Han Xiang

Chapter 628 Admonishing Cao Cao by using retreat as advance

"no no."

Shiren's face was as pale as earth, and he kept defending himself: "The last general admires the Prime Minister Hu's power, and it is completely true that he surrenders."

"I will believe it?"

Cao Cao smiled contemptuously, with a sinister and cold light in his eyes.

Cao Chun didn't like Shiren at all. When he saw Cao Cao's signal, he immediately stepped forward and controlled Shiren to the ground with both hands. The guards at the door saw this and rushed to help.

"What are you doing? Prime Minister, a general's loyalty can be judged by the sun and the moon. Don't listen to the villain's slander."

"Slander? It turned out that the prime minister had his own idea. He pushed out this man who pretended to surrender and beheaded him. I want to use his head to commemorate Brother Degui and the fallen navy officers."

"only."

Cao Chun nodded sonorously in response, and then asked the guards to take Shiren away.

"What? It's not that they have nothing to do with me."

Although Shiren loudly defended himself, Cao Cao was determined to kill people and no matter what he said, it would be in vain.

On the way to the execution, endless regret flooded Shiren's head.

Why did I have to bear the pressure and betray the Lord in the first place?Is there a more benevolent and righteous lord in the world than Liu Bei?

When he woke up, Shiren's back was soaked with fear. His whole body seemed to have no bones, limp in the hands of the escorting guards, and his strength had left his body in advance.

Shiren was carried on the shoulders by the guards and dragged like a dead dog to the street outside the mansion to be executed. The execution scene happened to be caught by Man Chong and Jia Xu.

In the past few days, the dead soldiers sent by Cheng Yu arrived one after another.

As an intelligence refiner, Man Chong was angry at Long Xiang's vicious trick in Linying. He felt that Cheng Yu seemed to be in danger, so he pulled Jia Xu to ask Cao Cao for advice and return troops to rescue him.

The two of them entered with mixed emotions. After saluting, they asked why they surrendered General Shiren. Cao Cao told the truth about the telescope and scolded Shiren for being disloyal to him. He was sent by Liu Bei to pretend to surrender to spy on the military situation, so he had been fighting for the past two years. That's why he is so passive.

Cao Cao's search for a scapegoat for the unfavorable outcome of the war had the same purpose as when he killed grain officer Wang He. It was the most immediate way to stabilize military morale.

Man Chong and Jia Xu saw through it but did not say anything. After looking at each other, they both agreed that the killing was right.

"You came just in time. The fire in Longxiang is burning very brightly. We must send people to put out the fire as soon as possible. It seems that it is not enough if there are too few people. Cheng Zhongde is a lesson learned from the past, but Jingzhou is also very critical now. Guan Yunchang controls the waterway. If our army draws troops If there is too much return aid, the food routes on land will be affected, so we can’t decide without hesitation.”

"This thief, Long Xiang, is using his tricks to cause harm. General Cheng is trapped in Linying and is living like a year. All news about Xu Du has been cut off. We don't know what kind of evil deeds he will do. The Prime Minister must make up his mind quickly."

After Man Chong finished speaking with excitement on his face, Cao Cao stared at Jia Xu and asked, "Wen He advised me to destroy Guan Yu first and then save Luoyang. Now that Long Xiang is in trouble again, do you have any clever plans to deal with it?"

"Uh." Jia Xu bowed his hands and bowed in salute, saying in his heart that I suggested focusing on attacking Guan Yu. He didn't consider that Long Xiang would rebel, and Xu Du was also besieged. His family was also trapped in the city. Those in Xu Du who were loyal to the Han Dynasty It is hard to say whether the people will take the opportunity to cause trouble, so it is necessary to return to the army for rescue. The only question now is who will go back.

Following Cao Cao's practice of using his clan to lead his troops, Cao Ren and Xia Houyuan were the only ones left on the Jingzhou battlefield besides Cao Cao. However, Long Xiang showed extremely high military quality. Even Cheng Yu was defeated by him. Cao Ren and Xia Houyuan may not have a chance of winning.

In his heart, Jia Xu wanted Cao Cao to return aid, but this move was contrary to his previous advice.

The most important thing is that Guan Yu is more capable. Cao Ren was beaten out of temper in the previous fight. One more Xia Houyuan may not be effective. Without Cao Cao, the sea-fixing needle, the battlefield situation in Jingzhou is likely to be reversed immediately.

Jia Xu had thought up the reasons before coming, so he calmly answered Cao Cao's questions.

"Both Long Xiang and Lu Su are working for Liu Bei and Guan Yu. As long as Sun Quan is willing to send troops to Jiangdong, these two men will definitely return to help quickly. However, Sun Quan is not a kind person. Lu Meng's letter alone may not be able to persuade him. The prime minister must send generals Return with heavy troops to support, and only by containing Long Xiang in the Central Plains will Sun Quan take advantage of the opportunity and move in."

"Sun Quan is an incompetent man. Why did Wen He attach so much importance to his sending troops?"

Cao Cao frowned when he asked back, thinking that Lao Jia had often made clever plans before, why did he say such a thing today?Then he added in a deep voice: "If I return to the army, I will not only clear out the invading enemies, but also take advantage of the situation to march to Huainan and level the territory east of the Yangtze River."

"Prime Minister, think twice. Although Longxiang is hateful, the threat is far less than here. Don't forget that Liu Bei knocked on Hangu and used Sun Quan to contain Longxiang. The order of destroying Liu Bei first cannot be messed up."

After listening to Jia Xu's reminder, Cao Cao's mind, which was overwhelmed by anger, regained consciousness. He frowned and asked: "In the public opinion, who can help the general? How many troops and horses are suitable to be allocated?"

"It's up to the Prime Minister to decide, but"

Jia Xu suddenly changed the topic and reminded him tactfully: "Before, Long Xiang stuck to Hefei, and everyone thought he was only good at it. But he rushed to Jiangdong and Xudu, and used his troops flexibly and not constrained by ancient laws and common sense. Even General Zhang also Defeat at his hands would be beyond the capabilities of ordinary generals;
General Zixiao is both wise and brave. He should be able to share the Prime Minister's worries. In addition, Long Xiang's blockade of the city in the Central Plains is a small matter, but blocking the transportation of grain and grass to the front line is a big deal. More troops and horses should be sent back to help cut the knot quickly, otherwise the hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the front line will be destroyed. There is a risk of running out of food.”

Cao Cao nodded frequently when he heard this, and said to himself that this is the Jia Wenhe I know.

It's just that he raised Long Xiang extremely high, and the difficulties he presented were so fatal. Can Cao Zixiao really share my worries?
Jia Xu's answer was ambiguous, and Cao Cao also had a few questions in his mind. At the critical moment, the most reliable thing was to go back by himself, but what about the Jingzhou battlefield?Cao Ren was no match for Guan Yu.

After listening to Jia Xu's suggestion, Cao Cao's head felt like a mess. It took him a while to calm down and sigh:

"Guan Yunchang is one of the most powerful generals in the world, and he also plans for him with Xu Yuanzhi and Liu Ziyang. Now his navy is invincible. I'm worried that if heavy troops are sent back to support, the pattern of Jingzhou will change again."

"The leader of Jingzhou is Liu Cong. Although Xiangyang was fraudulently taken over by Liu Qi and Guan Yu, most of the counties in Jingzhou are in the hands of Liu Cong. Liu Biao's general Wenpin is in Jiangling. There has been no war in the four counties of Jingnan in these years. We will definitely be able to draw a lot of troops to participate in the war. Why don't the Prime Minister ask him to send troops to capture Xiangyang?"

Before Jia Xu finished speaking, Cao Cao looked happy while stroking his palms. He already understood the other party's intention, so he interrupted and praised: "Wen He is indeed a wise man. I will send someone to bypass the river immediately."

Cao Cao had no expectations for the combat effectiveness of the Jingzhou soldiers, but multiple forces helped to temporarily contain Guan Yu. He believed that the other party needed to spend more energy dealing with the enemies in the south, and he could return to the Central Plains to deal with Long Xiang.

"I have just analyzed Long Xiang and made a thorough analysis. I still plan to personally bring the army back to support Xudu. Lao Boning will quickly go find Zixiao. The military affairs here must still be left to him."

"what?"

Man Chong was stunned when he heard this, and couldn't help but look at Jia Xu, as if to say, are you talking in code?
Didn't he say that he would send a general to come back for reinforcements?Cao Ren was not Guan Yu's opponent in the first place, so why is he still rushing to the top now?

(End of this chapter)