As Yuan Shao's close friend, Cao Cao was convinced that Yuan Shao would not hesitate to attack him in order to make up for the shortfall, of course, if he was in Yuan Shao's position, the choice he made would be the same.

Now that he has participated in the high-risk and high-reward activity of competing for the world, his personal friendship can only be put aside. There will be a battle between Yuan Cao! If it weren't for the sudden rise of the imperial court, which caused Yuan Shao's strong uneasiness, maybe it was Cao Cao who confronted Yuan Shao this time.

Guo Jia's words reminded Cao Cao that years of correspondence made Cao Cao understand that Yuan Shao was not a good bird like himself. And what Guo Jia is worried about will happen nine times out of ten.

The first strike is strong, and the second strike suffers. In order to avoid becoming Yuan Shao's prey, Cao Cao decided to wait for an opportunity to engage Yuan Shao. The unification of Hebei is not in Cao Cao's own interests, and for the sake of his own hegemony, he can only say sorry to Yuan Shao in his heart. Because he also suffered heavy losses this time, Cao Cao didn't plan to learn from Yuan Shao to come upright in everything. Reaping the maximum benefits at the lowest cost, this is what Cao Cao likes to do, as for personal face, it is all something outside the body.

……

Tongguan Yuan army camp

Regarding Xu You's stay in Luoyang, Yuan Shao already knew about it at this time. The two letters were delivered one after another, and Xin Ping's letter arrived first, which deepened Yuan Shao's dissatisfaction with Xu Yu in his heart, but then Zhang He's letter was also delivered to Yuan Shao's hand. In the letter, Zhang He recounted in detail what Xu You said to him when he was in Luoyang, and Yuan Shao's opinion of Xu You after reading it also changed from dissatisfaction to guilt. He treated him like this, but Xu Yu thought about himself as always.

Yuan Shao remembered Xu You's goodness, and thought that at the beginning, when he hadn't done anything, Xu You, He Yu and others were running around for themselves. Now that He Yu is no longer alive, it seems that Xu Yu is the only one left who followed him at the beginning. In this Yecheng incident, it was Xu You's clan who committed the crime, but not Xu You himself. He drove Xu You out of the camp without asking, and he didn't care about the past at all, he seemed to be too much......

The guilt of Xu Yu made Yuan Shao's perception of Xin Ping worse. Although this Xin Ping is talented, his personal virtue is insufficient, and he loves to make small reports.

"Lord, Yan Liang asks to see." There are reports outside the account.

"Come in."

Yan Liang entered in response to the voice, and saluted Yuan Shao with a fist: "Lord, the last general is here to ask for battle." ”

“…… Wen Heng, and sat down to speak. Yuan Shao thought about it and said to Yan Liang.

Yan Liang didn't sit down, looked at Yuan Shao and said, "I heard that the lord intends to withdraw from the army, I don't know if there is such a thing?" ”

“…… Now that winter is approaching, the clothes needed for the soldiers to survive the winter have not yet been prepared, and Tongguan is difficult to break...... Wen Heng, it's not that I want to retire, but I have to do it. Yuan Shao was reluctant to let his henchmen have a dislike with him, so he explained patiently.

Yan Liang nodded, "Since the lord intends to withdraw from the army, he will naturally comply." It's just that the retreat of the army is extraordinary, and even if our army wants to retreat, it can't make the imperial court find an opportunity. ”

"Oh? So what does Wen Heng think? ”

"At present, there are still more than 300,000 horses around the lord, even if he wants to retreat, he can't retreat all at once, and the last general thinks that he should divide the order and retreat in an orderly manner, and not let the court find the fighter. In addition, the attack on Tongguan should not be stopped suddenly. ”

"Okay, Wen Heng really didn't disappoint me. In this case, the attack on Tongguan will be arranged by you. ”

"Don't worry, the lord will take turns attacking with Bujun to buy time for the army to retreat."

After Yan Liang left, Yuan Shao ordered Guo Tu and Feng Ji to be called, and the three of them agreed that the army would retreat in batches, echoing from beginning to end, and not giving the imperial court a chance. After Yan Liang and Wen Chou led the troops to stay, Han Meng assisted Feng Ji first, and Yuan Shao and Guo Tu led the troops in the center.

Yuan's offensive weakened, which soon aroused Liu Xie's suspicions. In the past, the Yuan army was desperately attacking under the threat of the supervising team behind him, even if there was a rain of locusts and arrows in front of him, he would attack hard. But today, Liu Xie didn't even see Yuan Jun's supervision team, and Yuan Jun was repulsed before he even touched the gate.

Yuan Jun has become weaker, which is a good thing for the soldiers guarding the pass, compared to the exhaustion in the past, they still have the energy to joke with each other at this time, but for Liu Xie and the others, this is not normal.

If something goes wrong, it will be a demon!

Yuan Shao led an army of 500,000 to attack the imperial court, and the troops were in Tongguan, he couldn't just bring the army here to play, and attacking Guanzhong was his main purpose. At present, Tongguan has not been broken, in order to achieve the purpose of this trip, he must be desperate to tackle key problems, how can he suddenly slack off.

"Did you see Yuan Shao's banner today?" Liu Xie suddenly asked everyone, Hu Che'er and Tai Shici, who were in charge of today's guard, glanced at each other, and replied in unison: "Lord, I didn't see Yuan Shao's banner, but I only saw Yan Liangwen's ugly banner." ”

"Hmm...... Shiyuan, what do you think? Liu Xie glanced at Pang Tong next to him and asked. At present, only Pang Tong is the one who advises Liu Xie in Tongguan. Among the strategists around Liu Xie, Xun Yu's uncle and nephew sat in Chang'an and grasped the overall situation, Jia Xu kept an eye on Xiqiang in Liangzhou, Fa Yan and his son stayed by Zhang Ren's side to manage the beggar army together, Li Ru was giving advice to Huang Zhong, Xu Shu accompanied Zhao Yun Pang De to wait for an opportunity to make trouble for Yuan Shao, Sima Yi took the initiative to invite Ying to go to Xu Huang, and Zhong Xuan, who inspected Yizhou on behalf of the Son of Heaven to appease people's hearts.

Hearing Liu Xie's inquiry, Pang Tong gave a salute first, and then replied: "Holy Lord, Yitong is foolish, this Yuan Shao is probably preparing to run." ”

"Yuan Shao wants to run? Shi Yuan, don't talk nonsense, Yuan Shao's troops are far superior to ours right now, how can he run. Ma Chao retorted when he heard this.

"Meng Qi, although the Yuan army is numerous, but the logistical burden has also increased correspondingly, not long ago Zhao Yun Pang De has just received good news, which is tantamount to increasing the pressure on the logistics of the Yuan army. The army did not move, the grain and grass went first, once the Yuan army ran out of food and grass, even if there were many horses, it would be useless. ”

"But Hebei is quite big, and there will be a shortage of grain and grass?"

"The road is far away, and although there is no shortage of grain production in Hebei, but the grain is not endless, if Yuan Shao does not plan for the future, then he should attack Tongguan as always, why only send Yan Liangwen and the second general to lead his troops to attack."

"Meng Qi, don't say it, I have the same idea as Shi Yuan, this Yuan Shao is indeed suspected of running." Liu Xie stopped Ma Chao and Pang Tong's argument and spoke.

Hearing that Liu Xie also agreed with Pang Tong's opinion, Ma Chao didn't say anything more, but he still said that he didn't believe it. In his eyes, Yuan Shao had a large number of soldiers and horses, and if he attacked Tongguan day and night, regardless of casualties, even if the Son of Heaven was in charge to boost morale, Tongguan would not necessarily be able to hold it.

It's just that Yuan Shao himself is not angry, and he is reluctant to have children, so naturally he can't trap the wolf. Once he suffered heavy casualties, he would order Ming Jin to fight again in the future.

"Regardless of whether he Yuan Shao is ready to run or wants to make a plan, what we have to do is still the same, everyone go back to nourish their spirits, and don't be careless." Liu Xie summed up and said to everyone.

"No." Everyone agreed, and they retreated and went back to their own business.

Liu Xie didn't rest, sat on the chair and thought about it, and instructed the guards beside him: "Go and find Shi A." ”

Shi A was Wang Yue's master, but his martial arts were not suitable for two battles, and in Wang Yue's words, Shi A's sword was the sword of an assassin. Because of this, Shi Ah did not become the general who led the troops, but became the commander of the dragon tooth in the eyes of heaven directly under Liu Xie. This dragon's tooth sounds good, but it's actually the Assassin Group. Led by Shi A, he recruited the rangers on the rivers and lakes to act as Liu Xie's minions, and was specifically responsible for dealing with some dirty work.

Liu Xie easily did not let the dragon teeth kill people, but more let these capable people who were good at disguise collect intelligence for him and spy on the truth. For example, now, whether Yuan Shao really intends to withdraw from the army, Liu Xie urgently needs to know, only by making it clear as soon as possible, Liu Xie can make an accurate judgment, and at this time, it is time for Shi A and others to show their skills. With Liu Xie's order, the rangers led by Shi A left Tongguan under the cover of night and disappeared into the vast night.

……

Yuan Shao wants to withdraw his troops, but this matter can't be hidden for a long time, there are many people, and there are always a few quick mouths who will say it and show it regardless of the safety of their lives. Liu Xie quickly determined that Yuan Shao was really preparing to withdraw his troops, but even if he knew, Liu Xie had no way to let Yuan Shao's vitality hurt for the time being, so he could only watch.

Xu Shu was taking Zhao Yun Pang De to play hide and seek with Fu Zhu, and he couldn't count on it for a while. Xu Shu is really a good pair of opponents, but because the two are good opponents, it becomes difficult to distinguish the winner in a short period of time. As for letting Liu Xie lead his troops to launch a surprise attack while Yuan's army was retreating, this was not a very desirable plan.

Yuan Shao is still quite cunning, not only leaving Yan Liang and Wen Chou, but also dividing the army into three teams, each team is almost 100,000 people, and the distance is not very far, once a team is attacked, it will definitely be supported by at least one team of Yuan Jun within an hour.

A long snake formation!

Seeing Yuan Shao lead the army back to Hebei, and wait for a few years to make a comeback, this is what Liu Xie does not want to see. Like Cao Cao, a unified Hebei was not in Liu Xie's interest. Yuan Shao has three sons, who have been at odds with each other for a long time, Yuan Tan is the eldest son, and should be the legitimate heir of Yuan Shao, but Yuan Shao prefers the third son Yuan Shang, and relying on Yuan Shao's favor, Yuan Shang does not have much respect for the two brothers Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi, as for Yuan Xi, because of his identity as a concubine, he is not only not looked down upon by the third brother Yuan Shang, but also the eldest brother Yuan Tan, and he does not like to talk more with the honest Yuan Xi on weekdays.

Yuan Shao was fine when he was alive, and the three brothers would not tear each other's faces apart. But once Yuan Shao had an accident, it would be tantamount to blowing the battle horn of the three brothers against each other. In this way, Yuan Shao has become the target of Liu Xie's need to find a way to get rid of it.

It's just that Yuan Shao is under the protection of the army, how easy is it to take his life? Yuan Shao's own martial arts are not weak, and he attaches great importance to his own safety, and the people who can serve around him are all dead soldiers raised by the Yuan family, and it is difficult for ordinary people to get close.

……

"Lord, Cao Envoy Jun has come to visit." Guo Tu reported to Yuan Shaoyu.

"Mengde? What has he done here? Yuan Shao was a little puzzled when he heard this, Cao Cao's defeat and capture by Zhang Feisheng had been spread at this time, and Yuan Shao still had some sympathy for Cao Cao's bad luck. It's just that now that he is about to withdraw his troops, what is Cao Cao coming to him for at this time?

"Originally, don't come to harm?" Cao Cao asked Yuan Shaodao.

"It's okay, Meng De, Liu Bei's straw sandals seller is okay for you." Yuan Shao asked Cao Cao with a concerned face. And Cao Cao listened to Yuan Shao's question, and almost couldn't help but punch that hypocritical face, but for the sake of major considerations, Cao Cao endured this breath, shook his head and sighed: "It's a pity that Cao Cao is blessed and passed by a good general." ”

“…… I don't know what Meng De is doing here? Yuan Shao originally meant to make a joke with Cao Cao, but he didn't expect it to arouse Cao Cao's sadness, and he quickly changed the topic and asked.

"Ah, the weather is getting colder and colder, and I'm worried that there will be a shortage of grain and grass here at the beginning, so I specially prepared a batch of grain and grass and wanted to ask this to receive it."

"Huh?" Yuan Shao was stunned when he heard this, he had never seen him so righteous since he knew Cao Cao. I thought that at the beginning, I went with him to make trouble in other people's marriages, but as a result, this goods sold myself without hesitation in order to escape safely, and I was beaten by my uncle.

"Don't be skeptical. You also know my situation at the moment, I am not as big as your family, and I can not bear to lose it. Losing a battle with the imperial court and losing troops will not help you in the war, so you can only do a little bit in terms of grain and grass. ”

"Mengde, I thank you."

"In the beginning, you and I were not brothers, but we were better than brothers. I want to give you 100,000 stones of grain and grass, but the carriages and horses are limited, so I can only bring you 10,000 stones at a time, and I hope you don't dislike it. ”

"Don't dislike, don't dislike, Mengde, you are sending charcoal in the snow, how can I be an unreasonable person." Yuan Shao hurriedly replied when he heard this. The grain and grass picked up in vain, don't do it in vain, you can save it, although Hebei has a big business, but this time the hard work is useless, and I am afraid that I will have a hard time next.

Cao Cao came and went quickly, and after handing over the 10,000 stone grain he brought this time to Yuan Shao, Cao Cao said goodbye and left, and agreed with Yuan Shao before leaving that in the next few days, the grain and grass would be delivered in batches. Yuan Shao personally sent Cao Cao out of the camp, and when he returned to the tent, he immediately asked Guo Tu to study Cao Cao's true intention to take the initiative to donate food this time.

Guo Tu has no enmity with Cao Cao, but he also has no friendship. As far as matters are concerned, Guo Tu naturally wants to figure out Yuan Shao's thoughts, and follow what Yuan Shao thinks in his heart to express his views on this matter.

"Lord, this Cao Cao is probably preparing for the future." Guo Tu whispered to Yuan Shao.

"Rules, why do you say this?"

"My lord, this time I returned to the north, have you thought about how to make up for this loss?"

"Uh......" Yuan Shao was asked by Guo Tu, he really didn't think about it, but after being reminded by Guo Tu, Yuan Shao also came back to his senses. That's right, this time I spent a lot of money on the expedition, but the income was almost negligible. If you can't get in and out, no matter how big your family business is, it will be ruined. If you want your family business to prosper, one is to open source, and the other is to reduce expenditure.

Throttling is to reduce daily consumption and avoid waste, and open source, for Yuan Shao, is to fight externally. Looking at their surroundings, the imperial court has just fought, and at this time, it is necessary to guard against the imperial court's retaliation rather than start another war with the imperial court. In addition to the imperial court, Yuan Shao was surrounded by Cao Cao in the Central Plains, Gongsun Du in Liaodong, and Hu people in the North. Among these three forces, Hu Ren is powerful and not easy to offend for the time being, and Gongsun Du's Liaodong is a place where there is not much oil and water, and if he wants to make up for his losses, no matter how he thinks about it, Cao Cao's Central Plains is more suitable.

If Cao Cao hadn't been defeated before, Yuan Shao might not have fought Cao Cao's idea. But right now, Cao Cao has been defeated one time after another, and more than half of his soldiers and horses have been lost, which makes Yuan Shao can't help but be tempted. Seeing a big piece of fat in front of him, how can there be any reason not to take a bite.

was reminded by Guo Tu like this, Yuan Shao figured out why Cao Cao took the initiative to donate food. Dare Qing is worried that he will beat him in the future, so he took out a little sweetness in advance to block his mouth.

"Gongzhi, how much grain and grass did I consume in Hebei on this expedition?" Yuan Shao asked Guo Tu casually.

Guo Tu replied when he heard this: "The lord forgives the sin, this matter is really not clear, but the cost of the 500,000 army for nearly half a year, plus the consumption on the road, there should be a million stones." ”

"Hmm...... The public thinks, can the Central Plains be mapped? ”

"It is possible to make a picture, Xuzhou and Qingzhou are close to each other, and it has always been an important place for grain production, as long as the lord allows, I believe that the eldest prince will share the worries of the lord." Guo Tu nodded hurriedly when he heard this.

"It's just that attacking Cao Apu for no reason may cause criticism." Yuan Shao frowned and said.

"The lord does not have to worry about this verse. At this time, Yuan Cao has not yet dissolved the alliance, and when the lord returns to Hebei, he can borrow grain from Cao Cao in the name of the alliance leader, if he borrows, the lord can also temporarily not move him, but if he finds an excuse to shirk, then the lord will have a reason to use troops against Cao Cao. ”

“…… I'm afraid this move will not convince people. Yuan Shao was still a little hesitant.

"Lord, the hearts of the people are hard to beat the steel knife, as long as the lord can sweep the Central Plains, who dares to say that the lord is not?"

If people don't do it for themselves, heaven and earth will be destroyed! Yuan Shao and Cao Cao do have a deep friendship, but it is related to whether their hegemony can be realized, and that bit of past affection can only be put aside at this time. After this confrontation with the imperial court, in Yuan Shao's heart, the obstacle to his desire to achieve hegemony has changed from Cao Cao to Cao Cao and Liu Xie.

At present, the imperial court has no time to find its own troubles for the time being, killing a thousand enemies and losing eight hundred, Yuan Shao does not believe that the imperial court will have the spare strength to send troops to retaliate against himself at this time, and the imperial court has newly obtained the land of Yizhou, and there are still many things waiting for the imperial court to deal with, and it is estimated that he will not come to trouble himself in a short time. And Cao Cao's weakness at this time also made Yuan Shao think that there was an opportunity. Instead of waiting for Cao Cao to recover and then fighting to the death and cheapening the court, it is better to take advantage of your illness to kill you, desperately suffer a certain loss, and solve a lifelong enemy first.

Under Guo Tu's persuasion, Yuan Shao strengthened his determination to find an opportunity to attack Cao Cao, and Cao Cao was also actively preparing to plunge Hebei into chaos at this time.