Silver Fox of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 67 Cao Thief
In the first month of the second year of Jian'an, Cao Cao raised an army of [-] and attacked Nanyang.

Now Cao Cao's military strength is actually very impressive. Historically, since he entered Yanzhou as the prefect of Dongjun County, there were only a few thousand people at the beginning.

But at that time, Bao Xin, the prime minister of Jibei, had many troops. After Bao Xin died, his troops were taken over by Cao Cao.

For example, Yu Jin was Bao Xin's subordinate at that time, and he followed Cao Cao as soon as Bao Xin died.

With Bao Xin's troops as the foundation, Cao Cao set up ambushes day and night, took the initiative to attack, and finally defeated the million yellow scarves that attacked Qingzhou, and brought them under his command.

Since then, from about 2 to [-] people at the beginning, to about [-] to [-] Qingzhou Yellow Turban elites, we finally have a good team.

Now after the capital Xuchang was established, the remaining Yellow Turbans in Runan were broken eastward and bandits from all directions were wiped out, and a large number of people were relocated to farmland.

When the food crisis was initially resolved, Cao Cao rectified his soldiers, weeded out the old and the weak, and asked Yu Jin to train elite soldiers. Now there are more than 5 elite soldiers and horses, and their strength is very strong.

In fact, Xudu is very prosperous now. After Liu Xiedong returned, a large number of aristocratic families went to Xuchang one after another. At this time, Cao Cao won a large number of teams, and at the same time brought a lot of supplies to expand the treasury.

With the supply of soldiers, horses, food, weapons, equipment and money, he was finally able to start the war again.And this time they came out in full force, because they were afraid that Liu Biao would send troops to help Zhang Xiu, so he had to do his best.

By the end of January, Cao Cao's army had already arrived in Ye County, and Yingchuan was very close to Nanyang. After he prepared food, grass and supplies, he had already killed outside the Nanyang Gate within two days.

It wasn't until this time that Zhang Xiu knew that Cao Cao was attacking him, and he was very disturbed for a while.After all, compared with Cao Cao, his strength was still far behind, so he immediately called Jia Xu and asked about the strategy against the enemy.

In the central hall of the Wancheng prefect's mansion, Zhang Xiu anxiously walked up and down the hall. After a while, an old man in his fifties walked in slowly outside the door.

He has a thin face, a slender body, a goatee on his chin, and a pair of piercing eyes that seem to reveal a radiance.

Seeing him coming in, Zhang Xiu quickly stepped forward to greet him and said, "My lord uncle is finally here, sit down quickly."

In history, Zhang Xiu treated Jia Xu as a descendant and respected him very much.

After Jia Xu entered, she sat aside and said to Zhang Xiu, "The general asked me to come, what's the matter?"

Zhang Xiu said anxiously: "Cao Cao has launched an army of tens of thousands to attack Nanyang. I want to ask my uncle, how should we deal with the enemy?"

Jia Xu frowned slightly, then calmed down, and said, "General, it's better to follow Duke Cao."

Zhang Xiu was shocked and said: "Why is this so?"

Jia Xu said: "The general thinks that if we fight against Cao Cao with the strength of Nanyang, can we win?"

"This"

Zhang Xiu hesitated and said, "I'm afraid not."

Jia Xu said again: "What if Liu Biao is invited to help?"

Zhang Xiu said with a sneer, "Liu Biao's soldiers are nothing more than strong outsiders. In a fierce battle in the wild, my [-] Xiliang soldiers can defeat him by [-] to [-]."

Jia Xu said again: "How does the general compare to Lu Bu?"

"Not as good."

"Lü Bu is unparalleled in bravery. He was still defeated by Duke Cao. Now he welcomes the emperor, and the world will return his heart. He should really follow him."

"Is that so?"

Zhang Xiu pondered for a moment, nodded slowly and said: "My lord uncle is right, maybe I should really surrender to Cao Cao, so I will write a letter immediately and ask him to surrender."

"good."

Jia Xu praised.

At the moment, Zhang Xiu was not ambiguous, and immediately wrote a letter of surrender, and sent someone to deliver it to Cao Cao.

One day later, Cao Cao's army had already arrived near Bowang County, and it was getting late at the moment. He planned to station at the side of the water in Bowang County first, and summoned the generals to discuss the matter of attacking Wancheng tomorrow.

You must know that 3 people are stationed here is not a small number. The vast tents are connected together on both sides of the Feishui River, and the flags are flying to cover the sky and the sun, and you can't see the end at a glance.

The generals from all walks of life were summoned by Cao Cao and came to his commander's camp, and filed in one by one, lined up on the left and right.

He did not bring many generals with him this time. Apart from his personal guard Dian Wei, there were only Cao Hong, Cao Ren, Yu Jin, Le Jin, his eldest son Cao Ang, nephew Cao Anmin, and Li Tong as Zhenwei Zhonglang General who was stationed in Ye County responded.

In fact, he still has a lot of generals and advisers, but the territory is huge, and there are many places to defend.So Xiahou Dun was appointed by Cao Cao as Yin of Henan, and stationed in Luoyang to guard against Yuan Shao.

Xia Houyuan is the prefect of Yingchuan, controlling the old nest in the rear.Cheng Yu was the prefect of Jiyin, supervising Yanzhou affairs.Lu Qian was the prefect of Mount Tai, guarding against the enemies in Qingzhou and Shandong.

In addition, Xu Huang surrendered to Cao Cao after Cao Cao defeated Yang Feng last year.

However, as a surrendered general, his current status is not high. It will not be until next year when Cao Cao conquers Lv Bu in the third year of Jian'an that he will be worshiped as a general because of his meritorious service in defeating Fu Yangyuan.

And Xun You.

Xun You used to be the prefect of Shu County, but at the end of the Han Dynasty, the roads were blocked, so he stayed in the Jingnan area. Cao Cao wrote to him last year, recalling him to Xuchang, and appointed him as the prefect of Runan, sitting in Runan County together with Li Tong and Liu Bei .

Originally, before Cao Cao got Liu Xie, there were more than ten civil and military generals in total, but after he got Liu Xie, his strength expanded rapidly overnight, and a large number of celebrities came to join him.

People like Wang Lang, Kong Rong, Du Xi, Zhao Yan, Xun You, Guo Jia, Li Tong, Xu Chu, etc., all defected to Cao Cao from the end of 196 to 198 AD after Cao Cao welcomed the emperor.

This shows how much benefit Liu Xie's golden signboard has brought to Cao Cao.

It's just that Cao Cao still trusts Xiahou's family and Cao's relatives more in the military, so Xiahoudun and Xiahouyuan are located in Henan and Yingchuan, while Cao Hong and Cao Ren are with them and control the army.

At present, almost all the troops are under the control of the Cao family and the Xiahou family. Only Yu Jin, a general with a foreign surname, can lead the army alone, and ranks behind Cao Ren and Cao Hong in terms of status.

After everyone sat down, Cao Cao looked around and said: "Everyone, we are going to attack Wancheng tomorrow, but in case Liu Biao comes to help, I plan to let Cao Hongnan attack Huyang, and Le attack Anzhong, so as to cut off Liu Biao's reinforcements. What do you think?"

Cao Ren unconsciously touched his missing ear, stood up and said, "Sikong, I heard that the Deng and Shen Er clans have moved to Xinye. I want to lead the army to attack Xinye."

He would call Cao Cao his elder brother in private, but when he was in the military camp, he would call him an official position. This is Cao Cao's meaning, to prevent specialization.

Cao Cao mused, "Xinye is too close to Xiangyang. If Liu Biao comes over, I'm afraid it will be difficult to deal with."

"Liu Biao doesn't practice military, I'm not afraid of him!"

Cao Ren said seriously.

Cao Cao thought for a moment, and knew that this was a knot in Cao Ren's heart, so he nodded and said, "Well, then it's up to you, but you have to be careful in everything, first investigate and then act, and you must not act recklessly."

"only!"

Cao Ren sat down with joy in his heart, recalling the humiliation Shen Chen gave him back then, he was very angry.

Although he was ordered by Cao Cao to attack Huangmen Pavilion at the beginning, he happened to meet Liu Bei and almost died there, but what made him most angry was not that he almost died, nor that his ears were cut off, but that he was played by a child up.

Cao Cao's mission to him was messed up, which frustrated his sense of mission.

More importantly, he still has no way to take revenge on Liu Bei.

The person who cut off his ear was Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun's brother died of illness the year before last, so he left Liu Bei and returned to Zhongshan.

At the end of last year, after Liu Bei arrived in Xudu, Liu Xie entrusted him with the important task of entering the royal genealogy and calling him Uncle Huang.

As a result, Liu Bei's political status rose sharply, and when Cao Cao and Liu Xie were temporarily unable to confront each other, it was impossible for Cao Cao to kill Liu Bei for Cao Ren's ear and anger Liu Xie.

So this matter can only be let go.

But the failure of the mission and the lost ear reminded him of his own defeat all the time, so this time he must wash Huangmen Pavilion with blood and wash away that shame.

Seeing Cao Ren sitting down happily, Cao Cao looked at Cao Ang and Cao Anmin again and said, "Zixiu, Anmin, follow me tomorrow and fight outside the city."

"Yes, father (uncle)."

The two hand over each other should be.

Bringing Cao Ang and Cao Anmin here this time is also for training.

Cao Ang intends to be his successor, and Cao Anmin can be Cao Ang's help. In the final analysis, Cao Cao's most trusted people are still members of the Cao clan.

After arranging everything, Cao Cao arranged a night watch task, then broke up the meeting and let all the soldiers go to their respective duties.

Before dawn on the second day, Cao Ang's voice suddenly came from outside Cao Cao's camp.

"Father, father!"

Hearing this voice, Cao Cao woke up sleepily.

If it were another servant, he would probably be murdered in his dream, but it was Cao Ang who came, so he said, "Come in, Zixiu."

"Father, I'm so happy."

Cao Ang walked in quickly, holding a roll of bamboo slips in his hand, and said happily, "Zhang Xiu has surrendered."

"Oh?"

Cao Cao was surprised: "Is this true?"

"This is a letter of surrender."

Cao Ang handed the bamboo slips to him and said, "Zhang Xiu is already waiting for us outside Wancheng."

"Ha ha ha ha."

After reading the letter, Cao Cao laughed and said, "He who knows the current affairs is a hero. You can send an order to the three armies, and then you can set off and set up camp outside Wancheng to make fire and cook food."

"it is good."

Cao Ang immediately went to convey the order.

Soon after Cao Cao changed his silk pajamas and put on a black silk robe and walked out of the camp, the three armies were ready to march.

Dian Wei was eight feet tall and extremely burly. He stood outside the tent like a door god. When he saw him coming out, he bowed his head and said, "Sikong."

"Ah."

Cao Cao nodded: "Have someone pull up the tent and set off for Wancheng."

"only."

Dian Wei took the order and left.

The 3 men he led were led by Cao Ren, Cao Hong, and Yu Jinling each with several thousand, and the rest of the soldiers and horses were led by himself.

In addition to Le Jin, the middle and lower ranks also included Han Hao, Shi Huan, Zaozhi, Li Zheng, etc., as well as Cao Chun and Cao Xiu as his imperial guards, who helped him control about 5000 troops.

All the soldiers got the order and immediately set off from the camp.

Bowang was very close to Wancheng, and after noon, they had already reached the north of Wancheng, the area where the setting sun gathered on the left bank of the Feishui River.

This place is just close to the river bend. It was originally a village, which is very suitable for the army to station.

Cao Cao stationed his army here.

At this moment, Zhang Xiu led the generals and Jia Xu out of the city to greet him, and came to Cao Jun's camp to express his surrender to Cao Cao.

Zhang Xiu's surrender was very sincere. He placed the army in the west of the city, and he and all the generals of the whole army came here, which was equivalent to entrusting his life to Cao Cao.

Seeing this, Cao Cao was very satisfied. It was the beginning of spring in January, and the wind was fierce. Cao Jun hadn't built the camp yet, but only set up some tents.

Cao Cao himself, Dian Wei, Cao Ang, Cao Anmin and others rode horses on a small hill outside Cao Ying. He was surrounded by hundreds of guards, and Zhang Xiu and more than a dozen generals and generals from the army could be seen coming from a distance. .

After they approached, Cao Jun soldiers led them to the foot of the hill. Cao Cao got off his horse and walked downhill. Zhang Xiu Natou bowed and said, "Xiu, I have seen Duke Cao, please forgive me."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Cao Cao laughed and stepped forward to help Zhang Xiu up and said, "It's really a great fortune for the general to lead his troops to surrender to me. There is nothing to forgive."

Zhang Xiu quickly said: "Xiu has ordered the soldiers to station in the west of the city, Mr. Cao can let the soldiers enter the city and go to Wancheng to rest together."

"it is good."

Cao Cao nodded, then got on his horse again and ordered his soldiers to enter Wancheng.

Although Wancheng is the seat of Nanyang, it has been slightly dilapidated after years of war, so there is no way to station too many soldiers in the city. Cao Cao only brought 5000 people, and it is enough to control the four city gates.

After entering the city, there were indeed no Zhang Xiu's soldiers in the city. Only when the whole city was under Cao Cao's control did he feel relieved and went to the prefect's mansion together with Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu.

At this moment, the gate of the prefect's mansion was opened, and everyone in the house was welcoming Cao Cao's arrival. The group of people quickly arrived outside the gate of the prefect's mansion, and got off their horses one by one.

Cao Cao raised his head and looked at the Nanyang prefect's mansion. The outside was surrounded by a wall, a high courtyard of Zhumen, and the ground was paved with bluestone slabs.

Although the courtyard was built luxuriously, there were still a lot of traces of knives and axes on the beams, pillars and walls, and the bluestone slabs on the ground could still see bloodstains that had long been dark red and dried up.

From the Yellow Turban Rebellion to the present, there have been wars in Wancheng more than once, and the vicissitudes of history have brought countless turmoil to the city.

"It's really the general's luck, the people's luck, and the court's luck that the general can turn his heart to the court."

At this time Cao Cao sighed sincerely, grabbed Zhang Xiu's hand and patted it gently.

If Zhang Xiu hadn't chosen to surrender, maybe Wancheng would usher in another catastrophe today. His own soldiers and the people of Wancheng didn't know how many people would be killed or injured.

Zhang Xiu quickly said: "It's all because Mr. Cao has a broad mind and is willing to accept us and other homeless people. We are also very grateful."

"Yes."

Hu Che'er said loudly: "We don't want to fight either, we have no other choice."

Cao Cao's eyes lit up when he saw Hu Che'er, because Hu Che'er's physique was extremely majestic, and he could compete with Dian Wei, so he immediately loved talents, and said, "Who are you?"

Zhang Xiu introduced with a smile: "This is Hu Che'er, a strong general in our army. He has extraordinary physical strength and is the champion of the three armies."

"Such warriors should be rewarded."

Cao Cao beckoned, and someone came over with a plate of gold. He took the gold, put it in Hu Che'er's hand, and said with a smile, "This plate of gold is for you."

"This"

Hu Che'er glanced at Zhang Xiu, seeing Zhang Xiu's expressionless face, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Thank you, Sikong."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Cao Cao patted Hu Che'er's hand, turned his head and walked into the prefect's mansion.

At this moment, the mansion was full of darkness, all the family members and servants of the prefect's mansion went out to welcome Cao Cao together.

This was regarded as etiquette at the time, when welcoming distinguished guests, the entire mansion had to come.

The leader was a woman, she bowed slightly and bowed halfway, "I've seen Sikong."

"I met Sikong."

Many servants of Zhang Xiu's family saluted at the same time.

The woman stood at the front, and there were several other women and children on the left and right, both men and women.

Zhang Xiu said: "Sikong, this is my aunt, and my wife and children."

Cao Cao waved his hands and said, "Well, let's all get up."

Then go inside.

At this time, according to the rules, everyone should scatter around and let Cao Cao pass.

Then the master took Cao Cao into the hall to discuss matters, and the family members and servants also went back to the backyard.

The crowd did the same.

The woman originally lowered her head, stood up when she was stepping back from side to side, and walked backwards.

When Cao Cao passed by her, he glanced out of the corner of his eye.

Just a glance.

Then.

Then he quickly turned his head and stared at her intently with a scrutinizing look.

I saw that the woman was about 27 or [-] years old, with a beautiful face and beautiful appearance, and she was all over the country.

In addition to the stunning appearance, the figure is also very good.

The place that should be plump is plump, the place that should be thin is thin, and the buttocks are also very upturned..

What a beautiful woman.

Cao Cao thought to himself.

Seeing Cao Cao looking over, the woman thought she was nodding to her, so she bowed slightly and walked towards the backyard with Zhang Xiu's children.

Cao Cao looked at her leaving back, slightly lost in thought.

I like her.

he thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)