Zhang Lang ordered Cao Xuan to lead the Flying Tiger Army to Dingfengjin to meet Ma Chao, and Cao Xuan received the order. Zhang Lang said to Wu Yi: "General Wu Yi, you lead 30,000 soldiers and horses under your command to garrison Yuzhou and guard the prisoners. Wu Yi clenched his fists and promised. Zhang Lang glanced at the rest of the generals and raised his voice: "The rest of the generals will march with me to Dingfengjin!" The generals agreed in unison.

Cao Pi hurried from the backyard to the front hall. At this moment, Sima Yi and Xu You stood on the left and right sides of the stairs respectively, their expressions were a little solemn, and there was a dusty officer in the hall, with a tired face, but also an anxious face. When Cao Pi appeared, several people in the hall cheered up.

Cao Pi walked up to the top and sat down. The officer hurriedly bowed: "The pro-officer under the command of General Cao Hong, the villain, greets the lord!" ”

Cao Pi said: "No courtesy." ”

The officer thanked him, stood up, clenched his fists and said urgently: "Lord Qi, two days ago, Lu Bu's army dug a tunnel through the city wall and broke into the city to open the city gate, and the enemy brigade immediately entered. Our army was caught off guard and lost and withdrew from Yuzhou City! ……”

Cao Pi suddenly got up, his eyes widened and he shouted, "What did you say? ”

The officer was terrified and said it again.

Cao Pi was furious, "Damn! With an army of 400,000 in hand, he actually lost Yuzhou in half a month! He Cao Hong became a general in vain, and he was ashamed of Lone's trust in him! When the officer saw Cao Pi's anger, his heart trembled like a treetop in a storm, and he didn't know what to do.

Sima Yi clenched his fists and said: "The lord is angry!" General Cao Hong cannot be blamed entirely for the defeat in this battle! I didn't expect that Lu Bu would actually dig a tunnel to attack the city, and it is reasonable that General Cao Hong did not expect it. The imperative now is how to deal with the current situation. ”

Cao Pi nodded and asked the officer, "Where is Cao Hong Yu Ban now?" ”

The officer said tremblingly: "Already, we have retreated to the east of Yingshui." ”

"What? Why retreat to the east of Yingshui? Could it be that Yingshang has also been lost? Cao Pi asked in a lost voice.

The officer did not dare to look up and nodded.

Cao Pi had a gloomy face and just wanted to kill.

Sima Yi asked the officer, "What is the situation now?" How many men and horses does Cao Hong still have under the command of General Yuban? Who raided Yingshang? ”

The officer swallowed his saliva and said: "We, we only have less than 50,000 horses left, and the current garrison is in Xiangxian County at the southern foot of Mangdang Mountain. It was Ma Chao who was on the raid Ying. After our army was defeated and fled from Yuzhou that day, it was Ma Chao who led his commando cavalry out of the city to chase and kill, and our army was defeated and killed countless by him. Later, he drove hundreds of miles in just one night, and the defenders of Yingshang were not captured in one fell swoop. When General Cao Hong saw that Yingshang was lost, he led the remnants of the soldiers upstream, crossed Yingshui from Ruyin County to the east and retreated into Xiang County, and then sent his subordinates to report the news. ”

Xu You glanced at Sima Yi, smiled coldly, and said gloatingly: "It seems that Zhongda has made a mistake!" Cao Pi was unhappy when he saw Xu Yu like this, but he didn't say anything for the time being. said to Sima Yi: "Sir, what should be done in the current situation?" ”

Sima Yi frowned and thought for a moment, "Lu Bu has captured Yuzhou and captured Yingshang, and he will definitely attack Yingshui, or attack Xuzhou or Huainan!" ……”

Before Sima Yi finished speaking, Xu You interjected and said: "The most worrying thing now is whether Ma Chao will immediately take advantage of the situation to go south to Huainan after seizing Yingshang. Huainan only has 30,000 defenders and 780,000 people's troops, and in a hurry, I am afraid that it is not Ma Chao's opponent. ”

Cao Pi couldn't help but worry when he heard this.

Sima Yi said: "Don't worry, my lord, I'm not worried about this." Huainan has Xun Yu in charge, if Ma Chao really ventures into Huainan, he will not get cheap! What needs to be considered now is how to deal with the next offensive of Lu Bu's army! ”

Xu You sneered and was silent.

Cao Pi asked Sima Yi, "How does Sir think we should deal with it?" ”

Sima Yi said: "Withdrawing the naval army can stabilize the battle line." ”

Cao Pi is also an extremely smart person, Sima Yi's reminder, he immediately understood. Although Lu Bu's army is now imposing, it is separated from Cao Jun's territory by the Yellow River, Yingshui, Huaishui and other waters, and Lu Bu's army has no water army, as long as his own water army returns and cuts off the waterway, he can win a chance to breathe. Cao Pi was overjoyed, and immediately ordered Sima Yi to pass on the Prime Minister's Decree, ordering Zhang Jaw to immediately urge the naval army to return to Huaishui Yingshui to cut off the eastward march of Lu Bu's army to the south. Sima Yi took the order and left.

……

Zhang Lang led a large army and rushed to Dingfengjin. At this moment, the 50,000 Tiger Wing Army led by Cao Xuan had already entered Dingfengjin, and when he came, Dingfengjin was already empty, and there was actually a single figure in a huge ferry. The water in front of me was turbulent, and I saw only a pontoon bridge, but not half a fishing boat. At both ends of the pontoon bridge, there are sergeants of the Blue Wolf Army guarding them.

Cao Xuan ordered the army to set up camp, and at the same time sent people to summon the officers of the Blue Wolf Army who were guarding the pontoon bridge.

The officer came to Cao Xing and clasped his fists in salute. Cao Xuan asked, "What about your generals?" The officer replied, "General 3 led the brigade across the Huaishui and attacked Huainan the day before yesterday, and there is no news yet." ”

Cao Xing said: "You immediately go and inform your general, the general has sent a strict order, ordering him not to advance alone, and immediately return to Dingfengjin." The officer clenched his fists and ran down.

At night, the sky was full of stars and moons, the water was sparkling, the mountains in the distance, in and out of the woods, the shadows were heavy, the birds and birds had already returned to the forest, and the insects were silent. A fast horse suddenly galloped from the pontoon bridge on that side, and went straight to Dingfengjin, but the guards stopped him, and the knight showed his arrows, and the guards checked that they were correct and let him in.

The knight galloped to the door of the big tent, turned over and rolled off the saddle, climbed into the big tent with a rolling belt, saw Cao Xing and other generals, and quickly knelt down to report: "General, my general was ambushed under Huainan City, our army suffered heavy casualties, and it took a hard fight to break through the encirclement, and he was retreating towards this side, please lead the troops to answer immediately!" ”

When Cao Xing heard this, he was very happy in his heart, and mocked: "Isn't Ma Chao known as a fierce general second only to the general? How could someone kill such a wolf? ”

The knight heard the sarcasm in the other party's words, and was resentful in his heart, but for the safety of General Ma Chao, he didn't dare to act rashly, and kowtowed and pleaded: "Please send troops immediately for the sake of your comrades, if it is any longer, General Ma Chao will be killed, but I am afraid that the general will not be able to explain in front of the general!" ”

Cao Xuan was furious and shouted, "What is your identity that you dare to talk to me like this? Come on, tie me up! Immediately he rushed forward, and several of his own soldiers held down the knight and tied him up. The knight was furious, struggled to jump up, and scolded: "Cao Xing, if you don't save you when you see death, it's better to be a beast!" The general won't spare you! ”

Cao Xing was so angry that he died, "Come on! Drag this deserter who escaped from the battle down and cut it down! The knight was not afraid to shout and curse. The other generals of the Tiger Wing Army couldn't stand it anymore, and they begged Cao Xing one after another, and one of them clasped his fists and whispered: "General, this matter can't be covered by paper after all!" Once the general is furious, what should the general do? Cao Xing's heart was shocked.