Han family achievements

Chapter 338

That night, the coalition camp was silent, and no trace of yesterday's celebratory atmosphere remained.

Cao Cao's big account.

Cao Cao is in charge, and on his left and right are Guo Jia, Yang Xiu, Sima Yi, Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Xia Houyuan, Le Jin and others.

Some of the people looked solemn, some were expressionless, some were secretly nervous, and some were hesitant.

At this time, a messenger came in and said: "General Qi, there is news from Liu Shijun's tent that Zhang Yide is not seriously injured."

Cao Cao had expected it. After waving his hand, he said thoughtfully: "Lü Bu's bravery has exceeded my expectations. Now the morale of the coalition forces has plummeted. Many people are thinking of retreating. What do you think?"

After waiting for a while, Yang Xiu saw that the others were silent and said: "General, the main reason for the various troops is food and grass. Later, the general favored one over the other, which caused dissatisfaction."

Yang Xiu put it euphemistically, but essentially Yuan Shao wanted to use food and grass to control all the troops in order to achieve annexation and self-improvement.

This kind of behavior is becoming more and more obvious. Everyone in the princes is in danger, and Lu Bu is too powerful, so it is only natural that he wants to retreat.

Cao Cao didn't pay attention to Yang Xiu's nonsense. His eyes searched and fell on Sima Yi, who was always cautious. He smiled and said: "Zhongda, what do you think?"

Sima Yi immediately made a flattered gesture and said quickly: "Back to the general, I believe that there are two important tasks at present. First, rectify the coalition forces and boost morale. Second, if Dong Jun calls the formation tomorrow, or even sends troops out of the city, then how to respond?"

Cao Cao's narrow eyes narrowed slightly, his expression unchanging, and he said, "Do you think Dong Zhuo dares to leave Pinghu Pass?"

Sima Yi raised his hand, lowered his head, and said: "Judging from today's situation, I think it is still possible. Dong Zhuo will not know anything about the situation of the coalition forces."

The situation of the coalition forces is fierce on the surface, but in fact there are intrigues and internal strife, and there is no synergy at all.

Even before the fight begins, people will give up. Once they encounter setbacks, they will fall apart in an instant!
  Cao Cao stared at Sima Yi for a while, then turned to Guo Jia and said, "What do you think of Fengxiao?"

Guo Jia drank wine, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth calmly, and said: "General, Zhongda is right. Now we need to be careful about what the general will do. Also, we must be prepared for a battle with Dong Jun. ”

Cao Cao's originally optimistic attitude gradually wavered, but he still refused to give up and said, "Dong Zhuo, can you really go to war?"

There are lakes on both sides of Pinghu Pass. It is a steep and dangerous pass, easy to defend and difficult to attack. As long as it lasts until winter, the coalition forces will have to retreat.

Would Dong Zhuo risk sending troops at this time?
  Guo Jia turned to look at Pinghu Pass and said: "General, don't underestimate Dong Zhuo. You can't judge him with common sense."

Cao Cao thought about his last trip back to Xiaguan, his expression suddenly turned cold, and he was silent for a while, then said: "Fengxiao, is there any way to delay it for a few more days?"

Guo Jia shook his head and said: "The key now is General Hou. If he wants to suppress the thieves, he can still deal with it. But he has other plans and may become Dong Zhuo's accomplice."

Cao Cao's narrow eyes flashed with a deep chill, and he said coldly: "This matter will be handled by the general. Let me explain tomorrow, whether Dong Jun calls the formation or goes out to fight, how should we deal with it?"

According to Lu Bu's ferocity yesterday, under siege by the three brothers Liu, Guan, and Zhang, they could only return without success. Who would dare to go out?

Xia Houyuan, Cao Ren and others were silent and had their own expressions on their faces. No one dared to look at Cao Cao.

They are no match for Lu Bu. They only give away their heads when they go up.

Seeing that no one spoke, Yang Xiu had to say again: "General, just calling the formation is easy to say. If Lu Bu leads the troops out of the pass and arranges the army, how should we respond? After the general sends the general to fight, will he comply with the order?"

This sentence made everyone's eyes instantly focus on Yang Xiu.

Since the allied forces converged, various rumors that are both true and false and difficult to distinguish have been continuously spread from the Yuan Shao shogunate.

What worries Cao Cao, Liu Bei and others the most is that Yuan Shao will let Cao Cao, Liu Bei and other court forces fight Dong Zhuo first, fighting to the death and reaping the benefits.

Tomorrow Lu Bu will go out of the city and clamor to form troops. He must fight against the Dong coalition. The only ones who may fight with them in the entire coalition are Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

As the rear general, Yuan Shao was unable to personally fight against a "vanguard" like Lu Bu. The only possibility was Cao Cao.

That is exactly what Yuan Shao wants!

Cao Cao sat up slightly, with an indifferent expression, and said, "Dezu, what do you want to do?"

Yang Xiu paused and said: "General, I suggest that we strike preemptively. The general might as well attack Pinghu Pass at night. The general will have no excuse tomorrow."

Cao Cao nodded slightly, agreeing with this strategy, and turned to Sima Yi, saying in a slightly loud voice: "Zhongda?"

Sima Yi quickly raised his hand, unusually respectful, and said: "Back to the general, I suggested that I seize the opportunity first. Instead of waiting for Dong Zhuo to make his move, why don't the general set up his position and ask Lu Bu to fight? Lu Bu is indeed brave, but he can't prepare a large army by himself." , and it cannot determine victory or defeat.”

After Sima Yi finished speaking, Cao Cao remained silent for a long time, staring at Sima Yi.

This junior of the Sima family, Cao Cao had very complicated feelings about him, and always gave him an inexplicable feeling of discomfort.

Guo Jia had a clear view of Cao Cao's expression, coughed quietly and said: "General, what Dezu and Zhongda said are reasonable."

Cao Cao came back to his senses, stroked his beard, smiled, and said: "That's right. However, our plan is to delay time. No matter how Dong Jun reacts tomorrow, I will not react and delay as much time as possible."

Sima Yi seemed to have heard something and was slightly startled. He quietly retracted his hand and sat back, maintaining a respectful look.

Yang Xiu reacted equally quickly and said hesitantly: "Then, if the general later forces the general, how should he respond?"

Cao Cao sneered and said: "Yuan Benchu ​​can't force me yet. The worst he can do is break up with him. I, Cao Cao, am not afraid of him!"

Yang Xiu, Sima Yi and others felt a little strange about Cao Cao's attitude, and glanced at Guo Jia from the corner of their eyes.

Seeing him drinking leisurely, thinking about Cao Cao's repeated words of "buying time", he knew that Cao Cao had already planned something, so he said no more.

Guo Jia drank wine, thinking about it in his mind, and quietly gave Cao Cao a look.

Cao Cao understood this, but quietly arranged for military defense.

At this time, the small meeting ended in silence and depression in Yuan Shao's tent, and everyone left with deep thoughts.

As Yu She and Pan Feng were beheaded by Hua Xiong one after another, and Guan Yu beheaded Hua Xiong, Yuan Shao's prestige among the coalition forces was repeatedly frustrated.

Now the three brothers Liu, Guan, and Zhang were unable to win the battle with Lu Bu, which once again severely damaged the morale of the coalition forces. This was bad news one after another for Yuan Shao.

After everyone left, only Director Zhang, Ju Shou, Gao Gan and Zhang He were left.

Director Zhang looked grim and said: "General, I can't wait any longer!"

Gao Gan also had a fierce look on his face and said: "Uncle, those people are incompetent and have been secretly colluding with Cao Mengde and Liu Xuande. I'm afraid it will be detrimental to my uncle, so it's better to strike first!"

As Yuan Shao's prestige was frustrated and Dong Zhuo's morale was greatly boosted, the various princes in the coalition were swayed and kept alienating Yuan Shao.

This made Yuan Shao's camp, which wanted to annex the troops of various princes, feel a great crisis.

Yuan Shao remained calm and listened to their suggestions. Although the situation is not good, overall, the coalition forces are still in his hands. He is the strongest, and no one can openly disobey his orders.

When Jushou saw that Yuan Shao was silent, he felt a little moved in his heart and said: "General, we can't delay any longer. We must first solve the problem of the disunity of the coalition forces, otherwise it will be difficult to destroy Dong Zhuo."

Obviously, Ju Shou also clearly realized that the coalition forces were scattered and not enough to wipe out Dong Zhuo.

When Yuan Shao heard the words 'Kill Dong Zhuo', he finally reacted. His eyes were a bit cold, he raised his head and looked down at the few people, and said: "Okay! The plan has been decided and cannot be changed. Tomorrow, I will use the excuse of showing weakness to lure the enemy. Lead the army to retreat thirty miles, and leave other matters to Ju Shou and Zhang He to arrange, and no mistakes can be made!"

"Your Majesty/General, take your orders!" Ju Shou and Zhang He raised their hands in unison, their voices vaguely excited.

Yuan Shao made a big plan, turned his gaze outside the tent, and said, "What happened to Cao Cao, Liu Bei and others?"

In Yuan Shao's view, everyone else in the coalition army was a mob and not something to be afraid of. The only exceptions were Cao Cao and Liu Bei. Regardless of their own strength, the key to these two people was the imperial court behind them, which made him deeply fearful.

Zhang Dao said: "There is no unusual movement. Cao Cao rarely goes out to pay bills. However, Liu Bei has a wide range of friendships and there are many people coming in and out."

Yuan Shao sneered disdainfully and said, "That Liu Xuande has a false reputation and is full of grandiose talk. There is no need to pay attention to it."

Jushou and others also did not take Liu Bei seriously, and instead discussed detailed plans.

The internal strife on the coalition side was silent and tense, but there was great joy in Pinghu Pass.

Lu Bu was besieged by the three brothers Liu, Guan, and Zhang without defeat. With such a record, the entire Han Dynasty could not find anyone else!

Everyone in the room admired Lu Bu very much and flattered him constantly. Even Dong Zhuo praised him repeatedly: My son is invincible in the world, I can rest easy!
  Lu Bu drank heavily, ate meat, and talked loudly amidst the flattery, showing his invincible attitude.

The banquet lasted until late at night, and everyone was drunk before it ended.

"Please arrange my son's life well without any mistakes!" At the end of the day, Dong Zhuo did not forget to tell everyone Lu Bu.

Lu Bu's status in Dong Zhuo's army has risen to an unprecedented level, even temporarily surpassing everyone's height!
  A maid answered and helped the drunken Lu Bu out of the front hall.

After everyone dispersed, Dong Zhuo arrived at the inner hall, and Li Ru, Niu Fu, Guo Si and others hurried over.

Dong Zhuo was just about to have a good time with his new concubine. When Li Ru and others explained their intention, he suddenly woke up.

Looking at the letter in his hand, he widened his eyes and said with some disbelief, "Is this letter trustworthy?"

Niu Fu immediately said in a loud voice: "Father, Wen He has a saying: The so-called coalition forces appear to be strong, but in fact they are not strong in combat effectiveness. Most of the soldiers are new recruits and have not been in battle. There are many conflicts among the princes, and there are constant internal fights, making it difficult to coordinate. , although he has the desire to win, he really has no offensive power, so there is nothing to worry about, you can rest assured."

Hearing Niu Fu move out of Jia Xu, Dong Zhuo nodded, still looking at the letter.

Li Ru was dissatisfied when he saw that Jia Xu could still take credit for his absence, and said quickly: "Ming Gong, I think this letter is probably true. The so-called coalition army has more than twenty soldiers and horses from each group, and it is difficult for Yuan Shao to control it. Now Yuan Shao wants to If we want to annex it, all the princes will definitely be unwilling to do so, and this letter was probably written by one of them."

The letter in Dong Zhuo's hand was very simple. The content was that Yuan Shao would withdraw his troops tomorrow. It even included the time and route of Yuan Shao's withdrawal. It also clearly stated the order of the withdrawal, which route was ahead and which route was behind.

Dong Zhuo read it carefully, but still felt that it was a scam. He cautiously asked, "Wen Ru, how do you think I should deal with it?"

Li Ru said without hesitation: "Ming Gong, whether it is true or not, we will know in a try tomorrow. With Fengxian's invincible attitude, who will dare to fight in the so-called coalition? If Yuan Shao is really true, then Withdraw your troops and then attack with ten thousand troops, is there any reason to be invincible?"

There is another thing Li Ru didn't say clearly, that is, even if Lu Bu's [-] people were to break in, it would not have much impact on them. They would just continue to stick to Pinghu Pass.

Dong Zhuo understood, his old face trembled, and he said with a smile: "What Wen Ru said is reasonable. When Fengxian wakes up, I will order him to go to war!"

"Yes!" Li Ru responded feeling refreshed both physically and mentally.

Without Jia Xu here to compete with him, Dong Zhuo would have to listen to him alone.

"Wen He, where are you now?"

Before Li Ru was happy, Dong Zhuo asked Niu Fu.

Li Ru concealed his unwillingness and did not dare to show it on the outside.

Niu Fu stared with big eyes and said: "I don't know, but I should be in Xiapi now. Wen He said in the letter that Xuzhou is more important than Xiangxian County."

Dong Zhuo yawned loudly, stood up and said, "That's good, that's good."

Seeing this, everyone stood up one after another and said: "Your Majesty, please leave."

……

Early the next morning, Yuan Shao summoned all the princes to hold a meeting.

As soon as the meeting started, everyone was shocked and looked at each other in confusion.

Yuan Shao looked at everyone, calmly and firmly, and said: "Pinghu Pass is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Now the morale of Dong's thieves has been greatly boosted, and our army is sluggish, which is not conducive to the expedition. I intend to retreat to advance, luring Dong's army out of the pass, and ambush And the attack will be decided in one battle!"

Cao Cao sat at the bottom, looking as usual.

Liu Bei hesitated to speak. He glanced at Cao Cao from the corner of his eye and did not speak in a hurry.

Zhuge Xuan, Liu Yao, Zang Hong and others had gathered together and started whispering.

There is actually nothing wrong with Yuan Shao's strategy, it is even very correct, and the time to propose it is just right. However, the people present clearly feel that something is wrong. For a while, they have no way to refute or agree with it.

Yuan Shao did not give them a chance to refute, saying: "Since there is no objection, we will withdraw our troops after breakfast. I will set up an ambush in front, with Zhuge Xuan, Liu Yao, Zang Hong and others in the middle. Cao Cao and Liu Bei will seize the rear to lure the enemy."

Cao Cao immediately half-closed his eyes, stared at Yuan Shao, and said calmly: "I don't agree."

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat, and they suddenly felt afraid.

Yuan Shao didn't give everyone a chance to think too much. He stood up directly and said loudly: "If you don't obey, I won't force you to evacuate first. The same goes for everyone else. Showing weakness and luring the enemy is my general strategy for suppressing Dong. There is no such thing as Change!"

After saying that, Yuan Shao left.

Cao Cao sat motionless, his eyes cold.

Yuan Shao's reaction was beyond his surprise.

‘What on earth is Yuan Shaopifu going to do? ’

Cao Cao was also shocked and doubtful, and strode away regardless of other people's eyes.

"General Qi, Lu Bu leads an army of ten thousand and marches out of Pinghu Pass to call for formation!"

Before Cao Cao took a few steps, soldiers shouted urgently outside the tent.

(End of this chapter)