first build a camp in the west of Pingchun City, station troops without fighting, and only drink and have fun every day. , to show that the monarch has no intention of attacking Jiangxia..."

"Chen Jun, wait a minute."

"Your Majesty?"

Lu Bu had a suspicious look on his face and said: "You said that when I am about to arrive in Pingchun County, I should be stationed in Pingchun County, not to fight, to drink and have fun, to show that I have no intention of attacking Jiangxia County. ... Chen Jun, what are you saying? What do you mean? I led a large army and rushed to Jiangxia with great momentum, just to beat him Huang Zu, how could I convince Huang Zu that I did not come to attack Jiangxia? Just because I am stationed in the west of Pingchun, I can't build a camp. Can I convince him that I have no intention of fighting Jiangxia?"

Chen Gong smiled and said, "Junior, just like this, it is impossible to convince Huang Zu, but Junhou did not prevent him from spreading rumors to Jiang Xia during the current march."

Lu Bu asked, "What rumors are spread?"

Chen Gong said: "Junhou said, Junhou came to fight Jiangxia this time, not Junhou's will, but forced by Yuan Gonggong. In this way, Huang Zu heard about it, and based on his expectations, he would definitely believe Mingming. Gong Shi has no intention of attacking Jiang Xia."

Chen Gong's words sounded a bit puzzling. Why did he announce that Yuan Shu asked Lu Bu to fight Jiang Xia, but if Lu Bu was unwilling, then Huang Zu would believe it? But Lu Bu, as a player in the game, after listening to Chen Gong's words, he immediately understood the meaning of his words, that is: to use the discord between Lu Bu and Yuan Shu to convince Huang Zu that Lu Bu was indeed He was forced by Yuan Shu to fight Jiang Xia, but Lu Bu himself was reluctant.

Lu Bu understood this, nodded and said, "I understand what you mean, but even if I convince Huang Zu that I was forced to come to fight Jiangxia, what can I do?"

"Your Majesty, please listen and continue."

"you say."

Chen Gong said, "Since Huang Zu heard that Duke Ming was forced to fight Jiangxia, he would have thought that Duke Ming would not have the will to fight hard. What would he do next? He would send troops boldly if he knew it. He came to aid Pingchun County, but because he mistakenly believed that Duke Ming did not have the will to fight hard, the soldiers in his army would inevitably underestimate the enemy... Is there a chance? As long as the monarchs can seize the opportunity, defeat their reinforcements, take advantage of this power, and then attack the city, there is no reinforcements in peacetime, this is an isolated and helpless city, why is it difficult to overcome it? The other three counties will definitely be shocked, and it will not be difficult to get them."

To put it simply, Chen Gong's strategy contains two elements, one is to paralyze the enemy, and the other is to besiege the city to help.

After hearing this, Lu Bu was overjoyed and said, "Your plan is very good!" He tilted his head for a while, and said, "But there are still some fly in the ointment."

Chen Gong asked, "Dare to ask Junhou, what is the shortage?"

"It's that Huang Zu's reinforcements. When will he send out? If he has to follow the monarch's policy, it's hard to say. If he sees me not attacking the city, he won't send it for half a month or a month. Reinforcement, do I have to wait for him outside Pingchun City for half a month or a month?"

Lu Bu's words are right. If he only stationed troops in the west of Pingchun City, then Huang Zu felt that Pingchun was not in danger, so maybe he wouldn't be so eager to send reinforcements.

Chen Gong was confident and said with a smile: "This point, I have also taken into account below, Junhou, it is also very simple to solve this shortcoming."

"How to solve?"

"Jun Hou can send a group of soldiers and horses to cross Pingchun, enter the borders of Yan County, Shiguo, Xiyang County, etc., and plunder their people. Huang Zu's family is in Anlu, Jiangxia, and his family is the right surname of Jiangxia. After Huang Xiang, The world is 2,000 stones, and the world is the most important. When I heard that the people in this county were injured, I guessed that he would not delay in sending reinforcements. On the contrary, he could only send reinforcements immediately to the outside of Pingchun City to meet Duke Ming. Battle!"

——Huang Xiang, a famous official of this dynasty, was famous all over the world when he was young, and was known as "Unparalleled in the world, Huang Tong in Jiangxia", and later served as an official to Shangshuling, in charge of the government, his son Huang Qiong and his great-grandson Huang Wan were all officials to Tai Tai. Wei, the year before last year, when Wang Yun tried to kill Dong Zhuo, Huang Wan was one of Wang Yun's accomplices. Last year, Huang Wan was murdered by Li Jue and Guo Si. Jiangxia Huang clan can also be called a minister of many generations. Huang Zu is a member of this clan.

Lu Bu slapped the table a few times and said, "Exactly! I don't attack the city, but I plunder his people, so I don't believe he can sit still!" Praising Chen Gong, he said, "Chen Jun, your plan is good, Poisonous enough!"

Chen Gong's face turned slightly red, and he said unhappily, "This Lu Fengxian doesn't even know how to praise people. How can I call this trick poisonous?"

Lu Bu said he did what he said, and immediately sent an order to send someone to spread the rumor that he was forced to attack Jiangxia, and spread it to Jiangxia County.

Not much to say.

The army marched for several days, and on the third day of the fourth lunar month, Lü Bu's troops left the border of Nanyang County and arrived west of Pingchun City.

After walking another ten or twenty li, at a distance of more than ten li from the town of Pingchun, Lü Bu stopped his march, chose a place, and stationed himself in the camp. He deliberately released rumors to let the people in Pingchun County and nearby know that he was drinking and having fun every day, but he had no intention of attacking Jiangxia.

At the same time, according to Chen Gong's plan, Zhang Liao was dispatched to lead more than a thousand troops, bypassing Pingchun County, and entering the territory of Pingchun County, Liguo County, and Xiyang County to the east of Pingchun.

Military newspapers from Pingchun, Tuxian, Liguo, Xiyang and other counties, like snowflakes, were sent to Xiakou one after another.

……

Xiakou, the military residence of Huang Zu.

Huang Zu is about forty years old this year. Although he is a major general in the defense of Jiangxia, he has led troops several times before, and has experience in wars with Yuan Shu's troops, but after all, he is from a noble family. There is no trace of a military commander at all, and he looks elegant, with a high crown and robe, and he is clearly a scholar. For three consecutive days, he received four or five urgent reports from Pingchun, Yanxian and other places.

At first, it was the military report of Pingchun, saying that Lv Bu led his troops to kill, that's all, Huang Zu had already learned about it, and knew that Lv Bu's attack on Jiangxia was not his original intention, so even though he was ready to send troops to Pingchun. Reinforcement, but felt that the situation was not urgent; however, the subsequent emergency reports from Jixian and other places made him more and more annoyed.

He received another urgent report from the country of Ru, Huang Zulan was furious, threw the urgent report to the ground, and said angrily: "Lü Bu robbed Zhang Liao of the county yesterday, and today he invaded the country of Ru, which is worse than yesterday. Killed dozens of people in my village! Damn and hateful!"

When everyone in the hall heard the words, one stood up and said, "Ming Gong, you can't wait any longer. It is advisable to send troops immediately to Pingchun and repel Lu Bu!"

The speaker is about thirty years old, more than seven feet long, with sharp eyebrows, handsome features, and a beard under the chin, which is quite lush.

This person's name is Chen Wei, and he is the master bookkeeper of Huang Zu.

Huang Zu said: "But my troops and horses haven't been adjusted yet, even Lu Bu, if I go to aid Pingchun now, will I be in a hurry?"

Chen Wei said: "Lü Bu invaded our territory because he was forced by Yuan Gonggong. He expected his army to have no fighting spirit. As soon as my reinforcements arrive, he will definitely retreat. Duke Ming, Lu Bu invaded Kou Yingchuan a month ago, wasn't it because of Sun Ce? As soon as the reinforcements arrived, did he immediately withdraw? This time, I think it should be the same. It is the humble opinion of the following officials, and there is no need to wait for the troops and horses to be mobilized, just send the troops that have been mobilized to aid Pingchun. ."

Huang Zu hesitated.

Chen Wei said: "Duke Ming, I have to send you a report before, saying that Zhang Xun and Le will lead more than ten thousand troops, and they will attack Xiangyang again - Zhang Xun and Le will attack Xiangyang, and Lu Bu will attack Jiangxia. This is obviously Yuan Gonggong's desire. Lu Bu's army came to stop Duke Ming from rushing to aid Xiangyang.

"Because of the prestige of Yuan Gonggong, Duke Ming has repeatedly thwarted his attack on Xiangyang, causing him to return without success. What about Lv Bu? Lv Feng was in Runan before, and was defeated by the son of Sun Bofu, and the rat fled back to Nanyang. Later, he committed Yingchuan, and when he heard that Sun Bofu's troops arrived, he immediately fled back timidly. It was a vain reputation. Now, after he was defeated, he was forced by Yuan Gonggong, but he dared to attack me Jiangxia again. It was suicide. Lu! The subordinate officials heard that he was drinking alcohol every day in the camp outside Pingchun County. He expected that the defense of the camp would be slack. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Duke Ming rushed to help, and the subordinate officials asserted that it could be defeated in one go! Its defeated alive.

"And Duke Ming defeated Lu Feng first in the first battle. When the news spread, Zhang Xun and Le were bound to be frightened. When the time came, not only Duke Ming could solve the danger of Xiangyang for Liu Jingzhou again, but also if he took advantage of the victory to fight, Nanyang would be devastated. It's not impossible!"

Chen Wei's voice is clear and clear, and what he said is also righteous, reasonable and well-founded, and it sounds like the sound of gold and stone.

Huang Zu was tempted, asked the rest of the people in the hall, and said, "What do you see, sir?"

The rest of the people in the hall were quite numerous, and the leaders were Huang She, the eldest son of Huang Zu, Zhang Shuo and Chen Jiu, the fierce generals under Huang Zu's tent.

Huang She, Zhang Shuo, Chen Jiu and others all agreed with Chen Wei's proposal.

Huang Zu followed Chen Wei's advice and ordered Zhang Shuo to lead the assembled more than 3,000 troops to aid Pingchun County. Chen Wei volunteered to help Zhang Shuo, and Huang Zu listened to him because he had a plan.

Pack up for the day and set off the next day.

Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei were leaving, and Huang Zu personally came to see them off, taught them how to fight, and said to them: "After the two of them lead their troops to the outside of Pingchun County, don't rush to attack, you can wait and see Lv Bu first. In the situation in the battalion, if it is determined that he has no intention to fight, the two of them will join forces with the defenders in Pingchun County to attack the battalion and defeat him; The two of them camped outside Pingchun County, and they formed an antagonism with the city, tell me, and I will send troops and horses to help."

Speaking of which, Huang Zu was a prudent man, and he was quite cautious in his use of troops. It was no wonder that since he succeeded Cai Mao, Jiangxia County has been invincible since he took over.

Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei then led Huang Zu's teaching, went out of Xiakou, and went northwest along the Yangtze River to support the four counties of Pingchun.

The four counties of Pingchun are not far from each other, and they are roughly arranged in an east-west line. , Xiyang County is more than 60 miles to the east of the south of the county.

From Xiakou to these four counties, the journey is about three hundred miles.

Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei led their troops out of Xiakou and traveled northwest for more than 100 li. The Yangtze River turned eastward from here. The two continued to lead their troops forward, and they returned to less than 100 li. They passed dozens of li west of Xiling County. , and further ahead is the mountainous area, - this area is the famous Hong'an County in later generations. This mountainous area covers an area of ​​more than 100 miles from east to west and north to south. The north side stretches to the boundary of the four counties of Pingchun, but they are not all mountains. Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei are both natives of this county and are familiar with roads. Traveling through this mountainous region is not difficult.

But on the way, I met a few county officials from Xiyang County who were going from Xiyang County to Xiakou.

Chen Wei was from Xiyang County. He recognized these county officials, so he left the team and asked them what they were doing on the side of the road.

These county officials looked sad and sad, and replied: "The thief Zhang Liao invaded our county yesterday and slaughtered the people. The officials and others were ordered by the county lord to rush to Xiakou, and ask the lord to send troops to rescue our county. of!"

Chen Wei asked, "I am in Xiyang, Zhang Liao? How many soldiers and horses are there? How is the situation in the county?"

"He had about a thousand soldiers and horses, but he didn't hit the county seat, but many civilians and civilians in the county's suburbs and villages were killed." The county official remembered something and said to Chen Wei, "Chen Jun, your old friend Liu Jun was also killed by the bandit soldiers. hurt."

"Liu Jun" is also a good friend of Chen Weishao since he was a child, and the two are inseparable friends.

When Chen Wei heard the words, his eyes became angry and he said, "Take it as a journey of beasts!"

After saying goodbye to these county officials in Xiyang County, Chen Wei went to see Zhang Shuo and said, "Jun Zhang, the thief general Zhang Liao is now invading my Xiyang County territory. In my opinion, you and I might as well go to Pingchun before going to Pingchun. , to destroy Zhang Liao first, and then go to Pingchun, this is the best policy."

Zhang Shuo said, "But Duke Ming's order for us is to rush to help Pingchun. How can we disobey the order of Duke Ming?"

Chen Wei said: "I might as well destroy Zhang Liao first, for two reasons. First, Zhang Liao's army was only a thousand people, and he went deep alone to Yue County and Ru State, and now we are in Xiyang, let's spread Xu County, Xiyang County, Xiyang County, Xiyang County. Ruguo, call the guards of these two counties to cut off the back road, and our army should cooperate with the guards in Xiyang County. The outsiders are also unfamiliar with the roads. I will attack them from three sides. Defeat it!

"Two, although Zhang Liao's troops are not many, there are still a thousand people. If he does not destroy them first, when he hears that our army has reached Pingchun, he will definitely turn back from Xiyang and other counties, and after attacking our army from the east, use Echoing Lü Bu, in this case, our army is not easy to fight, and if Zhang Liao is eliminated first, our army will have no worries and can deal with Lü Bu with all our strength.... The order of the Duke of Ming is of course calling for our army to help Pingchun. , but you and I lead the troops outside, and you must also be flexible and adaptable, and you should not be constrained by the orders of the Duke of Ming.

When Zhang Shuo heard it, he felt that Chen Wei's words were reasonable, so he obeyed.

He diverted his route to Xiyang County, and when he was halfway through, he learned of the military report. Zhang Liao left Xiyang County, led his troops westward, and returned to the area of ​​​​Yang County. Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei also changed their route, and the two urged the soldiers and horses to go straight to Yan County.

But that Zhang Liao, who was well-known in later generations, was really a general with both wisdom and courage. How could he not know that Lu Bu's main force was in the west of Pingchun, and he led a thousand troops to swept eastward, which was equivalent to a single army going deep? When using soldiers, of course, be very careful.

Therefore, although he swept the three places of Yan County, Liguo and Xiyang County for days, at the same time, he sent out a lot of scouts to the outside, especially in the direction of Xiling and Xiakou in the south. County, Zhang Liao had already learned this information from the scouts.

In the south of Yanxian County, the road leading to the county town has hills and undulations. Zhang Liao chose this place as an ambush site. While pretending to be unaware of the arrival of Zhang Shuo's troops, he still scattered troops to loot the village. The pro-led troops ambushed and waited.

Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei received the report and heard that Zhang Liao's troops were still looting everywhere in the villages of Yanxian County, thinking that he did not know that they were coming with their troops.

Chen Wei is a native of Xiyang County. As mentioned above, Xiyang County, Yan County and other places are very close to each other. He relied on the interests of the landlord, and he had already got in touch with the general guard in the county seat, so there was nothing to do. Taking precautions, and because he was afraid that Zhang Liao would go to other counties or withdraw to Pingchun after passing through the county, he just urged the army to advance rapidly with Zhang Shuo.

Entering the county boundary of Yanxian County, the two and their troops marched for hundreds of miles on this road, and the second half of the journey was mostly mountainous, and the soldiers were tired, so Chen Wei suggested to go to the county seat first and take a rest. Zhang Shuo had nothing to do, so the two People led the troops from south to north, following the official road to the county seat,

About fourteen or five miles away from the county seat, there are rolling hills and lush green trees. Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei led the troops. When they first arrived here, they heard a loud drumbeat, and an army and horse rushed out from behind the hills. The two looked anxiously, and saw that the incoming soldier was holding a big flag in front of it, with the words "General Wu Ya Zhang" written on it. "General Wu Ya" is the military position Zhang Liao now represents for Lv Bu.

Zhang Shuo turned pale in shock and said, "Chen Jun, we have fallen!"

At the critical moment, Chen Wei was not afraid. He raised his eyebrows and raised his sword. He said, "I was about to find Zhang Liao to kill him, but he brought him to the door! Zhang Jun, if you don't beat the drums to fight, how long will it take?"

"Our army is exhausted from the long journey. Zhang Liao is waiting in ambush. If he enters a fight, he may not be able to win. Chen Jun, it is better to retreat!"

Chen Wei shouted: "When the battle is about to die, the brave will win! If you retreat now, you will become a defeated army. Zhang Liao will chase after him, and our army will die without a burial!" Yu, dancing swords and rushing towards Zhang Liao's ambush soldiers who came from the side of the road.

Zhang Shuo was helpless, so he had to give orders to beat the drums and the whole army fought.

On the other hand, although Chen Wei was a scholar, he had the traditional style of the Han family, and he was quite brave. Those who followed him were the elites of the Jiangxia army specially allocated to him by Huang Zu. More than a dozen cavalry rushed forward, and Zhang Liao's ambush troops came forward with a slight momentum.

Zhang Shuoneng was the general of Huang Zu, and he was also very brave. After Chen Wei and other riders, he followed in time with dozens of personal soldiers and soldiers.

In this way, it was Chen Wei and Zhang Shuo who managed to organize a position in a short period of time in such an emergency situation.

Zhang Liao's ambush soldiers saw that there were cavalry outside this position, armored soldiers inside, and there were pushed carriages as obstacles, so they bypassed this formation, did not attack it, and killed the rest of Zhang Shuo's troops. Since Huang Zu took office in Jiangxia, he has recruited strong men, swordsmen, good archers, and frivolous young men from the county to join the army. Those who have fought many times have rich battlefield experience, and the rest of the soldiers did not escape much.

After killing for a while, the chaotic battle lasted for more than half an hour. Zhang Liao's army is the army of foreign invasion. Zhang Liao is worried that the guards in the county town will come out to support Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei's army. As a result, he is unfamiliar with the terrain and has many mountains on all sides. There were a lot of separations, so after taking advantage of it, I won a small victory, so I didn't concentrate on fighting the small formation formed by Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei, and didn't stop there, waiting for the soldiers to kill Zhang Shuo's soldiers. His nose was cut off, as proof of his military exploits, Zhang Liao called Jin to withdraw his troops, led his troops to leave the battlefield, crossed the hills, headed west, and returned to Lu Bu's camp in the west of Pingchun City.

As soon as Zhang Liao led his troops to withdraw, Chen Wei galloped back, entered the small formation formed by Zhang Shuo, and said to Zhang Shuo, "Zhang Liao was defeated by you and me. I watched the whereabouts of his troops and fled to Pingchun. Zhang Jun In the three places of Yanxian, Liguo, and Xiyang County, after this battle, we can now be safe! On behalf of the elders in Xiyang and other places, I would like to express my gratitude to Jun Zhang.”

Looking at the corpses of the dead soldiers of his own army on the ground near and far, Zhang Shuo thought to himself: "How can this be considered that Zhang Liao was defeated by me?" However, knowing that Chen Wei's words were to excuse the two of them, he went with the flow and said, "Defend the soil. It is my duty to protect the people, why should I be grateful!"

Chen Wei said: "Since Zhang Liao has returned to Pingchun now, Zhang Jun, when our army comes to attack Lu Bu's camp, there is no need to worry about the rear. Zhang Jun, our army is a great victory in this battle! You can pass on victory and report it. With Duke Ming."

Some of Zhang Liao's soldiers were also killed, but when Zhang Liao was withdrawing, he ordered the soldiers to take away the bodies of the fallen soldiers, so Chen Wei had no nose to prove his military exploits, so he could only follow Chen Wei's suggestion and wrote a good report , ordered someone to send it to Xiakou and presented it to Huang Zu.

And needless to say.

Zhang Shuojie sent the report away and checked the casualties. Fortunately, there were not many casualties. About 40 or 50 people were killed and about 100 or 200 were injured. On the same day, I went to the city of Yan County, rested for a few days, brought some of the guards from the county, and went west of the city to Pingchun County.

In the west of Pingchun County, in Lü Bu's camp, Zhang Liao has returned.

Zhang Liaoxian had already reported to Lv Bu about the fact that Zhang Shuo had been defeated for a while in Yunxian County, and the speculation that Zhang Shuo's reinforcements would arrive in Pingchun, and said to Lü Bu: "Although Huang Zu's reinforcements are not many, three thousand soldiers died, However, when Liao set up an ambush, he was in a hurry and unprepared, and he was still able to resist stubbornly. His fighting spirit was very strong. Duke Ming should not be underestimated! In particular, among his reinforcements, there was a literate official who rode a horse and swung a sword and came out first. Brave, Liao Wenjing people are stubborn, their words are true!"

Lü Bu chuckled and said with a smile, "I am a soldier of Bing and Liang, who is the most powerful and brave in the world. No matter how tough the people of Jing are, is he comparable to my fierce soldier in Bingzhou? ... How much do you think he has helped?"

"About three thousand or so."

Lü Bu said to Gao Shun, Song Xian, and Fanyi generals, "Three thousand soldiers and horses dare to come and fight against me! Does Huang Zu take me as Yuan Gong?"

The implication was that Huang Zu's three thousand troops might be able to stop Yuan Shu's troops, but they couldn't stop him, Lu Bu.

Song Xian and Fanyi both laughed.

Gao Shun was still sitting upright, but he also showed a smile.

Fanyi asked, "Dare to ask Duke Ming, how do you want to break the thief?"

Lv Bu asked Chen Gong, who was also in the tent, and said, "Huang Zu despised me and only sent three thousand troops to aid Pingchun. This is the master's plan and it can be sold! Bu asks you, how do you think I should be born? Is it better to break the thief?"

Chen Gong could clearly feel that Lv Bu's attitude towards him was much more affectionate than before, he twitched his beard and said, "It's not just a plot, the monarch and the princes will have a banquet with the generals when they arrive in Pingchun. , the play is also done like." After a pause, he answered Lv Bu's question, and said, "In my humble opinion, Huang Zu's reinforcements have been defeated by General Zhang, and they have come from a long way again. The soldiers are tired and morale is not high. , and now he thinks that the lords and lords have no intention of going into battle, then the lords and lords might as well just wait for their troops to arrive, then send troops to attack them, and they will surely be victorious in one battle.”

Lu Bu said happily: "Gongtai, this policy is exactly what I want!"

In the previous sentence, he still called him "Sir" and called Chen Gong "Jun". In this sentence, he directly called Chen Gong's character and called him "Qing". Chen Gong and Lu Bu had known each other for quite some time, and he already knew more about Lu Bu's "Shao Li" temperament, so it wasn't surprising to hear it.

……

From Pingchun County to Pingchun, it was about 200 miles away, and there were mountain roads. The journey took four or five days. On April 24th, Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei arrived at the east of Pingchun County.

The four northern counties in Jiangxia, such as Pingchun and Jixian, are all located to the south of the Huai River, where the Huai River enters the sea in the southeast and starts from Tongbai Dafu Mountain (Tongbai Mountain) in Nanyang County in the west. Shi County and Fuyang County are not very far from Pingchun. More than 200 miles away, Yan County, Liguo, and Xiyang are still a certain distance from Huaishui. Because of the water, it is impossible to set up a camp in the north of Pingchun County. Lu Bu's camp is now in the west of the city. When Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei arrived, they chose the south of the city as the camp location.

The two of them chose a camp site, arranged it, and ordered soldiers to build the camp. They were about to enter the city to meet the generals in Pingchun. They asked about the situation of Lv Bu's army recently, but several cavalry came galloping from the west. It was Zhang Shuo who sent to investigate Lv Bu. Camp scout.

These scouts rushed to Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei in a panic, jumped off their horses, and hurriedly said, "Qi, Captain Qi, thieves are attacking!"

Before he finished speaking, the faint sound of drums had reached Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei's ears.

Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei stared anxiously, seeing the dust in the west, obviously there were soldiers and horses coming.

The two looked at each other and changed color.

With Chen Wei's courage and resourcefulness, he was also helpless at this time. A thought came to his mind, and he said: "No! Lu Bu has no intention of going into battle, but I fell for him!"

Zhang Shuo asked, "Chen Jun, how are you doing now?"

Chen Wei hesitated and repeated the old words, shouting: "When the battle is over, the brave will win! Retreat, it is impossible to retreat, and now the only plan is to fight to the death!" Encouraged Zhang Shuo, he said, "I met Zhang Liao before, what was the result? Our army is victorious! Although Lu Bu is attacking today, why should you be afraid!"

If you retreat, you still encounter the words when Zhang Liao was in ambush, you will be defeated and you can only be slaughtered; but if you choose to retreat into the city, as soon as the city gate is opened, Lu Bu's troops may take the opportunity to enter the city and seize the peace. Chunxian County is even less desirable.

Zhang Shuo also knew what Chen Wei said, it was the only way at the moment, so he put on his armor and ordered the soldiers who built the camp to gather and prepare to fight. The direction of the troops and horses is to build a line of defense.

The line of defense has not yet been completed, and the soldiers who have built the camp have not yet been assembled, and Lu Bu's soldiers have already reached several miles away.

There were hundreds of cavalry in the front, two generals rushing forward, one Song Xian and the other Fanyi, and at the back were the main infantry troops, led by Lu Bu.

Zhang Shuo and other cavalrymen from Song Xian and Fanyi came within range, and ordered the archers to shoot arrows that flew like locusts.

Song Xian, Fanyi and other cavalry mostly followed Lv Bu from Bingzhou to Luoyang, then from Luoyang to Chang'an, then from Chang'an to Jizhou, and then from Jizhou to Runan and Yingchuan. How are Zhang Shuo and others comparable? They are used to seeing this little battle for a long time, and they are not afraid at all. They know that, on the one hand, their horses are fast, and the chances of the arrow hitting them are not high, and on the other hand, they know even more that they only need to rush through the rain of arrows to reach the fortified infantry in front of hundreds of them. The momentum of riding and galloping is enough to scare the courage of those foot soldiers. Next, what they need to do is to ride and trample, chase and kill fleeing enemies, like slaughtering pigs and sheep.

Jiangxia does not produce horses. Zhang Shuo's troops are basically infantry, and the soldiers of Zhang Liao's troops who ambushed them in the past were also infantry. The ground was shaken slightly by the galloping force of the chariots, and the horses carried eight spears each, like a forest of spears. Hundreds of fine cavalry of the troop roared and shouted, and the infantry soldiers of Zhang Shuo’s command. , I have never seen such a momentum before, but it is not like what Chen Wei said, "When Zhang Liao fell before, our army will win! Although Lu Bu is attacking now, why should you be afraid?" As expected, before Song Xian, Fanyi and other cavalry rushed to the front, they were already panicking.

Panyi rushed to the front of the Shuobu formation first.

But seeing his legs clamped to the horse, he shouted, holding the spear in both hands, first sweeping, knocking out the spear, and then using the horsepower to stab forward, instantly knocking down several shield players in the front row of the huge formation. , has already cut out a passage to enter the battle, and glanced at a large army officer who turned around and wanted to escape. Say it, fall to the ground.

Song Xian came right after, and went side by side with Fanyi.

The rest of the hundreds of cavalry, either from Fanyi or Song Xian, were all brave and indomitable.

In just two quarters of an hour, the line of defense formed by Zhang Shuo was riddled with holes by Song Xian and Fanyi.

The drums blared loudly, and the infantry led by Lu Bu killed them.

Lü Bu watched the battle situation on the front line for a while, and ordered: "Where is Zixiang? Take advantage of the situation to cover up and wipe out this bandit. It's the right time!"

Gao Shun took the order and led the soldiers who were trapped in the camp to go forward and go to fight.

——When Gao Shun’s army’s trapped soldiers were in Yan County, they lost a lot, but after retreating to Nanyang, Lu Bu selected hundreds of warriors from the whole army to supplement him. Now, he is under his tent. There are still more than 700 soldiers in the trap camp.

Song Xian and Fanyi were no longer Zhang Shuo's opponents. When Gao Shun and his subordinates came again, Zhang Shuo's subordinates became even more helpless.

The line of defense personally commanded by Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei soon fell, the soldiers fled, and the rest of the army collapsed.

Gao Shun's troops were all armored soldiers, so they moved slowly and retreated after chasing them for a while.

Song Xian and Fanyi chased fiercely on horseback until the evening, when the two generals returned with their respective troops, both of which were fruitful.

However, the reason why Lü Bu won this battle was due to Chen Gong's contribution, and it was also an important reason why Lü Bu chose the battlefield well. Although the four counties in Pingchun were mountainous, the battlefield that Lu Bu chose was the plains, which was suitable for taking advantage of its advantages of aligning with the cool iron cavalry.

However, after the defeat, Lu Bu didn't look very happy. He briefly patrolled the battlefield, but in a complaining tone, Gu Yuchen Gong said: "Jiangxia didn't come to Pingchun to fight with me, but went to Tuxian and other places first. , Lao Nai Gong has been waiting here for a long time, it is really annoying. If they came a few days earlier, I would be defeated in such a battle, and Pingchun County would have been in my hands earlier!"

Seeing that it was easy to win this battle, he was dissatisfied with Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei's late aid to Pingchun.

Since Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei were defeated and fled, Chen Gong's plan before the war was realized, and Lu Bu first eliminated Huang Zu's reinforcements, so it would not be difficult to conquer Pingchun County. In addition, Song Xian, Fanyi, and Gao Shun defeated Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei's army, and the reinforcements brought by Zhang Shuo and Chen Wei were cut melons and vegetables, and they were not killed by Lu Bu. Those who fled were also seen clearly by the guards of Pingchun County from a distance from the top of the city, and the morale in the city was extremely low. So, the next day of Pingchun falls.

When the spring came, Lü Bu took advantage of the victory to advance, and he was like a broken bamboo.

Start with the four northern counties of Jiangxia County, and take a break in Xiyang County.

At the end of April, Lü Bu, following Chen Gong's advice and not giving Huang Zu time to react, left Xiyang County and then went to attack Xiling County.

The content of the military report that Jiujiang presented to Xun Zhen came here, and it did not describe the progress of Lv Bu's attack on Jiangxia below. That was because Lv Bu had just entered the border of Xiling County, and he received the military report in Xunzhen and watched it. At the time, Lu Bu had already conquered Xiling County.

——Huang Zu, who was stationed in Xiakou, learned of Zhang Shuo's defeat and the fall of the four counties in the north one after another. He was shocked, and hurriedly sent reinforcements to Xiling to try to hold on. This time, the main general he sent to help was no longer Zhang Shuo, but his eldest son Huang She. However, Lu Bu is worthy of being a flying general in Bingzhou. He is nicknamed "There is Lu Bu in the people, and there are red rabbits in the horses." Take the first step and conquer the city. Huang She heard the news on the way and had no countermeasures, so he could only temporarily stay on the road, report to Huang Zu, and wait for further instructions from Huang Zu. And needless to say.

It is only said that Lü Bu captured the county seat of Xiling and led his army into the city. In less than a month, the five counties of Jiangxia were successively captured, especially the county of Xiling, which was the seat of the county seat of Jiangxia County. Whether it was military or political, it was very important. Lu Bu was very happy, thinking about defeating himself at After Runan returned to Nanyang, all the generals under his tent suffered quite a bit, so he collected gold and silk from the government treasury and rewarded all the generals.

Gao Shun said: "Duke Ming, now that I have been rewarded, the last generals are definitely grateful for the kindness of Duke Ming, but after the Runan war, our soldiers have suffered for a long time, and there are many new soldiers in the army. Compassion should be given."

Lü Bu was embarrassed and replied, "Although Xiling is under the jurisdiction of Jiangxia County, Huang Zu moved to Xiakou. There are not many gold and silk in the central government treasury in Xiling County, and it is not enough to reward the ministers. "

Fanyi was at the side, and when he saw that Lü Bu was in trouble, he offered a countermeasure and said, "Although there are not many gold and silk in the treasury of Xiling, Xiling is the county seat of Jiangxia, and most of the people in the county are wealthy.

Lu Bu said, "Your remarks are reasonable!"

Gao Shun didn't think that his kindness would lead to the consequence of "sweeping the county", so he hurriedly persuaded him, but Lu Bu didn't listen.

Following an order, the soldiers under Lü Bu's tent plundered for three days inside and outside the city, robbing a dog inside and outside the county. Song Xian, Fanyi and other generals got the harvest from the part, gold silk, beauties, etc., took part of it and donated it to Lu Bu. Lu Bu was a generous person, and only took a little from it, and the rest was not needed. , and took out some to give to Chen Gong.

Chen Gong was a scholar. According to his heart, he objected to Lü Bu's allowing the soldiers to wash and plunder the county. However, in order not to be rejected by Lü Bu and his generals, he would accept the reward given by Lü Bu.

After entering the city, Chen Gong got along well with the scholars in Xiling County. He met several families of scholars who stayed in the city and did not escape. All the scholars from these families complained to Chen Gong and asked him to speak to Lu Bu. Jinyan, stop robbing.

Chen Gong then took advantage of the opportunity that Lu Bu gave him the reward, and calmly said to Lu Bu: "Your Majesty, the soldiers have been looting for many days, is it time to stop now? In this county in Jiangxia, the lords and lords didn't just leave after a visit. This county will be used as the foundation of the lords and lords. If you just plunder the people, how can you stabilize the foundation of the lords and lords in this county? Besides, the lords and lords have only acquired a small half of Jiangxia, Huang Zu, his family's own county. The surname of the crown is also, Xiakou and other places are still occupied by it, if the killing is too much, it may not be good for the monarch."

Having said that, he ordered his entourage to bring out a plate of gold and silver, and said, "This is given to the prince by the gentry in the county."

Lu Bu nodded and said, "Your words are reasonable." He glanced at the gold and silver eyes, and said, "Am I a greedy for money? Gongtai, Qing went to the army and asked, who doesn't say that I help the poor and help the poor, and ditch the wealth by righteousness? I don't want any gold or silver. I'll give you half, and the other half, and you can help me get some silk and satin, beautiful women's skirts, and jewelry."

Chen Gong was puzzled and asked, "Change some silk and satin, beautiful women's skirts, and jewelry? Why is this?"

Lu Bu sighed and said: "In the past few months, Song Xian and other generals have suffered a lot with me, and their wives and concubines have also been displaced and suffered a lot. Song Xian and I are both husbands, so eat some Suffering doesn't matter, and it's okay to say, women's family, tired of following me to suffer so much, but really wronged them, I feel deeply sorry! I only rewarded Song Xian's generals a few days ago, and I haven't comforted their wives and concubines. After you have changed the silk and satin, the skirt, and the jewelry, bring it to me, and I will give it to them with my own hands."

Chen Gong was speechless and replied, "No."

Previously, the soldiers were allowed to loot because they felt that Gao Shun’s words made sense, but now he felt that Chen Gong’s words made sense. Lü Bu then “changed after hearing it” and “follows good things like a flow”, and sent an order that day, ordering the soldiers to put away their swords and not allow them. If they commit looting again, those who violate the order will be executed.

But he said that Huang Zu thought that Lu Bu had no intention of going into battle, so he was paralyzed, but he didn't expect that Zhang Shuo was defeated in Pingchun first and lost Sixia, and now he also lost Xiling, and received Huang She's report. He was unwilling, and in the next ten days, he sent troops to Xiling twice, trying to retake Xiling, but the morale of Lu Bu's soldiers was very high, because they were all defeated by Lu Bu.

After defeating Huang Zu's troops, Lü Bu rested for several days in Xiling County, and discussed the next steps with the generals.

Chen Gong suggested that Xiakou is surrounded by water, and it is not suitable to attack for the time being. Instead, go down the river and take Zhuxian and Qichun first.

The Yangtze River flows northeast through Xiakou, reaches 100 miles southwest of Xiling City, and turns eastward. The river course is quite tortuous along the way, but it generally flows from northwest to southeast. Zhuxian and Qichun are located in the southeast of Xiling. , all on the east bank of the Yangtze River. Zhuxian County is more than 100 miles away from Xiling County, and Qichun County is 145 miles away from Zhuxian County. After Qichun, it is the boundary of Lujiang County, Yangzhou, which borders Xunyang County, the southernmost part of Lujiang County, and runs through the north. After crossing Lujiang County and traveling more than 400 li, it is Jiujiang County.

Lü Bu accepted Chen Gong's advice, but it had been raining for the past few days, so Lü Bu prepared to wait for the rain to stop before attacking Zhu County.

On this day, the rain was pouring, and a military report was sent from Xiangyang.

Lü Bu opened the military newspaper to read and read the previous paragraph of the military newspaper: Zhang Xun and Le were in the area of ​​Deng County, north of Xiangyang. Back more than twenty miles.

But Zhang Xun and Le didn't pretend to attack Xiangyang? Since it is a feint attack, how can it still be defeated in Deng County?

To put it simply, it turns out that after Zhang Xun and Le Jiu led their troops to the area of ​​Deng County, the two really had no idea of ​​going to war. They just set up camp there and attacked Xiangyang. Later, the good news reached Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu saw that Lü Bu not only captured the four counties in the north of Jiangxia County, but also took down the Xiling, the county seat of Jiangxia. In that case, Liu Biao in Xiangyang City would definitely be terrified of the army, thinking that this was a great opportunity to capture Xiangyang, so he changed his mind and even ordered Zhang Xun and Le to really attack Xiangyang.

Unexpectedly, Huang Zu is indeed too busy to take care of himself, and this time he can't help Liu Biao, but Liu Biao still has two capable officials, Cai Mao and Kuaiyue. Cai Mao advanced north from Xiangyang, and Kuaiyue attacked from Zhangling west. Under attack from both sides, Zhang Xun and Le were defeated and retreated.

——Zhangling was originally a county, subordinate to Nanyang County, located in the southeastern boundary of Nanyang County, south of Xiangyang and westward. Speaking of which, Yuan Shu is really a useless soldier. He has occupied Nanyang for so long. Not only can he not gain the upper hand in the battle with Liu Biao, he can't even control the county in Nanyang's own county. It was controlled by Liu Biao, and it was set up as a county, called Zhangling County.

And needless to say.

Lü Bu continued to look down, and the last paragraph of the military newspaper wrote: Liu Biao defeated Zhang Xun and Le Jiu, and solved the danger in Xiangyang. , rushed to support Huang Zu.

After reading the military report, Lu Bu's expression changed. He threw the military report on the case. The content of the general's report was roughly known to Chen Gong and the generals in the hall, and then he said: "Zhang Xun and Le are really two different people. It was used, and it was actually defeated in Deng County! Now that Liu Biao has dispatched Cai Mao to help Huang Zu, I am here alone, what do you think can be done?"

Although Lü Bu was asking Chen Gong and the generals "what should be done", he listened to what he said and the generals could hear it. He was thinking of retreating.

Fanyi followed Lv Bu's style and said: "If it was just Huang Zu's army, our army would naturally be able to defeat it, but Zhang Xun and Le did not live up to their expectations and were defeated by Deng County, and Liu Jingsheng sent Cai Mao to come to help. Huang Zu, our army is difficult to support, and I am afraid that it will be difficult to defeat his two-way soldiers. In my humble opinion of the last general, it is better to avoid his front for the time being, to observe the situation, and then discuss it later."

After hearing what Fanyi said, Lu Bu felt that he agreed with him, so he nodded and said, "Your remark is good." He said to Chen Gong, Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, Song Xian, etc., "I intend to withdraw northward for the time being, you and others think that How?"

Zhang Liao asked, "What about Xiling County?"

Lü Bu said: "Xiling and Pingchun and other four counties are separated by mountainous areas. This is called an isolated city. If we lose, there will be no way for our army to retreat, because it is my intention to leave it for the time being."

Zhang Liao frowned and said, "Duke Ming, we worked so hard to bring down Xiling County. Liu Jingsheng's reinforcements have not yet reached Xiakou. Wouldn't it be a pity for our army to withdraw now?"

Gao Shun also did not agree to retreat. He said, "Although Liu Jingsheng defeated Zhang Xun and Le Jue, what kind of soldiers are Zhang Xun and Le Jue's troops? It's not worth mentioning! Although Liu Jingsheng sent Cai Mao to help. Huang Zu, the combat power of Jiang Xia soldiers, I have seen it with my own eyes. They are far from the opponents of my iron cavalry and armored soldiers. It is not a problem to understand Cai Mao's troops. In the humble opinion of the last general, our army can hold Xiling. The county seat, waiting for him to attack, he will be defeated in one fell swoop, and then he can take advantage of the situation to attack Xiakou, maybe the entire Jiangxia County can be owned by Duke Ming.”

Lu Bu shook his head and said, "Zixiang, you can't do this."

Gao Shun asked, "Dare to ask Duke Ming, but do you have other ideas?"

Lü Bu said: "Of course I have great views, not to mention whether our army can rely on Xiling County to defeat the coalition forces of Cai Mao and Huang Zu, but only say that Xiakou is located between Jiang and Ze, and our army is still lacking. The boat division has defeated Cai Mao and Huang Zu, and only relying on our infantry and cavalry, how can we attack Xiakou?"

Chen Gong got up and said, "Jun Hou, there is a plan under me that can make Gao Jun's plan come true."

Lu Bu asked, "What is it?"

Chen Gong said: "Before the attack on Jiangxia, didn't Junhou intend to wait for Xiling and other counties to be taken down, and then take the navy and fishermen of Xiling and other counties for the use of Duke Ming, and drive them to attack Xiakou? Now Xiling is already a Junhou As a result, the Xiling boat division has been downgraded to Duke Ming, why didn’t Duke Ming start to reorganize the navy, and offer a heavy reward, recruit fishermen, and formally train the boat division of our army? While relying on Xiling County, block and consume yellow Zu and Cai Mao's clan, while waiting for the group training to be completed, they will go to attack Xiakou!"

Lu Bu said: "I had such a plan before, but after conquering Xiling County, Gongtai, as you can see, the number of navy troops in this county is really small, with only dozens of ships and hundreds of soldiers. On the side is Huang Zu's old lair, and the terrain of Xiakou is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and we only rely on a little navy in this area, if we attack Xiakou, I am afraid that we will lose and pay back before we reach Xiakou."

Chen Gong said, "I have another plan to help Duke Ming expand the strength of his navy."

Lu Bu asked, "What is the plan?"

Chen Gong said: "More than a hundred li to the west of Xiling County is the Yunmeng Zhuze. There are many water thieves in the swamp. Going to Zhuze and recruiting thieves and thieves, those thieves and thieves will definitely jump in. They are skilled in water battles, and if they can help them, wouldn’t Duke Ming’s navy be built in an instant?”

Lü Bu said, "So you're talking about thieves in the middle of the lake."

Chen Gong said, "Exactly."

Lu Bu pondered without realizing it, he scratched his cheek, and said hesitantly: "Gongtai, we are Master Wang, they are thieves, if I put thieves under my account, will it damage my reputation? "

After hearing Lu Bu's words, Chen Gong was speechless.

Chen Gong said in his heart, "When you swept through Xiling County, didn't you think that you were Master Wang? Now you think you can't be with bandits? It's ridiculous!"

Of course, you can't tell Lu Bu about that.

So Chen Gong thought about it, found the reasoning, stroked his beard, and replied seriously: "Although they are thieves, if the lord and lord can influence them in the name of the king's teacher, make them abandon the darkness and turn to the light, turn around and become the subordinate of the lord and lord, and attack them. Rebel Huang Zu, this matter is about to go out, wouldn't it be good to hear about it? It will help to promote the reputation of the prince."

When Lu Bu heard it, he agreed, nodded again and again, and said, "Gongtai, what you said is quite right."

"Junhou Rujue's words are commendable, and I would like to go to the swamp for the lord to recruit all the thieves."

Lu Bu didn't reply to Chen Gong, he got up, went down to the hall, turned around with his hands behind his back, thought for a long time, stood still, his face showed embarrassment again, and said to Chen Gong: "But the public platform, even if those thieves are recruited , I'm afraid it won't work in a short period of time. The Cai Mao reinforcements dispatched by Liu Jingsheng will go down the Han River and arrive at Xiakou in ten days at most, but the far water will not quench their thirst. Gongtai, I think it is Thieves are recruited, we still can't fight this Xiakou."

Chen Gong asked, "What do you mean by Junhou?"

Lu Bu said: "In my opinion, we should withdraw from Xiling, and let's go north for the time being." Noticing Chen Gong's unpleasant expression, he continued without waiting for Chen Gong to say, "I said this time that we will withdraw to the north, Isn't it said that we are going back to Nanyang. Isn't the four counties in the north of Jiangxia County, such as Pingchun and Xiyang, in our hands? Our army can be withdrawn to Xiyang and other counties first."

It was easy to fight Xiling this time because it was unexpected. If you give up on this, it will definitely be difficult to fight again next time.

Chen Gong was firmly opposed to abandoning Xiling and retreating to the north, but Lu Bu did not accept two proposals.

He abruptly stood up, took on an indignant gesture, and said to Lv Bu, "The reason why I am not far away, I came to join the lord from Zhang Miao, is because I know that the lord is a hero in the world, a hero from the north and the south, but I don't care about Duke Ming. So timid as a mouse! Before Liu Jingsheng's reinforcements arrive, he will flee north. I really did not expect that Liu Jingsheng's prestige would be so great!"

Standing under the hall, Chen Gong bowed his bow and said to Lv Bu, "So, I dare to say goodbye to Duke Ming."

Lu Bu asked, "Gongtai, where are you going?"

"Since Liu Jingsheng's reputation is so prominent, it is natural for him to vote for Liu Jingsheng. But in the future, if he is in front of the monarch, he will remember the kindness of the lord to him at this time, and he will persuade Liu Jingsheng to retreat and let the lord first. For a while, then fight again!"

Lu Bu's face turned green and red, and he said, "Gongtai, why am I afraid of Liu Jingsheng?"

Some aggressive words prompted Lu Bu to make up his mind.

He paced a few more steps, made a decision, stood with his head held high, and said loudly to Duke Chen, "Liu Jingsheng is a scholar, and Cai Degui is not a brave man, so how could I be afraid of it! I hesitated just now because of the lack of navy troops and fear of not being enough. In order to attack Xiakou, since you have offered me a good strategy in Gongtai, and your words can be used to attract thieves, then of course I will no longer worry about not being able to attack Xiakou."

Chen Gong asked: "So, Junhou does not intend to abandon the West Tomb and retreat to the north?"

Lü Bu said: "Never withdraw! Gongtai, Qing and scholar, you don't need to call the water thieves for me, I will send someone else to recruit, and Qing will guard the city with me. If Cai Mao and Huang Zu dare to attack Xiling, you Let's see how I defeat it!" With a snort, full of confidence, he said, "Zhang Xun and Yue are under the command, how can they be compared with the soldiers under my command?"

There is a saying: slap a slap, give a sweet date to eat.

Lü Bu, who used the method of aggression, no longer mentioned the matter of abandoning Xiling and withdrawing his troops. Chen Gong also knew that this was only the answer that Lü Bu made when he lost face for a while. First, he wanted Lu Bu not to pursue his aggressive words after he regained his senses, and secondly, in order to strengthen Lu Bu's determination to stay in the West Tomb, Chen Gong said to Lu Bu again: "Your Majesty, you are leaving Nanyang. Before he came to attack Jiangxia, Yuan Gonggong said that he would represent Junhou as the prefect of Jiangxia, but now Xiling has been conquered by the lord, and half of Jiangxia is owned by the lord. See, why don't Junhou go to Shuyuan Road and ask him when he will be the prefect of Junjun Jiangxia?"

Lü Bu took it seriously, and said, "I have taken all the command of Jiangxia Prefecture, and Yuan Gonggong, who is the prefect of Jiangxia, should also stand up for me! That's right, that's right!"

——But he said, why did Lu Bu insist on Yuan Shu representing him as the prefect of Jiangxia? Wouldn't he lead Prefect Jiang Xia by himself? This was because Lu Bu had self-knowledge and knew that his reputation was not as good as Yuan Shu's, and Yuan Shu had to come to this table.

After the agreement was reached, Lü Bu began to set up the defense of the city, dispatched military officials, went to Yunmeng Zhuze to recruit water pirates, and sent people back to Nanyang to ask Yuan Shu when he would make him the prefect of Jiangxia.

In the first ten days of May, the officials sent by Lü Bu went to Wan County, met Yuan Shu, and presented Lü Bu's letter.

Yuan Shu looked at it, and when he saw that he was asking himself when to designate Lu Bu as the prefect of Jiangxia, Zhang Xun and Le were defeated on one side, while Lu Bu took half of Jiangxia. angry.

After sending the messenger out, Yuan Shu took care of him and told them the words in Lü Bu's letter, saying, "Lü Fengxian's letter is not very respectful.

An official in the hall stood up, it was Yang Hong, the chief historian, and he said: "Since Duke Ming has promised Lu Fengxian before, and now he has taken down the Xiling, the county seat of Jiangxia, this is indeed the time to go. .

"Lv Bu is domineering, but Huang Zu is Liu Biao's confidant and henchman. Today, Lv Bu is fighting against Huang Zu in Jiangxia, which is beneficial for our army to attack Xiangyang. The previous military newspaper did not say that Liu Biao had sent Cai Mao to help Huang Zu. Is there an ancestor? Then at this time, the troops in Xiangyang City will not be as large as before. Duke Ming can express Lv Fengxian as the prefect of Jiangxia, so that he can contain Cai Mao and Huang Zu for Duke Ming, while supervising Zhang Xun, Le Jiu and other generals. If you attack Xiangyang, if you can capture Xiangyang because of this, then Jingzhou will be the Duke of Ming!

Yang Hong's remarks made sense, so Yuan Shu pressed his anger and listened to his suggestion. While writing to Lu Bu as the prefect of Jiangxia, he told Zhang Xun and Le Jiu, and ordered them to fight Xiangyang again.

……

The day before Yuan Shu presented Lu Bu as the prefect of Jiangxia, reinforcements from Cai Mao arrived at Xiakou.

Huang Zu greeted him personally, and welcomed Cai Mao into the military hall. The two sat opposite each other and discussed military affairs.

Huang Zushu was defeated by Lu Bu, and he had lost his spirit. He told Cai Mao the strategy he had calculated recently to deal with Lu Bu. The generations of Song Xian and Fanyi are all cavalry and fighting generals. Although the military division is here to help me, the surrounding area of ​​Xiling is all flat, which is beneficial to the army. If our army rashly counterattacks, the outcome may be in the middle.

"In my opinion, it is better for Quan to defend Xiakou. There is a lot of water around Xiakou, and non-navy troops cannot attack my town. There are not many navy troops in Lu thief, so I have nothing to worry about in Xiakou. And if Lu thief does not come to attack I am Xiakou, and our army will make plans based on the situation, and it is not too late."

In October last year, Liu Biao sent envoys to the court to pay tribute. Li Jue and Guo Si, who held the power of the court, were worshipped as generals of Zhennan. After the appointment of Zhao, Liu Biao took the post of Cai Mao as generals of Zhennan. Before that, Cai Mao was the prefect of Jiangxia. In other words, Cai Mao's status in Jingzhou is now higher than Huang Zu, and he was the prefect of Jiangxia before Huang Zu, so Huang Zu was very respectful and polite to Cai Mao.

Cai Mao's appearance does not look like Huang Zu's elegant, less Confucian, more arrogant, he does not agree with Huang Zu's opinion, and he does not go around, bluntly said: "Don't you hear that Lu Thief has sent people to Yunyun. Meng Zhuze, have you recruited the thieves in the lake? Those thieves are good at water. If Lu thief is used as a forerunner, he supervises and rides behind to attack Xiakou, even if you and I can defend Xiakou, we will definitely It will be a hard battle, and it will be difficult to settle in a short period of time. Yuan Shu will definitely take the opportunity to attack Xiangyang again.

Huang Zu asked, "Dare to ask the military advisor, what do you mean?"

Cai Mao said: "In Mao's humble opinion, I have already arrived, so you and I should join forces to attack Xiling. Lu Bandit's troops are indeed good at field battles, but our army has a foreign aid available, which is enough to offset his advantage. ."

Huang Zu was puzzled and asked, "What kind of foreign aid is the military advisor talking about?"

Cai Mao said: "Jiangxia is not very far from Jiujiang. If you send someone to Xuzhou to ask for help, Xun Zhendong and I are old acquaintances. I think he will definitely not refuse my request for help, and he will definitely be willing to send him here. The troops stationed in Jiujiang came to help our army~www.wuxiaspot.com~ Although Lu Bu was strong, the generals of Zhendong were also defeated. All Liu and Deng generals in Jiujiang were tigers and wolves under Zhendong's tent. In this way, you and I will unite Soldiers, go out of Xiakou and attack Xiling from south to north. Xuzhou soldiers from Jiujiang go up against the river and attack Xiling from southeast to northwest. If we attack from both directions, why worry about Xiling? You can also ask Xun Town to transfer to Yuzhou. Soldiers, from north to south from Runan, attack the four counties in the north of the county that are now occupied by the Lu thieves. In this way, not only can Xiling and the four counties in the north of the county be recovered, but the Lu thieves will also become the turtle in the urn, and they will be captured for you and me!"

A speech full of arrogance.

Huang Zu heard this, but hesitated. He said, "Master, it's not a trivial matter to ask Jiujiang soldiers to help. It's up to you and me to decide. What does Duke Ming mean?"

Cai Mao said: "Before I came to Xiakou from Xiangyang, I told Duke Ming about this policy. Duke Ming agreed very much and wrote a letter here, explaining to me that when I arrived in Xiakou, I told you about this policy. After that, send someone to send his letter to Xun Zhendong."

Since Liu Biao agreed to this, Huang Zu had no other opinion, so he agreed with Cai Mao's suggestion.

Cai Mao chose a tribesman who joined the army and ordered him to go to Tanxian County, Xuzhou immediately, and asked Xunzhen to send troops to help them.

……

From Xiakou to Tanxian County, it is more than 1,000 miles away, but there are many waterways on the road, day and night, so the clan sent by Cai Mao arrived in Tanxian seven or eight days later.

Xun Zhen stopped reading Liu Biao's letter, along with a letter from Cai Mao, she read it again, put down the two letters, laughed and said to Xi Zhicai, Xun Yu, Chen Qun and others, "I'm dozing off. Liu Jingsheng handed over the pillow."