Kuangfu Han Dynasty

Chapter 20 The water is too cold

"Oh?" Hearing that it was related to Liu Bei, Cao Cao immediately sat up straight, took it and looked at it carefully, then smiled, looked at Xu Shu who was still a little cautious and said: "Yuan Zhi is interested."

But Cao Cao immediately raised another question: "But as you said, Liu Bei rushed to Jiangjin to join Guan Yunchang. The two men combined had only two armies, only 7000 people...really so few? How did I hear that he was in Jingzhou? A large number of soldiers were recruited in a few years? Even if there was a big defeat in Nagasaka, wouldn't some of them be allocated to Yunchang?"

"It's just a title." Xu Shu deliberately understated Liu Bei's remaining troops and cut off half of his army. He just wanted Cao Cao to relax his vigilance and underestimate the enemy. He had already prepared a countermeasure in his mind:

"Although Liu Biao trusted Xuande in name, he was actually wary of him. He only gave him the land of one county and firmly controlled the military supplies. Therefore, when Xuande was in Xinye, he had no more than two armies. He wanted to recruit troops but had no food. All the civil and military personnel in Jingzhou were If you know anything, the Prime Minister can ask Kuai Yidu."

"Later, Liu Biao became seriously ill and had to rely on Xuande. He was transferred to the south to guard Fancheng. The army had a little more food. This way he could recruit more foreign travelers to support themselves and strengthen the army. In this way, new soldiers for the two armies could be obtained. However, after the recruitment, they could only train two soldiers. Yue, without a battle formation... he is the one who was given to Guan Yu to travel by water."

"But Xuande sent the old soldiers of the two armies overland. Unexpectedly, he was defeated by the Prime Minister at Changban, and the people trampled on each other. Two thousand people died and more than a thousand were captured. Most of the others escaped. Xuande gathered only a few hundred soldiers. After people join up with Guan Yu, they will get this number."

Cao Cao asked again: "What Yuan Zhi means is that all the old soldiers under Liu Xuande's command have been exhausted?"

Xu Shu said: "Of course, otherwise Xuande wouldn't be so desperate that he would surrender to Cangwu and Wu Ju."

Xu Shu was not afraid of being exposed, because most of the Liu soldiers captured by Cao's army were veterans who had been in the army for more than three years. However, this group of people were still very loyal to Liu Bei. After their defeat, they joined Hanjin one after another, totaling more than [-] people, plus Guan Yu's two armies still number nearly ten thousand people.

"Wonderful!" Cao Cao was good at using troops and knew exactly who was the backbone of the army.

In the early years, Cao Cao relied on relatives of the Cao family and Xiahou, as well as soldiers recruited from his hometown Qiaopei, and a few Danyang soldiers.These people followed him to fight for what was left after Dong Zhuo's defeat and became battle-hardened veterans. Together with the new soldiers given by Yuan Shaoyun, Cao Cao established his first territory in Yanzhou, Dongjun.

Later, the main force of his army was replaced by the Taishan soldiers left by Bao Xin and the surrendered Qingzhou soldiers. Although these remnants of the Yellow Turbans were initially undisciplined, after more than ten years of turmoil, the remaining soldiers became veterans of many battles. Each department serves as a grassroots general, so Cao's army can continue to expand without losing combat effectiveness.

The same goes for Liu Bei. Over the years, he has relied on the hard work of the veterans brought over from Jiqing and Xu Yu to make repeated attacks. Now that his old troops have suffered heavy losses, Liu Xuande really has nothing to fear.

Thinking of this, Cao Cao suddenly felt a little bored again. Such a weak Liu Bei was indeed no longer worthy of being his opponent.

Cao Cao then asked Xu Shu: "According to what you said, Zhuge Liang, a disciple of Sima Decao, still followed Liu Bei after the defeat of Changban and planned for him. I wonder how this man's wisdom is compared to Yuan Zhi?"

Xu Shu thought to himself: "Compared between me and Kong Ming, we are like a rogue horse paired with a unicorn, or a jackdaw paired with a luan and phoenix. Kong Ming has the talent to navigate the world, and he has the ambition to ride to the death for his lord. He is more than ten times better than Xu Shu!"

But he only shook his head and said deliberately disparagingly: "Although Zhuge Kongming is young and smart, he is known as Fulong in Jingzhou, and he often compares himself to Guan Zhong and Le Yi, but after getting along with him, it turns out that this is an exaggeration."

Xu Shu handed over to Cao Cao: "What's more, it is unwise for a man to act in the world without knowing his master. Xu Fu thought that Zhuge Kongming had nothing to worry about."

Cao Cao felt the same way, and looked at the second piece of paper, only to see that it was filled with the names of the Guan clan who followed Liu Bei south.

When compiling this list, Xu Shu had thought about it. It was actually an open secret who were the scholars who followed Liu Bei south. There were Du Xi, Fan Qin and other staff in Cao Cao's shogunate who were very familiar with Jingzhou. Spend more time. You can find out if you check it out.

What's more, those who are determined to follow Liu Bei are mostly from the Nanyang Guan clan. The clan has long been fragmented in the chaos of the past 20 years, and it will not be easy for Cao Cao to seek revenge.

Writing it out in advance now will not change anything, but it will betray them in the end. In the past, Xu Shu, a Confucian scholar who abided by his principles, would never have done such a thing!He would be a person who couldn't let go of anything. The nobles wanted to keep it for Liu Bei, and the fleeing people also wanted to take it for Liu Bei...

After experiencing the tragic defeat in Changban, Xu Shu finally understood that those who can't give up anything can't change anything!It's better to go with the flow and win more trust from Cao Cao.

"Nanyang Xinye Yin family, Huyang Fan family, Anzhong Zong family, Wanxian Zhuo family..."

Sure enough, Cao Cao couldn't help but sneer after seeing this: "What a Liu Xuande. He was clearly born in a shoe-trading family. He looked like a scholar, Wu Laoge, but he was so loved by a family of officials, just like when he was in Xuzhou. The fourth surname is Xiaohou. From then on There are two of them."

It turns out that the Yin and Fan families here are both relatives of the Han Dynasty. The Yin family produced two queens, including Yin Lihua, and the Fan family, as the maternal family of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu, also had four county marquises and one township marquis. With two thousand stones, he also trained a great Confucian, whose family biography is "Gongyang Yan's Spring and Autumn Annals", and his disciples are all over the world.

The two families were listed as the "Four Surnames Xiaohou", and they were once extremely expensive. Although they had declined terribly after Huan Ling, they were old honors of the country after all, and the whole family was rebellious. It was a relatively serious incident, and it made Cao Cao like this The Han Prime Minister is very shameless.

The Anzhong clan is also incredible. There are 34 officials in one sect, up to the rank of prime minister, which is unparalleled in Jingzhou since the Zhongxing Dynasty.

Of course Cao Cao knew why these Nanyang nobles abandoned themselves to follow Liu Bei. Hey, it wasn't because Cao Cao's soldiers killed and looted too much in the Nanyang area when he conquered Zhang Xiu three times ten years ago. This is all in the past.Since then, the manors and houses of the Nanyang Guan Clan have been basically destroyed. Many of them can only leave their hometown to escape the chaos. While Liu Bei is stationed in Xinye and the neighboring areas have been stabilized for several years, a group of Guan Clan are in Hannan was not doing well, so they returned home one after another and attached themselves to Liu Bei.

Looking further down, there are other brothers from the Xi family in Xiangyang and Pang Lin in Miannan. They are all relatively unfamiliar names. Cao Cao did not look at them one by one. He only asked Xinpi to put them away: "They are all the best in the world." However, they do not cherish the land of their family manor and abandon the tombs of their ancestors, but would rather follow the rebellion, how foolish it is!"

"George, please immediately send an excerpt to Xiangyang, and ask Lou Zibo who is left behind to imprison his children according to this list, and then take away their family property one by one to pay for the slaves to use as military resources!"

Cao Cao has always believed that those who obey will prosper and those who go against will perish. The powerful nobles who cooperate with him can be developed, while those who disobey will be severely attacked. This is what he did after he captured Hebei.

Xu Shu knew that Lou Gui, Lou Zibo, was from Nanyang, Jingzhou, and was an old acquaintance of Cao Cao.In his early years, he relied on Liu Biao, and later on he joined Cao Cao. During this southern expedition, he also came with the army and was left in Xiangyang to temporarily guard his post.This person knows the nobles in Nanyang and Xiangyang very well. Will he cater to Cao Cao's wishes and attack them?
Xu Shu was not worried but happy. Which family in the Guan clan of Jingzhou is not a collection of old relatives and friends?It has long been intertwined, and if one is damaged, all will be damaged.Lou Gui had better make the battle bigger, uproot the roots and remove the mud, so that everyone in Jingzhou's gentry who is still watching will be in danger.What's more, some of them had secret dealings with Liu Bei, but because Cao's army suddenly went south and there was no time to follow Liu Bei's potential allies, Xu Shu didn't mention any of them. These families can only stay in hibernation temporarily and observe the situation.If Cao Cao is defeated in the future, Xu Shu is confident that he can incite them to jointly fight against Cao Cao.

Of course, after all is said and done, the premise of all this is that Cao Cao will really lose, otherwise these little calculations will all be rootless trees and water without a source.

Xin Pi and Xu Shu left after a while. Xu Shu glanced at Zhang Shao before leaving. Zhang Shao listened to the conversation between the three of them and praised in his heart that Mr. Xu would come. After this incident, Cao Cao should There is no doubt that he has faked the surrender, which will also make it easier for Xu Shu to use his tricks in the future.Just as he was thinking about it, Cao Cao scolded him again: "Zhang Shao, why are you so dazed? This water is cold again!"

……

"Yuan Zhi has made great achievements today. The Prime Minister should trust you more in the future."

After leaving the hall, Xin Pi was full of praise for Xu Shu's efficiency in working overnight, but he also reminded him of a small mistake.

"But now that Yuan Zhi has entered the prime minister's shogunate, he should regard the prime minister as the king, and call himself 'subject'. Using modest words to refer to himself will seem alienating. You must remember it when you visit next time!"

Unlike the ministers, ministers, ministers, ministers and officials in the imperial court, the relationship between the officials in the shogunate and Cao Cao was that of emperor and minister, and they were "one of their own". This is also the reason why they have great power despite their low rank.

"I just joined the shogunate, so I don't understand the rules. Fortunately, Brother Saji reminded me."

Xu Shu was stunned when he heard this, and then he was very grateful to Xin Pi and reminded him to remember it next time and not to arouse Cao Cao's suspicion.Although he said to himself: "Professing to Cao Cao as a vassal is a hypocritical act, it's just a title."

But in Xu Shu's heart, there are still a hundred reluctant people who can make him surrender willingly. There is only one lord he truly loves and is loyal to, and that is Liu Xuande!

……

"This man really treats me like a servant."

It was getting late, and under the supervision of several military guards, Zhang Shao hugged Hu Zi and returned to the small courtyard where the food officials lived, cursing in his heart. Of course he didn't like to wait on others.

After a busy afternoon, Wang Wei and most of the people had gone to bed. Only the soup official and the kitchen man were still fetching and boiling water from the well in the courtyard, preparing to supply the prime minister's needs in the morning.Speaking of which, although this waiter's status is low, he has a big advantage. In addition to not having to worry about eating and drinking, he can often deal with water, and he can even mix it with warm water to drink!

Zhang Shao asked Tang Li for more hot water, then squatted down and washed his face and hands carefully.It's not that he has mysophobia, but that the medical conditions in ancient times were too poor. In order to prevent many years of premature death, Zhang Shao could only start with good personal hygiene and try to avoid diseases spread by mosquitoes and lice from getting to him.

After cleaning up, Zhang Shaocai tiptoed open the door, stepped over the snoring cook and butcher who were hugging each other on the ground, and climbed onto the low couch made of bricks and stones. It was quite interesting to climb around, and it also occupied a place for Zhang Shao.

Zhang Shao was about to lie down when Huan Deng, who was facing the wall, suddenly turned over and stared at Zhang Shao in the darkness, as if he wanted to get to know him again, and it took him a while to squeeze out a sentence through his teeth.

"Zhang Shao, you...are you really Zhang Fei's son?"

It seems that Huandeng was not idle tonight. He finally found out the gossip about Zhang Shao's life experience. Zhang Shao then smiled and said, "So what?"

Zhang Shao admitted readily, but Huandeng stopped talking and continued to turn his face away. After a while, he couldn't help it anymore and whispered in Zhang Shao's ear: "Zhang Shao, your father is really taller than ten feet. Can a horned rhinoceros kill a bear and a tiger with bare hands?"

Zhang Shao was immediately happy. It had only been a few days. Has Cao Junzhong already spread the image of the Third Master like this?It's understandable when you think about it. After all, he was a fierce man who could scare away more than a thousand tigers and leopards by himself. Don't exaggerate.

So Zhang Shao simply added some artistic processing.

"of course it's true!"

Zhang Shao whispered: "My father was born with a leopard's head and eyes, a swallow's jaw and a tiger's beard. His voice was like thunder, and his power was like a galloping horse. When fighting, he used an eight-foot steel snake spear..."

……

When the motorcade set off again the next day, Huandeng looked at Zhang Shao even more strangely. He was in awe, and he didn't dare to call him by his first name. Instead, he used honorifics and called him "Xiao Zhangjun"...

The distance we walked today was almost the same as yesterday, which was [-] to [-] miles. We rested in a village called "Wufu Yi". As usual, the residents were driven away by Xia Houyuan in advance, and Cao Cao's Prime Minister's camp was able to occupy the empty city. overnight.

The food officer's staff was cooking for Prime Minister Cao again, but Cao Cao was not in the mood to hold a banquet today. Seeing that it was not that busy here, Zhang Shao and Huandeng said hello and wanted to take the time to sneak to the medical officer's staff next door.But just as he went out, Wu Chang, the military guard who was keeping an eye on him, followed him with two soldiers. He also scolded Zhang Shao and asked him where he wanted to go.

Zhang Shao pretended to be pitiful with a sad face: "Commander, my leg hurts. I want to see a medical officer for diagnosis and treatment. If I don't get treatment, I will be lame!"

As he spoke, he walked around Wu Chang Zhao, one foot higher and the other lower, which was quite exaggerated.

Then Zhang Shaoliang threatened: "If I go to the Wuwei camp to ask my second uncle Xiahou Tun Chief to come forward and ask him to plead with the Prime Minister to allow me to see a doctor, it will be fine..."

Before Zhao Wuchang could express his feelings, Zhang Shao smiled again and said: "But I think it's such a trivial matter that I don't need to bother the prime minister and my second uncle to know about it."

Finally, he gave Commander Zhao a step down: "If Commander Zhao is worried, you can follow me, watch my every move in the house, and remember every word I said to the medical officer's family, so there is no need to delay My pain will not disappoint the Prime Minister’s order.”

So after waiting for a while, when the medicine boy under the medical officer heard a banging sound and opened the door, he saw Zhang Shao standing in front of him with a smile, and behind him were three majestic military guards, who never left... It's like your noble son bringing a few followers to protect him.

(End of this chapter)