The fallen army is facing the most severe challenge so far. Hundreds of thousands of Cao Jun's infantry and cavalry and chariots cooperate with each other and frantically attack the city gate. The elite cavalry soldiers guarding the city gate were waving sabres and spears non-stop. As long as they stopped for a moment, Cao's army would gather in large numbers. The elites of the fallen army soon suffered heavy damage, and Cao's army was even more bloody.

Cao's soldiers were still under the command of the sergeant major, divided into groups and surrounded a fallen cavalry, and kept attacking until the cavalry died of exhaustion. The fallen army fought hard for two hours, with more than half of the casualties, and finally, it was getting dark.

"What should I do?" Cao Cao watched as his soldiers were bleeding into a river, the sky was getting dark, and although most of the fallen cavalry were damaged, the city gate was still firmly in their hands. He couldn't help but be extremely restless and annoyed. "I, Cao Cao, have never suffered such a big loss!" Cao Cao clenched his fists tightly, "Zero One Zero" in anger.

"Night battle! Order the soldiers to raise torches! Shoot arrows into the city! Arrows carry torches!" Cao Cao ordered angrily.

Guo Jia frowned tightly and shook his head in frustration.

"Report!" A meteor horse rushed over, "It has been proved that the entire army of Xiliang troops was dispatched, and Ma Teng led about 100,000 people, and they have arrived at Tongguan. The other tens of thousands of horses seem to have followed Lu Bu into Hanzhong. ."

"Oops!" Guo Jia patted his thigh angrily. "Tongguan is going to be difficult for a while now, and Hanzhong is also in danger. This Luochen is really amazing!"

Cao Cao's expression was extremely gloomy. If Luo Chen was in front of him, he would definitely rush to strangle him. "Cao Ren seems to have died in his hands..." Cao Cao reminded himself through gritted teeth.

"My subordinates will definitely use their own way to treat their own bodies." The white-robed general behind Cao Cao said coldly, this person is Le Jin, and the battle of Xingyang was his shot at Luo Chen. Fortunately, Luo Chen had armor to protect him. surgery to be safe.

Cao Jun started the night battle with torches. At first, Cao's army was aggressive, but the night battle was really difficult to identify, and large-scale arrows and cloud ladders could not be used. The fallen army can clearly see the soldiers under the torches at the head of the city, and the arrows are released safely. The offensive was helplessly slowed down. They heard cheers erupt from the darkness, as if "Long live General Luo!" "Long live Prime Minister!" I am afraid that Luo Chen is coming.

Ma Teng's army of 100,000 finally stabilized the situation, and Tongguan turned the corner. But Cao Jun still made a frantic revenge. All night, Cao Jun's thunderbolts and flaming arrows did not stop for a moment. Some parts of the city became a sea of ​​fire, and the city was burned to black. Cao Jun used this method to vent their anger.

The war has returned to the tug-of-war. Xiahou Yuan was ordered to urgently lead 50,000 troops to attack, and detoured to Hanzhong, which was already at stake. Although Cao's offensive suffered setbacks, due to Xun Yu's deployment of formulas, the follow-up recruits and provisions were still being transported in a steady stream, forming a greater advantage.

Cao Cao knew very well in his heart that although there were two battlefields in Hanzhong and Tongguan, Tongguan was the main gathering place for Luochen, which was decisive. Although Cao Cao's army suffered heavy damage in this battle, but the wealth of the Central Plains, plus Cao Cao's accumulation over the years, Cao Cao can still afford it. As long as Tongguan is broken, the main force of Luochen is scattered and eliminated, and Hanzhong will naturally turn from danger to safety. At that time, you can sit in Guanzhong, Hanzhong, and even easily enter Shu, and you will have a stable base in the north to compete with Yuan Shao. Once the north is unified, plus there is land in the southwest, it will be easy to unify the world. So this battle can be said to be the battle of Cao Cao's founding of the country.

Similarly, the survival of Tongguan is also a matter of life and death for Luochen. If Tongguan is broken, the Guanzhong base will cease to exist, and Luochen can only flee like Liu Bei.

The hard battle has been going on for a month. In terms of falling dust, almost all of the 50,000 troops that Lin Chong had led were killed in action, and Ma Teng and Ma Chao's troops were also damaged by tens of thousands. Now there are only more than 70,000 troops defending Tongguan. As for Cao Cao, Cao Cao lost more than 100,000 troops. Due to Xun Yu's active supplementation, there are about 200,000 troops attacking the city. On the battlefield of Hanzhong, the fallen army also encountered trouble. Due to the timely arrival of Xiahou Yuan, Lü Bu's offensive was frustrated, and the two sides formed a stalemate in Hanzhong, Chenggu, Dingjunshan and other places.

In the central army tent, Ma Teng was quite worried: "My lord, if we continue to fight like this, we may run out." Yan Qing also agreed: "Due to Dong Zhuo's several coups, the Guanzhong area is already dilapidated, and it is impossible to look like this. Supplementing the troops like the Central Plains. In the end, our strength is not as good as others. If we fight like this, we will inflict heavy losses on Cao Cao, but we will definitely lose."

Luochen frowned and pondered: "We have a very rich resource in our hands..."

"Oh?" Ma Teng waited while looking at Luochen.0

"Remember Piwu?" Luo Chen said, "Dong Zhuo's money."

"Although there is money and food, but no soldiers." Yan Qing still didn't understand.

"I once said that a war does not have to be won only by force, but also by economic means..." Luo Chen smiled slightly, "We have a lot of money on hand, so we can buy food at high prices in the areas controlled by Cao Cao and its borders, maliciously hoard food, and drive up the price of food. The price of food. At that time, Cao Cao cannot raise food in the territory, and the livelihood of the army and the people will be a problem. How can he fight?"

"This skill is amazing!" The generals admired him, "My lord, thinking deeply, ghosts and gods are far behind."

"Haha..." Luochen laughed, after all, in modern times, it is too common for countries to fight by economic means, and the ancients may not understand economics...

Dozens of officials were dispatched to Cao Cao's controlled areas and their borders, where they presided over grain purchases in various counties. Yan Qing was personally appointed by Luo Chen to Xuchang to supervise the matter. "The food is secretly transported to our control area, and if there is an emergency, it will be destroyed directly." Luochen ordered.

Luochen officials, disguised as merchants, brought their assistants to buy food at higher than market prices in the area controlled by Cao Cao. Sure enough, the market and farmers' grain poured into the fallen army's secret warehouse. A week later, the major cities in Cao Cao's control area began to have grain shortages, and the grain in the 2.8 rural areas gradually only had enough food for rations and sowing. At the same time, a large amount of gold and silver flooded into the market in Cao Cao's control area, prices began to soar, and people's lives were seriously affected.

"Why hasn't Mr. Xun Yu's provisions come yet?" Cao Cao on the front line felt something was wrong. He sent Cheng Yu to the rear to urge food.

At this time, Xun Yu was in a turmoil. Although he is quite capable of deployment, comparable to Xiao He, facing such a deteriorating market environment, he is obviously at a loss without any training in modern economics. At the same time, the security in the rear began to deteriorate, and there were several vicious looting incidents, and there were uprisings and riots in some places due to soaring prices and lack of food.

Cheng Yu was stunned by this situation, so he had to go back and report to Cao Cao. .

Chapter Eleven Yuan Shao

Cao Cao was terrified. This situation really left him helpless. Xun Yu was the best manager of this era, and he couldn't solve it.

The purchase of high-priced grain was quickly banned, but the grain could not be found, and most of the grain had been transported out of the area controlled by Cao Cao through secret channels. Large numbers of troops took to the streets to maintain law and order and to prevent riots. Panic of food shortages spread among the people and the army.

At this time, Yan Qing arrived at Jizhou controlled by Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao's grand hall was in no way inferior to the emperor's. There are antiques on the precious desk, and rows of ancient books behind him. Yuan Shao stroked his beard, with a smug look on his face, an elegant look.

Yan Qing burst into laughter. But he still saluted respectfully: "General Yuan's style of Confucian generals is famous all over the world. When you look at it today, it is better to see it than to see it. The style of a general is beyond the reach of all generations."

Yuan Shao laughed loudly: 10 "You've won awards and awards, but the Prime Minister sent you here? What are you doing?"

Yan Qing offered a piece of jade: "This is a precious jade from the Warring States Period, unparalleled in the world. The Prime Minister ordered his subordinates to bring it to General Yuan, please accept it with a smile."

Yuan Shao was overjoyed: "The Prime Minister knows me, I heard that the Prime Minister has received a lot of good things from Dong Zhuo..."

The advisors beside Yuan Shao all laughed a little. A advisor with a brown robe and a short beard spoke, "Prime Minister Luo must ask for something. I heard that Prime Minister Luo and Cao Cao fought very hard, and Tongguan is at stake..." This man The appearance of a pointed-mouthed monkey's cheeks is quite self-satisfied. Yan Qing knew Yuan Shao's advisor when he came, and he was probably Xu You.

Yan Qing didn't hide it: "Exactly, Prime Minister Luo asked General Yuan to send troops immediately. At this time, Cao Cao's army was near Tongguan, and the rear was extremely empty, and General Yuan could take advantage of the emptiness to enter... At that time, a large area of ​​​​the Central Plains will be filled with generals. yes."

Xu You laughed loudly: "Prime Minister Luo is using our lord's sword to kill Cao Cao."

A slightly older counselor in Tsing Yi spoke: "General Yan Qing is right, the lord can dispatch troops as soon as possible to take Xuchang. At this time, Cao Cao's main force is far away from Tongguan, and this is such a good opportunity that you must not miss it! Central Plains It is hard to tolerate two tigers, the lord and Cao Cao will have a battle, and the winner will unify the north, now is the best time!"

Yuan Shao nodded and said yes, and was about to agree when Xu You frowned and said, "Tian Feng, what you said is light, do you know what is the most important thing about the army's expedition?"

"Food and grass?" Yuan Shao said, "Recently, there is a general shortage of food in the Central Plains, and Cao Cao is even worse. I heard that the army will not be able to support it for a long time. We really can't raise much food in Cao's occupation area..." Yuan Shao hesitated.

Yan Qing smiled slightly, and said softly: "What if Prime Minister Luo gave General Yuan 400,000 stone grains and grass?"

Gently, like thunder, there was silence in the hall.

After a long time, Yuan Shao spoke slowly: "I've heard for a long time that the Prime Minister is hidden, the genius of the world, I saw it today... When will the food and grass be delivered?"

"200,000 stones can be delivered now, please send troops immediately, and the remaining half will be given in due time."

"Okay!" Yuan Shao stood up, "Yan Liangwen Chou, each leading 200,000 troops, on the left and right. I personally lead 300,000 troops in the middle, and I will set off immediately and set foot on Xuchang!"

"The general is wise and powerful, and the world is unmatched." Yan Qing said and resigned.

Yuan Shao has lived in Hebei for a long time, and has been recruiting troops to buy horses and recuperate. He borrowed from the prosperous population of the Central Plains, sufficient arable land, and his strength has grown rapidly. Now the army has expanded to 800,000 or 900,000, and there are good generals such as Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Zhang He, and Gao Lan, and advisors such as Tian Feng, Xu You, Ju Shou, Shen Pei, and Feng Ji. It is the most powerful force in the world today.

The next day's crusade against Cao Cao was released. It was written by Chen Lin, a writer and great scholar of the Eastern Han Dynasty, who still scolded Cao Cao's ancestors and said that he was the son of a eunuch, but did not scold Cao Cao for coercing the emperor to order the princes, because the emperor was intercepted by Luochen.

Luochen looked at Xuwen and laughed: "Chen Lin is a great talent, famous in the history of literature, I hope to have the opportunity to meet him." Luochen asked the emperor to issue an edict, saying that Cao Cao was plotting wrongdoing and dismissed him from all his posts, and he highly praised him. The justice of Yuan Shao's great Sima.

Cao Cao's camp was in a panic.

"Please return to the teacher immediately!" Guo Jia and other advisers were also panicked.

"Send an order to return to Xuchang immediately!" Cao Cao ordered. "It's just... what if the dust is chasing us?"

"My subordinates are willing to break the queen." Cao Hong, the general in red robe, came out. He was the general who saved Cao Cao's life in the Battle of Xingyang. "This subordinate only needs five thousand light cavalry, please lead the army back to Xuchang quickly."

"This..." Cao Cao was a little worried, but he still agreed.

Luochen was at the head of Tongguan City, and when he saw the dust and smoke in the distance, Cao Cao's cavalry rushed away. The infantry under the city also began to clear their banners and retreated quickly and in an orderly manner. He couldn't help but sigh in admiration: "Cao Cao's army is really good."

The Battle of Tongguan was the first time that Luochen had experienced such a large-scale battle. Since the day he came to Tongguan, he has been supervising the battle for a month. Today, Tongguan finally cleared the siege. With Luochen's will and wisdom, he is quite proud.