The weather is hot in Changyi County at the end of June.
Cao Cao was short in stature and became a little fatter as he got older, so he was very uncomfortable in hot weather. However, Cao Cao was in a good mood because the grain growth this year was excellent and the harvest period in July and August was about to begin.
After this year's grain harvest, with food and grass, he can continue to send troops to attack Xuzhou.
Unlike now, there is no way to go to war.
Without food and grass, we can't attack.
Cao Cao was sitting in his study, wearing a thin black robe, explaining the art of war. When he had nothing to do, he liked to read. Whether it was poetry, books, or military strategies, Cao Cao liked them all.
While Cao Cao was commenting, there was a sound of footsteps, and the attendant entered, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, Xun Yu wants to see you."
"Please."
Cao Cao gave an order.
The attendant went to inform, and after a while, Xun Yu entered the study, sat down, and reported: "My lord, the progress of farming in various places in Yanzhou is very good, and the local grain growth is also gratifying, and the autumn harvest is coming soon. I plan to arrange the army to harvest as soon as possible.
Complete the harvest of grain and grass."
Cao Cao said without thinking: "Wen Ruo has arranged this matter."
Xun Yu continued: "There is another matter. Under the lord's hard work, Yanzhou has gradually become stronger and easier to be beaten by Yuan Shao. After a while, the lord still has to send a letter to Yuan Shao to complain, saying that we are short of food and weapons. Please ask Yuan Shao.
Support. After all, we can’t even conquer Xuzhou, and we really have no food.”
"no problem."
Cao Cao replied with a smile.
Cao Cao has never cared much about face matters, and it is only true if he can get benefits. If he bows his head to Yuan Shao, he can get a large amount of food and equipment, and Cao Cao is willing to do so.
Strengthening strength is fundamental.
"Tap! Tread!!"
The sound of hurried footsteps was heard, and Xi Zhicai hurriedly entered the study. Seeing Cao Cao and Xun Yu, he sat down and said, "My lord, the battle between Yuan Shu and Lu Xuan has come to an end."
Cao Cao regained his energy, leaned forward slightly, and asked, "How did Yuan Shu lose?"
Xi Zhicai asked: "My lord, are you sure Yuan Shu will lose?"
Cao Cao sneered and said disdainfully: "Yuan Shu is greedy for money, lustful and extravagant. When he arrived in Jiujiang County, he oppressed the people and competed with them for profit. Such a person, in any place, does not govern the place, only knows how to exploit. Such a thing
Everyone can win, that’s weird.”
"My lord is wise."
Xi Zhicai spoke with sincerity.
Cao Cao waved his hand, stroking the beard under his chin, and said: "Zhicai, there's no need to flatter you. Tell me, what's going on?"
Xi Zhicai explained: "Yuan Shu led 30,000 elites and went south to attack Lu Xuan. He first sent Zhang Xun, leading 6,000 men as the vanguard, to enter Lujiang first, and Yuan Shu followed closely south."
"Lu Xuan's response was on the surface to advertise that Lu Xuan was recruiting troops to resist in Shu County. In fact, Lu Xuan quietly led his troops to Huo County, north of the Lujiang River, and ambushed him in the city of Huo County."
"Zhang Xun entered Lujiang County, first arrived at Lu'an County, and conquered it in one battle. Then, he arrived at Huo County. Because it was publicly known that Lu Xuan was in Shu County, Zhang Xun was completely unprepared."
"So when Zhang Xun arrived in Huo County, Lu Xuan pretended to be the magistrate of Huo County, tricked Zhang Xun into the city, captured Zhang Xun directly, and forced the landing of Zhang Xun's 6,000 men. At this point, Lu Xuan won the first battle."
Cao Cao thought for a while and praised: "This kid Lu Xuan is not simple. He first spread false news and bluffed, then abandoned Lu'an County to show weakness, luring the enemy deeper, making Zhang Xun think that he could go straight in. After a series of tricks, Zhang Xun fell
Failure is normal.”
Xun Yu nodded and said: "Lu Xuan's arrangement is indeed brilliant. This man is not simple, he is very good at using soldiers."
Xi Zhicai continued: "Yuan Shu arrived at Huoxian with his army. Lu Xuan pushed Zhang Xun out and told Yuan Shu that as long as Yuan Shu withdrew his troops, Zhang Xun would not be killed. Yuan Shu was angry and cursed that Zhang Xun should die, saying
Zhang Xun was disloyal, and in the end, Lu Xuan killed Zhang Xun to destabilize Yuan Shu's military morale."
"In anger, Yuan Shu stormed Huo County, but was blocked by Lu Xuan and had no choice but to withdraw his troops."
"At night, Lu Xuan directly led his troops to attack Yuan Shu's granary at night. Yuan Shu's response at that time was to send troops to respond at the same time. On the one hand, he arranged for Qiao Rui to rescue the granary; on the other hand, he sent people to attack Huo County."
"As a result, Yuan Shu's two lines of battle failed, and he was finally defeated and escaped."
Xi Zhicai said: "Lu Xuan continued to go north and captured Hefei, but he did not continue to advance. The war has reached this point and is over."
Cao Cao's eyes were extremely bright.
He thought about it carefully and said with emotion: "There is a key point in Lu Xuan's arrangement. Yuan Shu entered Lujiang County, and everything was under Lu Xuan's sight, so Lu Xuan could grasp the situation of Yuan Shu's granary. From then on,
From this point of view, Yuan Shu was defeated from the beginning, because Yuan Shu did not understand Lu Xuan at all, and Lu Xuan knew Yuan Shu's every move."
Xi Zhicai said: "There is another thing that I missed. Before Lu Xuan raided the granary, Lu Xuan released the prisoners. These soldiers led by Zhang Xun returned to Yuan Shu's army. Yuan Shu was worried about fraud and killed all the prisoners.
"
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, paced back and forth, and said in a deep voice: "Lu Xuan used a strategy to attack Yuan Shu. Killing Zhang Xun is a strategy to attack the heart, and so is using prisoners."
"All of Yuan Shu's responses are simply disgusting. Every step has allowed Lu Xuan to achieve the best benefit. Yuan Shu's military morale has collapsed. He still has to rescue the granary and attack the county. He is simply hopelessly stupid."
Cao Cao said: "Under the circumstances at that time, Yuan Shu could only retreat."
Xi Zhicai nodded and said: "When we analyze this battle, we can see how powerful Lu Xuan is. Yuan Shu has been played around by Lu Xuan from the beginning."
Cao Cao slapped his hand on the desk and said, "Lu Xuan is not simple. The person who will control Jiangdong in the future must be Lu Xuan."
Xun Yu stroked his beard and said approvingly: "I also agree with my lord's analysis. The person who occupies the land of Jiangdong must be Lu Xuan."
Xi Zhicai changed the subject and said: "There is one more thing. Yuan Shu sent Chief Shi Yang Hong to ask for help, asking the lord to allocate food and weapons for support. Currently, Yang Hong is still waiting to see the lord."
Cao Cao sneered and said: "If I don't see you, there is nothing to say. I don't have enough food myself, how can I give it to him? It's a beautiful idea."
"Here!"
Xi Zhicai nodded and answered.
Cao Cao turned his eyes and said in a deep voice: "Yuan Shu is an incompetent person and will be defeated by Lu Xuan sooner or later. Yuan Shu is not worth mentioning, and Lu Xuan will occupy Jiangdong sooner or later. I want to win over Lu Xuan in advance as our help."
Xi Zhicai asked: "How do you plan to win over the Lord? Lu Xuan has a deep mind and may not be willing to be our helper."
Xun Yu also looked at Cao Cao.
Cao Cao always had a far-reaching vision and was able to judge the situation.
Cao Cao's eyes were deep and he said slowly: "We are based in Yanzhou, we are attacking Xuzhou, and we are also planning on Yuzhou. However, unlike Lu Xuan, our base is in the south. Lu Xuan's base is in Yangzhou, and our base is in the Central Plains.
"
"From a long-term perspective, we are temporarily relying on Yuan Shao to maintain a short-term harmonious relationship with Yuan Shao. It can be foreseen that as our power expands, we will definitely turn friends into enemies in the future, and there will be conflicts and fights."
"Yuan Shao's strength is far stronger than ours."
"Jizhou is far richer than Yanzhou, and its heritage is too profound."
"As the saying goes, if you don't plan for the eternity, you can't plan for a moment; if you don't plan for the overall situation, you can't plan for a region."
"When we have a decisive battle with Yuan Shao in the future, we will be at a disadvantage. To defeat the strong with the weak, we have to rely on ourselves. However, if we can bring in foreign aid to help us and contain some of Yuan Shao's power, it will be helpful to us."
"So here at Lu Xuan, I want to make arrangements in advance to get closer to each other."
Cao Cao said in a deep voice: "Going further, if there is a conflict with Lu Xuan in the future, it is too far away. If you can't even defeat Yuan Shao in the north, don't expect anything else. This is my plan, what do you do?
look?"
Xi Zhicai chuckled and said, "Master, do you really want to marry Lu Xuan and marry your daughter to Lu Xuan?"
Cao Cao raised his brows and said with a smile: "What's wrong? If we can win over Lu Xuan, it will be cost-effective. In short, there will be no conflict between us and Lu Xuan for a certain period of time. Deepening the relationship will help us.
develop."
Xun Yu said: "Where is Yuan Shu? He may be upset when he learns that my lord and Lu Xuan are married."
Cao Cao stroked his beard and smiled, and said forcefully: "Yuan Shu is a waste, what does his life and death have to do with me?"
At this point, a light flashed in Cao Cao's eyes, "And the most important thing is, what kind of person is Lu Xuan? In all situations, hearing is believing. Seeing is believing. I hope Zhicai will go to the south in person.
Lujiang County, go see Lu Xuan."
"On the one hand, discussing marriage is a move to win over Lu Xuan. On the other hand, it is to test Lu Xuan's background and understand Lu Xuan's situation. Anyway, we are not at war. Zhicai strives to win over Lu Xuan before the end of the autumn harvest.
Just return to Changyi."
"I humbly obey my orders!"
Xi Zhicai answered with his hands raised.
Cao Cao said: "When Zhicai goes south, he must be careful and put safety first."
"Here!"
Xi Zhicai answered again.
He bowed his hands and bowed to Cao Cao, then got up and prepared to go south to Lujiang County.