In the first half of October in the second year of the Jian'an of the Han Dynasty (197 AD), Xu Maogong, the chief military advisor of the General's Mansion, arrived in Linzi City, Qingzhou. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Zang Ba, Li Feng and others went out to welcome thirty miles.

In the face of the number one strategist of the General's Mansion, Zang Ba and the others had mixed feelings, including frustration and hatred after defeat, nervousness and excitement when they first met Xu Maogong, and awe of Xu Maogong. This awe suddenly became strong as Xu Maogong's tall and emaciated figure appeared in front of their eyes.

For more than ten years, Xu Maogong followed the general Li Yi to fight in the south and the north, and made great achievements, but this scholar personally participated in almost all the major battles experienced by the general Li Yi in his life, and was definitely one of the veterans in the Northern Xinjiang Army.

Zang Ba and others still clearly remember that seven years ago, when Sima Ju and Xu He, the marshals of the Yellow Turban Army, had an incident in Mount Tai, it was this scholar who followed Li Yi, who was still a hussar general at the time, to Yanzhou. Then, the mighty Sima Ju and Xu and the Yellow Turban Army, the two million army were wiped out in one fell swoop.

In the later stage of the war, Zang Ba, Yin Li, Wu Dun and others were also involved in the later stage, Zang Ba was persuaded by Xi Zhicai to lead the army into Taishan County, wanting to sneak attack Li Yi's back road, but he never wanted to be seen through by the scholar in front of him, and the whole army was wiped out. Since then, he Zang Ba has been struggling, and has surrendered to Tao Qian, Liu Bei and others, but he has never been able to recover.

After escaping to Qingzhou this time, Zang Ba saw an opportunity to create a miracle, but the news that Cao Cao, Liu Bei and others had successfully withdrawn to the Central Plains shattered his dream, and he had to fight for his survival.

At this time, he thought of Li Yi. This man who once brought him heavy hurt is now his hope to live.

"You're fast." Xu Maogong looked at Zang Ba and smiled, "If you evacuate one night later, things will completely change." ”

Then Xu Maogong briefly talked about the ending of the Jizhou War, and finally asked: "Gongsun Chan is dead, do you know?" ”

Zang Ba nodded and said, "Cao Cao's people have already come. ”

Xu Maogong smiled disdainfully and said, "What else will this butcher do besides killing people?" Now Yanzhou and Xuzhou have been beaten to pieces by Yuan Shu, and he needs time to defeat Yuan Shu, so he will send someone to buy you, otherwise, his army is now in the city. ”

"When he attacked Xuzhou twice, he killed Yingye, and the Surabaya River was filled with the corpses of innocent people, and the river was cut off. This Qiu Liu Bei doesn't want to take revenge, it's understandable, he is not from Xuzhou after all, but what about you? I heard that Tao Gongzu is as kind to you, and you don't want to revenge this revenge? ”

Zang Ba's eyes showed a cold murderous aura, and he said in a deep voice: "Cheng Yu is still in Linzi City. If the gentleman wants his head, I'll send it to you right away. ”

Xu Maogong shook his hand and said, "There is no need. The main purpose of my visit this time is to meet you, Yin Li, and Wu Dun, listen to your requests, and help you quickly gain a foothold in Qingzhou, so as to prevent Cao Cao and Liu Bei from occupying Qingzhou and expanding their strength. He stretched out his hand to pat Zang Ba's back and said with a slight smile, "If you kill Cheng Yu, it is equivalent to a complete break with Cao Cao and Liu Bei." Once Yuan Shu is defeated and retreats to the Central Plains, Cao Cao and Liu Bei will immediately free up their hands to deal with you, so not only can you not kill him, but you must sincerely form an alliance with Cao Cao and Liu Bei. ”

Zang Ba, Li Feng, and Wu Zi's faces changed together, and they looked at Xu Maogong very suspiciously.

Xu Maogong immediately speculated on the changes in the situation in the world and the Central Plains after the Battle of Jizhou, and finally said: "The reason why my lord decided to abandon Qingzhou and concentrate his forces to fight Hanoi is to make Yuan Shao unable to intervene in the Central Plains, so that Cao Cao and Liu Bei can fight with Yuan Shu without worries." Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Yuan Shu and others were busy with the war and would definitely not be able to concentrate on recovering their strength in the short term, and this was exactly what Hebei needed. The longer the Central Plains War lasted, the more beneficial it would be for Hebei. ”

The three of Zang Ba immediately understood. During this time, they commanded the army to sweep through the three counties of Northern Qingzhou, and they knew nothing about anything outside Qingzhou. Although Cheng Yu came for several days, the news he brought made Zang Ba and others restless, and they were always worried that Cao Cao and Liu Bei would come in.

Now it seems that nine out of ten sentences of what Cheng Yu said are false.

"But......" Zang Ba asked after a long hesitation, "will the general still agree to our request?" ”

"I'm already standing in front of you." Xu Maogong said with a smile, "My status in Northern Xinjiang, I think you should be very clear. The fact that my lord sent me here is the greatest sign of sincerity. ”

"But...... But...... "It's hard for Zang Ba to believe that there is such a good thing in the world. With the help of Hebei, after my strength has increased greatly, isn't the general afraid that I will turn against me?

However, Zang Ba quickly thought of Zhang Yan, Guan Hai, Sima Ju, Sun Guan, Wu Ba, Yang Feng, Han Xian, Li Le, Hu Cai, Yu Poison and others in the Northern Xinjiang Army, these people were also thieves, and even Sun Guan and Wu Ba used to be his brothers, but now they are all generals under the general. Why haven't Zhang Yan, Sima Ju, and Sun Guan betrayed so far? Why did Yu Poison finally choose the general when he was cornered? The reason is very simple, because the Great General is strong, because the Great General can help them realize their dream of a peaceful world.

Actually, what is there for the general to worry about? As long as Hebei achieves its goal, as long as the Central Plains Zhuxiong does not stop conquering, and hundreds of thousands of northern Xinjiang troops are discharged, who can stop it?

Back then, the general could lead a large army to conquer the desert, but can't he conquer the Central Plains now? Even if he throws a blow, how much damage can he inflict on the general?

Compared with the general's generosity and trust in himself, Cao Cao and Liu Bei seemed very despicable. Give yourself the official position of a general, the title of a county marquis, and a few carts of rewards, and take it for granted that you should be grateful to Dade, and you should lie on the ground and weep bitterly to thank them for their gifts.

The more Zang Ba thought about it, the more angry he became, and he couldn't help but curse a few words secretly in his heart. Now it's you begging me, not me, that you shamelessly put on a stinky shelf, arrogant, human-like fingers, what?

Although the general did not give me an official position, a knighthood, or a reward, he gave me food, trust and dignity.

Dignity is earned by oneself, not by rewards or charity.

"The general has only one request." Xu Maogong knew what Zang Ba wanted to say, he waved his hand at Zang Ba, and said indifferently, "You govern Qingzhou well, let the people of Qingzhou have food, and don't flee to Jizhou again." As for the army in Qingzhou, we do not interfere. The Great General wants you to have as many troops as possible, and the more elite the better. If you don't have enough ordnance, you can send someone to Hebei to ask for it, and we will try our best to meet your requirements. ”

Zang Ba, Li Feng, and Wu Zi were dumbfounded, and they couldn't believe their ears.

After everyone escaped the Yellow River, because they were worried that the Northern Xinjiang Army would kill them, they were worried all day long, although they successfully took Linzi later, but they still thought about the matter of Taishan.

After Cheng Yu came to Linzi, everyone was worried that Cao Cao and Liu Bei would come in, and life would be even more difficult.

Originally, no one expected Hebei to agree to their conditions. After all, he has no strength, unless he takes the initiative to surrender and give up Qingzhou, Hebei will not pay attention. But who knew that things had changed drastically, the general not only agreed to all the conditions, but also let his chief strategist personally rush to Qingzhou, and now he even took the initiative to provide ordnance.

The three men looked at each other in disbelief. If the general is not an idiot, then he must be an idiot. How can there be such a good thing in the world?

"The general is not afraid that we will turn against us?" Zang Ba finally couldn't help it and blurted out a question.

Xu Maogong smiled confidently and said calmly: "If with the help of Hebei, your strength can be compared with the hundreds of thousands of rebels who have just returned from defeat, then you can give it a try." If you don't think you have such strength, then you'd better choose Hebei. ”

"Sir, although we have not publicly stated that we have taken refuge in Hebei, due to the rapid growth of our strength, Cao Cao and Liu Bei will definitely notice that Hebei's strategy may not succeed." Wu Zi said worriedly.

"If your strength can't grow rapidly, you will definitely be defeated by Cao Cao and Liu Bei, which is why I personally rushed to Qingzhou to meet with you." Xu Maogong said, "You have the strength, Cao Cao and Liu Bei will not dare to annex you, and our strategy can succeed." ”

"Of course, if Cao Cao and Liu Bei think that you have secretly taken refuge in Hebei and use this as an excuse to fight you, then they will be in the middle of the scheme. Cao Cao and Liu Bei sent troops to fight you, not only will their own strength be lost, but Yuan Shu in the south will not be idle. This is more conducive to Hebei's sweep of the Central Plains. ”

Zang Ba's heart moved, and he immediately said: "If Hebei's grain and ordnance can be quickly sent to Qingzhou, we can take the initiative to attack Cao Cao and Liu Bei." ”

"I'd like you to take the initiative." Zhang Yan said with a smile, "Attacking instead of defending is the best defensive strategy, and the more you fight Qingzhou, the more stable it will be." ”

"Yuan Shu's strength is not strong, and Yuan Shao is contained in Hanoi by us, so it is a matter of time before Yuan Shu evacuates the Central Plains. Once Yuan Shu is defeated, Cao Cao and Liu Bei may take advantage of the situation and completely kill Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu was defeated, and Cao Cao and Liu Bei were able to concentrate their forces on Qingzhou. Therefore, if you are willing to take the initiative to attack, it is best to choose when Yuan Shu is defeated and leaves the Central Plains. ”

"After you contain Cao Cao and Liu Bei's forces, Yuan Shu will be able to retain a certain amount of strength. In this way, the situation in the Central Plains is very chaotic. If Cao Cao and Liu Bei attack Qingzhou, Yuan Shu of Yangzhou will attack. If Cao Cao and Liu Bei attack Yangzhou, you will attack from Qingzhou. If Cao Cao and Liu Bei want to make peace with both of you, you will fight one of Cao Cao and Liu Bei, sabotage the peace talks, and start a war again. ”

"In a word, we can't let the war in the Central Plains stop."

The three of Zang Ba nodded again and again.

Xu Maogong made up for it again and said, "Only by fighting out, can you occupy more land and make the Central Plains blazing." Of course, if you handle it properly, you can also take the opportunity to blackmail them and get more benefits. (To be continued.) )