Three Kingdoms

Yanzhou, Dingtao.

"Donggudongdongdong..."

The fierce sound of war drums suddenly rose into the sky, shaking the entire city in an instant.

Lu Bu suddenly woke up from his sleep, turned over and jumped up from the couch. Xiaocao, who was sleeping inside, also screamed in surprise and hugged Lu Bu, his body unable to help but tremble.

Lu Bu turned around and gently patted Xiaocao's thin shoulder, feeling speechless. For more than two years, Xiaocao followed him around and around, fighting everywhere. Sometimes he couldn't even eat, and he was miserable. Now that he still couldn't give Xiaocao a stable and warm home, Lu Bu couldn't help but feel extremely guilty.

When Lu Bu fled Chang'an before, he left in a hurry and did not have time to take his family with him. Fortunately, Pang Shu took in Madam Yan and Xiaocao in the messy situation, and then used the name of the envoy to bring Madam Yan and others. They were brought out of Chang'an.

Madam Yan and Xiaocao followed Lu Bu's trail. Fortunately, the Central Plains of Han Dynasty was not too chaotic at this stage, and there were a few guards. They managed to reach Yuan Shu with great difficulty, but the result was tragic. I learned that Lu Bu had left...

Fortunately, Yuan Shu didn't have Lao Wang's habits and was quite chivalrous. Therefore, not only did he not embarrass Madam Yan and Xiaocao, he even sent some people to escort them to Yanzhou under the banner of the Yuan family, so that Lu Bu, who was originally dissatisfied with Yuan Shu, Immediately my impression of him changed greatly.

However, after Mrs. Yan and Xiaocao arrived in Yanzhou, they did not live a comfortable life for a few days. At first, Lu Bu had some advantages over Cao Cao, but for some reason, it suddenly turned around and Cao Cao had the upper hand. This simply left Lu Bu at a loss...

"Don't be afraid, it's okay. As long as I live, no one can hurt you." Lu Bu lovingly patted Xiaocao's shoulder and comforted him in a low voice, "I'll go out and take a look. You wait for me here."

"Is the city unable to be defended? Will we die?" Xiaocao gradually loosened his grip on Lu Bu's hand, but still felt uneasy and asked in a low voice.

"No..." Lu Bu forced a smile, then stood up and walked out of the room.

Xiaocao clutched the quilt tightly, and two lines of tears rolled down quietly.

"What's going on!" Lu Bu boarded the city in a few steps, stared at Cao Jun's troops outside the city, and said, "Is there any news about the people sent to contact Ambassador Zhang?"

"Zhang Shijun may have fallen into a trap..." Chen Gong had a gloomy face and his brows were knitted tightly together.

"What do you say?" Lu Bu turned around and asked.

Chen Gong's brows were furrowed in one place, as if they were about to be squeezed out of water, and he said: "According to the schedule, there should have been news a long time ago, but there has been no reply yet... And these Cao soldiers were so bold in marching down, There is no sign of worrying about the retreat... This shows that Chen Liu has not sent troops..."

"But Chen Liu has not sent out troops. On the one hand, Zhang Shijun was deceived by Cao Cao's clever words, and on the other hand, I'm afraid..." Chen Gong said, his face getting more and more ugly. Originally, the army was stationed in Dingtao. Chen Gong's plan was to lure Cao Cao south, and then Zhang Miao sent troops from Chenliu. He could attack Puyang in the north and Cao Jun's retreat in the south. But what he didn't expect was that Cao Cao's army arrived, and Zhang Miao's The soldiers and horses were nowhere to be seen.

Zhang Miao and Cao Cao have known each other for a long time. If Lu Bu had directly defeated Cao Cao in one fell swoop before, there would naturally be nothing to say. But now Yuan Shu's strategic focus has turned to the south. Although some troops are left, they are mainly defensive, so it is also After being dispatched once and returning without success, there was no movement.

Chen Gong's previous perfect plan of three armies to strangle Cao Cao was completely stranded, which made Chen Gong himself feel embarrassed.

The key is that at this juncture, Zhang Miao actually lost his temper!

Lu Bu almost jumped to his feet. The most annoying thing was that Chen Gong spoke slowly and left a bit behind. But now he could only endure his temper, hammered on the city wall and said, "I'm afraid what?!"

"Maybe it's the general's intention..." Chen Gong sighed and said slowly, this one is more likely.

"General?!" Lu Bu's eyes widened.

Chen Gong was silent.

Lu Bu stared and couldn't help shouting: "Didn't Zhang Shijun say he got the instructions from the general? Why is he now the general again?!"

Chen Gong sighed, shook his head and said nothing. It's not that Chen Gong didn't guess what Yuan Shao was thinking, but even if he guessed it, he was helpless and couldn't make any effective response.

Yuan Shao was dissatisfied with Cao Cao. This was the reason why Chen Gong and Zhang Miao dared to openly rebel against Cao Cao.

but now……

Maybe Chen Gong, Zhang Miao and others contacted Yuan Shu, which made Yuan Shao feel unhappy, or maybe Yuan Shao just wanted to beat Cao Cao, not to crush him to death, or maybe Cao Cao sent people to Yuan Shao's feet, crying and hugging him. The thighs reminded Yuan Shao of some childhood friendships. Anyway, Yuan Shao now supported Cao Cao, making Zhang Miao, Chen Gong, Lu Bu and others no longer human inside and outside...

Although they only sent some money, food, soldiers and horses, the amount was not large, but it had already shown an obvious attitude, causing the Yanzhou nobles who originally shouted to kill Cao Cao to become much silent now.

Yuan Shao likes nothing more than the word "balance". In his opinion, it might be just right to have Zhang Miao to contain Cao Cao, so Zhang Miao either believed it or surrendered. Chen Liu did not send troops to support him. Now Lu Bu only Able to fight alone.

"We can't count on Zhang Shijun..." Chen Gong said in a deep voice, "Marquis Wen, we should break out of the encirclement immediately. If we delay, we may fail..."

Chen Gong couldn't tell whether he, the main planner of betraying Cao Cao, was within the scope of pardon, but he probably didn't. Therefore, it was impossible for Chen Gong to return to Chenliu, and Tao City was small and did not have much food reserves. , and they can't hold on for long, so they can only break out.

Lu Bu looked at Cao Jun below the city, gritted his teeth and said, "Break through? Where can we go if we break through? It's better to go out of the city and fight to see if someone can break the camp!"

There were some Cao troops who came early, but perhaps they were using the strategy of surrounding three towers, or maybe the number was not enough to surround Dingtao. They only surrounded the north and east sides, but there were no camps on the west and south sides. The troops and horses were set up, and the intensity of the attack was not very strong. Every day was like tapping the drums, beating some drums from time to time, and sending people to shout. This made Lu Bu want to go out of the city to fight several times, but was stopped by Chen Gong. .

"According to Wei Xiaowei's previous report, Cao Cao's army has left Puyang and was divided into many groups...but only one appeared below the city..." Chen Gong shook his head and said, "Marquis Wen, although Xiahou's army below the city only has four Thousands of people cannot besiege the city, but if we attack, we may not be able to capture the camp in a short time... In addition, Marquis Wen, please take a look..."

Chen Gong pointed to several hills in the northeast direction of Dingtao and said: "Although this mountain is not high, it is enough to block our sight. Moreover, the north and east of the city are besieged, perhaps to prevent us from sending people out of the city to investigate. ... In the past two days, I have seen forest birds circling on the mountain without settling, which means that there must be an ambush by Cao Jun in this mountain. If we attack rashly, I am afraid that we will take advantage of it..."

"Boom!" Lu Bu punched the wall with his fist and lowered his voice, "We can't fight, and we have no reinforcements to defend! Damn it!"

Chen Gong continued: "Don't be anxious, Marquis Wen. It seems that if we break through, the traitor Cao Xiahou may not dare to pursue us! But now there are only two directions, one to the south and one to the west..."

"To the south, to the west?" Lu Bu repeated in a murmur.

"Yes, heading south, you can go to Yangzhou or Xuzhou..." Chen Gong had obviously been thinking about this issue for a long time and said smoothly.

"Yangzhou? Xuzhou?" Lu Bu scratched his head.

Chen Gong glanced at Lu Bu and said: "...I heard that there are internal differences in Xuzhou. There are those who are close to the generals and those who are close to the rear generals. If Wen Hou goes, we can deal with it..."

"Then heading west, you will go to Luoyang..." Chen Gong continued to tell the answer to the multiple-choice question, "The emperor issued an order to recruit talents to show his thirst for talents. Marquis Wen was originally an important minister of the imperial court and returned to the imperial court. It is also what it should be, and the emperor will naturally accept it happily..."

Anyway, General Yuan Shao's attitude is unclear, and Chen Gong himself is also a double-standard person. He is very unhappy with others stabbing him in the back, so he doesn't even consider it. In the other directions, Xuzhou and Heluo are indeed the only ones. More appropriate.

As for Jingzhou, it is now managed by Liu Biao with a bang, and no one else can interfere.

Heluo Luoyang?

Lu Bu raised his head, squinted his eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "Isn't there the Hongnong Yang family in Luoyang? How can there be a place for them?"

"Marquis Wen doesn't know that there are many conflicts between the Hongnong Yang family and General Zhengxi..." Chen Gong said slowly, with a calculating light in his eyes, "I heard that the Hongnong Yang family conquered Guanzhong before and was defeated by General Zhengxi. Defeated, now I heard that he led troops to the west again. Although he took Tongguan, he could not advance or retreat. There are already many complaints in Luoyang... If the general marches west to Heluo, he can raise the flag of righteousness to protect the emperor on the surface and reject the treacherous ministers. It means everything will go smoothly..."

"Protect the emperor and reject treacherous ministers?" Lu Bu thought for a moment.

Yangzhou, it's just one more option, but Chen Gong knows that Lu Bu is unlikely to choose it. As for the two choices of Xuzhou and Heluo, Chen Gong is actually more inclined to go to Luoyang, because now the Hongnong Yang family has already He showed a decadent look. If Lu Bu was added to the mix...

Chen Gong looked at Lu Bu and said: "Didn't Marquis Wen have an old relationship with General Zhengxi? If we go to Heluo, under attack from both sides, the Yang family will definitely be defeated! By then, as long as Marquis Wen respects the emperor, no one will dare to Violation..."

Lu Bu suddenly woke up and turned to look at the other generals around him. Wei Xu and others who were following Lu Bu understood Chen Gong's words and were a little moved. Everyone nodded in unison.

"That's it!" Lu Bu waved his hand and said decisively, "Clean up the weak in the city and integrate the army. Tomorrow, no, tonight we will break out of the siege and march towards Heluo!"

…………………………

A few days later, Yanzhou Puyang.

"What?!" Cao Cao's eyes widened, and his mung bean-sized eyeballs became soybean-sized, and he said, "Lu Feng went to Heluo first?!"

Although Cao Cao's posture is quite grand, in fact, his foundation is weak now, so Cao Cao does not dare to fight Lu Bu directly for fear of exposing some flaws. The troops left in Dingtao do have an ambush, but there is no such thing. As much as Chen Gong imagined...

After all, Yanzhou had just suffered a disaster, and there was a shortage of food and grass everywhere. Although Yuan Shao provided some assistance, it was only a drop in the bucket, better than nothing, and could not support too much consumption.

However, Cao Cao could not let the people in Yanzhou know the real situation, so he could only dispatch his troops, and then pretended to be Yuan Shao's supporting troops and came back again, and performed Dong Zhuo's drama again with a new coat. After a while, the Yanzhou nobles who were about to make a move were shocked.

Although it is indeed a good thing to scare Lu Bu away, it is not good that Lu Bu went somewhere, but he went to Heluo, right...

Xun Yu looked at Cao Cao's expression and said slowly: "Why do you care, Lord Ming? Since ancient times, there has been no rule for military men to govern a country, and Dong Zhongying is the precedent. After Wen Hou is gone, if he is based on the dynasty, there will be fighting. , Duke Ming will make a decision at that time."

After hearing this, Cao Cao calmed down.

The Han Dynasty has reached the current situation, and the habit of rejecting warriors has penetrated into the bones. Those who are not proficient in classics are not allowed to enter the court, and those who are not well-educated scholars are not allowed to enter the court. This has become the benchmark in the hearts of all the nobles in the Han Dynasty. Therefore, although Dong Zhuo became the Taipei before, Master, but it is still unpopular. This can be clearly seen in the fact that many places are simply unwilling to obey Dong Zhuo's orders.

Not to mention Lu Bu. Xun Yu was not even worried about how big a wave this guy who obviously lacked intelligence could cause in the court.

"But..." Cao Cao knocked on the table and said with a frown, "...Marquis Wen and Zheng Xi are rumored to be close. If this... if they send talented people to join forces and take advantage of the chaos..." Cao Cao was not able to When I received Liu Xie, I was still somewhat resentful.

"Ming Gong, in the past, our great ancestors rose from Guanzhong and entrenched themselves in Hanoi with their brilliance and military power. How could they control the world? It was all because of their deep roots that they were able to control the world! Advance enough to defeat the enemy, retreat enough to hold firm. Even if you encounter difficulties and defeats, you will achieve great success in the end. Now Yanzhou has not been pacified, Qingzhou has not been settled, and it is at the strategic point of the world. Its foundation is unstable, so how can it enter the world? Therefore, Ming Gong should stabilize the place, harvest ripe wheat, and make arrangements for livestock and grain to stabilize the foundation." Xun Yu cupped his hands towards Cao Cao. The admonition said, "If the light troops march straight into Heluo, the people of Yanzhou will not be stable, and the bandits will be in trouble again. Why not take advantage of this opportunity to gain the autumn harvest first, pay equal attention to kindness and power, win over the people's hearts, wipe out the evil and rebellion, and wait for the foundation to be laid?" After it is stabilized, it will not be too late to either take Xuzhou in the east or Heluo in the west. I hope Duke Ming will think about it carefully."

Cao Cao pondered for a long time, nodded slowly, and finally suppressed his resentment for the time being, and said: "Wen Ruo's words are like a yellow bell, a grand original. Good things should be done according to Wen Ruo's words." However, Cao Cao said. Although I said this, there was an indescribable thought rising in my heart, as if I had lost something most beloved, mixed with regret and helplessness...

At this moment, a soldier suddenly came over from outside the door. It was obvious that something had happened...