The Most Romantic of the Three Kingdoms

After returning to the camp, Xun Zhen gathered all the generals and conveyed the order of Huangfu Song, saying: "General Kunyang, General Huangfu is worried about Wuyang's thieves fleeing south, because he ordered us to leave the camp tonight, and go to Wuyang if they really give up. If the city escapes, I will attack it urgently.”

When the generals heard the words, they were astonished

Jiang Qin said, "There are nearly 20,000 thieves in Wuyang, and my troops are less than 3,000. If they really want to flee south, how can we stop them?"

Xun Zhen's subordinates had a total of 3,000 people. Excluding those who stayed in Xiangcheng and Jia counties and those who were killed and wounded in the past few days, there were less than 2,000 soldiers that could be used, and it was true that they could not stop the nearly 20,000 Wuyang enemies.

"It's not only us who went to Wuyang, but also the troops led by Cao Cao, the captain of the cavalry."

"Captain Cao Cao?"

"After Captain Cao was a famous official, he just arrived with his army, and his troops had 3,200 cavalry. General Huangfu ordered him and me to go to Wuyang."

"That's not enough. With 3,200 cavalry and our 2,000 capable soldiers, there are only 5,000 soldiers and nearly 20,000 thieves. How can we stop them?"

"General Huangfu has his own plan"

"What's the plan?"

At the moment, Xun Zhen told the generals about Huangfu Song's plan.

Huangfu Song's strategy is also very simple, in short, it is divided into three steps

The first step: Xun Zhen and Cao Cao led the troops to sneak out of Wuyang City; the second step, Wei Wei, who was on the bank of the Lishui River, pretended to be slack in defense, and Yu Bocai once again sent troops to cross the river to aid Kunyang, and then set up an ambush to attack him. The reinforcements sent to annihilate it; in the third step, after annihilating the reinforcements of Bocai, Wei Xiaowei immediately led his troops to cross the river and joined Xunzhen and Cao Cao. Look at Pocai

Xun Zhen said: "The general will send a messenger tonight to make Wei Xiaowei lure the enemy to cross the river. Bocai sent troops to cross the river twice in a row. Although they were both repelled, they have not fled south so far. They still stay in Wuyang to watch the battle in Kunyang. This shows that he has not given up and wants to save Kunyang. As long as Wei Xiaowei shows laxity by the river, he will definitely send troops to cross the river for the third time. It is very likely that four or five thousand people will be forced to cross the three times. As a result, he will only be left in Wuyang with less than 15,000 people. People, although not enough to attack the city, but it is not difficult to watch Bo Cai.”

Liu Deng asked, "However, there are only 4,000 or 5,000 people in the Wei commander's department. Even if Bocai is attracted to send troops across the river for the third time, I'm afraid it will be difficult to annihilate them?"

"At that time, General Zhu will lead the army to support."

Chen Bao pondered and asked: "Although Bo Cai only sent four or five thousand people to help Kunyang the first two times, what if he dispatched the whole army for the third time? What should I do?"

There are nearly 20,000 people in Bocai's army. If he really crosses the Lishui with the whole army, it will be really troublesome.

Xun Zhen didn't take it seriously, she smiled and said, "Isn't that a good idea? It's the easiest way to besiege the city and fight for aid. He wants to kill himself, and we can't do anything about it."

"What do you say, Xun-Jun?"

"According to General Huangfu's order, Wei Xiaowei lured the enemy after we and Cao Duwei led his troops to cross the Lishui River. Ruobocai was the same as the previous two times, and only sent four or five thousand people to cross the river. General Zhu cleans them up. If he crosses the river with his entire army, then you and I and Captain Cao are not watching the show. We can rush to the rear of his army. Before the attack, General Zhu will set up an ambush. You and I will cover up and kill, not to mention nearly 20,000 people, 30,000 people will also be wiped out.”

The generals laughed

If this plan of Huangfu Song can be successfully implemented, it is indeed a good plan

Imagine that after Xun Zhen, Cao Cao, and Wei Xiaowei joined forces, there were tens of thousands of people, and if they were stationed outside the city, Bo Cai would definitely not dare to leave the city.

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun can calmly capture Kunyang, then command their troops south, and then attack Wuyang.

In this strategy, the 3,200 cavalry that Cao Cao brought played a key role

If it weren't for his 3,200 cavalry, then first of all, when Wei Xiaowei and Zhu Jun set up an ambush to annihilate the Bocai troops and horses, only the two thousand people from Xunzhen would have been unsightly to hold the rest of the Bocai in Wuyang City. Secondly, the combined army of Xun Zhen and Wei Xiaowei is only 6,000 or 7,000 people, and the rest of Bocai's remaining army is likely to have 14,000 or 5,000 people. The enemy's strength is twice that of our army, which is difficult to deter Bo Cai, making him dare not break through the encirclement and flee to the south, plus Cao Cao's 3,200 cavalry, the situation will be very different. On the battlefield, sometimes there are thousands of people more, a few thousand less, or even hundreds more and less. Hundreds of people will be very different

After conveying the military order of Huangfu Song, Xun Zhen ordered all the generals to go to the headquarters, and assembled the soldiers to prepare for departure.

He stayed in the tent and waited for Huangfu Song to send someone to guard the city wall he was in charge of feigning attack. In addition to his own troops, there were only 2,000 infantry from Zhu Jun's troops. When he led his troops to leave, he had to have other soldiers. Come over to take over the defense, so as not to be seen by He Man as cheap, and take the opportunity to break out from here

Huangfu Song moved very quickly, Xun Zhen only waited in the tent for half an hour, and two other Sima Sima led his troops to the other Sima. Sima was a biqianshi official. ", has the right to command a group of troops to fight the enemy alone. After Xun Zhen has handed over to the two of them, he especially asked them to help take care of the wounded left behind, and then send out the tent to lead the army and leave the camp.

Xu Zhong, Jiang Qin, and others had already assembled their troops and lined up in the open space in the camp.

Xun Zhen came out and saw that some of them had fired torches, and ordered: "Turn off the torches" is the first precaution for the generals. Although they are still under Kunyang City and far away from Wuyang, there may be a distant place outside the military camp. The troopers sent by Bo Cai left the camp and walked not far in the dark. They saw a military horse parked on the road ahead without any torches, but they were the troops led by Cao Cao.

The two troops joined forces, men and horses held bells, and headed southeast. According to Huangfu Song's military order, they had to quietly cross the river thirty miles east of Wuyang. Arriving in the early morning of tomorrow, because of confidentiality, they cannot march during the day. That is to say, they have a total of one and a half hours of marching time, and they walk thirty or forty miles in the middle of the night. The task of marching is very heavy.

Fortunately, Xun Zhen had previously conducted a night marching training for the entire army. The soldiers had a certain understanding of the night march, and with the command and orders of the officers at all levels, they walked in an orderly manner.

Xun Zhen was from this county. When he was the postal supervisor in the north, he had come to this area and was familiar with the road. Therefore, his troops went first, and Cao Cao led his troops to follow.

When he followed behind, he could observe the marching order of Xun Zhen's army. Cao Cao watched it for a long time, and then said to the left and right: "When I was in Xiangcheng, I heard Li Gongyan: The reason why Yingchuan has been preserved so far is thanks to Xunzhen's achievements. The army is marching, this Ziguo is a person who knows soldiers." He turned his head and looked at the march of the headquarters, very dissatisfied.

This is the first time Cao Cao has led troops, and most of the troops and horses he leads are county soldiers drawn from other counties. They lack training and are of course inferior to Xun Zhen's troops.

He explained a few words to his generals, and brought a few personal soldiers to rush the horse forward, catching up with Xun Zhen who was walking in front.

Xun Zhen did not walk at the front of the team, but rode on the side of the road on horseback, stopping and going, talking to the soldiers passing by from time to time, cheering them up, reminding them not to fall behind, listening to the horseshoes behind, He turned his head and saw that it was Cao Cao who was coming. He was about to get off his horse and salute Cao Cao before he arrived. The laughter had already arrived. He rode on the horse and waved his hands again and again to signal Xun Zhen not to get off the horse. He smiled and said, "You and I are in the army now, and we are marching, so Xunjun doesn't need to be too polite."

"Why is the captain here?"

"I saw in the back that the army of the king was marching in an orderly manner. Since ancient times, the night is the most difficult, and the king's team can achieve this point. The person who really knows the army is also after the king's family is Sun Qing. He is also well versed in the way of Sun Wu. "Sun Wu is the grandson and Wu Qi, both of them are masters of the art of war, and they are often called together.

Xun Zhen didn't expect his praise, and he was very surprised.

Who is Cao Cao? The hero of the Three Kingdoms at the end of the Han Dynasty, he was deeply versed in the art of military affairs, and he used military skills to perfection. He also wrote a book on military affairs.

After Xun Zhen was astonished, she immediately understood and said in her heart, "Although Cao Cao is a famous master of the art of war in later generations, he is just a 'newbie' now. He has never led a soldier before. In this respect, he is really not as good as me now." No matter what , Xun Zhen has also fought several battles with his troops. There are tough battles and tricks. Based on his current experience in leading troops, he is indeed stronger than Cao Cao.

This is also the reason why Huangfu Song chose him and Cao Cao to go to Wuyang together It is very important. It has a lot of responsibility for the departure and retention of the Yellow Turban Army. At least one of the two captains should be chosen to go with Cao Cao. Huangfu Song did not choose, but chose Xun Zhen. The reason he said was : Xun Zhen is a native of this county and is familiar with the terrain. In fact, this is only a secondary reason, but the main reason is precisely because of Xun Zhen’s previous achievements, both wit and courage, so Huangfu Song is relieved to send him there.

Xun Zhen said humbly: "This is not the power of Zhen, but the power of talent." Xi Zhicai was by Xun Zhen's side, and Xun Zhen said to Cao Cao, "I am a talented scholar of Yingchuan, and I have great ambitions. She has a fortune in mind, and she has a deep understanding of the military and family. She has fought with thieves and soldiers before, and the reason why Zhen is lucky and not defeated is all because of her will and talent.”

When Cao Cao first arrived, Xi Zhicai was also in the group to welcome him. Huangfu Song introduced Cao Cao to Cao Cao's name Xi Zhicai, but he was not very clear about his family background. Su Rong, handing over immediately, said to Xi Zhicai, "I don't know where Jun's house is?"

Xi Zhicai returned the salute and replied, "The servant is from Yangzhai"

Yingchuan is a famous county, and Yangzhai is the county government of Yingchuan. There are many noble families in Yangzhai, such as Guo, Zhao, Xin, Chunyu, Zhang, Huang, etc. Cao Cao has heard of it and knows it. Several people from these big clans have never heard of a Xi clan. Upon hearing it, even if they knew that this Xi Zhi was from a poor family, there was no contempt on his face, but instead. He smiled and said to Xi Zhicai: "Guo Gongze, Xin Zuozhi, Zao Xiaoyou and Chunyu Zhongjian are all talented people in your county. I also heard that there are two prodigies in Guixian county, one Zhao Yan, who is extremely filial to his parents, the other one. My name is Fanqin, and there are few literary names. I and Chunyu Zhongjian are in the capital together, and our friendship is inseparable. Now I have to see my feet again. How prosperous are Yangzhai talents.”

Guo Gongze is Guo Tu Xin Zuozhi is Xin Pi Zao Xiaoyou is Zao Zhi Chun Yu Zhong Jian is Chun Yu Qiong

Cao Cao is a native of Peiguo. There are not many famous people in the county, nor is he particularly famous. He is far worse than Yang Zhai. His admiration is out of true love, not fake

It's a pity that his remarks did not resonate too much with Xi Zhicai. Xi Zhicai is a cold scholar. The people he listed are all children of the noble family, and they are in different classes such as Guo Tu, Xin Pi, and Zao Zhi. Although these people lived in the same county with Xi Zhicai, Xi Zhicai had basically never dealt with them before entering office, so he only made a few perfunctory sentences.

Cao Cao observed his words, and saw that Xi Zhicai was not very interested in this topic, nor was he annoyed, he was still smiling, and said to Xun Zhen: "The gentleman is a great talent, and the gentleman of Xi is also an extraordinary man. When we go to Wuyang, we need to use two more resources. The power of position"

Xun Zhen was amazed secretly, thinking: "With Cao Cao's family background and official rank, it is not easy not to despise Xi Zhicai who came from a poor family, and it is rare that he is not angry after being neglected." Although Cao Cao was a son of a nobleman, but Among the nobility, his **** family is actually a "poor family", so he has no contempt for the poor family scholars

Xun Zhen said: "Zhen must do his duty faithfully and go all out."

After talking for a while, the soldiers of Xun Zhen's subordinates were passing by, and they could already see the flag of Cao Cao's army. The two were the main generals.

Cao Cao watched the wheat fields under the road beside the road at night, Bocai and He Man had used their troops to plunder the countryside earlier, and many of the wheat seedlings in the wheat fields had been trampled. Looking from a distance, the wheat fields that should have been green like carpets are now missing a piece here and there. A piece of Cao Cao couldn't help but sigh: "Guan Zhongyun: 'The king takes the people as their heaven, and the people take food as their heaven'. It is not difficult to pacify the rebels in Yingchuan, but it is not easy to make the people have food after the war."

"That's what the captain said."

Cao Cao sighed a few words, then returned to the question, asked Xun Zhen, and said: "Since the beginning of the Yingchuan thieves, you have fought several thieves, defended Yangzhai, restored Xiangcheng and Jia, lured the enemy's father city, and followed General Zhu. Fighting with thieves in Shushui, and from General Huangfu to attacking General Huangfu and General Zhu of Kunyang, Yingchuan's military meritorious master is the first. You should know what kind of person is Qu Shuaibo, a thief in Yingchuan? How are the thieves fighting?"

"Bo Cai has a little resourcefulness. Before Master Wang came, he reorganized his troops twice in Xiangcheng and Fucheng. He selected the elite and eliminated the old and the weak. The nearly 20,000 thieves he brought to Wuyang were the selected elites. Although the armament is not as good as Master Wang's, but because he is deeply bewitched by demons, he can fight to the death. It should not be underestimated. A few days ago, I fought fiercely with the thieves from General Zhu on the shore of the Shushui River. Although Xun Zhen has defeated the Yellow Turbans many times, except for the battle at Yangzhai, the rest are mostly calculated.

"According to what Xunjun said, when we go to Wuyang this time, it will be fine if Bo Cai doesn't break through. If he breaks through and flees south, I'm afraid you and I will fall into a **** battle."

"exactly"

Cao Cao looked back at the marching team, and looked at the night road ahead.

Although he tried his best to hide it, it could be seen from his clenched fists and straight waist that he was eager to go to Wuyang, but he was also under pressure.

Xun Zhen said in his heart: "Cao Cao was known as a traitor in later generations. However, from my impressions of the time I've been in contact with him, I can't see anything about him being a traitor. There is a man and he is very ambitious."

Xun Zhen's feeling is right, Cao Cao has nothing to do with "jian" right now. He is just 30 years old this year, and it is the time when he is ambitious and wants to make a career.

It is not so much a traitor, it is better to say that he now has "the ambition of frost and snow". His biggest desire now is to hope that through his efforts, his family can change from the **** family in the eyes of the world to a famous noble family. His biggest dream now is I just hope to be praised by the people of the world, to be famous in history, and to be like the famous ministers of the previous dynasty and this dynasty who were praised by the world and future generations.

For this reason, although he was born in a **** family, he has repeatedly opposed the eunuch

His kindness to Xun Zhen is also related to his desires and dreams

Since this dynasty, foreign relatives and eunuchs have taken turns in power. To fight against them, scholar-officials must "form a party". Although the older generation of celebrities are often held by the party, the younger generation of scholars and people with lofty ideals still form a party. For example, Yuan Shao made friends with the heroes of the world. Zhao Zhong, the permanent attendant in the middle, once said to other eunuchs in the province: "Yuan Ben was sitting at the beginning to be a price, and he wanted to raise the dead. I don't know what this child wants to do in the end?" To make friends with scholars, Yuan Shao seems to have become the leader of the younger generation of scholars. If Cao Cao wants to make his family become a noble family, and to make himself famous in history, he must make friends with famous people all over the world like Yuan Shao, so he made friends with Yuan Shao and He Yong. , Zhang Miao, Wu Qiong and other heroes have made friends. Now I see Xun Zhen as such a hero, and of course I won't let it go.

Having said that, although Xun Zhen was born in the Xun clan, he is not well-known in the world, and he is a sideline of the Xun clan. It stands to reason that Cao Cao does not need to be so "off the corporal", but what he values ​​is not only Xun Zhen's background, It was Xun Zhen's ability. How could a person who had defeated the Yellow Turbans many times be outnumbered by an incompetent person? After being able, and being a famous family, he will become a great tool in the future. Although Xun Zhen is still in the "weird" time, it is necessary to make friends with people while they are still weak, and this kind of friendship will be strengthened.

Cao Cao cherished his own hope of making meritorious deeds in this battle, smiled and said to Xun Zhen: "After the rebellion has been pacified, with the merits of the monarch, he will definitely be promoted."

His words were just an ordinary polite remark. After hearing Xun Zhen's ears, Xun Zhen's heart moved without realizing it, and turned to look at Cao Cao, thinking deeply

The battle to pacify the Yellow Turbans has just begun. After the Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan, there will be Yellow Turbans in Nanyang, Runan, Chen Guo, Dongjun and other places to fight. Xunzhen has already made a lot of contributions, and it is inevitable that he will be promoted after the war. But it's hard to say to what extent.

Although Xun Zhen has a reputation and a family reputation, but there is no one in the court, there is no backer, no one in the court, and it is not easy to be an official.

For more than ten years in the party, most of the capital and connections accumulated by the Xun family are no longer available. For example, Xun Qu's father and uncle, who used to be the ministers of the county and the state with 2,000 stone, have long since passed away. Li Ying and other famous party members, some were convicted and died long ago, and those who survived were also dismissed from their posts because of the party, and they went into hiding at home.

It can be said that there is no need for eunuchs to say that these real power factions on stage today are hostile to the scholar-officers and cannot help Xun. Most of them have no deep friendship with the Xun family, and they do not have much contact. It is impossible to expect them to vigorously support the Xun family's children.

After all, everyone is selfish, and who doesn't have a few friends and acquaintances? The famous family in the world is not the Xun family, so instead of supporting the Xun family's children, it is better to support those who are friends with them

Xun Zhen also thought about this issue

The Yellow Turbans are sure to be defeated. After the defeat of the Yellow Turbans, what position will he be promoted to by the court based on his merits?

He doesn't want the positions of county chief, county chief, and county lieutenant. He wants two positions: one is the county magistrate of a large county, and the other is to enter the capital as a clerk.

Of the two, he especially wanted the latter

Being a magistrate of a large county can surely control the territory of a county and tens of thousands of people, but it is far worse than going to Beijing to be a magistrate.

Being a man in Beijing is like the Hanlin of later generations. Once he is a man, his value will be very different, especially the "Huangmen Shilang" and "Yilang"

The rank of Huangmen Shilang is 600 stone, and the rank of Yilang is more than 600 stone. In terms of rank, it seems that it is not as good as the magistrate of a large county, but Huangmen Shilang and Yilang can make up for senior officials. Among them, the most respected is Huangmen Shilang, the person who can hold this position is either a relative of the imperial family or the son of a general, or a "scholar who has a family name." The second is the Yilang, and the Yilang is also very honorable. Once he is appointed as an official, it is a common thing to be the minister of a county and state. Cao Cao had been a councillor in Luoyang before, and when he came out, he was more than a two-thousand-stone cavalry captain. This was a shortcut to promotion.

In addition to the shortcut to promotion, there is another advantage of entering the capital. You can make friends with high-ranking officials and scholars in the capital to make up for Xunzhen's shortcomings in this area. There is nothing in the world, and you can accumulate contacts. Once there is something in the world, as long as you get through the relationship, you will be able to get out immediately. Serving as the prime minister of the county, or as Cao Cao is worshipped as a military post, leading the army to go out on an expedition has the best of both worlds

Judging from Xun Zhen's current background, after the war, when discussing meritorious service, being a county magistrate would be a bit difficult. It is a highly sought-after and sought-after position such as Huangmen Shilang and Yilang. If there is no help in the court, I am afraid that it will not be easy to obtain.

Xun Zhen thought: "If you can get Cao Cao's help?"

Cao Cao's grandfather, Cao Teng, did not say anything, but only said that his father Cao Song, Li Xuewei, Da Si Nong, Da Honglu, were all high-ranking officials with real power, and he had those good fates left by Cao Teng, who were very important in the court. Powerful and powerful, if you can get Cao Cao's help, wouldn't it be an easy task for any Huangmen servant or councilor?

Thinking of this, Xun Zhen's eyes were different when he looked at Cao Cao again.

When he first saw Cao Cao, he was very curious about Cao Cao. He felt that this person was both familiar and unfamiliar. He was familiar because of what he knew in his previous life, and he was unfamiliar because the Cao Cao in front of him seemed to be very different from what he knew in his previous life. It is not unfamiliar or familiar, but a step that can be used. With this in mind, he immediately adjusted his mentality and gradually became friends with Cao Cao's Quyi.

The two talked and talked all the way, they were interested in each other, and they both wanted to make friends with each other. The more they talked, the more they entered Hong Kong.

Cao Cao smiled and said, "Zhenzhi, the day is almost dawning on General Huangfu's order, so that you and I cannot march in the daytime, so how about finding a place to camp and rest in front?"

After such a small night of marching and chatting, Cao Cao has begun to use "characters" to address Xun Zhen

Xun Zhen smiled and said, "Xi Cong Commander"

Going two more miles, there is a village by the road. Most of the villagers have fled, leaving only a few old and weak women and children, so they camped in this village to rest.

After resting for a day, in the evening, Xun Zhen ordered the whole army and was about to march, but Cao Cao did not come out.

Cao Cao lived in the yard of a landlord in this township. When Xun Zhen entered the yard, Cao Cao's guard asked him to wait a moment and said, "The captain is studying in the house."

"read?"

"Yeah, Xun-Jun doesn't know something. My family's captain is best to read. No matter how busy I am, I have to read every day. I can't let go of the book when I lead the army today. Please wait a moment.

This guard enters the house and announces

Soon, Cao Cao came out in his clothes, took the scroll in his hand, and said with a smile: "Oh, I just read the book, I forgot the time, I didn't realize it was getting dark. what"

"What book is Du Wei reading? So fascinated?"

Cao Cao raised the scroll in his hand and said with a smile: "The ancients in "Sun Tzu" said: 'It is too late to pierce a well when you are thirsty, and to cast a cone when you fight?' It's always better than not reading, so the ancients said: 'It's not too late to look after the dog when you see a rabbit, and it's not too late to make up for a lost sheep.'"

Xun Zhen smiled and said, "He Qiqian, the commander, is already twilight, so let's go now?"

"Okay, wait for me for a while, wait for me to put on my footclothes." Cao Cao pointed his hand down and stretched his feet out of his steps, but he was barefoot and without socks.

Xun Zhen had seen many officials and scholars who went out to greet guests but only wore shoes but no socks. Cao Cao was the first one, he smiled and said, "Okay."

After Cao Cao was dressed neatly and the messenger would gather all the troops, the night had come.

The two led their troops out of the country and continued to travel overnight. When it was almost dawn, they arrived at the place where they crossed the river as scheduled. After crossing the river, they traveled for a few more miles and chose a hidden place to be stationed on the spot. Colonel Wei should have already started to lure Pocai to send troops to cross the river to aid Kunyang again. Kunyang will soon be unable to hold it. If it is not bad, if Pocai is fooled, he should send troops to cross the river soon.

The two strictly ordered their subordinates not to go out, not to make fire, not to make noise, and they hid in the campsite. They sent scouts to the shore of Lishui to inquire, and waited for news from Wei Xiaowei.

In the evening, the scouts hurried back, along with Huangfu Song's military orders.

Cao Cao and Xun Zhen looked at each other after hearing the reports and military orders from the scouts.

Indeed, as they had guessed before, Bo Cai was indeed fooled, and sent 5,000 troops across the river to rescue Kunyang for the third time at noon today, which was consistent with Huangfu Song's plan, but then deviated from the original plan. The plan was to plan Wei Xiaowei's deceitful defeat and turned it into a real defeat. If it wasn't for Zhu Jun's efforts to turn the tide, I am afraid that Wei Xiaowei would be wiped out. Even so, his subordinates suffered nearly a thousand casualties, and most of the rest were scattered. Came to join forces with Cao Cao and Xun Zhen

Huangfu Song said in the military order: "Bo Cai's troops across the river were wiped out by General Zhu, and Bo Cai was frightened by this, and he was likely to abandon the south of the city and escape. He must not be allowed to escape. You two can immediately lead the troops to Wuyang Bo. If Cai Ruo abandons the city and flees, I have ordered Captain Wei to gather the remnants as soon as possible and rush to join you two."

When Cao Cao and Xun Zhen's generals heard the order, most of them frowned, and some said, "We have only 5,000 people in total, and Bocai still has nearly 15,000 people. How can we hold him back? If we leave the city, we probably won’t be able to stop it with our strength.”

Xun Zhen said in his heart, "It can be said that people are not as good as the heavens to count General Huangfu. This plan can be said to take all possible situations into account, but I never expected that Wei Xiaowei would turn a deceitful defeat into a real defeat."

The last time Xun Zhen crossed Rushui to lure Bocai and He Man, Xun You and Xi Zhicai discussed with him who should be sent to be the "deceiver". The two thousand stone high-ranking general, the Yueqi battalion of the headquarters is also the Praetorian Guard, and the trump card field army of the dynasty. From a common sense, it should be very easy to deal with the "rabble crowd" of the Yellow Turbans, even if they cheat and fail. , but did not expect that he turned into a real defeat, which made Xun Zhen doubt the commanding ability of Wei Xiaowei and the combat effectiveness of the Yueqi battalion.

His suspicion is correct After buying and selling the quota of the fifth sergeant of the Northern Army many times, if you have money, you can go in and become a battalion soldier. How can there be too strong combat effectiveness? In fact, Xun Zhen should have seen the clue when he rescued Sun Jian last time. At that time, he saw some knights in the Yueqiying camp who could not cross the river and were covered in mud. Sun Jian and Xunzhen could successfully cross the river, but the Yueqiying camp failed to cross the river. How can this be the case if it is elite? It's just that the Fifth School of the Northern Army has a great reputation. Xun Zhen thought it was because the muddy bottom of the river was not good for galloping horses, so she didn't think much about it.

Wei Xiaowei was defeated and could not join forces with Xun Zhen and Cao Cao in the short term. Although Xun Zhen and Cao Cao had less than 5,000 men, it would be extremely difficult to hold down Bocai's 15,000 men with less than 5,000 men. , but the military order is like a mountain. Since Huangfu Song has issued this military order, there is no room for bargaining.

Cao Cao frowned and asked Xun Zhen, "Zhenzhi, what do you think?"

Xun Zhen had no idea in his heart, but he could not disobey the military order. He didn't want to bear the name of "cowardly war" and said, "General Huangfu has already issued the military order, we should obey it."

Cao Cao nodded and said, "I also mean the same." He stood up, looked around at the generals, and was about to give the order to go to Wuyang when Xi Zhi suddenly interjected, "Captain, wait a minute."

"What did the show-kun say?"

"I have a plan that may solve this problem"

Cao Cao was overjoyed and asked, "What's the plan?"

Xi Zhicai replied: "The only thing you worry about is that I have few soldiers and that I can't stop Bo Cai and flee to the south of the city. If I wait for Bo Cai to create an illusion and make him think that we have a lot of soldiers, what will happen? "

One of the generals replied: "When he saw that I was waiting for a lot of troops, he didn't dare to abandon the city and escape."

The generals are worried about Bo will abandon the city to break out. If they can scare him and make him dare not abandon the city to break out, then the worries of the generals will no longer exist.

Xi Zhicai said, "I have a plan to make Bocai think I'm waiting for more soldiers."

"What's the trick?"

"In the past, Sun Bin reduced the stove, but now we can 'increase the stove'"

There were still people among the generals who were puzzled and asked in confusion, "Zengzao?"

Xun Zhen and Cao Cao were overjoyed when Cao Cao knew that he wanted to play Zhicai, and said, "It's a really good plan, but it's also a joke, but you're saying, can I bluff?"

"Of course"

Someone asked: "How to bluff?"

"I will go to Wuyang, and I can wait for more flags. First, after arriving at Wuyang City, we will send elite warriors to show off their power under the city, so that it is difficult for Bocai to distinguish whether our army is real or not. Second, after nightfall, we can divide our troops into two groups. The troops were stationed outside the city brightly lit, and the other group sneaked to Lishui, crossed the river at night, and waited until tomorrow morning to cross the river again, pretending to be reinforcements from Kunyang, and the third."

Xun Zhen and Cao Cao said happily: "Good plan"

The two looked at each other and made a decision. Cao Cao ordered: "Just do it according to this calculation."

The place where they camped was dozens of miles away from Wuyang. It was not too late. They fled in order to prevent waves. Xun Zhen and Cao Cao immediately ordered the entire army to pull out the camp and run fast, and selected all the horses in the army to form a team of 500 people. The cavalry team ordered them to go to Wuyang first, and the order said: "After you go outside Wuyang City, if you see the waves and flee, you can strike them first, not to kill the enemy, as long as you can hold them back."

Thus, the cavalry goes first, the infantry follows

Driving overnight, the next morning, Xun Zhen and Cao Cao led the troops to the outside of Wuyang City with great fanfare.

According to Xi Zhicai's plan, Cao Cao and Xun Zhen ordered their subordinates to camp, and selected hundreds of warriors to cooperate with the five hundred cavalry, and went to Wuyang City to show off their power and shouted to the city: "Wuyang will fall, you will cross the river to rescue. The army has been wiped out, and my army is here in the tens of thousands, why don't you surrender the city?"

Bo Cai heard the urgent report of the guards in the city, and climbed the city in armor, and looked at the troops of Xun Zhen and Cao Cao.

The distance between the two shots was four or five miles. I couldn't see the specific situation. I saw countless flags fluttering. Judging from the flags and smoke, I was afraid that no less than ten thousand people would not be able to save Kunyang three times. The soldiers and horses dispatched yesterday were completely wiped out. I am uneasy, and now I see tens of thousands of enemies coming from outside the city, and I am even more frightened

Some of the entourage generals on the left and right said in a hurry: "Master, the troops and horses our army went to aid Kunyang were wiped out by the Han thieves. There are no reinforcements outside Kunyang. , I'm going to break through as soon as possible."

Another person pointed to the outside of the city and said: "There are tens of thousands of demon thieves outside the city. You can see the more than a thousand cavalry galloping under the city. They are all fine armor. How can we break through in a field battle?”

The two opinions were at odds, and Bo was hesitant to decide.

He regretted a little, why didn't he bear the tens of thousands of Kunyang tribesmen, why didn't they go south earlier?

He was secretly annoyed, and said to himself, "I should have abandoned Kunyang earlier and went to Runan earlier." But now it's too late to regret it, what should I do now? Is it to break through immediately or stick to the city? Until nightfall, he hadn't made a decision. The next morning, someone came to report urgently: "Report, Master, thousands of Han thieves have come from outside the city." Thousands of Han troops came in the direction of the water

Originally there were tens of thousands of people under the city, and now there are thousands more, adding up to more than 10,000 people, which is on a par with the existing troops of his own troops. Only then did he know that his troops were not good at field battles. If the strength of the enemy is twice that of the enemy, he can still break through the siege. Now that the enemy and our troops are equally strong, if it is difficult for the Han army to fight in the field, he put out the idea of ​​breaking through the siege and made a decision: stick to Wuyang.

Bo Cai was anxious in the city, Xun Zhen and Cao Cao were also anxious outside the city

The military horse that came this morning was Cao Cao's army. He took the headquarters to the Lishui bank quietly last night, and returned this morning. Although Xi Zhicai's strategy worked, from yesterday to this morning, the Yellow Turbans in Wuyang City have not been able to do so. The change, there is no appearance of breaking out of the city, but if you can't keep Qi, you will jump over the wall and make a desperate attempt. If Bocai really breaks through, there are four or five thousand of them, and nearly 15,000 of them, let's not talk about the chance of winning, even if If he wins, the casualties will certainly not be small. Cao Cao is good. Xun Zhen really doesn't want to fight this battle. He has only two or three thousand people, how can he be ruined here?

Because of their anxiety, Xun Zhen and Cao Cao didn't chat much in the past two days. They said that the military was finally at the end of the meeting. The next afternoon, they waited for the military report from Kunyang.

Cao Cao, the honorable man, read the military newspaper first. After reading it, he was overjoyed and said to Xun Zhen, "This morning, our army has conquered Kunyang."

The time for the capture of Kunyang was two days later than Huangfu Song expected.

Xun Zhen took the military newspaper and saw why it was two days late, but it turned out that as early as two days ago, just as Huangfu Song expected, Kunyang could not hold on anymore, He Man asked to surrender, but was rejected by Zhu Jun. Unable to accept the surrender, He Man had no choice but to defend himself. After two more days of **** battles, Kunyang was captured by Sun Jian Xiandeng.

Cao Cao and Xun Zhen inquired about the messenger who came to deliver the military report. After asking about the process of the capture of the city, Cao Cao asked: "Since the Kunyang bandit soldiers have already surrendered two days ago, why is General Zhu not accepting it?"

If it wasn't for Zhu Jun's resolute refusal to surrender, Xun Zhen and Cao Cao would not have to worry about spending these two days outside Wuyang City.

The messenger replied: "On the day He Man asked to surrender, there were also generals who persuaded General Zhu to persuade General Zhu to accept He Man's surrender, citing the old example of Emperor Gaozu's acceptance of surrender in Qin Xiang. At the time of Qin Xiang, the people did not have a ruler, so the reward was attached to persuade Lai Er to unify the sea and the sea, but the Yellow Turban rebelled, and the surrender was not enough to persuade the good. If you are blunt, you will beg for surrender, and it is not a good plan to let the enemy long and robbery, because he refuses to accept the surrender of He Man.”

Cao Cao didn't ask any more questions, and asked again: "There are tens of thousands of thieves in Kunyang City, I don't know how the two generals plan to deal with them?"

"It's all slaughtered"

Cao Cao almost threw away the military newspaper in his hand, and suddenly sat up straight, and asked in disbelief, "All slaughtered?"

"Yes"

"Not one left?"

"Yes"

"The killing of prisoners is ominous, and no one persuades the two generals?"

"Some people persuaded them to kill and surrender, but General Zhu said: 'Benevolence is acceptable to the people, but not to benevolent thieves'? General Huangfu agreed, so he did his best to kill the thief.

"This,……"

Not only Cao Cao was surprised, but Xun Zhen was also shocked. One of them was in the main seat and the other was in the side seat.

——

1. In the province

"Cai Yongyun: Originally, there is a ban in the gate of the ban, and no ministers who are not in charge are allowed to enter... The name of Empress Xiaoyuan's father is banned, so he avoids it, so it is called the province." The province is the ban~www.wuxiaspot.com ~In the palace, it is the place where the monarch lives daily. If you want to enter the province, you must first enter the palace. There is still a long distance from the palace gate to the provincial gate. The provincial system seems to have existed since the pre-Qin period

2. The Fifth School of the Northern Army

"In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the military and government were not cultivated. The officers and soldiers of the five schools usually had nothing to do, and they were pampered. "The five camp officials are very busy, but the palaces and temples are spacious, the clothes are bright, and the tricks and flowers are given. Therefore, they mostly live in the clan's heart."

In addition to the fact that most of the generals live in the clan, the soldiers of the five battalions are also incapable of fighting. Because of their superior status, there is a phenomenon that the father died and the son succeeded for a long time. "For example, in the second year of the first year of the Yuan Dynasty, the emperor sent him to be Zhonglang. General, General Yulin, Tiqi, and 3,500 children of the five battalions were stationed in the three to supplement the Qiang. "The children of the five battalions" means that the soldiers of the five battalions have a trace of the soldiers of the world." In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, they were imported by trade In the five camps, in the third year of the Yongchu period of Emperor Andi, "Three Dukes, considering that the state was insufficient, ordered officials to enter the valley to obtain money for Guanneihou, Huben, ..., and the horsemen and the campers each had their own differences". The Marquis of Guannei, Hu Ben, Tiqi, Yingshi, and the five husbands each have their own grains of money." Yingshi means five Yingshi.