Cao Thief

Chapter 231 Raiders
On the sixth day of September in the third year of Jian'an, Cao Cao decided to conquer Lv Bu and personally led his army to conquer Xuzhou.

Regarding Cao Cao's crusade against Lu Bu, Xu Du's opinions were not unified.Many people believe that Liu Biao and Zhang Xiu have not yet been eliminated, and if Cao Cao leads his troops to attack Lu Bu far away, there will definitely be a crisis in Xudu.However, some people believe that this is the best opportunity to attack Lu Bu.

Shangshu Xunyou said: "Liu Biao and Zhang Xiu have recently been wounded and dare not make a move.

Lv Bu was brave and colluded with Yuan Shu.If it is allowed to cross the Huai River and the Surabaya River, the longer the time, the greater the impact.Now that he has just broken with the imperial court, the morale of the army is uncertain.If the army attacked at this time, Lu Bu could be defeated in one fell swoop.What's more, the lord has Haixi as an internal response.Haixi has a good harvest this year, and it has gathered [-] sea people, and the population is growing.Its containment in Haixi can help the lord. "

Cao Cao also heard about the harvest in Haixi.

Haixi's development, to be honest, exceeded Cao Cao's expectations.Originally, he wanted to order Deng Ji to take root in Haixi, but he didn't expect that Haixi had become a shining pearl by the East China Sea.Millions of dendrobium grain and grass can allow Cao Cao to conquer Xuzhou without any worries, and he doesn't even need to worry about the transportation of grain and grass.When marching and fighting, the most troublesome thing is the safety of food roads.The farther the distance, the more unstable the grain road.The appearance of Haixi undoubtedly gave Cao Cao a stable grain path.With a sufficient supply of food and grass, Cao Cao's determination to eliminate Lu Bu became more determined.

Xun You's analysis was exactly what Cao Cao wanted.

So he decisively ordered to attack, ordered General Xu Huang to attack from Taishan County, ordered Xiahou Dun to attack from Dangshan, and ordered Liu Bei to attack Peiguo.The three armies marched together and approached Pengcheng.At the beginning of the war, it went smoothly. Xu Huang opened the gate of Taishan County after he surrendered to Lv Bu's generals Zhao Shu, Li Zou, and swept all the way.

For a time, there was a lot of panic in Xuzhou!
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Looking at the empty Xiapi army camp, Cao Peng became more and more convinced that Cao Cao sent troops...

If it wasn't for this reason, then how could Chen Gong and Cao Xing withdraw his troops in such a hurry when the battle situation was so dominant?

The previous attack was just a cover-up.

The fire stoves in the camp that were still emitting smoke had already explained everything.

Xia Houlan walked up to Cao Peng with a look of shame on her face, "My lord, I didn't expect Xia Pigou to retreat so quickly..."

Thinking that before Cao Peng wanted to pursue him, Xia Houlan and others stopped him one after another, but only Deng Fan expressed his approval.

At this time, everyone lowered their heads one by one.

Cao Peng suddenly smiled, "Masters, why are you so downcast?"

Xia Houlan and the others raised their heads, puzzled.

Cao Peng said with a smile: "We won, right? No matter what the reason for the Xiapi dog to withdraw, we won the battle! Qu Yang saved..."

Yes, we won!
Now that you have won, why should you be downcast?

Cao Peng said: "Notify the city immediately to make everyone happy.

However, the Xiapi troops withdrew in a hurry, and even played such a trick to escape the shell.The more mysterious they are, the more they show that they are eager to evacuate.The top priority is that we must get in touch with Gan Ning as soon as possible and lead our troops to pursue him.

You can't follow too closely, or you will definitely suffer their counterattack.

You can't put it too far, keep the pressure on the Xiapi army, and then defeat it in one go... Gentlemen, it's time to make contributions. "

In fact, Cao Peng also knew.

The battle has reached this point, and the soldiers are already very tired.

Not only are the soldiers exhausted, but Zhou Cang, Pan Zhang and others are also in a state of exhaustion.

Moreover, the pursuit battle relies on a speed.However, Cao Peng wanted to pursue Cao Xing and Chen Gong, but the biggest problem he faced was that he had no horses.

Chasing on foot will inevitably make soldiers work harder.

But now, Cao Peng has no other choice...

When Pan Zhang and others heard this, they were all eager to try.Immediately, Cao Peng assigned 50 soldiers, Xia Houlan Zhou Cang, Pan Zhang and Deng Fan each took [-] soldiers, while Cao Peng personally led a hundred soldiers, brought a meal of dry food, and immediately pursued the Xiapi troops.At the same time, he ordered Wang Xu to contact Gan Ning and Deng Zhi quickly, and ordered Gan Ning and Deng Zhi to pursue them.Gan Ning and Deng Zhi didn't have too many soldiers and horses, but luckily they were all cavalry.In addition to the two-day fierce battle in Quyang, Gan Ning and Deng Zhi did not participate in it, and belonged to the new force...

The two of them pursued and could cause damage to the Xiapi army as much as possible.

That's right, Diao Chan has kindness to Cao Peng.

Cao Peng has not forgotten!

But kindness is due to kindness. If Lu Bu hadn't taken the initiative to provoke, Cao Peng would never have pursued him like this.

Regardless of whether Cao Cao sent troops or not, Cao Peng must beat Lu Bu as hard as possible.Only by beating Lu Bu in pain can Haixi be able to gain peace; on the other hand, only with outstanding achievements can Chen Deng face himself instead of being treated as an abandoned child.

Therefore, both public and private, Cao Peng must pursue, and must pursue...

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When leaving Xiapi, Chen Gong may not have imagined that a battle that should have been easy in his opinion ended in such a way in the end.

When Cao Xing commanded his troops to attack Quyang, Chen Gong had already left Quyang with his troops.

Lu Ji had an unhappy expression on his face, and he didn't have a word with Chen Gong along the way.It's no wonder that I was fooled by Chen Gong yesterday. I thought I would go to Quyang first, but I was deceived by Chen Gong for a big shift.Fortunately, Chen Gong didn't break the city, otherwise Lu Ji would feel even more uncomfortable.But even in this way, he could feel Chen Gong's attitude towards him.

It turned out that it was not as beautiful as he imagined!

For a long time, Lu Ji thought that Chen Gong would support him...

But now it seems that Chen Gong never took him seriously.All the respect shown before is nothing but an illusory appearance.Maybe in Chen Gong's eyes, Lu Ji is just a clown, jumping up and down in Xiapi, it looks ridiculous.

Along the way, Lu Ji was very silent.

He is thinking about his future, maybe staying in Xiapi is not a good choice.

After the Xiapi army withdrew from Quyang, they were downcast all the way.Although Chen Gong knew about it, he had no choice but to wait until he arrived at the prime minister, and then make adjustments.

After all, he has to go back to photoshoot now.

After Cao Xing's feint attack outside Quyang City ended, he used a trick to escape the shell of the golden cicada and successfully withdrew from the Quyang battlefield.

Most of the remaining soldiers and horses were cavalry.So Cao Xing quickly caught up with the large group of people and hurried all the way down.

"Military division, have you ever sent someone to Xu County?"

"When we left Quyang, I ordered someone to go to Xu County to inform Wen Yuan, and ordered him to retreat quickly.

Presumably, when we arrive at the prime minister, Wen Yuan will be able to get the news, and at the latest in the early morning of the next day, he can lead the troops back to the prime minister. "

Cao Xing nodded, and said to himself, "If Wen Yuan returns, then Chen Yuanlong will have nothing to worry about."

Chen Gong smiled slightly, but glanced at Lu Ji intentionally or unintentionally.

"Shulong, keep an eye on Zishan."

"Zi Shan?"

"That child, it seems something is not normal."

After all, Chen Gong is Chen Gong, even on the way to retreat, he will not let down his vigilance.

Lu Ji's silence made Chen Gong feel a little strange.If Lu Ji yelled, or even cursed at Chen Gong, he might not care.But this silence made Chen Gong have a strange feeling: Could it be that this child has something different in mind?
If it were Chen Gong, he would feel angry if he was put together like Lu Ji.

But what about anger?
Chen Gong would not take Lu Ji seriously, let alone his little anger.However, Lu Ji's silence made him a little worried.Thinking back carefully, was it a little too much for me in Quyang?After all, Lu Ji is the son of Lu Bu in name.

But after thinking about it, Chen Gong immediately put that bit of guilt behind him.

How can it be too much?

Such a boy who is always ambitious, if he doesn't give it a good beating, how can he know what is good or bad?
Thinking of this, Chen Gong felt relieved...

Let Cao Xing send someone to watch, presumably Lu Ji can't do anything.After returning to Xiapi, it is unlikely that he would make a fuss.

The most urgent thing is to return to photoshoot as soon as possible.

So Chen Gong discussed with Cao Xing, mobilized the troops again, and increased the marching speed.

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After nightfall, it began to rain.

The rain in September is extremely cold.The wind blowing from the upstream of Zushui is also very biting.The clothes were soaked, and the wind made people shiver.

The road became muddy, which also slowed down the marching speed.

"Gongtai, let the sergeants take a rest and avoid the rain?"

Seeing the soldiers shivering in the cold wind and drizzle, Cao Xing couldn't bear it, so he asked Chen Gong for advice.

Chen Gong shook his head, and said softly: "I can't rest... It's not easy to go on the road after taking a rest at this time. If you want to rest, let's go back to rest. Shulong should understand that if Cao You can't learn Letting it go like this, he still has a cavalry army in his hands, and he has a strong general to lead him. If we catch up, it will be very difficult for us to resist. So the top priority is to rush back to the prime minister..."

When mentioning that cavalry army, Cao Xing shuddered.

If Chen Gong didn't mention it, Cao Xing might even have forgotten about it...

Although the retreat had been calm, Gan Ning did not appear to obstruct him.But this does not mean that Gan Ning will sit back and watch them evacuate.Presumably it has not appeared until now, because of the disparity in military strength.Cao Xing even felt that Gan Ning was hiding in the dark like a poisonous snake.As long as he showed any slack, Gan Ning would definitely appear and deal a fatal blow.

Seeing the tired soldiers, Cao Xing couldn't bear it.

But he knew better that Chen Gong's worry was not unreasonable.

Under such circumstances, once the soldiers slack off, it would be very difficult for them to get nervous again.

He gritted his teeth and shouted loudly: "Give me an order, and the three armies will speed up. You can throw away any unnecessary baggage, and only carry weapons. You must rush back to the prime minister before dawn. If there is any hesitation, procrastination, and those who shake the morale of the army, Kill on the spot, never forgive."

It seems that it can only be like this...

However, Cao Xing still gave some rewards, "After returning to the prime minister, each person will be rewarded with a liter of rice. Brothers, take a good rest after returning."

Chen Gong frowned, but then nodded again.

Although the food and grass in Xiapi is not sufficient, it can last for a while.

At least it can last for the next year... Now there are only more than 5000 people left, one liter of rice per person, that is, more than 500 buckets, a total of fifty hu.

With this amount of consumption, Xiapi can still hold on.

If spending these fifty dendrobium rice can make 5000 people return to the prime minister as soon as possible, it is not considered a loss.

But the luggage that was just discarded outside Quyang City was more than five hundred, five thousand?So Chen Gong didn't speak to stop Cao Xing.

One liter of rice per person does not sound like much.

However, one must know how astonishing the price of food in Xiapi is now. It is not a small temptation to get a liter of rice and at least a full meal.

After the soldiers heard this, their marching speed increased significantly.

After midnight, there were only fifteen li left to go to the prime minister.

Cao Xing ordered people to rush back to the prime minister, and informed the officials of the prime minister to close the camp and prepare meals to appease the soldiers from the long journey.

At the same time, Chen Gong was also preparing to say goodbye.

"Shulong, I won't go back to show off."

Cao Xing asked in astonishment, "Where is the military advisor going?"

"I took people back to Xiapi overnight to inform the prince, so that the prince can prepare early.

You stay behind and meet Wen Yuan... Remember, you must join Wen Yuan as soon as possible, and be ready when the time comes to stop Chen Deng's troops. "

Cao Xing nodded quickly and said, "Military commander, please don't worry, with Cao Xing around, Chen Deng will never be allowed to pass a single step."

Chen Gong smiled slightly, and bid farewell to Cao Xing on horseback.

He took Lu Ji and hundreds of people from the headquarters and hurried along the main road to Xiapi.After Cao Xing watched Chen Gong leave, he greeted the troops and accelerated their progress.

Back to the lower face, you must have a good night's sleep!
The drizzle was misty, and in the night, it was like a piece of water mist floating in the air, making the vision extremely blurred and not very clear.

From a distance, you can see the outline of the city in the lower phase.

There were no lights, and it was pitch black.

It gives people a strange feeling of lifelessness, which is even more creepy.

The gates are closed!
Cao Xing couldn't help frowning, and urged his horse to the bottom of the city, shouting loudly: "Who is on duty in the city, why don't you open the city gate quickly?"

"Where are the soldiers and horses under the city?"

"Cao Xing of a certain family, why did Zhou Kui come out of the city to meet him?"

"Ah, it's General Cao!"

On the top of the city, there was a flash of light, and soon the torches were connected together.

A small school poked his head out from the crenel of the archery tower and said in a very fluent Xiapi dialect: "Don't blame the general, the county magistrate of Zhou has been notified, but he is only worried about fraud, so he closed the city gate tightly. The county magistrate of Zhou is sorting out School field barracks, please wait a moment, general."

Cao Xing frowned, suppressed his anger, and reined in the city.

How did Zhou Kui become so careful this week?

Knowing that I'm back, why are the city gates closed?He looked back at the soldiers and horses behind him, and saw that the soldiers were in the wind and rain, their faces were blue, their arms were folded, and they were shivering.In this stormy day, it is really a painful wait.

After about half a stick of incense, the city gate was still not opened.

The soldiers whispered, and a commotion began...

Cao Xing got a little angry, and shouted sharply: "Listen, people in the city, no matter whether Zhou Wenlong was found or not, open the city gate for me immediately..."

"But……"

"If you want to talk about it again, the military law will serve you."

There was silence on the top of the city, and after a while, only a mess of sounds came from behind the city gate.

The heavy iron door creaked open.Cao Xing was a little impatient, and before the city gate was fully opened, he rushed towards the city gate on his horse.

But at this moment, there was a rush of horseshoes in the city gate.

The sound of hoofbeats, like gold and iron hitting the ground, seemed very rhythmic.A white shadow suddenly sprang out from the city gate, as fast as lightning, and came in front of Cao Xing.A dragon sparrow broadsword flashed in the flames, and fiercely slashed towards Cao Xing.

"Cao Shulong, Gan Ning has been waiting here for a long time!"

(End of this chapter)