Zhou Yu accompanied Lu Bu back to the barracks and followed him into the tent.

Also walking into the tent were Zhao Yun, Sun Ce, Gao Shun and others.

First of all, Zhou Yu said that Sun Ce and Gao Shun each led the trouble-relieving troops and trapped the camp to kill Xiahoudun, but they failed to capture him, and then Zhao Yun told everyone how he followed Lu Bu to defeat Cao's army.

When Zhao Yun said that Lu Bu was alone and scared back from the thousands of Cao troops in the forbidden department, the generals couldn't help but sigh.

Gao Shun, who was the first to follow Lu Bu, said with emotion: "Back then, the Cao army persecuted the Marquis of Chu very tightly, but now thousands of soldiers and horses are forbidden but they are scared back by the Marquis of Chu alone. It can be seen that the prestige of the Marquis of Chu has long been different from what it used to be. ”

"Needless to say." Sun Ce said: "I follow Chu Hou all day long, you may not know, but I know very well. Chu Hou is brave, and there will definitely be no second person in the world to compare. If someone can really fight with Chu Hou on the battlefield, that person must be a god and a mortal, and it is impossible for ordinary people to do it. ”

Lu Bu smiled slightly and shook his head: "Bo Fu, don't exaggerate what you say, how much ability I have, don't the generals know it?" ”

"How much ability Chu Hou had at the beginning, we may be clear." Gao Shun said: "It's really not clear now. ”

Gao Shun has always been diligent, and he rarely exaggerates when he speaks, and his prestige in the army is not small.

Even if he said so, of course the other generals would echo him.

"Alright." Lu Bu smiled and waved his hand: "If you continue to say this, I don't even know who I am." ”

"Chu Hou is Chu Hou, how can you not know who you are?" Sun Ce said: "We followed the Marquis of Chu, all looking forward to making contributions in the future. If Chu Hou is so humble, it will make us not know how to choose. ”

"Don't talk about that." Lu Bu waved his hand and motioned for everyone not to continue the topic.

He then asked Zhou Yu, "Gong Jin, we have broken the Cao army in Zhecheng, what do you think should be done later?" ”

"The army continues to advance, and there should be obstacles to Cao Cao's deployment ahead." Zhou Yu said: "However, with the previous battles, Cao Cao should no longer expect the soldiers and horses he deployed to be able to stop the Marquis of Chu." I think he should shrink his troops and horses and fight the Marquis of Chu outside the city of Xudu. ”

"If he really gathers all the soldiers and horses in Xudu, it will be really a big trouble." Lu Bu frowned slightly, pinched his chin and said.

"I don't think it's any trouble." Zhou Yu replied: "If he gathers all the soldiers and horses in Xudu, it just confirms that the crusade of the Marquis of Chu has brought him a lot of bruises. Regardless of whether Cao Cao can be defeated this time, the comparison between the strength and weakness of Chu Hou and Cao Cao before has been reversed. ”

"The Yuan family in Hebei hasn't made any moves yet?" Lu Bu asked Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu shook his head: "I haven't heard of any action, the Yuan family should be sitting on the mountain watching the tiger fight, wanting to crusade against Cao Cao through the Marquis of Chu and seek benefits from it, but they don't want to send a single soldier." ”

"Yuan Shao is not so kind." The corners of Lu Bu's mouth twitched slightly, and he said to Zhou Yu: "Fortunately, we have already prepared for it. Even if the Yuan family makes a move, the people we left behind can deal with them. ”

"The situation in the Central Plains is complicated, and both Cao Cao and Yuan Shao want to take advantage of the benefits from the Marquis of Chu." Zhou Yu reminded: "If you talk about military strength, Yuan Shao is even much stronger than Cao Cao, and Chu Hou has to be very careful about him." ”

"Before I kill Cao Cao, Yuan Shao shouldn't be embarrassed by me." Lu Bu's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said to Zhou Yu: "Gong Jin can go to Yuan Zhi and discuss with him how to fight the battle in the future." “

Speaking of this, Lu Bu suddenly remembered something, and he asked Zhou Yu, "Where is Yuan Zhi?" Why didn't you see him? ”

"Yuan Zhi personally took the scouts to the front to explore the path earlier." Zhou Yu said: "He discussed with me, saying that he would be able to explore the way ahead, and he would be able to better analyze and understand Cao Jun's intentions." ”

"Let Yuanzhi go to explore the way?" Lu Bu was stunned for a moment, and then said, "It's also up to the two of you to think of it." Yuan Zhi is in the army, but he is a military advisor, and even he runs out to explore the way, is it possible that our scouts are insufficient. ”

"It's not what Chu Hou thinks." Zhou Yu replied with some embarrassment: "So please Yuan Zhi go to explore the way, I am also thinking, after he discovers any enemy situation, he can immediately make a judgment and send more useful information back to Chu Hou." That's why I agreed. ”

"I've already gone, I'm just worried about Yuan Zhi's safety." Lu Bu said: "This is Yuzhou, although it will definitely belong to us in the future, but now it is still in the hands of Cao Cao." Whatever you do, you have to be cautious. ”

"When Yuan Zhi was leaving, he asked me to ask the Marquis of Chu for something." Zhou Yu showed a hint of hesitation on his face, and then said.

"What does he want?" Lu Bu asked.

"Yuan Zhi said, follow the Marquis of Chu on the expedition, and along the way, he found that our army's scouts were not accurate in their investigations." Zhou Yu said: "If it continues like this, our army may suffer a lot of losses on the scouts." ”

Lu Bu didn't have any expression on his face, but he agreed with Xu Shu's statement very much in his heart.

The time when his army was established was too short compared to Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.

Especially the scouts, many scouts probed the situation, just looked at it and ran back to return to their lives, and they didn't understand how the enemy army was deployed, which really caused him a lot of trouble.

"Since Yuan Zhi has proposed it, he must have a way to deal with it." Lu Bu asked Zhou Yu, "Did he say how to deal with it?" ”

Zhou Yu replied: "Back to Chu Hou's words, Yuan Zhi did say how to deal with it. He wanted to ask the Marquis of Chu for permission to set up a new army of scouts to be led by him, but all the marches were to be sent out by him. Scouts who have been trained make it easier to grasp the enemy's military situation. ”

"Yuan Zhi should mean more than just scouts." Lu Bu smiled: "This matter will be talked about when he comes back." ”

That night, Lü Bu led the army to camp on the spot, and did not continue the march until the next morning.

A few days later, Cao Cao of Xudu learned that Yu Ban and the others had been defeated, and he summoned everyone under his command to the front hall with great frustration.

Looking around at the people sitting in the front hall, Cao Cao said to them: "You should have heard that Lu Bu first broke the Lumen Pavilion, and then broke the soldiers and horses of Yu Ban and others, and is advancing towards Xudu. In front of them, our army was left with the last line of defense. If there is no way to deal with it, sooner or later we will all become Lu Bu's prisoners. ”

Cao Cao's words were serious, but none of the people thought he was alarmist.

Lü Bu's current changes have long been spread among the people, and many officials under Cao Cao even think that Cao Cao has no chance of winning in the battle with Lü Bu.

"My lord." Guo Jia got up and said to Cao Cao: "Lu Bu has approached Xudu, and the defense line set by our army has been broken by him one after another. If he relied on the defensive line to resist, he was afraid that he would suffer another heavy blow in his hands. ”

Looking at Guo Jia, Cao Cao's brows were tightly locked: "Fengxiao means ......"

"I mean, first gather all the generals who are outside." Guo Jia replied: "Deploy all the soldiers and horses in Xudu and the surrounding areas. Although Lu Bu gathered a lot of people, his foundation was still too shallow compared to the lord. I think that as long as we concentrate our forces, we will not necessarily have no chance of winning a decisive battle with Lu Bu. ”

Cao Cao first nodded, then looked at the others and asked, "What do you think?" ”

"What Feng Xiao said is indeed a method." Jia Xu stroked the beard on his chin and said to Cao Cao: "Lu Bu crusaded against the lord this time, I don't think he has the belief that the lord must be defeated. What he wants more should be His Majesty today. ”

None of the people under Cao Cao's command openly proposed that what Lu Bu wanted was Liu Xie.

Looking at Jia Xu, Cao Cao asked with a solemn face, "How could Wen He think that his purpose is His Majesty?" ”

"Since the lord welcomed His Majesty to Xudu back then, although many heroes are not convinced, they do not dare to openly confront the lord." Jia Xu said: "Although Your Majesty has no soldiers and horses in his hands, there are many people who help the lord. If Lu Bu gets him, he can give orders to the world instead of the lord. According to Lu Bu's temperament, he will definitely treat His Majesty as a puppet and become a help for him to grow his power. The lord has to guard against this. ”

"According to Wenhe, what should I do?" Cao Cao asked again.

"The lord can send more men to guard the palace." Jia Xu replied: "If Lu Bu fails to break through Xu Du, it will be fine, if he really enters Xu Du, so many men and horses can also protect Your Majesty." Even if it can't be protected, there is one last way to go. ”

Before Cao Cao could reply, a voice among the people present immediately shouted at Jia Xu: "Jia Wenhe, are you instigating the lord's rebellion?" ”

Looking at the person who spoke, the expression on Cao Cao's face became unnatural for a moment.

However, the unnatural expression quickly dissipated from his face.

With a smile on his face, he said to the person who scolded Jia Xu: "Why should Wen Ruo be angry, although Wen He has such a plan, I will not follow it. Inviting His Majesty to Xu Du was originally to protect his thoughtfulness. We are all vassals of the Han Dynasty, how can we harm Your Majesty for our own selfish interests. ”

It was Xun Yu who scolded Jia Xu.

The Xun family has been favored by the Han court for generations, and Xun Yu is also loyal to the Han Dynasty.

When he followed Cao Cao, he saw that Cao Cao had the ability to support the Han Dynasty, and hoped to achieve the purpose of reviving the Han family by strengthening this hero in troubled times.

Although Cao Cao has lost much patience and respect for the Han Emperor in recent years, he has never considered killing the emperor or simply replacing him, so Xun Yu still thinks that Cao Cao has the will to help the Han in his bones.

Cao Cao opened his mouth to mediate, and Xun Yu's face looked a lot better.

He bowed to Cao Cao and bowed: "As a Han minister, the lord must not do anything against the Han Dynasty." ”

"Don't worry, Wen Ruo, in your eyes, am I that kind of person?" Cao Cao smiled magnanimously, waved his hand at Xun Yu, and said to him: "The other method Wen He said, in my opinion, is not to murder His Majesty. At most, he wanted to tell me that he would send more soldiers and horses to protect His Majesty, and once it was critical, those soldiers could also escort His Majesty out of Xudu. As long as His Majesty is still there, the Han court will be there. For many years, we have been committed to helping the Great Han, and who would consider harming Your Majesty? ”

As soon as Cao Cao explained this, Jia Xu also said: "Duke Xun is indeed too worried about Your Majesty, and I mean exactly what the lord said. ”

"That's really the case." Xun Yu looked at Jia Xu in disbelief: "Wenhe is known as a poisoner, and the strategies he has always offered are all methods of breaking the roots. With all due respect, I don't quite believe that you can think on the side of His Majesty and the Great Han. ”

Xun Yu and Cao Cao have been friends for the longest time, and they have made countless contributions to Cao Cao back then, but they died young. Guo Jia, who is now relied on by Cao Cao and has become the number one strategist under his command, was recommended to him by Xun Yu.

Cao Cao can have today's foundation, and he is also inseparable from Xun Yu's help, so in front of Cao Cao, he doesn't have to shy away from many words at all, and he has more status than Jia Xu and others.

Even Cao Cao, sometimes when he found Xun Yu unhappy, he had to accompany him with a smile to comfort him.

Xun Yu openly said that he didn't believe Jia Xu, and Jia Xu looked at Cao Cao with some embarrassment: "Please also ask the lord to distinguish a few words for me." ”

"It's all my own family, it's just a matter of ignoring mistakes." With a generous smile on his face, Cao Cao waved his hand and said, "Wen Ruo's loyal Han family is equal to me, if someone here tries to murder Your Majesty, even if Wen Ruo doesn't say it, I won't spare him." ”

Cao Cao said in person, Xun Yu was a lot relieved, and he said to Cao Cao: "When Lu Bu came to Xudu, I also feel that his purpose should be Your Majesty." Now that His Majesty has been in turmoil for many years and has suffered a lot of human suffering, the lord can't let him fall into the hands of Lu Bu again. I also think that Feng Xiao is right, he should gather the army in many or around it to fight a decisive battle with Lu Bu. However, before that, the lord still had to fortify the wilderness, so that Lu Bu would not have any external supplies here. The soldiers and horses near Xu Du did not need to attack him, as long as he cut off the road for him to send people out to buy grain and grass, no matter how brave Lu Bu was, it would not be long before he would definitely withdraw due to lack of food. ”

Cao Cao nodded: "What Wen Ruo said is exactly what I want." ”

Looking at the crowd, he asked, "Who else has a different opinion?" ”

Everyone got up one after another and said to Cao Cao: "We agree with the strategy of Xun Gong and others. ”

Everyone under his command had already expressed his position, so Cao Cao didn't ask any more questions, stood up and said to them: "Since we already have a common opinion, I have decided to recall all the soldiers and horses outside and prepare to fight Lu Bu to the death in Xudu!" ”

"Congratulations to the lord on a great victory!" Everyone congratulated in unison.

When the court was dissolved, when Cao Cao went out, he whispered to Xu Chu: "Invite Jia Wenhe to my study, I have something to say to him." ”

Xu Chu agreed, stopped, and watched the people participating in the court meeting leave.

(End of chapter)