That night, the coalition camp was silent, and there was no trace of yesterday's celebratory atmosphere.

Cao Cao's big tent.

Cao Cao is in the main position, and on the left and right are Guo Jia, Yang Xiu, Sima Yi, Xiahoudun, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan, Le Jin and others.

Some of the people looked solemn, some were expressionless, some were secretly nervous, and some were uncertain.

At this time, a herald came in and said, "General Qiyu, there is news from Liu Yuanjun's tent that Zhang Yide is fine. ”

Cao Cao had already expected it, and after waving his hand, he said thoughtfully: "Lu Bu's bravery has exceeded my expectations, and now the morale of the coalition army has plummeted, and many people have the idea of retreating, what do you think?" ”

After waiting for a while, Yang Xiu saw that the others were silent, and said: "General, the soldiers and horses from all walks of life are mainly because of grain and grass, and the latter general favors one over the other, which leads to dissatisfaction. ”

Yang Xiu's euphemism is essentially Yuan Shao's desire to control all kinds of soldiers and horses through grain and grass in order to achieve annexation and self-improvement.

This kind of move is becoming more and more obvious, everyone from all walks of life is in danger, and Lu Bu is too powerful, it is natural to retreat.

Cao Cao didn't care about Yang Xiu's nonsense, his eyes searched, and fell on Sima Yi, who had always been cautious, and said with a smile: "Zhongda, what do you think?" ”

Sima Yi immediately made a flattered gesture, and hurriedly said: "Back to the general, the lower officials think that there are two important tasks at present, first, to rectify the coalition army and boost morale. Second, if the Dong army calls for battle tomorrow, or even sends troops out of the city, how should it respond? ”

Cao Cao's narrow eyes narrowed slightly, his expression remained unchanged, and he said, "You say, Dong Zhuo dares to close the bottle?" ”

Sima Yi raised his hand, lowered his head, and said, "Judging from today's situation, Xia Guan thinks it is still possible. Dong Zhuo would not be ignorant of the situation of the coalition forces. ”

The situation of the coalition forces is fierce on the surface, but in fact, there is intrigue and infighting on the inside, and there is no joint force at all.

Before this is fought, some people will retreat, and once they encounter setbacks, they will fall apart in an instant!

Cao Cao stared at Sima Yi for a while, then fell on Guo Jia and said, "What do you think of Feng Xiao?" ”

Guo Jia drank the wine, quietly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said, "General, what Zhong Da said is right, now you need to be wary of what the general will do." Also, you have to prepare for a big battle with Dong Jun. ”

Cao Cao's originally optimistic attitude slowly wavered, but he was still a little unwilling, and said, "Dong Zhuo, will you really fight?" ”

There are lakes on both sides of the bottle and pot pass, which is steep and dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack, as long as it lasts until winter, the coalition forces have to retreat if they do not retreat.

Will Dong Zhuo take the risk of sending troops at such a time?

Guo Jia turned his head to look at the bottle and pot pass, and said, "General, don't underestimate Dong Zhuo, you can't be reasonable." ”

Cao Cao thought of the last time he returned to Xiaguan, his expression suddenly cold, and he was silent for a while, and said, "Fengxiao, is there a way to delay it for a few more days?" ”

Guo Jia shook his head and said, "The key now lies in General Hou, if he has the heart to suppress the thief, he can still maneuver." But he has other schemes and is likely to become Dong Zhuo's accomplice. ”

Cao Cao's long and narrow eyes flashed with a deep chill, and he said coldly: "This matter is handled by the general." Let's talk about tomorrow, whether it is Dong Jun's call for battle or a battle out of the customs, how to deal with it? ”

According to Lu Bu's ferocity yesterday, under the siege of the three brothers Liu Guan and Zhang, they could only return in vain, who would dare to go out of battle?

Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren and the others did not speak, each with their own looks, and they did not dare to look at Cao Cao.

They are not Lu Bu's opponents, they just go up to give people heads.

Yang Xiu saw that no one spoke, so he had to say again: "General, it's just easy to say that it's just a battle, if Lu Bu leads the troops out of the customs and arranges the army, how should I deal with it?" After the general sent the general to fight, did he answer the order? ”

This sentence made everyone's eyes instantly focus on Yang Xiu.

Since the convergence of the coalition forces, all kinds of rumors have been spread from the Yuan Shao shogunate, which is difficult to distinguish.

Among them, Cao Cao, Liu Bei and others were most worried that Yuan Shao would let Cao Cao, Liu Bei and other court forces fight with Dong Zhuo first, fight to the death, and reap the benefits of the fisherman.

Tomorrow, Lu Bu will go out of the city, and the clamor of arranging troops will not fight against Dong's coalition army, and the entire coalition army will only be Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

Yuan Shao, as a rear general, could not personally fight with a 'vanguard' like Lu Bu, and the only possibility was Cao Cao.

That's exactly what Yuan Shao wanted!

Cao Cao sat up slightly straight, his expression was indifferent, and said, "Dezu, what is the solution?" ”

Yang Xiu paused and said: "General, the lower official suggests that the general strike first, the general might as well attack the bottle and pot pass at night, and the general will have no excuse after tomorrow." ”

Cao Cao nodded slightly, agreeing with this countermeasure, and turned to Sima Yi, his voice was slightly loud, and said, "Zhongda? ”

Sima Yi hurriedly raised his hand, unusually respectful, and said: "Back to the general, the lower official suggested that he take the people first, instead of waiting for Dong Zhuo to make a move, why didn't the general set up a position and ask Na Lu Bu to fight?" Na Lu Bu is indeed brave, but the army is arranged, and he alone cannot decide the victory. ”

Sima Yi's voice fell, and Cao Cao was silent for a long time, staring at Sima Yi all the time.

This junior of the Sima family, Cao Cao has very complicated feelings about him, and always gives him an inexplicable sense of discomfort.

Guo Jia took in Cao Cao's expression, coughed quietly, and said, "General, what Dezu and Zhongda said makes sense. ”

Cao Cao came back to his senses, touched his beard and smiled, and said, "Not bad." However, our plan is to delay time, and no matter how Dong Jun reacts tomorrow, I will not react and delay as much time as possible. ”

Sima Yi seemed to hear something, and his heart was slightly shocked, so he quietly withdrew his hand and sat back, maintaining a respectful appearance.

And Yang Xiu reacted equally quickly, and hesitated: "Then, if General Hou forces the general, how should he deal with it?" ”

Cao Cao sneered and said, "Yuan Benchu can't force me, it's a big deal to tear his face, I, Cao Cao, am not afraid of him!" ”

Yang Xiu, Sima Yi and others were a little strange about Cao Cao's attitude, and Yu Guang glanced at Guo Jia.

Seeing him drinking gracefully, thinking about Cao Cao's constant 'delaying time', he knew that Cao Cao had already planned, so he didn't say anything more.

Guo Jia drank wine, pondered in his heart, and quietly gave Cao Cao a look.

Cao Cao understood, but quietly arranged the military defense.

At this time, in Yuan Shao's big tent, the small meeting ended in silence and depression, and everyone left with heavy hearts.

As Yu Shi and Pan Feng were killed by Hua Xiong one after another, and Guan Yu killed Hua Xiong, Yuan Shao's prestige in the coalition army was repeatedly frustrated.

Now the three brothers Liu Guan and Zhang fought against Lu Bu and could not win, which once again severely hit the morale of the coalition army, which was one bad news after another for Yuan Shao.

When the group left, only Director Zhang, Fu Zhu, Gao Gan and Zhang He remained.

Director Zhang's expression was gloomy and he said, "General, I can't wait!" ”

Gao Gan also looked ruthless, and said: "Uncle, those people don't have oil and salt, and they are secretly colluding with Cao Mengde and Liu Xuande, I'm afraid it will be unfavorable to my uncle, so it's better to strike first!" ”

As Yuan Shao's prestige was frustrated, Dong Zhuo's morale was greatly boosted, and the princes of the coalition army were swaying and constantly alienated Yuan Shao.

This made Yuan Shao's camp, which originally wanted to annex the soldiers and horses of all the princes, feel a great crisis.

Yuan Shao remained calm and listened to their advice.

Although the situation is not good, but on the whole, the coalition forces are still in his hands, he is the strongest, and everyone cannot openly disobey his orders.

Seeing that Yuan Shao didn't speak, his heart moved slightly, and said: "General, we can't delay any longer, we must first solve the problem of the coalition army's unevenness, otherwise it will be difficult to eliminate Dong Zhuo." ”

Obviously, Fu Zhu was also soberly aware that the coalition forces were scattered, and it was not enough to destroy Dong Zhuo.

When Yuan Shao heard the words 'exterminate Dong Zhuo', he finally reacted, his eyes were a little cold, he looked up at a few people, and said, "Okay!" The plan has been decided and cannot be changed. Tomorrow, under the pretext of showing weakness to lure the enemy, the old man will lead the army back thirty miles, and other things will be arranged by Zhang He, so there must be no mistakes! ”

"The lower official/the last general takes orders!" Frustrated, Zhang He raised his hands in unison, and his voice was vaguely excited.

Yuan Shao made a big plan, turned his eyes to the outside of the tent, and said, "Cao Cao, what happened to Liu Bei and the others?" ”

In Yuan Shao's view, in the coalition army, everyone else is a rabble, and there is nothing to be afraid of, except for Cao Cao and Liu Bei, these two people do not talk about their own strength, the key is the court behind them, which makes him deeply jealous.

Zhang Daodao: "There is no change, Cao Cao rarely goes out of the account, but Liu Bei has a wide range of friends, and there are a lot of people in and out." ”

Yuan Shao sneered disdainfully and said, "That Liu Xuande has a false name, exaggerated and empty talk, so you don't need to care." ”

Fu Zhu and the others also did not take Liu Bei seriously, and instead discussed a detailed plan.

The infighting on the side of the coalition army was silent and reached the time of tension, and inside the bottle and pot pass, it was a great joy.

Lu Bu was besieged by the three brothers Liu Guan and Zhang and was undefeated, such a record, the entire Han Dynasty could not find a second person!

The room full of people praised Lu Bu and flattered him constantly, including Dong Zhuo, who praised him again and again: My son is invincible in the world, and the old man can sit back and relax!

Lu Bu drank a lot of wine, ate meat, and talked loudly in the midst of a lot of sycophants, which was already an invincible posture.

The feast lasted until late at night, when everyone was drunk, and then it ended.

"Arrange my son to be a good student, and there will be no loss!" When it was over, Dong Zhuo did not forget to tell Lu Bu to everyone.

Lu Bu's status in Dong Zhuo's army has climbed to an unprecedented level, and even temporarily surpassed everyone's height!

A maidservant girl responded, helped the drunken Lu Bu, and walked out of the front hall.

When everyone dispersed, Dong Zhuo arrived in the inner hall, and Li Ru, Niu Fu, Guo Yan and others hurried over again.

Dong Zhuo was trying to have a good time with Xinna's concubine, and when Li Ru and the others explained their intentions, they woke up in an instant.

Looking at the letter in his hand, his eyes widened, and he doubted in disbelief: "Is this letter credible?" ”

Niu Fu immediately said in an urn voice: "Father-in-law, Wen He has a saying: the so-called coalition forces seem to be strong, but in fact their combat effectiveness is not strong. Most of the soldiers are newly recruited, they have not been in battle, there are many contradictions between the princes, there is no infighting, it is difficult to coordinate, although there is a desire to win, there is really no offensive power, there is no need to worry, you can rest assured"

Hearing that Niu Fu moved out of Jia Xu, Dong Zhuo nodded, his eyes still on the letter.

Li Ru saw that Jia Xu was not there and could still grab the credit, so he was dissatisfied, and hurriedly said: "Ming Gong, the lower officials think that this letter is mostly true. The so-called coalition army, more than 20 soldiers and horses from all walks of life, Yuan Shao is difficult to control, and now Yuan Shao wants to annex, the princes from all walks of life will definitely refuse, this letter, most of them are written. ”

The letter in Dong Zhuo's hand is very simple, the content is that Yuan Shao will withdraw his troops tomorrow, and even includes the time and route of Yuan Shao's withdrawal, and the order of withdrawal is clear, which way is in front and which road is behind.

Dong Zhuo read it carefully, but he still felt cheating, and asked cautiously tentatively: "Wen Ru, how do you think the old man should deal with it?" ”

Li Ru said without hesitation: "Ming Gong, whether it's true or not, you'll know when you try it tomorrow." With the invincible posture of Fengxian, put on a position, the so-called coalition army, who dares to fight? If Yuan Shao really withdrew his troops as he believed, and Feng Xian's 10,000 troops rushed to attack, how could he be invincible? ”

Li Ru still had a layer of words that he didn't say clearly, that is, even if Lu Bu's 10,000 people folded in, it would not have much impact on them, it was just that they continued to stick to the bottle and pot pass.

Dong Zhuo understood, his old face trembled, and he said with a smile: "What Wen Ru said is reasonable, wait for Feng to wake up first, and then order him to fight!" ”

"Yes!" Li Ru responded physically and mentally.

Without Jia Xu fighting with him here, Dong Zhuo could only listen to him alone.

"Wenhe, where are you now?"

Li Ru wasn't happy for long, and Dong Zhuo asked Niu Fu.

Li Ru was secretly unwilling, and he didn't dare to show his appearance.

Niu Fu stared at the big eyes and said: "The child doesn't know, but now it should be in Xiapi, Wen He said in the letter that Xuzhou is more important than Xiangxian." ”

Dong Zhuo yawned big, got up and said, "That's good, that's good." ”

Seeing this, everyone got up and said, "Xiaguan/child retires." ”

……

Early the next morning, Yuan Shao ordered all the princes to hold a meeting.

As soon as the meeting began, everyone was shocked, looking at each other and looking at each other.

Yuan Shao looked at everyone, calm and firm, and said: "The bottle and pot pass is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and now the morale of the Dong thief is greatly boosted, our army is sluggish, which is not conducive to the conquest, I intend to retreat as an advance, induce the Dong army to go out of the pass, ambush and attack it, and it will be decided in a battle!" ”

Cao Cao sat down with his head in the bottom, looking as usual.

Liu Bei was a little speechless and stopped, and glanced at Cao Cao without hurrying to speak.

And Zhuge Xuan, Liu Xuan, Zang Hong and others had already gotten together and whispered.

Yuan Shao's strategy is actually not wrong, even very right, and the timing of the proposal is just right, but the people here obviously feel that something is wrong, and they have nowhere to refute it for a while, and they can't agree with it.

Yuan Shao didn't give them a chance to refute, and said: "Since there is no objection, then withdraw the troops after breakfast, I will set up an ambush in front, Zhuge Xuan, Liu Xuan, Zang Hong and others are in the center, and Cao Cao and Liu Bei will lure the enemy after the break." ”

Cao Cao suddenly squinted his eyes, stared at Yuan Shao, and said lightly: "I don't agree." ”

Everyone's hearts jumped, and they suddenly didn't dare.

Yuan Shao didn't give everyone a chance to think more, got up directly, and said loudly: "If you don't comply, the old man won't force it, you can evacuate first, and the same goes for the others." Showing weakness to lure the enemy is the old man's strategy to suppress Dong, and it will never change! ”

After speaking, Yuan Shao left.

Cao Cao sat still, his eyes cold.

Yuan Shao's reaction was a big surprise to him.

'What the hell is Yuan Shaopifu going to do?' ’

Cao Cao was also shocked in his heart, ignoring the eyes of others, and strode away.

"General Qiyu, Lu Bu led an army of 10,000, and called for battle out of the bottle pot!"

Before Cao Cao could take a few steps, soldiers shouted outside the tent.

(End of chapter)