The area south of Xuzhou and on the border with Danyang County was originally a rare place of stability in the world.
The Yellow Turban Rebellion at the end of the Han Dynasty and the Xiliang Rebellion were all in the north. The south was vast and sparsely populated. Danyang County was originally considered a barbaric place and the Han prisoners were exiled. The Danyang soldiers were unparalleled in bravery.
By now, the people north of the Huai River in Danyang County who fled from the north have flourished quite well.
Unfortunately, due to bad luck, the evil thief Yuan Shu came to Huainan. Within half a year, Huainan was in ruins and Dingkou suffered a lot of losses.
Yuan Shu was defeated by Cao Cao in the Battle of Kuangting.
Within a year, he wanted to take advantage of Cao's army's eastward expedition.
Ji Ling came north this time to lead the Shouchun soldiers in full force, but he didn't know that this time he fell into Cao Cao's plan.
North of the Huai River, Yuan Shu's general Ji Ling robbed and robbed countless people of their cattle and farm tools. As they were heading north, they heard loud gongs and drums ringing through the sky beside the official road.
Ji Ling's face changed drastically, and the faces of Yuan Shu's soldiers all turned pale.
Looking to the north, I saw an overwhelming army of troops and horses bringing billowing smoke and dust heading south.
Under the banner, a man with a curly beard, black face and a red robe is none other than Cao Mengde, the shepherd of Yanzhou.
"You traitor Yuan Shu, I can't cut Huainan wheat and millet for more than half a year, and you're here to die again?"
"Although this place is not Yanzhou, Xuzhou is still under my rule. Get off your horse quickly and beg to surrender and spare your life!"
Cao Cao held his riding whip and shouted loudly. He pointed his riding whip forward, and behind him, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, and Cao Hong led their elite troops to charge forward.
After the Yanzhou Rebellion, Cao Cao's army seemed to have been tempered and became more capable without realizing it.
Yuan Shu's troops were originally only capable of humiliating the people, but now that the army is in disarray, there is no hope of fighting.
Ji Ling turned the horse's head first and shouted, "My life is at stake!" before heading towards the Huai River.
The infantry behind him were instantly knocked down by Ji Lingbu Qu's cavalry.
The 50,000-strong army no longer has the fighting spirit, and the only thing in everyone’s mind is swimming across the Huai River!
Cao's army covered them up and pursued them to the Huai River.
In addition to capturing a large number of common people's cattle as expected by Fang Guang, Yuan Jun also threw thousands of pairs of armor on the roadside in order to cross the river.
"Ming Gong, this Fang Guang is really our lucky general. In this battle, I didn't shoot a single arrow, and the weapons I got were like mountains!"
Yuan Shu was rich and powerful and had a lot of iron armor. Xia Houyuan reined in his horse and circled the armor back to Cao Cao, laughing so hard that he couldn't close his mouth!
Everyone in Cao's army liked him, and when they were gathering the people to plow their cattle, suddenly there was the overwhelming sound of horse hooves from the east of the official road.
Cao Cao's face suddenly became solemn when he saw the flags all over the sky were those of Tao Qian and Liu Bei.
Liu Xuande had obviously given up on his own conspiracy this time and wanted to reap the benefits, but Big Er didn't expect that Ji Ling would be defeated so quickly.
"My lord, there are many troops and horses coming here, which are comparable to our army. Now the generals have no time to line up. My lord, do you think we can let the people farm cattle and let the people come to take away the armor?"
Next to Cao Cao, Cao Ren, the most adept at defending among Cao's troops, assessed the situation and instantly thought of a countermeasure.
"No, the person coming is Liu Xuande. I, Cao Cao, can retreat from anyone, but if this person retreats today, he will definitely use this as an excuse to deceive the world and steal his reputation to deceive the world!"
"What's more, the fact that we can be here without any worries today is all thanks to Datong. As the Lord of Datong, how can I let the big-eared thief do it?"
"Although the enemy's military strength is strong! Xuzhou's soldiers are new! I have a plan. I will use the provocation method before the formation to let the big-eared soldiers attack!"
"Wonderful talent, Zi Lian, you two each led five hundred fine cavalry to hide in the woods. The Xuzhou soldiers are not good at attacking together. If the formation is scattered during the conflict, you can lead the troops to stop them and attack them!"
"good!"
"We have the order!"
Under Cao Cao's military order, the generals understood and led their troops to hide.
The hero of the generation squinted his eyes and looked at the man with long hands and big ears who was getting closer and closer. A trace of disdain flashed in his eyes and he rode up to meet him.
"Gong Xuande, I haven't seen you for only half a month, but all the troops and horses that Lord Xuande lost have been replaced by someone else!"
"I wonder how long it took Duke Xuande to cry before he begged for the army horses this time?"
After Cao Cao finished speaking, all the generals in Cao Cao's camp burst into laughter.
Liu Bei was originally smiling, thinking that Cao Cao's military situation was not in order today and that was the time for him to win a battle and become famous all over the world. But after hearing Cao Cao's words, his face suddenly froze.
Accurate, really accurate, how did Cao Mengde know that he got the army horse by relying on his tear ducts?
"Cao Cao, you are cruel and unjust. You treat the people of the world like grass and humiliate Tao Qian. If you are willing to kneel down today, I will spare your life!"
Liu Bei looked at Cao Cao in front of him with a calm expression, looking like he was already victorious.
"Cruelty and unjust? There is no rooster crow for thousands of miles in the world. Isn't it all caused by the wanton behavior of those who talk about benevolence and righteousness but think about power in their hearts?"
"I plundered the people to give them a way to survive. It's not like Xuande, who sent all the refugees from the plains and Hebei provinces as slaves to the wealthy families, and not even one out of ten survived!"
What Cao Cao said was naturally what Fang Guang said when he and he were drinking together that day.
Liu Bei's path to please the wealthy family was Liu Xiu's path to unifying the world. The idol of this thoughtful hero was also the founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Being ridiculed by Cao Cao, Liu Bei's expression did not change at all, but his breathing became heavier.
He suddenly realized that his attitude towards Fang Guang might be a rare stain that exposed him to the world.
"Also, I heard from Datong that you were not given a daughter as a gift from a wealthy family, and you got the name of benevolence and righteousness, but you became a servant and vented your anger!"
"You reduce or reduce the people's food and tax, and you often pace around the house sighing and scolding the people for their injustice!"
"Xuande, you and I have known each other for a long time. I never imagined that you, a chivalrous person who doesn't like reading and is a reasonable person, could have such a despicable heart!"
Cao Cao's words were like swords, and the soldiers of Cao and Liu's family by the Huai River were stunned.
The darkest part in Liu Bei's heart was revealed by Cao Cao in public.
"It's Fang Guang, it's Fang Guang, this person, this person actually sees me so clearly, I shouldn't have turned against him for the sake of the Chen family that day!"
"No, even if it's not for the Chen family, we should get rid of this person as soon as possible."
Liu Bei's heart was in turmoil, and he could no longer calm down when he saw Cao Jun's men laughing across the way.
Before Liu Bei could give the order, Zhang Fei, who was so angry that his veins bulged after hearing Cao Cao's words, shouted, raised his snake spear, and charged towards Cao Cao's army with his troops.
"Third brother, the thief Cao left it to me to humiliate my eldest brother like this, Guan must take his head today!"
Zhang Fei ran away violently, and behind him Guan Yu also led the army and charged forward with a gloomy look on his face and a loud shout.
Liu Bei newly acquired Tao Qian's troops, but he could not control them as well as he could with his arms and fingers.
Now Zhang Fei and Guan Yu are attacking with their own troops, and half of the Xuzhou soldiers are left shouting and rushing out, while the other half are still looking at Liu Bei's face.
In the midst of the army, Taishi Ci suddenly felt an ominous premonition in his heart when he saw this scene.