Han Xiang

Chapter 636: Destined duel depends on ability

"How can I make fun of military and national affairs?"

Cao Cao's eyes were sharp, and without waiting for Xun Yu to answer, he added: "Cao Zilian caught some spies in Luoyang. They took the opportunity of sending supplies to the front line to cover the false emperor's escape to Hongnong to cause trouble. Later, after a severe interrogation, it seemed that It has something to do with the children of Yingchuan, isn’t Xun Lingjun going to give me a reason?”

"I really don't know about this. It must be some bad guy. I hope the Prime Minister will find out!"

Xun Yu said it very sincerely, but Cao Cao didn't believe it at this time, and responded with half-squinted eyes: "Wen Ruo is right, you can continue to torture if you want to bite, but the [-] winter clothes are really urgent, if it doesn't work in three days, then ten days, how?"

"With the raw materials and craftsmen in Xudu City, we can produce at most a few thousand winter coats. The remaining raw materials need to be mobilized and transported. It is too late to raise and dispatch in ten days, and it is too late to not eat or sleep."

Xun Yu still looked embarrassed. Cao Cao was heartbroken after hearing this, and then he turned around with a sinister expression on his sleeves.

He carried Xun Yu on his back and said slowly: "How can we not eat or sleep? On the way back to Xudu, I accidentally shot a wild deer. I will send someone to deliver some cooked meat later."

"Thank you."

Just when Xun Yu was about to bow, he saw Cao Cao striding out of Xun's house without looking back.

Shortly after dark, several servants from the Prime Minister's Mansion brought food boxes and reminded Xun Yu to enjoy them earlier.

Xun Yu was worried about [-] winter clothes. He actually thought of a "stupid way", which was to use the winter clothes of various gentry and merchants in Yingchuan to replenish the amount. It was much faster to strip the clothes directly than to make them. But the problem was that even if the Xun family agreed, the rest of his life would be ruined. The noble clan will definitely not agree.

Like tribes, gentry bankers are private property belonging to each family. Each person has one or two winter coats, but if they are given to frontline soldiers, they will freeze to death.

Human nature is inherently selfish, and it is difficult for ordinary people to use themselves to save others.

However, Cao Cao threatened to throw "dirty water". It seemed that if he could not prepare [-] winter clothes in ten days, he would make a big fuss about it.

Liu Xie was able to successfully cross Yingchuan and Luoyang. It was absolutely impossible without internal support. Could it be that there were really people within the noble clans who defected to the enemy?

Xun Yu frowned due to worry and had not eaten after nightfall. He suddenly saw the food box on the table and suddenly growled twice in his stomach.

Forget it, let's eat some venison first to satisfy our hunger.

We will call the clan leaders to discuss it later, and maybe we can persuade some people.

But Xun Yu opened the lid of the food box and emptied it into the food box. He was dumbfounded. Where did the venison that the prime minister mentioned go?

It doesn't take much effort to talk to smart people.

Xun Yu recalled Cao Cao's words in the afternoon and suddenly understood the other party's intention. He dared to either prepare [-] winter clothes or let himself commit suicide.

Others have given you dignity, but if you pretend to be ignorant and ignorant, the other party will completely tear off their face, and your family and tribe will not end well.

Xun Yu is known as Wang Zuo's talent. How can you not understand this metaphor?
He held the box lid in his hands and said nothing for a long time, thinking to himself that now that you have the Hebei gentry, is Xun Yu really dispensable?

In the past, Cao Ying's number one conspirator ended up being forced to death?

In the face of death, even a wise man like Xun Yu would find it difficult to face it calmly.

After sitting at the desk all night, Xun Yu aged 20 years. His original black hair and beautiful beard turned into silver threads overnight.

Shortly after dawn, the Xun Mansion began to cry loudly.

When Xun Yu was discovered by his servants, he had hanged himself on the beam in the front hall. He was only 46 years old.

As the saying goes, debts are wiped out after death, and the matter of making Xu County the capital was never mentioned again.

Cao Cao missed Xun Yu's previous achievements and did not want to force the Yingchuan nobles to rebel. The problem of winter clothes for Cao Ren's soldiers in Wancheng could only be left to the Hebei nobles to raise, but he was worried that the winter clothes would be like warships, so they were eventually sent to Guan Yu.

After much thought, Cao Cao on the one hand asked Hebei to rush to make winter clothes, and on the other hand he also prepared to fight again next year when the weather gets warmer. At that time, winter clothes would no longer be needed to keep out the cold, and he also took the opportunity to allow all armies to rest, adjust and restore morale.

Cao Cao's decision also gave Guan Yu a breath of relief.He won the battle with inferior troops. The physical exertion of the soldiers in each battalion was several times that of Cao's army, and they urgently needed to stop for rest.

As for the rest of the territory south of Jingzhou, Guan Yu planned to conquer the enemy without a fight.

Zhao Fan of Guiyang recognized Liu Qi as the lord of Jingzhou, and his brother Liu Cong did not need to fight to the death for power. The general Wenpin who stayed in Jiangling also had friendship with Guan Yu.

Not long after the victory over Cao Ren, Liu Qi sent someone to persuade Liu Cong to surrender, and Guan Yu also wrote to Wenpin to analyze the pros and cons.

Originally, the situation in Jingzhou was very good, but when news of Dong Xi's invasion and occupation of Lingling reached Xiangyang, Guan Yu was shocked.

Sun Quan was defeated by Long Xiang and Lu Su. As the saying goes, one thing does not bother two masters. At this moment, Lu Su's fleet happened to be free, and General Zhao Fan in Guiyang was sent there intentionally by Lu Su.

Guan Yu intended to let Lu Su lead his troops in Guiyang, but unfortunately the Chang'an court sent Jian Yong to Jingzhou to deliver the order, and then he had to go to Yangzhou to deliver the order to Long Xiang.

To pass through several defense areas of Sun Quan, it would be difficult to pass without the escort of warship formations. Guan Yu had to let Lu Su lead his troops back to Yangzhou, and the Huainan Navy could just go home for the New Year.

Seeing that Long Xiang was awarded the same title and official position as himself in the imperial edict, Guan Yu did not feel that Long Xiang was not worthy. On the contrary, he thought that he should not be in front of Long Xiang.

Without the telescope provided by Long Xiang, and without Long Xiang's surprise attack to harass Xu Du, it would have been impossible for Guan Yu to achieve such a result in the battle against the overwhelmingly superior Cao army.

For this reason, Guan Yu also asked Jian Yong.

Jian Yong told him that Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Long Xiang were all rewarded by the emperor and were not proposed by Liu Bei or Zhuge Liang.

Although Liu Xie trusted Liu Bei, he had been controlled by Cao Cao for many years, and he was alone in Chang'an, so he really did not have a strong sense of security.

Long Xiang's outstanding performance caught Liu Xie's eyes.

Liu Xie awarded him the same reward as Guan Yu, largely due to the imperial balance technique. He wanted to win over Long Xiang as a foreign aid, but Long Xiang's ideal monarch was Liu Bei.

In early December, Jian Yong arrived in Hefei with Lu Su and was told that Long Xiang had gone to Dantu.

Heavy rains continued throughout the summer, causing the water levels in the lower reaches of the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River to rise. Many places in the lower reaches of the two rivers became swamps, and people lost their homes and were displaced.

The most severely flooded areas are Guangling County, Danyang County, and the northern part of Wu County.

At this time, Longxiang's territory was huge, there was enough space to move, and there were enough materials to dispatch disaster relief, but Guangling County, which was close to the river and the sea, was in dire straits.

Guangling County has a small area of ​​cultivated land and a small population, but Sun Kuang raised [-] soldiers to protect himself. He could barely be self-sufficient in the absence of disasters. However, floods destroyed almost all the rice fields in the county.

In order to survive, the soldiers of Guangling, led by Lu Fan, crossed the Yangtze River and invaded, plundering the people on the south bank who were also affected by the disaster like bandits. Lu Xun was miserable while relieving the disaster and defending at the same time.

Lu Xun asked for help from Long Xiang, who had returned to Huainan, and offered a plan to take advantage of the disaster to regain Guangling County. General Lu Fan originally planned to resist to the end, but his master Sun Kuang surrendered on his own initiative.

If the raid on Yangzhou was accidental, the raid on the Central Plains would challenge Cao Cao.

What can I, Sun Kuang, do to stop such a powerful person?
Guangling County was surrendered so decisively, which was a good thing for Longxiang and Yangzhou. With nearly [-] more soldiers and civilians who were short of food, how to relocate them was a big problem.

Long Xiang is not Cao Cao, so he cannot kill prisoners.

After careful consideration, we finally decided to provide relief through work.

As a result, the grain reserves that Long Xiang has stored for many years will be exhausted in one fell swoop, and it will be difficult to move northward in a short time.

In the fateful showdown, you have to rely on your own ability.

Perhaps the decisive battle with Cao Cao later is the stage left for Liu, Guan, and Zhang.

(End of this chapter)