Uncle Liu Huang not only invited Cao Jun's important officials out of the city for a banquet for Cao Jun's internal reasons, but also wanted to take this opportunity to understand the specific situation of his ally Cao Jun in the Tongguan battlefield, as well as to understand the strength and weakness of Xuzhou Army's western expedition to Guanzhong, and judge Is it possible to block the Xuzhou army at the Tongguan line? Liu Huangshu planned to swallow the remnants of Cao's army with their skins and bones, but if he couldn't stop the Xuzhou army's attack, his intestines and internal organs might be pulled out together. .
In view of this situation, when Cheng Yu and Cao Pi came to the imperial uncle's military camp for a banquet on behalf of Cao Ang, Liu Huangshu rarely played any tricks. He did not take the opportunity to exchange confidential information with Cao Pi, nor did he take the opportunity to bribe and win over Cao Pi who was determined to do it for Cao Pi. Cheng Yu, an important minister of Cao's army who wanted to take revenge, temporarily put aside his evil intentions and asked Cheng Yu humbly for advice. He also asked Cheng Yu for advice on how to break the pottery. Cheng Yu also knew that Cao's army must now rely on the help of the emperor's uncle's army to have a chance. He probably guarded Tongguan, so he did not hide too much and introduced as much as possible to Uncle Liu Huang.
The strength of Cao's army at Tongguan is almost the same as what the emperor's uncle's army surveyed. Cao Ren led an army of about 11,000 and was stationed at Tongguan. Zhang Liao and Zhang He led an army of about 15,000 and were stationed on the line between Huayin and Linjin. Their total strength was 26,000. However, considering issues such as transporting grain and guarding against Yellow River crossings, the number of troops Cao Jun could put into the battlefield was only a little over 20,000 at most. However, what reassures and secretly covets Uncle Liu is that most of the more than 20,000 remnants of Cao's army are the last elite main force of Cao's army, including more than 350,000 cavalry, the remnants of Yuan Shao's elite halberd soldiers brought by Zhang He from Jizhou, The core of the backbone is also the remaining essence of Cao's army after the Xuchang War. Their combat effectiveness is not at all inferior to the main force of the Emperor's Uncle Army, and they are a friendly force that can be reassuring on the battlefield.
For the Xuzhou army, Deputy Director Tao has always put elite troops first. The main elite troops deployed on the frontal battlefield have always been kept at around 70,000. The remaining troops are used to protect grain roads and control the city. The total number is 56,000. The above-mentioned coalition forces of Cao and Liu did not actually have much advantage in terms of number of troops on the frontal battlefield. At the same time, the narrow Weihan Ancient Road also restricted the deployment of Xu Army's forces. Therefore, in addition to closely monitoring the crossing of the Yellow River, the coalition forces of Cao and Liu also needed to There is no need to worry about Deputy Director Tao deploying rear troops to suppress the enemy. The Cao and Liu coalitions even have hope of defeating the main forces of the Xuzhou Army.
The biggest hidden danger for Cao's army is the problem of food and grass. Currently, Cao's army only has enough food in Tongguan and Chang'an to last for more than two months - this is without considering the consumption of the emperor's army, and because the grain-producing areas are so vast. Because Nonghe and Hedong had basically fallen, Cao's army's autumn grain harvest was also pitifully small, making it difficult to sustain the Cao and Liu coalition's long-term operations. However, Cheng Yu pointed out to Liu Huangshu that Cao's army was in dire straits, and Xuzhou's army was in dire straits. Xuzhou's army, which had been fighting for years, did not have sufficient food reserves, and it had to travel thousands of miles by land to reach the Tongguan front line. The road losses were astonishing, so the Cao-Liu coalition only needed By the beginning of next spring, we can hope to force Deputy Director Tao to withdraw from the army after all the food is exhausted!
After listening to Cheng Yu's introduction, he closed his slender eyes and pondered for a long time. Uncle Liu finally opened his eyes, smiled at Cheng Yu and said, "Mr. Zhongde, please tell nephew Zixiu that this time our army will send troops to Tongguan to help your army." To meet the enemy, we will provide food and grass by ourselves. We don¡¯t have to worry about your army. We just ask your army to help organize the civilians to transport food. In addition, our army will also provide another 200,000 hu of food to your army to help your army. Get through the spring famine next year.¡±
"Did the big-eared thief really change his surname?" Cheng Yu opened his mouth wide, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses. He hurriedly thanked Uncle Liu Huang and said repeatedly: "Thank you so much, Mr. Xuande, thank you so much, Mr. Xuande, for your kindness. , our army will never forget it, and if there is an opportunity in the future, our army will definitely tie a grass ring to repay Duke Xuande's great kindness."
"Mr. Zhongmou, there is no need to be so polite. We are all allies, so it is natural." Uncle Liu smiled and waved, then picked up the wine glass and invited: "Mr. Zhongmou, in order to wish our army and your army a successful alliance against Taoma, please have another drink. .¡±
Cheng Yu hurriedly raised his glass to drink with Uncle Liu. Cao Pi next to him secretly winked at Uncle Liu, but Uncle Liu turned a blind eye and just drank happily with Cheng Yu and left. Young master Cao Pi, who did not know that he had actually lost his use value, also There was never even the slightest chance to talk to Uncle Liu alone, and it was not until he personally sent Cao Pi and Cheng Yu out of the camp gate that Uncle Liu held Cao Pi's hand in front of the camp gate and said with a pun: "Second Young Master, please don't worry. Everything is under Bei Zhi's control, and the Tao bandit team will never be able to enter Tongguan."
Young Master Cao Pi, who had something to say, left doubtfully, and left with Cheng Yu who was feeling mixed with joy and sorrow. When they left, he disguised himself and fled to Hanzhong with Fazheng to join Uncle Liu's army general Meng Da. Come over and whisper in Liu Huangshu's ear: "My lord, were you too generous with your promise just now? Our army will solve the food and grass problem on its own, and we have to assist them with another 200,000 tons of food and grass. Plus the losses on the road, what we have to pay is just too big."
"Can't bear to leave the child"If the wolf doesn't come, as long as we can capture the elite soldiers left by Cao Mengde, our army will easily capture Yizhou. It's worth the effort. "Uncle Liu Huang, who had almost completely accepted Zhang Lu's cunliang, answered confidently, and then he sneered in his heart and added: "Besides, what was promised does not necessarily need to be fulfilled, as long as the remaining team and territory of the Cao thieves are returned. Me, even if I don't fulfill my promise of 200,000 tons of military rations, it doesn't count as breaking my promise, right? "
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Cheng Yu brought Uncle Liu Huang's generous promise back to Chang'an City. Xun Yu, Guo Jia and other Cao Jun veterans were also very surprised. They were hesitant but full of expectations, hoping that Uncle Liu could keep his word and let the people who were suffering from food shortages Cao's army gained hope of making a comeback. However, the kind-hearted Cao Ang was full of doubts about this and asked Cheng Yu face to face: "How is this possible? If Liu Xuande really assists us with another 200,000 hu of military rations, then we can ensure that we can support the winter wheat harvest next year without having to If you keep talking down to Liu Xuande, you don¡¯t have to worry about being manipulated by him using food. How can he be so kind?"
"Reporting to my lord, Yu found it unbelievable at first." Cheng Yu tried his best to answer with a respectful expression: "But after thinking about it carefully, I feel that Liu Bei's move is not impossible. After repelling the Tao thieves, he may find ways to do it. annex our army, but he must worry about Tao Ying's resurgence of thieves and take advantage of him to defraud the people in the pass before attacking the pass. In this way, instead of taking the risk of annexing our army, Liu Bei might as well help our army tide over the difficulties and let Liu Bei overcome the difficulties. Our army continues to defend him against the threat of the Tao bandits, so that he can take the opportunity to attack Liu Zhang and annex the Dongchuan land, which is even richer than Hanzhong."
Xun Yu and Guo Jia both agreed with Cheng Yu's analysis and felt that Uncle Liu Huang was either prepared to keep his word, or, as Cheng Yu analyzed, he was prepared to help Cao Jun overcome the food shortage and use Cao Jun to block the Xuzhou army, and then The emperor's uncle's army took the opportunity to go south and annex Liu Zhang. Cao Ang remained silent, and after a while he said with an expression on his face: "I hope Mr. Xuande can have such a kind heart."
Although it is still uncertain whether Liu Huangshu's promise can be fulfilled, Xun Yu, Guo Jia and other veterans of Cao's army have greatly reduced their hostility towards Huangshu's army. They basically believe that Liu Huangshu will have to wait until the end of the Tongguan War before he can fall out with his own army. At this point, in addition to letting Cao Hong continue to guard the city to guard against sneak attacks by the emperor's uncle's army, he immediately began to discuss how to join forces with the emperor's uncle's army to defend the enemy. It was also decided that Xun Yu would continue to stay in Chang'an. Guo Jia and Cheng Yu, who were familiar with the situation of the Xuzhou army, then He went to the front line to help Cao Ren defend against the enemy, and then finalized the garrison location of the emperor's uncle's army on the Tongguan battlefield. Cao Ang remained silent and allowed several veterans to make decisions for him. He just wrote and signed his name and used his seal. Like death.
What should come will always come. One night passed very quickly. In the early morning of the next day, which was also the first day of September in the 11th year of Jian'an, Xun Yu, the most important minister of the two generations of Cao Jun, got up early as usual, dressed up and prepared to rush to the Governor's Mansion. When Xun Yu was having a simple breakfast, his disciple suddenly came to report that Cao Zhi was visiting. Xun Yu was a little angry when he heard it and scolded him: "Go tell him that there is official business in the governor's house. He has been there all day." What do you mean by the elephant running around my house? Remind him to pay attention to his identity for me."
Menzi followed the order and left, but when Xun Yu had just put the last mouthful of sorghum rice and thick sauce into his mouth, Menzi returned to the room and said in an awkward and timid voice: "Master, Mr. Zhi refuses to leave. He also said that he had urgent matters that needed to be met by the master, and he also said"
"What else are you talking about? Don't hesitate, just say it!" Xun Yu asked impatiently.
"Master Zhi also said that this matter is also related to the lives of the master's family. He also risked his own life to deliver the letter to you." Mencius replied timidly - by the way, if it were not for Cao Zhi's identity, he would have If someone comes to the door of Xun Yu's Mansion early in the morning and says such unlucky words, the disciples of Xun Yu's Mansion must have started beating them.
"Is it related to the fate of my entire family?" Xun Yu's heart skipped a beat. After pondering for a moment, Xun Yu nodded and replied, "Invite him in."
The doorman followed the order and left. Within a moment, Mr. Cao Zhi, whose clothes and scarves were a little messy, rushed into the room where Xun Yu was sitting. As soon as he entered the door, he shouted in a hurry, "Mr. Wenruo, Mr. Wenruo, run." , if you run, it might be too late!¡±
"What?!" No matter how resourceful Wang Zuo Xunyu was, he was inevitably shocked when he heard Cao Zhi's words like a bolt from the blue. He quickly stood up and asked: "Mr. Zhi, what happened? Why should I run away?"
Cao Zhi was panting heavily and did not dare to answer. He just peeked around. Xun Yu quickly waved his hand to chase everyone away. Cao Zhi closed the door with his own hands, then knelt down to Xun Yu and took out a He held the letter bag, raised his hands above his head, and whispered nervously: "Mr. Wen Ruo, you will understand after reading it."
??Then he discovered that this letter was written by Cao Ang himself. When he looked at the content of the letter carefully, Xun Yu's hands and whole body began to tremble slightly. It turned out that this letter was actually written by Cao Ang to the chief general of Cao's army and his uncle. Cao Ren and Cao Zixiao's letter of complaint. In the letter, Cao Ang recounted to Cao Ren the sins of Xun Yu and the five auxiliary ministers who manipulated power and deceived the emperor, and asked his uncle Cao Ren to seek justice for him and regain his power. At the same time, Cao Ang also revealed in his words The intention to kill Xun Yu and others!
"Hate that the thunder of heaven does not kill the thieves of Yu Hong? Hate that the thunder of heaven does not kill the thieves of Yu Hong? Hate that the thunder of heaven does not kill the thieves of Yu Hong"
Repeatedly reciting these words silently, Xun Yu's heart could only be described as being like a knife, and two drops of turbid tears slowly seeped out from the corners of his eyes that were already covered with dense crow's feet. Cao Zhi observed his words and quickly whispered: " uncle Murder, uncle, you have no chance to escape even if you want to!"
Xun Yu lowered his head and suddenly remembered something. He quickly wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, raised the letter and asked Cao Zhifei: "Mr. Zhi, where did you get this letter?"
"My nephew found it on the mourning hall of his father." Cao Zhifei replied: "My nephew went to his father's funeral at five o'clock to offer incense, burn poems and ask his father to check his homework. He found this letter on the mourning hall. After opening it, he found out what happened. No, just bring it to uncle immediately!"
"You found it in the old master's mourning hall?" Xun Yu looked at Cao Zhi suspiciously, and suddenly asked: "Master Zhi, could someone have asked you to give this letter to me?"
"Ah!" Cao Zhi was speechless. After a while, he came to his senses. He jumped up and shouted: "Mr. Wen Ruo, my nephew respects you as an elder and the most important minister under his father. That's why he risked his life to give you this gift." After sending a letter, you actually suspect that my nephew is being instigated by someone else?!"
"If you were not instigated by others, how could such a coincidence happen in this world?" Xun Yu said with a cold expression: "You went to offer incense to the old master and asked him to check his homework, and you happened to find this letter. Why? Didn't anyone else pick it up? Why didn't the guards guarding the mourning hall see it?"
"The letter bag fell next to the cushion. I was only five years old at the time. Is it strange that the guards couldn't see it?!" Cao Zhi was furious. He turned around and left, saying loudly: "If uncle thinks that my nephew is sowing discord, you don't have to believe it." , you can also take it to ask for credit from your brother, and your nephew will go home and wash his neck to wait for death!"
After saying that, Cao Zhi actually opened the door and walked back without looking back, leaving Xun Yu in the room hesitating with the letter. He looked at Cao Zhi who left angrily, and then looked down at his hands. After writing the letter, he was extremely hesitant and thought to himself: "Is it true or false? Is the eldest son really dissatisfied with us to this extent?!"
After thinking about it, Xun Yu arranged for people to follow Cao Zhi secretly and asked his subordinates to pay attention to those people who Cao Zhi had contact with. Then he took the official document and rushed to the governor's office. All the way, he was thinking about whether the letter was true or false. , but no matter how smart and resourceful Xun Yu was, he couldn't judge whether this letter was someone who instigated discord, or whether it was written by Cao Ang himself? ¡ª¡ªAfter all, Xun Yu has already discovered in recent days that Cao Ang is dissatisfied with the power of several of his people.
He arrived at the gate of the Governor's Mansion with a lot of worries. Xun Yu had sent a servant who had followed Cao Zhi to greet him, and reported in a low voice that Cao Zhi had gone directly back to the Governor's Mansion without contacting anyone along the way. Xun Yu was worried It was inevitable that he was trembling, because Cao Zhi dared to go back to the governor's office directly after estrangement with letters. There were only two possibilities. One was that Cao Zhi had some plans and was not afraid that Xun Yu would expose him to Cao Ang. The other was that Cao Zhi was not lying. He was young and impulsive and was angry with himself. ! So after thinking about it, Xun Yu said to his subordinates: "Go and contact General Dian Wei and tell him that I want to know what Mr. Zhi was doing yesterday? Did he have any contact with outsiders? Did he quietly leave the house and the city? Ask him to find out. Come and repay me later."
After giving the instructions, Xun Yu entered the Governor's Mansion and went to his signature room to handle official business. During this period, although Xun Yu tried hard to calm down and work hard, he was still a little absent-minded. He wrote wrong words several times and lost several pieces of bamboo slips. After scribbling and correcting, Xun Yu finally couldn't bear it any longer and simply threw the brush on the desk, folding his hands and calculating and analyzing with a sullen face, feeling confused.
"Is it him?!"
As he was thinking about it, Xun Yu's body suddenly trembled, and the shadow of Cao Pi suddenly appeared in his mind. He quickly sat up straight and thought about it carefully. Xun Yu was basically sure that Cao Pi was responsible for Jiang Gan's disappearance, and he also very doubted that the imitation was almost The warrant for Tianyi Sewing came from Cao Pi's hand. Thinking that Cao Pi could imitate the first warrant, he could imitate the second one, and that Cao Pi could also enter and leave the mourning hall of Boss Cao. Xun Yu's body began to tremble, and he quickly took it again. Out of what was hidden in my arms??Read the letter carefully.
It was also Cao Lao's own fault. The sons he taught were either masters of literature or calligraphy. Although the letter Cao Pi imitated was not a piece of heavenly clothing, it was so vivid that people could judge the authenticity from the fake. Xun Yu turned it over and over again. After looking at it for a long time, I was stunned and couldn't tell whether it was true or false. After much hesitation, Xun Yu had no choice but to immediately send for Guo Jia and Cheng Yu to help him consider the details. The fatal letter that Pang Tong asked Cao Pi to forge was finally seen by Guo Jia and Cheng Yu together - - There was nothing Xun Yu could do about it. The matter concerned Guo Jia, Cheng Yu and others, and Xun Yu would have to let them see this letter sooner or later.
Like Xun Yu, when they first saw this letter, Cheng Yu and Guo Jia were shocked, angry and heartbroken. They couldn't understand why Cao Ang, who they had loyally assisted, hated them so much. Fortunately, Xun Yu calmed down and quickly explained the origin and suspicious aspects of the letter to Cheng Yu, Guo Jia and others. He asked Cheng Yu and Guo Jia to calm down and help him analyze and judge the authenticity of the letter. With great difficulty, Guo Jia and Cheng Yu returned to his normal mood.
Something was about to happen, but at this moment, Cao Ang and Sima Yi suddenly appeared in front of the door of Xun Yu's custody room. They heard the footsteps and looked up to see who was coming. Xun Yu, Guo Jia and others who had not yet determined whether the letter was true or false were shocked. , Xun Yu hurriedly hid the letter in his arms, then stood up, saluted, and said with a forced smile: "I didn't know that my lord was coming, and I didn't come to welcome you. Please forgive me, lord."
Cao Ang did not treat Xun Yu with false politeness. He just looked at Xun Yu who was collecting letters suspiciously, then looked at Guo Jia and Cheng Yu who had strange expressions next to him, but hesitated to express his words. Xun Yu, who had a ghost in his heart, showed a guilty conscience for the first time, and was a little afraid to look at Cao Ang. Guo Jia and Cheng Yu had complicated moods and peeked at Cao Ang several times. The atmosphere in the signing room became even weirder.
I don't know how long it took, but Cao Ang, who couldn't stand the depressing atmosphere, gritted his teeth and asked: "Uncle Xun, I heard that the third brother went out before dawn today and hurried directly to your house. , is there such a thing?"
"Ah?" Xun Yu was startled. When he peeked at Sima Yi who lowered his head and said nothing, Xun Yu suddenly realized that Sima Yi, who was destined to be in charge of confidential affairs for Cao Ang, found out about this matter and reported it to Cao Ang. . He expected that there must be witnesses for Cao Ang and Sima Yi, so Xun Yu did not dare to hide it. He nodded and replied: "Reply to my lord, this is indeed the case."
"For what?" Cao Ang asked.
Xun Yu was sweating on his forehead. He didn't know how to answer this question for a while. Guo Jia and Cheng Yu also hung their heads in silence. They were at a loss for a while and cried out in their hearts, "Oh no, what if the eldest son knows about this?" No matter whether the letter is true or false, there is no way to end this matter."
After a long time, Xun Yu still didn't answer his question. Not only did Cao Ang become more suspicious, but Sima Yi next to him also began to be surprised and confused, thinking to himself: "Is there really something shameful? I instigated Cao Ang to come over and question Xun Yu face to face, but I want to expand their conflict even more. Why is Xun Yu so guilty? Also, why are Guo Jia and Cheng Yu also like this? What did they say here just now? "
"Uncle, my nephew is asking you a question. Third brother, why did he visit your house early this morning?" Cao Ang raised his voice a little, and then asked directly: "Also, uncle was so anxious to collect Bai Bai Silk, what¡¯s written on the silk?¡±
Xun Yu still couldn't answer. He peeked at the faces of Guo Jia and Cheng Yu and found that they had the same helpless expressions as himself. Cao Ang was not stupid either. After observing his words for a moment, he said again: "Uncle, take it out, even if it is It doesn¡¯t matter if you abolish the proclamation, my nephew is already prepared.¡± (To be continued)