A thousand-year-old family that began with the Battle of Makino

Chapter 379: A house full of heroes is just a bunch of thieves.

While all the princes were watching the burning clouds in the distance, Cao Cao stamped his feet on the ground, beat his hands and said sadly:
"The fire that fills this place must be the work of traitor Dong in Luoyang. You don't want to march to serve the country, but you stay here all day long, drinking and having fun. Why do you really not want to serve the country?"

It turned out that after taking Xingyang from the coalition forces, they were preparing to march again, and encountered thousands of Dong Zhuo's cavalry led by Lu Bu in the wild.

The coalition army, which was mostly infantry, was suddenly attacked and returned with a heavy defeat. All the princes suffered losses.

From then on, the coalition forces stopped sending troops. They just formed a camp in the west of Xingyang City to defend themselves against Dong Zhuo's troops in Chenggao. No matter how Cao Cao persuaded him, it was of no avail.

At this time, Yuan Shao spoke: "What does Meng De mean by this? Why do you misunderstand us? It's not because we can't advance. It's because the soldiers under Dong Thief's command are too elite.

You also know that our soldiers are all strong men recruited from various counties. They cannot be compared with the frontier troops under Dong's thief. If we advance rashly and cause damage to the allies, how can the great cause of the Qing Dynasty's side and kill Dong's thief be accomplished? success?

Furthermore, although we did not take any action, we contained most of the Dong thieves in Chenggao and created opportunities for Yuan Shu and Sun Jian in Luyang. This is also our achievement. "

"What the leader said is true. The soldiers under Dong Thief are really too powerful. The soldiers from the county I led can't even resist them. If we suffer too many losses, how can we meet the elders in the county?"

As Yuan Shao defended himself, the other princes all made excuses for their previous inaction.

Cao Cao was very angry, but he still suppressed his anger and persuaded: "If we don't mention the previous things for now, what should we say now? The fire is so hot, Dong thief must have burned down Luoyang, otherwise it would not be so dazzling.

This is Dong Thief's plan to return to the pass, which means that Dong Thief's general guarding the pass has also received an order to retreat if he is defeated. Now if he attacks with a large force, he will definitely be able to successfully conquer it.

Besides, after Luoyang was burned, whether the Emperor was in good health or not, maybe His Majesty was waiting for us to rescue him. If we wasted time here, wouldn't it be a delay in the best opportunity to rescue His Majesty. "

Yuan Shao didn't want to wade into this muddy water at this time. By becoming the leader of the alliance, he had already got what he wanted, and his prestige had reached the level of fame in the world. If the emperor died, just in time, he would be able to rely on his current status as the leader of the alliance. , establish a new emperor, and maybe get a glimpse of the higher position.

The worst is to separate one party from another. Isn't it more comfortable to be a local emperor than to be a minister?

"Mengde doesn't have to be so impatient. As you said, the general guarding the pass will definitely get the secret order from the Dong thieves. When they retreat on their own, we can enter Luoyang without spending a single soldier. Why waste us?" Where are the lives of the soldiers under my command?
Are these low-level soldiers so worthless in your eyes, Cao Mengde? You know, the lives of soldiers are also lives. "

"伱..." Cao Cao was so angry by Yuan Shao that he was almost speechless. Then he pointed at everyone present and said angrily: "Only today did I, Cao Cao, see the true face of the princes. They have different ways and do not conspire with each other!"

After speaking, he walked away.

When Cao Cao returned to Cao Jun's camp with an angry look on his face, ready to order his troops and go on his own, a man came to find him.

"Why should Meng De be angry? Didn't you already see the face of the Guandong Alliance clearly when you were in Jujube? Why should you be angry because of something certain?"

When Cao Cao saw the person, he turned out to be Bao Xin, the Prime Minister of Jibei. Among the Kwantung Allied Forces, only Bao Xin was friendly with him, so he softened his expression and said: "How can Prime Minister Bao abandon those hypocrites and come here to find trouble?"

Bao Xin said righteously: "I heard Meng De's great talk just now and thought that attacking Chenggao at this time might be successful, so I came to ask for details. If it can really succeed, I will follow you." Let’s go together.”

Cao Cao said happily: "Is what Yuncheng said true?"

Bao Xin said sincerely: "To be honest, I think that among the heroes of Guandong, you, Cao Mengde, are the only one who really wants to help the big man. The other princes are all people with ulterior motives, especially that Yuan Shao, who is a true hypocrite." .”

Cao Cao stood up, saluted Bao Xin respectfully and said: "Cao Cao always thought that all the heroes in this army were selfish people. Unexpectedly, there are still people who share the same ideas."

Then Cao Cao explained his plan in detail. Now that Luoyang is on fire, the morale of Chenggao's defenders must be unstable, especially the Xuanmen Pass behind it. He plans to sneak across Si River and then bypass Chenggao. Gao's defenders attacked Xuanmen Pass directly.

The defenders of Xuanmen Pass must have thought that Cheng Gao had fallen. In addition, Dong Zhuo's army retreated to the center of the pass. In order to save their lives, they must not be able to defend it. As long as Xuanmen Pass is captured, Cheng Gao's defenders will be the turtle in the urn.

Moreover, once the revolving door is closed, the road to Luoyang will be unobstructed, and the great cause of reviving the Han Dynasty will be successful.

Bao Xin was very excited when he heard this and assured Cao Cao: "Mengde, since you have military strategy, and I am just a mediocre person. Regarding military strategy, it can be said that I know nine out of ten and know nothing about it, then I will You are the master, and all my troops will obey your orders. I will fight how you tell me to fight."

Cao Cao excitedly held Bao Xin's hand: "Originally, I was the only one, and I still had some worries in my heart. I was afraid that my troops would be weak. But now with Yuncheng's help, I feel confident."

Bao Xin also said something that made Cao Cao even more excited, that is, Bai Dian had sent him a message that the Donglai Army had arrived at Aocang, north of Xingyang, and was stationed there.

Because he knew the specific plans of the Allied forces and saw through their true colors, he was unwilling to join forces with the Allied forces. If possible, he would go there in person and ask for help from the Donglai Army.

Cao Cao also said that Zhang Miao's general Wei Zi had an old relationship with him and knew that he was loyal to the Han Dynasty, so he could win him over.

Now Cao Cao's 5,000 men, plus Bao Xin's 3,000, Wei Zi's 2,000, and Donglai Army's 8,000, the total strength reached 18,000, which was enough for a small battle.

Since the Donglai Army is still some distance away from here, and he cannot directly command it, Cao Cao decided to use the Donglai Army as a reserve army to respond to them.

He led Bao Xin's and Wei Zi's troops to carry out the surprise attack plan, and the Donglai Army responded along the Sishui River to prevent unexpected events.

If the battle goes well, the Donglai army will take advantage of the victory to attack. If defeated, it will be Cao Cao's last life-saving talisman. After all, Cao Cao didn't want to throw his life into this battle. After all, it was still unclear whether the emperor was dead or alive.

February 28th night

Cao Cao took his troops, Bao Xin's troops, and Wei Zi's troops to leave the coalition camp at night and headed for Sishui.

Yuan Shaodu had already taken off his usual armor and went to bed in his underwear. A burst of noise woke him up. He put on his coat, went out and yelled: "What's going on?"

When he saw the person clearly, he softened his tone and said, "It turns out to be Prefect Zhang. I don't know why you are visiting me late at night. What are you doing?"

Zhang Miao was full of resentment and said: "Leader, you have to uphold justice for me. That damned Cao Mengde tricked my general Wei Zi into sneaking to attack Dong's army. There are two thousand people, a full two thousand people." Ah." "What?"

Yuan Shao was a little surprised. After hearing Zhang Miao's explanation and the whole story, Yuan Shao finally learned that Cao Cao took his troops and Bao Xin to leave the camp privately, hoping to take advantage of this opportunity to attack Dong Jun.

After appeasing Zhang Miao and promising that he would definitely uphold justice for him, Yuan Shao returned to the camp.

He did not fall asleep immediately, but began to think carefully.

This Cao Cao did not take Yuan, the leader of the alliance, seriously at all. This made other princes think of him, and how could he convince the public.

Furthermore, if Cao Cao really succeeds in his sneak attack and captures Cheng Gao, how will he, the leader of the alliance who opposes his sending troops, face the people of the world? Therefore, Cao Cao will never succeed.

Thinking of this, he shouted outside the tent: "Ask Yuan Shisan to come see me."

Yuan Shisan is Yuan Shao's dead soldier, and he is his bodyguard on the surface.

"Lord!" Yuan Shisan knelt on the ground.

"Go and deliver this letter to Cheng Gao immediately. It must be handed over to Cheng Gao's general. Remember, your identity and origin must not be exposed. Is that clear?"

Yuan Shisan took the letter and left silently.

On the other side, Cao Cao led 10,000 soldiers, tiptoed, crossed the Si River without any danger, and came to the rear of Cheng Gao, which was in front of the Xuanmen Pass.

Looking at the silent city wall, Cao Cao suppressed his inner excitement and ordered his men to go to camp first and steal the city.

Because Xuanmen Pass is located behind Cheng Gao, the defense is not as tight as Cheng Gao.

Just when Cao Cao thought his plan was successful, a beacon suddenly appeared in the direction of Chenggao, which was an emergency signal.

At this time, a shout suddenly came from the city wall of Xuanmenguan: "There are enemy troops stealing the city!!!"

Then came the urgent tolling of the bell.

Was discovered.

Cao Cao made a prompt decision and ordered his men to attack the city with all their strength.

So under the illumination of the moonlight and fire, an extremely fierce battle took place at Xuanmen Pass.

However, Xuanmen Pass is a pass after all. If the city is successfully stolen, there may be a chance. Now that it has been discovered one step ahead, it can only fall into a tug of war.

At this time, Xia Houchun, the general who was blocking the attack behind him, came to report that Chenggao's defenders had left the city and were moving here quickly.

Reluctantly, Cao Cao slapped the trees on the side hard and said cruelly: "Retreat, go back the way you came!"

As Ming Jin withdrew his troops, Cao's army and Bao Xin's army retreated like a tide.

On the way they met Dong Jun coming out of Chenggao, but fortunately it was night and Dong Jun did not send out cavalry. After a fierce battle, they were finally repelled.

They came to the bank of Si River and directed the remaining eight thousand troops to quickly cross the river. When the army had crossed most of the way and was about to escape and ascend to heaven, the rumble of the cavalry sounded.

Cao Cao exclaimed: "Why are Thief Dong's cavalry here?"

Immediately afterwards, the remaining six thousand troops of Cao Cao, Bao Xin, and Wei Zi were massacred by Dong Zhuo's general Xu Rong's three thousand cavalry. The two thousand troops on the other side of the Sishui River were also overtaken by Chenggao Dong's army and fell into battle. .

Seeing that his own army was about to be annihilated, a string of fire suddenly appeared in the distance. The 8,000 Donglai troops led by Bai Dian finally arrived and tore a hole in the outside of Dong Jun's formation. Cao Cao, Bao Xin and others The people hurriedly commanded the remaining troops, charged towards the gap, and finally merged with the Donglai Army.

However, these eight thousand reinforcements were still infantry, and they were the weaker side in the battle with the cavalry. After a night of fighting, Cao Cao, Bai Dian and others finally escaped Dong Jun's pursuit.

Cao Cao and Bao Xin's 10,000 troops had only 3,000 men left at this time. Among them, Bao Xin's younger brother Bao Tao and Wei Zi were both killed in the battle because they did not cross the river in time.

Baidian's Donglai Army also suffered extremely heavy losses. Only 5,000 of the 8,000-man army were left. But fortunately, no major generals were killed.

As for how Xu Rong's cavalry suddenly appeared at his retreat crossing, Cao Cao already had the answer in his mind.

After thanking Bai Dian who did not want to have anything to do with the Kwantung Allied Forces, Cao Cao came to the Allied Forces' tent with an angry look on his face.

He was covered in wounds and was in a state of embarrassment due to the battle. Looking at the princes sitting together at the banquet, he suddenly felt a burst of sadness.

After being silent for a long time, he pointed at these people and said: "Shu Zi, you are not good enough for conspiracy!"

After saying that, he turned around and left, not wanting to pay attention to the reactions of the princes behind him. At this moment, he finally understood what he said when he separated from Bai Dian:

"Instead of being a group of heroes, they are actually a group of thieves!"

(End of this chapter)