Xiaoqi

This was another big gamble. Cao Cao was betting that Li Li would not renege on the covenant, so he attacked him suddenly.And this kind of gamble is not the first time for Cao Cao, to be precise, it should be the third time.The first time was when his foundation in Yanzhou was seized by Lu Bu. When he was in a desperate situation, he resolutely decided to join the Central Plains League and join forces with Yuan Shao and other princes to crusade against Li Li in Xiliang.

The second gamble was the Battle of Loudiyuan.At that time, Cao Cao suffered a serious setback, and the foundation of Yanzhou was invaded by Lu Bu. The total number of available soldiers in his hands was less than [-], and there was a shortage of money, food, and weapons, and he had almost nothing.Once the Sili War is over, there will be no more princes like Cao Cao in the world. He has nowhere to go except to be defeated and die or to live under the fence.As a last resort, Cao Cao brazenly decided to secretly form an alliance with his enemy Li Li, at the cost of selling allied intelligence and princes and allies, to seek living space and wait for opportunities to develop and strengthen his own strength.Fortunately, he won the bet in the end. Not only did his strength return to its original state, but he also got a large amount of food and supplies, which enabled him to quickly counterattack Lu Bu and regain Yanzhou.

After three years, Cao Cao once again made a bold decision to make a desperate decision to win Qingzhou. This was his third gamble.This does not mean that he likes to take risks, but that the situation forces him to do so; without the heroic spirit of throwing all his eggs in one basket, he will not be able to obtain the opportunity to expand his territory and strengthen his strength.

The situation in the world has developed to this day, the Han Dynasty was overthrown, and Liu Xie died suddenly. Since then, the imperial line has been cut off, and since then it has been ruled by the princes of various towns.And he, Cao Cao, was placed between Yuan Shao in Jizhou and Li Li in Xiliang. No matter who the two overlords wanted to dominate the Central Plains, they would definitely attack him, and there were only two choices for him, either surrender or perish. There is no other choice.

In addition, the states and counties around Yanzhou are also extremely limited, and the situation is worrying.To the north is Yuan Shao, Jizhou, and to the west is Lili, Xiliang.To the south is Yuzhou occupied by Xuzhou Lu Bu and Yuan Shu, and to the east is Qingzhou under Yuan Shao's rule.Cao Cao originally planned to attack Xuzhou, eradicate Lu Bu, and then plot Yuzhou.Occupying Huainan will allow him to stand against Li Li from Xiliang, and have the strength to confront the Xiliang army head-on.However, this long-term strategy faces great risks. The princes who directly threaten him are Yuan Shao of Jizhou and Li Li of Xiliang who occupy the hinterland of the Central Plains. As long as any one of these two people is involved, his strategic intention will fail. , will face catastrophe.

It is based on this concern.After Cao Cao regained Yanzhou, he dared not move lightly, hesitated, and never dared to take the step of expansion easily.

Following Li Li's call to action against thieves, he ordered the princes of all towns to crusade against Er Yuan.Cao Cao immediately realized that the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally come.Before that, he faced great danger when he led his troops south to conquer Xuzhou, but the danger of going north to Jizhou or attacking Qingzhou was much smaller.Because this is an excellent opportunity for him to remove the two mountains that are weighing on his head.As long as he defeats Yuan Shao in Jizhou, he will eliminate his worries.Bring down the mountain behind you.Only then can he strengthen his own strength, so that he has the strength to fight against Xiliang Li Li.Otherwise, he has been caught between the two great princes, trying to survive in the crack, and he will perish sooner or later.Only by overthrowing a vassal can he have room to survive, have a chance to grow stronger, and then compete with another vassal.

So Cao Cao put all his eggs in one basket after deliberation.Go all out and attack Qingzhou with all your strength.Trying to seize the land of a state from Yuan Shao.If possible, he still longed for the power to swallow Yuan Shao in one bite; if so, then he would have the strength to confront Li Li head-on.Regardless of Li Li's current strength, if Cao Cao completely occupies the three states of Qingzhou, Jizhou and Yanzhou, then it is still unknown who will win the battle in the end.

It has been several months since the battle against Yuan. At first, Cao Cao was worried that Li Li might break the covenant and send troops to attack Yanzhou, but now he is gradually relieved.Today, Li Li stationed troops in Sili, and Zhang Liao led an army of 20 to march eastward through Bingzhou to assist Gongsun Zan of Youzhou in attacking Jizhou.As a result, Li Li didn't have many soldiers available in his hands.Although Li Li has 50 soldiers, he still has four states to garrison. After mobilizing 20 troops to march eastward, Li Li's troops are stretched and there are no more soldiers available.As a result, Cao Cao is safe, and he can attack Qingzhou freely, and strive to capture the entire territory of Qingzhou by the end of the year, and then plan for Jizhou.

In addition, the reason why Cao Cao is confident of winning Qingzhou by the end of the year is because Yuan Shao, who is in Jizhou, is now being restrained by Zhou Yu's army stationed in Hanoi, leaving him with no time to care about it.This created extremely favorable conditions for Cao Cao, allowing him to attack Qingzhou without any scruples, defeating Yuan Tan again and again, losing cities and lands in succession.

The battle in Qingzhou was urgent and precarious, so Yuan Shao, who was in Jizhou, could not calm down. He wanted to send troops to help Yuan Tan, but he was worried that the Xiliang army stationed in Hanoi would suddenly attack.For Yuan Shao, Hanoi County is indeed a terrible place.At the beginning, he did everything possible to win over Hanoi Zhangyang, his purpose was to occupy the Yellow River natural moat, so as to resist the Xiliang army.Unexpectedly, he was completely defeated in the battle of Sili. Not only did he fail to defeat Li Li, but he also lost Hanoi County.As a result, even though Zhou Yu's army stationed in Hanoi at the moment, they did not move, but still forced Yuan Shao to mobilize heavy troops to confront him, always guarding against the Xiliang army's attack.

The Xiliang army had to defend, but Yuan Shao could not just sit back and watch Qingzhou fall and fall into Cao Cao's hands.Just when he was at a loss, Xu You offered him a plan to drive away tigers and wolves. Even if Qingzhou's defeat could not be saved, Youzhou could be captured as soon as possible.Then Guo Tu offered another plan, uniting with Yuan Shu in Huainan to plan civil strife in Jingzhou, forcing Liu Biao to withdraw his troops, thus achieving the goal of splitting the alliance against Yuan.

At this time of life and death, Yuan Shao did not hesitate at all, and immediately agreed to the plan of the two, and then sent people to implement it.

In the twelfth lunar month of winter, more than a dozen envoys from Yuan Shao brought a lot of money to the various tribes in Wuhuan to meet with the tribal leaders.Yuan Shao acted in his capacity as prime minister of the Han Dynasty, and bestowed the titles and seals on Wuhuan leaders Tadun, Nanlou, Su Puyan and Wuyan, etc., and promised a lot of money. The leaders of the ministries readily accepted it.

Another envoy from Yuan Shao also entered Bingzhou in disguise, and then entered Jingzhou via Sili. From this, a conspiracy against the Yuan Alliance quietly unfolded.

Chapter 945 Clothes Dance, Marquis Wu Arrives

With the advent of cold winter, the war against Yuan entered a short truce.

Snowflakes are flying, and the cold wind is raging.Wind and snow swept across the states and counties south of the Yangtze River, ice and snow imprisoned streams and rivers, and cold dominated the vast land.

Inside the Yijing Castle, the atmosphere is steaming, the wine is staggered, and the peace is enjoyed by singing and dancing.

In the main hall, Gongsun Zan was lying on a soft couch, leaning sideways on the arms of a young beauty, with his head resting on his chest, squinting his eyes to watch the dancers' graceful dancing postures, while drinking the beer that the beauty brought to the corner of his mouth. Warm wine, comfortable and cozy.

In the hall, except for the soldiers guarding the palace gate, there are all beauties in the same color, Yingying Yanyan, beautiful and delicious.They were all Gongsun Zan's wives, concubines or concubines, and there were a large number of them. There were more than thirty people on both sides of the hall.Maybe someone else hasn't arrived.

In the twelfth lunar month of winter, the sky is full of wind and snow, and the breath turns into ice, which is extremely cold.Many people hid at home to watch the winter, and Gongsun Zan was no exception, but he was more able to enjoy the warm winter days and was able to enjoy them.Singing and singing, drinking and appreciating, waking up and persuading, lying drunk on the lap of beauties, this is the perfect dream that many people yearn for; for Gongsun Zan, it is at your fingertips, and it is easy to come and go when you call it.

Gongsun Zan has been enjoying such a drunken life for three years.Before that, he was not like this. He stayed in the barracks all day long with the soldiers, laughing, cursing and doing whatever he wanted, and was deeply loved by the soldiers under his command.However, as he grew older day by day, Gongsun Zan, who had been a soldier for half his life, had quietly stepped into middle age, his body was already fat, and his blood was inadvertently lost.Indulging in the beautiful flowers, indulging in it cannot extricate oneself.

Over time, the once famous White Horse General Gongsun Zan has gradually drifted away quietly.The ambition is gone, the aspirations of the past are gone, and the courage of the past is no longer.As a result, the world lost a heroic general who defended the frontier, but there was an extravagant and lustful drunkard, a fatuous lord who has affected millions of people in Youzhou.

Not only that, the current Gongsun Zan has a violent personality.Narrow-minded, vengeful and vengeful, his methods are becoming more and more brutal, and he is bloodthirsty.so far.There are hundreds of generals under his command who died for no reason. In his mansion, there are hundreds of retinues, maids, and handymen who have had their faces tattooed, ears cut off, or hands and feet cut off.

to this end.Gongsun Zan's generals complained about him.But he dared to be angry and dare not speak out, so he could only hold back, swallowed his anger, and begged for perfection.Many soldiers in the army wanted to leave him and make a living by themselves, but they were all natives of Youzhou, their relatives and clansmen were all here, born and raised here.It is hard to leave his homeland, so he can only continue to stay in the army against his conscience.muddle along.Otherwise, once they fled without authorization, with Gongsun Zan's current methods, the fate of his relatives and clansmen can be imagined.If this is the case, what's the use of them escaping, living in pain, life is worse than death.

The only good thing is that Gongsun Zan rarely worked hard after learning that General Li Li had sent an army to help.Some time ago, he finally came out of Wubao in Yijing, personally led the army to defend the city, resisted the fierce attack of the Jizhou army, repeatedly defeated the attacks of the Jizhou general Ju Yi, and prevented the Jizhou army from advancing an inch, until the heavy snow fell. Do not retire to rest.

This also made the soldiers of the Youzhou Army soberly aware that the arrogant lord Gongsun Zan actually had someone he could fear, and this person was the mighty general Li Li.Whenever they think of General Li Li, the soldiers of Youzhou are full of curiosity, admiration and longing in their hearts, hoping that one day they can see this legendary Marquis Wu with their own eyes.

Yes, compared with the official taboo of the general, the generals in Youzhou prefer to call Li Li Wuhou.This is because not only the Xiliang people are martial arts, but also the young and strong people in Youzhou are martial arts, and they are aggressive by nature.In other words, most of the people in border counties that are located on the border and often suffer from bullying and plundering are martial arts, because only by making themselves strong can they defend their homes and protect their parents, wives and children.They worship the strong, fear the brave generals, and are willing to follow such generals through life and death, just like Gongsun Zan, the White Horse General earlier.So they like to call Li Li's title Wuhou.

Today, there is no one among the young and strong people in all states and counties in the world who does not know the experience of Wuhou Lili's rise. Hou's anecdote.For example, Marquis Wu has many confidante friends who are beautiful and beautiful, and there are three brothers who are literary and martial arts, and Marquis Wu is very filial. It is said that he once wanted to hand over the power in his hands to the uncle who raised him to take charge. There are countless rumors like this From the big battle between Si Li to the small matter of how many children Li Li has and how many lovers he has, they have all heard about it.Moreover, they liked to inquire about these gossips, and they listened with great interest and interest. It seemed that as long as it was about Wuhou Li Li, no matter good or bad, they were interested and kept it firmly in their hearts.

But one thing is strange, most of the news about Li Li brought out by the caravan is positive, at least not bad, there are very few negative rumors, almost none.Therefore, most of the young people who have heard of Wuhou Li Li's impressive achievements, no matter men or women, admire Li Li very much and respect him from the bottom of their hearts. Few people slander his reputation in public.Even if there are different voices, it is still secretly slandering, otherwise it will offend the public, and the consequences will be very serious, ranging from bruises and bruises to severe injuries or being beaten to death by mistake.

It's a pity that Li Li didn't know that he still had such a high popularity.In fact, no matter what age, there are celebrities who are admired by many people, but the names are different. Later generations call them "idols", and now they are called "celebrities, great scholars or famous generals".

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"Boom boom boom da da da!"

A huge rumbling sound came from far and near, and gradually evolved into a clear and neat sound of horseshoes. Not long after, a group of more than [-] riders came on snow and stopped in front of the city gate.

When the defenders on the city tower heard the rumble, they vaguely saw a large dense black shadow appearing in the snow several miles away, but now there were only more than [-] people who came to the city to call the door. "It's really weird. Don't tell me it's a ghost!" Chengmen Xiaoxiao muttered to himself.

"Where is the general of the city gate? Open the city gate quickly, and I will report something important to the lord!" A general in the black armor of the Youzhou Army rode forward and shouted.Not only is he wearing the armor of the Youzhou Army.The more than [-] cavalry behind him were all Youzhou cavalry, so the defenders on the tower did not raise their voices to stop, but let them walk to the gate of the city.

It was already late at night, but there was snow everywhere, and the white snow dazzled people, making the sky half-bright and half-dark, looming.The defenders on the tower looked down.Seeing the general shouting, he seemed to have known each other, but he couldn't see his face clearly.Immediately, the Chengmen Xiaoxiao waved to the soldiers to go down and deliver the order.After finding out their identities, they will report. As for whether to let them enter the city, it depends on how their lord is feeling.

The reason why Chengmen Xiaoxiao didn't suspect the identity of this team was not because he was negligent.Instead, Yijing City is located in the hinterland of Youzhou.Right now, as the location of the Shepherd's Mansion of Youzhou State, within a radius of [-] miles, there are city passes guarded by the Youzhou Army, which is safe and sound.Therefore, the Chengmen Xiaoxiao had no doubts about the identities of the men and horses under the city, but it was temporarily impossible to confirm which general they were soldiers under.

Accompanied by the sound of "quack" opening the door, the ear door on the left side of the main entrance opened, and the two soldiers stepped forward quickly, and ran to the general's horse who was shouting.Gong Sheng asked about his identity, and the inspector guided him along the way.

To be identified correctly.The soldier then asked the reason. At this time, a tall and handsome young man wearing a sable fur cloak rode forward. Like a fire, the end is an extremely rare tall horse.The two city gate soldiers were horrified when they saw it, and they couldn't help but take two steps back, looking up nervously at the handsome man in the expensive sable fur cloak.

"You two little brothers don't have to be afraid. I'm old friends with General Gongsun. This time I'm passing by here, so I'm going to pay a visit. This is a jade card that can prove my identity, that is, a famous thorn. I'll trouble you, little brother, to report to General Gongsun. One sound." The handsome man smiled warmly, his voice was mellow, and he was full of aura. He shook his sleeve while speaking, and an extremely delicate and sparkling purple jade famous thorn appeared in his palm.

After the two soldiers heard the sound, they couldn't help feeling warm when they saw the handsome man's hearty and bright smile. They immediately relaxed, and the tension on their faces disappeared.One of the soldiers quickly stepped forward and bowed to take the famous thorn in the man's hand, and then called the other soldier to wait here, while he himself trotted into the city, got on his horse, and rode his horse towards Wubao, which is located in the center of the city. . (Famous thorn, that is, famous post, which is the current business card, was called "Ye" in the Warring States period, and "thorn" in the Han Dynasty.)

Watching the soldier enter the city to report, the handsome man casually took off the water bag from the horse, smiled and said to the shivering soldier in front of him: "Little brother, it's freezing, come on, drink some wine to warm up your body." Then he spoke In the meantime, he threw the water bag containing the spirits to the soldiers.

The soldiers at the city gate were skilled, and in astonishment, they immediately reached out to catch the water bag, "Thank you, general, for giving me the wine!" He hesitated for a moment, and he wanted to decline the handsome man's kindness, but he nodded with a smile on his face. He didn't need to be polite, and suddenly his heart was warm, and he accepted it without thinking.

The soldier rubbed his palms, rubbed the clothes under the armor a few times, and then pulled out the cork from the mouth of the water bag.In an instant, a rich fragrance wafted from the mouth of the water bag, and the aroma of the wine was so tangy that the greedy soldier couldn't help swallowing, and then he lifted the water bag and drank it.

"Good wine!" After taking a big sip, the soldier couldn't help applauding: "It's really good wine! I have never drank such delicious wine when I grow up. Thank you, General, for giving me the wine!" plug, holding the water bag with both hands and handing it to the handsome man's right hand.

The handsome man waved his hand with a smile and said: "Since it is good wine, it can't be wasted. This bag of wine is given to you, and the little brother will stay here and drink slowly. Remember not to drink too much at a time, one sip is enough. This is strong wine , a small drinker will get drunk after a sip. Hehehe!"

"Open the city gate open to welcome Marquis Wu into the city!" Just as the handsome man was talking to the soldiers, there were hurried and mixed hooves of horseshoes from inside the city gate, and then he heard a loud order from inside the city. Open quickly.

Chapter 946

In front of the main hall of Yijing Castle, Gongsun Zan was waiting on the stone steps in a well-groomed dress, and behind him stood a group of civil and military men who hurried over.

More than fifty people lined up on the stone steps to greet each other. The ceremony was grand, but they all stood on the stone steps instead of standing on the flat ground under the steps. The distance between them was only ten steps, but it was meaningful.

At first, Gongsun Zan, who was neatly dressed, stood in front of the main hall, and all the civil and military men under his command stood on the stone steps in the corridor. Later, Chief Shi Guanjing whispered something in his ear, prompting Gongsun Zan to move up the stone steps and stand in front of all the civil and military men to show his sincerity. .

As soon as Gongsun Zan moved, the men and women under his command naturally moved to stand on the flat ground below the steps, but Gongsun Zan didn't know what to think of, and waved his big hand to signal all the men and women to stand on the stone steps, still condescending to welcome Marquis Wu.Perhaps, only by standing on a high place can we show the master status of Gongsun Zan and the martial arts under his command; no matter how prominent the status of Wuhou Li Li is, he is still a guest after all.At any time, the subject and the object cannot be reversed, and there must be a limit to respect, so as not to overwhelm the guest and presume to be arrogant.

Even so, such a grand welcome ceremony is rare since Gongsun Zan raised Youzhou Mu, and it has never happened before. This is the first time.

"How many troops did Li Li bring on this trip?" On the steps, Gongsun Zan paced lightly with a pensive expression on his face, stroked his beard and asked Chang Shi Guan Jing in a low voice.

Guan Jing followed behind Gongsun Zan with his back bowed and bowed. He heard the voice and replied, "The city gate guards report that there are three hundred and two men in total, all of whom are cavalry. They came here in the snow at night." Jing reported the truth.I dare not say too much.

"Three hundred Qingqi?" Gongsun Zan murmured, gently put down the hand that was stroking his beard, and fell silent with his hands behind his back.His eyes were deep and complex, making it impossible to see his emotions or to fathom his intentions.

Shi Guanjing, governor of Youzhou, carefully observed Gongsun Zan's expression. After seeing this, he realized something, and said in a low voice, "This late-night visit by Marquis Wu is indeed a bit sudden. Logically speaking, no matter what, he should have informed in advance. Or send sentry cavalry to report in advance. Tonight's action is indeed unreasonable, too sudden. It is inevitable to be suspicious." Seeing the suspicion in Gongsun Zan's eyes, Guan Jing directly pointed it out, which sounded like he was accusing Li Li of not Obeying the rules is actually implicitly persuading Gongsun Zan to let go of his suspicions.Don't let your imagination run wild.

It is not difficult to see from this.Guan Jing has been in charge of liaising with the Xiliang Army, and has gotten along very well with the Xiliang Army for many years, and has been treated favorably by Li Li, or he has taken a lot of benefits from it.Therefore, he intentionally or unintentionally sided with Li Li, and defended Li Li with a few words, so as to resolve Gongsun Zan's doubts;What's more, Li Li is powerful.Relying on the strong is the way to make a living in troubled times, and it is a wise choice.There is nothing wrong with it.