Riding and cutting the imperial pirates of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 607
Cao Cao pondered for a while, then nodded slightly: "That means we still have half a year to prepare."

"Half a year, it's not short, but it's not long." Cheng Yu on the side said, "As for Yuan Shao's attack, which route he will choose depends on how he views the lord."

"how do I say this?"

"Yuan Shaoruo regards the lord as a great enemy, so he will plan slowly and steadily, from north to south, first conquer Yanzhou, occupy Dongjun, Chenliu and other places one by one, and then march westward, approaching Yingchuan .”

Cheng Yudao: "If one thinks highly of oneself and underestimates the enemy with arrogance, he will choose a quick battle and finish his work in one battle. Then it is most likely to send troops directly from Yecheng, cross Hanoi and go down to Henan, bypass Chenliu, and go straight to Xudu!"

At this time Sima Yi had already laid out the map under Cao Cao's signal. When Cheng Yu spoke, Cao Cao was drawing the map on the table with a pen, and smiled mockingly:
"Brother Benchu, why did you put me in your eyes? You took it for granted that once you mobilize troops, you can easily catch me!"

"According to what Zhong De said, he should choose the second route."

"Since that's the case, I dare to advise you," Cheng Yu bowed slightly, "my lord should do two things as soon as possible."

"Cao Cao looked sideways at Cheng Yu: "Which two things? "

"First, take Hanoi County into the bag first."

"Zhang Yangsu, the prefect of Hanoi, was at odds with his lord. When Lv Bu attacked Yanzhou, he led his army to Dongshi, where he and Lv Bu were at odds. If Yuan Shao came to attack, Zhang Yang would definitely follow him. If he didn't resolve it in advance , must be a hidden danger!"

"It makes sense."

Cao Cao slapped the table and shouted: "I have long thought that this guy is not very pleasing to the eye. A man without virtue and incompetence dares to steal the Sima's position with a little merit. The ancients said that if virtue is not worthy, there will be disasters. It is right to deal with it." today!"

"As for the second thing, it is to form strong support from outsiders."

Cheng Yu said: "Yuan Shao has raised [-] infantry and [-] cavalry in his attack on Gongsun Zan this time. In the future, if he attacks the lord, this number may be much higher. If we can't borrow external force, we can only rely on our own strength. Going forward to defend against the enemy, I am afraid that I will be powerless."

"Well"

Naturally, Cao Cao was very clear about his own strength, he was silent for a while, and then asked after a long while, "But where does Zhong De think I should go for help?"

Cheng Yu stroked the long beard under his lips, squinted his eyes slightly, pointed to the northwest corner of the map and said, "Of course it is here!"

"Liangzhou?"

Cao Cao was startled when he heard the words, but immediately realized, he blurted out, "Han Sui?"

"It's General Zhenxi."

Han Sui, courtesy name Wenyue, was born in Jincheng County, Liangzhou. Speaking of which, the life of this man is actually quite legendary.

He was originally engaged in Liangzhou. In the first year of Zhongping (184), the Qiang Beigong Boyu rebelled and invaded the frontier. Han Sui was defeated and captured.

This was nothing at first, what's so strange about being a prisoner?

But the problem is that no one knows (because there is no record in the history books), Han Sui, a prisoner, was doing what he was doing, but within a few years he changed himself and became the leader of the Qiang people.

From a prisoner to a master, this counterattack is really unbelievable.

It was also from this time that Han Sui's name really became famous.

In the second year of Zhongping (185), Han Sui and Bian Zhang led tens of thousands of cavalry to invade Sanfu under the banner of killing eunuchs, and invaded the Yuanling. And Zhonglang conquered Dong Zhuo, but instead of quelling the rebellion, the strength of Han Sui and others was further expanded, with [-] people, and the world was shocked.

In the fourth year of Zhongping (187), Han Sui launched a mutiny and beheaded several other leaders of the Qiang people, including Bian Zhang, Li Wenhou and Beigong Boyu, and officially became the only leader of the Qiang people. The rebellion marched to surround Longxi, and Ma Teng, a Fufeng man, also responded at the same time. The two joined forces to attack Sanfu with great momentum.

For unknown reasons later, Han Sui and Ma Teng suddenly fell out (later analysis, it is very likely that Han Sui wanted to play another internal fight and annexed Ma Teng's trilogy, but failed.) Then they attacked each other, so their power gradually weakened. In the third year of Chuping, the two returned to the imperial court respectively. They appointed Han Sui as the general of Zhenxi and sent them back to Liangzhou. Ma Teng was appointed as the general of Zhengxi and stationed in Mei.

In the first year of Xingping, Ma Teng came to court from Liangzhou and asked Li Jue some kind of personal request, but Li Jue did not agree, Ma Teng was furious, and immediately sent troops to attack Chang'an after returning to the station.

At this time, Han Sui, who heard the news, was quite righteous, and at the critical moment, he repaid his grievances with virtue, saying that everyone is from Liangzhou, and they should unanimously bring troops to help Ma Teng.

Although they were defeated in the end, Ma Teng was very grateful. The two not only resumed their friendly relationship, but even became brothers with different surnames.

That is to say, from this year, Han Sui officially became the local emperor who ruled Liangzhou. Although Ma Teng was always ranked ahead of Han Sui in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, at this time, no matter the power of soldiers and horses, or even his qualifications and prestige, Han Sui was the real one. big brother.

If there is anything inferior to Ma Teng, I am afraid that there is no one who will be famous as a "good son" in the future.

"Han Sui has some soldiers and horses, and if he is willing to send troops to help, Ma Teng will probably not stand idly by, but..."

Having said that, Cao Cao paused, and asked in a deep voice: "I don't have much friendship with Han Sui, how can I convince him?"

"If you can't move it with emotion, why not lure it with profit?"

Cheng Yu smiled slightly, "Besides, even if the lord has never had any contact with Han Sui, what's the point?"

"You can find a friend of Han Sui's and the like to make peace."

"That's a good idea."

Cao Cao pondered for a moment, then a flash of light flashed in his mind, "Could it be that the middleman you are referring to is Na Wei Duan?"

Wei Duan, whose name is Xiufu, is the shepherd of Liangzhou personally appointed by the imperial court, and everyone can see that Wei Duan must have been approved by Han Sui and Ma Teng, otherwise it is absolutely impossible to sit in this position for many years.

"That's right. In my opinion, my lord should send an envoy to Liangzhou to meet Wei Duan as soon as possible."

After pondering for a moment, Cao Cao clapped his hands and laughed, "Wonderful."

Cheng Yu's analysis is quite reasonable. If Wei Duan can be persuaded first, and then lured to benefit, it is indeed very likely that Han Sui and Ma Teng will be invited to send troops.

However, it may not be so easy to persuade Wei Duan, so the choice of this messenger is extremely critical.

"Then Zhongde thinks who should be envoy?"

"For an envoy to a foreign country, his eloquence, courage, bearing, and image are all outstanding."

Cheng Yu said with a smile: "However, since we are going to see Wei Duan, in my opinion, the emissary still needs to meet an indispensable condition."

"Oh?"

Cao Cao asked in surprise, "What more conditions do you need?"

Before Cheng Yu could speak, Xun Yu who was at the side already said, "My lord, Wei Duan was born in Jingzhao Webster. His eyes are always higher than the top. Cheng Gong's intention is that it is best for the envoy to come from a noble family."

"Born in a family?"

Cao Cao frowned. The aristocratic family belongs to the noble family, but the noble family is not the same as the aristocratic family, and now it is not the two later generations of the Jin Dynasty. The benchmark for "aristocratic family" is not so clear, and everyone has different standards.

For example, in the eyes of Wang Zheng, the Lujiang Zhou family, the Langya Wang family, etc. are considered first-class families, but in the eyes of Xun Yu, they may not be qualified.

It was precisely because he knew that Xun Yu had high demands that Cao Cao was a little bit troubled. Now that he has just become powerful, he has a lot of talents under his command, and most of them are from noble families. Not much.

And most of these few qualified people are not suitable to be envoys, such as Xun Yu.

Because Cao Cao is worried, this is his Xiao He!

Who else but Xun Yu?
Who else can afford to be born in an aristocratic family, but also possess many conditions such as eloquence, courage, bearing, and image?
After thinking for a long time, Cao Cao couldn't think of any suitable candidate. When he was frowning, Xun Yu suddenly said, "My lord, I want to recommend someone who may be worthy of use."

"who?"

"Censor Zhong Cheng Zhong Yao."

"Zhong Yao?"

Cao Cao had some impressions of this name. In the third year of Chuping, Cao Cao sent an envoy to Chang'an for the first time after he became the shepherd of Yanzhou to write a letter. As a result, Li Jue and Guo Si suspected Cao Cao's intentions, so they discussed detaining the envoy and rejected his goodwill. At the critical moment, it was Zhong Yao who came forward to persuade them to dispel their thoughts, and also kept Cao Cao's connection with the court and Emperor Xian alive, paving the way for the future to please the emperor.

Later, when Emperor Xian wanted to escape from Chang'an, it was Zhong Yao and Shang Shulang Han Bin who planned together, so that Emperor Xian could return to the east successfully, so this person's talent and courage should be no problem.

As for his background, Zhong Yao was born in the Zhong family among the four surnames in Yingchuan. "There are many strange scholars in Ruying". Undoubtedly top class.

Zhong Yao was indeed in full compliance with the conditions, but Cao Cao still hesitated, because in name Zhong Yao was not his vassal at this time, and in fact he had never served him as the master, so he asked with some uncertainty: "Wen Ruo, how can I help you?" Can people be trusted?"

Seeing that Xun Yu smiled calmly and didn't answer immediately, Cao Cao suddenly reacted, slapped his head suddenly, and immediately stood up: "I should have worried too much."

Then he turned his eyes to Xun Yu, and said in an extremely sincere tone: "Wen Ruo recommends someone who has both ability and political integrity, and is worthy of great use! Let's make a decision and let Zhong Yao go to Liangzhou as an envoy."

Xun Yu still looked calm, but bowed slightly, "My lord sees clearly."

Sima Yi took a panoramic view of this scene, couldn't help but thought about it, and immediately came to his senses, and hurriedly lowered his head slightly to hide the flickering light in his eyes.

As a result, Cao Cao happened to find him the next moment.

"Zhongda, just now what Zhongde said, connecting Liangzhou outside and Hanoi inside is the top priority, but other than that, the general thinks there is one more place that needs some action, do you know where it is?"

Another place?
Sima Yi's heart moved, he looked up at Cao Cao, and said with a serious face: "The general said, could it be Nanyang?"

"Haha."

Cao Cao looked at Sima Yi with admiration; "If you are smart and quick-witted, you can guess what the general is thinking, and you are also aware of the recent changes in this place. Let's talk about it. If you want to capture Nanyang, at least how much money will you need?" Centaur? What are the chances of winning?"

"If you want to take Nanyang, first take Bowang. If Bowang falls, Nanyang will surrender without a fight."

Sima Yi pondered for a moment, and said: "Kunyang is only a few hundred miles away from Bowang, and there are two counties in the middle, both of which are small towns. The only trouble is that there are several rivers blocking the way. Bowang doesn't need too many troops, ten thousand is enough, as long as the master uses the right method, he will be able to conquer this city in as little as three days or as many as seven days!"

"When Bowang fell, Nanyang surrendered without a fight?" Cao Cao smiled and asked, "Why?"

"The current governor of Nanyang is Zhang Xiu, who was also from Liangzhou. The soldiers and horses under his command were originally owned by his uncle Zhang Ji. Zhang Ji attacked Nanyang because of the lack of food in the army. As a result, he was killed by the arrows of the Jingzhou army. Now he has a deep hatred. Zhang Xiu did not take revenge, but turned to Liu Biao to act as a shield against foreign enemies for him, why?"

Sima Yi said solemnly: "Because it was freezing cold at that time, the army lacked food and clothing, and there was no other way out except to surrender to Liu Biao. This is called the situation, so Zhang Xiu's attachment this time may not be out of sincerity.

"Take a ten thousand step back, Zhang Xiu doesn't hate Liu Biao. Liu Biao considers himself a celebrity, and it is impossible for Zhang Xiu to gain his trust due to his background. Therefore, I have the courage to take a broad view, if we can conquer Bowang, we only need to send one capable envoy, and we can say that Zhangxiu will be surrendered and used by the general, so that the rest of Nanyang's cities will be conquered without a fight."

After listening to Sima Yi's eloquent talk, Cao Cao was noncommittal, took out a map of Jingzhou and put it on the case, and beckoned Sima Yi to come forward: "As you said, Bowang is the east gate of Wancheng, and there must be heavy troops stationed there. Zhongda, tell me how to conquer the city in seven days with 1 horses?"

"If you want to gain great reputation, there are two places you must guard against."

"Which two places?"

"To the north of Bowang is Xi'e, which is the west gate of Wancheng. Although the city is not big, at least thousands of soldiers and horses will be stationed there. It must be guarded against; to the southeast of Bowang is Wuyin City. The guard Cai Heng was born in the Cai family of Xiangyang. , are Liu Biao's relatives, who deliberately stayed in Nanyang to check and balance Zhang Xiu, there must be a lot of soldiers and horses stationed, if we see our army invading, they may rush to help."

"That's right." Cao Cao nodded, "Since that's the case, how can you defend against the three enemies? And the ones who went south with Zhang Ji's nephew last year were all Bingzhou elite cavalry, which can be called the strongest soldiers in the world. There are at least five or six thousand people in Bingzhou."

"With 1 horses, you have to fight hard to strengthen the city and strengthen the army, and you have to be distracted to guard against two foreign enemies. How do you deal with it?"

"The law of war says that since ancient times, attacking the heart is the top priority, and attacking the city is the bottom. In all battles, use righteousness and surprise to win."

Sima Yi said confidently: "As a minister, if you want to gain great reputation, you can only win by outsmarting, and you only want to fight quickly. You can't attack by force, which is not good for lasting."

Cao Cao glanced at Sima Yi with a half-smile, and continued to ask, "How to outwit him?"

"These 1 horses should be divided into two thousand first, bluffing, and placed in Wuyin." Sima Yi paced forward, and tapped Wuyin's position on the map, "Threatening Cai Heng."

"Zhang Xiu fought with the Jingzhou army for several months last year, and now the time for surrender is still short. Naturally, there is still a gap between the generals and soldiers of the two armies. If there is no external aggression, Cai Heng may send troops to ask for help if there is no foreign aggression. If Yin is threatened, he will immediately return to the city."

This is a good idea, Cao Cao nodded in approval, and asked, "What about Xi'e?"

(End of this chapter)