July of the fourth year of Chuping.

Cao Pi has been marching with Cao Cao for more than ten days. Cao Cao's goal this time is Xuzhou, which is under Tao Qian's jurisdiction.

In June, Que Xuan, who had invaded Yanzhou with Tao Qian, claimed to be emperor in Xiapi, but was stabbed in the back by Tao Qian. Cao Cao took the opportunity to launch an attack in the name of Tao Qian's encouragement of Que Xuan's rebellion. This expedition was regarded as Cao Cao's

The first battle after the official implementation of the military management strategy.

Since the implementation of the military management policy in Yanzhou, Cao Cao's troops have begun to develop in a good direction. The soldiers' behaviors of embezzling money and food and bullying the people have been greatly reduced. However, during the implementation of the military management policy, they have encountered a lot of criticism from within Yanzhou.

Opposition.

The unity of the Yanzhou gentry was beyond Cao Cao's expectations. Many of the Yanzhou gentry's children held mid-level positions in Cao Cao's army, and the implementation of military management policies greatly harmed their interests. If the results of Cao Cao's expedition were not satisfactory,

Then the implementation of military management strategies will become difficult, so this expedition is an operation that cannot fail for Cao Cao.

Cao Pi knew that Cao Cao's greed for the Yanzhou nobles had reached the extreme limit of his patience. The Yanzhou nobles were also dissatisfied with the governor he had promoted, and the conflicts between the two sides began to gradually emerge.

Cao Pi was glad that he had left Cao Song and Cao De with him when he moved. Otherwise, Cao Cao, who was reading the military manual beside him, might have started to carry out a cruel massacre.

"Zihuan, who do you think is better to fight first, Tao Qian or Kong Rong?" Cao Cao put down the military book in his hand and faced Cao Pi to test his skills.

"Tao Qian is old and dim, and most of his subordinates are bandits with little fighting ability. Qingzhou is far away, and the expedition against Kong Rong may cause problems in terms of food and grass. I think my father's choice is right, and Tao Qian is more of a threat than Kong Rong."

It should be bigger." Cao Pi gave his answer after thinking.

"Tao Qian, an old thief who has invaded Yanzhou over and over again, this time I want to let him know how powerful we are. Kong Wenju and I have also met several times before, so fighting against each other is too much to miss the old friendship." Cao Cao said with satisfaction.

He nodded and said.

"My father and Yuan Shu are also old acquaintances. After my father conquers Xuzhou, sooner or later he will fight with Kong Rong." Cao Cao's somewhat hypocritical answer naturally could not deceive Cao Pi, who had been getting along day and night during this period.

"I'm being pretentious for my father." Cao Cao laughed and stopped talking. He didn't know what he was thinking.

"Is it because Zi and Shu didn't join the army this time because Zi was a filial uncle?" Cao Pi asked, thinking that after Cao Ren defected to Cao Cao, Cao Chun gradually stopped participating in Cao Cao's important actions.

"Zihe has other important things to do. Zixiao is relatively familiar with Tao Qian." Cao Cao paused and continued, "I once sent a letter to Zixiao when I was in Chenliu. At that time, Zixiao knew that Zixiao

He refused my invitation here."

"No wonder Uncle Xiao would rather wander around Huaisi than come back to help his father." Cao Pi said.

"Well, if Uncle Yuan Sheng hadn't been too partial to Zi He, the relationship between the two of them wouldn't have been so tense." The Uncle Yuan Sheng mentioned by Cao Cao was Cao Chi, the father of Cao Chun and Cao Ren. Cao Cao then sighed with meaning.

He said, "I hope that the brother's rebellion will not happen to our Cao family."

"Then father has to thank Tao Qian and Yuan Shu." Cao Pi said with a smile.

"If it weren't for these two, Zixiao wouldn't have come back to help me. I really should thank them." Cao Cao was stunned for a moment and then said with a smile, "Now let's see if Tao Gongzu is as good at fighting as Yuan Jiujiu."

……

Cao Cao's troops advanced all the way and soon arrived at Rencheng in Xuzhou. As the gateway for Tao Qian's many invasions of Yanzhou, Rencheng became Cao Cao's first choice target.

The defenders of Rencheng knew the news of Cao Cao's arrival very early through the intelligence from the scouts. Under the orders of the guard Zhang Kai, the walls of Rencheng were already filled with soldiers in full formation, and Zhang Kai was at this time.

Standing anxiously on the city wall waiting for Tao Qian's rescue.

"Have you received a reply from my lord?" Zhang Kai eagerly asked the chief clerk who had just trotted over.

"The messenger just delivered it." The chief clerk handed the letter in his arms to Zhang Kai. He stood aside and kept wiping the sweat on his head, making heavy coughing sounds from time to time.

Zhang Kai took the letter and quickly browsed it. His frown gradually became relieved. After reading the letter, he took the chief clerk and said happily: "My lord will lead the army to us in less than two days. We only need to hold on."

It will take two days to join the incoming army."

Just when Zhang Kai was secretly happy, Cao Cao had ordered his soldiers to be stationed in four battalions, intending to surround Rencheng. After Zhang Kai got the news, he began to command his soldiers to prepare to defend against the enemy, but he never saw Cao Cao.

Signs of preparation for siege.

"What's this eunuch doing?" Zhang Kai asked the chief clerk who had calmed down and stopped coughing.

"I'm afraid Cao Cao wants to surround him with reinforcements." The chief secretary replied after thinking about it.

"What is encircling and fighting for reinforcements?" Zhang Kai's education level is just barely literate and writing, and it is still difficult for him to understand slightly complex vocabulary.

When Zhang Kai heard the chief secretary's explanation, he immediately became panicked. He began to gather his men to prepare to destroy Cao Cao's siege, so as to leave a gap for Tao Qian to counterattack Cao Cao.

"General, we only need to defend the city for two days to wait for the lord's support. It is not appropriate to abandon the city at this time. Taking the initiative like this can easily leave Cao Cao with the opportunity to sneak attack on us." The chief clerk looked at Zhang Kai.

He said worriedly and carelessly.

"We have to rely on people like us to fight the war. You scholars are just too timid. I have never failed in a sneak attack. Just wait in the city for news of my return after victory." Zhang Kai waved his hand proudly and said with a smile.

More than a thousand soldiers opened the city gate and walked away.

Zhang Kai led his men to quickly attack Cao Cao's south camp. The location of the south camp was the direction Tao Qian was most likely to support. Zhang Kai hoped to open up the support channel between Rencheng and Tao Qian's army.

Zhang Kai rode a fast horse to the south camp, but found that there were no sentries in the camp. He couldn't help but be overjoyed, I was going to make a great contribution this time.

"Kill me!" Zhang Kai raised his arms and shouted, and his sergeants rushed straight to Cao's camp, only to find that there was no one in the camp, and even the sounds of passing birds in the sky were very clear.

"Quickly retreat." Zhang Kai felt a little uneasy, thinking that he might have been ambushed. When Zhang Kai was about to turn around with his horse, his suspicion was confirmed by Cao Jun.

Several rockets flew out of the sky and instantly ignited the tent filled with hay next to Zhang Kai. The sky was followed by rockets. In less than a few breaths, the tent was filled with thick black smoke and red light.

, Zhang Kai’s sergeants dropped their weapons and fled.

Zhang Kai used the spear in his hand to sweep away the soldiers who were unable to dodge in front of him, and he quickly fled out of the camp on horseback. During this period, he kept yelling at the soldiers, "Get out of the way! Don't block the road!"

Just when Zhang Kai was about to escape from the camp gate, he suddenly felt that his center of gravity was unstable and rolled off his horse. He was knocked to pieces. Zhang Kai's mount also fell with a roar.

, the two front hooves of the war horse were cut off by something unknown, and blood splattered all over the ground.

"This tripping rope is quite easy to use." A tall and thick man chuckled and ordered the soldiers on the left and right, "Tie it up quickly. This guy looks like a high-ranking official from Tao Qian's side, and everyone inside is also

Don’t let it go.”

"Who are you?" Zhang Kai was captured by the soldiers who rushed out in an instant. In despair, he didn't even have a chance to struggle, so he could only ask reluctantly to the fierce-looking man.

"How could you, a prisoner, talk so much?" The man's eyes widened and he kicked Zhang Kai in the lower abdomen. The pain made Zhang Kai grin and he was speechless for a moment. "Grandpa's name is Cao Hong."

."

……

"Sir, there is a group of our people below the city." A soldier guarding the city reported to the master who was walking around the city.

"Who are you?" The chief clerk quickly ran to the city tower and shouted to the people outside the city. The torch in the soldier's hand illuminated the chief clerk's features clearly, and people outside the city could even see the chief clerk's head.

Wear a valuable crown.

"We are all under the command of General Zhang Kai. The general was captured by Cao Cao. Please let us in quickly. They will chase us soon." The leader of the more than 50 remnant troops under the city replied.

"Do you have proof that you are General Zhang Kai's subordinates?" the chief clerk asked with some worry. Even though the sky-high flames made him guess Zhang Kai's defeat, he still needed to ensure the safety of Rencheng.

As soon as the Master finished speaking, an arrow flew out from under the city. The arrow penetrated directly through the Master's neck. Blood burst out instantly and the Master fell to the ground and expired.

"This guy talks so much nonsense!" The leader of the city said angrily, "If you open the door obediently, nothing will happen to you?"

"Zixiao, is there something wrong with this?" Yu Jin didn't expect that Cao Ren actually shot and killed the chief clerk. "The military advisor asked us to trick us into opening the city gate so that our own people can go in, but now you kill him.

If so, wouldn’t the military advisor’s plan come to nothing?”

"Don't worry, it doesn't need to be so troublesome." Cao Ren put away the bow and arrow in his hand and shouted to the defenders in the city, "People in the city listen up, we will not kill anyone who puts down their weapons and surrenders until our army arrives.

, if you still want to surrender, you will have no chance, and then none of you will survive!"

After a rustling discussion in the city tower, the city gate was opened by a few soldiers. Cao Ren walked into the city with more than fifty soldiers, leaving Yu Jin helplessly looking at Cao Ren's back with a wry smile.<

/p>
Chapter completed!