The next day, Chu Nan was still leading the army, and he quietly strengthened the marching order flag several times.
He also used this method in Xuzhou last time. Although it was effective, he did not notice any changes. This time, after Chu Nan understood the Nine Secrets of the Royal Army, he found that after the Qi machine was sensed, he had upgraded the flag.
, I have a clearer perception of the entire army.
Now we have a team of 100 people. What will happen if we command 3,000 troops like last time? How about more?
At this moment, Chu Nan had a clear understanding in his heart, so the army needed military commanders, military princes, generals, team leaders, chiefs, and corps commanders to help him lead the army.
It is much more difficult for a large army to form a military formation and display the Nine Secrets of the Imperial Army than it is for hundreds of people to display the Nine Secrets. Not only does the commander have to be strong, but the generals at all levels under his command also need to have tacit cooperation. If there is a slight mistake, the army will be destroyed.
The power of the formation may be reduced.
This is probably why Zhang Liao was able to defeat the majority with less than 800 cavalry, defeating the three battalions of Xiahou Dun, Li Dian and Lejin. In that situation, the unprepared Cao army was obviously unable to reach its best condition!
So what’s the point of setting up a camp?
On the second day, the army marched much faster. Zhang Liao originally expected to arrive at Xuchang in the evening of the third day, but according to the current pace, he would arrive in Xuchang tomorrow morning. Chu Nan's progress was extremely rapid.
Xuchang, Sikong Mansion.
"Lord, Lu Bu has been stationing troops in Xiaopei for several days, and he has been adding more troops recently!" Cheng Yu looked at Cao Cao and said.
After Cao Cao returned to Xuchang, his mood was not very high. His favorite eldest son died, and his general Dian Wei died. After returning, his wife Ding went directly back to her parents' home after hearing the news of Cao Ang's death. The morale of the army was depressed, and the political enemies in the DPRK arrested him.
He took the opportunity to criticize Cao Cao and was eager to try. At this moment, Lu Bu also came to join in the fun, which made Cao Cao even more upset.
"Didn't I already give him a reward?" Cao Cao frowned. Based on his understanding of Lu Bu, since he accepted the position of General Pingdong, he shouldn't run out to cause trouble again.
"Although Lu Bu is brave and foolhardy, Chen Gong next to him is not unwise. I wanted to see the clues, but Lu Bu has already agreed to the matter and it is not easy to take action directly. Therefore, he stationed troops in Xiaopei for the purpose of deterrence." Cheng Yu smiled bitterly.
road.
Cao Cao leaned back. If the conquest of Nanyang was successful and not so many things happened, this would be an opportunity to send troops. But now that the conquest of Nanyang has been lost, the morale of the army has been dampened, and countless money and food have been spent. The most important thing is
There was still someone like Zhang Xiu who was a great threat to Xuchang behind his back, so Cao Cao did not dare to rush into Lu Bu.
"Bang~"
Cao Cao slapped the table and cursed: "You have no plan!"
Cheng Yu stood silent and allowed Cao Cao to vent his dissatisfaction. After Cao Cao vented his anger, he looked at Cao Cao and said, "This time Lu Bu sent an envoy but ignored it. I think Lu Bu already knew about our expedition to Nanyang.
He must have been alert, so the next time we attack Nanyang, Lu Bu will not let us easily send troops."
"What else does he want? If the Emperor is given to him, will he use it!?" Cao Cao snorted angrily: "How dare he?"
How dare you.
Thinking that Lu Bu was a common man, if he really gave it to Lu Bu, maybe Lu Bu would just accept it directly. At most, he would say thank you to him, but could he give it to him? If he really gave it to him, even if he defeated Lu Bu in the end and snatched the emperor back, this emperor
What else is there for?
Once people feel that the emperor can be manipulated by anyone, the people in the world will lose their respect for the emperor and then lose their respect for the imperial court.
Although the princes now have little respect for the imperial court, the hearts of the people in the world are still in the Han Dynasty. If they are really sent back and forth like this, then this people's hearts will have to change.
"My lord." Cheng Yu said softly: "Lü Bu is cunning and unwise. He is probably dissatisfied with the reward given by the court. If he wants to appease Lu Bu, he may need to appease him again."
"Re-appease?" Cao Cao looked at Cheng Yu and was silent. He naturally understood what Cheng Yu meant. A false title of Pingdong General could not satisfy Lu Bu, so he could only give him something that would make his heart move.
What can make Lu Bu's heart flutter?
Cheng Yu knows, and Cao Cao also knows, that it is the position of Xuzhou Mu, which is what Lu Bu wants most now, but once this position is given to Lu Bu, there will be one less excuse to take action against Lu Bu. After all, this is a formal appointment by the imperial court. If the imperial court sends troops to attack Xuzhou Mu, isn't that a slap in the face?
Cao Cao didn't want to give this position, and he couldn't give it to him.
But if you don’t give it, what will happen?
For a moment, the two fell into silence.
"Lord." The dull footsteps broke the silence between the two, but a man like an iron tower came in at the door. He saluted Cao Cao and said, "Chen Deng, a famous scholar from Xuzhou, is outside asking for an audience."
"Chen Deng?" Cao Cao was startled when he heard this: "But the Chen family of Pengcheng, the son of Han Yugong?'
"It seems so." The man thought about it for a moment. The other party said a lot, but he couldn't remember it clearly.
What does it mean?
Cao Cao stared at the other party speechlessly. This man's name was Xu Chu. Dian Wei died in the battle of Nanyang. Although Cao Cao was heartbroken, he could not live without his bodyguards, so he recruited Xu Chu to be his bodyguard general, but with Like Dian Wei, he doesn't know how to use his brain.
"Invite him in!"
"Here!
Xu Chu nodded in agreement, turned around and left.
"Congratulations, my lord, you are here!" Cheng Yu smiled at Cao Cao.
Cao Cao smiled and nodded. If the Chen family was in charge, it would not be difficult to capture Xuzhou.
After a while, a young man came in with him.
Chen Deng set out the day after Chu Nan and the others left. However, even though he is an earth-type ability user, it takes a lot of energy to activate magic. One or two hundred miles is fine, but Xuzhou is more than a thousand miles away from Xuchang. He has to rely on his divine power to go all the way. Come here, without the support of the army, Chen Deng is afraid that he will be drained, so Chen Deng can only ride a fast horse to Xuchang after leaving Xuzhou. Therefore, Chu Nan stayed in Nanyang for several days. Deng just arrived at Xuchang.
"Chen Deng has met Cao Cao." When Chen Deng saw Cao Cao, he smiled and saluted Cao Cao: "I take the liberty of visiting you. I hope Mr. Cao will not be surprised." "Why did Yuan Long say this? I have long heard that Yuan Long has the talent to assist the country. It's a pity that we don't have a chance to see him. Yuan Long can come today, which is a big wish for Cao, so hurry up and take a seat!" Cao Cao laughed loudly.
"Thank you, Mr. Cao." Chen Deng smiled and saluted, then took his seat.
"Did Yuan Long come here under the order of Marquis Wen to express his gratitude?" Cheng Yu looked at Chen Deng and said with a smile.
"I came here privately and was not invited by others." Chen Deng smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Now Lu Bu is becoming increasingly alienated from my Chen family, and he no longer trusts me before."
"Why is this?" Cao Cao and Cheng Yu frowned at the same time. Is Lu Bu stupid? How dare he not give face to the Chen family in Xuzhou.
"This matter needs to start with Lu Bu's marriage." Chen Deng brought Lu Lingqi's escape from marriage to Chu Nan. When he went to Chu Nan, he changed Lu Bu's mind little by little, and gradually began to grasp Xuzhou's lifeline and detailed it one by one. Finally, he looked at Cao Cao seriously. Said: "Cao Gong, like Lu Bu, is like a jackal. He is brave but has no plan. He is easy to get rid of. Now there is a person who can control Lu Bu's mind. The trouble is even worse than before. It is better to take action early!"
Cao Cao nodded and said: "I also know that Lu Bu's ambition is difficult to maintain for a long time. However, his bravery and bravery are the best in the world. If my generals attack Xuzhou, they may not be able to win quickly.
Chen Deng smiled and said: "Mr. Cao, I have someone to recommend me. With this person's help, I might be able to defeat Lu Bu."
"Oh?" Cao Cao looked at Chen Deng and said with a smile, "Who does Yuan Long recommend?'
"Previously, Duke Cao appointed Liu Bei and Duke Xuande as governors of Yuzhou." Chen Deng said with a smile: "Although Lu Bu is brave, the two sworn brothers of Duke Xuande are also braver than anyone else. If they can help us, they can cooperate."
Duke Cao has elite soldiers and powerful generals, so why worry about not being able to kill Lu Bu?'
"I know the power of Xuande, but Xuande has benevolence and righteousness in his heart and does not want to start another war in Xuzhou." Cao Cao shook his head and sighed. After he defeated Nanyang this time, he returned to Xuchang, and Liu Bei asked him for orders.
He conquered Nanyang, and Cao Cao was also thinking about it these days.
"Is this happening?" Chen Deng frowned and thought after hearing this: "If Cao Gong does not give up, Deng is willing to be a lobbyist and persuade Xuande Gong to help Cao Gong attack Xuzhou.'
"Since Yuan Long has this intention, he will go and give it a try." Cao Cao chuckled. He has a lot of things to do now and has no intention of sending troops to Xuzhou for the time being. Moreover, before Nanyang is captured, he really does not dare to march to Xuzhou easily.
Especially since Zhang Xiu was offended this time, Xu Changdan was empty-handed, and Zhang Xiu was likely to come to kill him.
As for letting Liu Bei go to Nanyang to attack Lu Bu, it is even more unrealistic to go against Lu Bu himself. Both Zhang Xiu and Lu Bu need all their strength to win. Even if Liu Bei is powerful, what if he loses? At that time, Zhang Xiu will take advantage of the trend and move eastward.
, Cao Cao happened to start a war with Lu Bu. With enemies from both sides, he was afraid that not only would he not be able to take Xuzhou, but he would lose a lot of territory.
It's just that the fact of Nanyang's defeat is difficult to talk about. Since Chen Deng wants to lobby Liu Bei, let him go. Let Liu Bei tell him indirectly, which can also make himself less embarrassed.
"In that case, I'll take my leave first." Chen Deng stood up and said.
"It's not a hurry, Yuan Long is coming, and we will hold a banquet tonight to wash away the dust of Yuan Long." Cao Cao persuaded.
Chen Deng thought about it and agreed without refusing.
Cao Cao liked Chen Deng's talent and learning, and the more he talked with him, the more he fell in love with him. Before he knew it, it was already evening, and he was thinking about hosting a banquet when he saw Xu Chu coming in. He saluted Cao Cao and said, "My lord, the captain of the city gate is reporting urgently."
After finishing speaking, he did not say anything more about the content, but looked at Chen Deng.
"I'll take my leave first." Chen Deng stood up and saluted Cao Cao.
"Yuanlong, please go and rest for a while. You and I will have a few drinks later." Cao Cao said with a smile.
Chen Deng nodded, turned and left.
"What's the matter?" Cao Cao saw Chen Deng walking away, and then he looked at Xu Chu.
"The envoy sent by Lu Bu is here again." Xu Chu bowed and said.
"Oh?" Cao Cao became interested: "Have you ever said who is the messenger?"
"The report said he was going to Chunan, Pi." Xu Chu was embarrassed just now, so this time he went out of his way to clearly remember where the other party came from.
"Chun Nan?" Cao Cao looked at Xu Chu in surprise when he heard this: "Oh, it came really fast."
In Chen Deng's narrative just now, Chu Nan's weight is not small.
"But the end will come
Xu Chu made a knife gesture.
Cao Cao:
Director Cheng:
"You are a reckless man. He is an envoy. When the two armies are fighting, you don't kill the envoy. He comes all the way and you tell me that you want to kill him?" Cao Cao laughed and cursed.
"Then I didn't hear that my lord is planning to attack Xuzhou?" Xu Chu asked in confusion.
"Who told you? Even if you want to fight, there is no reason to kill the envoy. Go down quickly and order them to receive you well. Don't neglect them!" Cao Cao waved his hands and said impatiently: "Remember, be polite and follow the rules of etiquette.
Be considerate!”
"General, take your orders!" Xu Chu responded, turned and left.
"A common man!" Cao Cao looked at Xu Chu's leaving figure with a smile, turned around and went back, preparing to change his clothes and have a banquet.
"Lord, why don't you invite Chu Nan to join us for a banquet?" Cheng Yu asked with a smile.
Cao Cao thought for a while and said: "No need, Lu Bu is already wary of the Chen family, it's better not to let Chu Nan know that Yuan Long is here.
Chen Deng or the Chen family might be Cao Cao's internal agent buried in Xuzhou in the future. If Chu Nan knew that Chen Deng came to Xuchang for no reason at this moment, it would make the Chen family in Xuzhou even more sad. Before Cao Cao went to Xuzhou, he and the Chen family
It is better not to expose the relationship.
"What my lord said is true." Cheng Yu thought about it and felt it made sense, nodded and smiled.
At that moment, Cao Cao changed his clothes and took Cheng Yu and Xu Chu to the banquet hall.