Han family achievements

Chapter 332 Zhang Liangji and the Wall Ladder

Cao Cao separated from Yuan Shao's coalition forces and only rested for one night in Qiao County. Then he arrived at Pinghu Pass without stopping, with a time difference of at most two days.

Yuan Shao also caught up without stopping?
why?
Cao Cao's narrow eyes were half-squinted, his mind changed rapidly, he waved away the messenger, and smiled with Liu Bei beside him: "Mr. Xuande, the rear general is about to arrive."

Liu Bei was startled and said, "Is it coming soon?"

He was also surprised. Yuan Shao rushed over so quickly?Did something happen?

But seeing that Cao Cao didn't want to say more, Liu Bei looked suspiciously at Sun Ce and Hua Xiong, who were still fighting on the field.

Sun Ce became more and more courageous as he fought, and he already had some intention of suppressing Hua Xiong.

Hua Xiong is a veteran on the battlefield. Even in the face of disadvantages, he remains very calm. He has come and gone without any signs of defeat.

"Lu Bu!"

Suddenly, Guan Yu looked up at the top of Pinghu Pass and said in a deep voice.

When Cao Cao, Liu Bei and others heard this, they all looked up and saw a tall man standing there holding a big halberd. Because it was too far away, it was a little blurry, and he could only tell that he was quite imposing.

Cao Cao and Lu Bu have almost no interactions with each other, and this is the first time they have met.

After looking carefully for a while, Cao Cao didn't see anything special. He turned to Guan Yu with a smile and said, "How does this person compare to Yun Chang?"

Guan Yu has always been arrogant and never admits defeat, but when he heard Cao Cao's words, he was rarely silent and did not respond.

Zhang Fei, who had a violent temper, also remained silent.

Liu Bei was calm and said, "My second brother has fought with Na Lu Bu several times, and we didn't win or lose."

"That's nothing more than that,"

Cao Cao laughed and didn't take it to heart, and said: "You have Yun Chang here, Xu Chu, and Lu Bu, so there is nothing to be afraid of! Let Bo Fu come back, let's go to meet the rear general and attack the city tomorrow!"

When Liu Bei saw Cao Cao's reaction, he hesitated to speak.

They were completely defeated by Lu Bu in Xuzhou and could only run all the way. The biggest reason was that in addition to their lack of wise men, Lu Bu's bravery accounted for most of the factors.

Sun Ce withdrew, and everyone turned back to prepare to greet Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao arrived faster than everyone expected, arriving that night.

The number of the army suddenly expanded to nearly 20, and tents were scattered all over the mountains and fields for unknown distances.

Yuan Shao's tent was once again filled with people.

Yuan Shao sat on the main seat, majestic and calm, smiling with Cao Cao, Liu Bei and others: "Meng De, Xuande Gong, have you achieved any results?"

Cao Cao said with no expression on his face: "I tested it twice, but we haven't attacked yet."

Yuan Shao sat upright and said in a deep voice: "Tomorrow I will personally supervise the battle and break the barrier in one fell swoop!"

Cao Cao was suspicious of Yuan Shao's arrival too quickly, and said calmly: "I wonder what strategy the general has to defeat the enemy?"

Yuan Shao did not answer, but glanced at Xu You who was standing aside.

Xu You stepped forward knowingly and said to Cao Cao: "Ah Hao, the general behind has contacted the people in Pinghu Pass. As soon as the time comes, he can open the gate and welcome the general into the city."

When Cao Cao heard Xu You call him 'Aman', his anger rose sharply, but his expression remained as usual.At the same time, he scoffed at it and didn't believe it at all.

If Dong Zhuo was so easy to break, he wouldn't be a Xiliang veteran.

Xu You seemed to have figured it out, and said quite leisurely and confidently: "In addition, this Pinghu Pass is surrounded by mountains and rivers, so it is also a plan that there will be heavy rains within the month. I have already tested the soil here, and it is not a bad idea to dig deep. "

Cao Cao listened to Xu You's words, his eyes half-closed, and he sneered more and more in his heart.

This kind of strategy is simply ridiculous at this pass and in front of Dong Zhuo - would Dong Zhuo not take precautions?
Is this treating Dong Zhuo as a waste like Yuan Shu?
"The queen general is brilliant!"

Cao Cao was still sneering, but Liu Yao raised his hand and said loudly.

Zhuge Xuan, Zang Hong and others looked at each other, nodded, and then raised their hands, agreeing with Yuan Shao's strategy.

Seeing this, Xu You looked around at everyone with a proud face, especially staying on Cao Cao's face for a while.

But Liu Bei, Sun Ce, and Zhuge Xuan were silent, their expressions unchanged, and they didn't really agree with these strategies.

"Then it's settled!"

Seeing that there was no objection, Yuan Shao felt very happy. He held the sword in his hand and said in a deep voice: "Cao Cao, Xuande Gong, Sun Ce, you will be ready for three days tomorrow. I have ordered to attack the city immediately without delay!"

Although they were deeply suspicious of Yuan Shao's plan, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Ce did not have enough reasons to object, so they could only raise their hands and accept the order.

After discussing in detail for a while, everyone came out of the tent one after another.

There were many people who wanted to talk to Cao Cao and Liu Bei. Cao Cao had no intention of doing so and left with a few words of excuse, but Liu Bei left warmly with everyone.

Cao Cao returned to his tent with a gloomy expression and hidden anger.

Yuan Shao's sudden arrival caught Cao Cao off guard. Cao Cao had not had time to find out why Yuan Shao arrived so quickly.

In Cao Cao's opinion, Yuan Shao's strategies were simply a joke!
Xia Houyuan was equally angry and said: "Meng De, the rumors are true. Yuan Shao wants us to fight Dong Zhuo and then reap the benefits!"

Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, and Cao Hong also looked bad. If a dangerous pass like Pinghu Pass were to be attacked by force, there was no telling how much damage would be done.

Perhaps it would be possible to fill in all the [-] troops they had trained so hard!

By that time, Yuan Shao would not only be able to break Pinghuguan, but also easily 'solve' the imperial troops such as Cao Cao and Liu Bei. By then, there would be no opponents in the two states of Yu and Xu, and Yuan Shao could easily occupy the three states!
Cao Cao's narrow eyes flashed with cold light and said: "Why did Yuan Shao come so fast?"

Cao Ren, Cao Hong and others looked at each other. Cao Cao couldn't guess, let alone them.

"Father!"

Suddenly, Cao Ang strode in. Seeing that they were all his own, he had no scruples. He stepped forward and said, "I just contacted the people in the Imperial City. They said that there was a rumor from the court that Sun Ce had contributed to repelling Lu Bu." Therefore, we plan to let him inherit the title of Marquis of Wucheng, and consider having Sun Jing, Sun Ce's uncle, as the shepherd of Yuzhou."

Cao Cao was startled, this news made him very confused.

It would be no big deal for Sun Ce to succeed Marquis Wucheng, but Sun Jing had neither fame nor merit, so how could he be allowed to serve as the shepherd of Yuzhou?

Cao Cao was puzzled and said, "I remember that the imperial court seemed to intend to restrict the state pastoralists?"

The Han court's "separation of military and political affairs" was not only to divide the military power of local officials, but also to temporarily suspend the appointment of state pastors and governors. Instead, the court directly administered counties to centralize power to implement the "New Deal."Seeing that the big tent was a little quiet, Cao Ang quickly added: "The people from the Imperial City Palace also said that the imperial court intends to send others out of the capital to attack Dong Zhuo."

Cao Cao suddenly raised his head and said with a sudden look on his face: "This must be the reason."

Cao Ren said: "General, regardless of Yuan Shao's plot, what should we do if we attack the city tomorrow?"

Yuan Shao was the rear general appointed by the imperial court to challenge the commander-in-chief Dong. If he ordered Cao Cao to attack the city, Cao Cao had no reason to object and could not disobey.

Cao Cao was not worried about this, but said: "How long can our food and grass last?"

"Less than half a month." Cao Hong said.

Cao Cao's food and grass, except for a small part given by the court, were all "self-raised". It was extremely difficult to raise food and grass for a [-]-strong army for half a month.

Cao Cao frowned, with a serious look on his face.

For half a month of food and grass, he must break through the Pinghu Pass within half a month. Only in this way can he have food and grass to replenish, otherwise he can only turn to Yuan Shao for help, which is more dangerous than a fight with Dong Zhuo!
After thinking for a long time, Cao Cao raised his head and said to himself: "Do you think you can borrow some food and grass from Liu Biao?"

It can be said that Pinghuguan is about the same distance from Luoyang and Jingzhou, but we can't count on the imperial court, let's just think about Liu Biao who did not participate in the war.

Xiahou Dun shook his head directly and said: "General, Liu Biao refuses to participate in the challenge to Dong. He has made it clear that he will not lend it to us."

Cao Cao also understood in his heart and felt a headache secretly. He looked calm and said: "I will attack the city tomorrow just for show. If I want to break Pinghu Pass, I have to think of another strategy."

'It would be nice if Fengxiao was here. 'At this time, Cao Cao began to miss Guo Jia.

"What good plan did the general come up with?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded outside the big tent, and then, Guo Jia, dressed in brocade clothes, walked in with a smile, carrying a wine bottle.

Cao Cao was overjoyed when he saw this, stood up directly, rushed over, looked at Guo Jia's complexion, and saw that his face was rosy, not as pale and weak as a few days ago, and he was still carrying a wine bottle. He was completely relieved and said: "Fengxiao, what can you do? "

Others also cast hopeful glances. In Cao Cao's shogunate, Guo Jia's status was unparalleled.

Guo Jia took a sip of wine and said with a smile: "It's not impossible, but it will take some time."

After hearing this, Cao Cao felt calm and said directly: "Half a month?"

Guo Jia counted the details and said, "With the help of the Imperial City Palace, it might not take that long."

Cao Cao pulled Guo Jia over and said, "Fengxiao and I will go to see the military lord of the Imperial City in person."

Guo Jia did not resist and paid the bill together with Cao Cao, saying: "General, have you thought about how to deal with it tomorrow?"

Cao Cao didn't care and said: "Please hold off for now, Fengxiao and I will talk about the strategy first."

Guo Jia took a sip of wine, walked slowly beside Cao Cao, and whispered to him.

Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun and others followed out, but Cao Cao nodded repeatedly and couldn't hear what they said.

Xiahou Dun was in Cao Cao's shogunate and was considered the invisible No. 1 among the generals. When he saw this, he said: "Everyone, please prepare your troops for the time being and order your troops to obey military orders."

Everyone obeyed. Except for a few people such as Le Jin, the others were more or less related to Cao Cao. They came from the Cao and Xiahou clans. After following him for many years, they were very convinced of Cao Cao.

Cao Cao waited for Guo Jia, and Yuan Shao was not idle either.

Since the arrival of various princes, the most important thing Yuan Shao has done is to 'unify', unifying military power and food and grass.

However, many people still refused to obey, openly or covertly resisted, and refused to hand over their troops, horses, and food.

Yuan Shao tried both soft and hard tactics, but still failed to completely surrender.

Inside the tent, Yuan Shao, Xu You, Zhang Dao and Jushou were discussing.

Xu You was trusted by Yuan Shao because of his repeated achievements, and he was quite proud of himself. He sat at the lower left of Yuan Shao and sneered: "General, if they don't obey, let them attack the city with Cao Cao!"

This is obviously asking those people to die.

Except for a few such as Cao Cao and Liu Bei, the others range from three to five thousand to one or two hundred. If they really go to attack the city, they will lose most of them in just half a day. At that time, they can only pray to Yuan Shao to "take it in".

Yuan Shao shook his head and said: "They have tens of thousands of troops together. They are of great use to me. We cannot let them go to waste."

The dividing line between the north and the south of the Han Dynasty can be roughly defined by Sili. The north is densely populated, has fertile land and has a developed economy, which is the foundation of the Han Dynasty.

In the south, the land is vast and sparsely populated, with smog and miasma, and the population is sparse. Coupled with the years of war, the youth and strength are not comparable to those in the north. Therefore, the tens of thousands of ready-made soldiers and horses make Yuan Shao very coveted, and he still wants to earn money as a last resort. Under his command.

Director Zhang said: "General, let's kill the chicken to scare the monkeys. Tomorrow let them see how Cao Cao lost his troops and generals. We will try our best to persuade them. If they don't believe it, they won't submit."

Ju Shou suddenly said: "General, I feel that Liu Xuande and Sun Ce may not really be allied with Cao Cao. Tomorrow, the general can let them stay temporarily, which can divide Cao Cao, or they can be used for their own purposes."

Yuan Shao's eyes lit up and he said in a deep voice: "Okay! Tomorrow, we will use Cao Cao as the main attack to scare the monkeys!"

When Xu You saw Director Zhang and Director Ju taking away his credit, he was secretly angry, his eyes turned sharply, and then he said: "General, you have to make two preparations."

"What two-hand preparation?" Yuan Shao asked doubtfully.

Xu You said: "What if they refuse to obey? After all, Cao Cao represents the imperial court. Then Zhuge Xuan and others are obviously loyal to the imperial court. Even if they are temporarily attached to the general, there is no guarantee that they will not betray in the future."

Yuan Shao was originally excited that he had found a solution, but when he heard Xu You's words, his face suddenly became as dark as water, as if he thought of something unhappy.

Director Zhang and Professor Ju were also startled for a moment. Xu You's words were not alarmist, but it was very possible, or even certain, that such a person existed!
Director Zhang's eyes flashed fiercely, and he whispered: "General, when necessary, we still have to use thunderbolt methods!"

Yuan Shao glanced at him but said nothing.

Because of the Yuan family, his reputation is very bad. What he has to do now is to rebuild his reputation. Killing the various princes who are challenging Dong will completely ruin his reputation and plunge him into despair!

Xu You saw Yuan Shao's thoughts at a glance, then thought about it and said, "General, I can borrow a sword to kill people!"

Yuan Shaohu frowned, sat up straight, and said: "I and you all have been ordered to punish thieves, and we are united in one mind, how can we have such evil intentions? Let's stop saying this now, don't say it anymore!"

After saying that, Yuan Shao looked annoyed, stood up and left.

Xu You, Director Zhang, and Ju Shou were startled. You looked at me, I looked at you, a little confused.

Isn't it just to annex soldiers from all walks of life?The finishing touch was over, why did Yuan Shao suddenly become so righteous?
Jushou reacted quickly and glanced at Xu You, who was still confused. He was curious about whose knife he borrowed for his "borrowing a knife to kill" and how to kill someone?
Yuan Shao's army rested for the night. Early the next morning, Yuan Shao came to the battle in person, followed by a large group of people including Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Zang Hong, Zhuge Xuan, Liu Yao, Sun Ce, etc., each followed by dozens of generals, and the flags of the army behind him were flying. , stretching for miles with no end in sight.

(End of this chapter)