Thirty miles outside Hangu Pass.

Cao Cao's camp was stationed here. Yuan Shao and other princes reluctantly withdrew, and other princes who chose neutrality also withdrew, and the princes who defected entered Hangu Pass. Only Cao Cao was left with the delay in withdrawing his troops.

First, Cao Cao is just a little talker, not too guarded, assassinated, and the state pastor has his own territory. He only had these soldiers and horses, and even the grain and grass were provided by Yuan Shu. Second, he's still waiting for someone.

Under the cover of night, Xiahoudun hurriedly walked into the big tent and said in a low voice: "Lord, he ...... No, the prince is here. ”

"Please...... No, so-and-so personally greeted him. Cao Cao's eyebrows were overjoyed, and he immediately got up.

"Brother Meng De doesn't have to be polite. This king is uninvited, can I ask for a glass of water and wine? Lu Yao Shi Ran walked into the tent.

"Come, prepare a feast." Cao Cao stepped forward and pulled Lu Yao's hand so excitedly that his eyes were red.

Blatantly the first to withdraw troops, it is inevitable to offend the Yuan brothers, the big financiers of this battle. Now the food and grass of the whole army is only enough for five days, let alone going back, I am afraid that Lu Yao will come two days late, and even he, the lord, will starve.

The banquet is ready, and the guests and hosts are seated.

Cao Cao gave Lu Yao enough face, ordered all the wine and food he found to be sent to the banquet, and even called the generals to accompany him despite the fact that it was late.

"This place is shabby, snub sir, and a certain self-punishment is three cups." Cao Cao drank three cups in a row to show his apology, and then laughed loudly: "Yuan Rang, dance the sword to cheer up Mr." ”

Xiahoudun received the order, drew his sword and danced the sword to help the wine. After a set of sword dances, Lu Yao personally poured a glass of wine and handed it over: "Good swordsmanship, is it good to have a drink with this king?" ”

"Thank you for the wine." Xiahoudun took the wine cup and drank a glass with Lu Yao before returning to the table.

After three rounds of wine, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves. Lu Yao suddenly put down the wine cup, looked at Cao Cao meaningfully and said, "This king wants to give Brother Meng De a great fortune. I wonder if Brother Meng De is willing to accept it? ”

Cao Cao was immediately overjoyed, and hurriedly asked, "Sir, you might as well speak up." They are all henchmen of a certain kind. ”

Lu Yao shook his head and smiled.

Frankly speaking, this time I am not here for a private visit, and I am not afraid that someone on Cao Cao's side will leak secrets. Or rather, it is an upright conspiracy. Even if you leak secrets, it doesn't hurt.

"Chang'an has been occupied by Li Xuan and Guo Yan." Lu Yao smiled faintly.

"Luoyang has been destroyed, Chang'an is occupied by the remnants of Dong thieves, the holy ......" Cao Cao seemed to be talking to himself, and in the end, his eyes were full of brilliance, and he looked at Lu Yao with surprise and joy.

A wise man never speaks only half of what he says. Cao Cao is also a smart person, combined with Lu Yao's overnight visit, he immediately understood in seconds.

In the blink of an eye, Cao Cao frowned again, shook his head helplessly and sighed: "Thank you, Mr., for your appreciation, but ...... Don't dare to hide it from Mr., there is no place for him now. ”

Lu Yao smiled without saying a word, poured himself a drink, so comfortable.

Cao Cao peeked at Lu Yao's actions and immediately realized that there was something else hidden in it, so he thought about it hard.

At this time, Xiahou Yuan couldn't hold it back, and shouted impatiently: "Lord, the prince has sent a big gift, why don't you let it go?" ”

Cao Ren was also in a hurry, and persuaded bitterly: "Why didn't the lord lead the army to capture Chen Liu?" ”

Cao Cao was in a dilemma.

Xiahou Yuan is right, if Tianyu does not take it, he will be blamed. If someone sends such a big gift, if you let it go, it will really beep the dog. Cao Ren is right. Chenliu is the place where he started his army and where his family is located. led the army to seize Chenliu, and there was a stable territory.

The only problem is that Chen Liu's location is in Yanzhou, and it is difficult to take Emperor Xian to Chen Liu.

After a moment of silence, Cao Cao suddenly looked at Lu Yao: "I beg Mr. to teach me." ”

Lu Yao smiled and raised two fingers: "One is to wave the army to capture Chen Liu, and the other is to lead the army to recapture Chang'an." ”

"Chang'an City has high walls and thick walls, how can I take it with a few soldiers and horses." Xiahou Yuan complained sullenly.

"According to the opinion of the last general, he led the army to capture Chen Liu." Xiahoudun also supported the views of his brother Xiahouyuan, and directly rejected the proposal to lead the army to attack Chang'an.

Cao Ren and other generals also did not support the storming of Chang'an. It's too risky, it's better to settle for the next best thing and take advantage of Chen Liu. Taking 10,000 steps back, even if he didn't accept the gift from Lu Yao, at least he wouldn't have no place like now.

"What do you think, sir?" Cao Cao thought about it and begged for advice again.

Lu Yao was helpless.

It's not that he's forcing Cao Cao to make a choice. In fact, if he follows the normal trajectory, Cao Cao will have at least a few years to come out. He didn't have that time to wait. Now the emperor is an excellent hole card, if you let go, it will be cheaper for others. And he didn't have that time to accompany the emperor every day. So Cao Cao became the best choice.

Cao Cao is ambitious, capable, and powerful. It is not advisable to pull out seedlings to help them grow, but with Cao Cao's ability, he may not jump out of his fate and develop in advance.

In addition to Chang'an and Chen Liu, there is another option. Historically, Cao Cao broke the remnants of the Yellow Turban in Dongjun and was named the Taishou of Dongjun to make his fortune. It's just that the Dongjun city is small, and it can't accommodate the big Buddha of the emperor. Naturally, it has to be excluded. Then it can only depend on Cao Cao's courage, whether he chooses to attack Chang'an nearby, or choose Chen Liu, who is far away in Yanzhou.

Lu Yao was silent, leaving Cao Cao helpless.

Everyone sent big gifts. If you still force others to give advice, it will be too much to say. He's not that cheeky either. If you can't eat this gift, you can only say that you don't have that blessing.

"Let me think about it a little more." Cao Cao raised his glass helplessly.

"For three days, I will fight Chang'an or Chen Liu, and give this king an answer. The grain and grass are heavy, and there is no need for Brother Meng De to worry about it, only the king can help. Lu Yao smiled faintly and gave a deadline.

If Cao Cao can't make a choice, there is Ma Teng, like Bao Xin, Tao Qian, and Kong Rong, who can all be competent. In short, the most important thing is to prevent Emperor Xian from falling into the hands of Yuan Shao or Yuan Shu.

"Sir, great grace, Meng De will never forget." Cao Cao was so moved.

What a good prince, not only sent a big gift, but also wrapped the grain and grass. Where did he guess that Lu Yao was just doing a favor.

To control Emperor Xian, he is powerless. No matter how important the emperor is, it can't compare to Xanadu City. Not to mention the weight of grain and grass. It wasn't his in the first place, and even if it was his, he couldn't bring it back to Xanadu City. Instead of leaving it to outsiders to pick up cheap, it is better to befriend Cao Cao and lay a good foundation for the next battle of Guandu.

Three days later, Cao Cao did reply. In the end, he still chose to take Chen Liu, and Lu Yao did not break his promise, and gave enough grain and grass to carry the burden.

Seeing Cao Cao, who was grateful to Dade, leading the army away, Lu Yao suddenly scratched his head in distress, and helplessly held the battlements and looked in the direction of Luoyang. Zhang Liao and the others have not yet arrived. If you calculate carefully, it should be here in these two days.

I was stunned on the city tower for a long time, until dusk, when Lu Yao was about to go back, and a flag suddenly appeared a few miles outside the gate. Looking at it, he breathed a sigh of relief.

It's finally here, but fortunately it's not a delay.