Xiaoqi

Fortunately, in less than a cup of tea, the four of Li and Li found a very secluded cave, which could accommodate more than ten people to take shelter from the rain.

"Chucky!"

On the bonfire, the dead branches soaked by the heavy rain are not easy to burn, and there is a chirping sound. The fire is not strong, but the black smoke is not small.

The four of Li Li, who had changed into clean clothes, were sitting around the bonfire. Li Li and Guo Jia each drank the spirits contained in the water bags to keep out the cold, while Huan Fei and Li Zhi took out the dough cakes they had prepared to wear. Bake on sticks.

After taking a sip of Jiuquan fine wine, Guo Jia's fair cheeks showed a rosy glow, and his expression gradually returned to normal.Afterwards, he whispered to Li Li: "This subordinate is puzzled about something, so I ask the lord to enlighten me. I don't know why the lord insists on coming to Xuzhou?"

"Yeah." Li Li nodded with a smile, and said with a smile, "I'm afraid Fengxiao wanted to ask this question a long time ago. He resisted asking along the way and didn't ask it until he arrived in Xuzhou. It's hard for Fengxiao."

"My lord's words are serious. The subordinates are the lord's ministers, and they should act according to the lord's will. How can they obstruct the lord's whereabouts at will." Guo Jia replied solemnly.

Li Li nodded happily, and said with a smile: "This trip to Xuzhou has no special purpose, it is purely a whim of mine, a temporary act. The battle between Cao Cao and Tao Qian in Xuzhou is the most eye-catching battle among the states in the Central Plains right now. , the princes from all walks of life sat on the wall and watched, waiting for the success or failure of the two of them, and some even hoped that they would lose both in the fight, and then sit back and reap the benefits of the fisherman.

Prior to this, the six counties of Xuzhou were one of the few rich places in the Central Plains. Among them, the two counties of Donghai and Guangling were the most fertile places in the world. They were peaceful and prosperous, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment.However, under the flames of war, Xuzhou, which was once regarded as a peaceful paradise in the Central Plains, has no longer looked like peace.

It can be seen from this that in troubled times, it is not easy to be alone and guard the people. Xuzhou Tao Qian is a living example.Compared with Xuzhou, the goal I want to achieve in Xiliang's prefectures and counties is the peaceful Xuzhou before. Maybe we can't achieve the prosperity of the six counties of Xuzhou, but we can try our best to maintain the hard-won peaceful days in Xiliang.

Just look at how Xuzhou has been decadent, and you will know what we should do in the future.Be prepared for danger in times of peace, prepare your troops hard, actively train your soldiers, and never relax; when the battle comes in the future, our Xiliang army will be defeated if it does not move, and it will win if it moves! "

After a brief explanation, Li Li took a sip of the spirits, and then revealed the real purpose of his trip to Xuzhou: "The four of us have no special intention to transfer to Xuzhou this time, and we don't need to pay attention to the situation in Xuzhou, because the situation is already very serious. It's clear. Although Xuzhou is an important town in the Central Plains, it is located in the corner of the East China Sea. It is easy to attack and difficult to defend. It is far away from Xiliang. It has nothing to do with us right now. If we want to capture Xuzhou in the future, we only need to wipe out the surrounding counties. With the army under pressure, Xuzhou will naturally be able to fight.

I have only one purpose in coming to Tancheng, and that is to see the three brothers Cao Cao, Liu Guan and Zhang in Yanzhou with my own eyes.As for these four people, I have long wanted to have a meeting with them, but I was too tired to sit in Xiliang, and I was entangled in all kinds of things, so I didn't have the chance to see them; this time I went south just because I had a chance to taste my long-cherished wish, so I naturally decided to stop by and have a look.Fortunately, this trip was worthwhile for me. When I first arrived in Xuzhou, I encountered the battle of Tancheng. I could see them all from the mountain and watch the tigers fight.After seeing them, we don't need to stay here, and we will leave for Yangzhou as soon as the rain weakens. "

After Guo Jia heard the words, he became more and more puzzled, with a dazed expression, and immediately said: "From my point of view, although Cao Cao has more than 7 soldiers in Yanzhou, most of them are county soldiers. The army is the Qingzhou soldiers who attacked Tancheng today. However, although the Qingzhou soldiers under his command claim to be 30 people, there are actually only more than [-] people; , there are only [-] to [-] young adults left.

At the same time, Cao Cao's current situation is not optimistic. Although he has led Yanzhou pastor himself, he has not been granted the title of the emperor, and his name is not right and his words are not right. It is really difficult to convince the people of Yanzhou.In addition, there are Chenliu, Zhang Miao, and Jiyin Lu Bu forces in Yanzhou, waiting for opportunities, so Cao Cao has not been able to recover the entire territory of Yanzhou.In addition, Yanzhou is adjacent to Qingzhou, Jizhou, Sili, and Xuzhou. It is actually the place of the Four Wars and has always been under the vanguard of the surrounding princes.

Compared with Cao Cao, the three brothers Liu, Guan, and Zhang, who were famous in Hulao in the past, are nothing at all.Right now Liu Bei was the Prime Minister of Pingyuan, with only a few thousand soldiers under his command, and no more than ten thousand soldiers, and he was under the command of Gongsun Zan, which made him dare not recruit soldiers privately, otherwise Gongsun Zan would definitely become suspicious.However, in the battle of Hulao in the past, although the three brothers Liu, Guan and Zhang became famous in the first battle, they were nothing more than the bravery of ordinary people.If the subordinate guessed correctly, this time Liu Bei led his troops to Xuzhou in the name of helping Tao Qian, in fact, he wanted to take the opportunity to break away from Gongsun Zan, and then attached to Tao Qian, so as to achieve the goal of establishing his own family.

Therefore, the subordinates really can't see what is special about these four people, and it is worth the Lord's special trip to Xuzhou to visit them.Could it be that the lord has other meanings? "

Chapter 478

"Fengxiao is in the phrase!"

After listening to Guo Jia's words, Li Li smiled appreciatively and nodded in praise.

Then he sorted out his thoughts a little bit, looked at Guo Jia with deep eyes, and said slowly: "Everything Feng Xiao said is reasonable, thorough analysis, and penetrating. However, these are the current patterns, and they are not static.

Feng Xiao is proficient in the art of war and strategy, and is well versed in the changes in the current situation. He knows that he should not judge a hero based on temporary success or failure. This is the situation in Xuzhou.

Cao Cao sent troops to Xuzhou in the name of avenging his father, and his name was justified. He should be a soldier of righteousness and an upright teacher. Therefore, all the princes in the Central Plains watched with cold eyes, and no one sent troops to rescue Tao Qian in Xuzhou.However, after he arrived in Xuzhou with his troops, he thought that Tao Qian was an old man, and he could force Tao Qian to surrender and give up Xuzhou by using thunderous means, so that he could easily take the six counties of Xuzhou.

It's a pity that things backfired. After Cao Cao led his troops into Xuzhou, his methods were too brutal. Every time he captured a city, he would kill, wantonly massacre, burn, kill and loot. Resist to the death.This move is really clever but was misunderstood by cleverness. The result will be a thousand miles away if one thought is wrong, and things will be reversed when they are extreme.

Cao Cao was too impatient and wanted to get Xuzhou so much that he massacred the city by all means, ignoring the virtue of good life in the sky, and forced Tao Qian and the people of Xuzhou to resist desperately! "

Looking up at Tancheng in the misty rain, Li Li shook his head and said: "Cao Cao wants to capture Xuzhou now, unless he kills Tao Qian and captures all the cities in Xuzhou, otherwise he will not be able to get Xuzhou. However, a temporary loss does not mean that Cao Cao is unwise and incompetent. On the contrary, it is precisely because Cao Cao is too smart and scheming that he has led to the situation where he is riding a tiger today.

And Pingyuan Liu Bei saw Cao Cao's weakness of acting too aggressively and killing too much, and found that Tao Qian and the people of Xuzhou were trying their best to resist Cao, so he put all his eggs in one basket and dared to come to support Tao Qian with thousands of people.This was not an act of kindness or kindness, but he saw that Tao Qian was old and his days were numbered, so he took advantage of the war in Xuzhou to find a good opportunity to strengthen his own strength.Otherwise, there are many princes who are in danger in the world, so why doesn't he go to save others.But he led the crowd to help Tao Qian and Tao Gongzu, who were known as elders.Because Liu Bei knew that as long as he helped Tao Qian overcome the difficulties, Tao Qian would definitely thank him heavily, and would never let him work in vain and return empty-handed.

Obviously.Liu Bei's vision is very accurate, and he made the right bet.Last year he helped Tao Qian resist Cao Cao's army's first invasion of Xuzhou.After the war, Tao Qian not only provided him with a large amount of food and grass.He also allocated four thousand Danyang elite soldiers to him, and tried his best to keep him in Xuzhou, and gave Xiapi City to Liu Bei's garrison. "

Having said this, Li Li couldn't help being dazed, then shook his head with emotion, and stabilized his mind a little.Asked softly: "Feng Xiao might as well think about it carefully, what is the difference between Liu Bei's actions and Cao Cao's actions?"

"Driving in opposite directions, fighting against each other!"

Guo Jia blurted out without thinking, and then explained in detail: "Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou. Seeing that the six counties of Xuzhou have been fighting for a long time, the people have enjoyed peace for a long time, so they used thunderous means to kill Tao Qian. Surrender. However, Cao Cao's killing was too much, too much, so he left a reputation for violence to the people of the world. However, Liu Bei's actions ran counter to Cao Cao, earning enough of the name of benevolence and righteousness, and presenting Cao Cao in front of the world There is a stark contrast between tyranny and Liu Bei's benevolence. If Tao Qian can escape the catastrophe this time and keep the six counties of Xuzhou intact, then the one who will benefit in the end is not Tao Qian, nor Cao Cao, but Liu Bei!"

After Li Li's narration, Guo Jia suddenly found that what he said following the master's train of thought was very likely to become a reality in the near future.

As long as Tao Qian can resist the Cao army's siege, the six counties of Xuzhou will certainly be preserved after Cao Cao withdraws his troops, and the person who will eventually gain both fame and wealth must be Liu Bei.If this is the case, after the battle of Xuzhou is over, Liu Bei will be famous all over the world, and he will also be famous for his virtuousness, benevolence and righteousness.In addition, Liu Bei will establish a good name for kindness in the hearts of Xuzhou people, and may even be recognized by the Xuzhou clan, becoming the second most famous person in Xuzhou after Tao Qian.

At this point, Guo Jia couldn't help exclaiming: "Master, if Xuzhou Tao Qian can resist Cao Cao this time and finally force Cao Cao to retreat, then Liu Bei may gain fame and fortune and gain a firm foothold in Xuzhou. Even... After Qian's death, Liu Bei is likely to take Tao Qian's place and win the six counties of Xuzhou. Of course, if Tao Qian is defeated, Liu Bei will not have such a good thing as fame and fortune, but will fall back to the next mantis arm to block the car. A reputation for being reckless. If so, then Liu Bei's rush to help Tao Qian will be a waste of time, and there will be no chance to turn around since then; after all, he came from a humble background, without food and soldiers. To get ahead is wishful thinking.

And this time Liu Bei led his troops to assist Xuzhou, just to use this to play his own banner, success or failure depends on it.If he succeeded, he would be able to join the ranks of princes and become a prince on his own; if he failed, he would either die or continue to serve under Gongsun Zan's account.When the situation in the world was chaotic and unclear, Liu Bei led his troops to support Tao Qian. In fact, this was a gamble.From this point of view, he is quite ambitious and quite courageous.End is not to be underestimated! "

Guo Jia's words really surprised Li Li, and he secretly marveled: "Guo Fengxiao is really good, he knows the whole leopard at a glance, draws inferences from one instance, and his judgment on Liu Bei is so accurate, he really deserves to be the world's top wise man, the mastermind of a generation." ah!"

Thinking of this, Li Li couldn't help laughing: "Hahaha! Feng Xiao is a great talent, today's words are very insightful and farsighted. After the battle of Xuzhou is over, Feng Xiao's words will be verified. But I believe Feng Xiao is not wrong, if Cao Cao attacks Xuzhou, it will be fine if he succeeds; if he fails, then Liu Bei's reputation of benevolence and righteousness will be fulfilled, and Liu Bei, who has been dormant for many years, will soar into the sky and become famous all over the world!"

After a pause, Li Li said thoughtfully: "The famous scholar Xu Shao once said: Cao Mengde is a capable minister in the world and a hero in troubled times. Facts have proved that Cao Cao is indeed extremely extraordinary. He failed to assassinate Dong Zhuo but was able to retreat completely. When the princes formed an alliance to attack Dong Zhuo He alone led his troops to chase and kill, but he was ambushed in the body, but he finally saved the day. Over the years, he has stepped in Yanzhou step by step, occupying more than half of Yanzhou, and has become the second largest power among the princes in the Central Plains, second only to Yuan Shao in Jizhou. If this development continues, in a few years, he will be able to match Yuan Shao's strength, and even catch up from behind, becoming the number one prince in the Central Plains. Therefore, in Li Li's heart, Cao Cao in Yanzhou is far more important than Yuan Shao in Jizhou.

Compared with Cao Cao, Liu Bei in Zhuo County should not be underestimated, let alone ignored.However, this person's foundation is shallow at the moment, and what he does is speculative, and his foundation is far less stable than Cao Cao's.Therefore, Liu Bei is not worried about it at present. Even if he can get Xuzhou from Tao Qian in the future, it will not be easy to keep Xuzhou.Leaving others aside, Cao Cao alone cannot tolerate Liu Bei's reaping profits, and vowed to send troops to attack Xuzhou.

Therefore, in recent years, Xuzhou may not be at peace. Such a big piece of fat is placed here, and no one of the princes from all walks of life will miss it. Even I, Li Li, have been coveting Xuzhou for a long time!It's a pity that we are too far away from Xuzhou, and we can only sit and watch other princes scramble for fat, but we are powerless and sigh.But that's fine, let them fight, as for who can have the last laugh, they have to rely on their own strength to speak! "

"My lord's opinion." Guo Jia nodded in agreement and said, "Right now we are living in a corner of Xiliang, and we are really beyond the reach of the states and counties along the river. Even the Chang'an court has little influence on the south of the Yangtze River. The Yellow River and the mighty The Yangtze River has greatly weakened the deterrent power of our Xiliang army to the princes of the world. This time, the lord traveled to Jingyang and Yangzhou. Besides taking a look around, there should be other purposes. Touring mountains and rivers! Hehehe!"

As he talked, Guo Jia couldn't help laughing frankly, knowing that the lord Li Li's trip to the south this time was definitely not as simple as traveling, and there must be a deeper intention.

Indeed, with Li Li's current status, who among the many princes in the world would have thought that he would dare to leave the boundary of Xiliang and travel to the south of the Yangtze River.However, Li Li really did this, and has already been to the three prefectures of Ji, You, and Henan, and set foot in Yanzhou and Xuzhou.

After this trip is over, among the states of the Han Dynasty, there are not many counties that Li Li has not set foot in. Most of the remaining states and counties border on Xiliang; if Li Li wants to go to these neighboring counties, then It's not traveling, but leading the troops to attack the city and pull out the stronghold.

Seeing that Guo Jia was very curious about the purpose of his trip, Li Li smiled lightly and said, "If you want to talk about the real intention of going south this time, I really don't have any special purpose. I just came here to see the Yangtze River and the states along the river. The customs and anecdotes of the county. So I didn't lead the guards here, and I came and went at will without being fettered. But if I can encounter the lucky thing like the previous Zhenjia caravan, then naturally the more The better, all comers are welcome. But I think it is a blessing from heaven to encounter such a good thing once or twice, and I am afraid that it will be a bit whimsical and daydreaming to encounter such a good thing this time.

So the four of us don't have any chances this time, and don't have any burdens. Let's take a break from our busy schedule and go out to visit mountains and rivers, eat, drink and have fun.It is said that Beixiong and Nanxiu are beautiful, and the scenery in the south of the Yangtze River is beautiful and pleasant, and the women here are gentle and beautiful, charming and charming.In this chaotic world, it is a great blessing in life to be able to see the scenery of the south of the Yangtze River and meet the talents and beauties of the south of the Yangtze River.Hehehe! "

Seeing that the lord Li Li looked relaxed, Guo Jia couldn't help letting out a long breath, his heart that had been floating for a long time finally stabilized, and he was completely relieved.

After all, there are only four people in the southward party this time, and the strength is weak. If something dangerous like Jizhou happens again, the safety of the lord Li Li will be a big problem.Therefore, Guo Jia had to be concerned about Li Li's real intentions for this trip. If Li Li really had other thoughts, he would speak out to stop them, or make early preparations to avoid the powerful princes as much as possible to avoid accidents.

Chapter 479 Follows Like a Shadow and Shows Murder Intent

Da da da!

"call"

On the official road, Li Li and his party were wearing coir raincoats and bamboo hats. Facing the southeast wind and the misty drizzle, they rode their horses and galloped straight to Shu County.

This is the eighth day since their group entered Yangzhou.

Prior to this, the four of them went south from Tancheng, East Sea, Xuzhou, and entered Jiujiang County ten days ago, under the rule of Yuan Shu.

Immediately, under Guo Jia's strong dissuasion, Li Li and his party avoided the official road along the way, did not cause trouble, did not stop, and rode lightly on fast horses, heading straight for Lujiang.

Li Li and others encountered heavy rain when they left Tancheng, Xuzhou. They managed to survive three rainy days with only five days in between. The weather changed again.The south wind picked up last night, and it rained heavily this morning. At noon, the road was already muddy and very difficult to walk on.

When approaching Shuxian County, Lujiang River, the rain was getting heavier and the wind and rain were blowing.Forced to do so, Li Li and his party had no choice but to give up the mountain road and take the official road, hoping to rush to the front town to shelter from the rain as soon as possible.

"Whoa whoa whoa!"

In the precarious weather, Li Li and his party had to slow down and drive their horses slowly.Otherwise, riding a horse gallops in the face of strong wind and heavy rain, the horse can bear it, but people can't bear it!

Xi Yuyu!