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Three days later, the flood waters receded. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

Good news finally came from the Han camp, it is said that Emperor Liu Bei has finally woken up, and his body is gradually recovering, but he can't see things for a while.

On the second day of Liu Bei's awakening, the Han army besieging the city on all sides prepared to attack Yedu with great fanfare, as if the fall of the northern camp, the martyrdom of Fazheng, and Liu Bei's injury did not have much impact on the Han army.

The abnormal behavior of the Han army quickly spread to Yedu, and unexpectedly, Cao Ying was busy patrolling the city in all directions, looking at the Han camp from a high distance.

When I went around the city to Beicheng, I saw that Fang Shao's 20,000 soldiers and horses, who were originally stationed near the Zhanghe River, were now forced to go down to the city less than a few miles in front of Beicheng, which was a little more aggressive than before the fall of Beiying.

"Ladies and gentlemen, do you see anything famous about the thief army's actions like this?" Cao Ying asked with a smile, with a hint of irony between his eyebrows.

"It stands to reason that even if Liu Bei is not dead, but he has been hit hard, he should take a temporary rest, but now it is the opposite, the thief army looks like they are going to attack the city with all their might, according to the minister's opinion, it can only be explained in four words." Sima Yi said.

Cao Ying said with great interest: "Zhongda talk about it, what are the four words?" ”

"Bluffing." Sima Yi said these four words very simply.

Cao Ying laughed when he heard this, stroked his beard and said, "Zhongda's words are exactly what I want." I saw that Liu Bei was either dead or seriously injured, and I was afraid that I would take advantage of the situation to counterattack, so I bluffed like this. ”

"Your Majesty, if the thief army retreats, please ask an army to pursue the enemy army in the north, and the lost land will be recovered in one fell swoop." It was the general Xiahoudun who took the initiative to ask for help, but he was pale, his qi was weak, and he coughed constantly between words.

At the beginning, Cao Ying woke up and couldn't see things, as a general, Xiahou Xi also participated in the incident of supporting Cao Pi, and then Cao Pi was incompetent and repeatedly defeated, so since Cao Ying woke up, Xiahou Xi also had a lot of regrets for the original unauthorized support, and at this time he wanted to take the sick and ask Ying to fight, which can be regarded as making up for the merits.

"That's it, if the thief army retreats, let them retreat, if Yuan Rang wants to march north, wait for me to recapture Xuzhou, and remove the southeast threat."

Cao Ying politely rejected Xiahou Xuan's invitation, firstly, it was the established policy to send the Wu people back to Huainan first, and secondly, Xiahou Yin was now seriously ill, how could Cao Ying rest assured that he would order his troops to go out.

Cao Ying and Sima Yi's judgment was correct, the Han army pretended to prepare to storm Yecheng, but after a few days of bluffing, suddenly all the camps were empty overnight, and by the time the scouts found out, 70,000 or 80,000 men and horses had withdrawn to the north of Yecheng fifty miles away overnight.

The Han army's return to the north ordered Yecheng, which had been besieged for several months, finally lifted its predicament, but the news from Xuzhou made Cao Ying restless again.

Xiapi City, which has been besieged for several months, has run out of food, the bark rats in the city have been eaten, and the people have starved to death nine times out of ten, and now it has reached the point of cannibalism.

Cao Zhi, who was exhausted, had no choice but to remove the throne, send people to break out of the siege, and sent a message of distress and apology to his father in Yedu, hoping that his father could send troops to rescue before the city was broken.

Cao Ying naturally resented his unassuming son, who had done such a ridiculous and hateful act of secession and self-reliance.

However, Xiapi is the core of Xuzhou, if Xiapi is lost, Xuzhou will not be protected, and if Xuzhou is lost, then the Wu people's troops will be the same as the Han State, which can endanger the heart of the Central Plains.

Therefore, in order to keep Xuzhou and defend the states of the Central Plains, Cao Ying could only temporarily let go of his resentment towards his once beloved son, and decided to personally lead the army to relieve the siege of Pi.

At this moment, more than 20,000 soldiers and horses drawn from Luoyang and other places have arrived in Baimajin, and Cao Ying decided to draw out another 5,000 soldiers and horses from Yecheng, and lead nearly 30,000 soldiers and horses to cross the Yellow River south and go down to Pi.

Although the army of the Wu people is claimed to have 200,000 people, Cao Ying is very aware of the land combat ability of these southerners, and among his 30,000 elite northern army, there are still 3,000 cavalry, and it is enough to deal with the Wu army with such a force.

However, before leaving, Chen Qun raised objections.

"Your Majesty led the army out this time, if the Han army going north took the opportunity to turn back to the south and attack Yecheng again, what should it be? According to the minister's opinion, it is better to wait for the Han army to completely return to the north and find out whether Liu Bei is alive or dead before sending troops south. ”

Cao Ying sighed: "I also want to be safe, but I am nervous, I am afraid that I will not be able to survive for long, and the consequences of delaying it will be unimaginable." As for Liu Bei's side, I have my own arrangements. ”

After that, Cao Ying turned his gaze to the sick Xiahou Xin, and said silently: "Yuan Rang, you tell me, can I still trust you now?" ”

Xiahou Xin was taken aback, and said anxiously: "The minister knows that he is wrong, but the minister is a Cao family minister in life, and the Cao family ghost is dead, and the minister is still willing to go to the soup for His Majesty, and he will not hesitate to do anything." ”

"Why should Yuan let you do this, I am like a brother to you, if I don't even believe you in this world, who else can I trust." Cao Ying hurriedly helped Xiahou Xi up, soothed him with kind words, and then advised: "After I leave, the responsibility of guarding Yecheng will be handed over to you, and I will order Zhongda and Changwen to assist you, and the three of you need to work together." If the thief army turns back to the south and attacks Yecheng again, you only need to guard the city for ten days, and I will lead the army to rescue within ten days. ”

At this moment, Cao Ying had to hand over the safety of the national capital to Xiahou Xin, although Cao Ying knew that his brother's ability to attack with troops was limited, but the ability to defend the city was still there, with nearly 20,000 troops, plus tens of thousands of soldiers in the city who could be requisitioned at any time, with the strong city defense of Yecheng, even if the Han army shook a shot, pretended to retreat north, and then took advantage of his absence to attack the south again, I believe that Xiahou Xin has no problem defending for ten days and a half months, and furthermore, there are Sima Yi and Chen Qun two resourceful people to help, there is no need to worry too much.

Cao Ying's self-confidence stems from his trust in Xiahou Xin, over the years, Xiahou Xi has never disappointed himself, and I believe that this time it will not be.

After listening to Cao Ying's instructions, Xiahou Xin held on to his sick body and said angrily: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, there are ministers, and the big-eared thief Hugh will step into Yecheng half a step!" ”

Sima Yi and Chen Qun next to him also said that they would do their best to help Xiahou Xin guard Yecheng.

Listening to the assurances of these three people, Cao Ying's heart had a bottom, and he secretly said in his heart: "Liu Bei, whether you die or not, wait for me, and when I finish cleaning up Sun Quan's child, I will come back to you to settle the account!" ”

………… Pingxiang County, which has entered Julu County, is hundreds of miles away from Yecheng.

After retreating north, Fang Shaoliu Wei Yan led 10,000 troops to defend Guangping County, which bordered Wei in the south, and led 60,000 troops to continue to return north.

After entering Pingxiang County, the army temporarily stopped, and the orders received by the armies were to first set up camp in this place, and then return north after a short rest.

At this moment, seven days have passed since the withdrawal of Yecheng.

However, after three days of camping, the soldiers still did not receive the order to go north from the camp of the great Simaba, and for a while, rumors appeared in the army, and many people thought that the emperor's illness might have worsened again, so they could not continue to advance.

However, the truth is diametrically opposed to what the lower ranks of soldiers think.

Liu Bei woke up.

Liu Bei, who had been in a coma for nearly half a month, suddenly woke up on this day, but this does not mean that his condition has improved.

After another diagnosis and treatment by Lang Zhong, the diagnosis they gave made Fang Shao still disappointed, Liu Bei is now terminally ill, and the awakening at this time is very likely to be a return to the light, according to his current physical condition, theoretically it will not last for a few months.

Although this news is not good, it can finally make Fang Shao breathe a little sigh of relief, at least Liu Bei is still alive now, even if his life is only a few months, but at such a critical moment, as long as Liu Bei is still panting, it is the greatest contribution to the Great Han Kingdom.

"Zhongzheng, what happened after I fell into a coma?" After he was completely conscious, Liu Bei summoned Fang Shao and hurriedly asked about these things.

Fang Shao didn't want to hit Liu Bei's emotions too much, but since he asked, he had no choice but to tell Liu Bei the bad news that tens of thousands of soldiers had died tragically and Fa Zheng had been martyred.

The news that Fa Zheng has died gave Liu Bei a blow to the head, he was stunned there, after a while, tears sprouted in his eyes, he looked up to the sky and sighed, and said sadly: "When I was trapped in Jingnan, I was afraid of Cao Ye in the north, and Sun Quan in the east, if it was not for filial piety, I could trap the dragon and ascend to heaven, and obtain Yizhou, if there was no Yizhou as the foundation, how could I get such a foundation today, filial piety is straight to me, and there is really the merit of reconstruction, I can't imagine that now the great cause will be completed, but when I enjoy peace and wealth, he left me, I ...... I...... Alas......"

Liu Bei was deeply sorry for Fa Zheng's death, Fang Shao sighed for a while, and then comforted: "Your Majesty, filial piety is unfortunately killed, this is the will of heaven, fortunately there is no harm, it can be regarded as a blessing in misfortune, please Your Majesty do not be too sad, if you hurt the dragon body because of this, filial piety will not die in vain." ”

"Cao Thief carried out this annihilation plan, killed my femur, I swore to take the head of Cao Thief, in order to comfort filial piety in the heavenly heroic spirit!" After the grief, indignation arose, Liu Bei gritted his teeth and scolded, and said angrily: "Zhongzheng, quickly spread my will, the army will stop retreating north, I want to turn back to the south, and kill Cao Thief by surprise...... Ahem—"

Liu Bei just took a few breaths to relieve his indignation, but before he finished speaking, he coughed loudly, and the eunuchs were in a hurry to serve the soup, and they couldn't even stop pouring a few bowls, and in the end, they coughed up a large pool of blood.

After being tortured for so long with a cup of tea, Liu Bei finally stopped coughing, perhaps because of his exhaustion, and he didn't even have the strength to cough.

"Your Majesty's mood is very understandable, but at this time, please ask Your Majesty to focus on the dragon body, and as for revenge, I will leave it to the minister." Fang Shao frowned and comforted Liu Bei.

Liu Bei gasped fiercely, his brain was replenished with a few itchy breaths, his faint mind woke up again, and when he heard Fang Shao's words, his tired eyes suddenly appeared a little excited, and he asked urgently: "Zhongzheng, could it be that you have some clever plan?" ”

Fang Shao smiled slightly: "It's not a clever plan, the minister wants to be besieged now, Xuzhou is lost, Cao Ying will most likely rush to the rescue, the only scruples are us." Therefore, after the minister played a scene, he led the army to retreat north, so that Cao Ying thought that His Majesty was in critical condition and our army had to retreat, so he would be relieved and bold to go to save Xuzhou. ”

Fang Shao's words were confident, which relieved Liu Bei from the sadness of losing the law, and he was glad that he still had a ghost like Fang Shao by his side, but after being a little excited, his face showed worry again.

"Cao thief is very cunning, he will definitely not lead the army south without taking any precautions, even if our army turns back and kills back to besiege Yecheng, but if Yecheng cannot be broken in a short time, then Cao Ying will relieve the siege of Xuzhou and lead the division to rescue, will it be a failure."

Fang Shao smiled mysteriously and asked rhetorically, "Your Majesty, when did the minister say that he was going back to besiege Yecheng?" ”

Liu Bei was stunned and puzzled: "Yecheng is the henchman of Hebei, how can you take Hebei if you don't break Yecheng?" ”

When Fang Shao was about to answer, Deng Aixing outside rushed to ask for a meeting, and after the courtesy of the monarch and minister, he said excitedly: "Your Majesty, Da Sima, the scout has brought back the latest information. Cao Ying has now led his army south to cross the Yellow River into Yanzhou, most likely as we expected, to rescue Xuzhou. ”

After hearing this news, Fang Shao's expression was greatly lifted, and he said happily: "Okay, it's really good news, it seems that the time has come for us to fight back." ”

………… Two days later, the Han army stationed in Pingxiang set off again under the banner of returning to the north, and the first group was led by Liu Bei, the awakened emperor of the Han State, intending to return to Guanzhong via Jinyang to recuperate. Before Liu Bei left, he ordered Huang Zhong to guard Youzhou, and Wei Yan to guard the newly acquired counties of Northern Jizhou, and Chen Zhi concurrently served as the Taishou of Jinyang, responsible for guarding the core city of this annexed state, and the rest of the generals such as Ma Chao, Zhang He, and Gao Lan all returned to Guanzhong in separate ways, and the soldiers who stayed in the Hebei Prefectures did not exceed 100,000.

Liu Bei went first on the grounds of recuperation, and Fang Shao was ordered to lead the second batch of 20,000 soldiers and horses to return north afterwards.

In fact, Liu Bei, who returned to the north, claimed to have led an army of 40,000, but in fact, he was only accompanied by more than 10,000 old and weak wounded, just a banner of Guangshu and a bluff. And Fang Shao, who stayed, said that he had nearly 50,000 elites in his hands.

The day after Liu Bei's army set off, it was already evening, and Fang Shao convened the generals to discuss the matter.

"Da Sima, I wonder when we will leave?" Jiang Wei asked.

Fang Shao glanced at Deng Ai in the class, and the two of them smiled knowingly.

When it was said, after Deng Ai presented that strategy, for the sake of secrecy, except for Liu Bei, who had woken up, Fang Shao did not reveal the third person, so all the generals, including Guan Xing, thought that Fang Shao summoned them today to arrange various matters of the class teacher.

The smile on his face suddenly retracted, and Fang Shao shouted fiercely: "Where is Jiang Wei?" ”

Jiang Wei was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly came out of the class and said, "The last general, I don't know what Da Sima commands?" ”

General Fang Shao flicked the arrow and said sharply: "Order you to lead five thousand cavalry to set off immediately, and wave the army south day and night, without lingering at all." ”

"The last general commands." Jiang Wei instinctively accepted the order, but with a suspicious face, he asked, "Didn't the Great Sima want to order the last general to take advantage of Cao Ying's southward movement to raid Yecheng?" ”

Fang Shao sneered: "Who said that I want you to attack Yecheng, I want you to bypass Yecheng and go straight to Liyang, an important town on the north bank of the Yellow River, and cut off Cao Ying's return route in one fell swoop." ”

(To be continued)