May, Hanzhong, Hannan Daying.

In the big tent, Feng Xi stood in the tent and said, "Xi was ordered by General Guan to lead 5,000 soldiers and horses to Hanzhong and wait for Huo Du's dispatch. ”

Huo Jun got up from the couch and asked, "Can the general's soldiers and horses fight today?" ”

Feng Xi's face was slightly straight, and he arched his hand and said, "Please Huo Du command!" ”

Huo Jun walked to the sand table in Hanzhong, pointed to Hannan, and said: "Cao Cao sent troops to cross the river and attacked the Xishan camp many times. There are many sergeants in the army today, and this battalion lacks troops to garrison. The general came from afar, and I don't know if the general can be willing to reinforce the Xishan camp and block Cao Cao's idea of crossing the river. ”

Huo Jun's words seemed to be asking, but there was a sense of command in his tone.

Feng Xi straightened his waist and said, "Huo Du's order, Xi should obey it." ”

"Good!"

Looking at Feng Xi's back, Huo Jun sighed slightly.

Seven days ago, Cao Cao's troops went to Hanzhong. Cao Cao, who came with anger, ordered the army to cross the river and attack Hannan, but fortunately, Huo Jun had already arranged, and the troops were in danger in Hannan, relying on Dingjun Mountain to Liangshan to build mountain fortifications.

The generals of the Cao army led their troops to attack one after another, not only suffering a large number of casualties themselves, but also causing losses to the southern army. For the sake of insurance, Huo Jun assigned the armies to rotate the camps, and stuck the Hannan mountain fortress, and Cao's army was not allowed half an inch of land.

Although there were fortifications to rely on, Huo Jun always had few troops and had to withstand Cao Cao's strong attack. However, Huo Jun was also willing to bear the loss, because the Cao army of the attacking side suffered greater losses by climbing the mountain and crossing the river.

If it is counted from the time Cao Cao sent troops into Hanzhong, Xiahou Yuan's siege of Chuyang was the early stage, Huo Jun's siege was the middle period, and Cao Cao's forced troops into Hanzhong can be said to be the later stage. Just to survive this period, Cao Cao did not want to withdraw his troops, but also withdrew.

Huo Jun propped his hands on the table, watching the distribution of the soldiers and horses of the Cao and Liu families in the sand table, and each flag represented a battalion of sergeants.

Cao's army took Yangping Pass as the center, distributed in the inside and outside of the pass, east to Chuyang, west to Qishan Road, a full 70,000 or 80,000 people.

Liu Jun took Dingjun Mountain to Liangshan in Hannan for seventy or eighty miles, and arranged seven camps, each with 5,000 to 10,000 people, each of which was a horn. The two cities of Hanbei, 7,000 people in Chuyang, and 2,000 people in Chenggu. The total number is nearly 50,000.

50,000 people did not fight, stuck to the camp, the logistics support was sufficient, and there was water in the mountains, Cao Cao really couldn't help Huo Jun.

Of course, Huo Jun did not have the idea of beating Cao Cao, out of fear of Huo Jun, Cao Cao's camp was also in danger.

Huo Jun wanted to move Cao Cao, but he also had to weigh his own strength. Han Sui was killed in battle, Ma Chao surrendered, and Cao Cao's lost troops at Jinkou were almost recovered from Guanzhong and Longyou.

Cao Cao incorporated Guan Long's infantry into the army and trained military discipline, and his combat effectiveness was only strong but not weak. In particular, Ma Chao led the Guanlong Iron Cavalry and galloped in northern Hanbei, which made Huo Jun, who lacked cavalry, quite afraid.

All in all, at present, Cao Cao is afraid of Huo Jun's military strategy and does not dare to mess around; Huo Jun was afraid of the Guanlong cavalry and did not dare to be tough.

"Huo Du!"

Yan Pu took the bamboo slips into the account and said, "The people of Bazhong have sent another 30,000 stone grains to the camp, and I ask Du Huodu for approval." ”

Huo Jun signed the official document with a pen and said, "I ordered, the sergeants of the seventh battalion will eat more tonight and cook more meat." At dusk, the grain and grass are walked along the riverbank, and it is important for the Cao soldiers to see it. ”

"No!"

Seeing Huo Jun arranging it like this, Lu Xun said with a smile: "Huo Du should want to disturb the heart of Cao's generals!" ”

Huo Jun handed over the official document to Yan Pu and said with a smile: "The two roads of Qishan and Chencang are hundreds of miles long, the roads are rugged, Cao Cao has 80,000 generals, and there are no less than 10,000 cavalry. ”

After a pause, Huo Jun said: "The scouts sneaked into Cao's camp and rarely saw meat, which shows that most of Cao's army is short of food and grass!" ”

In terms of logistical supply difficulties, Huo Jun's difficulty is less than Cao Cao's.

First of all, in terms of the number of soldiers and horses, Cao Cao had about 80,000 and Huo Jun had about 50,000. Due to the mountain battle, Huo Jun's army had few horses, and only two or three thousand horsemen from 50,000 people. The number of Cao Cao's war horses should be several times that of Huo Jun, at least 10,000 horses.

The consumption of one war horse is equivalent to the consumption of the top three soldiers, and according to Cao Cao's current army structure, he is equivalent to the consumption of at least 100,000 people.

A sergeant eats two large stones per month, and Cao Jun consumes 200,000 stone grains and grass per month, while Huo Jun only consumes ten stone grains per month, which is equivalent to half of Cao Jun's.

The transfer of 100,000 Dashi military rations requires the people of Bazhong to be the point of men fighting and women being lucky. What will the north do to supply Cao Cao's army?

Lu Xun pointed to Cao Jun on the sand table and said: "Since Xiahou Yuan died in battle, Hannan was occupied by our army, and Hanzhong is no longer within Cao Cao's reach. Today, when the troops are raised, most of them are angry and angry, and they should seek defeat! ”

Huo Jun bowed his head slightly, and said: "General Guan has sent Lu Meng to the north from the Golden Bull Road, wanting to attack and disturb the Cao army's grain road, which may be a way to retreat from the enemy. ”

Lu Xun pondered for a while and said, "In this case, the general may be able to go out of the Baishui Road, contact Lu Meng, exchange news, and see if he can find out where Cao Jun hoarded grain and grass." ”

"Good!"

Huo Jun instructed: "Zijun ordered the people under the tent to dress up as ordinary people who cut wood, and go out of Hanzhong to contact General Lü Meng to see if they can find out the news of Cao's army's grain road from his hands." ”

"No!"

Not to mention the news that Sergeant Nan had received Huo Jun's food, he was overjoyed. Today's Cao Cao is indeed as Huo Jun said, with a headache for the supply of grain and grass.

"Duke Wei, our army has a large number of soldiers and horses, and it has been consumed so far. There are only 100,000 stones of grain and grass left, less than a month's worth of food. ”

Yang Xiu reported the amount of grain and grass in the camp and said, "Do you save grain and grass today for a long war?" ”

Cao Cao frowned slightly and said, "The grain and grass in Guanzhong have not arrived?" ”

Yang Xiu bowed and replied: "Today, the grain and grass in Guanzhong have arrived, a total of 50,000 stones, and the total amount is only 100,000 stones. ”

"Oh!"

Cao Cao patted his head, as if he remembered something, and said: "At noon, Yu Qing submitted a reply to Yu Gu, and I almost forgot!" ”

"Is that saving grain and grass for a long war?" Yang Xiu asked again.

Hearing Yang Xiu's inquiry, and remembering the recent loss of soldiers and horses, Cao Cao already regretted it in his heart, and his anger gradually disappeared from his mind.

Shu Road is too difficult to walk, and Hanzhong is not easy to fight. In addition to Yangping Pass, Chuyang and Hannan are all in Huo Jun's hands. Huo Jun took advantage of the time he was in Shu to repair the fortifications by the mountains and rivers, and when his troops arrived, Huo Jun would have been ready for battle.

During the battle, Bazhong continued to send troops and food, which made Cao Cao gradually have the idea of withdrawing his troops, and he didn't want to continue to fight with Huo Jun in Hanzhong.

This is the difference between Cao Cao and Liu Bei, Liu Bei attaches great importance to feelings, Guan Yu died in battle, he was furious, and sent the country's soldiers to knock Lu Xun hard. After a confrontation in Yiling for half a year, he expected Cao Pi to intervene and refused to withdraw his troops. In the end, Lu Xun burned the company camp, not only did the brother's revenge not be avenged, but also took in tens of thousands of troops.

Cao Cao is ruthless, even if a clan relative like Xiahou Yuan died in battle, he was only angry for a while. will not be able to calm down for a long time, and fight hard with an iron head. After all, Cao Cao's use of troops is in the top ranks of the Three Kingdoms, just look at the territory he has conquered.

Just as Cao Cao was pondering, suddenly there was a commotion outside the tent.

Cao Cao shouted outside the tent: "What's going on outside the tent? ”

Footsteps sounded, and Cao Hong reported and entered the account.

"Qi Wei Gong, the southern thief added food today, killing pigs and sheep along the river on the south bank, and the fragrance was overflowing. And more than 1,000 grain trucks were transported to Daying, piled up like a mountain. When the officers and men of our army saw this, they were envious and asked if they could eat like the southern thieves today. Cao Hong said.

"Huh?"

Cao Cao was suspicious in his heart and said, "Let's go and take a look!" ”

"No!"

Under the leadership of Cao Hong, Cao Cao watched the movements of the southern army through the wooden fence and the Han River.

Seeing five or six hundred pigs and sheep washing on the banks of the Hanshui River, and the blood of slaughtered livestock was all over the river, the southern gunners talked and laughed.

In the distance, thousands of sergeants went out of the camp to carry the baggage on the truck, and then piled up on the high place for fear that Cao Jun would not be able to see it.

Cao Cao squinted his eyes and asked, "Gongming, what are the voices of the sergeants under the tent?" ”

Xu Huang pondered a little and said: "Today, there are many soldiers who cross the river and attack the mountain, and there are many offenses in their words!" ”

"Huh!"

Cao Cao sneered a few times and said, "Huo Jun thought that our army had no food, so he took this strategy to disrupt the hearts of our army. ”

"Someone!"

Cao Cao commanded: "Pass the order, add food tonight, and each department will have its own share." ”

"No!" The attendant took the order and left.

Xu Huang hesitated for a moment and said, "Duke Wei, there is not enough food and grass in the army today, how can you be the same as Huo Jun." Why don't you just reward the army that crossed the river and attacked the mountains, and the rest of the troops ate according to their previous share. ”

Cao Cao smiled and said with a smile: "The grain team is coming, our army has no worries about food and grass, why do you need to be thrifty?" ”

As he spoke, Cao Cao looked at his generals and said, "Our army entered Hanzhong, and the soldiers traveled thousands of miles to fight, and the soldiers were tired. Eat tonight, just to reward the soldiers in the army! ”

"Wei Gong Rende, I will wait for the soldiers to thank Sheng En!" The generals said.

"Haha!"

Cao Cao helped the generals out of thin air, and said: "The southern thief mountain fortress, I hope that you will encourage you." ”

"No!"

Yang Xiu was puzzled when he saw Cao Cao behaving like this, but after thinking about it a few times, he also understood the deep meaning of Cao Cao's actions and watched Cao Cao's performance.

On the way back to the tent, Cao Cao said to the soldiers passing by, with kind faces, "Eat more tonight, and all the sons will eat more, and each will have his share." ”

"Thank you Gong Wei!"

"Wei Gong is benevolent!"

"Long live Duke Wei!"

"Hooray!"

I don't know who took the lead in shouting long live, but all the sergeants, led by it, raised their arms one after another and shouted: "Long live!" ”

Cao Cao accepted it calmly and raised his hand to greet everyone.

In the sound of long live, Cao Cao tended to step into the big tent.

Yang Xiu wanted to enter the account with him, but was stopped by Xu Huang and asked him to enter the partial account.

The two of them sat down, and Yang Xiu saw that Xu Huang had something to ask, and said with a smile: "General Gongming, you and I are friends, but it doesn't hurt to say it." ”

Xu Huang hesitated for a moment and said: "Wei Gongrong has been a horse for half his life, and he is well versed in the art of war, but he is helpless against Huo Jun. Today, 100,000 troops are being raised to conquer Hanzhong, the road is difficult and dangerous, and there is a shortage of grain and grass. Wei Gong knew that this was Huo Jun's policy, so why did he follow Huo Jun's intentions? ”

"Haha!"

Yang Xiu laughed a few times and said, "This Gongming doesn't know Wei Gongye!" ”

"Please speak, sir!" Xu Huang asked.

Yang Xiu stroked his beard and said, "Duke Wei is not under Huo Jun." Throughout the ancient and modern times, those who can defeat the Duke of Wei with soldiers, or the only emperor of Shizu! ”

"Wei Gong's soldiers often have taboos, they are suspicious when they see things, and they forget about danger. Therefore, there is the defeat of the water and the loss of Chrysostom. The defeat of the Duke of Wei is not a crime of war, it is really due to temperament! ”

"Then why do you ignore the shortage of food and grass and reward the sergeants of all departments?" Xu Huang asked puzzled.

Yang Xiu sighed slightly and said: "Gongming doesn't know Wei Gong's intentions, Huo Jun is guarding the danger, and there is no shortage of soldiers and food, so this is not a long-term battle." Wei Gong raised troops because of anger, and now seeing the situation, his anger gradually subsided. Gong Wei has already had the idea of retiring from the army, and he has no intention of fighting for a long time! ”

Xu Huang suddenly realized, nodded in agreement and said: "What Mr. said, solve the confusion in Huang's heart!" ”

After a pause, Xu Huang asked again: "As Mr. Cong said, if you want to break the Hanzhong, you should be a big hit." There is no hope in breaking the Han Dynasty today, why don't Wei Gong withdraw his troops, so as not to consume the soldiers. ”

Yang Xiu shook his head and smiled bitterly, and said: "This time the troops did not prevent Liu Bei from taking Shu, but instead damaged the general, and caused more than 10,000 casualties among the sergeants, which can be described as a big defeat." The prime minister is afraid that he will retire from the army and be ridiculed by the world, so he is in Yangping, and wants to see if Huo Jun's baggage is in short supply? ”

Since Cao Cao mastered the Han Emperor, his burden has become heavier and heavier, and it is difficult to show his vulnerability to outsiders. In particular, the Battle of Chrysostom completely shattered the myth of Cao Cao's invincibility, which made Cao Cao care more and more about his image.

In the battle of Hanzhong, a large army was raised to relieve the siege of Bashu, but Xiahou Yuan died in battle, and Cao Cao worked in vain. With this withdrawal, Cao Cao was destined to be gray and slippery, and achieved Liu Bei's prestige.

Xu Huang pondered for a while and said, "Sir's intention, but Duke Wei guessed that Huo Jun's actions today should be a strategy to confuse our army, so as to show that his soldiers have plenty of food and grass." ”

"Hmm~"

Yang Xiu stroked his beard and said thoughtfully: "Duke Wei is suspicious, he should believe that Huo Jun is not short of food, and he thinks that Huo Jun is short of food. ”

Xu Huang became enlightened again and said: "According to Mr. Wei's words, Duke Wei should want to inspire the sergeants to fight hard, and whether they succeed or fail will be in the next few days. If it is difficult to break through the thief's camp, they should retreat because of the lack of food and grass; If the soldiers break the thief camp and take Hanzhong, they will rest on the spot. ”

Yang Xiu bowed slightly, and said: "Gongming's words should be what Duke Wei thinks in his heart!" ”

Xu Huang showed admiration on his face, and arched his hand and said: "Mr. is resourceful, Huang deeply admires!" ”

Yang Xiu sighed and said, "If Xiu is wise and resourceful, he should help Duke Wei break the enemy and win as soon as possible, and why don't you say these words to the general!" ”

Seeing Xu Huang's embarrassed expression, Yang Xiu smiled and said: "Today's words, and when Xiu talks nonsense, General Gongming doesn't need to care!" ”

"Today's words, Huang will not speak to outsiders!" Xu Huang replied.

"Good!"

Yang Xiu stepped out of the tent and walked towards Cao Cao's tent.

Zhang Lu's official position was written incorrectly before, and he has always been the general of Zhenxi

(End of chapter)