Han Dynasty Achievements

Chapter 329 Cut into 8 pieces

Chapter 329: Cut into pieces

Liu Bei never expected that someone in the court would question his identity as a "relative of the Han royal family."

This was a big trouble for him, because neither his name nor his father's name was on the clan disc.

Yang Xiu quietly observed Liu Bei, but could not tell anything from his face. He was curious whether this man was pretending to be a relative of the Han royal family.

Pretending to be a relative of the Han royal family is a serious crime!

The two chatted for a few minutes and then came to the temporary school martial arts field.

"Meng De!" Yuan Shao laughed, just like when they first met, like old friends reuniting.

Cao Cao also smiled and raised his hand and said, "General Hou, why are you in the mood to come to the martial arts training ground?"

Yuan Shao put his hands behind his back, turned to Liu Bei and Guan Yu behind him, and said, "I heard that Yunchang had met his match, and I was very curious, so I came here to watch the battle."

Liu Bei smiled and said politely, "General, you are too kind. I just have some brute force."

Yuan Shao admired him and said, "I don't think so. Yunchang has the demeanor of a great general. Come on, I can't wait."

Guan Yu said nothing, picked up his sword, jumped on his horse, and galloped into the arena.

Cao Cao stared at Guan Yu's back and nodded secretly. This man was indeed extraordinary.

In the martial arts arena, Guan Yu and Xu Chu exchanged simple courtesies, then their swords clashed, the sound of horses' hooves thundered, and they started fighting.

Yuan Shao was in the middle, Cao Cao was on the right, and Liu Bei was on the left. The three of them stood side by side watching the competition between the two people on the field.

Yuan Shao's mind was not on the field at all. He glanced at the two people on his left and right and said with a smile: "I heard that Meng De intends to divide the troops?"

"I greet the rear general, General Liu, and General Cao." Before Yuan Shao finished speaking, Sun Ce strode over.

Seeing this, Liu Bei was a little surprised: Wasn’t it Sun Ce who told Yuan Shao?

Yuan Shao remained motionless, smiling as he said, "Bofu, are you also interested in dividing your forces with me?"

Sun Ce was stunned for a moment, then looked at the three people's backs, still holding his hand up, and said, "I am humble and will follow your orders."

Cao Cao smiled and turned to Yuan Shao, saying, "General Hou, our army is nearly 200,000 strong. We can divide our forces and force Dong Zhuo to divide his troops and defend. We can march straight in and destroy Dong Zhuo in a month!"

"Does Envoy Liu think so too?" Yuan Shao put his hands behind his back, looking calm and composed.

Liu Bei hesitated and said, "'Conquering Dong Zhuo' is a major plan set by the court. If we want to divide the troops, we must report it to the Grand Marshal's Mansion."

Cao Cao was not surprised and said, "When a general is away from home, he may not obey the king's orders. We will make the decision on the spot and report to you later."

Yuan Shao stood up straight, his expression solemn, and said: "I won't allow it! I am the commander-in-chief appointed by the court to fight against Dong Zhuo. Without my order, no one can divide the troops or act on their own!"

Cao Cao had a blank expression on his face and slowly put his hands behind his back.

The scene was silently tense.

Sun Ce's status was too low, and he had been standing behind the three people, staring at Cao Cao's hands behind his back, and a trace of solemnity flashed across his face.

If Yuan Shao breaks with Cao Cao, which side should he stand on?

Although the imperial court is powerful, Wujun is part of Yangzhou, and Yuan Shao is his biggest threat!

Liu Bei became even more nervous. He took a deep breath and tried his best to think of a way to deal with the situation.

Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were the main forces in the campaign against Dong Zhuo. If these two men started to fight among themselves, the consequences would be disastrous.

Although he was nominally the governor of Xuzhou and had a very high status, he was still inferior to Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, and his words did not carry enough weight.

Yuan Shao did not turn his head, but watched Cao Cao's movements out of the corner of his eye, and his eyes couldn't help but become gloomy.

If Cao Cao openly divides his troops, it will be a huge blow to his prestige and will also cause twists and turns in the "Battle against Dong Zhuo".

What Yuan Shao wants now is to win over various princes, take the opportunity to expand his strength, and at the same time continuously accumulate reputation and prestige through the battle against Dong Zhuo.

Destroying Dong Zhuo was Yuan Shao's established goal. After destroying Dong Zhuo, he could easily occupy Yuzhou and Xuzhou, and then go south to annex Jingzhou and Jiaozhi, dividing the world with the imperial court!

But Cao Cao's splitting of his troops would completely disrupt his plan. Would he be able to defeat Dong Zhuo? Would he be able to successfully occupy Yu and Xu later? If Cao Cao, Liu Bei and others retained their strength, how could he feel at ease to go south?

"it is good!"

Suddenly, Xiahou Dun behind him burst into a roar.

Everyone looked up and saw that in the martial arts field, Guan Yu and Xu Chu were fighting to a standstill, with each fighting back and forth, and neither was evenly matched.

"good."

Yuan Shao suppressed his anger and laughed loudly: "Meng De, Xu Chu, is a great general. Lord Xuande, this Yunchang is even more rare. In the future battles, please don't be stingy and lend him to me..."

Cao Cao listened to Yuan Shao's repeated address and smiled, saying to Yuan Shao, "General Hou, thank you for your praise."

Seeing that the atmosphere was relaxed, Liu Bei hurriedly said, "General Hou, it will rain heavily soon. How about we march in as soon as possible?"

Yuan Shao nodded heavily and said, "Mr. Xuande is right. I have discussed with the others about sending out troops tomorrow, but it has not been decided yet. I plan to invite everyone to a banquet tonight to discuss it together. What do you think, Mengde?"

Cao Cao immediately raised his hand and said in a deep voice: "General, I request to be the vanguard and send troops to Qiao County!"

Yuan Shao reached out and held Cao Cao's hand, and said solemnly, "Meng De has a heart for the country, and I have always admired him. Then Meng De, Lord Xuande, and Bo Fu will be the vanguard. Tomorrow, we will send troops to attack Pei State with Qiao County as our base!"

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and said without hesitation, "I will obey your orders!"

Liu Bei and Sun Ce naturally didn't say anything, and raised their hands and said, "Yes, sir!"

Yuan Shao had a smile on his face, but murderous intent was stirring in his heart. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard a loud shout from the school martial arts field.

Everyone turned around and saw that Guan Yu and Xu Chu seemed to be in a rage. They did not hold back and fought with all their might. The horses under them could not hold on and staggered back.

"Stop it,"

Yuan Shao lost interest and said, "We are allies, why do we have to fight to this extent?"

Cao Cao seemed not to have heard the hidden meaning in Yuan Shao's words, and said to Xiahou Dun: "Let them stop."

Xiahou Dun responded, jumped off the training ground, and called on the two men to stop.

At this time, Le Jin came running over and said anxiously: "General, it's bad, Dong Zhuo suddenly sent troops to attack Qiao County!"

Cao Cao's face changed drastically, and he turned around and asked, "What's the situation now?"

Yuan Shao, Liu Bei and others also had changed expressions and stared at Le Jin with different eyes.

Le Jin was not panicking, but his breath was short, and he said: "I don't know yet. Cao Hong sent someone to report immediately, saying that Guo Si was the leader and had 10,000 soldiers and horses."

Cao Cao quickly regained his composure, and was calm and composed. He half-closed his narrow eyes, and after a moment, he raised his hand and said to Yuan Shao, "I have two thousand soldiers in Qiao County, so there should be no trouble for a while. General Hou, I request that you send the troops immediately."

Yuan Shao looked worried. He held Cao Cao's hands and said, "I wish Meng De a great victory and boost our military prestige!"

Cao Cao nodded heavily, then jumped on his horse and galloped away.

Liu Bei, Sun Ce and Yuan Shao greeted each other and hurriedly went to check the troops.

Yuan Shao looked at the backs of several people, his expression gradually restrained, and he became cold and gloomy, with murderous intent floating in his eyes.

Xu You then came over and said with a smile, "General, isn't this exactly my plan? Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Ce are not on the same page as you. If they fight Dong Zhuo head-on, you will wait for them to tire themselves out. They will all just be food for you."

Director Zhang observed Yuan Shao's expression and said, "General, there is no need to be angry. Cao Cao is a lawless person, otherwise he would not be so unacceptable to the court. When he is exhausted from fighting Dong Zhuo, he will have no choice but to come to you for help."

Yuan Shao was so angry that he wanted to kill Cao Cao. His tone was even colder as he said, "You don't understand. Cao Cao has the eyes of an eagle and the back of a wolf. He may seem reckless, but he is actually very scheming. He is not an ordinary person! If we can't control him, he will become a big problem in the future!"

Xu You smiled and said, "General, what you said makes sense. Cao Cao can only win this time, not lose, so he must fight to the death at all costs. That thief Dong is not easy to deal with, and the court will not be surprised if anything happens to him."

Yuan Shao's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he understood what Xu You said. His expression relaxed a little, and he said, "Ziyuan, you continue to send people to watch and check whether Dong Zhuo really sent people to attack Qiao County."

Director Zhang was shocked and said, "General, you suspect that this is a conspiracy set up by Cao Cao?"

Yuan Shao sneered and said, "I got the news that they were going to split up their forces a little too quickly!"

"Yes!" Xu You bowed slightly, raised his eyelids, stared at Yuan Shao secretly, and felt nervous.

In the past, he always thought that Yuan Shao was easy to fool, but now he realized that this guy was not a pushover and was very meticulous!

At this moment, Zhuge Xuan, Liu Yao and others got the news, ran over in a hurry, and surrounded Yuan Shao and talked in a buzz.

"General, send out the troops! We can't wait any longer!"

"Dong Zhuo actually dared to attack first. He is so bold. We must fight him back!"

"General Hou, I request to be the vanguard and dampen Dong Zhuo's arrogance!"

……

Yuan Shao had regained his former dignity and gentleness. He smiled and said loudly, "Don't worry, everyone. I have ordered Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Ce to lead an army of 50,000 to Qiao County to meet the enemy. You will gather your troops today, and in two days, follow me to support the three of them!"

When everyone heard this, they felt relieved and praised Yuan Shao for his wisdom.

Yuan Shao smiled on the surface, but he was still very angry in his heart.

This kind of anger is far beyond what others can compare to - Cao Cao's calculations are particularly hateful!

On the other side, Cao Cao quickly reorganized his troops, and after joining forces with Liu Bei and Sun Ce, they marched towards Qiao County in a mighty force.

It was not until then that Liu Bei became alert and kept looking at Cao Cao's back.

Guan Yu glanced at the bandaged knuckles and asked, "Brother, what happened?"

Liu Bei sighed and said, "Cao Cao told me to divide the troops, and Yuan Shao knew about it the moment he did. Now, he is sending troops?"

After listening to Liu Bei's words, Guan Yu thought carefully and said, "Brother, what you mean is that Cao Cao originally planned to send troops as soon as possible, and the so-called division of troops is just a show for Yuan Shao to see?"

Liu Bei nodded and said, "That should be the case. With Cao Cao's move, Yuan Shao can no longer delay. He will definitely send troops within two days at the latest."

"So, the matter in Qiao County should be false." Guan Yu's phoenix eyes moved, and he looked up at Cao Cao.

How could Cao Cao, a man with thick eyebrows and big eyes who looks rough, actually be so insidious?

Compared to Liu Bei, Sun Ce's army was much quieter. He followed Cao Cao on the right side, silently.

Cao Cao, who was walking in the front, looked the most relaxed. He held a map in his hand and examined it carefully.

Guo Jia followed on horseback, his face pale as he looked ahead with a hint of worry in his eyes.

Cao Cao watched for an unknown amount of time before he came to his senses. Seeing Guo Jia's expression, he asked with concern, "Feng Xiao, have you given up drinking again?"

Guo Jia was addicted to alcohol and would suffer severe backlash once he quit drinking, as if he were seriously ill.

Guo Jia smiled slightly and said, "Without good wine, drinking is bland. By the way, General, have you thought of a countermeasure?"

"When we get to Qiao County, I'll go find Feng Xiao."

Cao Cao said this without thinking too much, and then said slowly with a solemn expression: "Fengxiao, according to the spies' report, the road from Qiao County to Xiang County seems to be flat, but there are still many dangerous passes. If Dong Zhuo avoids the battle and defends to the death, it will be easy to drag the war into winter."

Guo Jia had studied this long ago and said, "That's not what I'm worried about. We, together with Yuan Shao, have a large number of troops. We can just divide them up and bypass them. It's the elite troops of Xiliang in Dong Zhuo's hands. Our coalition army may seem powerful, but it's also scattered and divided. Once we are defeated, the morale of the army will surely be greatly reduced and no one will dare to move forward. That will be the most dangerous time."

Cao Cao frowned and said, "So, we can't lose?"

Guo Jia nodded gently, coughed again, and said, "So, general, you must be quick. Speed ​​is of the essence in war. You must boost morale. Only when the momentum is strong enough can we unite as one and defeat the enemy all the way. Although Yuan Shao has a grudge against Dong Zhuo for exterminating his clan and is also interested in Yu and Xu, once he encounters a setback, it is inevitable that he will change his mind and give up Dong Zhuo. Instead, he will turn south and leave this big trouble of Dong Zhuo to the general and the court, so as to plan for the future."

Cao Cao looked solemn, staring at the map and thinking silently.

If he were to switch places with Yuan Shao, he would also be inclined to do as Guo Jia said, to let go of Dong Zhuo for the time being, concentrate on attacking Jing and Jiao, leave Dong Zhuo to the court, and watch from the sidelines in order to reap the benefits.

Fortunately, the trend of defeating Dong Zhuo has already been established, and Yuan Shao does not have sufficient reasons to retreat easily.

Cao Cao pondered for a long time and said, "Fengxiao, I suggest bypassing Qiao County and heading south from Liang State. What do you think?"

Guo Jia suppressed the discomfort in his chest and shook his head, saying, "A while ago, Huang Zhong of Yanzhou sent troops south, but soon withdrew. He must have encountered obstacles and failed to borrow the Liang State. And Lu Bu of Xuzhou has already formed an alliance with Dong Zhuo. He may be ambushed from the south to the north. Now, the general has no choice but to march as fast as possible, catch Dong Zhuo off guard, force him to retreat, and then gather a large army to decide the outcome in one battle. We cannot delay for too long!"

Cao Cao nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly turned around and stared at Guo Jia, and said in surprise: "Fengxiao, you talked a lot today, have you thought of something?"

Guo Jia was startled, then smiled and shook his head, saying, "General, don't think too much. I'm just thinking that this battle is of vital importance to you. You can only win and not lose. Once you lose, the achievements you've been thinking about day and night will be gone forever and will be irreversible."

When Cao Cao heard these words, he felt relieved and turned to look towards Luoyang City.

If he loses this battle, those people in Luoyang City who have been eyeing him covetously will skin him alive and cut him into pieces.