In a barracks in the Xue County military camp.

Cao Shuo sat in the first seat,

Zhao Yun and Chen Zhi accompanied each other, while Xun You sat opposite him.

"Duke Xun came from Xu Du, did he bring his father's reply to Lu Bu?" Cao Shuo asked.

"Gong Cao did write a reply to Lu Bu." Xun You took out the letter written by Cao Cao from his arms, handed it to Cao Shuo with both hands and said, "Son, please take a look." ”

"What my father wrote to Lu Bu, I think it's not appropriate." Chen Zhi stepped forward to take the letter and handed it to Cao Shuo, but Cao Shuo did not pick it up.

"Nothing out of place." Xun You said: "Gong Cao even specially instructed him to send it to Lu Bu after his son's eyes. ”

"Xun Gong came to Xuzhou, didn't he want to see Lu Bu?" Cao Shuo asked.

"Of course not." Xun You said: "I came to Xuzhou, but I just handed the letter to Gongzi, and Gongzi sent someone to deliver it to Lu Bu. As for me, I will go to Fan County and defend the city with General Xiahou. ”

"Xun Gong is here, and I am relieved." Cao Shuo said: "These days, I have been worried about General Xiahou rushing forward and keeping Sima Zhongda by his side, but Xun Gong also knows how Sima Zhongda can restrain General Xiahou. What's more, a few days ago, General Xiahou was blinded by Cao Xing's eye, and he was full of resentment towards Lu Bu, as long as he had the opportunity, he would definitely go out of the city to fight. ”

"When Cao Gong learned that General Xiahou had lost an eye, his heart ached, so he specially made an eye patch, and I also brought it." Xun You said: "Before I set off, the first emperor's festival was already being prepared, and Cao Gong should have sent troops in the past two days. ”

"Yesterday I talked to Shi Yuan about it." Cao Shuo said: "Shi Yuan expected that before his father came to Xuzhou, there would be a fierce battle. ”

"Childe is saying that before that, Lu Bu will send troops to attack Fan County?" Xun You asked.

"Nine times out of ten, it is an attack on Fan County." Cao Shuo said: "Besieging Fan County, if I send troops to rescue, he will besiege the city and send reinforcements, if I don't save it, it will be difficult to hold with the strength of the defenders of Fan County." ”

"Childe is worried about this." Xun You said: "I have a way, but I don't know if the son is willing or not." ”

"Xun Gong, please speak!"

"I heard that Gongzi has two elites under his command, Flying Bear and Dragon Pattern." Xun You said: "It is indeed useless for them to stay in Xue County, it is better to take advantage of the dark night to order them to go out of the city and find a place between Xue County and Fan County to settle down." Once Lu Bu sends troops, whether it is attacking Xue County or crusading against Fan County, the two elites can respond from it. Even if the enemy army has an ambush, these two groups can be taken by surprise. Once Fan County is in an emergency, with their response, Gongzi will not be ambushed by the enemy when he sends troops to help. ”

"Xun Gong's method is good." Cao Shuo said: "When my father's letter arrives in Xiapi, I will order the two battalions of Dragon Pattern and Flying Bear to leave the city. ”

"Actually, I'm not worried about besieging the city and sending reinforcements." Xun You said again: "What I'm most worried about is that the enemy is attacking the west!" ”

Cao Shuo asked, "Does Xun Gong think that the enemy army dares to attack Xue County?" ”

"There are a lot of people in Xue County." Xun You said: "That was before Gongzi galloped to aid Fan County, once Gongzi sent troops to aid Fan County, there were not many people here." ”

Cao Shuo smiled slightly, and said to Xun You: "I don't have many soldiers and horses here, and Lu Bu can't do anything about Xue County." Xun Gong went to Fan County, Sima Zhongda stayed by your side first, and he could also have some help. ”

"I was about to ask Childe for him, but Childe brought it up first." Xun You said: "With more Sima Zhongda, Fan County will definitely be able to be preserved." ”

"There is Lao Xungong in Fan County." Cao Shuo said: "Tonight, I will ask people to hold a banquet in the official mansion, drink a few more drinks with Xun Gong, and send someone to send Xun Gong to Fan County tomorrow." ”

"Wine, let's drink it later." Xun You said: "It's inevitable that there will be extraneous branches, so I still go to Fan County to see General Xiahou as soon as possible." ”

"It's good!" Cao Shuo didn't stay, he said to Xun You: "I have more days to see than Duke Xun, and it is not too late to have a good drink when we capture Xuzhou." ”

Xun You entered Xue County, did not stay, and sent Cao Cao's letter to Cao Shuo and went to Fan County.

Sending him to the gate of the city, seeing Xun You leaving, Cao Shuo said to Zhao Yun and Chen Zhi: "You two take advantage of these few days to train the soldiers and horses, once the letter is sent to Lu Bu, it will not be far from leaving the battle." ”

"Gongzi wrote a letter to Lu Bu, and Gong Cao also wrote to him personally." Zhao Yun said: "If Lu Bu insists on going to war, he really doesn't know what to do. ”

"Xuzhou was obtained by Lu Bu from Liu Bei, and he put it in anyone's hands, and he refused to hand over the territory he had already obtained to others." Cao Shuo said: "Even if it is me, I will mobilize all the soldiers and horses and make a desperate fight." ”

"Do we really want to lead the troops out of the city as Xun You said?" Chen Zhi asked.

"Of course!" Cao Shuo said in a very resolute tone: "You two must not only lead the troops out of the city, but also take the soldiers to hibernate, and you are not allowed to make fires and make food, and you must not be discovered by enemy scouts." Although our army has defeated the enemy army in a row, Xiaopei still has tens of thousands of horses, and it is not an easy task to guard Xue County and Fan County. ”

"The people stationed in Xiaopei are just some old and weak soldiers." Chen Zhi said: "I heard that there are women and old and weak in their army, and I don't believe that they can break through Xue County and Fan County. ”

"Yang Feng and Han Xian are both from Baibo and Yellow Turbans." Cao Shuo said: "In the Yellow Turban Army back then, as long as it was a person, they would accept it, and everywhere they went, all those who refused to serve the Yellow Turban would be killed, and it was not strange that there were women and the old and weak in the army. Don't forget, ants can also gnaw on elephants......"

Cao Shuo originally wanted to make an analogy, but he didn't know that Chen Zhi and Zhao Yun had never seen an elephant.

"Elephants?" Chen Zhi and Zhao Yun asked almost at the same time, "What is it?" ”

Cao Shuo's head was suddenly covered with black lines.

The words had already been spoken, and he could not afford not to explain, so he had to say: "Elephants are a kind of animal of the Southern Barbarians, and their physique is particularly huge, and the Southern Barbarians sometimes domesticate them as mounts. ”

"How big can it be?" Chen Zhi said unconvinced: "Is it bigger than a horse?" ”

"The horse is in front of the elephant like a puppy standing next to a tiger." Cao Shuo smiled: "If you have a chance in the future, you can also see it." ”

Chen Zhi and Zhao Yun looked at each other in amazement, neither of them could imagine how big the elephant was!

Xun You sent Cao Cao's letter and returned to the official mansion, and Cao Shuo asked Cao Jun to be called to his residence.

Every time Cao Shuo called him over, he had to arrange some things to go out, and when he came to the official study, before Cao Shuo could speak, Cao Jun asked, "Does my brother still want me to go to Xiapi?" ”

"You and Lu Bu are acquaintances, so it's easy to say anything." Cao Shuo said: "Apart from you, is there anyone more suitable?" ”

Cao Jun smiled bitterly: "Although I am familiar with Lu Bu, the person he wants to kill most at this time should be me." ”