Xiaoqi

The leader of the scout team did not dare to look up at Yuan Shu, and replied after hearing the voice: "My lord, it is said that General Xiahou Dun's wrist was cut off by General Li Li before his death, and a leg bone was also crushed. In addition, General Xiahou Dun is quite tall. I heard that the left foot was disabled in the early years, and it was also given by the general. Combining so many obvious features, it is easy to identify whether the corpse is General Xiahoudun, so the general thinks that there should be no mistakes this time, it must be the corpse of General Xiahoudun! "

"Well, it makes sense." Yuan Shu nodded slightly, waved his hand and said: "Okay, you go down, and tell the scouts not to monitor Le Jin and the others' whereabouts anymore, and withdraw them all."

The scout team led the command, got up and exited the hall immediately, and left quickly.

"Military division, you urged me not to hunt down and kill Li Li before, but Li Li has already returned to Chang'an, and now he is sitting on the throne of Hussar General. Now that everything is over, should we do something?" Waiting for the scout After the team led away, Yuan Shu waved his hand to signal the two beauties to retreat, got up immediately and walked down the hall, and asked in a low voice to the military advisor Yan Xiang.

"I don't know what the lord wants? We are quite far away from the princes of the Central Plains, and thousands of miles away from Xiliang. Could it be that the lord wants to take this opportunity to participate in the battle of the Central Plains?" Yan Xiang is indeed talented, but he is straightforward by nature, and he speaks straightforwardly. The taste of faithful advice is harsh.

Yuan Shu's expression changed slightly when he heard the words, and then he stood in the center of the lobby, stroking his beard, his small eyes rolled quickly, and fell silent.

At the moment there were only three people in the lobby, one was Yuan Shu, and the other two were: Military Adviser Yan Xiang and Huwei General Ji Ling.These two can be regarded as Yuan Shu's right-hand men, with a proficiency and a martial arts, Yuan Shu has always relied heavily on and trusted him.

So when Yuan Shu was drinking and having fun, he didn't shy away from the two of them, and specially ordered someone to invite them to have a drink together.

It can be seen from this that Yuan Shu is not as greedy and stingy as the outside rumors say, nor is he purely arrogant.The reason why he is said to be arrogant is because few people in this world can make him respect, let alone win his admiration.Never obeying anyone, in the eyes of most people, naturally, he has a high self-esteem and is defiant.

In fact, Yuan Shu treated the generals under his command quite well.For generals who are loyal to him, he has always spent a lot of money, gold, silver, silk, and beautiful women in the house, rewarding them as they should, and never being stingy.In addition, Yuan Shu's rule of the army is relatively loose.He is not harsh at all on the civil servants and generals under his command. Sometimes even if some civil servants and generals make serious mistakes, he will not severely punish them, and only need to be punished slightly.

It is worth mentioning that Yuan Shu himself is a kaleidoscope, very assertive, many things do not need advice from counselors, he has his own ideas, quick thinking, and a lot of insight.Often once he makes up his mind.It will not be changed, and no matter who persuades it, it will be in vain, and it is quite self-willed.

On this point, Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao are completely different, with completely opposite personalities and ways of dealing with things.There is one more big difference between the two brothers.That is Yuan Shao's majestic appearance and majestic appearance.On the other hand, Yuan Shu is slightly short in stature.His looks are unsatisfactory, far inferior to Yuan Shao's good looks.

At this moment Yuan Shu is standing in the center of the hall, but he is about seven feet five inches tall, his figure is slightly thin, his temples are already graying, and his eyebrows are crouching.The eyes were small, but extremely lively, and when they smiled they narrowed into a line.The bridge of the nose is not high, and the nostrils are quite large.There are two black beards at the corners of the mouth, but they are quite sparse, and a half-foot-long beard on the lower jaw is slightly yellow.When he looked solemn, he was quite capable and capable, but when he laughed, he looked treacherous, creepy, and chilling.

Therefore, in terms of appearance alone, Yuan Shu really looks like a grandma who doesn't love her uncle. Compared with Yuan Benchu, who is handsome and tall, there is a huge gap. As long as the two stand together, it is clear at a glance that they are equal sentenced.In fact, Yuan Shu was not much younger than Yuan Shao, and he was born in the royal family, so his status was much more noble than Yuan Shao, who was born to a maidservant.It's a pity that his appearance was not as good as expected, so he was not liked by his father and the elders of the family when he was young, while Yuan Shao was a well-behaved baby loved by everyone in the family, there was a big gap.Over time, Yuan Shu formed a eccentric and isolated character, and he was incompatible with his brother Yuan Shao, and they were at odds with each other.

However, it is difficult to draw conclusions if only one of the Yuan brothers is more talented.Yuan Shao is both civil and military, and Yuan Shu is also capable of both civil and military. He has always led the army in battle, and his record is not inferior to Yuan Shao's.Now the two brothers are not weak in strength, Yuan Shao is slightly better than him, it is because Yuan Shao is more famous than him, and he is the first to occupy the rich and prosperous land of Jizhou.

It is precisely because the Yuan brothers have always been at odds. When Yuan Shu learned that Li Li had dug Yuan Shao's corner in Jizhou and then ran to Yangzhou, even though he received letters from Yuan Shao and Cao Cao one after another, he ignored them and let him go. Li Li left calmly.

One and a half months ago, Cao Cao dispatched Le Jin and three hundred soldiers to Yangzhou to search for Xiahou Dun's body. Yuan Shu received them in person because of his past affection, and arranged for Le Jin and his party to stay temporarily in the west wing of the General's Mansion.However, Yuan Shu did not have the slightest affection for Cao Cao in Yanzhou. Last year, he, together with Jin Shang, Yu Fuluo of the Southern Xiongnu, and Sui Gu, a Heishan bandit, attacked Cao Cao's lair in a sneak attack.Afterwards, Yuan Shu had to withdraw from Nanyang, stationed in Runan, and then captured Yangzhou, so he moved his nest to Jiujiang.

Now that Yuan Shu has captured Shouchun, he can be regarded as having established a firm foothold in Yangzhou, and his strength is in a period of rapid rise.In the past six months, the army under his command has successively attacked the city and pulled out the village, and the territory is expanding day by day, and the trend of separatist Yangzhou tends to be stable.

At present, Yuan Shu's biggest enemy is Liu Yao, the governor of Yangzhou. He has nearly [-] troops and occupies more than half of Yangzhou, especially the six counties in Jiangdong are still in Liu Yao's hands.But Yuan Shu is not afraid of Liu Yao either.Because he now occupies more than half of Yuzhou and has a firm foothold in Yangzhou, in time he will definitely defeat Liu Yao and become the most powerful prince along the river.

Today, Yuan Shu has nearly 20 troops under his command, hundreds of generals, civil servants and celebrities are not in the minority, his strength is getting stronger day by day, he looks like a strong army, and he ranks among the five most powerful princes in the world, temporarily ranking fourth .The other four princes are: Li Li from Xiliang who tops the list, Yuan Shao from Jizhou second, Liu Biao from Jingzhou third, and Liu Zhang from Yizhou last.

As for the three princes including Cao Cao of Yanzhou, Tao Qian of Xuzhou, and Gongsun Zan of Youzhou, the current situation is unclear and they failed to enter the top five.Cao Cao has now been taken out of his lair by Lu Bu, and is currently fighting fiercely with Lu Bu, trying to regain Yanzhou.Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu, the shepherd of Youzhou, which caused civil strife in Youzhou. Right now, Gongsun Zan is busy with quelling the civil strife, too busy to take care of himself.Tao Qian in Xuzhou was defeated by Cao Cao repeatedly. Although Cao Cao withdrew his troops, Tao Qian was ill. As a result, Xuzhou's strength was greatly damaged and its prospects were gloomy.

Standing in the hall, Yuan Shu had a clear understanding of the world situation in front of him, and he knew it clearly.The reason why he didn't send troops to rob and kill Li Li before was not because he didn't want to kill Li Li, but because he didn't know what to do and was not sure of victory.After all, Li Li easily escaped from Yuan Shao in Jizhou, and then beat the Xiahou brothers sent by Cao Cao to death or wounded, and defeated the robbery and killing of the two princes twice in a row.In view of this, after careful consideration, Yuan Shu resolutely gave up chasing and killing Li Li. He should not have known about it and let Li Li leave freely.

News came today that Li Li had returned to Xiliang, and had assumed the high position of General Hussars. He personally led 15 cavalry to lead the Northern Expedition and challenge Yu Fuluo's [-] troops.In this regard, Yuan Shu watched with cold eyes, sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight, enjoying themselves leisurely.

Now Yuan Shu's thoughts suddenly changed and he was thinking about something related to Li Li.Half a month ago, he received a secret letter from Yuan Shao, the contents of the letter were extremely enticing.Correspondingly, the risk is also very high. Once the plan fails, it will lead to unpredictable and serious consequences.Therefore, Yuan Shu delayed for half a month and still has not made up his mind.It's not that he is indecisive, but that he is not in a hurry at all, because the person who makes the most profit is not him, but someone else.That being the case, why should he be in a hurry to get angry, just think slowly and deal with it calmly.

"Yan Xiang, order to go down, order someone to prepare a high-quality nanmu coffin, collect Xiahou Dun's body, and escort Xiahou Dun's body out of the country with the gift of a prince. In addition, Daiben sent a handwritten letter to Cao Cao, stating that he would send an army to hunt down and kill Li. Li, in the end, the army was lost, and Li Li was finally allowed to escape. He also stated in the letter that I basically agree with Yuan Benchu's intention, and that we will send troops together with Meng De to participate in important events!" After pondering for a while, Yuan Shu suddenly said.

"Ah!" Yan Xiang was shocked when he heard the words, looked up at Yuan Shu, and said in surprise, "My lord's move is intriguing! It seems to have something to say, but in fact it is perfunctory and evasive, hiding the meaning of mocking Cao Mengde. Cao Cao in Yanzhou is in danger now, how can he send troops to help with the big event?" However, the lord pushed Cao Cao to the front and used this as an excuse to refuse to send troops. My lord is brilliant!"

Yuan Shu grinned cunningly and said: "Since the military adviser has no objection, let's start to deal with it immediately. After writing the letter, let Le Jin take it back and hand it over to Cao Cao. Forged a big enmity and lost two confidant generals. In addition, his Yanzhou foundation was taken by Lu Bu, and several concubines and clansmen fell into Lu Bu's hands. It can be said to be worse, and the loss is heavy!"

While gloating over misfortune, Yuan Shu sneered: "The situation in the Central Plains is so complicated, and the situation is so dark and unclear, if you are not careful, you will suffer heavy losses. Why should I get involved in such a thankless business in Yangzhou, which is thousands of miles away? What's more, Yuan Benchu ​​and Cao Cao have always vented their anger through the same nostrils, calling them brothers and sisters, and have repeatedly thwarted my plans with Gongsun Zan. This time they provoked this war, and they want to recruit me, Yuan Shu, to help them. It is wishful thinking and beyond self-control! If they have the ability, they will blatantly put on a stance and fight a battle, if they don't have this strength, then they will be grandchildren obediently, why bother jumping up and down!"

Yan Xiang nodded slightly when he heard the words, and said after thinking: "My lord's words are very true. Now we are far away from the main battlefield in the Central Plains, and we live in a corner of the south of the Yangtze River. The most urgent thing is to concentrate our strength to calm down. As for the struggle for hegemony in the Central Plains, for the lord, It is really beyond the reach of the whip, the effort is not thankful, the soldiers and horses are damaged for nothing, and no actual benefits are obtained.

That being the case, then I will simply sit on the sidelines and watch how this Central Plains war ends.At the same time, the lord needs to send more troops to attack Liu Yao, to save food and grass, to recruit surrendered troops, and to take the opportunity to strengthen his strength.In this way, no matter how the situation in the Central Plains changes in the future, the lord sits on the two states along the Yangtze River and relies on the natural moat of the Yangtze River, as if he is invincible.In time, when the strength of the lord becomes stronger and stronger, he will be able to separate himself from the regime and become the king, and make a great name for himself! "

"Hahaha! Good, good, good, what the military advisor said is exactly what I want!" Yuan Shu laughed heartily, his small eyes were narrowed into slits, and his casual facial features were extremely distorted, making people unforgettable and impressive once they saw it !

Amidst Yuan Shu's loud laughter, Yan Xiang and Ji Ling bowed to leave, each following orders.From the beginning to the end, General Ji Ling never interjected, because he was Yuan Shu's loyal confidant, and he always obeyed Yuan Shu's orders, and today is no exception.

Chapter 566

blah blah blah!

In the small town of Dong'e, there was a sound of horseshoes coming from far and near, and the sound of the horse's tread became more and more clear and loud.

Following that, a group of hundreds of cavalrymen jumped on their horses and whipped their whips, galloped through the messy alleys, and headed straight for the county government.

The main hall of the county government.

The atmosphere in the hall was dignified, and Cao Cao's military and civil servants gathered in this not-so-spacious county government hall.

Cao Cao was sitting alone on the steps, with an ordinary county magistrate's desk in front of him, which was almost his handsome desk at the moment.

At this moment, Cao Cao's face was full of clouds, gloomy and gloomy, his deep and sharp eyes were full of anger and worry, his brows were furrowed, and his anger was full of anger, but he had nowhere to vent it.

On both sides of the hall, there are only three people seated now, and the other hundreds of civil servants and military generals all lined up in the center of the hall. Everyone lowered their heads and kept silent, for fear that making any noise would arouse the lord's anger.

Until today, Cao Cao led the army back to Yanzhou for nearly two months, that is, when Li Li escaped and returned to Bufu, Cao Cao led the army back to Yanzhou to meet Lu Bu's army.

After two months of bloody fighting, Lu Bu and Zhang Miao's rebel army was invincible.In contrast, Cao Cao's army rushed back to aid day and night, and fought continuously for several months. More than 10,000 soldiers were already exhausted, lacking men and horses;Facing the high morale of Lv Bu's army, it was useless for Cao to control an army of [-]+. He could not resist the attack of Lv Bu's army at all.

After two months of fierce fighting, Cao Cao's army has been fighting continuously for five months. Except for rainy days, they fought almost every day.As a result, the combat power of the Yanzhou Army fell to the lowest point.Morale is low, and there is a tendency to slump.Therefore, in the battle of Yanzhou, Cao Jun was defeated again and again. Instead of being able to defend his old nest, he lost cities and territories one after another, and was defeated for thousands of miles.

Until now, Cao Cao's Yanzhou foundation has been lost, and almost all of Yanzhou has fallen into the hands of Lu Bu, Zhang Miao and others. Now Cao Cao, all the civil and military personnel under his command, and 12 troops are huddled among the four cities centered on Dong'a.

Not only that, but now Lu Bu's army is approaching the city.They are attacking the small town of Fan County.

It is no exaggeration to say that Cao Cao and his army are on the verge of desperation.If the only four cities were captured by Lu Bu again, Cao's army, including Cao Cao himself, would have no choice but to wait to be killed except to lead the troops to escape from Yanzhou.Doom is imminent.

Show loyalty in the face of adversity.

And the three people sitting in the hall today are the outstanding figures who appeared in the battle of Yanzhou.They are respectively: Cao Chun, Cao Zihe, who was temporarily appointed as the general of Dongjun, who stayed behind in Dongjun to work on Xun Yu and Xun Wenruo.And Cheng Yu, Cheng Zhongde, the longevity order that was beyond everyone's expectations.

Xun Yu's merit lies in.Before the fall of the State Shepherd's Mansion, all the small amount of military equipment, money and food in the treasury were transferred to the small city of Dong'e for storage. This was the life-saving food and grass that determined the life and death of Cao Jun.Therefore, Xun Yu made great contributions to saving the entire Cao army, which made Cao army still have the strength to resist and the courage to fight to the death.

Cao Chun was ordered to replace Xiahou Dun as the head of the Dongjun Left-behind Mansion two months ago.Although he failed to withstand the fierce attack of Lv Bu's army, which resulted in the fall of the State Shepherd's Mansion, he assisted Xun Yu to transfer food and grass before the city was broken, and he handled it well.Most importantly.He rescued all Cao Cao's wives, concubines and children from the state capital. When he joined Cao Cao, Cao Cao's family members were quite a few.For this alone, Cao Chun's weight in Cao Cao's mind has increased countless times, and his contribution is even greater than that of Xun Yu.

Shou Zhangling Cheng Yu was conscripted by Cao Cao a year ago, and then became the county magistrate.At the beginning, Cao Cao only heard that Dong'a Chengyu was famous and talented, so he recruited him to be an official.Unexpectedly, during the battle of Yanzhou, Cheng Yu not only defended the small town of Dong'e, but also preserved the last rations of the Yanzhou army and provided shelter for the army.At this time of life and death, Cheng Yu's actions are really impressive, which shows that he has outstanding talents, but he is really overqualified for the post of county magistrate.

Therefore, even though Cheng Yu was still the county magistrate at this moment, he had already entered Cao Cao's sight, and was invited to the seat.Although his status is inferior to that of Xun Yu, his weight in Cao Cao's mind is no less than that of Xun Yu.

Coincidentally, Cheng Yu and Xun Yu have known each other for many years, they are close friends, otherwise Xun Yu would not have entrusted Cheng Yu with food and grass.

Now that Lu Bu's army is pressing down on the border, Cao Cao leads his troops to guard Dong'a City, resting the army while actively resisting the rebels' attack on the city.However, the situation had deteriorated so far that Cao Jun had no choice but to fight to the death.

"Da da da!"

A burst of rapid and crisp sound of horseshoes came into the main hall, instantly breaking the extremely oppressive and dignified atmosphere in the hall, causing everyone's expressions to be shocked, and they all turned their heads to look.

"report"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, a scout ran into the main hall, knelt down and reported: "My lord, Yangping City fell, and Lu Bu's army went straight to Dong'e to march, and it is expected to arrive at the city at noon!"

"His!"