As soon as Xi Zhicai's voice fell, the tigers in the tent all looked vibrant.

Xu Chu was pleased with the fighting spirit of the tiger soldiers under the tent, and then asked, "How are the soldiers of each battalion doing?" ”

Xu Shu replied: "I have been practicing day and night, and the officers and men of the three armies are all fierce. ”

"Is the morale and morale of the army available?"

"The soldiers of all battalions are envious of Le Wenqian and Li Xiaocheng."

Le Jintong took the lead in the camp, Li Chengtong led the cavalry battalion, the two of them led only more than 2,000 soldiers and horses, but they first defeated Li Meng outside Liang County, and then fought with Lu Bu and Zhou outside the Yique Pass, with outstanding achievements. Xu Shu said that the soldiers of each battalion envied Le and Li, and what he said was that everyone hoped to make outstanding military exploits like Le Jin and Li Quan. Since they are all eager to make meritorious contributions, the morale should be high and usable.

Since returning to Yingchuan, it lasted two months, and under the daily practice, the new soldiers under the command of Xu Chu and Cao Cao have changed their childishness, and those who have experienced the war and returned with blood are even sharper than in the past, it can be said that after this period of time, the comparison between the strength and weakness of Xu Chu, Cao Cao and Dong Jun has changed significantly. They now have the confidence to say this: even if they encounter a brave general like Lu Bu again, and if they encounter an elite unit like Bingzhou Cavalry, they will not fight so hard as before.

Xu Chu immediately ordered someone to send a message to Cao Cao, hoping that he could temporarily put aside the affairs of the county, go to the military camp to take care of the military, and prepare to set out on a certain day. After Cao Cao got the words, he made a little arrangement for the affairs of the county, and immediately went to the military camp to summon the generals.

Hearing that he was about to go out to attack Dong again, Cao Jun's generals were all excited.

Bao Xin, who was living in Cao Cao's camp, said loudly: "Attacking Dong at this time is obviously more beneficial to us than before the month. It's just ......"

Cao Cao wondered: "It's just what? Yuncheng, you have something to say, but it doesn't hurt to speak. ”

Bao Xin sighed and said, "It's just that I waited all the way, and I still took a great risk. He thought for a while, and then suggested, "It's better to do this, Mengde, you divide a thousand men with me, and I will immediately turn around and go to Hanoi, and ask Ben Chu to march with us." ”

Cao Cao snorted and said, "If I wanted to send troops at the beginning, I would have sent troops a long time ago, will I wait until now?" I'm afraid that even if you pass, it won't help. ”

Bao Xin shook his head and said: "Even if it is said that the original division is stationed in a critical place, even if it does not enter the army, it can attract the attention of Dong Jun and share a little for Meng De and Xu Hou." ”

Cao Cao thought about it, now Yingchuan soldiers are prosperous, after he recruited new soldiers from Yangzhou and Peiguo, the headquarters is about 20,000 people, and Xu Chu's side has a total of more than 15,000 people, plus the soldiers of the counties of Yuzhou who stayed in Yingchuan and intended to ask for Dong, there are less than 20,000, this is not counting the county soldiers of Yingchuan County, and now he has done Yingchuan Taishou, and at the critical moment, the county soldiers are mobilized, that is, now in Yingchuan County alone, there are 50,000 or 60,000 new troops that can be used, which is enough to pose a great threat to the Dong army. But all the way to the prosperity of the troops, if there is no other way to cooperate with the soldiers and horses, it will be easy for the Dong army to deal with, the victory is still worrying, it is better to let Bao Xin go to Hanoi, can say that it is best to move Yuan Shao to send troops, even if it is not moved, as Bao Xin said, it can also have a good effect if Yuan Shao sends a partial division to feint.

Cao Cao immediately rushed to Xu Chu's camp to discuss the matter, but in Xu Chuzhong's military tent, he saw that everyone was discussing with Yutu, so he asked: "Zhongkang, what are you doing ......?"

Xu Chu groaned: "Last time, you and I attacked Yique Pass together, but stopped fifty miles before the pass, I am discussing with you, this attack, how to deploy is the best policy." ”

Cao Cao stroked his beard and smiled: "I have also discussed this matter with Yuncheng. The reason why we stopped before the pass last time was that our troops were insufficient, and Yuncheng was defeated early, and the morale of Dong's army was strong, so we had to retreat. This time is different, you and I have enough troops and horses to fight with Dong Jun, and Dong Jun's morale is much lower than last time. The foolish brother thinks that in this battle, you and I have at least a seventy percent chance of winning, and if one thing can be accomplished, one more can be raised. ”

When Xu Chu heard this, he looked at it suspiciously: What clever plan did Cao Cao come up with? After hearing Cao Cao say that Bao Xin invited himself to Hanoi to persuade Yuan Shao to send troops, Fang suddenly realized, then nodded and said, "This matter should be done." ”

Then he said: "In fact, before Meng De came, I discussed with Fengxiao and others about inviting other princes to join the army, and we thought that since we wanted to march again, we still had to spread the word to the world, at least make the momentum bigger, not only to strengthen the heart of our army, but also to confuse the generations of the Dong army." ”

Cao Cao said disapprovingly: "Brother Xian's thinking is far-reaching, and this move is certainly feasible. ”

Xu Chu did not say the true purpose of spreading the world, but Cao Cao's wisdom would not fail to hear it - this was to expand his own reputation and prepare for greater convenience after the end of the courtship.

But just when Xu Chu and Cao Cao gradually discussed the plan for the march and set the time for the expedition five days later, in the afternoon of the same day, a sad news came from Chang'an: Xun Shuang, who was the Sikong at the time, died of illness.

Xu Chu and Cao Cao, who were deliberating, were silent for a long time after hearing the news.

In the end, Guo Jia said: "Xun Ciming's illness is admittedly a pity...... But there is a word, I don't know if I should say it or not? ”

Xu Chu sighed: "When it is extraordinary, if there is anything that should not be said, Feng Xiao said it bluntly." ”

Cao Cao also said.

Guo Jia said: "Sikong Xun has a reputation in the sea, and his illness will cause grief among the people of the world. ”

Xun Shuang's name is important in the world, and his death, Xu Chugu is sad for Xun Yu and other Xun children, but Xu Chufei is a person who sticks to small sections, and if everything can be beneficial to Dong, he is willing to do it if it is harmless. Therefore, he asked Guo Jia curiously, "Fengxiao, you can tell General Cao and me to listen to it." ”

Guo Jia took a deep breath and said: "Xun Gong is a famous scholar in the world, the second is the minister of the third prince, and the third is the elder of Xun Wenruo and others. ”

Xu Chu vaguely felt a clue from Guo Jia's words, and tried to say: "Feng Xiaoke said, General Cao and I can go to the court and ask to welcome back Sikong coffin?" ”

"Exactly." Guo Jia said, "Today, it is a state affair for us to fight with Dong Thief, and it is a private matter to welcome his coffin back to his hometown. There is a clear distinction between public and private, and the lord and General Cao can write a letter and send someone to Dong Zhuo, asking him to send Sikong coffin to Yingchuan. ”

Cao Cao Hu said suspiciously: "But if you do this, it doesn't seem that Feng Xiao just said, can you add the chance of winning this battle?" ”

Guo Jia smiled and said nothing, but saw Xi Zhong take over the conversation, saluted Cao Cao and said, "General Cao might as well think about it, if you are Dong Zhuo, will you agree to this?" ”

Cao Cao groaned: "It's hard to say. ”

Xi Zhong said categorically: "It's not hard to say, it's definitely unwilling." ”

"Oh? What do you mean by this? ”

"At the beginning, Dong Zhuo first entered Luoyang to take charge of the government, listened to the suggestions of Zhou Yu, Wu Qiong, and He Hao, recruited heroes from all over the world, and raised famous people at home, so that Wang Gongjie, Zhang Mengzhuo, Bao Yuncheng, Liu Gongshan and other gentlemen raised troops in various places, which can be said to be 'deeply harmed by scholars', and he will no longer be burdened by 'fame' and do things against his will. At this time, Dong Zhuo hated those scholars who deceived him, and he had no reason to agree to escort Sikong Ling's coffin home. ”

After listening to the answers between Cao and Xi, Xu Chu said: "If Dong Zhuo acts arbitrarily and is unwilling to escort Sikong's coffin back to Yingchuan, then those scholars who respect Sikong will be excited because of this, so that when we send troops, the wave of public opinion supporting us will be excessive." Turning to look at Guo Jia, "It should be the odds that Feng Xiao said." ”

Guo Jia smiled and groaned: "The lord is wise. ”

Xu Chu said to Cao Cao: "Brother Mengde, the army is about to come out, and there will be branches, so if you wait for the result of this matter, you can go on the expedition again." ”

Cao Cao was bent on seeking fame from Dong, but he waited for several months, and he was not in a hurry at this time, so he immediately agreed, and sent a joint letter to Luoyang with Xu Chu, asking Dong Zhuo to return Xun Shuang's coffin to Yingchuan, so that he could be buried in peace.

……

A few days later, in the Luoyang military camp, Dong Zhuo received a letter from Xu Chu and Cao Cao.

After reading the letter, Dong Zhuo sneered twice, clamped the end of the letter with two fingers, and said to everyone in the camp while shaking: "Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, the two sons, Lao Tzu killed more than 50 people in their family, and they didn't dare to let go of their farts, one shrank in Hanoi, and the other turtle was in Nanyang, and they didn't dare to fight." Only Xu Chu and Cao Cao are the only two small people, but I looked away. Even so, now that Xun Shuang, who is not related to him, has passed away, he still dares to point fingers at me, let me send Xun Shuang's coffin back to my hometown, I want to be beautiful! ”

Dong Zhuo, who was sitting at the bottom, heard the words and said, "Xiangguo is not agreeing to them?" ”

"Unless these two people come to my case and kowtow and confess."

Jia Xu and Li Ru were silent, Dong Zhuo saw this and asked, "Wenhe, Wenyou, do you have something to say?" ”

Li Runuo kept silent, but he didn't dare to speak out. Recently, Dong Zhuo's temper has become more and more elusive, and in the past few months, there have been many innocent deaths of the maidservants who served him, although he is Dong Zhuo's son-in-law, but he does not dare to speak directly at this moment.

Dong Zhuo looked at Li Ru, as if he had seen through Li Ru's inner thoughts, his face gradually sank, and he turned to look at Jia Xu.

Jia Xu was helpless, and said stubbornly: "Qi Ming Gong, I have other views on this matter. ”

"Then let's talk about it, what does it look like!" Dong Zhuo snorted, glaring at Li Ru as he spoke.

Jia Xu said: "Since this dynasty, there has been no precedent for the death of the three dukes and the coffin is not allowed to return to the hometown, so it is a good favor to ask the Ming Duke to agree to the request of Xu Chu and Cao Cao." ”

"Hmph." Dong Zhuo sneered again.

Jia Xu had no choice but to continue: "If Ming Gong refuses to allow it, he will lose the hope of the world. ”

At the mention of this, Dong Zhuo suddenly laughed contemptuously, supported the case with both hands, stood up with the help of the left and right armor soldiers, and then touched his round stomach and said, "The hope of the world? I am in the world today, but there is still the word 'hope' to speak of? I thought that at the beginning, I swallowed my anger and showed favor to those scholars, but what was the result? One by one, they secretly fornicated with Yuan Shao! The more he spoke, the more angry he became, and he continued angrily: "Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, has there ever been a day when the Han family has been peaceful? Beigong Boyu, Bian Zhang, Han Sui, Ma Teng, who do these big and small traitors rely on? Is it those ministers who spent money to buy, or Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, these rat generation celebrities? It's not up to Lao Tzu to fight on the battlefield! Now they are all against me, if they are all out of public intentions, I have nothing to say, but whether it is Er Yuan or the sour jujube princes, which one is not a soldier for his own family? Another example is Liu Biao and Han Fu, who boast of being clear in the sea, but they are not for the land of Jingzhou and Jizhou, and they are intriguing with Eryuan, what kind of heroes and celebrities are they! Dong Zhuo complained for a while, his anger decreased slightly, and finally sighed: "If you talk about celebrities and heroes, there are only four of Xu Chu, Cao Cao, Sun Jian, and Bao Xin, who can enter my eyes a little and be admired by me." ”

Jia Xu, as one of Dong Zhuo's masterminds, knew how deeply Dong Zhuo was hurt by those celebrities, so he sighed and said in his heart: Dong Xiangguo now feels that he has become famous all over the world anyway, and his arrogance and lasciviousness are even worse than in the past, I am afraid that he is only trying to be happy, and he will not agree to Xu Chu and Cao Cao's requests.

Not only Jia Xu, but Xu Chu after receiving Dong Zhuo's reply also understood Dong Zhuo's mentality.

Yang Zhai, Xu Chu military camp.

Xu Chu saw all kinds of 'self-defeating' remarks in Dong Zhuoxin's letter, such as 'Those who go perverse and go against the law are not the same as the original appearance, and Wu Zixu was also the same in the twilight of the past, and now the original minister wants to follow the example of his ancestors, how about waiting?" This kind of words, so he said to Guo Jia: "Fengxiao, unfortunately you and Zhicai said that the coffin will never return." Then he asked about the situation in the Xun clan, "I don't know what happened to Wen Ruo and Xiu Ruo at this time?" ”

Just when he went to Luoyang, Xi Zhong invited Xu Chu to visit the Xun clan in Yingyin County, he had a bad relationship with Xun Yu, and Xu Chu had no reason not to agree. Guo Jia then said: "Zhicai just asked someone to come back with a message, saying that the Xun clan people are immersed in grief...... Lord, it is said that Mr. Erlong's condition has worsened because of this, do you want Fan Jun to ......?"

Xu Chu nodded, "Immediately order someone to prepare a carriage and a horse, and escort Fan Jun to Gaoyangli for a trip." ”

Fan A is now Xu Chu's baby, and he can't afford to lose, Guo Jia got the military order, so he ordered Dian Wei's army to wait for Zuo Heng to accompany him.

Xun Shuang unfortunately died of illness, and the first Xun clan member to know was Xun You, who was also an official in Chang'an, and Xun Yu, Xun Chen and others learned the news from Xun Yu's letter.

Although the children of the Xun family are different from Xun Shuang's relatives, in Xu Chu's opinion, whether it is Xun Yu, Xun Chen, Xun Yan, etc., who are more intimate with Xun Shuang's blood, or Xun You, Xun Qu and others who are a little farther away, whether it is out of sincere emotions or practical factors, they will be very sad. Because Xun Shuang is now the spokesperson of the Xun clan in the imperial court, his fame is greater than Xun Qi and Xun Qu, and his qualifications are older than Xun Qi and Xun Qu.

Gaoyangli, Xun Yu's home.

Xun Yu's eyes were red and swollen, and he should have just cried bitterly. When he was in Luoyang, Xun Shuang took care of him a lot, treated him as his own, and the entire Xun family, perhaps he was the saddest one.

Xi Zhong comforted: "Wen Ruo, you and I know each other, so I will speak bluntly...... The deceased rest in peace, no matter how sad you and I are, it will not help, the most important thing at the moment is to find a way to welcome Sikong's coffin back to Gaoyang, and do our filial piety to our descendants. ”