Guo Tu walked into Liu Xiu's big tent with more than a dozen attendants with his head held high, he gently slapped his palm with a horsewhip, and stood in front of Liu Xiu with a smile.

Liu Xiu supported his cheeks with one hand and tilted his head to look at him. He knew that Guo Tu was a member of the Yang Zhai Guo family, and he was of the same clan as Guo Xun, who was beaten by him, and was a loyal ally of the Yuan family. He had little interest in currying favor with Guo Tu, because he knew that Guo Tu would not accept his kindness.

The two looked at each other like this, and the atmosphere in the big tent suddenly became cold. After a stalemate, Guo Tu couldn't bear the pressure, coughed first, and gave a fist salute: "The shogunate of the general of the expedition to the north is engaged, and Yang Zhai Guo Tu has seen the general of the north Zhonglang." ”

Liu Xiu snorted, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk. "Bring it."

Guo Tu's eyes shrank, his hand reached into his arms and pinched Yuan Shao's warrant, hesitating whether to sell two more ruthless sentences. Hao Zhao watched from the sidelines, suddenly took a step forward, and shouted in a deep voice: "Bold, do you want to assassinate?" ”

This shout, the two tigers standing next to him pounced, and without saying a word, Guo Tu was pressed to the ground, although Guo Tu also knew two-handed swordsmanship, but compared with these tigers, he was not much stronger than a woman, and he was restrained without any room for resistance. The two attendants who followed him didn't even have time to draw their knives, and they were put on their necks by the other tiger soldiers, and they were so frightened that they broke out in a cold sweat and turned pale, so they had to let go of the handle of the knife and were obediently disarmed.

Guo Tu was so frightened that he shouted: "My lord, I'm not an assassin, I'm just ......"

Hao Zhao picked up the warrant from the ground and handed it to Liu Xiu with both hands. Liu Xiu waved his hand and motioned for the tigers to let go of Guo Tu. Guo Tu got up, the hem of the brocade robe, which was already covered with dust, was even more dirty, and his arm was twisted painfully, he glared at Liu Xiu indignantly: "Are adults so nervous in their own tents?" ”

Liu Xiu untied the military order, and said lightly: "You can't have the heart to hurt people, you can't have the heart to defend people, you don't look like a good person, it's normal for us to be careful." He quickly glanced at the military order: "The army is ready to go?" ”

"Yes." Guo Tu was originally so angry by Liu Xiu's sentence "not like a good person" that his face was flushed, and he was about to get angry, when he heard Liu Xiu's surprise at the departure of the army in his tone, he couldn't help but show a reserved smile and dusted off his sleeves, "The soldiers are noble and fast, as soon as the general of Zhengbei arrives in Gaoliu, he will prepare for war night and night, and he will rest for less than three hours every day." He glanced at the words that had just been written on Liu Xiu's case, and pouted: "My lord is really good at calligraphy, and he even practiced writing in the barracks." ”

Liu Xiu ignored him, threw Yuan Shao's military order aside, signed his name on the receipt sent by Guo Tu, said nothing, waved Guo Tu to go, and then picked up the brush and continued to write.

Guo Tu was very annoyed, he had come so far to deliver the military order, but he didn't want to leave like this. "My lord, when are you leaving?"

Liu Xiu raised his head in surprise, and glanced at Guo Tu with a cold gaze: "When will I set off, do I want to report to you?" ”

Guo Tuyu choked, he swallowed his saliva, only to find that Liu Xiu hadn't even let him drink a sip of water until now. "That'...... How do I reply to General Zhengbei? ”

Liu Xiuyi frowned, "How did Yuan Benchu use people, and people who don't understand anything dare to send them out?" ”

Guo Tu couldn't help it, and said in a very stiff tone: "My lord, what I did wrong, please ask for advice." ”

"I signed a receipt for you, which means that I have received this military order, and your mission is complete. As for whether I obey orders and when I am going to carry them out, that's your business? Liu Xiu stood up, raised his head, and looked at Guo Tu with his nostrils: "You just sent the military order, are you qualified to manage so much?" You overstepped your authority, do you understand? No matter how much you talk, Lao Tzu will beat you with twenty military sticks, do you believe it or not? ”

Guo Tu was speechless, he found that he underestimated Liu Xiu's arrogance, although he is now Yuan Shao's cronies, although he came on behalf of the Zhengbei General's Mansion, but Liu Xiu also did not take him seriously. In Liu Xiu's opinion, he is just a military order, and no Yang Zhai Guo family, or Yuan Shao's cronies, can add any luster to him.

It was completely different from the treatment he had encountered elsewhere.

Guo Tu wanted to turn around and leave, but he couldn't, he had to make sure that Liu Xiuhui carried out the military orders and ensured the safety of Yuan Shao's left flank. Originally, Liu Xiu took the initiative to tell him, and he was politely assured to him at the reception banquet, but now, he had to ask in a low voice.

Guo Tu remembered Guo Xun's warning and regretted it. But now it was too late to regret it, so he had to lower his posture, apologize to Liu Xiu, and convey Yuan Shao's ardent expectations for him, hoping that Liu Xiu would be able to attack as soon as possible according to the requirements of the military order.

Liu Xiu put his foot in the score, let out a bad breath, and then nodded and said, I promised Ben Chu that I would not let Xianbei in the west have a single soldier to reinforce it, and I have already received the news that the Xianbei people have retreated on all fronts, they want to drag us until we run out of food, and return in vain, you let Ben Chu be careful, don't be greedy for merit, and fall for the tricks of the Xianbei people.

Guo Tu smiled silently, didn't say anything more, turned around and left. He didn't care about Liu Xiu's worries at all, Yuan Shao's mansion now gathered a large number of talents, how could he not think of this problem, and he still needed Liu Xiu to remind him? He didn't bother to explain to Liu Xiu, wouldn't it be better to wait for Yuan Shao to make a great contribution and then watch Liu Xiu's jokes.

Guo Tu walked out of the camp gate, stepped on the horse, and was just about to leave quickly, when he suddenly saw a few people coming towards him, judging from the clothes on his body, it seemed to be a scribe, he was a little surprised, although Liu Xiu was a disciple of Lu Zhi, but I heard that his level of scripture was average, and there were no Confucian scholars around him. He glanced at it and found that there was an acquaintance among them: Xun You.

He hesitated, but still smiled, and called out, "Gongda, why are you here?" ”

Xun You was also surprised, he raised his head and looked, and hurriedly stepped forward to salute: "It turned out to be Brother Gongze, why did you come here?" ”

"I am on the order of General Bei to urge General Bei Zhonglang to attack." Guo Tu didn't get off the horse, looked at Xun You condescendingly, and smiled: "What's the matter, the illness last time was cured?" ”

Xun You snorted, turned around and introduced the scribe behind him and said: "Gongzhi, let me introduce you to you, this is a famous scholar in Taiyuan, and the state is not to be engaged in the division of Prince Wang Yun." ”

Guo Tu arched his hand disappreciably, still had no intention of getting off the horse, just arched his hand, and said two happy words without any sincerity. Wang Yun was very unhappy and had no interest in making friends with him, so he also stood aside and didn't speak after a perfunctory sentence. Xun You looked at it and hurriedly asked, "Gongzhi, why did you just come and leave?" Why not dismount and drink a few glasses of wine to cool off. ”

Guo Tu was a little moved, but when he thought of Liu Xiu's attitude, he felt that even if he stayed, Liu Xiu would not change his attitude. Although the Yingchuan Xun family is famous, it is not so noble in the eyes of the Guo family, and the so-called Xun family eight dragons and the like are just bluffing outsiders, not to mention that Xun You is not famous among the nephews of the Xun family.

"No, the army is about to go out, and the military affairs in the shogunate are busy, so I have to rush back to deal with it." Guo Tu said in high spirits: "Don't leave it at that." ”

"That's a hard job." Xun You arched his hand with a smile: "I will not send it far away." ”

Guo Tu raised his horsewhip and took his attendants away. Xun You kept smiling, but Wang Yun looked unhappy, and said while walking towards the camp: "The demeanor of Ruying celebrities is really not ordinary." ”

Xun You knew what he was angry about, and he didn't explain, so he entered the camp together, and after the report, Liu Xiu immediately let people pass in, and when they walked to the door of the tent, they saw Liu Xiu standing there with a smile, and shouted loudly: "Gongda, Zishi, how late is it?" ”

Xun You's heart was hot, but his face was silent, but he stretched out his hand to Wang Yun very respectfully, Wang Yun was a little unhappy that Liu Xiu put Xun You in front, but Liu Xiu personally came out of the account to greet him, Xun You was also interested, he didn't sink his face, and hurriedly stepped forward to salute and smiled: "How dare you have Lord Lao to greet him?" ”

"Hahaha...... Your prince is both the god of wealth and a Confucian general, and it is also appropriate for you to come out to greet him. Liu Xiu knew that Xun Yu was very low-key, and that little expression just now was enough, but Wang Yun was a very good-looking person, so of course he had to hold him high at this time. He took one into the account with one hand, picked up the military order on the case and handed it to them: "You take a look at it first, and then we will discuss it again." ”

Wang Yun honestly and unceremoniously took the military order and glanced at it, then threw it on the case, pouting: "Nonsense!" ”

Liu Xiu glanced at Hao Zhao, and then pulled Wang Yun to the map that had just been prepared. Hao Zhao understood, picked up the military order from the case, and quietly handed it to Xun You's hand.

As he was talking, Jia Xu and Lu Bu walked in, everyone was acquaintances, greeted each other, and then went straight to the point. Wang Yun said straight to the point: "I don't think it's a good idea to attack at this time, first, the horses are thin and not suitable for long-distance attacks, and secondly, spring plowing is imminent, and a large number of people will be requisitioned and issued will affect the agricultural time, and this year's harvest will definitely be affected." Youzhou and Bingzhou are originally places with a shortage of food, and going on an expedition at this time will exacerbate the food crisis. He paused, and then sneered: "After a few months of preparation, the Xianbei people have already run away, can you wait for him to fight?" I estimate that in a month at most, they will have to stop the pursuit, and if they want to catch the main force of the Xianbei people in a month, the luck is not ordinarily good, and the ancestral tomb has to be smoky. ”

Liu Xiu nodded again and again, although Wang Yun was arrogant, he was indeed talented, and he saw through several drawbacks of this expedition at a glance. He looked at Xun You, Xun You was silent, but it could be seen from his eyes that he had different opinions.

Liu Xiu coughed lightly: "But the military order has been issued, if I don't attack, I'm afraid that all the responsibility will be pushed on my head at that time." ”

Wang Yun frowned, walked to the map, put one hand behind him, drew two lines on the map with the other, and finally pointed to a place and said: "Then let's go around the outside of the plug, let's take it as hunting." Although Yuan Benchu is a son of the family, he can't even see this, and there are some talents around him, and it is said that He Hao is also there, and he will not fail to remind him of this. I reckon...... They're just hunting, too. ”

Speaking of this, Wang Yun couldn't help but sigh and didn't say any more.

Liu Xiu nodded quietly, "Since that's the case, then let's not make a big move, Zishi, after we attack, the matter here will be handed over to you, you must not let the Xianbei people take advantage of the loophole and ruin this year's harvest." ”

Wang Yun arched his hand: "Don't worry, as long as the adults don't rush in, they are taken advantage of by the Xianbei people, they can't escape for their lives, how can they have the courage to come here." ”

Liu Xiu laughed, and immediately ordered a banquet to be set up for Wang Yun and Xun You. If Guo Tu saw Liu Xiu receiving Xun You like this, it is estimated that he would blow up his lungs. Of course, he wouldn't know that the reason why Liu Xiu didn't give him a good face at all was not entirely because he was from Yuan Shao's camp, nor because the Yangzhai Guo family had encroached on the fiefdom of the eldest princess, but because Liu Xiu knew that he Guo Tu was not a real talent, and the reason why Yuan Shao was defeated in the battle of Guandu, he Guo Tu had an unshirkable responsibility.

In Liu Xiu's eyes, he is a typical example of the kind of flashy family children, except for his family background, he has no real skills.

After the banquet, Liu Xiu left Xun You, boiled a pot of tea, and sat opposite Xun You.

"My lord, this battle has to be fought." Xun You was not polite at all, and said to Liu Xiu bluntly: "If you don't fight, Yuan Shao must be the first merit, this is not what Your Majesty wants to see." ”

Liu Xiu looked at him and slowly sipped his tea.

Xun You analyzed the situation, and his views were roughly the same as Jia Xu's, but he was more focused on tactical analysis. He said, now everyone actually knows that there is no possibility of success in this battle, you know, Yuan Shao also knows, and those strategists around him also know, so he is just bluffing, and he will never force a decisive battle with the Xianbei people. Of course, Xianbei people also know this truth, and they may not have the strength to fight, the spring horse is thin, they don't have too many advantages, this time is their weakest time, so if there is no very good opportunity, they will also be happy, everyone acts together, go through the motions.

In this way, Yuan Shao will win.

However, when everyone thinks that this is just a tacit play, it is a good opportunity for adults to make meritorious contributions. You turned the fake drama into a real thing, do the Xianbei people want to get it? With the intention versus the unintentional, this already has the possibility of winning.

Xun You stood up and strode to the map, his fingers quickly swiping in several places. The Xianbei people are nomadic people, they come and go freely, but, don't forget, my lord, they have a large number of cattle and sheep, and they can't do without water, otherwise the cattle and sheep will starve to death, and they will be miserable. This time to cross the desert decisive battle, there are only a few water sources, as long as the water source is guarded, they will be sent to the door sooner or later, and it is not so difficult to capture the main force of the Xianbei people. What's more, there is also the Niutou tribe in the north of Xianbei in the west, and they definitely don't dare to get too close to the Niutou tribe for fear of being flanked.

Liu Xiu's heart moved, yes, Wind Crack would not cooperate with him, but the Xianbei people didn't know, they definitely thought that Wind Crack would attack them, and they had to keep a safe distance from the Niutou tribe, so that their range of activities would be smaller.

This is simply a godsend, if you don't consider the possible defeat that will result from forcing Yuan Shao to fight a decisive battle with the Xianbei people.

Liu Xiu remembered the dog again, but this time he thought more. The Son of Heaven now favors him, on the one hand, they have a common language in art, but the most important aspect is that he is useful to the Son of Heaven, he is also a dog, if he is not useful, the Son of Heaven will presumably throw him away like a used dog, and raise a useful person.

In other words, Jia Xu and Xun You had already convinced him of the necessary and feasible surnames for the initiative to fight from both the terms of strategy and tactics, and if he still hesitated, he would not only lose the trust of the Son of Heaven, but also these two talents.

These top talents don't follow a loser.

Liu Xiu narrowed his eyes, pondered for a long time, his fingers beat the hurried drum on the desk, and finally knocked out a few strong notes, and nodded silently.

During this period, although Xun You lowered his head to drink tea, he kept pricking up his ears to listen to Liu Xiu's breathing, of course, more he heard his own heartbeat, he felt that his hands were a little numb, and he couldn't even hold the teacup, so he could only hide it in his sleeve. It wasn't until Liu Xiu nodded that he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Xiu made up his mind and reacted quickly. Although he has not decided to attack these days, the relevant preparations have been carried out in an orderly manner, and the training of the soldiers has quietly changed from physical fitness to tactical coordination, although Guan Yu and Lu Bu have not started fighting again, the secret competition has not stopped, Lu Bu They have even drawn a sketch of the horse armor and made the first handmade sample.

With an order, the order to attack was spread by beacon fire, and in just one night, Han Sui and Zhao Yun, who were far away in the clouds and Manbo, got the news and quietly went out of the fortress with their respective armies. The gates slammed shut behind them, and from now on, dozens of gates for nearly a thousand miles from east to west officially entered a state of military control.

In Guanglu City, Xu Huang welcomed Liu Xiu into the city and reported to Liu Xiu with his unique simplicity. Since the decision to attack last year, the Xianbei people began to retreat north in a planned way, so far, whether it is the Hongyue tribe that has cooperated with the Han Dynasty or the wild wolf tribe and the wild sand tribe that has not cooperated, they have all withdrawn thousands of miles away, their old and young women and children are in front, and the knights are behind, keeping vigilant at any time. Because it was too far away, most of the news sent back by the scouts was a long time ago, and judging from the current situation, they had lost their position as Xianbei people.

However, Xu Huang also noticed the important surname of the water source, and he told Liu Xiu that he had sent someone to disguise himself as a Xianbei shepherd and squat near several important water sources, if they were lucky enough and were not discovered by the Xianbei people, then as long as the main Xianbei force appeared nearby, they would send back the news as soon as possible.

However, this is also very reluctant as soon as possible, because even if the scouts find out the news, it is a very serious problem whether they can find them in time to report. Although Liu Xiu brought 10,000 people, once these people arrived in the vast desert, they were not much different from a few people.

The timeliness of information becomes the biggest variable.

"Have these three tribes united?" Liu Xiu stood in front of the map with the migration route of the Xianbei people and asked leisurely.

"Not yet." Xu Huang shook his head, according to the news from the scouts, he marked their locations in chronological order, but these positions were all more than a month ago, and now where they are, no one can tell.

"Okay, let's eat the Wild Sand Tribe first." Liu Xiu nodded on the westernmost line. Xu Huang hesitated for a moment, "My lord, we don't know where the Wild Sand Tribe is now. ”

"Where can it be?" Liu Xiu smiled and drew a circle on the map with his hand, "Judging from this route and migration speed, they should be in Baisha Lake, which is 1,500 miles away, where there is the best pasture and the largest water source." Further north, there is no such good place for them to stay, and there is a possibility of invading the territory of the Minotor tribe. Today's Wild Sand Tribe has limited strength, and they will not take the initiative to provoke the Bullhead Tribe unless they have to. ”

Xu Huang smiled and nodded again and again, he originally thought the same, but he didn't feel that he was too sure and didn't dare to say it in front of Liu Xiu.

"What do you see?" Liu Xiu turned to Jia Xu, Xun You, and Lu Bu and said, "If you have any ideas, say it now, don't be afraid of mistakes, everyone discusses with each other, and there may be different discoveries from different angles." ”

Xun You smiled, "What the adults said is very true. ”

Jia Xu touched his beard, "My subordinates actually participated in the war, I don't know if it's right or not, but judging from the adult's analysis, there should be a chance." ”

"What do you mean there should be a chance?" Lu Bu jumped up, patted his chest and shouted: "In my opinion, that law deduction is ten ** cats on the shore of Baisha Lake, waiting for Lao Tzu to kick his ass......" As soon as he spoke, he felt a little indecent, and quickly lowered the volume by an octave, and said with a wry smile: "...... Buttocks, buttocks. ”

Liu Xiuqiang couldn't help but smile and waved his hand: "Since this is the case, then Gongming will take the first step and inquire about the news in the direction of Baisha Lake, and we will meet Han Sui and Zhao Yunbu and then rush there." If we can't find the Wild Sand Tribe, don't go west, where we have our own Captain Guard, and we'll turn east and catch the wolf. ”

Lu Bu asked, "My lord, don't you want to settle Gandluoluo?" ”

Liu Xiu sneered: "I have already sent a messenger to ask him to cooperate with us in the battle. Last year he gave him a tribute, and I can't afford to save him any face. However, if he pushes back, as long as I catch him, I don't mind banging him. ”

Lu Bu smacked his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say it.

Xu Huang received the order and personally took the scout camp to leave the city immediately. Liu Xiu then set off as well, and a day later, he met Zhao Yun and Han Sui near an unknown hill, and they brought Liu Xiu a piece of news.

Yuan Shao, the general of the expedition to the north, led 30,000 main forces, went out of the fortress from Gaoliu, defeated a Xianbei thousand-man team near Huanghu Bozi, and then captured Danhan Mountain without blood. Danhan Mountain is the royal court of the Xianbei people, although the Xianbei people are used to living in tents, Danhan Mountain has a small palace city, and several palaces have been built, and Tanshi Huai usually lives there. In the minds of Xianbei people, Danhan Mountain is a very important place.

Now, the royal court of Danhan Mountain has become Yuan Shao's first trophy, and the palace of Tanshihuai has become Yuan Shao's general camp for Zhengbei, Yuan Shao issued an order, requiring Daijun and Yanmen to levy and send thousands of people to transport the prepared city building materials to Danhan Mountain, and he wants to strengthen the city defense of Danhan Mountain.

Hearing this, Liu Xiu, Jia Xu, and Xun You exchanged a look, and said in their hearts that Yuan Shao had the idea. The battle to defeat the Xianbei Royal Court is really a great feat, as for the Xianbei Royal Court is an empty city, who will know?

It's a pity that they forgot that there is me in the north and I am the Son of Heaven. Since you have me, you are destined not to be so wishy-washy.

(To be continued)