Chapter 729: Invincible in talking!
It is said that Yuan Shao led a large army from Yecheng. Along the way, flags were waving, and from the front and back, there were countless troops, so vast that it made people dizzy.
Jizhou, the first of the Nine Provinces, unscrupulously displays its unique prosperity to the world.
In the whole world, perhaps only Yanzhou and Yuzhou can be compared with Jizhou.
Along the way, countless pieces of news came to the Han Dynasty.
"Yuan Shao is coming from Yecheng with an army of 200,000!"
"Yuan Shao sent a letter stating that the Han Dynasty had lost its mandate.
The false emperor sitting on the throne was established by the regicide. Liu Xie and the thugs who killed his brother lived in peace and harmony, and they were not worthy of being human beings.
Under the throne stood a minister without moral integrity, who on the surface wanted to prosper the Han Dynasty, but in reality he was only coveting the throne of the Han Dynasty."
The manifesto written by Chen Lin made Liu Xie so angry that he fainted in front of his ministers and spat out a mouthful of blood. This manifesto was passed down to later generations, and everyone would remember that he was an emperor established by Dong Zhuo, the regicide, and he would be infamous for thousands of years.
Cao’s army camp.
Cao Cao lay on the bed, groaning in pain. When he heard the manifesto sent by Yuan Shao, his already recurring headaches became even worse.
Everyone gathered around quickly.
However, Cao Cao was listening to Yuan Shao's manifesto until he heard the sentence "The rise of the Cao family was due to the charm of a woman. They have no achievements, but they suddenly became prominent. They have no favors or connections, but they try to curry favor with the royal family." His extremely painful head slowly recovered.
"Yuan Shao!"
Cao Cao had never felt so angry before. The curse was too harsh and too ugly.
It is said that Cao Cao's family rose to prominence because they flattered the emperor, and they did so using women.
Cao Cao stumbled to his feet and shouted in a deep voice: "I am fine. I will prepare my army for battle. I will fight Yuan Shao to the death!"
Cao Cao's power is quite strong now. He owns the entire Yuzhou and Yanzhou, as well as the land in the eastern part of Sizhou. The war and plague ended quickly, and the damage suffered by Yuzhou and Yanzhou was not very great.
It is naturally not as good as the two states during their peak periods. After all, during their peak periods, the population of Yuzhou was comparable to that of Jizhou.
However, the two and a half states of land still allowed Cao Cao to mobilize 70,000 combat troops.
If the number of cavalry is not taken into consideration, Cao Cao's strength alone is enough to compete with Yuan Shao. In such a large army, the difference between 70,000 elite soldiers and 100,000 elite soldiers is not that big.
…
After the headache subsided, Cao Cao led his army northward, and Xun You sent a message, "My lord, the cavalry general Liu Xuande is leading his army to join our army."
Upon hearing that Liu Bei was coming, Cao Cao personally went out of the camp to greet him.
When the two met, Cao Cao warmly shook hands with Liu Bei and asked, "Xuan De, I wonder how many troops you have brought with you this time?"
Liu Bei narrowed his eyes and chuckled, "Prime Minister, Xuzhou is weak, with only 100,000 troops."
One hundred thousand!
Cao Cao made a rough estimate and found that there should be more than 30,000 combat soldiers. Adding the soldiers stationed in Taishan County, the number of combat soldiers was nearly 40,000.
Liu Bei only has one state!
Liu Xuande was able to recruit so many soldiers with only the land of Xuzhou. It seems that the powerful gentry in Xuzhou gave him great support.
If Liu Bei knew what Cao Cao was thinking, he would definitely be deeply wary, as he could judge the situation in Xuzhou with just one sentence.
Since Chen Deng completely joined Liu Bei's army, the major Xuzhou families such as the Chen, Mi, Xiao, and Han families, plus the wealth accumulated by Mi Zhen through the Xuzhou Chamber of Commerce and the financial support from the Yinghou Kingdom, the entire Xuzhou almost sold everything it had to prepare this army for Liu Bei.
Cao Cao's smile became more sincere, and he said happily: "Xuan De, great.
This time, you and I will work together to defeat the false Zhao and revive the Han Dynasty. This is the battle."
Cao Cao had already begun thinking about how to deploy his troops and where to gain superior forces to fight a decisive battle with Yuan Shao.
Liu Bei felt Cao Cao holding his hand tightly. He nodded heavily and smiled, "Yes, let's revive the Han Dynasty!"
There was a profound meaning hidden in his smile as he looked at Cao Cao.
Not to mention that Yuan Shao openly rebelled against the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao, a man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, did not look like a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. This was the common opinion of all the officials in Xuzhou.
So joining forces with Cao Cao to attack Yuan Shao was the same as attacking Yuan Shao, but at the same time we had to be on guard against Cao Cao.
In order to prevent the defeat of Yuan Shao, he would have completely set a precedent for Cao Cao.
This is what Luo Yan said, the interests within the Han Dynasty are complicated, they cannot be united, and are full of constraints.
…
Since ancient times, the battle zones of large-scale armies have been fixed, which are called the battlegrounds in military strategy.
Especially when large armies are fighting, the places they choose are basically those with a wide view, where the army can be fully deployed and where transportation is convenient for transporting food and fodder.
Throughout the ages, countless wars have taken place along the rivers.
Everyone who knows anything about military affairs knows all the crossings on the rivers.
For example, when King Wu of Zhou attacked Shang, Mengjin was still a must-fight place for crossing the river even after 1,300 years. It is one of the eight passes in Luoyang and has a strategic location.
The Zhao army came from the north, and the only places they could choose to attack were Yanjin, Guandu and other places.
This could be known without even intercepting intelligence, because after the prefect of Henei County leaned towards the court, the Zhao army had no other place to cross the river except Yanjin.
The Zhao army was heavily armored, and the large Zhao flag, symbolizing the country, was hoisted high.
A strange light suddenly flashed in Cao Cao's eyes.
Liu Bei frowned and snorted heavily, "Zhao thief!"
After the big flag with the word "Yan" on it, another big flag symbolizing the country was raised across the world.
Seeing this scene in person was a huge shock to Cao Cao and Liu Bei.
This is what a man should do!
People's hearts were breaking down bit by bit, and all the officials under Cao Cao held their breath as they watched the Zhao army.
Suddenly, a young general rushed out from the front of the Zhao army and said in a loud voice: "Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, General of the Cavalry of the Han Dynasty.
The king would like to invite you two nobles to drink in front of the battle. Do you dare to come?"
Drinking before the battle?
This kind of custom was often seen in the ancient Zhou Dynasty, but later on, as the war-seeking faction developed and emphasized the use of deception in war, this kind of custom gradually became less common.
Since the Taiping Rebellion, such things have not happened very often, especially in life-and-death battles, when drinking before the battle is rare.
It was more of a war of words between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan, the main purpose of which was to suppress the morale of the other side.
Cao Cao and Liu Bei looked at each other and said in unison, "Why not?"
Yuan Shao was facing these two people, and the psychological pressure was quite great.
After all, the main force is with Luo Yan and is detouring here.
He only led 40,000 soldiers. If a fight really broke out, he could only retreat. He would not be able to win in a normal fight.
The soldiers quickly laid out the mats for the nobles to go out for fun, and Cao and Liu finally met Yuan Shao again.
When they saw Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and Liu Bei's first reaction was that Yuan Shao looked much older than he was back then.
Cao Cao snorted coldly and said, "Yuan Shao, you issued that letter and yet you dared to invite me to drink with you. Aren't you worried that I will kill you in anger?"
Yuan Shao smiled and waved his hands, not caring about Cao Cao’s death threat at all, and said with emotion: “Meng De, Xuan De, please sit down.
When drinking before the battle, there is no need to talk about unhappy things.
More than ten years ago, during the Taiping Rebellion, we all responded to Emperor Lingdi’s order to defend the country. We were so young and vigorous at that time.
We swore an oath of blood, were full of vigor and vitality, and acted as if we didn't care about the whole world.
Now, more than a decade has passed, and the princes who supported the king back then have either died or left, and only a few of us are left. Today, we are fighting here.
Is this God’s will?”
Cao Cao and Liu Bei knelt down, and were somewhat moved by Yuan Shao's sigh. Cao Cao asked in a deep voice: "Benchu, why did you betray the Han Dynasty?"
Yuan Shao was agitated by the word "betrayed" and said proudly: "Thirteen years ago, when Dong Zhuo was in chaos, I led my army to Luoyang before my strength was restored.
Finally, he assisted Wushuang Zhongwu Hou in killing Dong Zhuo.
In the past, among all the princes in the world, except for the Marquis Wushuang Zhongwu, and you, Cao Mengde, who dared to say in front of me that you are a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty?
I do not recognize Liu Xie because he is mean and ungrateful, and lacks the bearing of an emperor. Not to mention resisting Li Jue and Guo Si, he does not even dare to say a word for justice.
To call him trash is simply an insult to trash.
I am in Youzhou and am the King of Dayan. There is something unspeakable about this, but I will not tell you about it, lest people in the world think that I am a person who only knows how to resent others.
I had originally planned to pacify the world, and then ask Emperor Su Wang to put the emperor's crown on me in front of Emperor Xiaomin, but things have come to this point, and I have no regrets.
The throne of the world should be held by those with virtue. This is what the Supreme Emperor Suwang said.
The Han Dynasty has lost the Mandate of Heaven, and the throne is without virtue, so how can I take it?"
Liu Bei could no longer bear it and said in a stern voice: "Yuan Benchu, you are so rebellious. The destiny of the Han Dynasty is glorious and is just beginning to be reborn. How could we possibly lose it?"
Yuan Shao recalled the conversation he had with Luo Shu and Luo Yan about Liu Bei. His eyes turned and he decided to trick Liu Bei and attack him.
So he immediately smiled and said, "Xuan De, don't worry.
Everyone in the world knows that you want to follow the path of Emperor Guangwu. You want to pacify the world before letting Liu Xie abdicate to you. Don't be so quick to deny it.
However, the Zhou Dynasty, to which the Emperor Su Wang was born as a mortal, prospered only three times. How could the Han Dynasty have the virtue and ability to prosper again and receive the mandate again?
The Luo family has always followed the will of heaven. They may not be sure who will be blessed by heaven, but they may be able to see who will not be blessed by heaven.
Xuande.
Look at your subordinates. Apart from Marquis Ying and his eldest son, who are willing to stand by the Han Dynasty, is there any other member of the Luo family who will serve you?
What does this represent?
Perhaps it means that Luo Shi thinks it is impossible for you to receive orders again.
You want Liu Xie to abdicate to you. In my opinion, it is more likely that Liu Xie will abdicate to Meng De.
Of course, these are all my guesses, Meng De and Xuan De don’t need to take them too seriously.
We are drinking again to reminisce about our past love, and then we can talk about life and death together, and then we can talk about the future. Now drinking is the real business."
Drinking?
Drink shit!
Liu Bei wanted to swear, but Cao Cao swore directly.
The two of them never expected that Yuan Shao would speak so irritatingly after not seeing him for so many years.
He didn't say anything vulgar, but his tone was sarcastic and made people feel extremely uncomfortable, yet he acted as if nothing had happened.
Yuan Shao was originally in a bad mood, but after seeing Cao Cao and Liu Bei break down their defenses, he suddenly felt better.
He also smiled and said: “Why did Meng De say such vulgar words?
Abdication is a virtue of the ancient sage kings, whether they are kings who are willing to abdicate or kings who accept the abdication.
Yao, Shun and Yu!
Which one of them is not a famous holy king?
Does Meng De want to be a minister like King Luo Wen?
Then I must have great respect for Meng De."
There was this familiar sarcasm again. Of course, Cao Cao couldn't say that he wanted to be King of Luo Wen, because he originally wanted to be the emperor.
Every word Yuan Shao said stung his heart, which made Cao Cao feel very unhappy.
Although no one will know about the conversation happening here now.
But Cao Cao still tried to save his reputation by saying, "The innocent are innocent. I, Cao Cao, supported the royal family and treated the emperor with respect. History books will give me the most fair evaluation."
Yuan Shao suddenly felt really good. He was already blatantly anti-Han, and now he was just provoking Cao Cao.
You obviously want to do this, but you pretend to be a loyal subject. Aren't you tired? Why not join me in rebelling against the Han Dynasty?
This is also a provocation to Liu Bei. Look at the ally next to you. He is the same person as me.
Can you really unite with him?
Liu Bei took a deep breath and said, "The Prime Minister is a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. If it weren't for the Prime Minister, I'm afraid no one would be able to pacify Yuan Shu, a rebellious person, and Your Majesty might have met with an accident long ago.
"The Yuan family, which has three dukes for four generations, has produced such rebellious people. It is really infuriating."
If Liu Bei had said this before, Yuan Shao would have been extremely angry, but now Yuan Shao just drank the wine in his glass.
Then he poured another glass of wine, held it in front of the two men, and said with a smile: "A glass of wine before the battle, the friendship of former comrades, once it is severed, if we leave here, we will be enemies for life and death.
well.
The three of us are unwilling to be inferior to others, and we will not stop until we are dead or alive. Let's drink this glass of wine and say goodbye."
Cao and Liu were silent, each raised their glass, drank it all in one gulp, and stood up one after another. Cao Cao was wearing a wide black robe for civil officials, and Liu Bei was wearing a wide scarlet robe for military officials, both of them looking extremely elegant.
Yuan Shao waved his sleeves. He was wearing the robe of a prince, solemn and majestic.
The three of them walked back without looking back.
The strong wind blew up the corners of the three people's clothes. As their robes fluttered, the patterns on them seemed to come alive.
…
As soon as the three of them returned to the formation, Cao Cao and Liu Bei heard the sound of "dong dong dong".
Then the earth trembled slightly.
This is the sound of a large number of cavalry marching!
Who in the world today has a large number of cavalry?
The Western Regions, Liangzhou, Bingzhou, Youzhou, and Yan State!
Who would appear here?
Of course, after defeating Gongsun Zan, he joined the Youzhou Cavalry under Yuan Shao!
Cao Cao and Liu Bei were both horrified and shouted at the same time: "Enemy attack!
Get ready for battle!
Drum roll!
Form a line! "
————
The emperor once said: "Everyone knows Cao Mengde's intentions, but he still pretends to be cunning and his sincerity is not as good as Yuan Benchu. I don't like it." - "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: The Chronicle of Xuanlie"
(End of this chapter)
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