Lü Bu led his army to advance to Xudu, and ordered all the Cao troops outside to withdraw to the vicinity of Xudu.

Getting closer and closer to Xu Du, Lu Bu received a report brought by Xu Shu's scouts.

In the report, Xu Shu told Lü Bu that Cao Cao had gathered all the Cao troops outside to get to the edge of Xudu, and also made the judgment that Cao's army planned to trap the Xuzhou army in Xudu.

After receiving the report, Lu Bu asked Zhou Yu, "Xu Yuanzhi thinks that Cao Cao intends to trap us to death around Xudu, how likely do you think his judgment is?" ”

"Ten points." Zhou Yu replied: "Since Xu Yuanzhi has assumed the responsibility of detecting the movements of the enemy army, he will definitely make a more appropriate judgment. My judgment on him is absolute confidence. ”

"If that's the case, we will have to fight quickly to attack Xudu." Lu Bu asked Zhou Yu again: "Gong Jin thinks that how likely is it that we will defeat Xu Du in the short term?" ”

"I don't think it's much." Zhou Yu replied: "Cao Cao has been running the capital for many years, and now he has transferred all the soldiers and horses back, and the determination to fight to the death with our army is there, if the Marquis of Chu is not able to deal with it, he is likely to suffer from it." ”

"It's not just Cao Cao who has made a good deployment." Lu Bu said: "What's even more troublesome is that we have to compete with Cao Cao head-on, and there is a Yuan Shao behind us who doesn't know which side he will stand on. If Yuan Shao sits idly by, I won't feel anything. If he came to help us, of course it would be better. The worst possibility is that Yuan Shao ordered Hebei soldiers and horses to march into Xuzhou. We are fighting with Cao Cao, and although Xuzhou has been armed, it is also very empty. If you can't get Xu Du for a long time, it will not be easy to find opportunities in the future. ”

Zhou Yu furrowed his brows and nodded.

What Lu Bu said is something that is possible.

The world is in turmoil, and heroes are fighting each other.

For the sake of their own interests, no one will really take the alliance seriously.

Xu was besieged, and if Yuan Shao thought that Cao Cao had lost the upper hand and would not be beneficial to the balance of the situation in the Central Plains, he would definitely send troops to attack Xuzhou.

Lu Bu led a large army and was fighting with Cao Cao in Xudu, and if there was a war in Xuzhou, even if he immediately turned around and rushed back to help, I am afraid it would be too late.

"When will Xu Yuanzhi come back?" Zhou Yu didn't say anything, and Lu Bu asked him again.

"He should have arrived in the vicinity of Xudu and is investigating the situation there." Zhou Yu replied: "I feel that I have to wait until he has explored everything clearly, and then I will come back to meet Chu Hou." ”

"Everything is clear." Lu Bu said: "Send someone and summon him back." Cao Cao's intentions have been made clear, and he will not change anything if he stays near Xudu. ”

"I'll do it." Zhou Yu agreed, turned around and ordered the soldiers behind him: "Send someone to invite Xu Yuanzhi back, just say that Chu Hou is looking for him." ”

Soon, two fast horses in the army left and went in the direction of Xudu.

Since Lu Bu broke through the forbidden department and advanced all the way to Xudu, he has not encountered any obstacles.

Even if a small number of Cao troops launched an attack on the middle of the road, for Lu Bu's army, the attack was negligible.

The war in Yuzhou also spread to Hebei at all times.

After Lü Bu sent his troops, Yuan Shao sent a number of scouts to find out how the war between him and Cao Cao was going.

Knowing that Lu Bu was about to advance to Xudu, Yuan Shao invited his most trusted trial and Feng Ji to the front.

"I just got the news that Lu Bu broke Cao Cao's defenses one after another, and now he is about to advance to Xudu." Yuan Shao said to the two: "Cao Cao was forced to have no choice but to order all the soldiers and horses from all over the country to retreat to Xudu and try to fight a decisive battle with Lu Bu. I invited you here, I want to ask you, is it time to send troops to help Lu Bu? ”

"The lord wants to rush to Lu Bu's aid?" The interrogator asked.

"Lu Bu and I belong to an alliance, and he also sent a lot of coal earlier." Yuan Shao replied: "The armor of the officers and soldiers in his army is still provided by us in Hebei, if we don't rush to his aid and let Cao Mengde gain the upper hand, I am afraid that he will make trouble with us in the future." ”

"Cao Mengde already hates the lord to the core, and he should really help Lu Bu destroy him." "It's just that I don't think it's time to send troops. ”

"Why?" Yuan Shao asked: "Lu Bu has already arrived in Xudu, I will not send troops at this time, do I have to wait for him to break through Xudu, get the emperor in his hands, and then go to crusade against Cao Cao?" ”

"Of course not." The judge said: "Lü Bu led the army to Xudu, and the real decisive battle between him and Cao Cao has not yet begun. With the strength of the two sides, I feel that even if Lu Bu defeats Cao Cao, there will not be too many soldiers and horses left. At that time, as long as the lord finds an excuse and sends someone to see Lu Bu and ask him to send the emperor to Hebei, will he dare to disobey? ”

"Zhengnan can't help but take it for granted." The judge said his opinion, and Feng Ji said to Yuan Shao: "Lu Bu has grown too fast in recent years, and the lord should still remember that he was still pressed and beaten by Cao Cao in the Battle of Xiapi that year. Now he has turned the other way around, marched into Xudu, and even forced Cao Cao to mobilize all his troops and horses to Xudu for a decisive battle. From this point of view, Lu Bu is the real confidant of the lord. I think that when he breaks the capital and gets the emperor, the lord asks him for it, and he will definitely shirk it for various reasons. ”

"What Yuan Tu means is that Lu Bu will keep the emperor in his hands regardless of turning against me?" Yuan Shao's brows furrowed slightly, and he asked Feng Ji in a tone that was not too good.

Feng Ji replied: "Does the lord think that he won't?" ”

Yuan Shao was silent.

After a long time, he asked Feng Ji and the judge, "According to the two of you, what should I do?" Is it to attack Xuzhou, or to break through Xu Du with Lu Bu and snatch the emperor from him? ”

"The lord is still an alliance with Lu Bu, and the coal that Lu Bu promised to send has not yet arrived." "Coal is essential for steel, and I don't think it's feasible to attack Xuzhou," Feng said. ”

"Since it is not feasible to attack Xuzhou, then send troops to Xudu." Yuan Shao said: "You can't watch Lu Bu get the emperor into his hands. ”

"Lu Bu and Cao Cao are fighting, and the decisive battle has not yet begun, why is the lord so anxious?" "I think we should at least wait for them to fight first and see which side has the upper hand before making the final decision," he said. If Cao Cao had the upper hand, the lord would have sent troops to attack Xudu with Lü Bu. not only took Xu Du, but also consumed a lot of Lu Bu. The two armies entered Xu Capital together, did he dare to rob the emperor with the lord? If Lu Bu has the upper hand, the lord should send troops to go. After entering the city of Xudu, he first grabbed the emperor, and as for what Lu Bu planned on his side, it just depended on what he would do. ”

"Anyway, I'm going to send troops to attack Cao Cao?" Yuan Shao sighed and said to the two of them: "Cao Cao and I had an alliance with sour dates back then, and we both did our best for the Han Dynasty, but I didn't expect that now we are going to meet each other on the battlefield. ”

"The troubled times in the world have been formed, and the heroes are fighting for their own interests." Feng Ji said: "Only the lord is still loyal to the Han Dynasty, but unfortunately, the Han royal family is in the hands of Cao Cao." ”

"The lord did not bring the emperor to Hebei back then, so Cao Cao had a head start." The judge also said: "No matter what this time, we must get the emperor first." ”

Although the trial and Feng Ji are both on the side of the third prince Yuan Shang, the two have a lot of contradictions with each other.

In the past, Yuan Shao asked them for advice, and both of them would put forward conflicting opinions, but this time, except for Feng Ji's opposition to asking him for the Han Emperor after Lu Bu broke through Xu Du, the others were unprecedentedly unanimous, which made Yuan Shao also feel very surprised.

Two people who have never dealt with each other have the same opinion on a matter, and Yuan Shao also feels that their opinions can indeed be adopted.

Yuan Shao stood up and said to the two of them: "Zhengnan and Yuantu's plan is indeed the most suitable at the moment. I will give an order to let Yan Liang and Wen Chou lead the army to advance to Xu Du first. Wait until Lu Bu quickly breaks Xu Du, and then enter Xu Capital City with him, so as to seize the emperor! ”

Yuan Shao made a decision, and the judge and Feng Ji praised in unison: "The lord is wise, as long as he wins the current emperor, he will definitely achieve great things in the future." ”

When Dong Zhuo entered Beijing and wanted to depose the young emperor and support Liu Xie's accession to the throne, Yuan Shao drew his sword with him.

Later, the young emperor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Wei, was murdered by Dong Zhuo, and Liu Xie ascended the throne as the emperor, Yuan Shao did not have any good impression of the emperor who was supported by Dong Zhuo, and refused to recognize his throne, and even wanted to support Liu Yu to be the emperor for a time.

Yuan Shao and Gongsun Chan were completely at odds, and it was also because Gongsun Chan killed Liu Yu that he gave him an excuse to attack.

Since Liu Wei's death, Yuan Shao's loyalty to the Han family has also been declining.

At the beginning, Yuan Shu expressed his wish and was willing to give Yuan Shao the jade seal of the country, along with the title of emperor.

At that time, Yuan Shao was even a little moved, if it weren't for the strong dissuasion of his advisers, he almost sent troops to rescue Yuan Shu, becoming the second heroic man to claim the title of emperor after Yuan Shu.

Cao Cao got Liu Xie, and his power became stronger every day, and Yuan Shao also saw the benefits of having Liu Xie.

The emperor who was disdainful back then is now a sought-after treasure for Yuan Shao.

If Lu Bu dares to snatch the emperor with him, he will definitely make Lu Bu look good!

After Yuan Shao made a decision, he immediately issued an order, ordering Yan Liang and Wen Chou to lead 100,000 troops and march in the direction of Xudu.

The Xuzhou army advanced to Xudu, and when it was only a hundred miles away from Xudu, Xu Shu returned to Lu Bu's army.

In the handsome tent, there are only Lu Bu and Xu Shu.

Sitting in the tent, Xu Shu explained the situation he had found to Lu Bu one by one, and finally said: "On the way back to the army, I got the news that Yuan Shao ordered Yan Liang and Wen Chou to lead an army of 100,000 and was approaching in the direction of Xudu. Because this matter is not too important, I did not say it first. ”

"In Yuan Zhi's opinion, isn't it too important for Yuan Shao to send troops?" Lu Bu asked Xu Shu.

"Of course it doesn't matter." Xu Shu replied: "Yuan Shao sent troops, not to help Chu Hou capture Xu Du, he was just waiting for Chu Hou and Cao Cao to fight to the end, and then order the army to participate in the battlefield, and wait until Xu Du was broken and snatched His Majesty from Chu Hou's hands." ”

"Yuan Shao didn't value His Majesty in the past, and he even wanted to support Liu Yu to become emperor." Lu Bu asked: "Now that he has sent troops to Xu Du for His Majesty, could it be that he has changed his temperament?" ”

"It's not that Yuan Shao has changed his temperament." Xu Shu said: "Yuan Shao did this because he saw the benefits of His Majesty in his hands. If Cao Cao hadn't welcomed His Majesty to Xudu back then, how could he have grown so much in just a few years? ”

Lu Bu nodded, and then asked Xu Shu, "If that's really the case, what should I do?" Even if Cao Cao is defeated, the loss of our army will not be small, and to deal with Yuan Shao, I am afraid that there is not enough strength. ”

"Easy to do." Xu Shu said: "Once the capital of Xu is broken, the Marquis of Chu will first send His Majesty back to Pengcheng. When His Majesty arrived in Pengcheng, he immediately sent a decree to reward Yuan Shao. Sealing him as a third prince or general, with these benefits, even if Yuan Shao has ten thousand unhappy in his heart, he can only admit it. ”

"If Yuan Shao is upset, he should find an excuse to send troops to Xuzhou." Lu Bu asked, "In order to keep His Majesty in his hands and offend Yuan Shao, is it cost-effective or not?" ”

"If the Marquis of Chu has His Majesty, he is the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty." Xu Shu said: "If Yuan Shao wins His Majesty, the Yuan family, which is already invincible in the world, will definitely be in full swing." Chu Hou had the painful experience of the first battle of Xiapi, and he should not want the same thing to happen again. ”

"It's still clear to Yuan Zhizhi." Lu Bu said approvingly: "According to what Yuan Zhi said, even if I look against Yuan Shao, I should hold Your Majesty firmly in my hands." ”

"Of course." Xu Shu responded.

He then asked Lu Bu: "Dare to ask Chu Hou, I asked Zhou Gongjin to bring Chu Hou earlier, I don't know if he said it?" ”

"Yuan Zhi said that the scout will be handed over to you to be in charge?" Lu Bu asked.

"Exactly." Xu Shu replied: "The soldiers under the command of the Marquis of Chu can fight well, and they are indeed the leaders on the battlefield. But on this expedition, I found that most of the scouts were slack, and most of the news they brought back was not detailed enough. If the scouts are allowed to be so scattered, sooner or later they will suffer a great loss in terms of information......"

"Actually, Yuan Zhi doesn't just want scouts." Lu Bu interrupted him, lowered his voice and asked, "What Yuan Zhi wants, in fact, is it a spy agency, yes or no?" ”

"Spy agencies?" Having never heard of this term, Xu Shu was stunned for a moment and asked Lu Bu: "Dare to ask Chu Hou, what is the so-called spy agency?" ”

"It's what Yuan Zhi expected, a soldier who specializes in finding out information and can even carry out assassinations." The corners of Lu Bu's mouth twitched slightly, and he asked Xu Shu: "Does Yuan Zhi want to say that I need to have a force that can probe the information of the entire world at any time." In that way, you can know yourself and your opponent and not be defeated in a hundred battles? ”

"Chu Hou Yingming, what I want to build is such a team." Xu Shu replied: "I traveled all over the world back then, and I also practiced swordsmanship when I was young, so it was not difficult to build such a team. ”

"Yuan Zhi has such ability, of course I believe it." Lu Bu said: "But the establishment of such a group of men and horses, they are a double-edged sword. Use it well, cut the enemy and break the formation. If you don't use it well, you will bring far more trouble to yourself than solve it. ”