Vortex, Jingshan.

Huaishui is thousands of miles long, not all of which are wide plains, or steep mountains. Such as the mouth of the vortex, its south bank is Tu Mountain, the north bank is Jing Mountain, the two mountains and the river face each other, just like the Yangtze River small Three Gorges.

Since Huo Jun entered the river in the west and pretended to cross the river from the two mouths of Vortex and Hu, the two armies of Cao and Liu moved from Shouchun to Tu and Jing Ershan to confront each other.

Liu Bei relied on his advantage as a sailor, and flew the dragon many times, rode his face, set up a bow and crossbow on the boat, and shot at Wei soldiers who were camping on the shore. He sent soldiers to attack the Wei camp many times, and on the night of Huo Jun's eastward journey, he captured hundreds of Wei soldiers and successfully diluted Cao Cao's attention.

And Cao Cao was distracted from the north and sent a large number of scouts to investigate Huo Jun's traces. However, Huo Jun's traces were never available, and it was not until Huo Jun's troops entered Suishui that Cao Cao received the news that Huo Jun led his army to the east.

Immediately afterwards, Cao Cao successively received messages from Liu Ye and Xu Huang, as well as letters from Huo Jun.

As Cao Cao gradually understood the situation, this made him more and more nervous!

Wei army Dazhai, on a high slope.

Jia Xu looked at the steepness of Tu Mountain, and sighed slightly.

"Father!"

Jia Mo walked up the winding mountain road.

Seeing that it was his son, Jia Xu asked, "How is the king doing now?" ”

Jia Mo calmed his face, shook his head slightly, and said: "The king is furious, and the ministers dare not approach. Only Wu Hou reluctantly advised, so that the king calmed down his anger a little. ”

"Wu Hou?"

Jia Xu shook his head with a wry smile, and commented: "The traitorous villain, the heart of the king, and the alliance of the party, is not my luck for Dawei!" ”

Jia Mo's face was full of doubts, and he said: "Wu Hou is fair, well-organized, clear-minded, able to be with everyone, and has won the heart of the king. How can my father say that Wu Hou is a villain? ”

Seeing that his son was not knowledgeable about politics, Jia Xu said bluntly: "Virtuous ministers may not be capable and virtuous, and villains are not talented and virtuous people." ”

"This?"

Jia Xu further explained, saying: "A person is greedy for money and lustful, and has many party henchmen, but he is overtaken by the army, benevolent to the people, and loyal to state affairs, can he be a virtuous minister?" ”

"You can be a virtuous minister!" Jia Mo said.

Jia Xu asked rhetorically: "A person has a friendly personality, reconciles the monarch and the minister, and governs the government for a long time, but he befriends with party henchmen and seeks personal interests for the sake of public service, is it a question of being virtuous or treacherous?" ”

Jia Mo thought for a moment and said: "If you are virtuous, you will be virtuous, and if you are faint, you will be treacherous." ”

"Good!"

Jia Xu said: "The virtuous minister in your mouth is Huo Jun, and the person in your mouth is Sun Quan." The traitor and the virtuous are not capable or incompetent, but need to be divided by official affairs! ”

Jia Mo nodded thoughtfully and said, "Since my father knows that Wu Hou is not a sage, why not advise the king." ”

Jia Xu smiled bitterly a few times and said: "I am a descendant, and the king can be reused as a father, which is already extremely honorable." If you talk about personnel appointments, you will be criticized by outsiders, and this is the way to bring trouble. ”

When a descendant wants to integrate into a faction, there are not many feasible paths, and Jia Xu and Sun Quan have each walked out of a successful path.

Jia Xu relied on his own talent and his behavior of not interacting too much with outsiders to win Cao Cao's respect.

Sun Quan relied on his emotional intelligence and political ability to actively integrate into the Cao family circle. For example, through Cao Zhang's relationship, I know Cao Pi; Or by sacrificing himself as a savior, to win Cao Cao's trust.

If it's almost, it's like that Zhang He, who has been playing as a deputy for the rest of his life, helping Xiahou Yuan to brush up the record of Hubu Guanyou.

Of course, if you are really super capable of fighting, like Zhang Liao, with your outstanding record, you don't have to play deputy for the Cao family.

"In the future, you can have a good relationship with Wu Hou, you don't have to be too intimate, and you can't distance yourself from Wu Hou." Jia Xu admonished.

"No!"

Jia Mo remembered something and said: "The king was quite angry that Huo Jun escaped from the siege and beheaded Sun Guan. Does the father have to give a few words of advice, so that the king will not be angry and hurt! ”

Jia Xu looked melancholy and said: "Huo Jun is proficient in the art of war, and he has not tasted defeat since his debut. Good at controlling people, using soldiers like gods. Attacking the east and west, crossing Surabaya three times, and being beheaded, such a shame, how can the king not be angry? ”

"Is my father too exalting Huo Jun!" Jia Mo said.

Jia Xu glanced at Jia Mo and said lightly: "I don't know the soldiers, you let the generals in the battalion tell Huo Jun's marching and transfer, or you can see the route from the map." But let the generals learn from Huo Jun to lead the troops like this, except for the king, I am afraid that no one will be able to reproduce it. ”

"If playing against a master, Huo Jun played with the chess pieces, but let everyone run around, and it was difficult to look at the east and the west. Huo Jun's tactics seem to be mediocre, and they can be summed up in a few words, but the tactics of crossing Surabaya three times are broad and profound. ”

"One crossing is a wonderful move, two crossing is surprising, and three crossing is returning to the truth."

Then, Jia Xu looked left and right, saw that there was no one around, and said in a low voice: "Father Rong said in vain that if China is destroyed by water thieves, it will definitely die at the hands of this person." ”

"If the father unfortunately passes away first, he should be cautious in his words and deeds, and know the current situation. Do you understand? ”

Seeing his father's solemn words, Jia Mo responded with a straight face: "Don't dare to forget!" ”

The father and son chatted for a while, and then went down the mountain road to the camp.

In the big tent, Cao Cao was no longer angry, but his face was still cold, and his eyes were murderous.

Huo Jun's letter was not very hurtful, and it was seriously insulting. It said that Lao Gong waited for a long time at the vortex, Zhao Yan, Liu Ye, and Zang Ba were not enemies, and the public should come to Sishang for a decisive battle.

"King, Zhao Yan and Liu Ye please send the guilty sin to the court!"

Sima Yi tiptoed into the tent and gently put the two letters on the desk, for fear that Cao Cao would be angry with him.

Cao Cao picked up the scarf, glanced at it hastily, then threw it on the desk angrily, and said in a muffled voice: "Please sin, please what crime?" ”

"was coaxed by that Huo Jun to turn around, let them go to the east and go to the east, but Huo Jun couldn't do anything. and also let Huo Jun take the opportunity to kill Sun Guan and retreat in a boat. The strategy of encircling Huo Jun is afraid that it will become a matter of laughter and talk about by southerners. ”

"King, although this battle allowed Huo Jun to escape, it did not damage the overall situation!" Sun Quan advised: "The king is not as good as Huo Jun's intentions, because of anger, he raised troops and entered the water to fight with the water thieves. ”

Cao Cao rubbed his temples, looking angry and helpless.

He has been in the world for more than 20 years, breaking the yellow scarf, capturing Lu Bu, destroying Yuan Shao, and demoting Ma Chao, but he has to admit that Huo Jun is too chic in using troops this time.

use Liu Bei as a pawn to contain and attract his attention; Later, he led his troops to run east and west, and played Liu Ye, Zhao Yan and others around.

In the end, Huo Jun not only lost nothing, but even beheaded Sun Guan, and now ordered the generals to move north, which made people angry and annoyed.

"Greetings to the king!"

After Cao Cao's anger gradually dissipated, Jia Xufang was late.

"Excuse me!"

Cao Cao looked neither angry nor happy, waved his hand and said: "Huo Jun Xiao'er, take advantage of Liu Bei's army and the boat, and withdraw to Sikou." Although the current strategy of encircling and suppressing Huo Jun was unsuccessful, it also forced him into a desperate situation. Now the enemy is present, and Huo Jun's life is spared. ”

After his mouth hardened, Cao Cao changed his words and said: "The water thieves have the advantage of boats, and they will advance lightly, or plunder the people, or besiege the city. Although it is not a major disaster, it hurts the people. Now the princes can have a plan to teach the lonely and prevent the enemy from entering the Central Plains. ”

Huo Jun's unscrupulous interspersed running in the Xuhuai area this time did not cause a lot of losses, but it also made Cao Cao vigilant. In the future, if the water thieves rely on boats to attack and harass the waters of various places, Henan will hardly be peaceful, and it is necessary to nip these threats in the bud.

In the silence of everyone, Sima Yi stepped out and said: "King Qiqi, Yi has a plan or a strategy to break the water thief's attack!" ”

"Quasi-words!"

Sima Yi arched his hand and said: "King Qiqi, when the Baibo Army and the Southern Xiongnu were in rebellion in Hedong, the Hedong Shi clan repaired many forts to raid the rebel army. After the water thieves retreated, the king could order the warriors in Huaibei to build dock forts. ”

"In the future, if the thieves enter by boat, they will be limited by the dock fort and it will be difficult to plunder the people. If there are no people, and there is no long-lasting food, the water thieves will retreat! ”

"Build a dock fort?"

Cao Cao stroked his beard and pondered in silence.

Dock fort is not a novelty, at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, the scholars around the country built dock fort, raising the township soldiers to protect themselves.

After Emperor Guangwu unified the world, although he ordered the world's corporal clan to prohibit the construction of dock forts, it was forbidden and could not be stopped. Especially in the northwest and border areas, due to the perennial Qianghu raids, the construction of dock forts is flourishing.

Sima Yi suggested that the Huaibei area should build a dock fort, and he had to say that it was a good idea. Of course, one thing must also be recognized, once the Shi clan is allowed to start building the dock fort, it means that the Huaibei Shi clan will have a certain right of self-defense.

In the future, even if Cao Cao wanted to verify the population, he would not be able to coerce the scholars who owned the dock fort. Sima Yi's suggestion is like a double-edged sword, with both pros and cons, which makes it difficult for Cao Cao to choose.

After being silent for a long time, Cao Cao looked around at everyone and said, "The construction of the dock fort by the Zhaohuai Northern Shi Clan, Rong Gu pondered a thing or two. ”

"No!" Sima Yi retreated into the ranks.

"King, most of the water thieves are still making trouble in Huainan today, how should we deal with it?" Sun Quan asked.

Cao Cao pondered for a while and said: "Order Zhao Yan, Liu Ye, Wen Ji and others to stick to Xiapi County and not fight lightly with Huo Jun. I led my army to confront Liu Bei, looking for an opportunity to defeat the enemy, or force his troops to retreat. ”

"No!"

"How is the epidemic in the army today?" Cao Cao asked.

"King Qiqi, the epidemic is becoming more and more serious in the army, not only the sergeant is sick, but even the doctor is also sick."

Sun Quan had a bitter face and said: "Among the officials, if the Chen Sect (Chen Lin) is infected with an epidemic, even if he is treated with medicine and stones, he will not get better. The endeavours have been placed alone and isolated from those who are able-bodied, so that they can be infected with the disease. ”

Cao Cao's eyes flickered and he asked, "What is the situation in the water thief camp?" ”

According to the scouts, most of the ships transporting herbs arrived at Bagong Mountain from Hefei. The specific details are difficult to understand. Sun Quan replied.

"King Qiyu, a few days ago, the southern thieves captured the governor Gongsun Yang, and hundreds of soldiers under his account were captured. In the meantime, a soldier took advantage of the darkness of the night to sneak through the Huaishui and steal back to the camp. Sima Yi said.

"Hmm!"

Cao Cao remained silent and said: "The epidemic is serious, let the soldiers in the battalion be careful." The physicians should find a cure as soon as possible to heal the officers and men of the army. ”

"From now on, all generals in the army who are sick or left shall not participate in military affairs for a period of 30 days. If there is no illness for 30 days, you can participate in the military. If there is a political opinion, or there is a military order, it is all passed on by letter. ”

"No!"

During the Wei and Jin dynasties, although there was no virus, the concept of air and water infection appeared. However, there are measures such as close contact and isolation.

For example, in the Western Jin Dynasty, all courtiers were plagued by epidemics, and although they were not sick, they were not allowed to enter the palace for 100 days. Or at the end of the Han Dynasty, the establishment of a boiled house, the people of the epidemic, the empty house, for the purchase of medicine.

At this time, even the subordinate governor Chen Lin is sick, which makes Cao Cao have to worry about himself. For the sake of the physical safety of himself and Cao Wei's high-level officials, the only way to prohibit close contact with civil and military forces to participate in military discussions is forbidden. Otherwise, if you are infected with the plague, you don't need Liu Bei's Northern Expedition, and the entire Wei State will be finished!

(End of chapter)