"One is the key to the Yangtze River, and the other is the gateway to Susong. Defense is particularly important." [Manuscript of the History of the Qing Dynasty·Bingzhi 9]
Xuzhou, Xiapi State.
Under the verandah, a fair and fat middle-aged man was lying on the couch, sleeping soundly. Several beautiful maids beside him were holding incense fans, gently fanning the cool breeze. A sound of soft footsteps came from far and near. Waiting for the approach When he arrived at the man's side, he suddenly disappeared. The few maids present quietly gathered their clothes and left without knowing what instructions they had received.
No one was fanning him, so his body instantly became hot. The man opened his eyes in confusion. The sultry weather made him a little irritable before he woke up from his nap. He looked around impatiently and saw a man with small eyes standing there. Standing beside a pillar with his hands hanging down, he seemed to be waiting for him to wake up.
The man saw the man's face and understood something in his heart. Although that man, as a relative and confidant, had the privilege of entering directly without notification, he was still a little angry: "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here specifically to report the military situation to Duke Cao." The visitor was none other than Cao Hong. He was Tao Qian's confidant who was brought to Xuzhou from Danyang. He once served as a pawn for Tao Qian in Xuzhou and offended countless powerful locals. Tao Qian died. Later, he lost his asylum. In order to avoid being punished by Liu Bei, the new governor of the state, he tried to escape to the house of Cao Bao, the general of Xiapi and his relative. Cao Bao had three thousand elite Danyang soldiers in his hands, all of whom Tao Qian had brought from Danyang. The brave soldiers he recruited were deeply feared by Liu Bei. Now that Liu Bei's foothold was not stable, Yuan Shu was eyeing him in Huainan. Even though he knew that Cao Hong was in Cao Bao's tent, Liu Bei could not act rashly for a while.
"Did General Hou and Liu Bei decide the winner in Xuyi?" Cao Bao calmed down the annoyance in his chest and belly, and turned over. His body as heavy as a mountain made the couch whimper. Although Liu Bei was on guard against him, he was not allowed to go south. Participate in the war, but Cao Bao is always concerned about the war in Xuyi in the south. If Liu Bei wins, the foreign troubles will be eliminated, and then he will have to deal with his dissident; if Liu Bei loses, then Cao Bao will have to prepare to send troops south to respond to Xuzhou's new master Yuan Shu It's just that it is said that the two men fought for a long time. Although Yuan Shu's side had plenty of troops, Zhang Xun, the general, was injured by Zhang Fei at the beginning and almost died. Therefore, although Liu Bei's side had few troops, there were a group of powerful advisers and generals, and they still managed to survive. Can not fall behind Yuan Shu's offensive.
Judging from Liu Bei's current situation, if he still does not fall behind against Yuan Shu, then before the end of this war, he will have won more than half of the battle in other fields besides the war.
Under Cao Bao's expectant gaze, Cao Hong shook his head: "Although the general has divided his troops to plunder Guangling, Xuyi is still in Liu Bei's hands. This place is guarding the Huaihe River and Surabaya. If the general does not conquer it quickly, there will be no hope of advancing north to Xuzhou, even Guangling." The newly acquired land may not be stable.”
Cao Bao was furious. Since Xuyi has no fighting situation at any stage, how dare you come to disturb my sleep? He was planning to lose his temper with this relative who was good at scheming and neglecting military strategy, so that he could restrain himself a bit. Don't think that relying on your relationships with relatives and friends means you have nothing to worry about.
Obviously, Cao Hong was very good at reading people's thoughts and expressions. He saw Cao Bao's expression about to get angry, and continued as if nothing had happened: "Although the situation in the south is not yet clear, I have received some news from the north, especially Come and inform Mr. Cao."
Cao Bao lost his temper because of this act of wanting to advance and then suppressing. He suppressed his temper and said slowly: "To the north? Is it Zang Ba, Chang Xi, who is in Langya?" In recent days, only Chang Xi and others have sent envoys to talk to Cao Bao.
They had some contact with each other, but since they were just testing each other out and not having an in-depth and honest explanation, Cao Bao did not think much of Zang Ba, and Chang Xi, who was squeezed in by several powerful forces, would not go to great lengths for them.
Not to please. Of course, if they just make friends with each other and interact with each other, Cao Bao will not refuse. He went on to say: "If they send people here, they will accept the gifts. Now Lu Bu has withdrawn and defended Beihai, a corner of Donglai, Yuan Tan will
If they ask for my help when they get to Qingzhou, then there will be no need for them."
"It's not that." Cao Hong hurriedly denied: "Chang Xi's mind is unpredictable. He has come to investigate in the past few days. There is no guarantee that he will not have evil intentions for us. Langya Kingdom is close to Qingzhou. Once Yuan Tan takes Beihai
, Zang Ba and others will be the first to bear the brunt. It is better for us to have less involvement in such matters." He paused, no longer trying to be pretentious, and continued: "To the north of what I am talking about is Pingdong General Cao Cao."
"Cao Cao?" Upon hearing this family member's name, Cao Bao's expression suddenly became subtle.