Chapter 382 Nothing Serious? Is Your Life so Worthless?

In the study room of Shouchun City, Jia Xu was discussing the situation in Shu with Cao Cao.

Jia Xu put forward some strategies for employing people, which attracted Cao Cao's nods.

"Yangpingguan in Hanzhong and Xiabian City are horns of each other. From the north of Hanzhong is the Qinling Mountains, and from the north of Xiabian City is Qishan Mountain. If Xiabian City falls, the Shu army will cut off our Qishan Road and Chencang Road, and Longyou No matter how difficult it is to send reinforcements from Guanzhong, it is more important to identify the city than Hanzhong!"

"Exactly." Jia Xu continued to talk about his proposal, "Yangping Pass was built by the Prime Minister himself. One man is responsible for the pass and no ten thousand people can open it. Moreover, Xiahou Miaocai is stationed there. The veteran is quite relieved and goes down to identify the city. General Cao Hong is stationed, and General Cao Hong is no match for the Shu army!"

Cao Cao quickly asked: "Zhang He broke his arm? Is it possible that he is still allowed to be the governor of attack and defense?"

There was a bit of frustration and decadence in these words.

How could Cao Cao not know that Cao Hong was unparalleled in terms of loyalty and reliability, greed for money and risking his life to protect him? But when it came to commanding troops and fighting, I'm afraid the three of them would be tied together. He is not as good as Zhang He.

However, Governor Zhang He's Nuo Da Sanba defense line was penetrated by Zhang Fei.

Now it's better... Cao Hong is not as good as Zhang He, so who else can he use?

No one available!

At this moment, Jia Xu reminded: "Prime Minister, please don't forget that there is also a 'thousand-mile horse' owned by the Prime Minister in Hanzhong! The Shu army is good at scheming... clever changes and cleverness. Even General Zhang He suffered big losses in strategy. You might as well try Test young people, if they dare to fight and fight hard, they will not be controlled by others!"

call…

As soon as this statement came out, Cao Cao thought it made sense.

He pursed his lips and said softly: "Why have you forgotten this thousand-mile horse?"

Immediately, Cao Cao showed his resolute and resolute side, "The imperial edict was passed, and Cao Hong was still in charge of the battle of Xiabian. Cao Xiu joined the army as a cavalry captain, but he told Zilian and Wen Lie privately that Wen Lie would be the commander-in-chief of this battle. , let Uncle Hong hold the line for him!"

To put it bluntly, it was Cao Hong who had the name, and Cao Xiu made all the decisions.

Be more meticulous, just to prevent you, Uncle Hong, from losing face. You have the final say on everything.

Speaking of which…

Cao Cao also wanted to mention that Xia Houyuan was thinking about "support", but he swallowed the words when they reached his lips.

He was thinking that if the situation in Xiangfan was stabilized, it would not be too late to support Hanzhong!

In this way, the deployment of the Western Front battlefield was completed in the dialogue between Cao Cao and Jia Xu.

Jia Xu, on the other hand, was still a little worried, "Prime Minister, don't be careless. If this can't stop the Shu army's offensive, then there will be only one last strategy left!"

"Is Wen He going to teach Gu Du again?"

For a moment, Cao Cao looked up at Jia Xu with interest.

at this time.

"Prime Minister..." Xu Chu quickly broke into the government office and quickly handed over a letter, "Mr. Cheng's letter came back from Wu County."

Cao Cao took the letter, glanced at it, and couldn't help but grin. He smiled.

While laughing, he handed the letter to Jia Xu and said happily: "Sun Zhongmou was indeed fooled. He really sent people to capture Ling Tong. Hahaha. Wen He was not wrong about him. Gu Ye You saw him right!”

While Cao Cao was speaking, Jia Xu also finished reading the letter. He nodded slightly, "People say that the Prime Minister is suspicious by nature, but the Prime Minister's suspicion is that he does not trust people when he does not use them, but he does not trust people when he employs them. Sun Zhongmou is completely different from the Prime Minister. He was born because of his 'suspiciousness' Fear, worrying about gains and losses because of 'suspiciousness'? He is too different from the Prime Minister!"

Jia Xu's implicit compliment did not make Cao Cao happy. Cao Cao stroked his gray hair and sighed in a hoarse voice: "But he is younger than Gu! Youth is always allowed to make some mistakes. Incorrect."

Yes, Cao Cao and Sun Quan's father Sun Jian are of the same generation.

Sun Quan is twenty-seven years younger than him.

Twenty-seven years of experience...Cao Cao gained so much experience and growth.

But Sun Quan... There is no doubt that he is still young and has more possibilities at this age!

Cao Cao lamented that Sun Quan was a "god who came down from the mountain" and felt from the bottom of his heart when he saw the "man who went up the mountain" making mistakes.

at this time.

Cao Cao stood up suddenly. He opened his mouth, but swallowed back what he wanted to say.

He faced the wall in silence, lamenting the passage of time and how unforgiving the years were.

What he wanted to say was... the war here is unstable, how can he "be king" with peace of mind?

How can we properly "handle" all the procedures for transitioning from "Han" to "Wei"?

How to leave an opportunity for future generations to make further progress, take Han'er's place at any time!

Now Cao Cao, what he most urgently needs is to go through the "house ownership transfer" procedures, instead of continuing to pursue unification here.

He doesn't have too much energy to spend here, he needs time to do what he should do at this age.

Of course, he didn't say these words after all.

only…

For a time, because of Cao Cao's complicated expression, the atmosphere in the entire study became a bit colder.

Xu Chu frowned and added at the right time: "Prime Minister, General Wenyuan is in front of the mansion again, asking to see the Prime Minister... again because of that woman."

Jia Xu also took the opportunity to change the topic, "General Wen Yuan is really persistent. This is the eighth time...it's still two short of the ten times the prime minister mentioned it."

"No wait!" Cao Cao suddenly flicked his long sleeves, "I don't have much time left... What's more, the time is now ripe."

Jia Xu's eyes were fixed: "Prime Minister plans to use General Wenyuan now?"

"Wen He." Cao Cao said with a smile: "You are a smart man. If Gu uses Wen Yuan now, then Xiangfan will have a backbone, and Sun Quan will be more suspicious of Ling Tong, and Ling Tong will undoubtedly die... "

At this point, Cao Cao put his hands behind his back and said, "This can be regarded as a revenge for those soldiers of Wei Dynasty who were burned to death in the Feishui camp!"

With these words blurted out, Cao Cao walked out of the study with the strides of a dragon and a tiger.

The steps are heavy and sonorous——

Jia Xu couldn't help but swallow deeply. He understood what Cao Cao meant. Cao Cao was killing two birds with one stone.

Here Hua Tuo's female disciples were used to inspire Zhang Wenyuan to capture Guan Yu alive;

On the other side, Sun Quan was completely guided by his thoughts, leading him step by step into the quagmire of "killing someone with a borrowed knife".

At this moment, Jia Xu was once again deeply impressed by Cao Cao's mind attack skills.

Having said that, Cao Cao only suffered a loss once in his life when it came to mind-attacking techniques.

It was in the green plum and leek field cultivated by Liu Bei;

It was that time of "discussing heroes over green plums and wine"...

Cao Cao's mind-attacking skills were lost to Liu Xuande, who was better at hiding his mind. That was the duel between the two masters.

For a while, Jia Xu thought for a long time...

"It is true..." Looking at the backs of Cao Cao and Xu Chu leaving quickly, Jia Xu sighed: "It is true... Cao Gong and Liu Bei are no longer young, but Sun Zhongmou is far behind them... at least now, they are still far behind!"

…

…

There is a "Mengjin" port not far to the north of Luoyang City, which is being rebuilt.

This is a waterway used by various places to transport a series of city-building materials such as stone and wood to Luoyang. During the day, there are crowds of people, rubbing shoulders, and constant noise. It is very noisy.

It was late at night, and the noise gradually faded away, replaced by the footsteps of rows of soldiers and the scratching of armor.

The torches lit up the deep and long civilian alley. Xiahou Dun's son Xiahou Mao walked over with his hands behind his back and said to the leading soldier: "Father said it should be done in secret. Move quickly and don't make too much noise and attract a lot of discussion! "

The soldier smiled and said: "This is not the first time. Don't worry, Major General."

After saying that, he turned around and waved his hand, and the soldiers rushed into the civilian alley like wolves and tigers.

Xia Houmao stood at the entrance of the alley and soon heard crying and cursing coming from the alley.

Different from previous victories when soldiers plundered the finances and women of the surrounding people, this time they unexpectedly captured "men" and "strong men"!

Not long after, soldiers had already dragged out the men from the house. Some were only wrapped in a piece of cloth, and some were naked. They screamed for help!

Some of them have just turned fifteen years old. As they work on the land to make a living, they would never have imagined that they would encounter such a "sudden misfortune".

Some wives chased them out, shouting and cursing... But when they saw the torches outside the door and saw so many soldiers, they cowardly hid in, for fear that they would also be taken away.

You know, it is extremely miserable for women to be robbed and taken into military camps.

Sudden…

There was a rapid sound of horse hooves at the end of the alley. A man galloped in and knocked down the Xiahou Mao soldier who was leading the robbery with a whip.

"Stop it all."

The man driving the horse shouted loudly.

The soldier was whipped and was about to have a fit, but when he saw clearly that the person coming was the Fourth Young Master Cao Zhi, he quickly bowed and apologized, "So it's the Marquis of Pingyuan?"

Cao Zhi dismounted with an angry look on his face, "What are you doing? Is this a blatant robbery in Langlang Qiankun, near Luoyang? Does our Wei Dynasty have no royal power?"

While speaking, Cao Zhi glanced at the plundering man and frowned even more. He lowered his voice and said, "You are really yours, why don't you give up your face? In the past, the plundering was still women, money and food, but now it's better...not even men." Have you let it go? You guys have such strong taste!"

The soldier whispered: "Marquis Pingyuan has wronged us, and we too...we are also acting under orders."

Cao Zhi sneered, "Why didn't I know that there was such a strange order? What are you going to do to arrest these meticulous men? Are you going to work for the army? Who can issue such a panic order?"

He looked around again and said coldly: "Get out of here!"

The soldiers looked at each other and looked at Cao Zhi in embarrassment.

Suddenly, a burst of hearty laughter came from the alley, and Xia Houmao strode over, "It turns out to be Zijian, who did I think it was?"

It seems that Xia Houmao and Cao Zhi have a good relationship.

Xiahou Mao is the second son of Xiahou Dun, and his wife is Cao Cao's eldest daughter, the famous Princess Qinghe.

Of course, if we go by history...

Later, Cao Cao's precious daughter Princess Qinghe and her brother-in-law planned to murder her husband. This is another intriguing story.

At this moment, Cao Zhi was also surprised when he saw Xia Houmao, "Zilin? Aren't you with the general in Yecheng? How come you were born like this? Also, what are you doing?"

"It seems that these blind things have offended Zijian."

Xia Houmao walked to Cao Zhi's side with a smile and didn't take it seriously.

Cao Zhi said angrily, "Zilin, just pretend that I didn't see what happened tonight. You can take your soldiers and leave as soon as possible? Robbery of men. If this kind of thing spreads, it will bring disgrace to our great Wei clan." It’s all going to be lost.”

"Leave? How to leave?" Xia Houmao put his mouth to Cao Zhi's ear: "This is what my father ordered..."

"That's not possible!"

Before Cao Zhi could chant the words, Xia Houmao's subtle voice continued, "My father did this because your father secretly ordered... There are no soldiers on the front line. Prime Minister Cao asked each county to recruit more than a thousand soldiers, and each county Recruit more than five hundred soldiers. This Sili is in the hinterland of the Central Plains and can support Xiangfan quickly. One thousand or five hundred are not enough, so I decided on three thousand and one thousand! If they can't recruit them, then I will go out personally. Horses help them recruit!”

ah…

Cao Zhi didn't react for a while. Being kind and kind, he just subconsciously asked:

"Are they all subjects of Wei?"

Xia Houmao said in a sonorous tone: "When the Guan family and his son conquer Xiangfan and go north to take Wanluo, then... they will no longer be the subjects of the Wei Dynasty! They will be the spear and shield of the Guan family and his son!"

"Can…"

"There is nothing to be ashamed of." Xia Houmao pulled Cao Zhi aside, "I know Zijian that you are lenient, but now is not the time to be lenient. The situation in Xiangfan is extremely dangerous, and you don't want the Luoyang city you built to fall into disrepair. Is it for the palace of the Guan family father and son?"

Xia Houmao's blunt words made Cao Zhi blush. He had already realized that this was an act of seizing a strong man, and even more aware that it was fishing for the best...

He wanted to stop this "panic" act, but...but because of his father's order and the situation in Xiangfan, he couldn't say anything.

"Zijian..." Xia Houmao patted Cao Zhi on the shoulder at the end, "Maybe in the future our Wei Dynasty will be kind and tolerant one day, but it is definitely not now. Zijian, as long as you don't do stupid things! Get through the present, then the future I am the first to support your generosity and kindness!”

As he spoke, Xia Houmao waved his hand and said to the sergeants: "Continue, all men from the age of 15 onwards and under the age of 40 will be sent to the army, and their families will be given sufficient military pay and pensions. Tell them who dares to spread the news. , it aroused discussion among the public, one family and the whole village were sitting together, and all three clans were shot without mercy!"

In order to conceal themselves, in order not to leak the news of "catching men" and expelling them into the army, they also wanted to launch a surprise attack on the Xiangfan battlefield.

Xia Houmao gave the villagers an ultimatum.

He did not forget to shout and ask: "Pavilion chief? Is the pavilion chief here?"

"The little one is here...the little one is here!"

"Seeing that you are only in your early thirties, I won't arrest you and send you to the army." Xia Houmao stared at the little pavilion leader with the eyes of a superior, "I will say it again, general, if anyone leaks the news, your whole village will be killed. All of you in this pavilion will be killed without mercy, and the three clans will be implicated! Do you understand?"

"Understood...understood..." The pavilion chief kowtowed as if pounding garlic.

Xia Houze shouted loudly, "Continue, continue -"

At this moment, Cao Zhi watched helplessly as Xia Houmao took advantage of the darkness to forcibly recruit these innocent "men" into the army.

He clenched his hands into fists, but he knew that with his current status, he could do nothing but build a city.

"Sir..." Ding Yi, who was accompanying him, asked Cao Zhi, "Sir, are you still going to Pingyin City to buy stones and wood carvings?"

"not going--"

Following Cao Zhi's instructions, he got on his horse and "drive"... Accompanied by his voice, the horse neighed "dedede", and then there was the sound of horse hoofbeats.

One man and one horse galloped towards Luoyang City.

At this moment, Cao Zhi seemed to have been infinitely wronged.

What he wanted to see most was Yang Xiu and Yang Dezu, but Yang Xiu was imprisoned and he couldn't see him.

So now, he...the only person he wants to see is Mr. Li Miao.

What should he do?

What can he do?

How should he, who has always flaunted his benevolence, filial piety and kindness, make a choice?

He urgently needs Mr. Li Miao to give him guidance——

…

…

Because of Guan Yu's North Road, the entire Fancheng was completely blocked by water and land. Cao Ren and his 50,000 soldiers became the turtle in the urn.

Consumption of food and grass;

low morale;

The soldiers convey negative emotions to each other...

It seems that the entire situation is developing in an unfavorable direction in Cao Ren's opinion.

Fortunately, flying pigeons could occasionally send information. Through the engravings, Cao Ren and Zhao Yan roughly knew Cao Cao's plan.

This also gave the two of them some confidence!

Let them hold on to this city.

You have to keep it even if you don’t keep it!

This is already the last barrier between Jingzhou and the Central Plains.

"What to do next?"

Zhao Yan seems to have aged ten years. Man Chong, Lu Chang and Niu Jin around him are all dead... He has become the oldest one except Cao Ren.

Huh... Cao Ren let out a long breath. He looked toward the northeast of Xinye City and sighed softly, "Let's see how big brother can expand the narrow Juebei Road of Guan Yu!"

There seems to be something in these words...

Zhao Yan then asked: "Do you think Guan Yu will fall into the trap?"

Cao Ren shook his head, "Thanks to the Silang of the Guan family, Guan Yu is no longer what he used to be, but..."

The first half of this sentence was a little dejected, but the second half of the sentence changed, and it seemed that he had a little more confidence.

"The person stationed at Xinye City is not Guan Yu!"

Zhao Yan quickly said: "It seems to be Guan Ping? Zhao Lei?"

Cao Ren showed a slight smile: "There is also Guan Yu's second son Guan Xing. I heard that he is also a brave general who is not inferior to his father!"

this…

Before Zhao Yan could hesitate, Cao Ren's words came out again, "In the past six months, Guan Lin has been so powerful that he has completely surpassed his elder brother. Just imagine, if you and I have a younger brother who repeatedly performs extraordinary feats, then the elder brother , especially my brother who has no skills but is very skilled in martial arts? Will he be impetuous and greedy for success?"

hiss…

Following Cao Ren's words, Zhao Yan was startled. He quickly raised his hands and said with emotion:

"General Tianren still sees far and clearly."

"Haha!" Cao Ren continued with a smile: "So, it depends on the big brother, how to put a long line to catch the big fish!"

Having said this, Cao Ren's eyes were still looking eastward, but there was a little more edge in his eyes!

…

…

Fifty miles west of Xinye City, there is a military camp of the Guan family.

Guan Ping and Zhao Lei were counting the grain and grass when they saw that Guan Xing had already put on his armor and was about to get on his horse.

Guan Ping was startled and asked sternly: "Second brother, what are you doing?"

Without even raising his head, Guan Xing said, "Bring some food back to our father!"

Guan Ping pushed him hard and said sternly, "Are you crazy? Dad wants us to hold this line? Why do you want to fight to Xinye City?"

Guan Xing couldn't help but raised his head and said, "I have received accurate information. A batch of food from Wancheng was delivered to Xinye City at noon. I sent out all the scouting horses. There was no ambush along the way."

Guan Ping suppressed his temper and said, "Don't we lack that little food?"

Guan Xing raised his eyebrows and asked: "Brother, if it is the fourth brother who proposes to rob the grain, will the eldest brother still stop it?"

this…

Guan Ping was speechless for a moment, "You...then you are not allowed to go! Besides, the fourth brother's soldiers were obtained by himself, not by the Guan family army. He made the decision himself!"

Guan Xing grabbed him and begged: "Brother, I will take the two thousand soldiers under my command. It will be good to win. If you lose to my army, there will be no big loss. If you keep guarding here, someone must go." Let’s find out what Cao Jun’s true identity is?”

Guan Ping said sternly: "What do you mean it's not a big deal? Is your life so worthless?"

Guan Xing held out his chest resolutely, "At least, compared to my fourth brother, what does my fate mean?"

As he spoke, he waved his hand and said, "Brother, I have no other intentions, just let me do something for our Guan family army and myself -"

…

…