Yuan Shang heard this and sneered: "You killed my father, and now you are pretending to invade my four provinces in Hebei, and pretend to be benevolent and righteous! You and I have an undeniable hatred!" The spear charged towards Cao Cao. Zhang Liao and Xu Huang, one holding a gun and the other swinging an axe, stood in front of Cao Cao. That Xu Huang was not polite, and rushed over to Yuan Shang directly across the horse. Zhang Liao saw that Xu Huang had passed by, so he was embarrassed to go up again, so he put the horse to watch the battle. Xu Huang didn't wait for Yuan Shang to use his spear, he swung his axe and slashed head-on. Yuan Shang hurriedly blocked it with his long spear, Xu Huang was so powerful that Yuan Shang's mouth was bleeding instantly, and he turned his horse back. Xu Huang was not willing to let him go easily, and rushed over with an axe. Yuan Shang knew that he would not survive, so he simply stopped running, stabbed with a gun, and shouted: "Cao Cao traitor! If you want to occupy Hebei, step over my body first!" , hit Yuan Shang's forehead, Yuan Shang immediately fell to the ground and died.

Seeing Yuan Shang was dead before the battle, some Cao Jun exclaimed and some cheered. Yuan Jun was all stunned and panicked. Although Cao Cao was mentally prepared, he didn't expect Yuan Shang to be killed by Xu Huang so easily. He was surprised and a little sad. Seeing that Yuan Shang was dead, Cao Hong ordered all Cao troops to cover up and kill him, and Cao troops attacked everywhere.

The Shen Pei could see clearly from the top of the city, and Yuan Shang, who rushed forward under Xu Huang's axe, solidified in an instant, and then fell limply from the horse, and the ground was bleeding slowly. Shen Pei's head was buzzing, the so-called Lord of the Four Provinces of Hebei died so easily. Shen Pei took another look, and Yuan Jun on all sides had no fighting spirit and surrendered on the spot. The gates of Jizhou city were opened, and Cao's army poured in, and Yuan's army scattered all around. Shen Pei saw that there was no hope of defending the city, and Hebei seemed to have to die, so he resolutely drew his sword and committed suicide.

In less than a day, Cao's army fully occupied Jizhou and captured 100,000 Yuan army. The Yuan army in the entire Jizhou Dazhou also surrendered or disbanded. Jizhou Dazhou was in a state of anarchy for a while, and only the local clan elders maintained order. Cao's army was like entering a land of no one, and within a few days, he occupied most of the land in southern Hebei, and his troops went straight to the edge of the Yellow River. Qingzhou soldiers surrendered one after another, or scattered themselves, took off their military uniforms, threw their weapons, and returned to their hometowns to work as the common people to farm. Zhang Liao went east and south all the way, and joined the Xuzhou soldiers.

The rest of Cao Cao led the main army north to attack Youzhou.

Cao Cao entered Jizhou, saw Yuan Shao's tomb, and said to everyone: "Yuan Benchu ​​and I have known each other since childhood. When he was young, he served as a badc under the general He Jinmu, and together with Benchu, he unified the army to eradicate eunuchs. If you want to set up a young son, threaten Ben Chu with a sword, and Ben Chu draws his kendo: How is my sword not as sharp as yours! Confronting Dong Zhuo, now that I think about it, I am still a heroic figure and an exceptional hero!" Yan Bi sighed and burst into tears. "I originally returned to the Bohai Sea, but it was only a year or two to integrate Hebei, and the troops went north, so that the Xiongnu in the north did not dare to go south, so that Gongsun Kang of Liaodong bowed his head.

After Cao Cao finished his condolences, he seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and said to Cao Hong next to him, "Yuan Shang is worthy of being Yuan Shao's son, and he is worthy of being the heir of Hebei. Let's bury him thickly." Cao Hong promised and sent someone to the gate of the city. Look, unfortunately, Cao Jun's hundreds of thousands of infantry and cavalry have stepped on it, how can you find the shadow? He had to reluctantly find a few suspected fragments, carved Yuan Shang's head with wood, and buried it thickly.

Cao Jun's morale was high, and he did not stop for a while, and drove north into Youzhou.

Then Yuan Tan assembled 100,000 horses in Youzhou and entered the main city of Youzhou together, leaving the small towns all around. Cao's army marched in from all directions, occupied most of the city of Youzhou, and surrounded the city of Youzhou.

Then Yuan Tan really panicked again. Cao's army seized most of the city, surrounded Youzhou, and ran out of food and grass. Youzhou was in a panic for a while, Yuan Jun was not very motivated to fight, how could he still be willing to resist desperately when he saw this situation. Under the leadership of Xiahou Dun and Cao Hong, Cao's army attacked from all sides, and Yuan's army was defeated. That Yuan Tan was also prepared long ago. Seeing that Youzhou couldn't hold it, he took the light cavalry guards and fled all the way north. This time, Yuan Tan escaped more thoroughly and ran straight to Liaodong, where he went to Gongsun Kang.

Now Yuan Shao's original territory is the only part of the Wuhuan that has not been captured. Liaodong Gongsun Kang is still uncertain, Cao Cao has no plans to control Liaodong immediately, as long as Gongsun Kang is a minister. After all, Hebei is prosperous, and Cao Cao has obtained too many soldiers and taxes from Hebei, so he can go south and take Jingzhou, while Liaodong is barren and has not been developed much.

He also said that Xu You, since Cao Cao occupied Jizhou, was showing off to everyone. Cao Cao occupied Youzhou, and Xu You was even more proud. When Xu Zhu led people to inspect the head of Youzhou city, Xu You sat on the head of Youzhou city and shouted to Cao Cao and others, "Duke Cao! Can you occupy Hebei without me, Xu You?" Cao Cao hurriedly discussed the attack Wuhuan smiled and did not refute, and slowly rode past. Unexpectedly, Xu Chu was quite dissatisfied and said: "Without our generals fighting the enemy bravely, how can we occupy Hebei?" Xu You contemptuously said: "You and others are just ordinary people, nothing to worry about, how can you compare to great wisdom." Xu Chu Enraged, he killed Xu You, and brought his head to see Cao Cao. Cao Cao was shocked, blamed him deeply, and ordered him to be buried thickly. .

Chapter 99 Wuhuan

However, they said that Youzhou had gone down, and Yuan Tan ran to Gongsun Kang of Youzhou. Cao Cao negotiated with everyone to take the Wuhuan and deter Liaodong.

The Wuhuan was also an important force in northern Hebei. Relying on the desert, the folk customs were sturdy, and even the Huns could not help them. Since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Wuhuan has been in an independent state. After Dong Zhuo's chaos in the government, the government was in great chaos. . So the heroes rise together, and those who support the army actually become the king of the place. The Wuhuan was actually independent, but the name of the vassal of the Eastern Han Dynasty was retained. When Dong Zhuo and the Kwantung Army were killed in one place, Dong Zhuo moved the capital, and abolishing the emperor was like a child's play. name. Unexpectedly, Yuan Shao rose rapidly in the south, annexed the four counties of Hebei, and had one million troops, and his strength was almost the first in the world. Yuan Shao once told Cao Cao that the annexation of the four counties in Hebei, the desert in the north and the Liaodong in the east, would make the country rich, with a huge population and a safe geographical location. Go south and east to look at the world, and when the time is right, you can go west to capture Luoyang and Chang'an, then become emperor, and go south to annex the south with the mighty power, so that the world can be unified.

Then how could Yuan Shao sit back and watch Wuhuan's confidant suffer? Yuan Shao sent Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Zhang He, Gao Lan and other generals to the north several times, constantly encroaching on the Wuhuan-controlled area, building fortresses, and basically consolidating the security of the Yellow River Plain in the south. The Wuhuan was frequently attacked by Yuan Shao, the domestic production capacity was limited, and the production of daily necessities was blocked by Yuan Shao. The Wuhuan went south many times, but all came back without success because of Yuan Shao's powerful generals, troops and dense fortresses. As a last resort, Wuhuan had no choice but to claim Yuan Shao's vassal and ask for a mutual market. Is Yuan Shao a good person? How could Wuhuan be easily let go. Yuan Shaoben convened the generals to discuss the expedition against the Wuhuan and completely abolish his power. But Yuan Shang still has some strategic vision~.

That Yuan Shang said: "Now our confidant's trouble is not the harassment from the north, but Cao Cao. Although my father conquered the Wuhuan in the north, although he was able to succeed, he could not help but waste his troops, horses, money and food. Sturdy, it will take a lot of energy to suppress a rebellion.”

Yuan Tan didn't take it seriously, and he couldn't help asking whether he should let Wuhuan go and raise tigers?

Yuan Shang said: "You can force the Wuhuan to agree to form a fortress group in the Wuhuan's important area. The fortress group should not be too many, the location is right to the key point, and the troops are sufficient, so that the Wuhuan key point can be controlled." Neutrals such as Xu You and Tian Feng also supported this law.

According to this method, Yuan Shao built a large number of fortresses in the southern part of Wuhuan. These fortresses depended on each other. The frontier town in the south of the Central Plains provided material, grain and grass reserves, and the fortresses cooperated to ensure the smooth supply line. In this way, although the southern Wuhuan was under the jurisdiction of the Wuhuan in name, its military and economic lifelines were all in the hands of Yuan Shao. As for the north, it was quite barren and the herdsmen were suffering, so they had to rely on Yuan Shao's voice.

The implementation of this strategy is really to basically solve the problem of the Wuhuan. From then on, only the Hun people are domineering, and the Wuhuan people have not been harassed. The scholars from the Central Plains appreciated this, and even the scholars from the south of the Yangtze River also studied the case. After Luochen was stationed in Yizhou in the southwest, he ordered Zhang Juzheng to study the matter and used it as a reference to prevent the disturbance of the barbarians in the southwest from affecting the security of the Yizhou regime.

Today Cao Cao summoned his generals to discuss the crusade against the Wuhuan. The generals and the army had just defeated the troops in Hebei, and they hurriedly swept the four counties of Hebei. The army supply line has just been extended and needs to be consolidated. Cao Cao said: "The Wuhuan is a serious problem in the north. I plan to take this opportunity to defeat the Wuhuan forces in the north and ensure the safety of the Yellow River Plain in the Central Plains. What do the generals think?"

The generals looked at each other in dismay.

Xu Huang said: "The sergeant is tired and the supply line is fragile. If you attack rashly, you may be made dumplings by Wuhuan."

Everyone agreed, and even Xu Zhu and others, who had always been belligerent, expressed concern. Xu Zhu said: "Although Yuan's army is weaker and easier to fight, the boundaries of the four provinces in Hebei are too large. Our troops have been marching in a hurry for five consecutive days. Although there was no major resistance in the towns they reached, they took over the prisoners. When the refugees are resettled, the soldiers cannot rest. If the Wuhuan attack continues, the soldiers will have to run long distances and go to the desert. The soldiers are tired and the Wuhuan army is fierce. It is very likely that they will pay huge losses.”

When Cao Cao heard this, he was quite hesitant. What the generals say is true. If you go north in a hurry, you are really likely to suffer a fiasco. Although Cao Cao fought cunningly and dared to use troops, he did not fight unprepared battles in essence, and he had to be very sure of each battle. Even if it is a surprise attack, Cao Cao is quite confident in himself and is determined to win. Today's attack on Wuhuan is not because Cao Cao has a high degree of confidence in himself, but because it is very strategically needed. It is necessary to ensure the peace and stability of the grain-producing areas in the lower plains of the Yellow River, tax revenue, and highly populated areas. Only in this way can we support Cao Cao's follow-up hegemony campaign. If the backyard is unstable and subject to frequent harassment, it is absolutely necessary.

·0 for flowers 0····

"This Wuhuan, Yuan Shao was unable to take care of it after the Guandu troops were defeated, and immediately broke away from Yuan Shao. Now Yuan Shao's southern fortress group has been completely destroyed, and his soldiers have no fighting spirit, and they are fleeing south. There are also Wuhuan attacking south frequently. , some nearby towns in the lower reaches of the Yellow River were destroyed overnight, people fled, and agriculture was abandoned, which has brought huge trauma to the Central Plains." Cao Cao said sadly. "I know everyone is tired, but if you don't attack this time, I don't know when you will have the opportunity. Didn't Luo Chen give up on expanding to the south and decide to defeat the mighty Xiongnu at all costs?"

.........

The crowd will be silent.

But Cao Cao was also a little hesitant: "This time, I will not order Cao Cao, so let's discuss it with everyone. After all, the soldiers are tired and the supply line is weak. Everyone knows the danger. If I force the soldiers to attack and encounter a major setback, How can I be wrong with the soldiers and their families who followed me?"

The generals remained silent. Everyone understood the strategic significance of this attack on Wuhuan, but unfortunately the risk was too great. If you choose to attack, your soldiers may face huge casualties. If you choose not to go, the damage to Cao's group will be huge, not to mention Cao Cao's kindness. So hard to choose.

Guo Jia, who had been silent on the side, spoke: "Although Wuhuan is strong, he is arrogant and self-reliant on the desert barrier. He does not think that our army will attack their core hinterland. It is very likely that they will be caught off guard."

The generals discussed in a low voice, which is true. Although Cao's army was exhausted, but suddenly appeared in front of the arrogant and unprepared Wuhuan people, the Wuhuan was bound to rush to fight, and it was easy to be defeated. .

Chapter 100 Hurricane Dash

However, when they said that they attacked the Wuhuan, the generals talked a lot. They all thought that the labored army would go far, and it would be very easy to be attacked and defeated. Most of them held a negative attitude towards this. However, Guo Jia said that Wuhuan had been arrogant for a long time by virtue of the desert, and he must not prepare.

After Cao Cao heard Guo Jia's words, he no longer hesitated, and said sternly: "Wuhuan is a serious trouble in the north, and is very arrogant. If you don't conquer it, it will not be enough to raise our army's prestige and protect our hinterland of the Yellow River." When the generals heard this, even Cao Cao's mind Decided, ready to order. They all stood up one after another and said, "I will listen to the master's orders."

"I ordered Xiahou Dun to lead 100,000 troops to march from the west, and ordered Cao Hong to lead 200,000 troops to follow me from the east, forming a pincer-shaped offensive. I want to defeat Wuhuan in a battle and make him surrender." Cao Cao saw all the generals. Strictly obeying the order, he made the order without hesitation. "Fengxiao, what do you think of "four, five, three"?" Cao Cao asked Guo Jia for confirmation.

"My lord is wise." Guo Jialuo bowed slightly and replied.

Guo Fengxiao was thin and his voice was not loud, but when he spoke, all the generals, even Cao Cao, held their breaths and listened attentively. This young genius is Cao Cao's number one advisor. Cao Cao settled the north, Guandu, destroyed Yuan Shao, and checked and balanced Luochen. Most of this series of strategies came from Guo Jia's hands.

"Okay." Cao Cao nodded to show that he understood that for so many years, he had maintained a considerable tacit understanding with Guo Fengxiao. Guo Jia seems to be able to read through his mind, know what he wants, give positive advice or answers, and let Cao Cao be amazed by his strategies. Guo Jia can understand Cao Cao and know Cao Cao, but he will never show off, not like Yang Xiu. It seems that what he does is not to realize himself, but to help Cao Cao realize himself. When Cao Cao's self-realization is realized, it seems that Guo Jia's self is also realized. To a certain extent, their self-realization, fundamental goals and strategies are the same. This is different from Xun Yu. Xun Yu also has a deep strategic vision, but his fundamental goal seems not to help Cao Cao realize his grand plans, but to help the Han family. Everyone played the banner of helping the Han Dynasty, including Luochen, but everyone knew that the Han Dynasty was over, it was just a slogan. Cao Cao sometimes did not dare to trust Xun Yu, so he was transferred from the core command post to be in charge of logistics. How did Xun Yu strategize the deep, how can he not see it? He and Cao Cao practiced another kind of tacit understanding. Xun Yu silently engaged in logistics, immersed himself in work, and took the initiative to withdraw from Cao Cao's core planning team. And Cao Cao continued to treat Xun Yu with courtesy and gave Xun Yu a very high status.

"Fengxiao is quite thin recently, maybe because of overwork, remember to pay attention to your body." Cao Cao looked at Guo Jia's pale and tired state, and couldn't help but feel a little worried. "What is Guo Jia accustomed to eating? I asked the Internal Affairs Bureau to allocate staff to ensure your nutrition. You should also pay attention to rest yourself."

"No need to." Guo Jia waved his hand and smiled palely. However, seeing Cao Cao insisting, he did not reject it directly, but those who are familiar with Guo Jia know that this person is truly pure-hearted and few desires. Every day, he buried his head in the classics and history books, and he was proficient in the study of geography and warfare, and even the five elements of yin and yang. As for the enjoyment of life, it is almost zero. Japanese food is no more than simple rice noodles, fried in threes or two. If family members are extravagant, they will be severely reprimanded.

There was not much to say, Cao's army sent troops, and it went smoothly, and the troops reached the Wuhuan heavy ground. There was little resistance along the way.

It is said that Xiahou Dun led 100,000 soldiers and armour, and threw away the baggage. After a long-distance attack, they entered the desert directly from the west side. Sure enough, the Wuhuan cavalry along the way was unorganized. Xiahou Dun took the lead and led the light cavalry to attack directly. The Wuhuan soldiers barely organized to meet the enemy, and the middle position was directly defeated. In the middle of the chaos, the Wuhuan cavalry was in an instant chaos, and the cavalry on both sides quickly retreated. How could Xiahou Dun let it go, he led more than 10,000 light cavalry and drove straight in, and the Wuhuan army surrendered in large numbers. Xiahou Dun shouted: "Go away! Surrender to the infantry behind, don't block the way my cavalry attacked!" The Wuhuan army was still unable to organize effectively, and it was almost a thousand miles away. Xiahou Dun traversed the Wuhuan heavy ground for three days and rushed directly to the south of the Xiongnu. Cao Cao had to order him to slow down to ensure that the pincer attack was effective.

Xiahou Dun felt quite complacent: "In the past, we swept the Xiongnu, but now we have swept the Wuhuan. The so-called Rong and Di cavalry far surpassed the Central Plains, but it's just nonsense. It's just that I haven't met Xiahou Dun." At night, Xiahou Dun ordered the cavalry to send out a distant post and set up camp to rest. The infantry was ordered to follow quickly. It turned out that Xiahou Dun's cavalry rushed forward, leaving the infantry far behind. Coupled with the fact that the infantry took over a large number of prisoners and needed to wait for supplies. The supply line is newly built, and the transportation capacity is not strong. Cao Jun often needs to delay the march and wait. In order to maintain the rush speed, Xiahou Dun dropped a lot of baggage and heavy armored cavalry along the way, forming the second team, also behind the light cavalry. Xiahou Dun had only ten thousand light cavalry by his side, and when he saw the Wuhuan soldiers, he attacked violently. As for taking over and consolidating, the second team and the third team will execute it.

At night, Xiahou Dun was resting in the tent of the central army, and suddenly there was a fire all over the place, and the sound of shouting from everywhere was deafening. Xiahou Dun was shocked that the Wuhuan army had been defeated, how to organize a counterattack. Xiahou Dun rolled over and got out of bed, took out his spear, and when he saw the cavalry being hacked and killed by the enemy, he suddenly realized that it was a Xiongnu soldier.

"Don't panic! Hold the camp and fight to the death!" Xiahou Dun shouted, and slashed the Huns cavalry who were charging at him. Even though Xiahou Dun was a warrior, he was also a veteran of the battlefield. How could he not know the danger of the Huns' attack? He could only blame himself for focusing on attacking the Wuhuan, while forgetting that the Xiongnu in the north were staring at him. The Xiongnu attack was premeditated as early as 2.9. Judging from the scale of the attack on all sides, the Xiongnu troops were in the tens of thousands, which may far exceed the light cavalry of Xiahou Dun. Dividing troops on the battlefield, light cavalry rushes forward rashly, although it is effective for weak and unprepared ground burning, but if there is another enemy besides the enemy, waiting for your light cavalry to dash forward to reveal flaws, and then attack it, it is very dangerous.

Xiahou Dun didn't hesitate, jumped directly on the horse, and led dozens of guards to rush left and right. How could the Xiongnu soldiers stop him? At the beginning, they rushed over, Xiahou Dun stabbed with his spear, and the Xiongnu soldiers fell to their deaths one after another. Xiahou Dun attacked again, and the Xiongnu soldiers retreated one after another. Xiahou rushed forward from left to right, but he probably organized Cao soldiers and horses, which boosted morale. When Cao Cao saw Xiahou Dun, he stopped retreating and insisted on desperately resisting. .

Chapter 101 Night Fighting Ghost

But it was said that Xiahou Dun led more than ten thousand light cavalry hurricanes to rush forward, even conquered the important town of Wuhuan, and swept Wuhuan in a short period of time. Although the battle progressed rapidly, it resulted in scattered troops and weak supply lines. Sure enough, Xiahou Dun camped at the northern border at night, and the Huns suddenly attacked at night, and Xiahou Dun was instantly in an extremely passive situation.

That Xiahou Dun held his spear from south to north, smashed through the encirclement, and roughly stabilized the military's heart. He walked on horses and watched the flowers, and the Xiongnu soldiers were densely packed, and the fire was soaring into the sky. What's more serious is that Xiahou Dun deliberately looked into the distance, and the flames stretched for several miles. It could be seen that the main force of the Huns had arrived, and they had a large number of troops.

"All the armies gather at me!" Xiahou Dun shouted loudly, and after finishing his words, he attacked with his spear, and even picked up several Huns. When the troops heard this, they all moved closer to Xiahou Dun and began to charge outwards.

The words were divided into two parts. Xiahou Dun led his team to violently counterattack and break through, while in the continuous firelight outside, he looked gloomy and hid in the darkness. This is Zhao Cheng, a famous general of the eastern Xiongnu. Zhao Cheng seems to like to live in the dark. The eastern rebels have heard of Zhao Chengwei's name, but they have never seen him on the battlefield. The other generals pounced on their horses with spears and galloped on the battlefield, while Zhao Cheng was always hiding in the corners, behind the scenes, in the darkness. The soldiers on the battlefield obeyed the command of the detachment and did not see Zhao Cheng.

At this time, Zhao 10cheng still chose to watch in the dark. If ordinary people looked at it, they would not have noticed that there was a general in the queue commanding tens of thousands of Xiongnu cavalry. There were no hordes of guards around Zhao Cheng, and no generals lined up in a row. However, there are layers of messengers. Zhao Cheng's clothing is not much different from that of ordinary soldiers. Ordinary Xiongnu cavalry hunting uniforms, without brocade clothes, without too many accessories, are equipped with ordinary waist knives and bows and arrows commonly used by the Huns. However, those with discerning eyes may be surprised by his extremely cold expression. Zhao Cheng has a slightly dark complexion, thick eyebrows, and sharp face, and his right hand habitually rests on the Xiongnu machete. His face was stern, almost expressionless, only slightly frowning when he gave combat orders. The messenger soldiers who were ready to give orders were nervously ready at any time.

"Is Xiahou Dun about to break out of the siege? It seems that the fire in the southeast is a little messy." Zhao Cheng said to himself. No one could answer him. Zhao Cheng had no advisers or staff. As for the generals around him, all of them were dispatched to perform the duties of commanding the army.

"Order the East Third Team and East Fifth Team to deploy the surrounding troops and move closer to Xiahou Dun." Zhao Cheng ordered coldly. The two messengers around him immediately ran across the horse to the southeast, and the vacancy left by Zhao Cheng was immediately filled by the external messengers.