Cao Cao's personal expedition to Xuzhou was also to prepare for another battle with Yuan Shao. In the Battle of Guandu in the fifth year of Jian'an, Sun Ce and Liu Bei joined forces and successfully contained part of Cao Cao's forces in the south and east. In order to prevent Liu Bei in Xuzhou and Sun Quan in Yancheng from attacking Xuchang, Cao Cao had to mobilize Liu Ye, Cao Ren and others to take precautions.

This led to the fact that on frontal battlefields such as the confrontation with Yuan Shao, Cao Cao lacked Cao Ren, Man Chong and others to respond.

Taking advantage of Sun Ce's new funeral, Cao Cao sent troops to try to recapture Wancheng, Yancheng and other places, but Zhou Yu, Xu Sheng and others stuck to the city, reused the craftsmen in the army, gave priority to building a batch of clever crossbows to prepare for war, and supported craftsmen to build all kinds of city defense equipment, and repelled the offensive of Cao's army again and again.

Cao Cao looked at the young generals on the tower of Wancheng from afar, and couldn't help but sigh, "Jiangdong is just a small land, and the children of the Sun family are only young, so they can be so talented as Wang Zuozhi." If this person is not removed, it will be a big trouble for my Cao Jun in the future! ”

The land of Wancheng could not be attacked for a long time, so Cao Cao simply turned the spearhead and raised troops to attack Xuzhou with all his might.

Since Liu Bei occupied Xuzhou, he sought to be strong in many ways, including Liu Pi, Gong Du and others who were dissatisfied with Cao Cao's arbitrariness, and convinced Liu Bei's identity as a Han clan, and led the troops to vote, and in just half a year, more than 10,000 people were recruited.

Cao Cao was born with jealousy, in his eyes, Liu Bei can also be regarded as a personal masterpiece, and such a masterpiece, he originally wanted to be included in his command and work together for a great cause. But Liu Bei obviously didn't think so, and after the edict incident, Liu Bei also saw the difference between himself and Cao Cao.

Cao Cao treated Liu Bei as a guest, and the two once imagined the future blueprint for serving the Han family, even if Liu Bei also understood that Cao Cao must also have selfish intentions, but looking at the princes of the Quartet, only Cao Cao still has the heart to respect the Han, if he can dominate the troubled times for the Han family, even if Cao Cao really becomes Huo Guang's second, it may not be necessary.

Therefore, in the edict incident, Liu Bei was also afraid of Cao Cao's power on the one hand, and he didn't want to tear his face with Cao Cao on the other. But after the edict incident, Cao Cao killed the Dong family and shed thousands of miles of blood in front of the palace to deter the important ministers, and Liu Bei completely understood.

No matter how Cao Cao plays the banner of honoring the Han family, he will not be willing to be Huo Guang's second in the future, he will definitely use Cao to replace the Han and cut off the inheritance of the Han family.

As a member of the Liu clan, he can never tolerate such humiliation by the Han family, since the ministers with different surnames have different hearts, then only their Liu surname clan will never have different hearts.

Rather than relying on others, it is better to rely on yourself.

Liu Bei took refuge in the princes everywhere, also in order to find a way out for himself and for the Han family.

He watched Cao Cao lead his troops to suppress the realm, and he also knew very well that he and Cao Cao would inevitably have this battle.

Cao Cao pointed at Liu Bei with a whip, "I treat you as a guest, why are you ungrateful?" ”

Liu Bei is like this, Guan Yu is like this, in the troubled times, he also thought that he and Liu Bei were heroes and heroes.

"Under the pretense of Han Xiang, I am actually a Han thief, I am a relative of the Han family, and I must not commit to Cao Xiang to betray the Han Emperor."

Liu Bei thought that Cao Cao would be angry when he heard this, but Cao Cao smiled, "There are countless people in this world who have established private countries under the banner of the Han family. ”

It is easy to say, but it is not easy to do. The Han court has been decayed, and it is true that he Cao Cao is a traitor, but if there is no traitor who coerces the Son of Heaven to deter the princes of the Quartet, now he is not said to be the Emperor of the Han Dynasty.

Will he, Liu Bei, use the name of He Guo to conquer the princes?

"Cao Gong has always been good at living the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain, you have the idea of treason, and you are a traitor in your eyes." Liu Bei didn't bother to talk nonsense with him, and asked Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei to lead their troops and horses to fight against him.

Cao Cao had already secretly ordered Xiahoudun to set up an ambush outside the city, waiting for Liu Bei's elite in the city to come out, and seize the west gate to enter.

This battle of Xuzhou was much smoother than Cao Cao expected, and even Xu Sheng, Zhou Yu and others had to say that Liu Bei and Cao Cao were compared with Cao Cao, after all, it was difficult to defeat them with eggs.

Liu Bei ordered Guan Yu to break off, but Cao Cao cared about Guan Yu's bravery after all, and didn't want to hurt his life, so he let him abandon the city and leave.

Liu Bei's subordinate Sun Qian brought soldiers and horses to respond, and offered advice to order Liu Bei to join Liu Biao in Jingzhou again.

"There are times of success or failure, so that you must not lose heart. Liu Jingsheng sits in the nine counties, has strong soldiers and sufficient food, and is a relative of the Han family with the envoy, if he conspires with him, wouldn't he have a better chance of winning? ”

Liu Bei looked at the rolling Yangtze River and lamented three times in the port, "Sir, let's go and say it, if Liu Jingsheng is willing to be compatible, he should serve Jingzhou." ”

After Sun Qian left, Liu Bei ordered Zhao Yun to go to Jiangdong and ask to see Sun Quan.

On the other side, in Sun Quan's study, Zhang Zhao and Yu Chuan were also talking to Sun Quan about it.

"Cao Cao personally conquered Liu Bei, the two have become mortal enemies, Liu Bei abandoned Xuzhou and went south, Cao Cao's next step must be to go down to Guangling again. Although General Xu was brave, he had already tried his best to defend the city for months. It is better to attack Liu Bei at this time, and offer Liu Bei's head to show favor to Cao Cao. ”

"Cao Cao went down to several cities in Xuzhou, in the final analysis, it was to kill chickens and make an example of monkeys." Lu Fan explained for Sun Quan.

Sun Quan also understands this meaning, Liu Bei is the chicken in Cao Cao's hands, and he, Sun Quan, is the monkey that Cao Cao wants to set an example of.

"Cao Cao's biggest enemy now is still Yuan Shao, but he is also eyeing Jiangdong. I Jiangdong needlessly offended Cao Cao for the sake of a Liu Bei, and ruined the alliance that was not easy to reach. ”

Sun Quan knew that Sun Ce's death was definitely inseparable from Cao Cao, but he still had to endure it in order to save Jiangdong, and only used the assassin's head to warn Guo Jia and Cao Ren, so that they would not dare to act rashly again.

The relationship between Jiangdong and Cao Cao is delicate, Cao Cao can't eat Jiangdong for a while, and Jiangdong is not stable inside, and with Liu Biao on his side, he naturally can't go north.

Now that everyone maintains a superficially friendly relationship, no one dares to break this balance first.

By the time Zhang Zhao and the others left the study, Sun Quan was too tired to say anything.

As soon as Sun Ce died, the Shanyue people in the south began to move again, first refusing to pay taxes, and then robbing the local women as wives, and the local officials also had a headache, wanting to kill but helpless to hide the Shanyue people.

And Sun Quan's call order has not been able to attract the surrender of the local clan to Jiangdong.

After Sun Yi arrived in Danyang, he secretly recruited soldiers and horses, and he had won more than 10,000 people, and Sun Quan also understood what he wanted.

Zhang Zhao and others all hoped that Sun Quan would detain Liu Bei, and then kill him and sacrifice him to Cao Cao, so as to seek time for Jiangdong to recuperate, and give priority to the matter of Shanyue in Jiangdong.

Sun Quan did not immediately agree with the suggestions of Zhang Zhao and others, "What the princes said, Lone already knows, but today Lone is a little tired, Liu Bei's matter is not urgent, but it can be discussed in a few days, but the matter of Shanyue, as the princes said, is an urgent policy, and the princes will discuss and prepare a statement first, and submit it tomorrow to decide." ”

(End of chapter)