Survival Three Kingdoms

Chapter 177 Is it a loyal minister or a traitor (1)

Shouchun has been tossed by Yuan Shu and the common people have nothing to cover their clothes and food.Ren Jun reported that he only found about [-] shi of grain and grass in the granary of the palace, and there were a lot of weapons and armor.

"My lord, Shouchun has come, and Yuan Shu is already a bereaved dog. He is no longer able to make waves. However, our army's encirclement and suppression will take a long time, and the food and grass of the army will not be sustainable. It is better to return the army. Just one general." Cheng Yu remonstrated.

Cao Cao deeply believed that the key reason was unspoken: natural disasters and Yuan Shu's plunder, the Huainan area has been tossed by Yuan Shu into a hell on earth, there is no food to eat, only meat!It's not that Cao Cao doesn't want to rescue these people from the fire and water, but that he can't afford it now, and may even drag himself to death.

Cao Cao left Li Tong to lead his troops and horses to add another [-] soldiers to guard Shouchun, and led the army back to Xuchang.During this southern expedition, Cao Cao received two generals, Xu Chu and Li Tong, with nearly [-] soldiers and horses, captured Shouchun, defeated Yuan Shu, and expanded the chassis to solve his worries.But losing his eldest son Cao Ang and his ideal successor made Cao Cao unhappy.

Back in Xudu, Cao Cao received a warm welcome, and his prestige and power increased rapidly. Even Kong Rong, who had always disliked Cao Cao, led the Confucian scholars to praise Cao Cao and criticize Yuan Shu for being rebellious. It is unforgivable, but they also complained that Cao Cao did not kill Yuan Shu completely.

The emperor Liu Xie became more and more worried that Cao Cao would be unfavorable to him, and began to plan how to get rid of Cao Cao and regain his power.Back home, Cao Cao received a cold reception. His wife, Ding Shi, was furious and asked why Cao Cao had lost her son.

After Lu Bu occupied Xuzhou, he was frightened by Hao Meng's rebellion, but since he married the Du family, it has been smooth sailing: first, Zang Ba of Langya expressed his willingness to join him, and Zang Ba had more than 1 soldiers; when Cao Cao attacked Yuan Shu, he responded by himself Cao Cao took advantage of the fire to loot, looted a lot of finances and food in Huaibei, and took in more than 1 Yuan Shu's remnant soldiers. Now he has nearly 5 people. Except for Guangling, Xuzhou is in his hands. Relying on Lu Bu was very relieved.

His wife Yan Shi also thinks that Du Shi is not only beautiful but also prosperous, and Lu Bu favors Du Shi more and more.The only regret is that no matter how hard Lu Bu tried, the Yan family, the Cao family and the Du family showed no signs of joy.

At the same time, Lu Bu was happy that he did not listen to Chen Gong's advice to marry Yuan Shu, but listened to the wise decision suggested by Chen Deng and Cao Hong. He trusted Chen Deng and Cao Hong, and alienated Chen Gong.However, he was still not very satisfied with the current situation and official position, so he called Chen Deng and Cao Hong to discuss countermeasures.

"Now, Cao Cao has defeated Yuan Shu. What should we do next?" Lu Bu asked.

"The general is brave and invincible, and Xuzhou has strong soldiers and horses. We should stick to Xuzhou to see the world." Cao Hong said.

"I think the general has done a lot for Cao Cao's defeat of Yuan Shu this time, and he should take this opportunity to present himself to the court and show his favor to Cao Cao," Chen Deng said.In order to protect Xuzhou and his family, Chen Deng was optimistic about Liu Bei and Yuan Shao at first, so he supported Liu Bei and went to Jizhou to lobby Yuan Shao to support Liu Bei.However, the current situation changed, Liu Bei was defeated and escaped from Xuzhou, Cao Cao developed rapidly, established Wancheng, defeated Yuan Shu, and managed Guanzhong, which made Chen Deng change his views.

"Otherwise, although Cao Cao won, his power is still weak, and don't forget that Yuan Shao will soon unify the north, and Yuan Cao will fight soon. We should stabilize Xuzhou and make plans after seeing the situation of Yuan and Cao." Cao Hong retorted. , "Cao Cao has always been hostile to me, Xuzhou, so we must guard against it. Besides, the general once attacked Yanzhou and forged a deep hatred with Cao Cao. How could Cao Cao treat the general well?"

"So to say that is to underestimate Cao Cao. The so-called one time and another time. At that time, it was all fighting for hegemony, and fighting was inevitable. Now that the emperor is in Xudu, what is wrong with us relying on the emperor? Cao Cao will also abandon the past."

Lu Bu heard that what both of them said made sense, who should he listen to?Lu Bu had dealings with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, and they were both deeply hurt by them, so he couldn't trust them both from the bottom of his heart.

After weighing carefully, he said: "Neither of the Yuan and Cao families can offend us, but we still have to ask for credit from the imperial court for this battle against Yuan Shu." It is to test Cao Cao's attitude, and if Cao Cao still holds grudges, he will immediately form an alliance with Yuan Shao.

"General, Chen Deng is willing to go to Xudu. Besides, the last time Yuan Shu sent Qiao Rui to come, he was still in Xuzhou. Why don't you escort him to the court and ask for credit together." Chen Deng said.

"Very good." Lu Bu said, and then said to Cao Hong who was not very happy: "This is the last time you advised me to keep Qiao Rui, and now it will come in handy."

Chen Deng escorted Qiao Rui to Xudu, and Cao Cao directly ordered Qiao Rui to be beheaded. Poor Qiao Rui somehow became a victim of the sword.Cao Cao had heard of Chen Deng's name for a long time, and summoned Chen Deng in the mansion: "Yuan Long is a wise man in Xuzhou, why did he commit himself to Lu Bu?"

Chen Deng smiled wryly and said, "I can't help myself. Since Duke Ming defeated Yuan Shu, why didn't he take advantage of the victory and march into Xuzhou?"

"I'm about to send troops to Xuzhou, but my soldiers are exhausted, and there are too many soldiers who have fallen and need to rest." Cao Cao dare not say that it is because of lack of food. "It's just that Lu Bu is brave, and his soldiers are fierce, especially the wolf cavalry in Bingzhou, who were trapped in the camp. Our army suffered a lot in the Battle of Puyang. Does Yuanlong have a clever strategy? Cao Cao stared at Chen Deng and said.

Chen Deng shook his head slightly, "After several battles, there are not many wolf cavalry left in Bingzhou. Although they have been supplemented, their combat power is not as good as before. I heard that Duke Ming formed a tiger and leopard cavalry, and Zhang Xiu defected to Duke Ming, and his iron cavalry also It is worthwhile, and these two men and horses are enough to deal with wolf riders. Hao Meng's rebellion has had a great impact on Lu Bu, and his opponents are no longer as trustworthy as before. There is no way to do it at all, and the combat power of the trapped camp without the leader will be halved."

Chen Deng went on to say: "Not only that, Lu Bu is very suspicious now, and only a few people like Wei Xu can be trusted. Cao Hong is reused by Lu Bu, and Chen Gong is becoming more and more distant. His generals Zhang Liao and Gao Shun are not around, but most of them are Hou Cheng and Cheng Lian are greedy and murderous people."

Cao Cao was ecstatic in his heart. He saw Chen Deng in his eyes and was happy in his heart. If what Chen Deng said was true, it would indeed be a good thing. "Who does Lu Bu form an alliance with?"

(End of this chapter)