Xiaoqi

After a pause, Li Li continued: "The second thing is to order Li Xian to go to Hanzhong, and order Huang Zhong and Ma Chao to assist Li Xian to select [-] young and strong from the Wuhuan people who moved to Hanzhong to form the Eagle Guard. Shuofang Horse Farm and Xiutu Horse Farm are responsible for the supply of war horses, and Li Xian is appointed as the Chief of the Eagle Guard, and Li Su and Hu Cheer are the Deputy Generals, temporarily stationed in Hanzhong.

"The last thing is to order the Huben camp to go south to the Central Plains, temporarily station troops in Luoyang, and order Zhou Yu's troops to suspend the attack. The shortest is half a month, and the longest is 20 days. I will rush to the battlefield in Hebei, and then attack Jizhou."

"No. This minister will get up and go to Chang'an." Zhuge Liang respectfully accepted the order, then stood up and left, followed by Shi A and left quickly.

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Chapter 991 Killing Qingzhou, the Fury of Thunder

In the winter of the second year of Jian'an, Jianghuai encountered severe drought. In the spring of the third year of Jian'an, counties and counties in Jianghuai suffered from severe famine, and tragedies of cannibalism can be seen everywhere.Shu Shao, who was then Prime Minister of Peiguo, persuaded Yuan Shu to distribute grain to help the hungry people. Yuan Shu was furious and beheaded him.Since then, hungry people have spread everywhere between the Jianghuai River and the Huaihe River, causing Yuan Shu's strength to be severely damaged, and it has shown signs of decline.

In May, Lu Bu from Xuzhou led [-] cavalry to raid the north bank of the Jianghuai River, defeated Zhang Xun, Yuan Shu's general, and forced Yuan Shu's army to retreat to the south bank.The defeat on the North Shore exacerbated Yuan Shu's decline, and he was in danger.Then Yuan Shu's troops rebelled against Chen Lan and Lei Bo, and led the troops to plunder a large amount of food, grass and luggage and fled to Mount Yun, where they supported themselves and took over the mountain as king.

Following the rebellion led by generals Chen Lan and Lei Bo, chief shi Yang Hong and general Lu Mian secretly communicated with Jiangdong Sun Ce, and they were closely related. They seemed to abandon Yuan Shu and join Sun Ce instead.At the same time, Sun Ce, who occupied the four counties in the east of the Yangtze River, sent troops to Lujiang, repeatedly defeating Liu Xun, the prefect of Lujiang, so that Lujiang was in danger.For this reason, Liu Xun, the prefect of Lujiang, repeatedly asked Yuan Shu for help, but Yuan Shu had no soldiers to send, so he could only sit back and watch Lujiang fall.

As of August of the third year of Jian'an, Yuan Shuzhong in Huainan had rebelled against his relatives, and his decline was irreversible. The situation went from bad to worse, and he was on the verge of life and death.

Compared with the precarious Huainan Yuan Shu, the Hebei battlefield is relatively calm.In the past few months, no matter whether it was Wei County, where the army was overwhelming, or Qinghe Country, which was in danger, there were constant fights, but no large-scale war broke out.

At present, Zhou Yu's Xiliang army Chen Bing Weijun, the soldiers are pointing directly at Yecheng, posing a great threat to Yuan Shao.However, since the Xiliang army marched to Wei County, except for the first few attacks on the city in the past few months.Nothing more.Tens of thousands of cavalry from the Xiliang Army stationed at the border of Wei County, staring at each other, but never moving forward, neither advancing nor retreating.As a result, the defenders of Jizhou have been on guard for several months in fear, but they don't realize that it was just a false alarm.

Zhou Yu's troops stood still, and Cao Cao of Yanzhou, who had acquired Qingzhou, also did not attack Jizhou with all his strength.Cao Jun stationed troops in the plains, and from time to time sent troops to harass the Qinghe Kingdom in Jizhou, looting a lot of money and food, but did not attack by force.This made Qinghe Kingdom trembling, fearful, and terrified all day long.

months down.The defenders of Qinghe Kingdom have been basically wiped out by Cao Jun, and Qinghe Kingdom can be included as soon as the army arrives.But Cao Cao was not in a hurry to take over the Qinghe Kingdom, and let it be on his lips.But he still refused to swallow it in one gulp.What is the purpose of this move.I am afraid that only Cao Cao himself and his cronies and advisers know.

As of August of the third year of Jian'an, the battlefield in Hebei was still tepid. The Xiliang Army and the Cao Army had formed a two-sided attack on Jizhou.Invisibly, the two armies of the Yuan Alliance and the Jizhou Army formed a relatively moderate stalemate. The three parties were all waiting in the stalemate, and wasting their troops while waiting.Sit and watch time go by little by little.

Perhaps, the three parties on the battlefield in Hebei are waiting for an opportunity.Or bide their time.Once the expected fighter plane appears, it will set off an unprecedented war, which will completely change the situation in the Central Plains.If Yuan Shao in Jizhou was defeated, then the ownership of Jizhou, the largest state in the Central Plains, would be a major decision before the Yuan Alliance.

Whoever can occupy Jizhou means that whoever can seize the opportunity in the future battle for the Central Plains, and then dominate the Central Plains.This is undoubtedly a huge temptation that cannot be refused. Neither Cao Cao nor Li Li can make concessions on the ownership of Jizhou. This is an undoubted and unavoidable objective fact.

It is precisely because of the extremely important strategic position of Jizhou itself and the powerful Jizhou army in the hands of Yuan Shao in Jizhou that Zhou Yu's Xiliang army and Cao Cao's army did not dare to act rashly. There was a slight flaw.

It is worth mentioning that both the Xiliang Army and the Cao Army had the same worries. They were worried that if Yuan Shao was cornered and Yuan Shao put all his eggs in one basket, he would put aside the other army and concentrate his forces on him, which would be a big disaster. The result must be that you can't eat and walk around, and you will lose a lot!After all, Yuan Shao still has an army of no less than 20 in his hands, which is far superior to Cao Cao and Zhou Yu's army; only the combination of the two sides can defeat Yuan Shao, otherwise neither party is Yuan Shao's opponent.

Of course, there is a premise in this, that is, Li Li was held back in Youzhou and could not return to help.

It was precisely because the Youzhou battlefield contained a large part of the Xiliang army's strength that Zhou Yu's tent was stretched and the Hebei battlefield fell into a stalemate.Otherwise, the Xiliang army is fully capable and powerful to fight against Yuan Shao in Jizhou alone, and its strength is still higher than Yuan Shao.

In contrast, although Cao Cao in Yanzhou has greatly increased his strength after occupying Qingzhou, he is still inferior to Yuan Shao in Jizhou.Because before the fall of Qingzhou, Yuan Shao had already swept away all the money and food for soldiers, horses and food from all counties and counties in Qingzhou, leaving Cao Cao a mess full of holes and a mess, without any substantial benefits.The Qingzhou obtained by Cao Cao is at best tens of thousands of young and strong, cities with empty treasuries, and hungry people everywhere and bandits who take advantage of the fire.

Therefore, instead of saying that Cao Cao has been confronting the Jizhou army for the past few months, it is better to say that he is taking advantage of this rare time to restore the people's livelihood in Qingzhou.Rectify the administration of officials, reassign officials to take over counties and counties, make great efforts to rectify law and order, and eliminate banditry.The reason why he did this was to eat Qingzhou into his stomach; only by fundamentally controlling all the counties and counties can he completely occupy Qingzhou and truly take it as his own.

This is: Only when you eat it in your stomach, it is your own.

With one mind and two minds, Cao Cao was not enthusiastic about attacking Yuan Shao in Jizhou.In order to avoid leaving any excuses, Li Li would catch him in the future. While he was busy rectifying Qingzhou, he sent a small group of troops to harass Qinghe Kingdom.In this way, there will be no delay, and you can get the benefits of controlling Qingzhou without losing the handle. The best of both worlds, why not do it.

In addition, the reason why Cao Cao did not work hard has another intention, that is, he tried to defeat Yuan Shao with the help of the Xiliang army.Wait until the last moment, and then lead the army to attack Jizhou with all its strength, so as to grab the fruits of victory, and get a share of the pie no matter how bad it is.No one knows better than Cao Cao how deep Yuan Shao's roots in Jizhou are, and it is not easy to occupy Jizhou.Even if Yuan Shao is defeated, not everyone can occupy Jizhou

Pingyuan County, the prefect of Pingyuan City.Right now, this is the location of the Central Army under Cao Cao's command. Cao Cao and his generals and staff live in the county guard's mansion, which is convenient for mobilizing the army at any time.

It's late August, and three days later it will be the golden autumn and September.

"Oh!"

A loud bang broke the tranquility of the hall of the Sheriff's Mansion, causing the hall to rumble, with long echoes that lingered endlessly.

On the upper steps of the main hall, Cao Cao, who had already entered the middle age, stood up against the table and was furious. His five-inch-long black beard under his chin moved without wind. There was a throat-clogging sound in the middle of the "huhu".

"It's unreasonable! Why did such important news come up today? What are the secret agents, scouts, and sentry cavalry doing? The battle in Youzhou has been over for three months. Why are you sending back the news now?" While rebuking Cao Ren, Cao Cao walked up to Cao Ren angrily, looking as if he wanted to swallow Cao Ren alive.

Panting heavily, Cao Cao's voice paused, and after he breathed a sigh of relief, he asked sharply, "Cao Ren, tell me why? Is there ever a shortage of money, food, and supplies allocated by the treasury to the secret agents and scouts every year? If there is no shortage, why are you in Youzhou?" Can't you find out such an important military situation through careful work?"

Cao Cao kept asking questions with a sullen expression on his face. Cao Ren, who bowed his head in fright, blushed and trembled all over. He couldn't help but take two steps back, and then knelt down in front of Cao Cao with a face full of shame, terrified and afraid to answer, let alone how to answer .This was the first time in Cao Ren's memory that Cao Cao was furious with thunder. The unprecedented cold eyes like sharp swords, and the fierce and ferocious look in his eyes made Cao Ren kneel down in fright, daring not to make a sound. .

However, Cao Ren's terrified demeanor did not dispel Cao Cao's anger. Cao Cao shouted angrily, "It's been three whole months! The battle in Youzhou ended in early June, and the two barbarian tribes, Wuhuan and Xianbei, surrendered to Li Li one after another. , all moved to Bingzhou and Liangzhou at the end of July. How many major events happened during this period, why did not there be any news from the secret work?

In the past three months, what are Li Li and his Xiliang army doing? Are they already going south to Zhuojun and preparing to attack Jizhou?You don't know anything about such an important military situation. Could it be that you want me, Cao Cao, to go to Youzhou to inquire about the news? "

The more he talked, the more angry Cao Cao said: "Last year Youzhou was taken by Li Libing without bloodshed, and you only found out the news after the fact. For this reason, our army sent hundreds of spies into Youzhou. It is to be able to find out every move of Li Li and the Xiliang army in time. But you are repeating the same mistakes again this time, and once again jeopardizing the military situation! You are so stupid, what is the use of you?"

After a pause, Cao Cao sternly said, "Where are the left and right? Drag Cao Ren down and behead him in public, as a warning to others!"

Cao Ren is in charge of all the secret operations of Cao Jun and the eyeliners placed in various places, that is, Cao Jun's intelligence organization.Besides him, there is another person in charge of intelligence, and that is Xun Yu.However, Xun Yu has a very limited number of secret agents, and his authority is very small, limited to Yanzhou and Qingzhou under Cao Cao's rule, and Cao Ren is in charge of all other intelligence.

Seeing that Cao Cao wanted to kill Cao Ren in his rage, the four trusted counselors standing in the hall were silent.Cheng Yu, Man Chong, and Liu Ye lowered their heads and did not dare to look at Cao Cao. Only Xun Yu stepped forward and said respectfully: "My lord, calm down. It is not General Cao Ren's fault that this delays the military situation. I implore my lord to keep someone under his knife, and let him go." The minister explained the reason."

""

Chapter 992 Partridge Sky, Traitor in Troubled Times

Seeing Xun Yu come forward to intercede for Cao Ren, Cao Cao raised his head and glanced at Xun Yu, his face still gloomy and angry.Seeing this situation, the soldiers who had already entered the hall stood behind Cao Ren in embarrassment, not knowing what to do.

At this time Xun Yu shook his head slightly at them, and waved his hand to signal them to back down.The two burly soldiers understood immediately, looked at Cao Cao cautiously, and seeing him looking up at the beams of the main hall, they quickly exited the main hall with relief.

When the soldier left, everyone in the hall couldn't help secretly heaving a sigh of relief, breathing much easier.

In fact, Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, Man Chong and Liu Ye all knew that Cao Cao would definitely not kill Cao Ren.Who is Cao Ren?That is Cao Cao's younger brother, a real general in the direct line, a general in the army; even if Cao Ren made a huge mistake, Cao Cao would not bear to kill him.This is an undoubted fact, and everyone in Cao Jun knows it.

It's just that people will inevitably lose their minds when they are angry. Since ancient times, there are not a few civil servants and military generals who have been killed or killed by mistake.For this reason, Xun Yu and others should dissuade them in time, this is the duty that a courtier should do.

Knowing that the lord was bluffing and his words were not right, he had no choice but to persuade the lord to appease the lord's anger.What does it mean to share the Lord's worries, that's it.

Among the four counselors in the hall, the only person who is qualified to intercede is Xun Yu, who is regarded as "my son's house" by Cao Cao.

In recent years, Xun Yu has not only made outstanding political achievements and made outstanding achievements repeatedly, but also recommended many talents to Cao Cao.Xi Zhicai, Chen Qun, Zhong Yao, Yan Xiang, Du Xi and others were all recommended by Xun Yu. Without exception, these people were entrusted with important tasks by Cao Cao and were highly appreciated.The only fly in the ointment is.Xun Yu also recommended his nephew Xun You to Cao Cao, but unexpectedly, his younger brother Xun Chen took the lead and tricked Xun You to Xiliang in advance.Voted under Li Li's command.Although it is a bit regrettable, the flaws do not conceal the merits. Xun Yu's contribution to Cao Jun is undoubtedly huge, and it is obvious to all that Cao Cao relies heavily on him.

Today, Xun Yu is the well-deserved number one conspirator under Cao Cao's command, firmly ranking first among civil officials.In addition, he is quite prestigious among Cao Jun.Even Cao's relatives, such as Cao Ren, Cao Chun, Cao Hong and other generals, respected him very much, and they had to say respectfully and respectfully when they met: "Xun Lingjun".

Therefore.At this moment, Cao Cao was furious and wanted to kill Cao Ren. Cheng Yu, Liu Ye and others did not dare to say anything, for fear that Cao Cao would be angered by their words. Only Xun Yu stepped forward.He bluntly interceded for Cao Ren.

I saw two soldiers retreating outside the hall.But Cao Cao didn't stop it, Xun Yu knew it well, and roughly guessed Cao Cao's thoughts, or concerns.

After thinking for a while, Xun Yu respectfully said: "This time our army's careful work has been unable to find out the movements of the Xiliang army, which has caused a delay in the military situation. The crime is unforgivable, but it can be forgiven. The reason is not that our army did not do their best. The effort is a secret operation of arresting the princes of all walks of life after Youzhou was occupied by the Xiliang army. They set up many checkpoints, strictly interrogated them, and tried their best to block the news.

The fact that Li Li forced Gongsun Zan to surrender and take Youzhou back is a clear proof. Our army tried everything possible to send back the news, but it was still more than two months late.The same is true for this delay in military affairs.Li Lili's army set off outside the Great Wall, but his military adviser Guo Jia was stationed in Youzhou, leading the troops to resist the attack of Ju Yi's army, and tightly sealed off the checkpoints along the way, making Youzhou almost isolated from the outside world, and it was impossible to send out intelligence.

What's more, our army is stationed in Qingzhou, and Jizhou is separated from Youzhou. In addition, Li Li's army is fighting outside the Great Wall, thousands of miles away.Whether it is the Xiliang Army in Youzhou or Yuan Shao in Jizhou, they are hunting and killing all parties, blocking border passes, cutting off caravans and prohibiting pedestrians from passing.In this case, no matter whether it is a message sent by a flying pigeon or sent by a sentry cavalry, the news cannot be transmitted directly.The secret agents can only keep turning around, secretly transmitting, racking their brains, and reporting the news after many twists and turns.It is not an exaggeration to say that the entire process of transmitting information was painstaking. "During the speech, Xun Yu's expression was dignified, his face was solemn, and there was a strong sigh of emotion in his tone of voice.

Speaking of this, Xun Yu paused, and sighed softly: "Now, even if we don't want to admit it, we still have to face it. It is much more rigorous. Its detailed work is spread across almost all states, counties, and even counties. No matter when and where any situation occurs, it can be transmitted to Li Li at the first time, so that he is well aware of the situation in the world. And we are He was kept in the dark, completely unaware, and knew nothing about the movements of the Xiliang Army.

This is extremely dangerous, it is tantamount to waiting in the open, while Li Li and his Xiliang army are in the dark.This kind of light and darkness caused us to be in a passive position. We must always be on guard against every move of the Xiliang Army, otherwise we will always be led by the nose by Li Li, and we will be at an absolute disadvantage. "

This is Xun Yu Xun Wenruo, whom Cao Cao called "My Zifang".He can often see the essence through the phenomenon, draw inferences from one instance, and see the potential threat behind the matter from the intelligence that has been delayed twice in a row.His sharp eyes, quick thinking, and long-term insight are really admirable.

It is worth mentioning that since the establishment of the Alliance for Discussing Yuan, the entire Cao army from Cao Cao down no longer referred to Li Li as "Li Thief", but called him by his first name.If there are outsiders present, they are called "General" or "Leader".It can be seen from this that the entire Cao army, including Cao Cao, is very afraid of Li Li and the Xiliang Army under his command. end.

Conversely, as long as Cao Cao is not caught by Li Li, they will be allies of the Yuan League.Even though Li Li is powerful, he can't provoke a war for no reason, and Cao Cao can't help it.Otherwise, if you are good at using weapons and wantonly provoking wars, it is bound to be hard to hide the public opinion, and you will be cast aside by the world.This is the reason why it has been famous for its emphasis on leaving teachers in battles since ancient times.In the final analysis, it is still: the one who wins the hearts of the people wins the world.