Lu Bu's strongest strategy

Chapter 137 Doubt

In fact, when Xun Yu didn't say what he wanted, Cao Cao knew what he wanted to say. When he was in Runan, Xun Yu had expressed his thoughts several times, but the conditions did not allow it.

Cao Cao sighed, "Wen Ruo, you heard what everyone said today. If you want to welcome the emperor, you will encounter many difficulties."

Xun Yu shook his head and said slowly, "My lord, the reason why Jin Wengong was able to dominate back then was because he escorted King Zhou Xiang back to Luoyi.

Xiang Yu was tyrannical, invincible and powerful, but it was also because he killed Emperor Yi that he lost the hearts of the people.

When Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty crusaded against Xiang Yu, he also took advantage of this incident, which made the world return to his heart and punished Xiang Yu.

And now that the emperor is in trouble, it is the best opportunity. As long as you take the lead in raising the banner of King Qin, countless people will support you immediately.

My lord, go to meet the Son of Heaven, there is no harm at all, why not take advantage of the trend? "

When Cao Cao heard Xun Yu's words, he couldn't help but nodded secretly, wanting to agree, but after thinking about it again, his brows frowned.

The things Xun Yu said are indeed very reasonable, but the current conditions do not allow it.

Thinking of this, Cao Cao said with a wry smile, "Wen Ruo, I also want to meet the emperor, but you have seen the current situation. The battle with Lu Fengxian caused heavy losses. If you don't recover your strength first, you will lose again when you meet the emperor. There will be no power back."

Xun Yu shook his head, "My lord, although Li Dun's two thieves have many troops, they are absolutely impossible to be the opponent of the lord. They may suffer heavy losses in this battle, but I believe that they will be able to meet the emperor smoothly."

Cao Cao sighed, "Wen Ruo, this matter is important, let me think about it again."

Xun Yu sighed inwardly, cupped his hands, turned and left.

Cao Cao looked at Xun Yu's back, and frowned even tighter. After a long time, he said loudly to the guard outside the door, "Go quickly, and invite Mr. Zhong De to come here."

"As ordered."

Not long after, Cheng Yu came in from the door, "I have seen the Lord."

Cao Cao nodded and said slowly, "Zhongde, Wen Ruo came here just now."

Cheng Yu frowned slightly, and asked tentatively, "My lord, Wen Ruo wants to persuade you to meet the emperor?"

Cao Cao nodded, "That's right, but what he said makes sense, Zhong De, what do you think?"

Cheng Yu shook his head, "My lord, welcoming the emperor is indeed very beneficial to us, but compared to the disadvantages, I am afraid it will be bigger, so I do not recommend welcoming the emperor."

Hearing this, Cao Cao sighed again when he thought of the people around the emperor.

Cheng Yu continued, "My lord, there are too many important ministers around the emperor, if we are strong enough to overwhelm everyone, my lord will have more say in the court.

However, the strength of our army is now damaged. Once we go forward, we will definitely lose our soldiers and lose our generals.

Therefore, I believe that even if you want to meet the emperor, you have to wait until you are strong enough before you can do it. "

Cao Cao nodded, thinking about what Cheng Yu said, and said slowly, "Zhongde, since this is the case, we should go to Xuzhou to restore our strength as soon as possible."

……

Xun Yu went back to his big tent, thinking about this all the time, even though he didn't sleep all night, he looked a bit haggard.

Early the next morning, Xun Yu heard the sound of marching horns from outside, and hurried out of the tent, just in time to see Xiahou Dun.

"General Xiahou, are we leaving?"

"Yeah, you have to go early."

Xun Yu tried his best to suppress his excitement, "General Xiahou, my lord has sent an order, where are we going?"

"Xiao Pei's direction."

After Xiahou Dun said this, he had already walked away, and Xun Yu stood there in a daze, his face a little pale.

It's Xuzhou!
Not Luoyang.

……

Xuzhou.

Ten miles away from Xiaopei, there was a temporary pavilion guarded by soldiers. In the pavilion, there was a person sitting in the pavilion. It was Xuzhou Mu Liubei.

Behind him stood Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, while Cao Bao stood aside with his hands down, looking into the distance.

Not long after, dust was flying in the distance, and a group of soldiers and horses rushed out of the dust and came towards this side.

Cao Cao led the army not far away and ordered the army to stop. He looked at the pavilion in the distance. He did not go to meet Liu Bei immediately, but waited for the news from the spies.

"My lord, Xuzhou soldiers and horses are stationed 5 miles away, and there are only more than 100 guards around the pavilion."

Hearing the news from the spies, Cao Cao was relieved, and rushed to the front of the pavilion with Cheng Yu, Xiahou Dun, Xu Chu, and more than 100 guards.

When Liu Bei saw Cao Cao coming, he hurried out of the pavilion, "Mr. Cao, long time no see, you still have the same demeanor."

Cao Cao smiled slightly and said, "Xuande, please forgive me for disturbing you today."

Liu Bei hurriedly cupped his hands, "Mr. Cao, it's been hard work from afar, please come in and talk."

A group of people walked into the pavilion and sat down separately. Cheng Yu took the lead and cupped his hands, "Liu Shijun, our army has been defeated by Lu Bu now, and I don't know if it is possible to settle in a certain place in Xuzhou."

Liu Bei nodded, "Little Lv Bu helped the evildoers and confuses the government. He is a great enemy in the world, and now he has come to Yanzhou again, which makes people feel uncomfortable.

Although a certain person is unable to attack Lü Bu'er, it is his duty to resettle Duke Cao. "

Cheng Yu smiled slightly, "Liu Shijun, I don't know how to arrange for my lord?"

Cao Bao hurried forward and said with a smile, "Now that Xuzhou is dilapidated and a thousand things are waiting to be rebuilt, why don't you invite Mr. Cao to Xiaopei? What do you think?"

Hearing this, Cheng Yu frowned, "Cao Xiang, Xiaopei is only a county, isn't it too small?"

Cao Bao hurriedly waved his hands, "Mr. Zhongde, Liu Shijun also knows that he is neglecting Mr. Cao, but?"

Speaking of this, Cao Bao sighed with a wry smile, "Since Cao Gong came to Xuzhou, I will not hide it. Cao Gong attacked Xuzhou twice, which made the people of Xuzhou dissatisfied. If you go to Xuzhou now, I am afraid it will be very bad for your reputation. unfavorable.

Therefore, it is better to stay in Xiaopei for the time being, and it will not be too late to move to Xuzhou after the people of Xuzhou get used to it. "

Hearing Cao Bao's words, Cheng Yu had nothing to say, because they were all facts.

Cao Jun attacked Xuzhou twice and did too many things that people and gods worked together. It would be a bit inappropriate to go to Xuzhou now.

Cao Cao nodded when he heard what the two said, and then cupped his hands at Liu Bei, "In that case, thank you Xuande."

Seeing that Cao Cao agreed, Liu Bei was overjoyed and heaved a sigh of relief.

Cao Cao has a strong army and a strong horse. If he does not agree, things will be really difficult in the future.

The most important thing is that although he has occupied Xuzhou, Xuzhou's soldiers and horses have not been fully grasped. Once the two sides start a war, maybe their own side will lose more.

Since Cao Cao agreed, everyone is naturally happy.

"Mr. Cao, I've wronged you. Wait a minute. I'll send someone to bring some food. Please don't delay."

How could Cao Cao refuse the food that was brought up, and hastily handed it over, "Thank you Xuande."

After finishing speaking, Cao Cao was about to turn around and leave, when Cao Bao suddenly turned around and cupped his hands at Liu Bei, and said, "Emissary Liu, Mr. Cao is here, and he is not familiar with the place. Why don't you ask me to lead the way so that you can enter the city more easily."

Hearing this, Liu Bei frowned slightly, his eyes flickered with displeasure, but he still nodded, "If that's the case, please trouble Cao Xiang."

Cao Bao cupped his hands again, and then made a gesture of please to Cao Cao, "Mr. Cao, please."

Cao Cao nodded, stood up, and returned to his camp with Cao Bao and others.

Cao Bao came to Cao Jun's camp and carefully looked at Cao Jun's situation.

At this moment, Cheng Yu suddenly walked over with a smile, "Mr. Cao, look at the momentum of our army."

Hearing the question, Cao Bao nodded hastily, "I have heard for a long time that Duke Cao's subordinates are powerful in battle, but seeing them today, they really deserve their reputation."

What Cao Bao said was by no means a compliment, but his sincere words.

When the million yellow scarves came to Yanzhou, they were defeated by Cao Cao, and a large number of young men were selected from them to form the famous Qingzhou soldiers.

With these Qingzhou soldiers, Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou twice, so that he was invincible, and Xuzhou's soldiers retreated steadily.

After the battle between Cao Cao and Lu Bu, although he lost his troops and generals, when he arrived in Runan, he conquered a large number of Yellow Turbans, and selected a large number of young and strong soldiers from them to supplement the army.

Therefore, almost all the soldiers under Cao Cao's command are young and strong, and they can be said to be powerful in combat.

Cao Bao is the leader of the army, and he can understand the gap between Cao Jun and Xuzhou soldiers with just one glance.

Cheng Yu smiled slightly, "Mr. Cao, since you've come to the barracks, you should take a good look around."

Following Cao Cao's order, the army immediately set off and headed in the direction of Xiaopei.

Xiaopei is not far from here, half an hour later, the soldiers came to report.

"My lord, Xiao Pei is already in front of me."

Hearing the report from the soldiers, Cao Bao hastily bowed his hands to Cao Cao, "Mr. Cao, please wait a moment. I'm going to prepare here."

When Cao Bao left, Cheng Yu came to Cao Cao's side, lowered his voice, and said with a smile, "My lord, we want to take Xuzhou, the way is this person?"

Cao Cao was taken aback, turned his head to look at Cheng Yu, and suddenly realized, "Zhongde, do you mean that?"

Although these words were not finished, Cheng Yu already understood the meaning and nodded with a smile.

"If you can get the help of this person, it will be easy to win Xuzhou."

Hearing this, Cao Cao turned his head and looked at the back of Cao Bao who was going away, with a meaningful smile on the corner of his mouth.

Liu Bei was sitting in the big tent of the Chinese army. Although his face was still full of smiles, there was a trace of displeasure and vigilance deeply buried in his eyes.

"Please don't drive me to see you."

"Let him in."

Soon, Mi Zhu came in from the door, and when he saw Liu Bei, he saluted, "I have met Liu Shijun."

Liu Bei nodded, "Zizhong, it's so late, haven't you rested yet?"

Mi Zhu's younger sister married Liu Bei, so although the relationship between the two is superior and inferior, they also have a deeper relationship.

In front of outsiders, Liu Bei would call Mi Zhu's official position, and when the two met, they would call each other by more intimate titles.

However, Liu Bei can do this, but Mi Zhu cannot.

"Liu Shijun, Prime Minister Cao is going to Cao Ying. I'm afraid he has other plans."

The relationship between the two of them is different, so Mi Zhu didn't shy away from anything, and directly expressed the doubts in his heart.

Liu Bei waved his hand, "Zizhong, you are suspicious, what are Prime Minister Cao's plans?"

Mi Zhu suddenly sneered, "Emissary Liu, Prime Minister Cao is going to Cao Ying this time, I'm sure I have something shameful to say, so I have to guard against it!"

Before Liu Bei could speak this time, Zhang Fei who was standing behind suddenly yelled, "Could it be that Cao Bao wants to join Cao Cao?"

Liu Bei's face sank, "Yide, don't talk nonsense."

Zhang Fei scratched his head and muttered, "But that's what Mi Biejia meant. He can say it, why can't I?"

Mi Zhu nodded, "Although General Zhang's remark is reckless, it is true. Mr. Liu has a kind heart and will not doubt it, but he must guard against it. Once something happens, it will be too late to regret."

Liu Bei stared deeply at Mi Zhu, and asked slowly, "So, how should we deal with it?"

Mi Zhu snorted coldly, "What Cao Bao relies on is just military power. As long as his military power is eliminated, even if he wants to, I'm afraid he will be powerless. Naturally, it will save a lot of trouble."

Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Zi Zhong, but if Prime Minister Cao's military power is cut, he will definitely feel dissatisfied, and maybe something bad will happen?"

Mi Zhu shook his head, "Emissary Liu, since Prime Minister Cao has no military power, even if he is dissatisfied, so what?"

Hearing this, Zhang Fei couldn't help it anymore, and said loudly, "I don't think it's so troublesome, just get rid of him, and it's done once and for all, wouldn't it be easier."

"shut up."

Liu Bei's expression changed, and he scolded Zhang Fei angrily, "Stop talking."

In fact, Liu Bei also doubted Cao Bao's intentions very much, and he wanted to get rid of Cao Bao even more to prevent it from happening.

However, things are not that simple, Cao Bao is not alone.

Cao Bao's family is very powerful in Xuzhou, otherwise, Tao Qian would not have appointed Cao Bao to be in charge of the entire army, and it was precisely because of the strength and influence of his family that he made this decision.

Not long after Liu Bei took this position, if he got rid of the high-ranking and powerful Cao Bao, it would definitely attract retaliation, and then the bad things would start.

Therefore, even if he wanted to do this in his heart, he absolutely couldn't do it, otherwise it would cause more trouble.

Cao Cao is the most obvious example. He got rid of Bian Rang and wanted to suppress the Yanzhou aristocratic family, but unfortunately, these aristocratic families united to attract Lu Bu, which led to Yanzhou's defeat and was driven out.

How could Liu Bei make such a mistake?

Mi Zhu naturally wouldn't, so he just suggested removing Cao Bao's military power, not eliminating him.

After pondering for a long time, Liu Bei said slowly, "Zi Zhong, this matter can only be solved slowly, and you must not be impatient, otherwise it will cause even greater trouble."

Mi Zhu hurriedly cupped his hands, "I understand."

After saying this, Mi Zhu turned around and withdrew from the Chinese army tent.

Liu Bei looked at Mi Zhu's back and suddenly sighed.

He originally thought that everything would go smoothly after taking the position of Xuzhou, but he never expected that the tyrannical Cao Jun would be defeated, which also made him feel deeply alert and uneasy.

(End of this chapter)