novel-bin Chapter 296 Cao Cao Can't Sit Still
Chapter 296 Cao Cao Can't Sit Still
Chapter 296 Cao Cao Can't Sit Still
Yuan Shu was ambitious and prepared for war.
The next day, he led an army of 100,000 and marched towards Jiujiang County in a mighty manner.
But before he arrived in Jiujiang County, bad news came one after another.
First, Ji Ling on the front line of Jiujiang County, for some unknown reason, defected to Yuan Shao. Just like Zhang He did last time, Jiujiang County fell into Yuan Shao's hands without any effort.
Then, Gongsun Zan won a great victory in Jiangxia, and Yuan Shu's army was defeated.
In the south, Shi Xie led an army of 30,000 to capture Dongye County and marched straight to Kuaiji.
Liu Biao personally led his troops out of Changsha, passed through Yuzhang, and advanced eastward along the Yangtze River, encountering almost no obstacles along the way.
The most fatal thing was that Yuan Shao sent Xu You to persuade Ju Yi, and Ju Yi led an army of 20,000 to surrender to Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shao gathered an army of nearly 50,000 people, marching from Lujiang in the west to Jiujiang County in the east to attack Yuan Shu in Hefei.
Yuan Shu was frightened and had to withdraw his troops.
"Lü Bu, isn't Dong Zhuo going to send out his troops yet?"
Riding on a horse, Yuan Shu's face was gloomy and he roared angrily.
Guo Tu was terrified and followed beside him and said, "Your Majesty, there is no news yet."
It can be said that this defeat was all due to Guo Tu's advice. Guo Tu is now terrified and worried that Yuan Shu will kill him.
Yuan Shu's eyes were red, and he was filled with murderous intent. He said, "Humph! If they don't send troops, they will regret it! We will now defend Liyang. At worst, we still have Kuaiji. As long as we hold on until the summer harvest, they will have to withdraw their troops even if they don't want to!"
There is still a month left before the summer grain harvest, and during this period, the food and fodder of all troops are almost exhausted.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Guo Tu quickly flattered him, saying, "I have already checked and found that they raised the army too hastily. The food and grass are gathered later. The summer harvest is coming soon. They may have to withdraw their troops in half a month at most."
Yuan Shu's face was grim, and he hated Xu You, Ju Yi and the others so much that he shouted angrily, "Go back to Liyang first!"
"His Majesty!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a soldier ran over and said, "Your Majesty, more and more people are fleeing."
Yuan Shu's eyes widened and he asked, "How many escaped today?"
"Seven hundred, seven hundred." The soldier said with some fear.
As various forces joined in, Yuan Shu was almost defeated in one battle, and soldiers from his army deserted every day.
Hearing the number of seven hundred, Yuan Shu felt a little relieved, but he still said in a cold voice: "Order the military governor to send people to keep a close watch on them. If there are any more deserters, they will be killed on the spot!"
"Yes." The soldier responded and left quickly.
Guo Tu took the opportunity to say, "Your Majesty, you must ascend the throne as soon as possible to stabilize people's hearts and boost morale."
Yuan Shu nodded heavily and said, "Go back to Shouchun first and tell them to get ready. I will ascend the throne as soon as I arrive!"
"I obey your order." Guo Tu said, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Yuan Shu still wants to ascend the throne, so he will not be killed for the time being.
Yuan Shu had no place to vent his anger and could only endure it.
He never expected that the good situation would collapse in an instant.
When Yuan Shu was withdrawing his troops, the troops from various parts of Jiangdong were advancing hard and seizing territory.
The most surprising thing was that when Liu Bei marched into Xuzhou, he was ambushed by Lu Bu, lost nearly three thousand people, and had to retreat to Langya County.
All other routes went very smoothly, especially Yuan Shao, who personally led an army of 10,000, with Zhang He as the vanguard, and advanced at full speed, closely chasing Yuan Shu. The army entered Yangzhou very smoothly.
Liu Biao had a smooth journey with almost no obstacles, and his troops marched straight to Danyang.
Runan County.
Zhang Wen was in charge here, and he was originally required to dispatch troops from various places to destroy Yuan Shu.
But when he arrived, he found that the fighting had already started. He could not command Yuan Shao, and Liu Bei was blocked back to Langya County.
The various troops nominally under his command also ignored Zhang Wen on the grounds of "urgent military situation".
At this moment, he was in the government office, reviewing the battle reports sent in from various places.
His expression remained almost unchanged, but became more and more serious the more he looked, and his brows were furrowed into the shape of a "川" character.
The historian in front of him whispered, "Mr. Zhang, the various factions have gone out of control, especially Yuan Shao, who has swallowed up tens of thousands of Yuan Shu's troops. If we continue to let this go, it may be difficult to get rid of him."
Zhang Wen relaxed his frown and said expressionlessly, "Liu Biao has taken over all of Jingzhou, and the Shi family has almost taken control of Jiaozhi. Sun Jian and Yuan Shao are rushing to attack Danyang. And the governors and county magistrates in various places have suddenly turned to the court and expressed their loyalty..."
This can be understood instantly from the history, it is nothing more than going with the flow.
"Mr. Zhang, the situation in Jiangdong is about to get completely out of control." The historian said worriedly.
In the past, with Yuan Shu around, everyone could still maintain unity. But now that Yuan Shu is about to be destroyed, all the princes are busy scrambling to occupy territory. They no longer have the imperial court in their eyes, let alone Zhang Wen, the commander-in-chief of the expedition, the Left General Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen was looking at the battle report, deep in thought.
The imperial court had long anticipated the rise of the various southern princes. The fundamental reason was that the imperial court was weak and unable to control these princes.
"The most critical thing now is,"
Zhang Wen sorted out the battle report, raised his head and looked out the door, with a hint of coldness on his face, he said, "It's Dong Zhuo."
Shi Chengshi suddenly didn't dare to respond.
Sun Jian once suggested to Zhang Wen to kill Dong Zhuo, but Zhang Wen refused to listen, which allowed Dong Zhuo to grow more powerful.
Many people in the government and the opposition often used this as an excuse to attack Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen seemed to be unaware of the history, and said with a distant look, "It is not surprising that Lu Bu defeated Liu Bei. What I am worried about is that Dong Zhuo will not remain indifferent. What is he planning? Xuzhou, or going south..."
For Dong Zhuo, there were too many options, and Zhang Wen had no idea what to do.
"Mr. Zhang!"
Suddenly, a messenger came in and said, "General Yangwei, Cao Cao wants to see you."
Zhang Wen was startled and looked at Shi who was standing beside him.
The historian was also puzzled and asked, "As far as I can remember, Mr. Zhang did not summon Dong Zhuo?"
Zhang Wen nodded, with a strong bad feeling in his heart, and said, "Let him in."
I also thought about it from the perspective of history, and felt secretly uneasy: It must not be about Dong Zhuo.
Not long after, Cao Cao came, holding a knife in his left hand, with a full beard, wide eyes and a serious expression.
"Your humble servant Cao Cao greets Mr. Zhang."
Cao Cao looked straight ahead, stepped over the threshold and saluted Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen looked calm and asked, "You came from Qiao County?"
Cao Cao stood up and said in a crisp voice, "Yes."
Zhang Wen frowned and asked, "Did Dong Zhuo make a move?"
Cao Cao raised his hand and said in a deep voice, "Yes. Dong Zhuo sent Hua Xiong to Xia Pi and is plotting to capture Guangling County."
Guangling County is now in the hands of Sun Jian, and Sun Jian is advancing to Danyang County.
Zhang Wen pondered this change and asked, "Are there any others?"
Cao Cao looked stern, his eyes fixed on Zhang Wen's face, and said, "I heard that there is some movement in Xiliang, and it seems to be connected with Dong Zhuo."
Zhang Wen raised his head, looked at Cao Cao, and asked, "What is your purpose in coming to see me?"