On the sixth day of the ninth month of the third year of Jian'an, Cao Ying decided to conquer Lü Bu and personally led a large army to Xuzhou.

Regarding Cao Ying's crusade against Lu Bu, Xu Du's opinions were not unanimous. Many people believe that Liu Biao and Zhang Xiu have not yet been eliminated, and if Cao Ying leads his troops to attack Lu Bu, there will definitely be a crisis in Xudu. However, some people believe that this is the best opportunity to crusade against Lu Bu.

Shang Shu Xunyou said: "Liu Biaozhang embroidery, newly injured, dare not make a move.

Lu Bu was brave and colluded with Yuan Shu. If it is allowed to crisscross between Huaishui and Surabaya, the longer it lasts, the greater the impact. Now that he has just broken with the imperial court, the army is uncertain. The army attacked at this time, and Lu Bu could be broken in one fell swoop. What's more, the lord has Haixi as an internal response. This year, Haixi has a bumper harvest in Tuntian, and 30,000 seafarers have been gathered, and the population has become more numerous. It is contained in Haixi and can help the lord. ”

Cao Ying has also heard about the bumper harvest in Haixi.

To be honest, the development of Haixi was beyond Cao Ying's expectations. originally wanted Deng Ji to take root in Haixi, but he didn't want Haixi to become a bright pearl on the East China Sea. Millions of grains and grass can make Cao Ying's expedition to Xuzhou worry-free, and he doesn't even need to worry about the transportation of grain and grass. When marching and fighting, the most troublesome thing is the safety of the grain route. The farther away you are, the more unstable the grain route becomes. The emergence of Haixi undoubtedly gave Cao Ying a stable grain route. With an adequate supply of grain and grass, Cao Ying's determination to eliminate Lu Bu became more and more firm.

Xun You's analysis is exactly what Cao Ying wants.

So he decisively ordered an attack, ordering the general Xu Huang to attack from Taishan County, Xiahoudun to attack from Dangshan, and Liu Bei to attack Peiguo. The three-way army marched together and approached Pengcheng. At the beginning of the war, it also went very smoothly, Xu Huang opened the gate of Taishan County after the two generals Zhao Shu and Li Zou of the Lu Bu Department in Taishan County, swept all the way, and approached Pengcheng non-stop, and defeated Zang Ba's department.

For a time, Xuzhou was in turmoil!

———————————————————————— looked at the empty Xiapi army camp, Cao Peng became more and more convinced that Cao Ying had sent troops...... If it weren't for this reason, then how could Chen Gongcao withdraw his troops in a hurry when the battle situation was so dominant?

The previous attack was just a cover-up.

The smoke from the stoves in the camp speaks for itself.

Xia Houlan looked ashamed, and walked up to Cao Peng, "Childe, I didn't expect the Pigou to retreat so quickly......

Thinking that Cao Peng wanted to pursue before, Xia Houlan and others stopped one after another, but only Deng Fan expressed his approval.

At this time, the crowd lowered their heads one by one.

Cao Peng suddenly smiled, "Gentlemen, why are you downcast? ”

Xia Houlan and the others raised their heads, puzzled.

Cao Peng smiled: "We won, right?" No matter what the reason for the withdrawal of the lower dogs, we won! Quyang saved ......"

yes, we won!

If you win, why bother to be discouraged?

Cao Peng said: "Immediately report to the city and make everyone happy."

However, the people and horses of Xiapi hurriedly withdrew, and they also played such a trick to get rid of the shell of the golden cicada. The more they are so pretentious, the more it shows that they are in a hurry to evacuate. It is imperative that we get in touch with Gan Ning as soon as possible and lead the pursuit with our troops.

You can't follow too closely, and you're bound to suffer a counterattack from them.

You can't put it too far, keep the pressure on the Xiapi army, and then defeat it with one blow...... Gentlemen, make meritorious contributions, at this time. ”

Actually, Cao Peng also knows.

The battle had reached this point, and the soldiers were already tired.

Not only the soldiers were tired, but also Zhou Cang, Pan Zhang and others were also in a state of exhaustion.

Moreover, the pursuit battle relies on a speed. And Cao Peng wanted to pursue the Chen Palace surnamed Cao, and the biggest problem he faced was that there were no horses.

Pursuing on foot is bound to make the soldiers even harder.

But now, Cao Peng has no other choice...... When Pan Zhang and the others heard this, they were eager to try it one by one. Immediately, Cao Peng assigned 300 soldiers, Xiahou Lan Zhoucang, Pan Zhang, and Deng Fan each brought 50 people, and Cao Peng personally led 100 people, brought a meal of dry food, and immediately pursued Xiapi people. At the same time, he ordered Wang Xu to quickly contact Gan Ning and Deng Zhi, and ordered Gan Ning and Deng Zhi to pursue them. Gan Ning Deng Zhi will not have too many soldiers and horses in his hands, but fortunately, they are all cavalry. In addition, the two battles in Quyang, Gan Ning and Deng Zhi did not participate in it, and they belonged to the new force...... The two of them pursued and could inflict the greatest possible damage on the Xiapi army.

That's right, Diao Chan has kindness to Cao Peng.

Cao Peng did not forget!

But kindness is benevolence, if Lu Bu doesn't take the initiative to provoke, Cao Peng will definitely not chase and fight like this.

Regardless of whether Cao Ying sent troops or not, Cao Peng had to hurt Lu Bu as much as possible. Only by beating Lu Bu can Haixi be at peace; On the other hand, only a remarkable record can make Chen Deng face himself squarely, rather than being treated as an outcast.

Therefore, in public and private, Cao Peng had to pursue, and he had to pursue......—————————————————————————— when he left Xiapi, Chen Gong may not have thought that a battle that should have been easy in his opinion ended in such a way.

When the surnamed Cao commanded the men and horses to feint to attack Quyang, Chen Gong had already led his troops to leave Quyang.

Lu Ji looked unhappy, and he didn't have a word of conversation with Chen Gong along the way. It's no wonder that he was fooled by Chen Gong yesterday, he originally thought that he would go to Quyang first, but he didn't want to be moved by Chen Gong, and he was deceived once. Fortunately, Chen Gong did not break the city, otherwise Lu Ji would be even more uncomfortable in his heart. But even so, he felt Chen Gong's attitude towards him.

It turned out that it was not as beautiful as he imagined!

All along, Lu Ji thought that Chen Gong would support him...... But now it seems that Chen Gong has never taken him to heart. The respect that has been shown so far is nothing more than an illusory appearance. Maybe in Chen Gong's eyes, Lu Ji is a clown, jumping up and down on the lower pil, which looks ridiculous.

Along the way, Lu Ji was silent.

He was thinking about his future, and maybe it was not a good choice to stay in Xiapi.

After the Xiapi army evacuated Quyang, they were depressed all the way. Although Chen Gong knew, he had no choice but to wait until he arrived at the next prime minister and then make adjustments.

After all, he had to rush back to the next minister first.

The surname Cao ended his feint outside Quyang City, and used a trick to get rid of the golden cicada and successfully withdrew from the Quyang battlefield.

Most of the soldiers and horses left behind were mainly cavalry. So the surname Cao quickly caught up with the brigade and rushed all the way down.

"Military advisor, have you ever sent someone to Xu County?"

"When we evacuated Quyang, I had ordered someone to go to Xu County to inform Wen Yuan and order him to retreat quickly.

Presumably, when we arrive at the lower prime minister, Wen Yuan will be able to get the news, and at the latest in the early morning, we can lead the soldiers and horses back to the lower prime minister. ”

The surname Cao nodded, and said to himself: "If Wenyuan returns, then Chen Yuanlong is not worried. ”

Chen Gong smiled slightly, and his gaze glanced at Lu Ji intentionally or unintentionally.

"Shulong, keep an eye on Zishan."

"Zishan?"

"That kid, it seems that something is not normal."

Chen Gong is Chen Gong after all, even on the way to retreat, he will not let his guard down.

Lu Ji's silence made Chen Gong feel a little abnormal. If Lu Ji yelled and even scolded Chen Gong, he might not care. However, this silence made Chen Gong have a strange feeling: This child, isn't he pregnant with a different mind?

If Chen Gong is replaced, if he is put on the table like Lu Ji, he will also feel angry.

But what about anger?

Chen Gongcai would not look at Lu Ji in his eyes, let alone care about his little anger. It's just that Lu Ji's silence made him a little worried. Thinking about it carefully, is it a bit too much for me to be in Quyang? After all, Lu Ji is nominally the son of Lu Bu.

But after thinking about it, Chen Gong immediately left that bit of guilt behind.

What about going too far?

Such an always ambitious kid, if he doesn't beat it well, how can he know what to do?

Thinking of this, Chen Gong was also relieved...... Let the surname Cao send someone to keep an eye on it, presumably Lu Ji will not be able to make any tricks. When he returned to Xiapi, it was unlikely that he would want to make a fuss.

It is imperative to return to the next minister as soon as possible.

So Chen Gong discussed with the surname Cao, and once again urged the men and horses to speed up the march.

———————————————————————— after nightfall, it began to rain.

The rain in September was exceptionally cold. The wind blowing from the upper reaches of the ancestral water is also very biting. The clothes were soaked, and when they were blown by the wind, it made people shiver.

The road became muddy, which also slowed down the march.

"Gongtai, let the sergeants rest and shelter from the rain?"

Seeing the soldiers shivering in the cold wind and drizzle, the surname Cao was a little unbearable, so he opened his mouth to suggest to Chen Gong.

Chen Gong shook his head and said softly, "I can't rest...... At this time, it is not easy to rest and then want to hurry. If you want to rest, let's go back to the next phase to rest. Shulong should understand that Cao Youxue will not just give up, he still has a cavalry army in his hands, and there are fierce generals to lead him. If we catch up, it will be difficult for us to resist. So the top priority is to rush back to the next minister......"

Speaking of the cavalry army, the Cao surnamed Ji Lingling struck a chill.

If Chen Gong didn't mention it, the surname Cao might even forget about it...... Although the retreat has been calm, Gan Ning has not been obstructed. But this does not mean that Gan Ning will sit back and watch them evacuate. Presumably, it has not appeared until now, because of the disparity in troops. The surname Cao even felt that Gan Ning was like a poisonous snake hiding in the dark. As long as he shows the slightest slackness, then Gan Ning will definitely appear and give a fatal blow.

Looking at the tired soldiers, the surname Cao couldn't bear it.

But he knew that Chen Gong's worries were not unreasonable.

In such a situation, it is very difficult for the soldiers to be nervous once they have slackened.

He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Pass my order, and the three armies will speed up." You can throw away unnecessary baggage, only carry weapons, and be sure to rush back to the next phase before dawn. If there is any hesitation, procrastination, or shaking the morale of the army, he will be killed on the spot and will not be forgiven. ”

It seems that this is the only way to go...... However, the surname Cao still gave some rewards, "After returning to the next minister, each person will be rewarded with one liter of rice." Brothers, I'm resting well when I get back. ”

Chen Gong frowned, but then nodded again.

Although the grain and grass in Xiapi are not sufficient, they can still hold on for a while.

At least until the next year...... Now there are only more than 5,000 people left, one person and one liter of rice, that is, more than 500 buckets, a total of 50 hundred.

This bit of consumption, Xiapi still insisted.

If you spend 50 meters of rice, you can make 5,000 people return to the next phase as soon as possible, but it is not a loss.

But just those burdens that were discarded outside Quyang City, how could they be more than five hundred, five thousand? So Chen Gong didn't open his mouth to stop the surname Cao.

One liter of rice per person, it doesn't sound like much.

But you must know how amazing the price of food in Xiapi is now, and the temptation to get a liter of rice, at least a full meal, is not small.

When the soldiers heard this, the speed of the march increased significantly.

After midnight, there were only fifteen miles left to go to the next phase.

The surname Cao ordered someone to rush back to the prime minister, and informed the officials of the lower prime minister to reorganize the camp and prepare meals to appease the soldiers after the hard work of the long journey.

At the same time, Chen Gong was also preparing to say goodbye.

"Shulong, I won't go back to the next phase."

The surname Cao was stunned and said, "Where is the military advisor going?" ”

"I took people back to Xiapi overnight to inform the prince and make preparations as soon as possible.

You stay behind and answer Wen Yuan...... Remember, you have to join Wen Yuan as soon as possible, and be ready when the time comes, so as to stop Chen Deng's soldiers and horses. ”

The surname Cao hurriedly nodded and said: "Please rest assured, with the surname Cao, Chen Deng will never be allowed to pass half a step." ”

Chen Gong smiled slightly, and said goodbye to the surname Cao on horseback.

He took Lu Ji and hundreds of people from his headquarters and hurried along the main road to Xiapi. And after seeing Chen Gong leave, the surname Cao beckoned people and horses to speed up their march.

Back to the next phase, you must have a good sleep!

The drizzle was misty, and in the night, it was like a mist floating in the air, making the vision extremely blurry and not very clear.

In the distance, you can see the outline of the city below.

There were no lights, it was pitch black.

It gives people a lifeless and weird feeling, and it is even more creepy.

The gates, shut!

The surname Cao couldn't help frowning, urged the horse to the city, and shouted loudly: "Who is on duty in the city, and you don't want to open the city gate quickly?" ”

"Where are the soldiers and horses under the city?"

"A certain family surnamed Cao, why didn't Zhou Kui go out of the city to greet him?"

"Ah, it's General Cao!"

On the top of the city, a light suddenly flashed, and soon the torches were connected.

A small colonel poked his head out of the battlement of the arrow tower and said in an extremely fluent Xiapi dialect: "Don't blame the general, the Zhou County Order has been notified, but he is worried about fraud, so he closes the city gate." Zhou County Commander is tidying up the school barracks, please wait for a while. ”

The surname Cao frowned, forcibly suppressed the anger, and reined in the city.

How did Zhou Kui become so cautious this week?

Knowing that I'm back, why are the gates closed? He looked back at the soldiers and horses behind him, and saw that the soldiers were in the wind and rain, their faces were blue, and they were trembling with their arms. In this stormy day, it is really a painful wait.

After about half a pillar of incense, the city gate still did not open.

The soldiers whispered and began to tickle...... The surname Cao was a little angry, and shouted: "Listen to the people in the city, no matter whether Wenlong finds Zhou Wenlong or not, open the city gate for me immediately......"

"But ......"

"If you want to instigate again, military law will serve."

There was silence at the head of the city, and after a moment there was only a chaotic sound from behind the city gates.

The heavy iron door creaked open. The surname Cao was a little impatient, and before the city gate was fully opened, the horse rushed to the city gate.

But at this moment, there was a rapid sound of horses' hooves in the city gate.

The sound of hooves, like gold and iron hitting the ground, seemed very rhythmic. A white shadow suddenly burst out of the hole in the city gate, as fast as lightning, and came to the surname Cao. A dragon sparrow broadsword, flashing in the firelight, slashed towards the surname Cao fiercely.

"Cao Shulong, Gan Ning has been waiting here for a long time!"

(To be continued)