Three Kingdoms: From Yinlin to Great Wei Xiongzhu

Chapter 118 Xuzhou is like chess, masters frequently appear, vertical and horizontal games
Xiapi City, on the tower.

Now, the entire Xiapi city is full of turmoil. The fall of Pengcheng will undoubtedly turn the situation in Xiapi city...even Xuzhou completely upside down.

It seems... the situation here is moving in an irreversible direction.

At this moment, Liu Bei stood at a corner of the city tower, looking into the distance... billowing smoke and dust, flying sand and rocks, coupled with the "rumbling" sound of more than ten thousand horseshoes, this signified that Cao Cao's army was approaching.

"So fast marching speed..."

Liu Bei's cheeks did not show any joy or anger, as if nothing had happened, and there was a sense of pride that did not change his face when a catastrophe was imminent.

He is very good at hiding his mind, and it is difficult for anyone to really pry into his inner thoughts.

Both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei went to train soldiers... Now, Zhao Yun is the only one standing beside Liu Bei.

"My lord, I have something that I have kept in my heart for a long time, and I can't vomit it to this day." Zhao Yun said...

"Zilong, you might as well speak up if you have something to say." Liu Bei turned to face Zhao Yun, his tone quite gentle.

Zhao Yun looked at the flying sand and rocks in the distance, and said in his mouth: "I still don't understand that although Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu are in a war situation, they have hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, and any random one is enough to break the siege of Xuzhou."

"But they waited and watched each other, and refused to send troops to assist Xuzhou. The Lord's army was only two thousand, and the generals were no more than Guan, Zhang, and Zhao...how dare they fight against Cao Cao's [-] army?"

"What's more, now that the battle situation is getting worse and worse, and Cao's army is suppressing the border, anyone can see that Xiapi City will fall to Cao Cao's hands sooner or later. Why should the lord insist on garrisoning it? Mantis is like a car? Will you not abandon it?"

As soon as this question came out, Liu Bei hesitated for a moment, and then his spirit was lifted.

"Okay, good question. If Zilong doesn't ask, I will tell you sooner or later."

Liu Bei's expression suddenly became a lot more serious, and his tone became more meticulous. "Fangtoday, heroes from all walks of life all use military power to dominate one side, and I, Liu Bei, are far behind them in military power, but I have two things that they don't."

"First, I take benevolence and righteousness as the foundation of my life and the way I treat people. In my opinion, the great chaos in the world is caused by the loss of people's hearts. If you want to rule a chaotic world, you must first win people's hearts. I must resist inhumanity with benevolence, and reject injustice with righteousness."

"Secondly, as a descendant of the Empress Han, it is my lifelong wish to eradicate the thieves and help the Han. Tao Qian was ordered by the first emperor to govern with benevolence and righteousness. If I help him, I will help the Han. Cao Cao's name is to avenge his father, but in fact Thinking about Xuzhou, intending to win the world, and being ambitious, it is true that he used some tricks to earn the support of the people and the clan, but even if he could fool everyone and all the people, he could not fool me, Liu Bei, and I raised my troops against Cao , that is to resist injustice with benevolence! Resist the injustice of heroes with the righteousness of the world..."

Speaking of this, Liu Bei raised his voice. "Even if the Xiapi guards are invincible, I want to let the world see and let them realize one thing..."

"What's the matter?" Zhao Yun asked anxiously.

"The light of the righteous way will eventually shine on the earth, the righteous way will never die, and righteousness will last forever!"

In a word, Liu Bei's eyes became firm, and Liu Bei's figure became tall and straight... Similarly, these words also convinced Zhao Yun to him!

"My lord... I understand, I'm going to train and prepare for war!" Zhao Yun's tone became choked and hoarse, obviously his heart was touched.

"Go..." Liu Bei beckoned, and Zhao Yun ran down the city holding the gentian silver gun.

Huh... After he walked away, Liu Bei let out a long breath, and then closed his eyes.

He is a master of mind hiding, and he almost convinced himself with a lot of rhetoric, but... one thing Zhao Yun said is absolutely right. In troubled times, his Liu Bei has only two thousand soldiers, and he will not pass Guan, Zhang, Zhao... what can he do? ?
Don't come to Xuzhou and give it a go...does he still have a chance?
at this time…

The two literati quickly climbed the city ladder and walked towards Liu Bei.

Seeing these two people, Liu Bei's brows were slightly raised, and he cheered up and walked quickly to meet them.

But his voice was deliberately lowered.

"Gongyou, Zizhong, you are finally here, is everything going well?"

Among the two, the one Liu Bei called Gongyou was Sun Qian, and the one called Zizhong was Mi Zhu. They were both representatives of the Xuzhou Shuren faction, and Liu Bei was the first to come into contact with this Shuren since he entered Xuzhou. people pie.

Liu Bei did his homework, Xuzhou... said to be a big granary, but it is actually a big dye vat, the factions in it are very intricate, and because of the suppression of the Danyang faction and the celebrity faction, life in Xuzhou is not easy for the common people faction.

It can be said that in the previous secret contact, Sun Qian and Mi Zhu had been successfully wooed by Liu Bei and stood on his side.

"My lord, Tao Xuzhou's illness hasn't improved, it's just that... some things have changed."

Sun Qian said truthfully: "It seems... Chen Gui, Chen Deng and his sons of the Mingshi faction are more inclined to offer the city to surrender, while Cao Bao of the Danyang faction insists on resisting... and the most important thing to be underestimated is..."

Without waiting for Sun Gan to speak, Liu Bei blurted out, "Is it Tao Xuzhou's eldest son, Tao Shang?"

That's right... The biggest change that Sun Qian wanted to mention was the potter.

This eldest son of Xuzhou, Liu Bei had been in contact with him before, and thought he was an ordinary son. Who would have thought of a master, Liu Bei could see that this pottery merchant was not simple in just a few words.

Liu Bei is proficient in the art of hiding the mind, how could he not see the potter who is a rank lower than him...his art of hiding the mind?

He and the Danyang faction will not hand over Xuzhou so easily, whether it is Cao Cao...or Liu Bei.

"My lord, come here with your ears...I heard..."

Mi Zhu greeted Liu Bei, and Liu Bei hurriedly approached a few steps. Mi Zhu told Liu Bei the information he found...

And Liu Bei's eyes narrowed gradually, gradually adding a bit of sharpness.

Sure enough, is the pottery merchant planning to test Liu Bei?
It's just...how will he test it?Liu Bei couldn't help but fell into deep thought...

"My lord..." Sun Qian raised another question in his mind. "If the master's plan is to be implemented, the first thing to do is to ensure that Xiapi City can be defended. Cao Cao...is he really not good at attacking the city?"

As soon as this question came up, Mi Zhu also looked at Liu Bei...

It seems that they are paying special attention to this issue.

Speaking of it, Liu Bei's purpose in coming to Xuzhou has always been the same as Cao Cao's, but Cao Cao is plotting Xuzhou on the surface, and Liu Bei is plotting Xuzhou secretly...

He has his plan, and just like Sun Qian's question, his plan is based on the premise that Xiapi City has not been captured by Cao Cao.

This…

"Gongyou, don't worry, Cao Cao won't take Picheng." Liu Bei's words are firm...

...Sun Qian was slightly taken aback, and quickly asked: "Why?"

The corners of Liu Bei's mouth curled up slightly, and a faint smile appeared quietly.

"Because, I know Cao Cao well, and I know enough about the expert around Cao Cao. Taking Xiapi City and Xuzhou seems to be very good, but in fact, this will do more harm than good to Cao Cao! This point, even if Cao Cao couldn't see it, but the person next to him must be able to see it."

"Hehe...he will prevent Cao Cao from attacking Xiapi City."

Having said this, Liu Bei turned around and stood with his hands behind his back. "Let's proceed according to the plan first. Let's wait and see who will own Xiapi City."

As Liu Bei said, at this moment...Xiapi City is turbulent in the open and in the dark!

...

...

Xuzhou, Xiapi City.

The long-lost flying sand is stirring in this rich city and county.

Billows of black smoke came out of the pavement, like the horn of war, drifting with a biting murderous intent!

But a moment's work...

The smoke and dust billowed, and the countless flags with the word Cao came into the eyes of countless defenders on the tower.

Under the leadership of Cao Cao, an army of 10 people appeared under the city of Xiapi... It seems that a big battle is about to start.

Cao Jun, this army is as powerful as a bamboo, and it has won many victories...

Every soldier, their armor looks a bit broken, but... On the contrary, the army formation is exceptionally neat, their robes are stained with the blood of the enemy, and their strong horseshoes neigh unceasingly.

This made all the defenders of Xiapi City excited...

Cao Cao could see the rows of timid Xuzhou soldiers on the city tower, and naturally he could also see a man in a Confucian robe standing among them, who seemed to be 30 years old.

Of course... If the previous information that Tao Qian was seriously ill and dying was true, then this Confucian robed man is probably his son Tao Shang.

In addition to him, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei are particularly eye-catching and conspicuous standing on the tower.

But...the only thing that is special is that all the defenders in the entire Xiapi City are dressed in white robes...

Cao Cao was a little puzzled, what kind of medicine was sold in the potter's gourd?

Immediately…

Cao Cao winked at Cao Ren who was beside him, and Cao Ren galloped forward, he shouted, and the messenger followed suit.

"This is the end of the matter, old man Tao Qian hastened to leave the city and surrender..."

"If you don't surrender, when the city breaks down, not a single one of your Tao family will be left behind."

This is a routine operation. In war, you always have to follow the rules. The so-called courtesy first, soldiers first, ask whether you surrender or not...

Of course, this is a routine matter. If you think about it with your toes, you can tell that Tao Qian will not surrender, and Cao Cao does not intend to let him surrender.

But at this time...

"Boom...boom..." The gate of Xiapi City was opened, and at some point, the potter came down from the tower, and walked out of the city gate alone...

This... Cao Cao was slightly surprised, what is this for?You won't really surrender, will you?
At this time, the pottery merchant was dressed in a filial robe, bowed respectfully to Cao Jun on the moat bridge, and his posture was extremely low...

Immediately, he shouted at the top of his voice, "Mr. Cao came to ask for it in person. My father and I knew we were invincible, so we had to go out of the city to beg for sin. Mr. Cao...can you come out and tell us?"

heard...

Cao Cao rode his horse, escorted by a group of personal guards, and slowly moved forward. He stopped [-] steps away from the moat, and Cao Cao waved his horsewhip. "You guys? What's your crime?"

The pottery merchant shook his head and sighed, begging for sins and said: "Old Master Cao set off from Langya County, Xuzhou. My father wanted to take this opportunity to make friends with Duke Cao, so our whole family, old and young, served Old Master Cao as if we were serving our own father. , before leaving, my father also presented a gift worth [-] yuan, and sent a ministry to escort Zhang Kai..."

"I never imagined that this thief would murder Mrs. Cao after seeing the money, and made my father make a big mistake and fall into a desperate situation of injustice."

Speaking of this, the potter burst into tears, and his whole face was full of guilt and remorse.

"The big mistake has been made. My father is now lying on the sickbed, terminally ill, fearing that time is running out, but he is crying and crying, feeling sorry for Mrs. Cao. The people in Xiapi City also wear filial piety, which can be regarded as filial piety for the old man Cao!"

"Mr. Cao, I'm going down to the south of Picheng to connect the Jianghuai River and the Huaihe River, and to border Yuzhou... the northern territory is completely attached to Mr. Cao, and I have no intention of resisting. I hope that Mr. Cao will let me lead the army south... to kill the thief. Take him out of Yuan Shu's army stronghold, scrape his heart and liver, and then offer this heart, liver, and Xiapi City together!"

The potters were crying, but Cao Cao was observing, he was observing the entire city tower...

No, it's too quiet.

If the pottery merchant sincerely surrendered, how could the defenders on the city tower be so quiet? Their hearts should be a little throbbing, right?
Then...

Was there an ambush on the tower?

Huh... Cao Cao breathed out, thanks to him, Cao Cao was not blind and careless, if he took a step closer, he would be within the range of the archers on the tower, right?

and many more…

And it's not just archers!
Cao Cao keenly noticed a few seemingly unintentional words mentioned in the words of the pottery merchant.

"Xiapi City connects Huainan in the south and borders Yuzhou"...

Also, the sentence "Get the thief Zhang Kai out of Yuan Shu's stronghold." These two sentences have profound meanings!

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, thinking for a while.

After a few breaths, Cao Cao suddenly understood.

Huo, so it is...

Cao Cao suddenly realized that the potter was reminding him...to remind Cao Cao of the special location of Xiapi City. The south of Xiapi City is bordered by Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu is known as the king of destruction in Huainan...

Indeed, with Cao Cao's current strength, being on the border with Yuan Shu is not a good thing!

It turns out that the name of the pottery merchant is begging for crimes. In fact, the drunkard's intention is not to drink, but to remind him of Cao Cao's location in Xiapi City...

Now, Cao Cao hesitated.

Conquering Xiapi City is very simple, but in fact... there will be more troubles after the capture of Xiapi City. Yuan Shu and Cao Cao have a new and old enmity, and he is not an easy-going lamp if he is true!
No wonder the pottery merchant dared to go down to the city to beg for crimes. It turns out... there is something to rely on.

Cao Cao thought so, but the pottery gradually increased his tone. "Cao Gong Mingjian, although my father is guilty, but he did it out of intention to offer favors, and did not intend to be guilty. I beg Cao Gong to look at this section, forgive me and my father for a while, retreat for the time being, and let me and my father kill the thief and redeem ourselves !"

In a word... the potter knelt on his knees, lowered his head, and made a gesture of a low-ranking person facing a high-ranking person.

As for Cao Cao...

Silence, long silence...

Ten breaths, twenty breaths, thirty breaths!

There was silence around the entire moat bridge.

Until, after fifty breaths, Cao Cao finally spoke.

"Tao Shang, your father has always pretended to be secretive, hypocritical, and sinister! Even if his subordinates killed my father, this tragedy was caused by him alone. Now you are eloquent? How can I believe you?"

"Hmph, let me tell you clearly. For your sake, I won't embarrass you. Hurry back and prepare for the battle. I will take down Xiapi City in ten days."

"When the time comes, I will take off your father's head and tell my father the 'spirit in the sky'... If you are interested, go back and cut off your father's head, and open the city gate to welcome our army into the city."

"In addition, I trouble you to tell the people in the city that I, Cao Cao, only punished Tao Qian this time when I conquered Xuzhou, and did not ask the rest of the party. I will not commit any crimes that I have surpassed Minqiu. Langya County, Donghai County, and Pengcheng are proofs. Let them rest assured that I, Cao Cao Not one more person will be killed."

Speaking of this, Cao Cao waved his hand, drove his horse back, and the army was stationed on the spot...

As for the pottery merchant, watching Cao Cao gradually walk away, a different kind of light shone in his eyes.

He muttered in his heart, Cao Cao... You should understand what I mean, right?If you understand it, it should be you Cao Mengde who will retreat in ten days, right?
Leaving Xiapi City behind and using Xiapi City as a buffer zone between you and Yuan Shu's territory will be beneficial to you but not harmful at all!

...

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(End of this chapter)