In Cao Cao's camp.

At this time, Cao Cao was rubbing his eyebrows, feeling a little headache.

The combat effectiveness of the Hebei army is indeed far beyond his imagination, not to mention anything else, just say that the Jizhou cavalry of about 3,000 people under Liu Bei, led by Zhao Zilong, the vanguard general in the front, attacked Cao Cao no less than five formations, which was very difficult.

Although Cao Cao has recruited a lot of soldiers from the Black Mountain Yellow Turban and the Yuzhou Yellow Turban for military use, he still cannot compare with the Hebei Army in terms of combat effectiveness, and there is a gap in the combat effectiveness of the soldiers.

If he encounters ordinary princes and shepherds, Cao Cao definitely has the strength to fight, and can even overwhelm the heroes, but in front of the Hebei army, Cao Cao feels that the shortcomings of his army are too many.

Nothing else, the equipment alone is a lot worse.

If you look at the number of people in armor in the Hebei army, you can look at the number of soldiers and horses under Cao Cao?

In this case, Cao Cao is really difficult to rise.

Even if he has the ambition of Lingyun, he is also versatile.

"Report ——!"

With a shout, I saw a scout hurrying into Cao Cao's tent.

When Cao Cao heard this shout, he seemed to have some energy, and he hurriedly raised his head and looked towards the place where the sound came from.

The scout hurriedly came to the middle of the big tent and bowed his hand to Cao Cao and said: "Envoy, Xiahou Sima fought with the northern thieves in Fulin, and the thief army defended it with the newly established earthen city, and Captain Xiahou attacked five times in three days, all of which could not be defeated. ”

The Xiahou Sima in the scout's mouth refers to Cao Cao's clan arm, Xiahou Xuan.

When Xiahoudun was fourteen years old, he once bravely crowned the township with force, and killed the man because someone insulted his teacher, so he was famous for his courage and chivalry.

When Cao Cao raised his army, Xiahou and the heroes of the Xiahou clan accompanied him, and he himself was also trusted by Cao Cao.

On this expedition, Xiahoudun took charge of the front army for Cao Cao and confronted Liu Bei.

It's a pity that although Xiahoudun is brave and brave in the township, he is really a lot worse in terms of the strength of the army.

Compared with Yu Ban and Le Jin and others, who were promoted by Cao Cao from the ranks, Xiahoudun does have a gap.

In fact, Cao Cao understood that although Xiahoudun was heroic, in fact, what he was really good at was slope building, irrigation, and the way of learning, and he could be said to be a general who was good at guarding and farming.

If you lead the troops to charge into battle and overcome the enemy, it is really not what you are good at.

But after all, he is a clansman, and Cao Cao is relieved to use it, because he handed over the position of the vanguard chief officer to him.

But after a few battles, it is clear that the effect is not ideal.

"Who is the one who is fighting with Yuan Rang?"

The scout replied: "I heard that it is Liu Bei's vanguard officer Gao Shun, who has 3,000 camps under his command, and is good at rejecting the enemy in a solid formation, and defeating the enemy with a foot formation. ”

"That's it, send an order to the front army, and Yuan Rang will retreat to the main camp for the time being." Cao Cao rubbed his head helplessly.

"No!"

After the scout was gone, Cao Cao walked to the door of the tent and looked in the direction of the north with a gloomy face.

His expression was unconvinced.

If Liu Jian used troops, Cao Cao thought that he might not be able to compare, but he should never lose to Liu Bei.

The first battle in the previous battle was personally commanded by Cao Cao.

At that time, Cao Cao had observed from a distance the formation of Liu Bei's troops and horses, as well as the camp he set up, and his ability to mobilize at the right time.

I have to say that Liu Bei has indeed learned a lot of things with Liu Jian, and he also has the ability!

But in Cao Cao's view, he only learned the surface of Liu Jian, but failed to learn the essence.

To tell the truth, in the military aspect, in addition to experience, the commander of the army also needs talent, and vision and character are very important.

At this point, Cao Cao thinks that his talent belongs to the top, although he is not as demonic as Liu Jian, but at least he can be on par with Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song and others.

Although Liu Bei also has a certain military talent, he is inferior to himself in Cao Cao's opinion.

Although Liu Bei is also very good, he should at least be a grade behind himself.

But the problem is that although Liu Bei is not as talented as himself, he has a good younger brother.

The younger brother of the family used hard strength to smooth out this gap for Liu Bei.

The Hebei Army now wants people and people, wants ordnance and ordnance, wants horses and horses, wants grain and grain, and wants fierce generals and fierce generals.

All aspects of hardware conditions are better than themselves!

Liu Jian casually allocated a partial army to Liu Bei, and Cao Cao couldn't compare.

No matter how strong Cao Cao's ability is, he is in vain in the face of the gap in hard strength.

At the beginning, when the morale of the two sides was high, they could still fight back and forth, and they won and lost each other.

But as soon as the momentum of the rush passes, the disadvantages and shortcomings that Cao Jun should have will gradually be revealed.

……

After Cao Cao recruited Xiahoudun back, he immediately convened a military meeting to discuss how to deal with Liu Bei next.

As for how to fight next, a debate broke out among Cao Ying.

I saw Cao Hong, Xiahoudun, Yu Ban, Le Jin and others in the Cao camp, arguing about whether they should continue to send troops.

As Cao Cao's younger brother, Cao Hong is like a fire by nature, and his status among the Cao clan is very high.

Cao Ren is currently accompanying Zhou Yu to Jiangdong, so this time he went north, Cao Hong took his place and became the pillar of Cao's Chinese army.

Cao Hong is desperately asking to fight for the second time and fight to the death with Liu Bei!

However, as the spokesperson of the leader of the Xiahou clan, Xiahoudun obviously had different opinions.

"Our soldiers, in addition to the soldiers of Dongjun in the past, there are still elites drawn from the Yellow Turbans of Montenegro and Yuzhou, these soldiers can become the honor guard of our army in the future, but now they are not well trained, and their armor is incomplete, so they are unbearable to practice!"

"After several encounters, I look at the opponent's generals, Zhao Yun is good at riding, Gao Shun is good at walking, if we are defending the camp, our army still has the power to protect itself, if it is a field battle, I am afraid that the other army knows the truth of our army, and stealing is worrying."

The reason for Xiahoudun's objection was that after several tentative confrontations and fierce battles, his own shortcomings had gradually become apparent.

In particular, the sturdy drawn from the Yellow Turbans of Montenegro and Yuzhou, although they can be of great use, have not yet been practiced.

In this case, it is really a bit boring to compete with Zhao Yun, Gao Shun and others, who are well-equipped and brave in the three armies.

If the other party detects the shortcomings of the formation, I am afraid that there will be heavy losses.

In fact, what Xiahoudun said was not unreasonable, but in the ears of many people, they all felt that he was cowardly.

Cao Hong's face was flushed, although he was young, he had a good posture, a strict face, and a face full of beards and upside down, quite like a tiger general.

This time he went north to fight, although Cao Hong made meritorious contributions, but he never got the opportunity to play.

Especially seeing that Xiahoudun was beaten by Zhao Yun and Gao Shun on the front line, even the fierce warrior Dian Wei was injured by Zhao Yun in front of the battle because of his improper command!

Cao Hong's heart is even more like a cat scratching, wanting to replace Xiahoudun's command.

You are a waste yourself, you can't beat Zhao Yun and Gao Shun, and you still rely on the soldiers?

Seeing that the generals under his command were hesitant and arguing with each other because they were fighting or not fighting, Cao Cao sighed.

In fact, in recent days, Cao Cao has felt a little old.

It's just that Cao Cao is now in the prime of life, how can he be old?

It's not that he's old, it's that he's mentally old.

It's no wonder that the combat power of the Hebei Army is too fierce, and the fight only makes people feel a little aesthetic fatigue.

Can't you fight less fiercely? Look at what you can do!

In the face of such an army that is almost perfect and you can't find fault with it, do you think Cao Cao's mentality can be ageless?

If you think about it carefully, when you evacuated from Dongjun to Jiangdong to settle in Jiangnan, to see the current situation, this idea is really right.

Just imagine, Cao Cao's original location was in Dongjun, with Yuan Shao in the south and Liu Jian in the north.

These two people, as long as one is removed, Cao Cao may weigh it and continue to develop in Yanzhou.

But the problem is that with these two people, one in the south and one in the north, sandwiched in the middle, no matter who it is, the end will not be very good.

Don't say it's Cao Cao, just let Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, Han Xin reincarnate, and throw him between them to play the same.

Now, this time the soldiers and horses went out to fight the Hebei Army, which made Cao Cao feel for the first time how fierce the behemoth in front of him had grown!

Thinking that back then in Luoyang, Cao Cao also regarded Liu Jian as a player of the same level as himself.

But now, he really can't compare with him.

It seems that only by returning to Jiangdong, rowing the river south of the Yangtze River, relying on the characteristics of the Jiangdong people, to build excellent warships and naval armies, and taking advantage of the characteristics of the northerners who do not know water and do not accept water and soil, can they be able to divide the world and sit and watch the situation.

But that's all for later, so what should we do now?

Cao Cao looked at Xiahoudun: "Yuan Rang, in your opinion, at this time, if I don't fight Liu Bei, what should I do?" ”

Xiahoudun said: "Mengde, now we still have to focus on strengthening our own strength,"

"Since Meng De has decided to run Huainan and annex Jiangdong, he should ask Yuan Gong for his resignation, withdraw from the affairs of Sizhou, return to Huainan, and carefully manage Huaidi."

"The land of Lianghuai has been a rich land since ancient times, as long as it is cultivated and managed well, money and grain will be endless."

"Although the south of Jiangdong is barren, Wu County is rich, Danyang has elite soldiers, the depth is vast, and there are many family members available, and there are frequent wars in the north, and a large number of people and clans cross to the south, if you are willing to manage carefully and train the navy, Meng De can naturally become a figure who can call one side in the future, but at the moment we really have no meaning here."

Cao Hong was anxious to listen to the sidelines, and he said hurriedly: "Ming Gong! Yuan Benchu invited Yuan Gong to come to Sizhou, but now there is no battle for a while, we heard that Niu Fu and Lu Bu were defeated, so they retreated, just imagine how Yuan Shao can not be blamed? ”

"If our Cao family wants to prosper in Jiangnan, we still need to rely on Yuan Shao now, and Ming Gong has to think about it!"

Cao Cao was also thinking about this in his heart.

It's a bit bad to go now!

You have to make some appearances.

At this moment, Xi Zhicai hurriedly walked into the tent, he looked around, and then walked to Cao Cao's side, leaned down, and whispered a few words in his ear.

Immediately afterwards, I saw Cao Cao's spirit for a while, and there was some brilliance on Shi Cai's somewhat depressed face.

I heard Cao Cao say: "What Zilian and Yuan Rang said has its own reasons, but there is one thing that is important, that is, since Yuan Benchu invited me to come here, if I don't fight with the Hebei army well, it will indeed be a failure to ...... original."

Xiahoudun was anxious when he heard this: "But if you fight with the Hebei army and cause too much loss to our army, how can it be good?" ”

Cao Cao's eyes flashed a little smug, but they quickly disappeared.

He stroked his short hair and said with a smile: "Ziheng Zhishu Yu Zhicai, Yan Meng Zhuo has secretly raised troops, sent troops from Chen Liu, and went straight to Sizhou, as a strange army, and I will fight Liu Bei together!" ”

"The matter of sending troops is imperative this time!"

"You don't need to question it."

When Cao Cao made a decision on the spot, as the momentum on his body unfolded,

All the generals who didn't want to continue the war in Sizhou could only keep their mouths shut.

The current Cao Cao also has a majesty that is enough to deter all his subordinates.

Xi Zhicai said: "Don't doubt it, this battle Ming Gong led the soldiers and horses to Sizhou, because there are still soldiers and generals needed to pacify Jiangdong, so the soldiers and horses led this time are only 15,000,"

"But despite this, in the face of Hebei's strong troops, we can still fight with them, which shows that our momentum is not weaker than them."

"Although the other army is strong, Liu Bei is not Liu Jian after all,"

"As long as you plan it properly, you may not be able to break it!"

"Today, Zhang Mengzhuo led the crowd to come, as long as he planned properly and fought with weight, he would break Liu Xuande!"

Xi Zhicai is now a military advisor under Cao Cao's account, which is a position specially set up for him by Cao Cao.

Although he did not have the right to control the military aircraft, when he was the counselor of the military aircraft, Xi Zhicai's status in the army can be described as transcendent.

In particular, he is really a great talent, and he has something to say, and in the last two years, all the words he has admonished are in line with the benefits of Cao Jun, so he has convinced the generals.

Now that he and Cao Cao are working together to protect the battle, all the generals no longer have any doubts.

Seeing that the idea of temporarily unifying the whole army was unified, Cao Cao immediately struck while the iron was hot,

He ordered: "You can go back to the barracks of the various departments, restrain your subordinates, and wait for the order to send troops." ”

As soon as Cao Cao's order came out, all the generals in the tent received the order.

After the generals in the tent were commanded to go,

Xi Zhicai asked Cao Cao:

"Duke Ming, Lu Ziheng said that Zhang Miao will secretly attack Liu Bei, how sure is Ming Gong in this battle?"

Cao Cao saw Xi Zhicai asking, and said calmly:

"If Liu Xuande doesn't notice, I am ninety percent sure that I can defeat the other army."

Xi Zhicai replied: "What if Liu Bei found out that Zhang Miao came secretly?" What about missing the plan? ”

Faced with this question of Xi Zhicai, Cao Cao was silent again.

After thinking about it for a long time, Cao Cao pretended to smile lightly:

"If Liu Bei can know that Zhang Miao is coming, then I have no chance of winning this battle."

Xi Zhicai couldn't help frowning when he heard this.

"Is that serious?"

"Zhicai, you are good at making decisions, but you have never led the troops, the strength of the Hebei army is not easy to match, with the strength of our army, it is really difficult to beat."

Hearing Cao Cao say this, Xi Zhi let out a sigh.

But Cao Cao then said:

"Zhicai doesn't need to worry too much, then Liu Bei was familiar with me in the past, although he has the ability, but in terms of strategy and military, he is far inferior to Liu Jian, and nine times out of ten he will not notice it."

"If it weren't for the strong Hebei sergeant and complete armor, Cao would definitely not be so afraid of Liu Xuande!"

Xi Zhicai said: "But what if he has someone superior to help him? ”

When Cao Cao heard this, he was stunned.

"Ming Gong should not forget, in the Hebei army, there are many wise and resourceful people, Liu Deran is full of talents, Liu Bei can't think of things, maybe others will think of it!"

Cao Cao licked his lips when he heard this.

"This is a key, if Liu Bei really understands my plan, then this battle will ...... When to fight? ”

Xi Zhicai said in a low voice: "It must be fought when fighting, but if it is really recognized by Liu Bei, then Ming Gong must remember to protect our army's own strength when dispatching...... If it really doesn't work, it can only sacrifice Zhang Mengzhuo! ”

……

……

Soon, Cao Cao's army began to move south, and built earthen cities and camped in camps.

At the same time, Cao Cao also built a deer antler array outside the earthen city, and set up large camps on the east and west sides......

Such actions gave Liu Bei a feeling that Cao Cao was going to fight a protracted battle with him.

When he got the news, Liu Bei's first reaction was:

"the rush and can't win, the courage is discouraged!"

Then, his face showed a little smugness.

After all, Cao Cao was the cavalry captain who accompanied Huangfu Song to fight the Yellow Turban, and he made a lot of contributions when he fought against the Yellow Turban.

In recent years, although he is not as good as Liu Jian and Yuan Shao, he is also another rising star after them.

Cao Cao is now helpless in the face of himself, but he was beaten by himself and retreated from the truce, intending to hold it for a long time, which made Liu Bei feel a little more confident and contemptuous.

However, after Liu Bei said this, someone soon poured a basin of cold water on him next to him.

Tian Feng said coldly: "If Xuande thinks like this, then the three armies will be swallowed up!" ”

(End of chapter)