Rejuvenation of the Han Dynasty in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 373

Cao Ang quickly picked up Yinshou and asked, "Why was General Cao captured by the thieves?"

Tan Ma replied: "The thieves hid on a small island in the lake and could not get out. When General Cao heard that Que Xuan had been killed, he sent people to recruit the bandit troops. Some of the surrender troops found the bandit's lair. General Cao sailed a boat to lead the troops to attack, but he failed. Unexpectedly, those thieves were very good at water and had many ships. General Cao’s warship was overturned, so..."

"Wen Lie is in danger!" Cao Xiu, Cao Hong's nephew, said urgently, "My lord, please send troops to rescue quickly."

Cao Cao came back to his senses and said: "I was about to entrust Yangzhou to Wen Lie, but I didn't expect that he was plotted by the thieves, so he quickly sent troops to Xuyi!"

Zang Bayan said: "After Chang Xi fled from Mount Tai, he defected to Chang Xi. With his ability, I think he will have a place in the bandit army. I would like to find someone to contact Chang Xi first and save General Cao. If If we can persuade him to come and surrender, I hope the Lord will take him in regardless of past suspicions."

"It's the best. As long as Wen Lie is safe, I will not only pardon Chang Xi's crime, but also give him a reward, so let's go at high speed." Cao Cao couldn't care less at this time, and hurriedly let Zang Ba go first.

Chen Jiao said at the side: "Wait a minute, my lord. General Wen Lie is well aware of strategy and has an elite army. The reason why he was defeated by the bandits is that our army is ignorant of water. Once they enter Fuling Lake, they will be useless. Bandits Relying on the ability to be strong on the water, if the lord wants to suppress the thieves, he needs to recruit people who are familiar with water to deal with it."

Cao Cao nodded and said, "Sir, what you said is true. This land of Jiujiang is full of water and lakes, and the people are familiar with the nature of water. After you enter the city, you will immediately issue a recruitment order to recruit soldiers. Those who are familiar with the nature of water will be given priority. Only the talents will be used, and the past will not be remembered. "

"Yes!" Chen Jiao accepted the order, summoned hundreds of soldiers outside the city, and ordered them to recruit troops in and around the city.

It was too late to even enter the city, so Cao Cao left Xiahou Dun to guard Shouchun, calm the people and clean up the river, while the rest of the generals immediately rushed to Xuyi.

Cao Xiu is a son of Cao Cao's family. Because Cao Cao recruited volunteers to ask Dong to join him, Cao Cao saw that he was brave and knew the strategy, so he ordered him to lead the Suwei camp. , Treat yourself like yourself.

This time he went south to Yangzhou and after taking Shouchun, Cao Cao thought that Cao Xiu was the most suitable candidate for Yangzhou shepherd, but he didn't expect that he would fall into the hands of Xiao Xiaoshui.

Cao Cao had just killed Que Xuan and his men, leaving no one behind. This time Cao Xiu was captured by the thieves.

Cao Cao and Cao Hong first brought Qingqi to Xuyi, and the prefect Xue Li entered the city, saying that Zang Ba had gone to the lake to negotiate with the thieves, but he has not returned yet.

Cao Cao had calmed down at this time, knowing that Cao Xiu was captured by the thieves, life and death were at stake, now that the troubles in Xiapi, Ruo Rong and Que Xuan, have been eliminated, the thieves in Fuling Lake must also be wiped out, otherwise it will be a disaster in the future.

After ordering the soldiers to rest first, Cao Cao and Xue Li discussed strategies to deal with the enemy and asked, "Que Xuan is dead and thousands of his tribe have been killed. How many water thieves are there in Fuling Lake that are so rampant?"

Xue Li replied: "This Fuling Lake is extremely vast. The locals also call it Pofutang. It was originally formed by clusters of small shallow lakes. Later, the Huai River rose and the Surabaya River converged. The lake gradually expanded. Among them, the swamp There are so many islands, reeds, and islands, and the thieves are hiding in them, it is really difficult to deal with, if General Wen Lie hadn't found out where the thieves' lairs are, he would not have dared to enter them easily."

Cao Cao frowned and said, "Wen Lie knows the art of war very well, how could he rush in alone and be taken by thieves?"

Xue Liyan said: "That Changxi was extremely cunning. He knew that a bandit had surrendered and his lair was not safe, so he secretly set up an ambush, but deliberately went to the surrounding areas to plunder. When he was discovered by General Cao, the water bandit pretended to be defeated and led him to the depths of the lake. , all the ambush troops came out, all of them were familiar with the water, and actually dug open the bottom of the boat under the water. Wen Lie was unable to guard against it. After falling into the water, he was captured by the thieves, and most of the men and horses were injured."

"What a cunning dog thief!" Cao Cao clenched his fist and cursed, and then said doubtfully: "When Chang Xi was in Mount Tai, his strategy was mediocre and nothing surprising. He is also a mountain thief, how can he be familiar with the nature of water? I'm afraid that behind his back There are people to help.”

Xue Li clasped his fists and said: "Minggong's words are very true! Quexuan has been gathering in Xiapi for several years. Officers and soldiers can't fight, and his power is growing. The person who fights is one man's ear. This person is called Chen Yu, who was worshiped by Quexuan as a marshal. Gao Qiang, who also knows the art of war very well, when Duke Ming came to Xuzhou, he killed Haoji and served as a county lieutenant."

Cao Cao was taken aback and twirled his beard and said: "Where does this person come from? Since he has such ability, why does he not want to serve the country and bring peace to the people, but instead helps thieves to cause chaos?"

Xue Li shook his head and said: "I have come to Xiapi, and I have only heard of this person's name in the service. I only know that he is also from Xuyi, but I can't find any information. Moreover, this person has never left the island. Que Xuan looted the pagoda this time. He has never participated in the temple, so it’s hard to imagine.”

"This is a weird person!" Cao Cao frowned and sighed, "I don't know what Chang Xi's status is in the bandit army. Xuan Gao went to persuade him to surrender. Can this person repent and not hurt Wen Lie, otherwise... Even if someone digs a lake to release water, he must kill all the culprits."

Xue Li said: "General Wenlie Jiren has his own destiny. Na Changxi came to Fuling Lake and was suppressed by Que Xuan many times. He was dissatisfied for a long time. Now that Que Xuan died, I expected Chang Xi to be happy. Na Chen Yu is not a person who kills indiscriminately, and he has never plundered people, so he must not be in danger for his life for the time being."

Cao Cao stroked his beard and said: "This is the best! No matter what, if you want to destroy these water thieves and restore peace to the place, you must use ships on the water, no matter how big or small. I have ordered people to recruit a navy army. Please handle this. If necessary, prepare more ships and recruit sailors on the spot as backup."

Xue Li clasped his fists and said: "The officials have ordered people to prepare for this matter. The Fuling Lake has been gathering here for many years. It used to take in the refugees before, but later it became a problem. The people in the Huai River area mostly rely on fishing and hunting in this lake. Because the thieves are in possession and dare not go there, now that Duke Ming has eradicated this trouble, he will gladly come to help, this is extremely fortunate for the people of Huainan!"

Cao Cao ordered Xue Li to prepare food, grass and warships, and coordinate the rear. On the second day, he led his troops to the Huai River and set up camps along the lake.

After the camp was set up, Cao Cao ordered Cao Hong to supervise the military affairs. The remaining generals were divided into several teams, each with ten small boats, and patrolled the water stronghold to prevent thieves from hijacking the camp.

At dusk, Zang Ba came upstream from the Huai River in a small boat. His face was slightly pale. It was obvious that he was not used to the rocking on the boat. He drank two bowls of water in the tent before he felt a little calmer.

When he saw Cao Cao, he shook his head and cursed: "A thief is a thief. He is a villain. He ignores his old feelings and is willing to become a thief. He will eventually become incompetent."

Cao Cao asked: "How is Wen Lie's safety?"

Zang Ba said: "Wen Lie was imprisoned on the island. This thief wants to exchange Wen Lie for money and food, but he hasn't discussed it properly with the thieves in the village for a while, and it is still under discussion."

"As long as they are willing to redeem people, that's a good thing!" Cao Cao breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Since that's the case, let's step up the training of the navy, see how the thieves behave, and then make sense."

Zang Ba gritted his teeth, clasped his fists and said: "When you enter the den of thieves, please make sure that the last general is the vanguard. I will kill this officer with my own hands."

Cao Cao nodded and said, "Chang Xi's parents are evil, and I will kill them."

(End of this chapter)