In the third year of Jian'an, in the autumn of 198 A.D., Cao Ying refused the order of the Han Dynasty to transfer him to Youzhou on the grounds that the Yellow Turban of Yuzhou was not peaceful.

How could He Chen be so resigned, and within a month, he issued three holy edicts, all of which were rejected by Cao Ying.

That's okay, He Chen seized this opportunity and issued an ultimatum again, if Cao Ying didn't get cold again, he would be guilty of rebellion.

Cao Ying was forced to go to Liangshan and categorically broke off his friendship with He Chen. and issued a list to announce to the world, saying that He Chen is a chaotic minister and thief, setting up the emperor's truth, monopolizing the government, coercing the Son of Heaven and ordering the princes, and calling on the people of the world to attack him. In this case, the relationship between the two parties began to deteriorate rapidly. Cao Ying deeply felt that He Chen's strength was great, and he was afraid that the family would be unable to support him, so he raised the banner of "Qing Jun's side, Zheng Chaogang" and wooed the princes everywhere. And He Chen was also not to be outdone, led by the famous tongue knife Chen Lin, launched a public opinion counterattack, saying that Cao Ying had divided one side and tore the earth and sealed the king, which was like a rebellion.

As the war of words escalated, the friction between the two forces became more and more intense, and finally turned into a local battle.

In the fourth year of Jian'an, in the spring of 199 AD, He Chen issued an ultimatum, but Cao Ying still did not give in, but stepped up recruitment, trained men and horses, and prepared materials to prepare for the battle with a decisive momentum.

In March, He Chen raised an army of 300,000 troops, worshiped the Hebei general Zhang He as the vanguard of Zhengyin, Wu Qiu Yi and Han Meng as the deputy vanguard, led 50,000 horses to march first, and the army entered Liyang; Later, Guo Jiajun was promoted to sacrificial wine, worshiped as the chief military division, and went out with the army. Jia Xu was transferred to the chief of staff, accompanying him to the left and right, and his post of Shaofu was temporarily concurrently held by Li Yan. Wang Si was the overseer, Chen Lin was the main Bo, Xin Bi was the military Sima, and Lu Chang was responsible for the grain and grass of the three armies, leaving Huang Zhong to guard Taiyuan in case of accidents in Beijing, and Li Yan was responsible for the dispatch of supplies and military rations. "Divine Sword Soldiers" and "Divine Spear Guards", including the newly formed "Iron Hammer Legion", etc., also went out without falling. Then, He Chen ordered Xu Huang to lead 10,000 "Blizzard Legions" out of the court song and march into Muye to find a flank to pinch; Wei Yan's 10,000 "Hurricane Legion" sent troops from Gaotang to Jibei to Zhendong. He also asked Guo Huai and Hao Zhao to lead 30,000 horses as rescue envoys, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Ma Chao, and Zhao Yun as generals, and dispatched nearly 100 strong generals from all over the country, and finally he set up an army of 200,000 horses and marched to the front line of Yecheng.

Among them, Huchuquan and Crescent Moon once again raised 20,000 Hun cavalry to help the front line. Under the leadership of Tianxiang, the Banton clan 5,000 axe warriors were included in the formation. At the same time, at the request of He Chen, the leader of the Jitu tribe in Shangjun also sent 10,000 Qingqiang infantry to participate in the battle, and He Chen's big hand was assigned to Karil.

The Yenaratu tribe of Beidi County also gathered 10,000 Di soldiers from Hexi County to Taiyuan and set off to the front line.

Knowing that He Chen's 300,000 cavalry army with Yan and the people, he was preparing to go south to the Yellow River by taking advantage of the power of pacifying Gongsun, Cao Ying was secretly shocked, and under the suggestion of Xi Zhicai, the general Cao Ren led 10,000 troops to Jibei to resist Wei Yan; Yu Ban led 10,000 troops and stationed in Hanoi. Then he personally raised an army of 150,000 out of Yingchuan and rushed to Chenliu. Xiao generals Cao Hong, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Xu Xu, Le Jin, Li Tong, etc. all participated, including Cheng Yu, Xun Yu, Liu Ye and others also kept making plans.

In April, Wei Yan first crossed the Yellow River from Gaotang and invaded Jibei in order to echo the army on the middle road. At this time, Cao Ren's reinforcements arrived, and the two sides began to fight several battles, winning and losing each other. In the middle of the year, Wei Yan saw that the enemy general Cao Ren was deeply composing the art of war, and it was difficult to capture it for a while, so he entered Tunfan City and looked at Dong'a.

In the same month, Xu Huang saw that the war on the eastern front had begun to spread, and he also sent troops from Chaoge to fight with Yu Ban in Hanoi, intending to tear the gap from the right and go south to Guandu. Subsequently, the pioneer Zhang He came out of Liyang, and his deputy Han Meng led 20,000 troops to capture the Baima Ferry, and he led 30,000 horses to break through Yanjin, kill Liu Yan, the Taishou of Dongjun, and rush to fight two important ferries on the Yellow River, paving the way for the army to go south.

In May, He Chen's main force went to Yangwu.

At this time, Cao Ying's army concentrated its forces, entered Guandu, guarded the key passes, focused on fortification, and waited for work.

The famous battle of Guandu in history broke out at a moment's notice. It's just that the protagonist Yuan Shao has been replaced by He Chen.

I don't know if He Chen did it on purpose, or if it happened by chance, his marching route, the position of entering the camp, and seizing the ferry port are almost the same as Yuan Shao, but he replaced the important town of Tunliang with Liyang, not Wuchao.

Yangwu City.

He Chen, Guo Jia, Jia Xu, Ma Chao, Zhao Yun and other confidant generals gathered together to discuss military affairs.

Guo Jia's eyes finally moved off the map, and he sighed and said: "This Cao Ying, as the lord said, is far from being comparable to Yuan Shao, Zhang Yan and others. Thousands of miles of the Yellow River, with countless crossings, if the division of troops is unable to prevent the code, it will not only be difficult to prevent our army from moving south, but also make our already inferior forces even more dispersed. Secondly, Guandu is located in the upper reaches of the chasm, on the verge of Bianshui. The chasm canal connects Hujiao, Gong and Luoyao passes in the west, and goes down to Huaisi in the east, which is the barrier of Xuchang in the north and east, and is the place where our army must fight for the capture of Xuchang. In addition, Guandu is close to the rear base camp, and logistics supply is also more convenient. It seems that our army is ready for a protracted war. ”

"Hehe, it's nothing to fight for a long time, Yan and Henan have been fighting for many years, and they lack enough time to recuperate. Although Cao Ying's elite soldiers were created, there was also a shortage of food and grass materials, and it was impossible to support 200,000 soldiers for half a year. With the strength of my four states in Hebei, even if it is consumed, it can also consume Cao Ying's grain and grass, forcing him to retire from the army. He Chen laughed twice, and a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes. At that time, Yuan Shao's two major strategists, Tian Feng and Fu Zhu, first opposed Yuan Shao's dispatch of troops to Guandu, and when the opposition was fruitless, they respectively proposed the strategy of exhausting troops and a protracted war of attrition, so as to drag Cao Ying down. It can be said that this strategy was a very correct choice when Yuan Shao could not defeat Cao Ying in a short period of time, but it is a pity that Yuan Shao once again did not adopt it, which eventually led to the defeat of Guandu, allowing Cao Ying to take the opportunity to reverse the situation of the enemy's strength and weakness, and lay a solid foundation for the unification of the north.

"The lord said the most timely. Cao Yingli is fighting quickly, and our army is long-lasting. Of course, if the lord himself is clothed and charged, it is a different matter. Guo Jia smiled very brightly.

He Chen glared at Guo Jia, and then also laughed and said, "Hehe, depending on the situation, if the time comes, General Ben will not hide in the rear and covet comfort." ”

"Report ......" Just when the generals were discussing how to send troops, a letter soldier came.

"What's the matter?"

"Report to the general, Cao Ying sent the general Xiahou Yuan to lead 5,000 troops to attack Baima, and was killed and retreated by the waiting Vice General Han. Subsequently, Adjutant General Han drove his troops in pursuit, killed and dispersed the enemy army, and collected hundreds of weapons and armor. ”

"It seems that Cao Ying wants to recapture Yanjin and Baima Ferry, and threaten my rear closely." Guo Jia said without moving.

"Oh? Xiahou Yuan was repulsed? He Chen was very happy about this news, and the situation was good. Wait, no. He Chen suddenly thought of something, when Cao Ying personally led his troops north to rescue Baima for the victory of the first battle. The strategist Xun You thought that Yuan Shao had many soldiers, and suggested that he should attack the east and west, disperse his forces, first lead his troops to Yanjin, cross the river in disguise to attack Yuan Shao's rear, make Yuan Shao divide his troops to the west, and then send light cavalry to quickly attack the Yuan army attacking Baima, attack it unprepared, and then kill the general Yan Liang. Although Xun You has been cast into his account, it is difficult to guarantee that Cao Ying is singing the same play.

"Quickly ordered, let Zhang He and Han Meng defend Yanjin and Baima, and without the transfer of this general, they must not be good at fighting." Just when He Chen had just given the order, and the first soldier had not left, a second soldier hurriedly came to report the news, looking at the panicked posture, it was estimated that it would not be good news.

"Report, Cao Ying sent the general Xiahou Dun to take advantage of Han Meng's main force to take the opportunity to take away the White Horse Ferry. Han Meng was attacked from both sides and retreated in defeat, but fortunately, General Zhang He got the news one step earlier and led 10,000 horses to the rescue, which rescued Vice General Han in the encirclement of Cao's army. ”

"Grass." He Chen's worries instantly became a reality, he slapped the table fiercely, and said angrily: "This Han Meng is greedy for merit, and in the first battle, our army lost the White Horse Ferry, which caused a heavy blow to the morale of our army, and the crime should be beheaded." ”

"Don't be angry, my lord, right now is the time to employ people, this Han Meng can also be regarded as a brave general in Hebei, although our army lost the first battle, but the crime should not be punished. If you want to kill the generals, I am afraid that it will be more detrimental to the morale of the army. In the opinion of my subordinates, Baima and Yanjin are the two important ferries that protect Liyang, and once they are lost, we will suffer from endless disturbances, especially the grain route, so we must find a way to recapture them in a short time. Guo Jia didn't expect the situation to turn so straight, and hurriedly spoke out to stop He Chen from being angry.

He Chen took a deep breath and calmed down his anger, Guo Jia was right, this thing is really to blame, and he can only blame himself for not knowing how to use people. When pondering how to transfer troops, Guo Jia continued: "The nearest force in Baima is Yanjin, but in the eyes of his subordinates, Zhang He's troops must not be transferred, in case it is Cao Ying's plan to surround the point to send reinforcements, or to transfer the tiger away from the mountain, and then empty Yanjin, if it is taken advantage of, then the fun will be great." The enemy army can continue to penetrate into Jizhou and harass everywhere. At present, the most effective way is to let Guo Huai or Hao Zhao quickly leave Puyang, unite with Han Meng's troops, and launch a new offensive against Baima Ferry. ”

He Chen nodded, and said in a very dull voice: "Someone." ”

"No."

"Quickly ordered Wang Chen, let him lead 3,000 light horsemen, and harass the Baima Ferry at night, so that the enemy army will be exhausted until our reinforcements come up. At the same time, let Guo Huai's 30,000 horses go out of Puyang and make every effort to regain the White Horse stronghold, no matter what the cost. He Chen was murderous, and his face was full of hideousness.

(To be continued)