With the persuasion of Tian Kai, a veteran of the Youzhou Army, he chose to surrender in Kaecheng under the persuasion of Deputy Director Tao, and the Qingzhou War, which lasted for nearly half a year, also entered the final end.

This is an annexation war without any suspense at all, as the annexed side of Tian Kai's army and Kong Rong's army, Kong Rong is major general has been weak for many years, Tian Kai is in the previous several major battles in the vitality of the great injury, the elite was lost, and the main force of Gongsun Chan lost contact for two years, at the same time Qingzhou famine for many years, the displaced people everywhere, Tian Kai and Kong Rong two army has long been disturbed by internal problems is the fatigue of the people, internal and external troubles, in the face of the joint attack of the three heroes and heroes of the three Yuan Sangong, Cao Boss and Deputy Director Tao, there is naturally no hope of victory, Being able to support it for half a year is already quite good.

No matter how there is no suspense, no matter how it comes naturally, to be able to take a state in one fell swoop within half a year, as the greatest benefit of the Great Yuan Sangong is still quite satisfied with this result, in a comfortable mood, the Great Yuan Sangong not only re-took in the former rebel general Zhao Yun Zhao Zilong, learned a lesson and gave Zhao Yun a large official position of cavalry captain, but also kept his promise to allow Tian Kai's family to return to Xuzhou with Deputy Director Tao, and at the same time, Tian Kai surrendered to the army with more than 1,000 Gongsun Zan Army veterans for fear of the revenge of the Great Yuan Sangong. also proposed to go south to Xuzhou with Deputy Director Tao, and Yuan Sangong, who was in a good mood, also agreed, so that his son-in-law could get a lot of Youzhou cavalry veterans.

Also as the winner of the Qingzhou war, the only unhappy is Cao Boss's team, in this war, Cao Boss can basically be said to have gained nothing, neither obtained a foot and an inch of land, nor did he capture a large amount of money, food and population like Deputy Director Tao, and also lost more than half of the troops, not to mention the vain, the losses are extremely heavy. Therefore, the day after Yuan Shaojun took over Linzi, Cao Ren and Cheng Yu also came to the Great Yuan Sangong to say goodbye, requesting that they immediately lead the army back to Yanzhou.

General Cao Ren wanted to leave, and the three dukes of Da Yuan didn't want to support the Cao army team that was reluctant to even bring their own dry food, and after pretending to keep two sentences, seeing Cao Ren insisting, Da Yuan Sangong also waved his hand and rewarded Cao Renjun with ten days of grain and grass, allowing Cao Ren to lead the army back to Yanzhou, Cao Ren and Cheng Yu thanked them respectfully, and led the team south along Zishui on the same day and returned to Taishan County in Yanzhou. And the three brothers of Uncle Liu Huang, who had almost no performance in this Qingzhou War, unexpectedly refused Yuan Tangongzi's sincere invitation, and returned to Yanzhou with Cao Boss's team south, which made Yuan Tan Gongzi, who had been looking forward to expanding his strength, very regretful, and he could only beg Yuan Sangong to hand over Zhao Yun to his subordinates, but there was no result for a while.

As the sworn enemy of Boss Cao and Uncle Liu Huang, Deputy Director Tao of course closely monitored the every move of Cao Ren and Uncle Liu's team through various channels, and after learning that Uncle Liu Huang refused Yuan Tan's invitation and went south with Cao Jun, Deputy Director Tao, who was extremely worried that Uncle Liu's brother would threaten Yuan Tan as a tiger for him, first breathed a sigh of relief, and then inevitably was extremely surprised, and said in surprise: "The big-eared thief is dizzy? Cao Apu didn't trust him at all, and never gave him military power, when Yuan Tan Pifu was employing people, the big-eared thief stayed under his command, and he would definitely be entrusted with a heavy task, and entrusted him with military power to give him a chance to make a comeback, how could the big-eared thief be willing to give up? ”

"Ye is also wondering about this." Liu Ye, who is good at intelligence analysis, also said with great puzzlement: "Qingzhou Chuping, many counties have not yet been attached, and there are still countless rogue teams in the territory that need to be pacified, Yuan Benchu must leave a confidant general to sit in Qingzhou, this person is also very likely to be Yuan Tan Pifu who was named the governor of Qingzhou by Yuan Benchu, Liu Bei's brothers stay under Yuan Tan not only have the opportunity to show their strength, maybe there is also a chance to enter Kou Xuzhou again, looking for our army's bad luck to take revenge, the big-eared thief is best at fishing in troubled waters, How can you afford to miss such a God-given opportunity? Could it be that the big-eared thief has changed his surname, this is unlikely, right? ”

"There's only one explanation." Jia Lao Poison suddenly spoke, "Maybe Liu Bei knew that the chance of returning to Yanzhou was better, so he resolutely let go of this opportunity." ”

"A better chance of returning to Yanzhou?" Deputy Director Tao asked in surprise: "The Cao thief is now surrounded by our army and the Jizhou army on three sides, and the hinterland is also contained by Zhang Ji, what chance can the big-eared thief have when he returns to Cao Mengde?" ”

"I don't know yet." Jia Lao Poison shook his head, and said: "At present, I can only speculate that Liu Bei is willing to give up such a God-given opportunity, and the reason is likely to be related to Cao Mengde's next move. Deputy Director Tao was deeply convinced of Jia Lao's analysis of poison, and immediately arranged for manpower to strengthen the monitoring of Cao Laoda's team, and ordered the northwest line of Xuzhou to strengthen precautions.

In the next few days, Deputy Director Tao really couldn't find anything to do except for slapping himself in front of his father-in-law and mother-in-law every day, and Yuan Sangong also decided to play his eldest son Yuan Tan as the assassin of Qingzhou, and arranged for Yuan Tan to lead the army to stay in Qingzhou, exterminate the domestic rogues and ambush the county seat, so as to test the eldest son's ability, and also give Yuan Tan a chance to exercise, although Deputy Director Tao was very unhappy about this, but because this is a family affair of Yuan Sangong, it is inconvenient to interfere at will and has no opportunity and ability to interfere. So I had to go with the big Yuan Sangong, and I also said nonsense to Yuan Tan in front of the big Yuan Sangong about friendly relations and brotherhood in the future, and at the same time promised with tears in my eyes to leave 50,000 grains in the drama city for Yuan Tan to pacify the whole territory of Qingzhou.

Five days later, as Linqu City, the last county seat of Qi County, chose to surrender in Kaicheng, the retreat plan of Da Yuan Sangong and Deputy Director Tao to lead the main force to withdraw to Lao Nest was also put forward - this is also a matter of no choice, Qingzhou is too poor, and the main forces of Da Yuan Sangong and Deputy Director Tao are unable to achieve self-sufficiency in grain and grass on the spot, and it consumes a lot of money when it is transported from the rear, so there is no need for Deputy Director Tao to ask, Da Yuan Sangong took the initiative to discuss with his son-in-law when to withdraw the army. After some careful discussion, the Great Yuan Sangong and Deputy Director Tao agreed to withdraw the troops together on June 26, two days later, and went their separate ways to return to their old nests, of which the Xuzhou Army naturally withdrew from Qingzhou on all fronts, and Yuan Shaojun's team left 30,000 troops stationed in Qingzhou, commanded by Yuan Tan.

It was also when the main forces of the two armies were in full swing to prepare for the withdrawal of the army, a shocking news suddenly reached Qingzhou, and at the same time, because of the distance and the identity of the messenger, the news was first sent to the face of the Great Yuan Sangong, and this news was - Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty suddenly issued an edict, under the pretext that he was bullied by Zhang Ji many times when he was in Chang'an, and asked Cao Boss and Liu Biao to send troops together to fight against Zhang Ji's rebels, and kill Zhang Ji's whole family to correct the national law! At the same time, when Boss Cao received the edict, he had already personally led an army of 80,000 to the south and killed Wancheng in Nanyang, where Zhang Ji's uncle and nephew were entrenched.

Da Yuan Sangong has not yet had Alzheimer's, and after hearing Boss Cao's excuse for self-deception, of course he was furious, and roared: "Dare Cao Agui!" Uncle Zhang Ji's nephew has already been attached to me, and he even dared to coerce the Son of Heaven to make up an excuse to send troops to attack Zhang Ji's team that was attached to me, and he didn't take me seriously! ”

"No wonder our army scouts came to report that Cao Ren's team had traveled more than 80 miles and left Qingzhou in only four days." Xun Chen suddenly realized: "Chen was still strange why Cao Ren walked so fast, but now it seems that Cao Ren must have received Cao Mengde's order to withdraw from Qingzhou as soon as possible so as not to be punished by our army. ”

Speaking of this, Xun Chen suddenly hit a spirit and blurted out: "It's not good! Cao Ying is ready to turn against our army! ”

"What?" Da Yuan Sangong was even more furious, and hurriedly asked: "Cao Apu is ready to turn against our army, does he have the courage?" ”

"Absolutely." Xun Chen explained: "Cao Ren proposed to withdraw the army the day after our army recruited Linzi, Xuchang and Qingzhou are thousands of miles away, the news transmission cannot be so fast, and Cao Ying cannot know such a situation, so it can be seen that Cao Ying's order only happened to arrive at the Linzi battlefield on the day or the next day when our army took Linzi, and before that, Cao Ying must have made up his mind, that is, regardless of whether our army takes Qingzhou or not, he wants Cao Ren to withdraw from Qingzhou immediately, He didn't consider all the effects of his temporary withdrawal on the Lord Fair Qingzhou! is also ready to anger the lord and turn against our army! ”

"That makes sense!" Da Yuan Sangong also came to his senses, and then he was completely furious, "Okay, you Cao Apu, even if you attack the princes who belong to me, you dare to withdraw from the battle regardless of whether my team lives or dies, if it weren't for my beloved son-in-law who happened to surrender Linzi for me, your team left on the battlefield, wouldn't it be a mistake for me?" If you don't avenge this revenge, I swear not to be a person! ”

"The lord is angry, I have a plan, but I don't need to spend a soldier, a penny or a grain, and I will be so angry for the lord." Mr. Guo Tu, a henchman of Yuan Tan Gongzi, stood up and said: "Since the Cao thief is determined to turn against our army, regardless of the righteousness of the allies, he will raise troops to attack Zhang Ji's uncle and nephew who is attached to the lord, then the lord does not have to send troops to retaliate, only an order is given to the Xuzhou Tao Ying envoy, ordering him to send troops to attack Yanzhou, and copy the back road of the Cao thief, which will definitely make the Cao thief unbearable, and he will be bound to the lord to ask for guilt." ”

"My lord, Mr. Gongzhi is reasonable." Xin Bi, who has been enshrined as a don't drive in Qingzhou by the third prince of the Great Yuan, also stood up, and also said: "Lord, that Zhang Ji is Tao Envoy Jun for the introduction, so that he can be attached to the lord, now Cao Ying disregards the righteousness of the alliance, brazenly sent troops to attack Zhang Ji's uncle and nephew, Tao Envoy Jun is the person who introduced Zhang Ji, it is reasonable to send him to fight against Cao Ji, and it can also receive the effect of encircling Wei to save Zhao and rescue Zhang Ji." ”

The third prince of Yuan was a little hesitant, and when he turned his gaze to Xun Chen, Xun Chen, who belonged to the neutral faction of Yuan Shaojun, did not hesitate, and immediately clasped his fists and said: "My lord, the two gentlemen are reasonable, Cao thief disregarded the dignity of the lord's alliance leader, and brazenly sent troops to attack Zhang Ji's uncle and nephew who had been attached to the lord. And the main force of our army has already tilted northward, in addition to the need to consolidate the newly occupied land in Qingzhou, the remaining army is only enough to protect itself, and it is really unable to send troops to ask Cao Thief for guilt, Tao Envoy Jun is different, his southern line is fine, the main force of the northern front, the Lord ordered him to crusade against Cao Thief Xingshi to ask for guilt, the most appropriate. ”

Speaking of this, Xun Chen hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said solemnly: "Besides, if Tao Envoy Jun continues to be strong, it will be difficult to guarantee that he will not pose a threat to the lord in the future. ”

Hearing Xun Chen's words, the eyes of the third prince of Da Yuan suddenly lit up, and Xin Bi took the opportunity to say: "My lord, Mr. Youruo's words are very good, let Cao thief and Tao Envoy Jun attack each other and weaken each other, and then turn back after our army exterminates Gongsun Zhan, and it is just right to take the entire territory of Yanzhou in one fell swoop, and welcome the Son of Heaven to Yecheng to order the world, at that time, whether the lord is coercing the Son of Heaven to order the princes, or calling the emperor to accept Zen, and change the dynasty, it will be easy!" ”

"Lord, Tao Ying looks at the wolf, and he can't let him continue to sit big." Mr. Guo Tu was even more direct, and simply said clearly: "The plan of the upper authorities is to take this opportunity to make Tao Ying and Cao Ying attack each other, and the two tigers will compete with each other, so that our army will reap the benefits, and Cao Ying and Tao Ying will never be a threat to the lord!" It also made Tao Ying always surrender in front of the lord's case, obey the lord's orders, and dare not give birth to half a half-heart! ”

Da Yuan Sangong finally moved, and after nodding slowly, Da Yuan Sangong turned his gaze to Yuan Tan Gongzi on the other side, and shouted, "Why don't you speak?" What do you think about this? ”

"The father forgives his sins, and the child is thinking about a problem." Yuan Tan Gongzi, who still had whip marks on his face, finally spoke, and said with a smile: "The child is thinking, if Cao Ying and his brother-in-law attack each other, who will win and who will lose?" ”

"And who do you think wins and who loses?" Da Yuan Sangong asked.

"I don't know right now." Yuan Tan Gongzi shook his head and said, "But the child knows that if you give your brother-in-law some more time, then Cao Ying will definitely have no hope." Since his debut, his brother-in-law has not tasted defeat in a hundred battles, and in less than four years, he has taken care of the five counties of Xuzhou, and he also won the two counties of Huainan in one go, expanding the land of Xuzhou to seven counties, and also trained the weak soldiers of Xuzhou who were bullied into a hundred battles of heroes who fought all over the surrounding area without defeat, if the brother-in-law was allowed to hide under his father's wing and grow for a few years, Cao Ying would definitely not be his brother-in-law's opponent. ”

Speaking of this, Yuan Tan Gongzi smiled toothily again, and added: "At that time, maybe even my father will not be my brother-in-law's opponent, and our Yuan family, the fourth and third dukes, may also have to rely on my brother-in-law's snort." ”

"Nonsense!" Da Yuan Sangong habitually scolded the unlikable eldest son, but after thinking about it for a while, Da Yuan Sangong still instructed Xun Chen: "Mr. Youruo, you personally go to the Xuzhou military camp and invite my beloved son-in-law Tao Ying to meet here, that is, I have important military affairs to discuss with him." ”

"No." Xun Chen respectfully clenched his fists and agreed, raised his head and glanced at Yuan Tan Gongzi, Guo Tu, and Xin Bi secretly smiling, Xun Chen couldn't help but snort coldly in his heart, and said secretly: "The eldest prince can say such insidious and ingenious words of dissension and instigation, it seems that you have already discussed, you have known about this matter for a long time, and maybe you have already made an agreement with Cao Thief." But it doesn't matter, you selfish fools are also doing good things this time, Cao Thief and Tao Ying, they should be weakened. Especially Tao Ying, the speed at which this kid grows is really terrifying. ”

……………… Not to mention, when he learned the news from the old man's mouth that Boss Cao was desperate to crusade against Zhang Ji, Deputy Director Tao was really taken aback, and he was also caught off guard, so that he exclaimed on the spot: "Cao thief is crazy? Even Zhang Ji, who was attached to Lord Yue, dared to attack? Isn't he afraid that Lord Yue's father-in-law will be angry and pinch him into powder? ”

"The virtuous son-in-law said very much, Cao Thief is not only crazy, but according to Mr. Youruo's analysis, Cao Thief also intends to break the alliance with me."

Da Yuan Sangong nodded, and gave his son-in-law a general introduction to Xun Chen's analysis, and Deputy Director Tao, who was three points more cunning than an oiled loach, listened to this analysis, and all the mysteries in his heart were suddenly solved, and he said secretly: "It seems that Cao Thief finally used the trick in history to break the cauldron and sink the boat, and he plans to take advantage of the opportunity of Yuan Shao's main force to the north and temporarily unable to clean him up, and strive to break Zhang Ji and me." The big-eared thief gave up the opportunity to be under Yuan Tan's command, and he also wanted to seize the better opportunity of my upcoming full-scale war with the Cao thief, and if he entered, he would kill me for revenge and annex Xuzhou, and if he retreated, he would take advantage of the chaotic battle between Xu and Yan to support his own troops, and even replace the Cao thief! ”

"Virtuous son-in-law." The voice of Da Yuan Sangong interrupted Deputy Director Tao's thoughts, and said with a smile: "Cao thief intends to turn against me, and I can't show weakness, I have made up my mind, and I am ready to send troops to attack Yanzhou, besiege Wei to save Zhao and indirectly support Wancheng Zhang Ji, but ......." ”

"Son-in-law understands." Deputy Director Tao is such a well-behaved person, he immediately knelt down on one knee and hugged his fists and said: "Uncle Yue, please rest assured, the son-in-law knows that the current war in Youzhou has reached the critical point, and Lord Yuezhang is temporarily unable to look south, since Wancheng Zhang Ji is the person who the son-in-law introduced to the father-in-law, then this matter should be wrapped up in the son-in-law, after the son-in-law returns to the camp, he will immediately dispatch troops to arrange soldiers and horses to attack Yanzhou, encircle Wei and save Zhao to indirectly support Zhang Ji's uncle and nephew, and use the authority of the whole Yuezhang alliance leader." ”

"Sure enough, he is a good boy of filial piety." Da Yuan Sangong smiled and said busily: "That is the case, then there is Lao Xian's son-in-law, and the virtuous son-in-law can also rest assured, after I exterminate Gongsun Zhan, I will immediately return to the southern line of the division, and join forces with the virtuous son-in-law to exterminate Cao A's thief, welcome the Son of Heaven in Yecheng, and work together in the Han Dynasty!" ”

"No!" Deputy Director Tao sang heartily with his fists clenched, his attitude was as sincere as if it were true, and he snorted coldly in his heart: "Immediately return to the southern line of the division and join forces with me to exterminate the Cao thief?" Phew! You are my three-year-old child, and if you don't wait for me and Cao Thief to be exhausted and lose both, will you take action to pick ready-made peaches? The old immortal old slippery head actually cheated your filial son-in-law like this, it seems that the director has to consider changing to another father-in-law! ”

……………… At the same time under the city of Wancheng, Boss Cao's team had also lined up with Zhang Ji's uncle and nephew's team, arraying to prepare for battle, but Boss Cao was obviously a little absent-minded, he was on the battlefield of Wancheng, but his mind was always concerned about Qingzhou, which was thousands of miles away, and he kept speculating in his heart, "Yuan Shao is a small and selfish weapon, and the main force going north cannot threaten my northern front for the time being, and he will definitely not immediately send troops to attack me, and he will definitely weaken me by the hands of pottery thieves." ”

"The pottery thief is cautious, he must know that weakening each other with me will only cheapen Yuan Shaopifu in vain, and it is very likely that he will not send troops to attack my rear!"

"Yuan Tao and the two thieves each have ghosts and use each other, and the so-called close alliance will definitely not last! As long as I seize the opportunity to eradicate Zhang Ji's elbow and armpit trouble, and relieve the worries that may be fatal at any time, there will be a chance to meet the source left and right, break each other, break the pottery of Lianyuan, and even break the Tao of Liantao! ”

"So, I have to work hard, Mengde! And in the beginning, you must not go crazy to attack me. As for Tao Ying's thief, you must not do something stupid to really attack me. You've made me regret it many times, and this time, you can't make me regret it again. ”

(To be continued)