A rough man in coarse cloth stared at Xu He, raised his hand and pointed at Wen Chou, and said in a cold voice: "Who is this man? Is he from Yuan Shao?"
"That's right."
Another man came up with a knife and glared at Xu He angrily, as if he wanted to tear him alive. Even the corners of his lips were trembling slightly because he was clenching his steel teeth:
"Although this guy is wearing coarse clothes, he has a tall build, no trace of hunger on his face, and his skills are extremely good. He must not be from the Yellow Turbans, but is most likely a general of Yuan's army."
"Be honest!"
Although the man's voice was low, it was sonorous and powerful: "Is this man from Yuan Shao's tent in Jizhou, and what is his relationship with you? Are you deliberately inciting us to become enemies of Nanyang, as Cao Jun said?"
Wen Chou was a little further away and couldn't hear their conversation clearly. He just held his fists and stared ahead vigilantly in case anything unexpected happened. At the same time, he peeked around to see if there was any way out.
"Generals, please calm down."
Although Xu He doesn't have much knowledge or ability, being able to become Qu Shuai is enough to prove that he has some prestige among this group of people, otherwise he would have been pulled down by others long ago.
Now that he saw that things were not going well and felt a little guilty, he could communicate with the Yellow Turban generals calmly. Otherwise, in normal times, he would have been angry and furious, and even threatened everyone by giving up his job.
He did not directly answer the generals' questions, but pointed the finger directly at Cao Jun and said sternly: "It was Cao Jun who built the wall and cleared the field, it was Cao Jun who threw fire and thunder bombs into ambushes, and it was Cao Jun who did not give us food, grass and winter clothes at the first time. "
"What does this have to do with Yuan Shao?"
Xu He spread his hands, showing an embarrassed look, and sighed: "Obviously it was Cao Jun who was deceiving us all along. They just wanted to kill us all, so they transported all the grain and grass to Feicheng."
"Look!"
Xu He was afraid that the generals would not believe it, so he simply took out the map he carried with him and showed it to everyone: "This Feicheng is in the middle of the remaining mountains of Mount Tai, and is surrounded by endless mountains."
"If Cao Cao led his troops and set up an ambush in the surrounding mountains, they were high up under the forest, and they had fire and thunder in their hands. If we entered this kind of terrain, wouldn't we be like turtles in a urn?"
hiss-!
The yellow scarf generals who gathered around were shocked and gasped. Although they knew about Feicheng, they had no idea that there would be such terrain conditions around Feicheng.
Have to admit it.
It is true that mountains are connected with mountains and it is extremely dangerous.
If Cao Cao's army had no evil intentions, they would just surrender. But if they really had evil intentions, let alone 200,000 troops, even if they had 300,000, 400,000, or even 500,000 troops, they would still be defeated.
In an instant, all the Yellow Turban generals were indifferent. They looked at me one by one, and I looked at you. They did not dare to have any objections. The risk of the entire army being annihilated was indeed greater than attacking Lu County.
After all, there are thunder and thunder in Lu County, and there are no less in Feicheng. Since thunder and thunder in fire are certain, relatively speaking, they would rather attack Lu County than provoke Feicheng and die in the hands of Cao's army.
When the Yellow Turban soldiers in Qingzhou were hesitant, Xu He added fuel to the fire: "What we want is just food and winter clothes. If we can capture Lu County, we can naturally solve them all, so why bother to risk Feicheng."
"But......"
At that moment, a rugged man took a step forward, frowned and said, "We have also seen that the city in Lu County is too difficult to attack. Even without the fire and thunder, it may not be possible to conquer it in a short time."
"That's right."
Then, someone echoed: "Lu County is the county seat of Jibei Kingdom. The city is high and the lake is deep, and the army is powerful. With just us people, even if we take it, there won't be many people left."
"I propose..."
At this point, someone raised his hand and interjected: "Let's fight in a smaller city and let the brothers fill their stomachs first. Otherwise, how can we fight if we are hungry?"
"I agree."
"I agree too!"
"agree!"
"..."
In an instant, all the Qingzhou Yellow Turban generals expressed their agreement.
Even Xu He himself could not resist the general trend and nodded slowly: "Okay! In this case, we will attack in another county. The one closest to Lu County is probably Pingyin City."
"Pingyin City?"
The man beside him nodded slowly: "I know that this county is much easier than Lu County. Let's capture it first and let the brothers fill their bellies, and then concentrate our troops and attack Lu County."
Xu He was overjoyed, no matter what, this hurdle was finally over: "In that case, you should go back and prepare as soon as possible. Don't waste time. Try to rush to Pingyin County early tomorrow morning."
All the soldiers raised their hands in unison: "Here."
After the generals left, Xu He breathed a sigh of relief, walked up to Wen Chou, cupped his hands and said: "General, we are ready to give up the attack on Lu County for the time being, and attack Pingyin first, which is easier. I agree."
"kindness."
Wen Chou nodded and looked extremely calm: "I have heard it. Although I disagree, after all, you are the commander-in-chief, and you should make the decision on this matter yourself."
Xu He was stunned for a moment: "Oh? Why doesn't the general agree?"
Wen Chou said indifferently: "It's very simple. Every county must be equipped with Fuhuo Thunderbolt. We have already consumed part of Luxian Fuhuo Thunderbolt, but in the end we gave up attacking Lu County and instead attacked Pingyin?"
"snort!"
With a slight snort, Wen Chou said indifferently: "It's just a few more soldiers killed. It doesn't matter. Maybe it's possible that there aren't many fire and thunder in Pingyin County."
Xu He immediately wilted and sighed: "Hey, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Wen Chou could only hehe: "Why didn't you discuss it with me earlier?"
"this......"
Having made a decision, Xu He had no choice but to shake his head: "That's it. Although some of Lu County's Fuhuo Thunder were consumed, the rest may not be as much as Pingyin."
Wen Chou was too lazy to talk nonsense to Xu He. This man's mind was obviously a beat or two behind: "You are right. No matter which county we attack, as long as we can capture it, it is the best."
Xu He said softly: "In that case, General, please make preparations early. We will leave later."
Wen Chou was still a little worried: "General Xu, please send troops back to see if the military advisor is in trouble? Why hasn't there been any news back yet?"
Xu He nodded and said loudly: "To be honest, I am also worried about the safety of the military advisor. Don't worry, I will send someone back to Jinan to investigate the news."
Wen Chou held up his hand and said, "Thank you, General."
****
"What did you say?"
Guo Tu suddenly turned around with a look of disbelief on his face: "Ling County has been occupied by Cao's army?"
The scout leaned over and handed over his hands, saying with absolute certainty: "Yes, it is true. Now Cao Jun sends cavalry patrols every day, and the patrol intervals are very short. People from Jizhou don't dare to come over at all, and our people don't dare to go over at all."
"Damn it!"
Guo Tu cursed secretly, the anger in his heart boiling.
He clenched his fists subconsciously, deeply aware of Cao Cao's vision and methods: "Ling County is occupied, our retreat is equivalent to being cut off. Cao Cao's move is indeed powerful."
"Now, my lord has gone through a year of killings, and there are no extra soldiers and horses to attack Ling County. Even if he is forced to come, he will be intercepted and killed by the Nanyang cavalry in Wei County."
"Five thousand soldiers and horses!"
Guo Tu took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
Although this number is not very large, it is like a big mountain blocking Guo Tu.
Guo Tu also finally understood why the messengers he sent did not come back. It was very likely that they were all captured by Cao Jun in Lingxian County, and his lord in Jizhou was also worried about Cao Jun in Lingxian County.
Hit the snake seven inches!
Cao Cao sent people to raid Ling County, which indeed put Guo Tu in Qingzhou into an embarrassing situation. After all, they were fighting alone at this moment.
"Military advisor, what should we do?"
The scout beside him felt a little anxious.
Although he is not a combat soldier, here in Qingzhou, they are the only people Guo Tu can use. If they have no choice, they may have to rush forward and fight Cao Jun.
What's even more terrible is that Xu He and Wen Chou have led the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans into Yanzhou, and even the Yellow Turban family members who are sparsely following behind them have almost left.
In this situation, let alone a scout, even an ordinary follower must rush forward with weapons in hand. However, fighting against the elite Cao army, a soldier in this state is no different from seeking death.
"..."
Guo Tu frowned and pondered for a long time.
Since Ling County has been occupied by Cao Cao, it proves that Cao Cao has guessed that there are people from Yuan Shao among the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans, so the battle in Yanzhou will never be as easy as originally guessed.
In other words, Xu He and Wen Chou would waste a lot of time in Yanzhou to implement the previously formulated strategy, and even if they spent a little more time in the rear to ensure the safety of the back road, it would not affect the overall situation.
For the protagonist Yuan Shao, as long as the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans fight Cao Jun, no matter who wins in the end, Yuan Shao is already the biggest winner. Therefore, the situation of Yanzhou is far more important to Yuan Shao than his own safety.
With this thought in mind, Guo Tu quickly walked to the map. After carefully observing the map, he ordered: "We need to reopen and open a way out."
"so......"
Guo Tu raised his hand and pointed at the map and ordered: "Let's go around a long way, starting from Pingyuan County, passing through Anping State, entering Jizhou, and then go straight to Handan."
The scout frowned, took a long breath, and said softly: "Although this is possible, and it will not be discovered by Cao Jun in Ling County, it will take hundreds of miles of detour, and it has already entered the cold winter. In case of heavy snow and ice, it will be delayed.
The time is definitely not one or two days."
call-
Guo Tu sighed helplessly.
He didn't know this, but he knew very well that Yuan Shao did not dare to attack Lingxian at will. If he did not take a detour, he would most likely end up risking his life here.
"There is no other way, this is the only way."
Guo Tu also didn't want to waste time, but this was indeed his only way at the moment: "Oh, by the way, send someone to inform Wen Chou that he will be the one to decide the frontline war. In short, Cao Jun cannot successfully recruit this army."
The scout leaned forward and raised his hands: "Here."
Guo Tu breathed out: "We can't stay here any longer. It's too dangerous. Let's go. Change places immediately and move to Gaotang County. We can't make any mistakes."
Scout: "Here."
Immediately.
Guo Tu started to pack his things, and after a while, he packed his backpack and left the camp.
However, before he could leave the camp, he saw the scout Pegasus rushing back: "Report—!"
Guo Tu hurriedly asked: "What's going on? Didn't I ask you to deliver a message to General Wen? Why are you back again?"
The scout looked horrified and took a deep breath: "Commander, it's not that I don't want to send him off, but Cao Jun's cavalry has already marched from Jibei to Jinan, and is now less than five miles away from our camp."
"ah?"
Guo Tu was shocked and his eyes were as wide as bells.
He couldn't believe it.
Would Cao Jun actually abandon Yanzhou and advance into Jinan first?
It's obvious!
The other party is coming for you.
They have mastered everything they have in the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army. It is unimaginable that the other party's information exchange can be so fast even when the road is blocked by heavy snow.
Otherwise, even if someone detects his location, it will take at least a certain amount of time to capture it accurately. How could he arrive all at once with such precise timing?
"military adviser......"
The scout looked at the stunned Guo Tu and asked tentatively: "The longer we stay here, the more danger we will face. What should we do now? You should make up your mind. They are all cavalry."
Guo Tu frowned and made a quick decision: "In this case, let's run separately. You two run to Gaotang County, you run to Dongping, you run to Luoyin, and I run to Qi, do you understand?"
All the scouts raised their hands: "Here."
Immediately.
Several scouts reined up their horses, turned around, and walked away in all directions.
Guo Tu also reined in his horse and galloped towards the direction of Qi.
However, Guo Tu only had a few fast horses, but Cao Cao's cavalry had thousands of people. Even if one hundred people chased and killed one scout, it was enough to kill him.
The distance of five miles is the perfect distance for the cavalry to charge. The speed can reach the fastest, and the distance of five miles can be equaled in an instant.
"Damn it!"
Cao Cao quickly arrived at the Yellow Turban camp and found that the place was deserted, with half of the people gone.
Without any hesitation, he immediately greeted: "Zihe, the thief Guo Tu is already in Qingzhou. According to the plan we made before, we will disperse him quickly and find him at all costs."
Cao Chun leaned forward and held up his hands: "Here."
Immediately.
He waved his hand and shouted loudly: "Brothers, follow the second plan and use Wu as the benchmark to search Yanzhou in a radial pattern, especially Pingyuan and Qi. Be sure to search carefully in these two directions."
All the soldiers responded in unison: "Here."
Looking at the figures of the soldiers galloping on their horses, Cheng Li sighed: "I didn't expect that boy Guo Tu ran so fast. We rushed from Jibei non-stop, but he still escaped us."
"rest assured."
Cao Cao closed his eyes slightly, sniffed the air, and grinned: "Guo Tu can't run away. There is his smell in the air. We will definitely catch him."
"oh?"
Cheng Li glanced at Cao Cao, who was sniffing towards the south, and seemed to understand what he meant: "General, do you mean that Guo Tu will run towards the direction of Qi?"
Cao Cao nodded with great certainty: "At least 70% possible."
Cheng Li frowned: "But if he leaves from Gaotang, he may return to Jizhou."
Cao Cao smiled calmly: "If you think so, he will naturally think so too, so he will do the opposite. Guo Tu thinks he is smart, but in fact, he is always smart."
"Walk!"
Cao Cao did not hesitate and waved his hand: "There is nothing wrong with pursuing Qi."
Cheng Li smiled: "Okay."
drive-!
The war horses galloped and headed straight to the south.
Not long after the two men galloped, the sound of an arrow exploded in the air.
"Sure enough, it's this direction."
"Walk."
Cao Cao waved his hand and galloped towards the direction of the rising arrow.
As expected.
As he rushed to the front.
There were already fifty or sixty horsemen surrounding a man wearing a crown of virtue.
Cao Cao rode forward, faced the man directly, and smiled calmly: "Humph, are you Guo Tu?"
Cheng Li nodded affirmatively: "Yes, I have seen Guo Tu's portrait. He is Guo Tu."
Guo Tu was not ready to admit it at first. He never thought that the other party actually had his own portrait, so he simply did not defend himself: "Yes, I am Guo Tu. Since you have caught me, I will kill you or scrape you. It's up to you."
Cheng Li was surprised: "Are you really Guo Tu? General, I didn't expect that we really caught a big fish. It seems that the information is indeed correct. Guo Tu did not keep up with the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army."
"Ha ha."
Cao Cao looked up to the sky and laughed wildly, pinching a wisp of beard under his chin: "Yes, if the imperial court had not received timely information, we might not be able to catch this big fish like Guo Tu."
"you......"
"You actually..."
Guo Tu's eyes widened and he stared at Cao Cao and Cheng Li in disbelief.
He couldn't believe it.
In the beginning, these two people were actually deceiving themselves, which was simply despicable.
Guo Tu gritted his teeth, his anger burning, and his bright eyes were like sharp swords. He wanted to pierce Cao Cao and Cheng Liwan's hearts with a sword and chop them into pulp:
"You are so despicable!"
"Since I, Guo Tu, have fallen into your hands, please give me a happy life!"
Immediately, Guo Tu raised his chin slightly, as if he was facing death calmly.
Cao Cao smiled, with a sinister expression on his face: "You are Yuan Shao's number one counselor. Wouldn't it be a pity to kill you like this?"
"That's right."
Cheng Li naturally knew what Cao Cao meant, and immediately echoed: "If you can give us some information, we may be able to keep your body intact, but if it's shameless..."
At this point, Cheng Li's voice was drawn out, and he looked at Cao Cao beside him with great interest: "General, I remember that there are ninety-nine and eighty-one types of criminal methods in the school affairs office, right?"
"Well, yes."
Cao Cao smiled, glanced at Guo Tu, and said softly: "Zhongde, how many levels do you think he can pass?"
Cheng Li pinched the beautiful beard under his chin: "Look at his thin skin and tender flesh, I think he can last until the tenth level. After all, the front is gentler, and the further back, the more vicious he becomes."
Guo Tu's heart skipped a beat, and there was a fierce look in his eyes: "Cao Ah Man, let me tell you, don't think that I, Guo Tu, will succumb to your intimidation. I would rather die than surrender."
"Yeah, I know."
"Primary people are all hard-core."
"so......"
The corners of Cao Cao's lips raised slightly, revealing a hint of sinisterness: "I think he can pass the twentieth level. What's that one called? Cut to pieces with a thousand cuts, right?"
"That's right."
Cheng Li nodded affirmatively: "It's like being cut into pieces by a thousand cuts!"
Cao Cao chuckled, looked at Guo Tu, and said sinisterly: "Don't be nervous, sir. Death by a Thousand Cuts is just a scary name, but it's not actually that scary. After all, it's only the twentieth level."
"right."
Cheng Li followed: "The so-called "cutting into pieces by a thousand cuts" means that the executioner will use a variety of different knives to cut your body ten thousand times. Don't worry, it won't be too deep every time. It's probably just bleeding.
.”
"The most powerful thing is the next level. I heard that no one has been able to pass it. In fact, I personally think that it is not that difficult. It just requires you to be placed in a tank full of bugs for three days and three nights.
.”
Cao Cao immediately added: "Don't worry, the bugs are all carefully fed. They will only eat the rotten meat on your body. The ten thousand swords are just to prepare for this place."
"That's right."
Cheng Li nodded affirmatively: "People who have not carried it before are all scared to death, but Gongze, you are so bold, naturally you will not be scared."
"So, I feel that you must be someone who can withstand the twenty-first level. I really want to see what the criminal law of the twenty-second level is."
Cao Cao smiled: "I heard it was called...what is it called..."
Cheng Li frowned: "I can't remember clearly either."
At this moment, a layer of fine beads of sweat formed on Guo Tu's forehead, and his whole body trembled subconsciously. A ball of fire seemed to be condensed in his throat, and his mouth was dry and nervous.
In Guo Tu's mind, he could even imagine the scene of being cut into pieces with thousands of knives. Various knives were scratching his body, leaving bruises all over his body. Then there were hundreds of insects lying on his body.
In my body, I keep eating bad meat.
Forehead......
Guo Tu shuddered subconsciously, as if his whole body had been eaten away by thousands of insects. From the skin of his body, he trembled to the depths of his soul. The feeling of fear made Guo Tu's hair stand on end, and sweat poured down his body in an instant.
"Here comes someone."
Cao Cao immediately waved his hand: "Get Guo Tu and take a detour back to Ling County. First, let Cao Ren serve the eighteen types of punishments. After the school affairs office takes over, he will be cut into pieces with a thousand cuts!"
"
The soldier beside him bowed and raised his hands: "Here."
Immediately.
Two or three soldiers rushed forward and dragged Guo Tu off his horse like a dead man.
At this moment, Guo Tu's body felt as if he was being watched by lead water. He couldn't even move, even if he was trembling.
Cao Cao was snickering secretly. According to the current situation, it shouldn't be a problem to pry Guo Tu's mouth open.
This will be beneficial to the Nanyang court's strategy of attacking Yuan Shao in Jizhou next year.