ushernet Chapter 240 Dilemma
Chapter 240 Dilemma
Chapter 240 Dilemma
Bai Rao ran from night to dark, gradually realizing that something was wrong, and his expression became gloomy.
"General Qu, are the government troops forcing us to find General Liu Qu?" The guard beside Bai Rao said, breathing heavily.
The government troops were clearly controlling their escape route, blocking a certain road from time to time to force them to change direction. At the same time, the speed of the government troops' pursuit was sometimes fast and sometimes slow, in order to consume their spirit and physical strength!
The direction they are fleeing in now is obviously Heiqi Mountain, the territory of Liu Shi, one of the Thirty-Six Qushuai!
Bai Rao looked back and could vaguely see the shadows of the government troops. Their eyes were filled with hatred and they said, "You are not qualified to kill me!"
The guard was surprised and delighted, and asked, "Commander Qu, is there a solution?"
Bai Rao looked towards the direction of Heiqi Mountain and said, "Before I returned, I sent letters to the commanders of all the armies. It's a pipe dream to think that a mere 30,000 troops can wipe us out!"
The guards who had been fleeing all night were excited when they heard this, and came over and asked, "Commander Qu, what's the solution?"
Bai Rao took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Rush over to Changshan, Jizhou! Marshal Zhang is already gathering all the troops. As long as we get over there, our million-strong army will not be afraid of a mere 30,000 government troops!"
The guards looked at each other. Now the government troops were surrounding and blocking them. They were exhausted. How could they charge forward?
Bai Rao suddenly straightened his chest and shouted, "Order everyone to follow me. Those who can't keep up will die in the hands of the government troops! Tell them that Cao Cao has killed more than 100,000 people in Qingzhou, but he will not accept us and give us food!"
Before the guards could react, Bai Rao had already taken the lead in riding his horse.
The guards and personal soldiers behind them had no time to think. They could only pass orders while riding their horses and follow closely behind Bai Rao.
They were riding horses, and most of the people behind them were "infantry", so they naturally couldn't keep up, but under intimidation, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and follow.
The sudden action of Bai Rao's troops was naturally immediately discovered by Cao Ren and Le Jin behind them. Without hesitation, the two men led their troops to chase after them.
But soon they ran into trouble.
Bai Rao galloped with the cavalry and infantry, leaving behind all the old, weak, women and children, blocking the road.
Le Jin had a fiery temper, but he was no fool. He looked at Cao Ren and asked, "Sima, what should we do?"
Cao Ren was always taciturn and calm. He looked in the direction where Bai Rao was running and said, "They are heading north. Take a detour and stop them!"
Le Jin raised his hand to respond, and turned around with 5,000 men, bypassing a mountain and continuing the pursuit.
Cao Ren ordered his soldiers to surrender the elderly, the weak, women and children and clear the road.
Not long after, when the news reached Cao Cao's army, Cao Cao was chatting and laughing with Guo Jia, Xi Zhicai and others.
Cao Cao rode his horse very slowly, laughing loudly and saying, "Zhicai, if we talk about heroes in this world, then Yuan Benchu was originally one, but he is bold and timid, and will take revenge for any slight. He is not a man who can accomplish great things. Besides, Yuan Gonglu is afraid of death and seems to be brave and resourceful, but in fact he does not know the overall situation and is reckless and ignorant... Now, there is only half of him who can catch my eye, and that is Wucheng Hou Sun Jian!"
Xi Zhicai was secretly surprised when he heard Cao Cao commenting on the "heroes" of the world.
Cao Cao is very perceptive in judging people and things, especially he is open-minded and fearless. Such a person will surely achieve great things!
Knowing that Cao Cao intended to recruit him, Xi Zhicai coughed a few times and said with a smile: "General, you have a keen eye and will surely be the pillar of the Han Dynasty. It's a pity that Xi Zhicai has been ill since childhood, so I'm afraid he won't live to see that day."
"Hasn't Zhicai already met him?" Guo Jia said with a smile. He also admired Xi Zhicai very much. This man was not conspicuous, but he was transparent and stubborn. He was definitely a good arm!
Xi Zhicai was stunned for a moment, then he understood that Guo Jia was talking about him following Cao Cao's army.
Just as he was about to speak, he saw a scout galloping over, landing in front of Cao Cao, kneeling on one knee and shouting, "General, Bai Rao has abandoned tens of thousands of old, weak and corrupt scholars, blocking the official road, and is now fleeing north, as if to Jizhou. Commander Le has already taken a detour to pursue him, Sima Cao, please give your instructions, General."
Cao Cao frowned immediately. He didn't expect Bai Rao to be so decisive. He couldn't help but think about it.
He was ordered to leave the capital this time to wipe out all the Black Mountain troops. There were two main Black Mountain troops in Yanzhou, one was Bai Rao from Luyang Mountain, and the other was Liu Shi from Heiqi Mountain.
Now Bai Rao did not join up with Liu Shi, but turned north to join Zhang Yan, but Cao Cao continued to attack Heiqi Mountain.
Cao Cao was silent. Guo Jia drank his wine and said with a smile, "Bai Rao is quite smart to cut off his tail to survive. This is a good opportunity for the general."
Cao Cao was startled, turned his head and asked, "What do you mean by filial piety?"
Guo Jia took another sip of wine, smiling and saying nothing.
Xi Zhicai opened his mouth and said, "The military advisor said that although we cannot annihilate Bai Rao and Liu Shi in one fell swoop, Bai Rao's surrender to Zhang Yan gives the general the opportunity to annihilate all the Black Mountain troops in one fell swoop!"
Bai Rao's escape to the north will certainly further stimulate the Black Mountain Army, and the Black Mountain Army will become more united, which will give Cao Cao a great opportunity to win in one battle!
Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, flashing with a brilliant light, and then laughed loudly, saying: "Zhicai, I entrust the food and grass to you, and I will lead the army directly to the Black Qi Mountain!"
Xi Zhicai was a little surprised. He had no friendship with Cao Cao, and he was even sent by the imperial court to monitor him. Could Cao Cao really give him food and grass?
Xi Zhicai glanced at Guo Jia and said with a calm smile, "General, don't worry, I and the military advisor are here."
Cao Cao raised his hand and said, "I cannot leave Fengxiao for even a moment, so I will leave all the food and grass to Zhicai!"
Xi Zhicai looked at Cao Cao deeply. This man was very courageous!
Cao Cao saw that Xi Zhicai did not respond, so he turned around and rode his horse, shouting, "Xiahou Dun, follow me to the battle!"
"Yes, sir!" Xiahou Dun responded loudly.
Behind Xiahou Dun, there were a group of nephews from the Cao and Xiahou families, following Cao Cao and waving their whips and spurring their horses.
The sound of horse hooves rolled in and the dust was like fog. Xi Zhicai watched quietly and remembered what He Yong, Xun You and others said.
'People like Cao Cao are capable of great things!'
'The rise and fall of the Han Dynasty may be a key person! '
'Looks honest, but actually treacherous. If he is not a pillar, he must be evil!'
Xi Zhicai let out a long breath, turned around and looked at the grain escort team of less than two thousand people, and felt a very complicated attitude towards Cao Cao.
On the other side, Bai Rao left behind his "burden", not only easily blocked the pursuit of the government troops, but also escaped from the pursuit and blockade of the government troops with a small group of people, and headed straight for Jizhou.
After receiving Cao Cao's order, Le Jin was not in a hurry. He just stayed far away and tracked Bai Rao's whereabouts.
When Bai Rao rushed from Yanzhou to Jizhou, he encountered attacks from government troops from various places. Most of these government troops were county and prefecture commanders, and they ignored Cao Cao's letters. Cao Cao also had no right to order them, so Bai Rao fled in panic all the way and did not dare to stop for a moment.
Cao Cao didn't care and his army headed straight for Heiqi Mountain.
Heiqi Mountain is located on the mountainside and beside the water, with a very dangerous terrain, easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Cao Cao couldn't help but look unhappy after two days of continuous attacks without any results.
When Xiahou Dun retreated again, he could not help but say to Guo Jia: "Fengxiao, the Black Mountain Army is gathering in Changshan State. Envoy Ying, Zhang Wenyuan and others have sent me letters one after another. We can't delay any longer!"
Guo Jia drank his wine with a calm expression, and said: "General, I have observed for two days and I have a solution."
Xiahou Dun was delighted and asked, "Military Advisor, what's the solution?"
Guo Jia seemed to be influenced by Cao Cao. He subconsciously touched his beard, then put it down and said with a smile: "There are tens of thousands of people gathered in Heiqi Mountain. Although the food and grass should be able to last for a few months, the water may not be."
Cao Cao opened his eyes and said urgently, "Yes, Yuan Rang! Cut off the water source on the mountain immediately..."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly stopped, paused for a moment, pulled Xiahou Dun over, and whispered a few words.
Xiahou Dun seemed to hesitate, but still said, "As you wish!"
Guo Jia didn't care what Cao Cao said. When Cao Cao turned around, he said, "General, it's time to send letters to Envoy Ying, General Zhang, and Youzhou and Bingzhou."
Cao Cao thought for a while and said, "Should we go through the Grand Marshal's Mansion?"
Before Lu Zhi died the year before last, he promoted Cao Cao greatly, and it was obvious that he regarded Cao Cao as his successor. But in the final analysis, Cao Cao was still only the 'Chief Clerk of the Grand Marshal's Office', and in terms of prestige, he was still a long way from that.
Therefore, if Cao Cao sent a letter to a governor like Ying Shao as an "imperial envoy", Ying Shao might not take it seriously.
Guo Jia shook his head, his face became more serious, and said: "It must be a personal letter from the general. Even if it has no effect, the general cannot pass through the Grand Marshal's Mansion!"
Cao Cao's expression changed. He was very clear-headed, so he understood everything. He thought for a while and said, "Okay!"
After Cao Cao pacified Qingzhou the year before last, his reputation rose. However, due to issues such as his handling of the Yellow Turban Army in Qingzhou, he was impeached by Qingzhou Mu Zhu Jun, Beihai Xiang Kong Rong and others. In addition, the imperial court was wary of his command of a large number of troops and intended to suppress him. As a result, Cao Cao was not awarded a title based on his merits like other people in the past, but was instead dismissed from office.
If it weren't for Lu Zhi, Cao Cao would still be doing odd jobs in the Grand Marshal's Mansion.
Therefore, the battle to pacify the Black Mountain Army was extremely crucial for Cao Cao.
If he could achieve great success, Cao Cao's reputation would be established and no one would be able to look down on him. It would also not be easy to suppress him. Considering his past, it would not be a problem for him to be granted a title of nobility.
But if one continues to rely on the Grand Marshal's Mansion and the Secretariat, his contributions will be sharply reduced and greatly discounted.
While Cao Cao was writing letters to the bigwigs in Yan, Ji, Bing and Qing, Xiahou Dun was not idle. He took his soldiers and threw paper packages into the water source on the mountain, watching them gradually scatter in the water.
Two days later, at Heiqishan Village.
The tall and mighty Liu Shi was patrolling the mountain stronghold when he suddenly felt dizzy and was about to fall down.
"Master Qu! Master Qu!"
The guards around were shocked and wanted to come over to help.
"what……"
Suddenly someone screamed, held his head, and rolled on the ground.
Soon, more and more people fell to the ground, screaming in pain.
Liu Shi leaned on his knife, struggling to half-kneel, watching more and more people fall, and suddenly shouted loudly: "Cao Cao, you are despicable!"
"kill!"
As if in response to Liu Shi, loud shouts and cries of killing broke out from the foot of the mountain.
Not sure if it was an illusion, but Liu Shi felt the ground was shaking, his stomach was twisted like a knife, and his head was splitting with pain. He struggled to stand up and shouted angrily, "Let's go! Take the path behind the mountain!"
The few personal soldiers who were still able to stand up helped Liu Shi escape to the back mountain.
The whole village was in chaos, and Xiahou Dun led his troops and easily killed the enemy.
Seeing countless people falling to the ground, Xiahou Dun pulled over a military officer and shouted in a low voice, "Don't let any news leak out!"
"The villain understands!"
The general was also aware of this, so he immediately led his men in and attacked and killed anyone who was still standing.
Xiahou Dun gave instructions and took his men to chase after Liu Shi.
When they caught up with him on the path behind the mountain, Liu Shi had already fallen to the ground, sweating and panting.
"Despicable!" Liu Shi's face turned pale and he glared at Xiahou Dun.
Xiahou Dun looked down at him from above, glanced at the soldiers around him, and said calmly: "It's just some drugs. Liu Shi, you gathered people to rebel and robbed the people, your crime is unforgivable!"
He didn't give Liu Shi a chance to speak and just chopped him with his knife!
Blood gurgled from Liu Shi's neck, his eyes widened, his body twitched again and again, and finally he fell down.
The Daqushuai, who once roamed Yanzhou like a fish in water and even penetrated deep into Sili and approached Luoyang, died just like that.
Xiahou Dun killed Liu Shi, cut off his head, completely pacified Heiqi Mountain, and marched down the mountain with the seized money, food, and prisoners.
Cao Cao, Guo Jia and others inspected the situation and without saying a word, turned their horses around and headed straight for Jizhou.
At nightfall on the third day, when Cao Cao's army was resting, Xi Zhicai arrived with food and fodder.
Cao Cao, Guo Jia, Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, Le Jin, Xi Zhicai and others were roasting fire, eating mutton, drinking wine, and chatting and laughing.
After three rounds of drinking, Xi Zhicai coughed and said with a drunken look in his eyes, "General Cao, the Censorate sent me a letter."
As soon as these words fell, everyone became very quiet.
Everyone knows that Xi Zhicai is the 'newcomer' of the Censorate, a member of the 'Yingchuan Party', and a 'military supervisor'. None of these three identities can be underestimated, let alone a combination of the three.
Cao Cao, however, remained calm. He poured a glass of wine for Xi Zhicai and laughed loudly, "That must be someone impeaching me again. Zhicai, just speak frankly. I, Cao Cao, have nothing else to do with impeachment. In terms of impeachment memorials, I am the first in the world!"
Seeing this, Guo Jia smiled and took a sip of wine.
Xi Zhicai seemed not to have heard it. He half-lay on the haystack and said with some emotion: "Someone wrote a letter accusing General Cao of avoiding the important issues and ignoring the main force of the Black Mountain Army, allowing them to gather and grow. Now that Changshan State has fallen, Envoy Ying of Jizhou has also complained. The Grand Marshal's Mansion was besieged for almost half an hour during the court meeting."
Cao Cao's smile disappeared.
You can hit me, scold me, and frame me, but you can't use me to attack others!
Cao Cao's expression gradually became gloomy, his narrow eyes half-closed, and he stroked his beard unconsciously.
Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, Le Jin and others were silent. As small people like them, they could not understand or get a say in the matters between such important figures.
Xi Zhicai seemed to be drunk, his eyes half-closed, and he shook his head at Cao Cao.
"Does His Majesty have any decree?" In the silence, Guo Jia suddenly asked Xi Zhicai with a smile.
Xi Zhicai seemed drunk and did not hear Guo Jia's question. He continued, "I also heard that the King of Bohai has arrived in Taiyuan County and is planning to go to Changshan State. Now he can only go through Shangdang County and then go to Yanzhou from Sili."
Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren looked at each other. Even though they didn't understand the affairs of the big shots, they understood this detour very well - it was extremely embarrassing!
Originally, he went from Sili to Bingzhou, then from Bingzhou to Jizhou, and then to Yanzhou.
Now we are returning to Sili from Bingzhou and going to Yanzhou!
This is not just a simple waste of time, it is a slap in the face of King Bohai, the imperial court and His Majesty in the palace!
Cao Cao remained motionless, but after a moment he smiled and said, "Cao Cao has done things with a clear conscience. Zhicai can write a letter to the Censorate with what he has seen. No matter what Zhicai writes, Cao Cao will never complain!"
Xi Zhicai looked at Cao Cao calmly. After a while of silence, he suddenly smiled and said, "I'm drunk, I don't want to drink anymore..."
As he spoke, he stood up with some difficulty, and walked towards the tent in a daze. After taking a few steps, he continued, "Your Majesty rebuked the courtiers who besieged the Grand Marshal..."