The night will be dark, but the city of Xiangyang is brightly lit.

Outside the north gate, Liu Cong, who was dressed in purple, trembled in the autumn wind, his face revealing panic and uneasiness. Behind him, Kuai Yue, Cai Mao and others were calm and natural, and there was even a kind of expectation in their eyebrows.

After a while, a horse from the north galloped over, and someone rolled the saddle and dismounted, and said to the ground: "Qiqi Zhou Mu, Prime Minister Cao Cheng has led a large army to cross the Han River and is coming to Xiangyang City." ”

When Liu Cong heard this, he was anxious to hold the official seal, soil register and household registration, and led the civil and military officials of Jingzhou to meet him on foot. After a few moments, a group of cavalry galloped like lightning, about five hundred people, all dressed in black armor and holding long swords. Five hundred cavalry approached, spread out on all sides, and in a moment they surrounded Liu Cong and his people on all sides. The first one, only twenty years old but heroic, both armor and horses are much better than the rest of the knights, but they do not hold a sword, but shoulder a big banner, written on the words 'Han Prime Minister Cao'.

Liu Cong knew that Cao Cao had arrived, so he knelt on the ground and said in a trembling voice: "Surrender to Liu Cong, welcome Prime Minister Cao Cheng." ”

Soon after, on the road, the soldiers and horses of the brigade came slowly, the first man was wearing a red robe, with a medium figure and a dark face, he stepped forward, turned over and dismounted, and quickly stepped forward to help Liu Cong up, and said with a smile: "Virtuous nephew, please get up quickly." ”

Liu Cong trembled and got up, looked up slightly, but saw the person in front of him, with a short appearance and a mediocre appearance, but he was majestic, and there was a look of uncertainty between his eyebrows.

The one who came was Cao Cao, who ruled the world.

After Cao Cao helped Liu Cong up, he bypassed him and said to Jingzhou Wenwu who was standing behind Liu Cong: "All the gentlemen are my Han courtiers, so you don't need to be polite." Come and take me into the city! Saying that, carrying Liu Cong's hand, it was really like leading his own children and nephews into Xiangyang City with a large army.

That night, Cao Cao held a meeting of the Jingzhou ministers in the original Zhennan General's Mansion. First of all, in the name of the Han Emperor, Liu Cong was appointed as the Qingzhou Assassin and the Liehou, and at the same time, I heard that Kuai Yue and other fifteen people were all named the Liehou because of their meritorious efforts in persuading them to surrender, and Liu Cong and others were all overjoyed. Among them, Kuai Yue is the most, and the official worships Jiangling Taishou Feng Fan Tinghou. Cao Cao even took his hand and said: "Lonely doesn't like Jingzhou, but I like it." ”

Although the words are good, but that night, Cao Cao stayed overnight in the state pastor's mansion, and at the same time, Xiahoudun, Cao Ren and others entered the city one after another, fully took over the defense of Xiangyang, and quickly reorganized the Jingzhou army while appeasing the people's hearts.

The next day, just after Fang Liang, Cao Cao, who had slept for less than three hours, came to Cai Mao's mansion. Cai Mao also didn't sleep for a few hours, and was sleeping in the quilt at this time, when she suddenly heard that someone came to report that Prime Minister Cao Cheng had arrived, and she was so frightened that the three souls lost their spirits, hurriedly dressed and wanted to go out to greet each other.

But Cai Mao only came out of the front hall, before the next step, Cao Cao had already strode over, and before Cai Mao bowed, he held him up, and said with a smile: "De Qi, you and I have seen Liang Mengxing together, which can be regarded as old friends. ”

Cai Mao was very grateful when she heard this, and hurriedly called out her wife and children to come out to meet Cao Cao. Cao Cao treated him with family courtesy. At the end of the Han Dynasty, seeing each other's mothers or wives and children were treated as only close relatives. Cao Cao's action grinded Cai Mao's loyalty to max.

The two chatted a little, after the interesting stories of previous years. Cao Cao's words changed and he got down to business. After chatting about some old things, Cao Cao changed the topic and said: "De Jue can persuade Liu Cong to return to the imperial court, this merit and virtue are really not comparable to others. ”

These two positions are all important members of the central court of the imperial court, and they are both more than Jiuqing, even Liu Cong is only a magistrate of Qingzhou Assassin History, and he is also a virtuous nephew. When Cai Mao heard this, she couldn't help but be very grateful, and she got up and saluted, and said movingly: "Thank you for the Prime Minister's appreciation, the Prime Minister's kindness, Mao will be repaid for going to the soup and fire!" ”

After the reward was generously treated, Cao Cao's expression became serious, and he said: "I went south this time, in order to destroy Liu Bei first, and then destroy the Sun family, and dominate the world." Liu Bei's lost dog, and he was killed alone; However, if you want to wipe out the Sun clan, you must have a strong naval army to help, and De Jue has led the Jingzhou naval division for many years, so he must have his own opinions. ”

Cai Mao only then understood the true meaning of Cao Cao's arrival, it turned out to be the Jingzhou navy, but he didn't dare to hide it in the slightest, so he had to tell the story: "Sun and Liu Liu Biao have been competing for power in the Yangtze River for many years, and their reliance is nothing more than Jiangxia Zhou Yu's elite navy, and only the Jingzhou navy can compete with the Han Dynasty." Now Jingzhou Navy is divided into four, Xiangyang has about 40,000 people, Liu Qi has 6,000 sailors to garrison the north bank of Jiangxia, Liu Bei's general Guan Yu also has 5,000 sailors, and the remaining 10,000 sailors are stationed in Jiangling to guard against Jiangxia Zhou Yu. Since Jingzhou has been subordinated to the prime minister, the total of more than 50,000 naval troops in Xiangyang and Jiangling are naturally under the command of the prime minister, but they compete with Sun's naval army. ”

In fact, Cai Mao didn't tell the truth, the Jingzhou Navy is indeed a first-class man, but in the big and small battles with the Sun family's Navy Army, he basically never won. However, when it comes to the strength of a battle, only the Jingzhou Navy can do it.

Although Cai Mao said that the whole of Jingzhou belonged to him, Cao Cao really didn't dare to think so. Although Cao Cao called Liu Bei a lost dog and could be destroyed with his backhand, he identified him as a lifelong rival in his heart. Now, Liu Bei led the remnants of the army to flee to Jiangling, if Liu Bei took Jiangling, he got the ordnance and grain stationed in Jiangling, as well as 5,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 sailors. must be a big increase in strength, Cao Cao is afraid that the night will be long and dreamy, since Cai Mansion came out. He personally led the tiger and leopard iron cavalry of 5,000, and pursued Liu Bei with Wen Ping and the general of the guard, Cao Chun, the tiger and leopard cavalry governor, as the left and right vanguards. At the same time, he led the general Le Jin to guard Xiangyang, and the general Xu Huang was stationed in Fancheng.

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Jiangdong Jianye, Wu Hou Xingyuan is in the main hall. Sun Wu Chongchen, who was still in Jianye, Jiangdong, all gathered together, with Sun Ce in waiting clothes sitting at the top, and the civil and military forces below: the general Qiao Ren sat at the head of the generals, followed by the partial generals Lu Fan and Huang Gai, the general Gan Ning of Zhichong, the general Lu Su of the military council, the governor He Qi, the partial general Sun Shao, the left governor of the Chinese army Huang Zhong, the right governor of the Chinese army Tai Shici, etc., of course, as well as Ling Cao, Dong Xi and other captains who played soy sauce. Wenchen is headed by Zhang Zhao, the chief bookkeeper Gu Yong, and his subordinates are Zhang Qiu, Lu Ji and other good ministers. Of course, there are also Sun Quan's hardcore Qin Song and Chen Duan, these two were thought to be the masterminds by Sun Ce in the early years, but after Qiao Ren recommended Zhuge Jin and Lu Su, their status declined, and after Qiao Ren's rise in the new capital's subordinate officials Buqi and Pan Jun, their status plummeted.

Sun Ce saw that everyone was seated before he spoke: "Cao Cao's army has reached Xiangyang, and Liu Bei fled to Jiangling. Now that Liu Cong of Jingzhou surrendered to Cao Cao, he thought that Cao Cao would not stop in Jiangbei. What do you think!? ”

finally waited for the veterans to be gone, and Qiao Ren, who was the first general, was the first to speak: "Lord." Ren thought that Cao Cao had newly won the nine counties of Jingxiang, and his power had risen sharply. What's more important is that with the Jingzhou Naval Army, Cao Cao will not just defeat Liu Bei when he is complacent! ”

I have to say that Qiao Ren is telling the truth. Everyone present nodded their heads, and Zhang Qiu, as the mastermind, came out and said: "Now, the soldiers in the east of my river are strong and strong, and I can gallop on the river." Cao Cao wanted to cross the river and must rely on the Jingzhou Navy, but the Jingzhou Navy, although it was not strong, was not the opponent of the Metropolitan Governor's Navy. What is worrying is Cao Cao's powerful foot ride, my Lujiang and Yuzhang are hanging in the north of the river, I'm afraid? ”

Today's Jiangdong Army is not the Jiangdong soldiers who were able to resist the Xiliang Iron Cavalry in the Sun Jian era. Fighting on the road, Sun Jun was far from being Cao Jun's opponent.

At this time, Lu Su said: "For today's plan, it is more necessary to choose an ally to fight against Cao Cao." Looking at the Han Dynasty, Liu Zhang in Yizhou is weak, the Gongsun family in Liaodong is not strong, not to mention the Ma family in Xiliang, Ma Teng has already entered Xuchang as a guard captain. Only Yuzhou Mu Liu Bei has few soldiers but has repeatedly defeated Cao's army, and now he has retreated to Xiakou to not be underestimated, and he can be a temporary ally. "Xiakou is the county of Jiangxia, but Jiangxia is divided into three by the Yangtze River and the Han River, and when Sun Ce attacked Jiangxia, he only got a piece of Jiangnan and still took Xiakou as the county, and Liu Biao called Jiangxia County in his hand Jiangxia and changed its governance to Hanyang.