The Three Kingdoms Voyage

Chapter 169 Set Sail and Mix Sand

After Yang Xiu returned from Jiaozhou, he did not adopt the method suggested by Sun Shao. He felt that the method was too risky. The relatively safe way is to persuade Cao Zhi to follow Cao Cao on the westward expedition, wait for the opportunity to make meritorious service, and if he has credit and strength, even if he fails in the final struggle for an heir, at least he can save his life and wealth, and he will not be as arbitrary as Sun Shao said. People deal with it, and there is no power to fight back.

Things went smoothly. After Cao Zhi worked as a clerk by Cao Cao's side for a period of time, Cao Hong was defeated by Zhang Fei. The left army was not going well. At this time, Cao Zhi asked for support.Cao Cao didn't believe it at first, but he couldn't stand Cao Zhi's insistence, so he sent him.In order to be the first to win, Cao Zhi followed Yang Xiu's suggestion and took a risky fight. He led three hundred tiger soldiers assigned to him by Cao Cao to climb the mountain and cross the danger, and advanced more than three hundred miles. Fly back to Langzhong and stick to it.

This battle restored Cao Jun's advantage, and at the same time greatly increased Cao Zhi's status in Cao Cao's mind. He followed Cao Zhi with another surprise attack in an attempt to surprise the Jiange. Unfortunately, this time they were not lucky. They lost their way in the mountains. Discovered by Liu Bei's scouts, after a fight, Cao Zhi returned to Langzhong with only a dozen people left.Needless to say, the dangers along the way, Cao Zhi was injured, Cao Cao was surprised and happy when he heard the report, the surprise was that Cao Zhi was too adventurous and almost lost his life, and the joy was that he used soldiers as informally as he wrote articles. A stroke of surprise.Therefore, he ordered Cao Zhi to be Pingnan Zhonglang general, to preside over the battle of the left army, to be cautious, and not to do such dangerous things again.

From this order, Cao Zhi felt his father's love and affection for him, the pain he suffered was rewarded, and everything seemed very valuable, so he obeyed Yang Xiuyan, and he had a wonderful premonition about the war, But this premonition is very vague, and Yang Xiu needs to supplement it through precise analysis. The two complement each other and cooperate very tacitly.

Now he had this kind of premonition again, but Yang Xiu said that the problem might be with Xia Houyuan, General Zhengxi, not him, and he felt a little incomprehensible.

Yang Xiu put away the pieces on the chessboard one by one, and after thinking for a moment, he said: "Our army is supporting, and General Zhengxi is the main force. Zhang Fei sticks to Langzhong, and we basically have no possibility of advancing. Zhang Fei's The pressure is not great, he doesn't need to send out any surprise soldiers, he just needs to defend Langzhong City honestly. General Zhengxi's army is tight on the Deputy Jiange, he uses troops resolutely, and has always been in a hurry. This time, he will definitely attack the Jiange Liu Bei did not dare to relax at all, and his first priority was to deal with General Zhengxi. And..." Yang Xiu was silent for a moment: "General Zhengxi probably got angry this time."

Cao Zhi smiled, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, a little complacent.Xiahoudun and Xiahouyuan are both Cao Pi's cronies. Xiahoudun's son Xiahoumao and Xiahouyuan's son Xiahoucheng are both Cao Pi's best friends. The same is probably true of the Caos. They all have a better relationship with Cao Pi and do not tend to him.He was able to go out this time, because Yang Xiu persuaded Cao Hong.Cao Hong and Cao Pi had conflicts. For his own benefit, he was willing to give Cao Zhi a chance. Cao Hong was defeated by Zhang Fei this time, which was the chance Cao Hong gave him, and he seized this opportunity very well. Within a short period of time, he became Pingnan Zhonglang General, and he also had nearly ten thousand troops under him.His partial army suddenly emerged, but Xia Houyuan, who was the main force, was unable to break through the Jiange for a long time, and it was inevitable that he would get angry.

When people are in a hurry, they will inevitably show flaws.Yang Xiu also had his reasons for saying this.

"Then should we remind him?"

"A reminder, but don't be too sure." Yang Xiu smiled: "Let's just say it's the general's speculation, believe it or not."

Cao Zhi rolled his eyes and immediately understood what Yang Xiu meant. He stood up, sat in front of the desk, and wrote in a hurry. It didn't take long, and a letter was written. He handed it to Yang Xiu, and Yang Xiu read it. After taking a look, he raised his thumb and praised: "The general is really full of literary thoughts, every word is very good, I don't think I can change a single word."

Cao Zhi laughed: "Then Sun Fengxian might have written such an article?"

Yang Xiu shook his head: "He is just a warrior, how can he be compared with a general."

Cao Zhi blew on the ink and arranged for someone to send it out immediately. Then he smiled and said to Yang Xiu: "What's the use of being good at writing? A scholar without military merit is worthless. Although Sun Fengxian's literary talent is not as good as mine, what is his military merit?" I dare to expect it? Brother Dezu, I don’t know how boring it is to be obsessed with writing and writing until today.”

Yang Xiu frowned, but didn't speak.He thought of Kong Rong. Kong Rong was amazingly talented, knowledgeable, and well-written articles. Unfortunately, in front of the butcher knife, his knowledge and articles were of no use, and he only fell into the fate of a family.Cao Zhi is right, no military merit, no strength, no matter how good the literary talent is, it can only be used to express one's own pain, and cannot solve any practical problems.

……

Xia Houyuan received Cao Zhi's urgent letter, glanced at it, and dismissed it. He was very disapproving of Cao Zhi's self-righteous approach.You have only been fighting for a few days, and you dare to come and teach me how to do it.

Seeing that Xia Houyuan's expression was not right, Xia Hourong picked up the letter and looked at it, then put it on the case again: "Father, I think what Zijian said makes sense."

Xia Hourong is the fifth son of Xia Houyuan. He is only 13 years old this year. He is a child prodigy.Cao Pi admired him very much. Once he invited him to a banquet. There were more than a hundred guests. After looking at them one by one, and then inquiring again, the result was that there was no error, and everyone was shocked.Xiahouyuan's sons are all talents, and Xiahourong is the most favorite. Xiahouyuan has been fighting outside all year round, so he takes him with him to chat with him to relieve boredom.Hearing him say that now, he gave a rare smile: "Why do you say that?"

Xia Hourong looked at Xia Houyuan with big black and bright eyes, and smiled sweetly: "Father, Zijian can advance or retreat in this book."

Xia Houyuan rolled his eyes and understood what he meant.Cao Zhi was reminding him that Liu Bei might send someone to attack him. If this happened and Xia Houyuan was not prepared, it would be Xia Houyuan who wanted to die on his own and refused to be persuaded. If Xiahouyuan was prepared, it was because Cao Zhi had the foresight to help Xia Houyuan passed a difficult time.If Liu Bei didn't send people to attack, then he wouldn't be ashamed. It's always better to be careful in war, and there is no harm in being more careful.

"He's really hardworking." Xia Houyuan curled his lips and laughed to himself.

"Does father think this is a possibility?"

Xia Houyuan smiled lightly: "It's possible, of course it's possible, but Liu Bei is now guarding the Jiange to the death. Could it be possible that he can still spare his strength to sneak attack me?"

"You don't need a lot of people for a sneak attack." Xia Hourong shook his little head: "Zijian only used 300 people to intercept Zhang Fei's food road. If he wasn't familiar with the terrain, he might have succeeded in attacking Jiange. Father, You have to guard against it."

Xia Houyuan rubbed his chin, nodded, turned around and called Sima Guo Huai, and asked him to take 3000 people to meet the food delivery team.

"Father, just wait and ask for credit for Zijian." Xia Hourong said with a smile, showing the childishness unique to this age on his face.

"Are you sure he's right?"

"You have to ask for credit, right?" Xia Hourong nodded vigorously: "Father, Mr. Cao asked Zijian to make meritorious service. Haven't you seen his intentions? The two battles have shown that Zijian's ability to use soldiers can be counted on him." If you can't be established as an heir, you will also be an important general in the future. Now that he has taken the initiative to show his favor, why do you reject him thousands of miles away?"

"Is that appropriate?"

"It's appropriate. You're just telling the truth, and you're not vain. You don't have to worry about what Cao Gong will think." Xia Hourong said confidently: "Father, as Cao Gong's trusted minister, should report the real situation to Cao Gong."

"You don't like Zihuan?"

"It's not whether I like it or not." Xia Hourong shook his head: "It's Mr. Cao who doesn't like it. Otherwise, he should have had an heir in the 16th year of Jian'an. Why wait until now?"

Xia Houyuan thought for a moment, then nodded.

Two days later, Guo Huai sent back news that he had received the transport team more than 100 miles away. The transport team was being besieged by Huang Zhong and Wei Yan and was in danger. Fortunately, they arrived in time to save the food and grass. Huang Zhong and Wei Yan returned without success.Xia Houyuan was taken aback and was very grateful. Without saying a word, he immediately reported the incident to Cao Cao, and praised Cao Zhi's ability to predict the enemy like a god.

Cao Cao was overjoyed after receiving the report, and sent someone to praise Cao Zhi, asking him to guard against arrogance and impetuosity, and make persistent efforts. At the same time, he sent heavy troops to guard the food and grass, so as not to be attacked by Liu Bei again.

The sneak attack failed, and Liu Bei was very frustrated, so he had to grit his teeth and stick to it, eagerly waiting for news from the East.

Three days later, Zhuge Liang sent Fei Yi to escort a batch of grain and grass to Jiange. Liu Bei urgently summoned Fei Yi, "How is the situation in Chengdu?"

"The situation is critical." Fei Yi said straight to the point: "So far, all the grain stored in Yizhou has been transported to the front line, and no more grain will arrive before the autumn harvest."

Liu Bei's face darkened: "This amount of military rations can only last me for a month at most, and there are still three months until the autumn harvest. The remaining two months will let me do my best?"

Fei Yi bowed and gave a salute: "My lord, there is really no food in Chengdu. The military advisers have used all means to scrape the ground almost three feet away. Not only the food, but all the men in Chengdu who can serve as soldiers have been conscripted. Chengdu has no food." Soldiers."

"There's no reason for that." Liu Bei couldn't bear it any longer, and he was furious: "If you want soldiers but you don't have soldiers, you want food but you don't have food, do you want me to surrender to Cao Cao? You go back and tell Kong Ming..."

Fazheng coughed, and Liu Bei, who was furious, turned his head and glanced at him. Seeing that Fazheng was winking at him, he had no choice but to suppress his anger.Fa Zheng beckoned to Fei Yi, and Fei Yi hurried up to Fa Zheng and bowed to salute, "What orders does the general have?"

"Facing the current predicament, what is Kong Ming's arrangement?"

Fei Yi glanced at the terminally ill Fazheng, and sighed secretly. Zhuge Liang couldn't compare to Fazheng in Liu Bei's heart. If he was here, it would be impossible for Liu Bei to calm down with a cough.And only when the Fa is rectifying can we appreciate Zhuge Liang's good intentions.He leaned forward, his voice said whether it was loud or not, or whether it was small or not.

"The military adviser said that there is a shortage of soldiers and food right now, but Cao Cao has also reached the end of his crossbow. Whoever can persevere to the end will be the final winner. Moreover, Cao Cao's soldiers are exhausted, and Xu County and Yecheng are empty. Changes are inevitable. Maybe the turning point is just around the corner. In front of you."

Fazheng nodded, he knew all of this. "Is there a way to solve the matter of soldiers and food?"

"There is no way for soldiers, but there is a way for food."

"any solution?"

"Buy food from Jiangdong."

Fazheng and Liu Bei glanced at each other, feeling a little unreliable.Although Soochow's food supply is not as tight as Yizhou's, they don't have any extra food to support Liu Bei, and they are also preparing for a big war.Although they are allies, they have already cheated this ally many times. Sun Quan is willing to cooperate with him to send troops this time, it is for his own consideration, and it seems a bit too much to ask him for food.

"That's fine." Liu Bei gritted his teeth, with a rascal look on his face: "If he doesn't sell it to me, I'll defeat him, and he won't do well."

Fazheng smiled wryly, Liu Bei used this kind of shameless trick when he was in a hurry, but you still have to see if Jiangdong has food, he can't tighten his belt and bring you support.

"Does he have food?"

Fei Yi smiled: "There is food. The military division received news that Sun Shao and Bu Zhi pacified Jiaozhou last year and brought back a large amount of grain from Jiaozhou. They all became their spoils of war..."

Before Fei Yi could finish speaking, Liu Bei's eyes turned red: "Sun Quan's bastard!"

Fazheng also regained his energy, and he sat up with force: "Master, Kong Ming's plan is feasible. You can buy grain from Jiangdong, or borrow grain. They can help us tide over the difficulties. With grain, the army's morale will be improved." Once it is stable, we can stick to it for a longer period of time, waiting for the world to change."

Liu Bei rubbed his chin and said worriedly, "I'm afraid Sun Quan will take the opportunity to bite me. Once I buy this grain, I'm afraid all the money in Yizhou will go to Jiangdong."

Fazheng can't laugh or cry, what time is it, do you still want to bargain?I don't know if people are willing to sell it.Seeing his strange expression, Liu Bei also felt that he was thinking too much, so he could only laugh dryly: "Since Xiaozhi thinks it is feasible, it is naturally feasible."

Fei Yi heaved a sigh of relief, took out another brocade box from his bosom, and put it in front of Liu Bei with both hands: "My lord, this is a sharp weapon that the military advisor asked me to dedicate to my lord."

"Sharp weapon?" Liu Bei's eyes lit up. What he needs most now is a sharp weapon, but how many sharp weapons can there be in a brocade box?He opened it and saw that there was a beautifully carved copper pipe inside.He looked at Fei Yi suspiciously, "What's the use of this?"

"My lord, please take a look." Fei Yi fiddled with the brass pipe, and then handed it to Liu Bei. Liu Bei accepted it dubiously, and immediately showed surprise: "It's a good thing, it really is a good thing, it was made by a military adviser. s things?"

"Exactly." Fei Yi laughed.

"Hey, with this thing, we can predict the enemy's prophet, and we can take advantage of it." Liu Bei looked at it again and again, couldn't put it down, and finally handed the copper pipe to Fazheng. Fazheng glanced at it and nodded again and again : "It is indeed a sharp weapon. Kong Ming is really ingenious and full of ideas."

"Is this the only one?" Liu Bei looked Fei Yi up and down, as if he suspected that he still had something hidden on him.Fei Yi laughed: "This is the first one. The military division is stepping up to supervise the production. It is estimated that ten more will be delivered to the Lord within a month."

"Good stuff." Liu Bei rubbed his hands, a little excited: "Go back and let him hurry up, he can arrive earlier, and it will be effective one day earlier. In addition..." He thought for a while, waved his hand: "As soon as the stuff comes out, immediately Send one to Guan Yunchang and one to Zhang Yide, especially Guan Yunchang, with this thing, he may be able to go smoothly."

"Here." Fei Yi nodded yes.

……

"Sit." Sun Quan pointed to the opposite seat, motioned for Sun Shao to sit down, and then looked at Sun Shao's face with a smile: "How is it, how do you feel about going home?"

Sun Shao smiled and nodded: "Thank you for your concern, Supreme. I am out fighting, and what I miss the most is Supreme and my family, together with homesickness. I really can't sleep at night. When I got home yesterday, I finally slept peacefully."

Sun Quan smiled, will you miss me?Only ghosts of the heart believe in you. "You sleep peacefully at home, but we have been busy all night. I discussed your plan with Ziming and others, and I think this plan is very good. If it can be implemented smoothly, we will not only be able to strongly support Liu Bei, but also expand our strength. But... ..." Sun Quan stopped talking, and looked at Sun Shao intently: "There is a lot of difficulty in this."

Sun Shao raised his eyelids and looked at Sun Quan who was hesitant to speak, but did not speak.When Sun Quan said this, he looked like he wanted to set him up. He couldn't speak easily, otherwise he would definitely suffer.

Seeing that he was silent, Sun Quan had no choice but to continue: "Except for the Qingxu Navy, Xiahoudun has nearly 4 horses, including nearly 4 cavalry, and we only have more than [-] people, and there are no organized cavalry. Even if you We have defeated the Qingxu Navy, but once we go deep into the Jianghuai area, I am afraid we will not be able to win quickly."

Sun Shao nodded, but still didn't say a word, just listened quietly.

"Therefore, we feel that the most urgent thing right now is not Jianghuai, but Jingzhou. If Guan Yu can quickly defeat Cao Ren, he can go straight to Nanyang and approach Xu County. At that time, Cao Cao can only withdraw his troops from Hanzhong to guard the capital. "

"What does the supreme mean?" Sun Shao gradually heard the meaning. Sun Quan still didn't want to take any risks. He wanted Guan Yu to make a move first, and then see if he wanted to make a move according to the situation.If Guan Yu wins, either Xiahou Dun retreats, then he can take advantage of the emptiness and go straight to Jianghuai, or Cao Cao withdraws, then Liu Bei is also preserved, the entire strategic task is completed, and Jiangdong has no loss.In case Guan Yu loses, then what he thinks may be to give up Liu Bei directly, seize Jingzhou before Cao Cao, and prepare to protect Jiangdong.

"I'm going to send Sun Jiao to assist Guan Yu, but Sun Jiao and Guan Yu have been at odds for many years, I'm afraid they can't trust each other. Therefore, I hope you can go to Jingzhou to assist Guan Yu in fighting."

Sun Shao thought for a while: "That's why I have more than 1 sailors going? Is there anyone else to cooperate?"

Sun Quan shook his head: "The Zhendan Navy can't all go, I still need you to save some to help me guard the river. During this period of time, the generals lost a lot of ships. It is not easy for them to guard the river." He smiled, and said again: "Don't worry, I have arranged another trustworthy person to accompany you to Jingzhou. One is Zhou Xun, the other is Sun Huan, how about it?"

Sun Shao smiled, thinking that Sun Quan really had good intentions.On the one hand, the Sinian Navy was divided into two, and on the other hand, it was mixed with sand.Zhou Xun is his son-in-law-to-be, and Sun Huan is the military captain beside him, both of whom are his direct aides.However, these two people are related to him. Zhou Xun is his cousin, Sun Huan's father, Sun He, is his elder brother Sun Shao's uncle, and Sun Huan and Sun Shao are his brothers, that is, his own brothers. If I don't accept the two of them, I will offend the Sun clan and the Zhou family, and make people think that he is selfish and disregards family affection.In this era of extremely strong clan concepts, disregarding family ties is a very serious crime.

However, is it that easy to mix sand into the Aurora Navy?Sun Shao smiled faintly: "It all depends on the arrangement of the Supreme."

(End of this chapter)