Cao Cao's troops were passing through the border in great force, and all the villages along the road were closed, and even the barking of dogs and the crowing of roosters were rarely heard.

Through the scouts who opened the road, we found out that only old people with handicapped legs and feet were left in these villages. After hearing this, Cao Cao's expression gradually became serious. The land in the Hanzhong Plain should not be so fertile. Could it be that Zhang Lu was acting rebelliously here?

Zhang Lu originally planned to surrender, but after his brother Zhang Wei was defeated, the old matter was brought up again.

Zhang Wei still doesn't know how he lost, but in an era when heroes are judged by success or failure, he no longer persuades Zhang Lu to resist to the end.

Cao Cao Yan Pu once again advised: "Even if you surrender, you must choose a good time. Previously, Gongze (general) held an advantage outside Yangping. If the time was right to surrender at that time, but now he surrenders because he is in a desperate situation, he will not be taken seriously by Cao Gongze."

..."

"What is Zimao's clever plan?" Zhang Lu asked.

Yan Pu replied: "It is better to go to Nanshan and enter Bazhong to avoid the war, and then join forces with Ba and the Yiyi commanders Pu Hu and Du Yi, Ren Yue, and continue to resist Cao Gong through dangerous mountains and rivers. When Cao Gong returns in winter without success, then

If you give me more time, you will get more credit."

Zhang Lushen thought so. He relied heavily on the opinions of his subordinates in politics. When he wanted to become king, Yan Pu tried his best to stop him, so he did not become a standout like Yuan Shu.

On the eve of his escape, Zhang Lu's right and left wanted to burn down the treasures and granaries, but Zhang Lu finally had an independent mind this time. He felt that since he would surrender to Cao Cao sooner or later, why bother to do such outrageous things, so he ordered his people to seal up the treasury.

Granary, releasing goodwill to Cao Cao who was about to take over Hanzhong.

When the disaster came, they all fled. Not all Hanzhong officials fled with Zhang Lu. Some of the more daring ones hid in the city, preparing to surrender first when Cao Cao arrived.

Yang Song, who incited the people to flee to Yizhou, originally planned to go to Yangping Pass to enter Shu together with Yang Bai, but during the preparation, Zhang Wei had already fled back to Nanzheng, so he had to mix with his followers into the ranks of refugees.

Yang Song was not able to incite all 100,000 households to leave, but after long-term efforts, he was able to send away half of them, including many wealthy households like himself.

After the road to Yangping Pass was blocked, the only way to escape into Shu was through the Micang Mountain Trail. Yang Song fled and buried all his belongings in the backyard, and entered Shu with only a small amount of grain and a dozen servants.

He was going to receive Song Jiang's (Song Chen) dividends and experience the so-called disaster relief porridge shed.

In mid-August of the 20th year of Jian'an, Cao's army marched to Nanzheng without any hindrance. Although everything on the road was desolate, they found order after entering the city.

When he learned that Zhang Lu had sealed the treasury intact, Cao Cao immediately understood the other party's intention to show good intentions, so he sent personnel to commend and express condolences.

Cao Cao held a banquet in Nanzheng, accompanied by civil servants and generals, and successfully captured Hanzhong without relying on the Yingchuan gentry. This made Cao Cao very excited.

During the feast, Cao Cao stroked his beard and pondered: "It is rumored that Hanzhong is a prosperous place. Why are there no people in the villages outside Nanzheng? Could it be that there has been a famine in the past two years? Who is willing to answer my doubts?"

The generals in the hall were so drunk that they didn't hear what Cao Cao said. None of the military advisers responded when they first arrived. Only Sima Yi, the chief secretary of the Prime Minister's Mansion, made an investigation in advance.

Sima Yi stood up: "Lord, I heard that someone was spreading rumors before, saying that we would slaughter every city and everyone we met, so the people fled to Shu with their young and old..."

"Sichuan? This is really an advantage for Liu Bei of Yizhou. Leave this matter to Zhongda to investigate carefully. The details of spreading rumors may still be in Nanzheng. I want to chop him alive." Cao Cao slapped him hard.

On the table.

"Wei." Sima Yi accepted the order with his hands raised.

"My lord, it's not fair to say that this is a rumor. Didn't we massacre the Di people in Hechi at the beginning of the year? Last year, Miaocai also massacred many people in Longyou." Cao Hong was a little drunk and spoke without hesitation.

Xiahou Dun, who was at the table, glared at him: "Zilian, don't talk nonsense when you're drunk."

"Oh okay..." Cao Hong muttered and fell drunk before taking the case.

Cao Cao frowned slightly and lamented that Cao Hong was still worse than Cao Ren and Xia Houyuan. Then he continued to drink from his wine glass, not caring about massacring the city at all. How many famous generals in ancient times would not massacre the city? Bai Qi did it, Xiang Yu also did it.

"Report to Wei Gong, Huainan has just sent an urgent battle report. Sun Quan personally led an army of 100,000 to attack Hefei."

The messenger's voice was not very loud, but in the noisy hall, it was like Huang Zhong Da Lu, quickly making the whole scene quiet.

"Mengde, there are only 7,000 defenders in Hefei, which is very different from Sun Quan's military strength. If Hefei is really captured by Sun Quan, Jiangdong warships can enter the Central Plains along the Huaisi waterway, and the consequences will be disastrous..." Xiahou Dun hurriedly reminded

.

Xiahou Dun has been working in the rear of Xudu for many years, and Huaisi water is used for irrigation in various parts of the Central Plains. These tributaries are densely distributed in Yuzhou, Yanzhou, and Xuzhou. There are no fortresses like Yangpingguan in those places, so he understands Hefei's strategy better than anyone else.

importance.

"Lord..." Jia Xu was about to remonstrate, but he saw Cao Cao actually laughing. Because he knew very well that Cao Cao's laughter could lead to life or death, so he shut up as soon as he spoke.

Cao Cao laughed loudly: "Sun Zhongmou? He is just better than Liu Jingsheng's son. There are only generals Zhang Liao, Yue Jin, and Li Dian guarding Hefei, so you don't need to be nervous..."

"Mengde, don't be careless. Although Zhang Lu has not yet surrendered, Hanzhong is basically settled. I am willing to lead an army to support Hefei. When autumn turns to winter and heavy snow blocks the roads, it will be too late to rescue..."

Xiahou Dun cupped his fists and asked for a fight.

Cao Cao shook his head slightly, then pointed at Xu Chu at the table and said: "Yuan Rang's courage is commendable, but what's the point of Sun Quan, a mere child? In the past, he was alone in Chao Lake and was besieged on a small island. Jiangdong's many times the number of troops was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. Xu Zhongkang was

He is right next to me, you can ask him."

"What my lord said is absolutely true." Xu Chu didn't wait for others to ask, he stood up and answered on his own initiative.

"This..." Xiahou Dun still wanted to persuade, but in the end he did not continue to speak.

Cao Cao saw Xiahou Dun's worries, and he explained with a smile: "Yuan Rang, please relax. It is still important to stabilize Hanzhong and persuade Zhang Lu to surrender. The results will be reported back in Hefei within ten months. You can wait and see. This time alone

Before the expedition, I expected that Sun Quan would launch a surprise attack, so I prepared a clever plan for Zhang Liao in advance."

After hearing this, Xiahou Dun finally felt at ease. The generals at the banquet continued to pick up their glasses of wine, as if they had forgotten the news of Sun Quan's invasion of Hefei.

In early August, Sun Quan took advantage of Cao Cao's westward expedition against Zhang Lu and assembled an army of 100,000 troops out of Ruxukou and across Chao Lake. The warships from Jiangdong finally followed Shi Shui and headed straight for Hefei.

Hefei garrison general Zhang Liao then summoned the generals from all the battalions to discuss matters, but Li Dian, the general of Polu, said he was ill and did not attend. Zhang Liao and Li Dian had never been on good terms, and they did not expect Li Dian to help him defend the city at this moment.
Chapter completed!