Three Kingdoms

The men and horses that meandered out of Fancheng slowly headed north, led by Cao Ren.

Cao Ren glanced back slightly and couldn't help but sigh in his heart when he saw the expectant or excited expressions of the soldiers behind him. Although the news of peace talks with the Hussars was not stated explicitly, it was also circulated privately. Most of the soldiers in Cao's army were in favor of this, which made Cao Ren feel very complicated.

Cao Ren went north to Zhuyang this time, which indeed represented Cao Cao and sought a temporary halt to the Jingzhou issue.

Similarly, everyone in Jingzhou was also very happy about the armistice, which made Cao Ren feel even more uncomfortable.

Regarding the Jingzhou people, the attitude of the Cao family's senior officials was relatively unified, and they just wanted to surrender their troops. No matter what period or dynasty, the so-called surrender of the army is just that. Use it when it can be used, and when it is no longer useful, it will be divided and disintegrated or even disbanded. This is generally the case.

So now that there is a truce, are these Jingzhou people so happy? What are you happy about again?

With these messy thoughts, when more than two thousand people and horses walked along Danshui, there were not many people talking in the queue. The reason was that their commander-in-chief, Cao Ren, always had a gloomy face.

From the beginning, the top commanders of the Cao family did not expect these guys in Jingzhou to stand on the same line as them. Cao Ren also knew this, but Cao Ren didn't care too much before. Anyway, as long as the other person is willing to kneel down in front of you and lick it, it doesn't matter whether the other person is willing or not, as long as you feel good about it.

Only this time, Cao Ren suddenly realized that there was a big difference between being careful or not. It was like the dishes with the same name of braised pork, one was slowly stewed over low heat, and the other was microwaved in a cooking bag...

Can the food package be eaten?

It's not that you can't eat it. Anyway, you can't die after eating one or two packs. But if you eat it for a long time, your body will inevitably have problems. Just like Cao Cao's current situation, it's not just Jingzhou. If the Cao family conquers the territory, If we dig deeper, how many places really support Cao Cao?

Cao Ren is about ten years younger than Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun. At this moment, he is still young and strong. He used to follow the friendly route in the army, and sometimes he would grow up with the soldiers. He scolds the weather for being extremely hot, scolds the roads for being difficult to travel, and even scolds the enemy for being cunning, etc., which is closer to the military academy of the middle and lower classes. He is a commander who does not have much arrogance, so whether it is in terms of age or position, he is basically It is said that Xiahou Dun is Cao Cao's deputy, then Cao Ren is Xiahou Dun's deputy.

During the march in the past, everyone could curse together with Cao Ren, laugh together, and even boo together. No matter how difficult the road was, no matter how difficult the battle was, they could persevere. But today, when I set off from Fancheng to Zhuyang to negotiate with General Hussar, I couldn't see any joy on Cao Ren's face. I could only see Cao Ren sullenly walking on his way. With the commander in chief acting like this, Cao Jun had nothing to say, and his mood naturally became much lower.

Cao Ren looked at the north, and a thought came to his mind, and then it became more and more difficult to control. This was the case under Cao Cao's rule, so what is the situation over there with the Hussars?

Cao Ren didn't dare to think deeply, but he couldn't help but think about it...

When Cao Ren came, Fei Qian naturally got the news.

Although Fei Qian brought not many people, Zhuyang City was small and there were still some arrangements to make. In addition, Cao Ren might not be willing to go deep into the city alone, so he simply built a temporary tent on a high hill outside the city. The curtain camp serves as a place for negotiations between the two parties.

"Cao Zixiao?" Why didn't Xia Hou Yuanrang come? ” Liao Hua followed Fei Qian and stood on the top of Zhuyang City, frowning, as if he felt that Cao Ren’s rank was slightly lower and could not match the status of the hussar general Fei Qian.

Fei Qian laughed and didn't pay much attention to this matter.

"Is this person..." Fei Qian looked at the smoke and dust in the distance and said with a smile, "If this person could be described in one word, it would be "compensation"..."

""repair"? Zhuge Liang asked, "The meaning of hussar is the "complement" of the chess shape?" 』

Fei Qian nodded slightly.

In Go, it is not like a wonderful move or a skillful move that is as earth-shattering and eye-catching as a brilliance. On the contrary, there is even a saying that complementing a short move is a goal. Most of the time, it is not obvious, let alone What an exciting and exciting effect, the role of supplementary moves is not to focus on offense, but to prevent loopholes from being exposed and nip hidden dangers before they happen.

This is what Cao Ren did.

Inconspicuous, but indispensable.

Cao Ren's participation in the battle may not guarantee victory, but he can ensure that Cao Cao's chess shape will not completely collapse even in the worst case scenario.

You know, Cao Cao was walking a tightrope many times.

Cao Ren is the balance pole in Cao Cao's hand, preventing him from completely losing his balance and falling.

When Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou, Cao Ren was the stabilizer. He was responsible for restraining Tao Qian's general Lu You. He attacked the counties all the way and attacked Pengcheng, creating a good opportunity for Cao Cao's main force. At that time, after Cao Cao defeated Pengcheng, the battlefield situation was obviously very good, but Cao Cao chose to retreat. The reason was very simple. Cao Cao had no food and could only retreat.

It can be seen that during the Battle of Xuzhou, although Cao Cao had an advantage on the battlefield, he was actually close to the limit. If Cao Ren did not flank the counties and wiped out the counties, if something happened somewhere and delayed Cao's army's retreat, the victory or defeat might have been lost. will be reversed.

In history, when Cao Cao fought against Yuan Shao, it was Cao Ren who was responsible for "repairing" and ensuring the stability of the rear area and grain roads, so that Cao Cao could focus on Guandu. Even after the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao was defeated, and it was Cao Ren who was responsible for "repairing" and defending to the death. Fancheng refused to retreat until death, which bought Cao Cao valuable time to launch diplomatic measures in Jiangdong and deploy follow-up troops.

And when the second master became a powerful person in China, it was Cao Ren who "made up" the gap, otherwise it would not have been as simple as moving the capital at that time. Of course, in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Ren is a large experience package in Mr. Luo's writing. He upgraded Xu Shu, broke some eight-door golden lock array, was upgraded by Zhuge Liang, and the Baishui River flooded for a while, and in turn it was not defensive. He lived in Zhou Yu and Guan Yu, but was besieged by Zhou Yu and Guan Yu...

So this time, Cao Cao asked Cao Ren to come here to "compensate" for this.

In the current battle of Jingzhou, Cao Ren, as the defender of the Dangyang camp, managed to withstand the attack of Jiangdong Zhou Yu and others with a small number of troops, and even cooperated with Cao Xiu to repel Zhou Yu. Similarly, if Zhuge Liang had not taken the initiative to abandon Fancheng, Cao Ren would also have had a great opportunity. It is possible that they will cooperate with Xiahou Dun to take back Fancheng.

Now, the "complement" of the Cao Group is in front of Fei Qian. Fei Qian pointed to Cao Ren, who came from afar, and said to Zhuge Liang: "This matter will bother Kong Ming." Remember, first "take the wind and wash away the dust"..."

Zhuge Liang nodded, then got off the city wall and headed forward to greet them.

Even if it is a peace negotiation, it cannot be achieved overnight. Testing the other party's bottom line and obtaining the best benefits is what both parties will do, so this time Fei Qian asked Zhuge Liang to contact Cao Ren for an interview first, and Fei Qian felt that maybe he would wait until Cao Cao came in person. Only then will there be a final result...

……(*???)=3……

Cao Mansion.

The second Yamen of the Han Dynasty.

In recent days, it has become a bit chaotic and noisy here.

After Taishi Ci conquered Yangcheng in one fell swoop, he marched hundreds of miles to Xu County, which shocked the government and the public. Even though Xun Yu and others repeatedly claimed that the defense of Xu County was solid and impregnable, people were still panicked.

Within the General's Office, there are various courtyards, each responsible for some affairs. Almost all documents and orders are summarized here, and then issued from here. In a sense, this place is more like the center of the Han Dynasty than the so-called Han Dynasty court.

In a certain courtyard of Cao's mansion.

"Have Zang Xuangao's troops not arrived yet?" 』

"I don't know...what if it's too late..."

"Didn't I say it was already overdue? Could it be that... there is no such thing? 』

"Who did you listen to? Why didn't I hear about it..."

"Shh..."

"..." Man Chong stepped into the small courtyard, and the noisy discussion suddenly stopped.

Man Chong swept around and said, "My lord, have you prepared everything Xun Lingjun needs?" 』

The director of the small courtyard hurriedly stepped forward and handed over his hands, "Everything is ready, and they are all here." 』

Man Chong stepped forward and looked through some, then nodded, "Send a few people to take these things and send them to the White Tiger Hall!" ” Man Chong stepped out and arrived at a small house near the courtyard gate. He pointed out two or three people among them, “Since these people are so interested in military troops, why bother with the documents? Someone come! And send it to Zhending gate in the west of the city to guard! 』

Immediately, soldiers and guards rushed in, pulled out the three petty officials who were chatting in the hut, and dragged them away with kicks.

Man Chong glanced slightly at the director of the hospital who could not help but tremble at the side, snorted, said nothing, and moved forward with his head held high. The clerk who was sent here to hold the information followed Man Chong cautiously, walked through several corridors, and arrived in front of the White Tiger Hall.

The documents held by the clerk were taken over by the guards in front of the White Tiger Hall, and then they followed Man Chong into the hall.

Xun Yu almost seemed to be sitting among the piles of wooden slips and bamboo slips. There were piles of bamboo slips everywhere, not only on the desk, on the bookshelf, even on the mats and on the floor, filling the huge White Tiger Hall. Some of them have to look smaller.

"Put it over there..." Xun Yu pointed to a corner of the hall, "There is still space over there..."

The guard put down the information and exited the festival hall.

Manchong casually picked up a scroll of letters, then looked up and down a few times, put it down, then picked up another scroll, looked at it, and sighed, "Your Majesty, is it really this far and there is no turning back?" 』

Xun Yu did not speak, but looked at the map hanging high in the festival hall.

On this map, large and small, red and black annotations are used to indicate all the terrain conditions from Xu County to Yecheng, the direction of the river, the distribution of villages, and all areas that are not conducive to cavalry marching operations, as well as There are planning plans for surrounding villages, forts, and transfer routes...

If Cao Ren is Cao Cao's "complement" in military operations, then Xun Yu is his "complement" in people's livelihood and government affairs. Cao Cao's overall plan and future strategy determine the upper limit of the entire Cao Group, while Cao Ren and Xun Yu ensure the lower limit of the Cao Group.

After the last invasion of Taishi Ci threatened Xu County, although Xu County had vast land and rich products, its weakness of having no insurance was also exposed. Whether you go down from Hedong and Hanoi, or from Heluo to Hulao, or from the Xiangyang Passage to the north, or even along the coast of Lujiang River, you can reach Xu County. Originally, Xu County had convenient transportation and could better control the Yanzhou, Yuzhou, and Xuzhou areas. Now it has become a disadvantage that can be easily broken through by cavalry. After Cao Cao's group's war horse was stuck in the throat by Fei Qian, this problem became more and more serious. 's appeared.

It was originally thought that the armored cavalry collected from Jizhou and scraped together could check and balance the hussars and at least act as a deterrent. However, in terms of actual application, it was somewhat disappointing.

Among the first deductions and predictions corresponding to the war situation, one of the predictions is the most conservative and pessimistic. It is inferred based on General Hussar’s dealings with Xianbei and Xiqiang over the years, as well as the battle processes and results in various places. If Hussar is The cavalry general took advantage of the cavalry and madly broke through Xu County and Xu County. When the Hussars completely cut off the connection between Xu County and the surrounding areas, and even like the barbarians, they did not take important towns but only plundered the countryside. Then Cao Jun's army Without enough cavalry, this tactic of hussars would be useless...

Although the Hussars would be disgusted and despised by all Shandong nobles because of their brutal behavior like barbarians, and even generate undying hatred, Cao Cao and others, and the land of Xu County, would also be completely in trouble because of such tactics. When reinforcements from other places failed to arrive, or arrived too late, they were in danger.

It's like Taishan's army is still waiting to come...

Therefore, if the capital is moved to Yecheng, at least there will be Taihang in Hanoi, Zhongmou in Youzhou, Dahe Fukou and other places as buffers. Unlike if Yangcheng is broken, Xu County will be faced with the endless charge of the hussars.

However, such inferences and previews can only be known to a very few people, and will not be made public within the Cao family, and no one dares to bring it to the Golden Palace for discussion.

Xun Yu was currently in the festival hall, calculating these relevant data and making preparations for emergencies.

There is another tactic, which is to strengthen the wall and clear the field...

Just like the Han Dynasty's attack against the Hu people, it will indeed be useful.

But the problem is that this is Xu County, Yingchuan, and Yuzhou. It was the most prosperous place in the Han Dynasty. If the Huqi really feed on cattle and sheep and plunder the surrounding areas as supplements, they may be just like the Hu people. It doesn't take much. Logistical support, and for Cao Cao's side, in a place that has been operating for two hundred years, if you include the Western Han Dynasty, it will take nearly four hundred years to fortify the walls and clear the country. Putting aside the possibility, the losses alone may be Bigger than losing this war.

Xun Yu looked at the map, his eyes showing some rare vulnerability and pain. After a moment, he returned to normal, "Bo Ning, how many warehouses are there in the city? How many days can they last?" 』

"We have received some new grain recently. If we count Ding Nan, we can still use it for one month." 』 Man Chong had obviously calculated and immediately gave the answer.

Xun Yu frowned but didn't say anything.

Ding man, a lunar eclipse kills two stones with one stone.

And this is only the average supply of ordinary labor force. If it is responsible for garrison and has training, generally speaking, it will cost one stone four buckets. The demand for soldiers in the war is even more, reaching about one stone eight buckets. Therefore, Man Chong said that calculating the ration according to "Ding Nan" has already reduced the number of rations.

The trouble now is that taxes from various places are being shipped one after another, and these taxes either leave the place, or they can arrive in Xu County with a whoosh. It always takes some time on the way, and Cao Cao has actually been During the war, except for some key official roads, there were many transportation problems, and the transportation speed naturally could not be too fast.

And Taishi Ci was stuck at this point...

It was so stuck that Xun Yu could hardly breathe smoothly.

"Zang Xuangao, could it be that... you are waiting for a price?" Man Chong frowned and said, "If that's the case, you might as well agree to it first, and after the master comes around, you can find an excuse..." Man Chong doesn't have any psychological burden at all for doing such a thing.

"Too deliberate..." Xun Yu shook his head.

Man Chong raised her eyebrows, "Sure enough..."

Xun Yu said slowly: "It is not difficult to get rid of it, but it is difficult to deal with the consequences..."

Killing Xu You is like squeezing a chicken to death, because after Xu You dies, no one will cry out for Xu You, but Zang Ba is different. There are four men behind Zang Ba. There are still some differences.

Xun Yu rummaged through the table, pulled out a letter from underneath, handed it to Man Chong, and said: "If what I expected is correct, Zang Xuangao should be from Daye Ze, Jiyin area..."

Man Chong took the letter, put it in his arms, and said with a straight face, "I'll go right away... But, if..."

Xun Yu glanced at Man Chong, pondered for a moment, and said, "If... Boning can handle it on his own!" 』

Man Chong laughed, raised his hands and was about to leave, when suddenly a soldier hurried outside the hall, "Report!" Outside the city, there are soldiers coming from outside the west city..."

"What? ! ” Even though he was as calm as Xun Yu, he suddenly lost his composure upon hearing this, “Who is coming? How many? 』

The soldier who reported the news took a breath and said, "It's Yan Zhonglang... and there are some wounded soldiers..."

Xun Yu's figure seemed to shake a bit when he stood up, and then seemed to just take a step forward, remaining as calm as ever. "Let him bypass the Zhending Gate in the west of the city and enter through the Yongxia Gate in the north!" The injured were brought to the Chengdong campus for treatment..."

"In addition, after Yan Zhonglang enters the city, come directly to see him!" 』

The messengers rushed out in a hurry.

Man Chong sighed at the side, "This Taishi Ziyi has a good trick!" 』

Xun Yu waved his hand, "It's nothing more than three uses..." Xun Yu suddenly stopped mid-sentence, pinched the beard on his chin, frowned slightly, and then suddenly his eyes lit up, and he looked at Man Chong. Take a look.

Man Chong said: "Taishi Ziyi may have thought he had a plan, but he didn't know... Haha, it also exposed the truth!" 』

Xun Yu nodded, and then said, "We need to meet Yan Zhonglang before we can make a final decision..."

Man Chong also agreed, and no longer delayed, he said goodbye to Xun Yu again, and went to look for Zang Ba. Xun Yu turned around and walked to the map, raised his head, and searched again carefully. After looking at the map for a long time, a vague sigh seemed to float out...