Overlord!

The essence of the salt introduction to China and France is that the court only needs to designate a direction and send salt introduction to merchants, and the merchants will send food and wealth to the border or military camp.

This almost played the role of banknotes and banks, making the Song Dynasty far more efficient than Cao Cao.

Hebei is not without wealth. Many famous ministers in Hebei are rated as having powerful clans and strong soldiers, with tens of thousands of people and countless wealth.

The Song Dynasty had just ruled Hebei for less than a year, so it could not collect enough taxes and needed to transport grain and grass all the way from the south of the Yangtze River to the Hebei garrison.

However, as Cao Cao threatened Hebei, the wealth of the wealthy families was no longer safe, and Jiangdong implemented the salt diversion method, which suddenly brought the wealth of Hebei to Zhuge Liang's camp like a siphon.

What particularly reassures the heroes of Hebei is that the salt fields in Jiangdong are all in Huainan and Jiangnan. The heroes still believe that Cao Cao cannot threaten the hinterland of Jiangdong.

Of course, not every powerful person has such a vision. Some mediocre people simply cannot see clearly the general trend of the world.

Especially ordinary people, only saw Cao's army of more than a hundred thousand, which defeated the Song army in a crushing manner and captured several counties on both sides of the river. The Song army was defeated repeatedly in battles. Cao's army marched hundreds of miles in dozens of days, as if it was a fall. potential.

People in Henan and Hebei were once again panicked, and the people abandoned their land and fled, leaving the cities empty and abandoned.

At this time, Zhuge Liang, as the commander-in-chief of the Song Army, immediately shouldered a huge burden.

Since he took the lead in the battle and was in line with Sun Ce's wishes, Sun Ce sent Zhang Liao, Lu Meng, Lu Xun, Zhao Yun, Xu Huang, Huang Zhong, Gan Ning, Zhu Huan, Jiang Qin, Chen Wu, Cheng Pu, Zhang Fei, Yu Jin, Wei Yan, Wenpin and other twenty-seven armies were all mobilized under his account, and he commanded the Song Army's more than 30,000 elite infantry and cavalry in Hebei to fight against Cao Cao's front.

It can be said that except for the defeated troops who reorganized in the rear, as well as Zhou Yu, Tian Yu, Xian Yufu and others who deployed defenses in Youzhou, all the main forces in Hebei are in the hands of Zhuge Liang.

If he makes another mistake, the Song army will have no choice but to go on the defensive. Hebei relies on its generals to protect themselves. If no generals persist in the city for more than two hundred days, when Jiangdong's 50,000 soldiers in the south of the Yangtze come to help, the whole of Hebei will be at risk. Everything will fall into Cao Cao's hands.

Therefore, after Zhuge Liang stationed his troops in Guangzong, his first priority was to stimulate the morale of the troops and stabilize the morale of the three armies.

At the same time, so many elite soldiers and generals also have their own ideas. He must inform the generals of his strategy in order to unite people's hearts and make everyone work together.

In mid-April, it was already summer, and when Hebei was getting hotter, the Song army finally gathered in Zhuge Liang's camp.

This is the first time Zhuge Liang has been promoted to a general, gathering high-ranking generals in the army.

There are a lot of talents, but there is also a disadvantage, that is, everyone is arrogant. For example, Zhang Liao, Lu Meng, Cheng Pu and others all rely on their bravery and strategy, and are ashamed to be placed below Zhuge Liang.

These three people are all talented generals with both literary and military skills. Each of them once led an army and was invincible.

If the Duke of Song had not personally appointed Zhuge Liang as the commander-in-chief and not even the deputy governor-general, then the mere struggle for power in the military camp would have caused chaos among the three armies.

And Lu Xun, Zhao Yun, Xu Huang and others did not think that they were not qualified for the important task, but they were just not qualified enough to unite 30,000 people.

It can be said that Zhuge Liang's top priority is how to unite people's hearts, convince everyone with a clear strategy, and implement it in the army.

After the generals arrived, Gan Ning also questioned without hesitation, asking: "Today, Cao Cao is marching day and night, using his troops like a god. Our city has fallen repeatedly, and Sima has stationed troops in Guangzong, and the three armies have not moved forward. Want to How to defeat the enemy? Is it possible to wait for thunder to kill Cao Cao?"

Zhuge Liang's title was similar to that of other generals. After the Northern Expedition, he was promoted to the four generals of towns at the same time as Zhou Yu, Lu Meng, Zhang Liao and other generals. Among them, Zhang Liao was awarded the title of General of Zhenbei, and Zhuge Liang was awarded the title of General of Zhenxi.

They led troops to face the enemy together. In order to give Zhuge Liang the power of governor, Zhuge Liang also took command of the Sima of the Song Dynasty.

This position is only under Chang Shi, so he can supervise the entire army.

This undoubtedly shows Sun Ce's absolute trust in him.

Zhuge Liang was also worthy of Sun Ce's trust. With his unparalleled talents and wisdom, he immediately responded to the generals.

"Currently, Cao Cao's army is thousands of miles deep and has penetrated deep into our territory. All the elite soldiers and generals are here. The Han Dynasty is based in Luoyang, relying exclusively on Cao Cao for defense. Although the soldiers are many, they are actually empty, and they want to fight quickly. I have strengthened my camp and prepared my strength to defeat it. The enemy is running out of food and resources, so he should run away."

The main force of Cao's army was extremely sharp at this time, and the Song army was defeated repeatedly in battles. It was a situation that all the generals could see.

To be able to stand out among the Song army, none of the generals standing in this camp are mediocre, and no one will clamor to attack the enemy when the troops are at their sharpest.

On the contrary, avoiding the main force and covering up the enemy's weakness is the deployment that a good general should make at this time.

And at this time, Cao Cao was already desperate and fighting to the death. Victory in a hundred battles was not enough to turn things around, and a defeat would cause disaster.

Zhuge Liang then went on to say: "Guan Yu was the vanguard of Cao's army. He was the bravest of the three armies and had many powerful strategies. Since marching eastward, he has been proud of his bravery and trampled on others. He has achieved great achievements and is arrogant and ambitious. As expected by Yi Liang, he will definitely want to push him. Advance forward and surround Guangzong with troops."

The other generals nodded one after another. Cao Jun's attack route can be determined, that is, attack Hebei to the north and Yuzhou to the east.

The focus must be on the direction of Hebei.

Because Cao Cao knows what is going on in Yanzhou better than anyone else.

There are white bones exposed in the wild, and there is no rooster crow for thousands of miles.

Although Cao Cao caused all this with his own hands, he also shed tears and wrote this compassionate poem, which is somewhat conflicting and ironic.

But Cao Cao's understanding of all this is absolutely clear, and he will definitely not have many troops marching towards Yanzhou.

No more than 20,000 to 30,000 people. Otherwise, even if he wins all the way, conquers every attack, and wins every battle, his entire army will eventually collapse and he will be trapped and die in an isolated city.

At that time, the main force of the Song army coming from the south can easily defeat the two to thirty thousand elites in one fell swoop.

The generals in the tent have all thought about how they would march if they were in the same position as Cao Cao.

I am afraid that not even 30,000 troops will be sent to Yanzhou, but only a partial division will be sent to contain the southeast direction to prevent it from cutting off its retreat. At the same time, while the army is at its sharpest point, it will attack Hebei with all its strength!

As long as the more than 30,000 Song troops in Guangzong City can be wiped out in one fell swoop, the Song army's rule in Hebei will collapse.

These 30,000 people were defeated again, and the Song army lost nearly 50,000 people in Hebei.

The loss of 50,000 elite soldiers was enough to affect the general situation of the world. Even the Song Dynasty could not mobilize more troops to counterattack in a short time.

Especially since Guan Yu was a general of Cao's army, his offensive was extremely fierce. He had defeated many generals of the Song army and killed several fierce generals. If he did not take advantage of this, he would be defeated by this powerful front.

But Lu Meng frowned and asked, "Even so, you can't just ignore the situation in Yanzhou, right?"

Zhuge Liang immediately nodded and said: "Of course, Cao Cao's arrogant troops have gained power, and they must first contain their power, and then they can be defeated. The land of Yanzhou must be Cao's army's partial force, but now it has broken through Dong'a. The so-called arrogant troops will be defeated, If you attack it at this time, you can break it with one blow.”

After finishing speaking, Zhuge Liang's voice was fierce: "Zhang Liao, Zhao Yun, Lu Xun, Chen Wu."

The four men immediately cheered up and came out one after another. They met Zhuge Liang's gaze and shouted: "The general is here." "You will lead the cavalry to Dongping. You must defeat Cao's army with one blow, and then return to Guangzong."

All four of them were gearing up and making high-pitched promises.

Dongping is actually not far from Guangzong. After passing through Yangping County in the south and crossing the Yellow River in the south, it is within the territory of Dongping.

Nominally, this is the north and south of the Yellow River. In fact, this distance is much closer than when Cao Cao pursued Liu Bei in Dangyang.

With the help of the navy, the Song Army's cavalry quickly crossed the river at the ferry. Even without a forced march, they could quickly attack Dongping in three days.

I don’t know what Cao Jun’s partial army was thinking about advancing so rashly.

But Song Jun will never miss this kind of fighter opportunity.

So Zhang Liao, Zhao Yun, Lu Xun, Chen Wu and others immediately led the Song army's most elite cavalry, more than 10,000 people, each with two horses, and quickly went south.

Crossed the Yellow River at Cangting and rushed to Cao's army.

At this time, Xu Chu, the leader of Cao's army, did not know that more than ten thousand cavalry had appeared behind him, and he was leading his army to continue marching eastward.

His idea is actually very simple, even very proud.

This is the first time he has commanded so many troops, more than 15,000 people.

After Cao Cao was defeated in Luoyang, he really had no one left.

Xu Chu may not be a general, but he is one of the few generals in Cao's army who can command an army while being loyal at the same time.

In such a crisis, Cao Cao really did not dare to hand over his troops to others.

During the decisive battle with the Yuan and Sun coalition forces, he suffered enough from the defection of generals with foreign surnames.

Nowadays, he increasingly distrusts outsiders and would rather use Xu Chu to lead the army than the generals of the imperial court.

After all, he could still swallow the bitter pill of defeat.

However, if other generals saw that the war was not going well and surrendered, all the 15,000 troops would become vassals of the Song army, which would strengthen the enemy's power.

The price for using Xu Chu is that Xu Chu really has no great ambitions.

He had no plan for his advance. In the current situation where he was bound to conquer and win, he had not thought about how to advance or retreat.

On the contrary, at this moment, he was riding his horse on the land of Yanzhou, grinning at the corner of his mouth, and a smile appeared unconsciously.

At this moment, he only felt that he was a peerless general, and he only regretted that he could not show his talents as early as possible.

Since he marched all the way, his offensive was fierce and his success in breaking the city far exceeded that of any other general in Cao's camp before.

The so-called elite soldiers and generals of the Song Dynasty all fled in front of him.

In less than two months, he pushed his troops through three counties.

Even the most famous generals in the Song Dynasty, Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang, Lu Meng and others who are known as the world's famous generals, may not have such outstanding achievements as Xu Chu.

Thinking of this, he stationed his horse on a high slope beside the road, looked down at the tens of thousands of tribesmen passing down the slope, and shouted loudly: "Everyone, hurry up and march quickly! I will rush to Jibei within ten days. Cut off the enemy's retreat!"

According to Xu Chu's plan, the army in Dulu County, Jibei Kingdom, can take a short rest.

After all, Taishan County further forward is too vast. To the east of Mount Tai there is Qingzhou. It is really difficult to cut off the connection between the Hebei garrison and Huainan and Jiangnan in one fell swoop.

At this time, Wen Ji, the cavalry commander in his army, rode his horse to Xu Chu's side and admonished him: "General, we are waiting for our lone army to go deep, hanging thousands of miles away, surrounded by dangers. Is it inappropriate to march in such a hurry? Even if we rush to conquer Ji, In the north, there are no troops stationed behind us, and the enemy territory in front is vast, so why is it beneficial to the war? If we are taken advantage of by the enemy, the three armies may be in danger of overthrowing."

Xu Chu suddenly flew into a rage, his eyes widened, he looked down at Wen Ji sternly, and roared: "How dare you curse my army?"

As a general, it is difficult to say whether Xu Chu has the talent to be a general. However, his ferocious spirit is indeed breathtaking. In his rage, he roars like a tiger, which is terrifying.

At this moment, his eyes were full of anger, his face was ferocious, his hair and beard were spread out, and he almost wanted to violently kill someone.

If Wen Ji Ye was not a member of the Peiqiao martial arts group and Xu Chu had the same interests as him, Xu Chu would have wanted to kill him with a sword right now.

The Peiqiao warriors and the Yingchuan scholars together constituted the two major civil and military groups under Cao Cao.

Cao Cao treated most of Peiqiao's people favorably. For example, Xu Chu was responsible for protecting the lives of Cao's father and son, Shi Huan served as the central leader of Cao Wei's army, and Liu Dai served as Sikong Chief Shi. Extraordinary influence.

Even in history, after Cao Cao's death, some courtiers mentioned replacing the city guards in various places with Peiqiao people. Although Xu Xuan sternly stopped it, it also showed that the Peiqiao people had a different status in the eyes of Cao Cao and even the officials.

Even in the famous Wei Tie rebellion case in Wei State, Wen Qin was linked to Wei Tie's words, and was imprisoned, plundered and flogged hundreds of people, and deserved to die.

However, Cao Cao pardoned Wen Qin because he was a descendant of Wen Ji.

Wen Ji was so favored by Cao Cao that his descendants Wen Qin and Wen Yang both rebelled against the Sima family and turned their hearts to the Cao family.

Later generations were like this, and Wen Ji's interests were absolutely consistent with Cao Cao's. He really didn't want his army to overthrow here, so in the face of Xu Chu's furious scolding, although he was frightened, he still argued with reason.

"I don't dare to curse my army. On the contrary, I think that given the current situation, we should be extremely cautious to protect the three armies. We should put the ability to fight first. Rushing to Jibei may not be of much benefit to the war situation."

It's a pity that Wen Ji was just a cavalry commander. Although he felt something was wrong, due to his qualifications and vision, he was far inferior to Zhuge Liang, Lu Meng, Zhang Liao and others.

The limit of what he could think of was the inappropriateness of such an advance. As for how to advance and retreat specifically, and how to seize the battlegrounds for offensive and defensive operations, he had no overall plan at all.

So when he felt something was wrong, the Song Army's cavalry was already approaching quickly!

When Xu Chu was still furious and wanted to scold Wen Ji, suddenly the earth began to tremble slightly. Even standing on the slope, they could see the sand and stones on the ground shaking continuously.

The shaking became more and more intense, and soon the whole ground was shaking.

The next moment, the screams of Sergeant Cao's soldiers rang out: "It's the Song Army's cavalry!" (End of this chapter)