Xi Zhicai asked, "The lord is here to ask me about the decisive battle with Yuan Shao?" ”

Cao Cao nodded: "Sure enough, I can't hide my talents, Yuan Shaobing has many generals and is far stronger than me, I want to compete with one of them, but the generals are cowardly." I was so anxious that I came here to ask for advice. ”

Xi Zhicai coughed a few times and said slowly: "Yuan Shao is a man with big ambitions and small wisdom, strong and timid, with many soldiers but unclear commands, generals and different government orders, although there are many soldiers and enough food, it is just for the lord's use." When the lord swallows Yuan Shao, half of the world will be gained, and the pacification of the world is just around the corner. The Lord should encourage himself. ”

Cao Cao excitedly shook Xi Zhicai's hand and said: "What Zhicai said is consistent with Guo Fengxiao's opinion, a certain person led the army to a decisive battle with Yuan Shao, I have ordered someone to find Hua Tuo, and you are here to recuperate." ”

Cao Cao was just about to leave, Xi Zhicai sat up and stretched out his hand to keep Cao Cao, Cao Cao hurriedly went back to support him, Xi Zhicai coughed a few times and said: "Lord, Zhicai Yangshou should have been exhausted a long time ago." It's just that he was saved by Hua Tuo, and he was lucky to live for a while. Today's fate is like this, and the lord does not need to grieve. cough cough cough ......"

Cao Cao took a silk handkerchief to Xi Zhicai, the handkerchief was stained with thick blood, and Xi Zhicai smiled indifferently: "Lord, after my death, Guo Fengxiao can plan for me for the lord, and bother the lord to tell him not to follow in my footsteps." ”

Cao Cao nodded with tears in his eyes, and Xi Zhicai said again: "If the lord wants to fight Yuan Shao, he should first defeat Liu Bei and recapture Xuzhou." Liu Bei is very deep in the city, and then there are Han Xuan and Liu Du, the enemies of these three lords in the future! The lord must take precautions as soon as possible......"

Before Xi Zhicai finished speaking, his hand naturally drooped down and slowly closed his eyes.

"Zhicai!" Cao Cao cried.

"What about Hua Tuo? Bring Hua Tuo to me......" Cao Cao shouted as he grabbed a servant by the collar.

The servant was stunned at the time, and replied tremblingly, "Dian...... General Dian Wei has not yet found Hua Tuo. ”

Cao Cao let go of him and lay on the corpse of Xi Zhicai and cried bitterly, Cao Cao remembered Xi Zhicai's last words and stood up and walked out of the hospital, Cao Cao described it as withered, and just met Guo Jia who came in a hurry.

Guo Jia was shocked when he saw Cao Cao's appearance and asked, "Why is Ming Gong so haggard?" ”

Cao Cao raised his head and sighed: "Zhicai, he left me!" ”

Guo Jia almost couldn't stand on his feet when he heard this, he and Xi Zhicai were both friends and competitors, and now that his old friend has passed away, Guo Jia is saddened in his heart.

Guo Jia took a breath and said: "Duke Ming, Yuan Shao's army will soon go south, and Duke Ming must make arrangements as soon as possible." Now that Liu Bei is regaining momentum in Xuzhou, the lord should attack Liu Bei first to avoid our army fighting on two fronts. ”

Cao Cao sighed: "Feng Xiao's view coincides with Zhicai, I am determined to recall Zhang Liao, Yu Ban to guard against Yuan Shao, and Guangling to send another person to garrison." ”

Guo Jia suggested: "Liu Bei is deeply respected by the people of Xuzhou, and the lord should go to break it in person!" ”

Cao Cao personally led the 300,000 troops of the Qingzhou Army to attack Liu Bei in five ways, and Liu Bei sent Zhang Fei to attack Cao's camp at night, but was unexpectedly counted by Guo Jia. Cao's army fought on all sides, and Zhang Fei abandoned the army and rode out of the encirclement.

Cao Cao then led Xu Chu, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan and others to attack Pei County, but Liu Bei couldn't resist it, so he had to abandon the city and flee. Halfway through, he was robbed and killed by the tiger and leopard cavalry led by Cao Chun for a while, and there were less than 100 people left around him.

In Jizhou, Liu Bei's envoy Sun Qian came to ask Yuan Shao to send troops to assist Cao Cao's rear, and Tian Feng immediately asked to see Yuan Shao when he learned about it: "My lord, Cao Cao raised a large army to attack Liu Bei, and Xu Du was already empty. The lord can take advantage of this time to raise an army to attack him, and he can fight a battle! ”

Yuan Shao looked haggard and untidy, Tian Feng and Fu Zhu asked why, Yuan Shao replied: "I gave birth to five sons, but I love the youngest one the most." Now he is suffering from scabies, and his life is dying. What is my heart to say anything more about him? ”

Tian Feng was so angry that he kicked straight to the ground: "When I suffered this rare encounter, I lost this opportunity because of the baby's illness!" It's a pity that big things go! ”

Tian Feng fell to his feet and sighed. Yuan Shao had long been blind to Tian Fenggang's crime, and he hated him even more this time.

However, it is said that after Cao Cao occupied Pei County, he led 100,000 troops to surround Pi, and Guan Yu could not resist it although he fought to the death. Xiapi City was broken, Guan Yu abandoned the city and fled, and was surrounded on the dirt mountain.

Cao Cao loved Guan Yu's loyalty and bravery, so he ordered Zhang Liao to persuade Guan Yu to surrender, Guan Yu saw that Liu Bei's life and death were unknown, so he had to surrender to Cao Cao. After Cao Cao occupied Xiapi, he began to concentrate on dealing with Yuan Shao.

Cao Cao first sent Zang Ba to lead elite troops from Langyu into Qingzhou, occupy Qi, Beihai, Dong'an and other places, contain Yuan Shao, consolidate the right flank, and prevent Yuan's army from attacking Xudu from the east. Cao Cao led his troops into Liyang, Jizhou, and ordered Yu Ban to lead 2,000 cavalry to guard Yanjin, an important ferry port on the south bank of the Yellow River, and assisted Liu Yan, the Taishou of Dongjun, who was guarding Baima, to prevent Yuan's army from crossing the river and driving south.

Cao Cao used the main force to build fortifications in the area of Guandu to block Yuan Shao's attack from the front; Cao Cao sent Shi Weikai to pacify Guanzhong in order to avoid worries and deal with Yuan Shao with all his might. When Wei Qi arrived in Guanzhong, he saw that a large number of fleeing people kept returning to Guanzhong, but they had no way to make a living, and most of them were cited as subordinates by the generals, and the counties were poor and weak, and they could not compete with the generals. So he wrote to Cao Cao, asking him to still put the salt official to supervise the salt business, and use his income to buy oxen, ploughs and other agricultural tools to supply the refugees so that they can engage in agricultural production.

In this way, the state revenue can be increased, the Guanzhong can be abundant, and the power of the generals in Guanzhong can be avoided. Cao Cao then sent his servants to shoot the salt supervisor. Wei Qi also suggested that Si Liwei move to Guanzhong and become the lord of Guanzhong, and Cao Cao also followed him, so that Si Liwei moved from the original Luoyang to Hongnong. As a result, Guanzhong gradually obeyed.

After Cao Cao made a series of deployments, he asked the strategists: "Only Zhang Xiu and Han Xuan are in trouble today, what are your best strategies?" ”

Xun Yu offered a plan: "You can secretly send someone to write to Liu Biao and Liu Du to inform Han Xuan that he will ask Liu Biao about it, and then issue an edict to order Han Xuan to ask Huang Zu, Liu Biao learned that he will unite with Liu Du to resist Han Xuan, so Han Xuan will have no time to take care of Guangling." This so-called 'drive the tiger and devour the wolf' plan is also! ”

Cao Cao followed Xun Yu's plan and asked how to guard against Zhang Xiu. Just when he was worried, Man Chong sent a message that Zhang Xiu wanted to raise an army to surrender, and asked Cao Cao to arrange the surrender. Cao Cao was a little worried after hearing this, after all, this embroidery had killed his eldest son Cao Ang and nephew Cao Anmin by fraud, and even he almost died.

Guo Jia saw Cao Cao's doubts, and stepped forward to Cao Cao and said, "Duke Ming, Zhang Xiu must be here to surrender sincerely." Zhang Xiu abandoned Yuan Shao and voted for Ming Gong, because he saw the current situation, and it seems that there must be capable people in Zhang Xiu's army to help! ”

It turned out that a few months ago, when Yuan Shao defeated Gongsun Zan and was preparing to attack Cao Cao, Yuan Shao sent people to surrender Zhang Xiu in advance to make Cao Cao's belly and back suffer the enemy. Zhang Xiu was about to agree after receiving the envoy, but the strategist Jia Xu persuaded: "The general should not surrender to Yuan Shao, but to Cao Cao." ”

Zhang Xiu asked in surprise: "Fang Jinyuan is strong and Cao is weak, I once defeated Cao Cao and killed his son and nephew, Cao Cao is willing to spare my life?" ”

Zhang Xiu was reluctant to surrender to Cao Cao, and Jia Xu smiled: "It is precisely because of this that the general should surrender to Cao Cao." Yuan Shao's army was outnumbered, Yuan Shaoding didn't care, and Cao's army was weak, and it was the time to employ people. The general's surrender to Cao will definitely be taken seriously by him. And Cao Cao obeyed the Son of Heaven to order the world, his name was right, and he had the ambition to swallow the world, and he was about to show the world virtue, and he would definitely ignore the previous suspicions. ”

Zhang Xiu followed Jia Xu's advice and prepared to surrender to Cao Cao. Zhang Xiu asked again: "Sir, are you willing to join me in Cao?" ”

Jia Xu replied with a smile: "General, there is a banquet in the world, I have found an old friend and am about to go there." ”

Zhang Xiu no longer stopped him, Jia Xu returned to his residence, and Li Ru stepped forward to bow and said, "Brother Wenhe, you can let Confucianism wait." The Lord is just at war with Han Xuan, please Wen and Brother come with me quickly. ”

********

In November of the fourth year of Jian'an, Zhang Xiu led the army to surrender to Cao Cao, Cao Cao was overjoyed, and set up a banquet to entertain Zhang Xiu and his generals. Cao Cao personally held Zhang Xiu's hand and drank together, Zhang Xiu put his heart at ease and bowed to Cao Cao: "As Jia Wenhe expected, Cao Gong's bearing is extraordinary, and he embroiders and worships clothes!" ”

Cao Cao asked, "But Jia Xu Jia Wenhe?" Where is it? ”

Zhang Xiu replied: "I have already voted for Liu Du before. ”

Cao Cao regretted: "Jia Wenhe is resourceful, I have admired him for a long time, so why should I vote for that Liu Du." It's really a pearl secret investment...... That's it. I worship you as General Yangwu today, and marry the general's daughter for my son Cao Jun, what does the general think? ”

Zhang Xiu thanked him: "The little girl can marry the son of Cao Gong, which is really a blessing for three lives. ”