After Yuan Shao received the letter, he was secretly glad that Taiwei Liu Ming was alive today. He secretly prayed in his heart: It would be best if Liu Ming's foundation in Youzhou was wiped out by Gongsun Du and others, so that he could vent his bad anger.
Yuan Shao then casually threw Liu Ming's communication aside and ignored it.
After Cao Cao learned of Liu Ming's communication, he saw that Yuan Shao had no intention of sending troops, so he asked Yuan Shao: "Today Dong's thief is going west. Although the captain has no time to pursue him, we are taking advantage of the situation to pursue Dong's thief.
At that time, why did we stand still at the beginning?"
Yuan Shao was only thinking about the jade seal at this time, and he was afraid of being beaten by Dong Zhuo. He was still willing to fight Dong Zhuo and consume his strength. So he casually said to Cao Cao: "The soldiers are tired, and it may be useless to advance."
Cao Cao said angrily: "Dong's thieves looted the capital and moved the emperor away. The sea was shaken and he didn't know where he was going. This is the time when heaven is perishing. One battle will end the world. Why do you have no doubts and don't advance?"
The princes saw that Sun Jian had gone, Taiwei Liu Ming had also left, and Yuan Shao was not prepared to change. They all acted wisely to protect themselves and did not want to lose their own strength. They all advised Cao Cao: "The original intention has a deep meaning. We can't move lightly."
Cao Cao cursed angrily: "It's not enough to make a plan!" He waved his hand and walked out of the tent.
Cao Cao came to the outside of the tent. Under the breeze, Cao Cao calmed down a little. Cao Cao secretly thought: Although with his own strength alone, more than 10,000 soldiers and horses were able to pursue Dong Zhuo, there would be no return. But now, although
The army of this alliance was summoned by himself. His reputation has been improved to a certain extent. However, the leader of the alliance is Yuan Shao. And the one who made the greatest contribution to defeating the traitor Dong Zhuo is Taiwei Liu Ming. The military bravery of Taiwei Liu Ming has been deeply rooted in
People's hearts. If you have no achievements, such as after the imperial court is re-established, your contribution will not be much. And if the world is in chaos, I am afraid that by then, the people with lofty ideals in the world will not come to seek refuge with you, and you will be the same.
There is no longer a chance to conquer the world. It is better to fight to the death and pursue Dong Zhuo alone. In this way, no matter success or failure, you can win a name of loyalty in front of the people of the world. You can also show the strength of your Cao family's army.
Wu Yong.
So Cao Cao led more than ten thousand troops, including Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Li Dian, Le Jin, and came to drive Dong Zhuo out at starry night.
At this time, Dong Zhuo arrived at Xingyang, and the prefect Xu Rong came out to meet him. Li Ru said to Dong Zhuo: "Prime Minister, our army has withdrawn from Luoyang. The rear army has been cannibalized by Youzhou's troops. If we don't take precautions, our army may be defeated."
We were all defeated by the Youzhou army and horses. In order to prevent the Youzhou army and horses from catching up with us and disturbing the prime minister, we can teach General Xu Rong to ambush the army outside Xingyang City, beside the mountain dock. If the Youzhou soldiers and horses are chasing us, there is no need to stop them.
But he let it go; when we gather the army, we will attack the Youzhou soldiers and horses head-on and defeat them, and then General Xu Rong will come out to intercept and kill them, so that those who come after will not dare to pursue them again."
Dong Zhuo said in fear: "Liu Ming's Youzhou soldiers and horses are invincible in the world. How can we overcome the enemy? It's better to let Xu Rongyicheng hold on. Let's withdraw to Chang'an as soon as possible."
When Li Ru saw what Dong Zhuo meant, he knew that Dong Zhuo was scared out of his wits by Liu Ming. So he said to Dong Zhuo: "Prime Minister, General Xu Rong, even if he sticks to the city, then General Xu Rong is under an army of hundreds of thousands.
How many days can we hold on? And although Youzhou's soldiers and horses are brave, they are chasing after them so quickly. They must not be many. We have assembled Xiliang's 200,000 troops. We will definitely be able to defeat them in one battle. It should be noted that on that day, if
It’s not Yuan Shao’s hundreds of thousands of coalition troops. Why should we be afraid of Youzhou’s tens of thousands of troops?”
What Li Ru said made Dong Zhuo nod his head. He immediately made arrangements according to Li Ru's plan. But Li Ru never expected that the dragnet he had laid would not allow him to find Liu Ming to get Youzhou.
The men and horses kept Cao Cao waiting.
Cao Cao's more than 10,000 soldiers and horses, who could not resist Li Ru's hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, were surrounded in many directions. They were immediately defeated and fled in defeat. On the way to escape, Cao Cao encountered Xu Rong's robbery. Cao Cao was grateful to
Cao Hong, a brother of the same clan, risked his life to save each other. Only then did he escape from danger. Cao Hong also left a very classic sentence to Cao Cao, "The world can be without Hong, but it cannot be without justice." This made Cao Cao have great trust in Cao Hong throughout his life.
After Cao Cao escaped from Shengtian, he gathered the remaining defeated soldiers, but only more than a thousand people were left. Cao Cao laughed loudly and said to himself: "It's really interesting. I didn't expect that a certain family accidentally got hit.
This is the treacherous plot of the traitor Dong Zhuo."
Cao Cao's smile made all the people under Cao Cao, such as Xiahou Dun, Xia Houyuan, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, etc., laugh. He secretly thought: What is going on, my lord? Could it be that after losing to the national thief Dong Zhuo,
The shock was too great, have you gone crazy?
At that time, Xiahou Dun quickly advised Cao Cao: "My lord, victory or defeat is a common matter for military strategists. How can we lose our fighting spirit due to a temporary defeat? We are willing to fully assist your lord and make a comeback."
Cao Cao smiled and waved his hand and said: "Yuan Rang means it. I know it very well. What does this small defeat mean? How could a certain family see it? A certain family is now happy from the bottom of his heart."
When Cao Cao said this, the people under Cao Cao became even more confused. Of his more than 10,000 troops, Dong Zhuo killed only a thousand or so. What else is there to be happy about?
Xiahou Dun is Cao Cao's ancestral family. When Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, was not adopted into the Cao family, he was already Xiahou Dun.
. At that moment, he bluntly asked Cao Cao: "Master, we have suffered such a miserable defeat and almost lost all our family fortune. What is there to be happy about?"
Cao Cao looked around and saw that they were all his own confidants. Then he smiled and said, "How do you know? Before a certain family sent out troops, they had already predicted that there would be such a defeat. You must know that we are just a hastily assembled army of more than 10,000 soldiers."
However, we are alone in pursuing the more than 100,000 battle-hardened tiger and wolf troops from Xiliang. No matter whether we are attacking directly or by surprise. With such a disparity in strength, how can we be invincible? Now we have only lost some soldiers.
, but we can escape unscathed. Isn’t it a joy? Besides, we can also learn from the lessons of this failure and take it as a warning for the future. Isn’t it even more joyful?”
When Cao Cao said this, the people under Cao Cao suddenly realized that all these things were within the lord's expectation. From this point of view, it was indeed a bit funny. However, Xia Houyuan still asked a little strangely: "My lord.
Since you already know that our pursuit of the traitor Dong Zhuo is bound to fail, then why do you still raise troops to pursue the traitor Dong Zhuo?"
When Cao Cao heard this, he said with great righteousness: "It is for the sake of the country. How can I regret my life? Although our army is defeated now, our blood can awaken the fighting spirit of the people in the world to attack the national traitor Dong Zhuo. Although I am in great difficulty, how can I not go? Such a national crisis.
At this time, no one steps forward, and all the people in the world are so ignorant. The world is in danger!"
After Cao Cao finished speaking, all the generals under Cao Cao were in awe of Cao Cao. They felt that they were right with the lord. The lord was worried about the country and the people, and heaven and earth can express it.
Cao Ren also advised Cao Cao: "My lord, even if this is the case, it is useless for us to stay here longer. Why don't we return to Luoyang as soon as possible, gather the princes, recruit troops again, and come to attack the national traitor Dong Zhuo."
As soon as Cao Ren finished speaking, all the generals under Cao Cao were highly motivated and prepared to clean up the remaining troops, and then protected Cao Cao and returned to Luoyang to reunite with the princes and regroup.
When Cao Cao saw the actions of his men, he quickly said: "Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Where did this come from? How can we go back to Luoyang? Yuan Shao and other princes don't have much future. We can't work with them anymore.
.”
Cao Cao's generals were surprised again. They asked one after another: "My lord, how can we not work with these princes?"
Cao Cao chuckled and said, "You don't know. Yuan Shao and other princes are all mediocre people. When they come here, they have secret intentions. When the heroes first gathered, Yuan Shao pursued personal gain, regardless of his talent or official position.
He rejected the Taiwei Sir and stole the position of leader of the alliance. Later, Yuan Shu cut off Sun Jian's food and grass, which led to Sun Jian's defeat at Sishui. Now, the Taiwei Sir, Youzhou has rebelled and has no time to fight against the thieves. If Yuan Shao can show his courage
, led the crowd to pursue. The traitor Dong Zhuo can be defeated in one battle. How can we use our blood to awaken the people. I look at all the heroes in the world. Only the Taiwei has the heart to defeat thieves. The Taiwei is not here now.
Here, Sun Jian also went there with different intentions. Why should we go back to that place of right and wrong? Just follow me. I have a clever plan to defeat the thief."
After hearing what Cao Cao said, Cao Cao's subordinates naturally listened to Cao Cao and followed Cao Cao away.
When Yuan Shao received the news that Cao Cao had defeated Xingyang, he was secretly happy: This Cao Cao didn't listen to his old words, so he suffered such a disastrous defeat. He really deserved it. Then Dong Zhuo is so easy to fight. This can be regarded as a lesson to you.
That's all. Yuan Shao then became more determined to stay in Luoyang.
At the same time, Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou who stayed behind among the allied forces in Luoyang, had a serious crisis. Liu Dai had run out of food. But Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, wanted to eat locally. And on the ground near Luoyang
Dong Zhuo had already robbed all his food, and it fell into Liu Mingde's hands and took him back to Youzhou. Where could he find food? In desperation, Yanzhou governor Liu Dai had no choice but to shamelessly ask someone weaker than him.
Qiao Mao, the prefect of Dongjun, went to borrow grain. Originally, Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, thought that he was condescending to borrow grain from Qiao Mao, the prefect of Dongjun. Qiao Mao, the prefect of Dongjun, had no reason not to borrow grain. But he didn't expect that Qiao Mao was a nerd.
, admitting death. I think they are all anti-Dong coalition forces and ministers who are also guarding the imperial court. What can you do to me? Food is in short supply on the ground in Luoyang now. I am also short of military rations and cannot hold on for a few more days. Can I still lend it to you?
Others categorically refused at the moment.
But it didn't matter that Qiao Mao, the prefect of Dongjun, refused. Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, thought he had lost face. Moreover, the army did not have rice to cook, so he couldn't just starve to death. He immediately became determined and broke into the prefect of Dongjun at night.
Qiao Mao's army camp, he killed Qiao Mao and took all Qiao Mao's troops for his own use. He broke camp overnight and ran back to his hometown Yanzhou.
It doesn't matter that Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, ran away after such a trick. The remaining princes have thrown their camp into chaos. That is everyone's own danger. After all, these people stay here in Luoyang and do not pursue Dong Zhuo or disband. They are sitting on nothing.
No one can hold on to their military rations.
Therefore, Kong Rong, the governor of Beihai, said to Liu Bei: "Yuan Shao is arrogant and has no plans. He can't achieve greatness. Now we are trapped in Luoyang. We have done nothing and are short of military rations. We might as well disperse for the time being and wait for the captain.
After Youzhou is pacified, we will gather under the banner of Lord Taiwei. It will not be too late to attack the traitor Dong Zhuo."
What Liu Bei is most afraid of hearing now is the words Taiwei Liu Ming. And although Yuan Shao is arrogant and unintelligent, he can take advantage of it. With Yuan Shao's power, he will be able to break into the sky sooner or later.
Moreover, Yuan Shao and I are very close to each other. Ever since I said a few words to Liu Ming on behalf of Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao has regarded me as a confidant. It is definitely not a fantasy that I want to use Yuan Shao's power. But this Kong
Rong Nai was the benefactor who took him in at the beginning, so he could not reject him outright. At that moment, Liu Bei said with great pride: "The public occupies an important position in the imperial court. He is guarding one side and is busy with many things. He cannot stay out for a long time. But my younger brother is alone, and now he is alone.
The imperial court is newly established in Luoyang. I should also add more talents to the imperial court in Luoyang."
Kong Rong was deceived by Liu Bei. When he said goodbye to Yuan Shao and returned home, he recommended Liu Bei to Yuan Shao and asked Yuan Shao to take care of him on his behalf.
Yuan Shao had long been stunned by Liu Bei's sweet talk. He immediately agreed without any ambiguity. He named Liu Bei General Zhechong and assigned him 5,000 men to lead him. This showed his love for talents.
Liu Bei was overjoyed, and Yuan Shao was also satisfied. However, at this time, the ministers in the court who Liu Ming stayed in Luoyang did not let Yuan Shao rest. With a piece of official document, they urged Yuan Shao to march to Chang'an to attack the national traitor Dong Zhuo.
Yuan Shao saw that even Cao Cao was defeated by Dong Zhuo and left. Sun Jian also stole the jade seal and ran away. And Liu Dai even annexed other princes and ran away. Yuan Shao had no intention of fighting Dong Zhuo. He only thought about himself.
It can also expand the territory. In these troubled times, it is advantageous to separate one party from another. Therefore, Yuan Shao's response to these ministers in the court seemed a bit procrastinating.
What Yuan Shao was thinking could not escape Liu Bei's eyes. Liu Bei gave Yuan Shao advice at that time and said: "General, you can complain to the ministers in the court. Just say that now our coalition's rations have been exhausted. It has even happened.
Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, killed Qiao Mao, the prefect of Dongjun, to rob the army because there was no food in the army. Now the morale of the army is in turmoil among the coalition forces. It is better to return to each other for the time being. When the army has sufficient food next year, we will attack the national traitors again.
Dong Zhuo. The general can take advantage of this opportunity to use the power of the alliance leader to recruit talents, gather grass, store grain, and recruit soldiers. In this way, the general's great cause can be accomplished!"