In the blink of an eye, July entered, and the general trend of the world changed again. While attacking Lu Bu, Cao ** made a fuss to attack the east and west, leaving Xiahou Dun and Le Jin. Cao Chun continued to use troops in Xuzhou. He led his army to suddenly rush to Wancheng and appeared at Wancheng overnight. He was ashamed of yu's first blood last year, avenging his eldest son Cao Ang, nephew Cao Anmin, and his confidant Dian Wei.

When Zhang Xiu heard the news, he was shocked and led his troops out of the city to meet the enemy. His general Hu Cheer died in battle at the city. The entire army was defeated and more than half of them were damaged. He had to retreat into the city and defended the city at all. He sent people to ask for help from Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou.

Seeing that the situation was over, Jia Xu suggested to Zhang Xiu to surrender and was willing to go to Cao's camp to be a lobbyist. Zhang Xiu had no choice but to listen to Jia Xu's suggestion and sent him to Cao's camp. At first, Cao ** was not willing to accept Zhang Xiu's surrender and vowed to kill Zhang Xiu to avenge his dead relatives and Dian Wei.

Jia Xu made a statement: "There are still more than 10,000 troops and horses in Wancheng and 170,000 stones of food and grass. If General Zhang seizes the city and defends it, how long will it take to break the city?"

"My army will attack the city with all its might, and it will be broken in half a month!"

Cao ** said this without confidence. There were about 60,000 people besieged the city. Moreover, half of the defenders in the city were elite Xiliang soldiers. They had been through the battlefield for a long time and had excellent combat capabilities. People say that "the world's powerful soldiers came out of Liangbing" means that the soldiers from Liangzhou and Bingzhou were fierce and able to fight tough battles. They were much stronger than the soldiers in other states.

Jia Xu smiled with his beard and smiled: "I'm afraid even Cao Gong doesn't believe this? Today, the heroes are rising up together. In the Central Plains, strong enemies are surrounded by powerful enemies. Yuan Shao is eyeing him in the north, Lu Bu is in the east, and Ma Teng is in the west. The little overlord in Jiangdong is sweeping the wind and clouds. Liu Jingsheng, Jizhou, is scheming and calculating. These are all major concerns of Cao Gong..."

"If Cao Gong had been using troops in Wancheng for too long, he would be afraid that Xiahou Dun could not support his own way in Xia Pi. If Lu Bu counterattacked, the advantages that Cao Gong had established in Xuzhou in the previous period would be gone. Liu Jingsheng had been in Jingzhou for many years, with a fertile land and a hundred thousand armors. His strength was not inferior to Cao Gong. If the rescue troops arrived, the outcome would be unpredictable! If the war lasted for a long time, Cao Gong would not be able to return Xu Du. If Yuan Shao and Sun Ce took the opportunity to attack, the Central Plains would probably no longer be owned by Cao Gong!"

What Jia Xu said was exactly what Cao ** thought. After hearing this, he not only looked at Jia Xu with admiration.

Cao **'s current troops were arranged as follows: Xiahou Yuan and Zhong Yao were in charge of the invasion of the Xiliang Corps. Cao Ren led Zhu Ling, Shi Huan, and 25,000 troops to station in Luoyang, and confronted Yuan Shao's army across the Yellow River. Xiahou Dun, Cao Chun and Le Jin led 30,000 troops to continue to harass Lu Bu near Xia Pi.

Xun Yu and Cao Hong led 10,000 troops to guard Xuchang, the remaining 60,000 people were led by Cao **, and led the generals Xu Huang, Yu Jin, Li Dian, Li Tong and others to use troops in Wancheng, hoping to take down the city in one go and pull out the dagger inserted into the heart. All the people were 150,000 to 60,000, which is Cao **'s current possessions.

If the territory Cao ** controls now is like a round heart, then Wancheng is like a dagger inserted into the heart, and it is only about 300 miles away from Xuchang. If a surprise attack is launched, you can reach Xuchang in three or two days. This makes Cao ** unable to sleep or eat. It is simply a fool to not pull out the dagger inserted into the heart and expand outward!

Therefore, this forced Cao ** to take the solution to Zhang Xiu as his top priority, and conquered Zhang Xiu twice last year.

When the first army arrived in Wancheng, Zhang Xiu surrendered without fighting. Cao ** easily entered Wancheng, and was proud of himself and forced Zhang Xiu's aunt and Zhang Ji's widow Zou. This annoyed Zhang Xiu, and suddenly launched a sneak attack. He successfully killed Cao **'s nephew Cao Anmin, and surrounded Cao **'s tiger guard Dianwei, and shot and killed Cao **'s son Cao Ang.

This disastrous defeat made Cao ** unforgettable. After returning to Xuchang for a few months, he made a comeback, intending to avenge his previous shame. He fought with Zhang Xiu and Liu Biao for the first time and won a great victory. However, when he heard that Lu Bu was trying to attack Chen Liu, he could only retreat. Zhang Xiu led his troops to pursue him, but was ambushed and returned with great defeat. Jia Xu offered his plans and could win if he pursued him again. Zhang Xiu followed him and led his troops to chase him again. Sure enough, he killed more than 2,000 Cao soldiers and seized some food, grass and supplies. Cao ** did not gain any advantage in this battle.

Starting from April this year, Cao's army began to use troops in Xuzhou and attacked Lu Bu at the appointment of Liu Bei. Unexpectedly, Lu Bu was trapped in Xia Pi and refused to leave the city to meet the enemy. This made Cao ** want to attack the east and west, so he left Xiahou Dun and others to continue to harass in Xuzhou under his own banner. He led his troops on the path to attack Wancheng. Sure enough, he succeeded in one fell swoop. It was not until the army approached Wancheng twenty miles, that the scouts in the city found out the news.

There was no danger to defend, Zhang Xiu could only lead his army to fight, and he was defeated in one battle, causing general Hu Cheer to be destroyed, and he could only retreat to the city to defend himself. On the other hand, he asked Liu Biao for help, and Cao **'s army successfully besieged the city. However, Cao ** also had concerns, and almost every word of what Jia Xu said hit his heart, making Cao **'s heart beat.

Seeing Cao **’s heartbeat, Jia Xu once again said: “A real man fights to dominate the world, with losses and gains. How can he ignore the overall situation for one or two people? Besides, Zhang Xiu and Cao Gong have such a bloody hatred, and Cao Gong can ignore past grudges and accept them openly. When rumors spread in the future, Cao Gong’s virtue will be praised by the world, and the heroes of the world will definitely come to surrender like a crucian carp crossing the river. In this way, hegemony is expected!”

After listening to Jia Xu's analysis, Cao **'s mind suddenly became clear and laughed: "Wenhe is indeed a resourceful person, better than the Zifang of Emperor Gaozu. I don't like Wancheng, but I am glad that Wenhe is assisted!"

Therefore, under Jia Xu's running around, Zhang Xiu's surrender was facilitated. In August of the third year of Jian'an, Wancheng was finally owned by Cao **, and he successfully pulled out the dagger that was inserted into his heart. After that, Cao ** left Li Tong, Ren Jun stationed in Wancheng, led the victorious army, and rushed to Xuzhou again, intending to sway the east in one go, and fight with Yuan Shao next year.

"Huh... Cao** is moving so fast?"

When the news reached Hanoi, Yuan Mai couldn't help but be shocked. He didn't pay close attention to Cao **'s situation during this period, and his use of troops was so fast. "So, it won't take long to go Lu Bu will die?"

"My Zhang Wenyuan, why haven't you come to surrender? Did everything I did before was wasted? Are you so devoted to Lu Bu?"

Sitting in front of the desk, Yuan Mai was anxious to scratch his head. I remember that the time when Cao** flooded Xia Pi might be around September or October this year. If history continues to develop, then the scene of flooding Xia Pi and Lu Bu in Baimenlou will be repeated. It would be fine if Lu Bu died, but my Da Zhang Liao was taken over by Cao*, which is heartbreaking!

Once upon a time, I was so close to Zhang Wenyuan who was so powerful that he was afraid of Xiaoyaojin, but in the end I was unable to hold hands successfully...

If this is the case, it will be a lifelong thing for people to feel sorry for. So Yuan Mai decided to try his best to get Zhang Liao under his command.

In August two thousand years ago, the temperature was already very low and the autumn wind was soaring. After a few days of gloomy weather, it started drizzling autumn rain, and it took a few days at once, without any intention of stopping. The autumn rain continued, and the Si River in Xuzhou would inevitably surge. This undoubtedly provided favorable conditions for Cao** to flood Xia Pi. It seems that history will still develop along the trajectory.

Yuan Mai hid in the study for several days and thought about good plans, and couldn't sit and lie down. Finally, a flash of inspiration flashed, and remembered a wonderful idea, and laughed at the sky and said, "That's true. If this is the case, you can take Wen Yuan under your command. Even if you can't, I have done my best. I will be lucky if I get it, and I will lose my life!"

Making up his mind, Yuan Mai summoned Zhou Cang, put on a straw raincoat, and took his entourage out of the city in the rain. His whereabouts were mysterious and no one knew where he had gone. He returned to the city in the rain in the middle of the night.

The next day, the rain gradually stopped, the weather finally cleared, and the people could go to the fields to harvest crops. There was a busy scene in the fields outside Hanoi City, and the people were busy harvesting crops in the fields. This year, the weather was good, except for Yang Chou killing Zhang Yang, there was no other wars. Finally, there was a good harvest season.

Accompanied by Tian Feng, Tian Chou and others, Yuan Mai rode his horse out of the city to patrol. Looking at the yellow millet all over the mountains, he couldn't hide the smile on his face. This year's military food is no longer enough. With the fertile land of Hanoi, it is more than enough to support more than 30,000 soldiers, and he no longer has to rely on others to borrow grain to beg for money.

"General Yuan and Prefect Tian, ​​please make the decision for Caomin and others!"

Just as Yuan Mai and his party were patrolling, a dozen people in white robes suddenly came from the south. They came to the horse and knelt on the ground, crying loudly and shouting for justice. The crying sounded throughout the fields, causing the people in the four fields to stop the way they were at hand and look at attention.

"What are your grievances? Let's talk about it quickly. I and Prefect Tian must make the decision for you!" Yuan Mail asked, looking righteous and righteous.

A white-haired old man cried and said, "The villain is the people of Chenggao. I sued Qu Yi. He robbed the soldiers and robbed many livestock in our village, and... and defiled the innocence of the little girl. So I risked my life to come to the county town to complain, asking the general to make the decision for the people!"

"Da Dan Qu Yi, when he was in Yangqu, the former period, the soldiers of Yu Gu raped He Li. I have already strictly warned the three armies not to harass the people. As the chief general, Qu Yi dared to take the lead in committing crimes. How could he let go? I should go to Chenggao camp in person!"

Yuan Mai Zhou Cang, who was furious, led 500 guards and rushed to Chenggao Camp, a hundred miles away from Hanoi. He called Qu Yi in front of him, scolded him in anger, and scolded him without saying anything: "As the chief general, you do not set an example, and actually took the lead in destroying military discipline. It is really abominable. People come here, I will give me a heavy responsibility for forty military sticks!"

"What? You want to be forty?" Qu Yi blew his beard and glared, and his teeth were itchy. Are you avenging your personal revenge or killing a chicken to warn the monkey?

"Is twenty military sticks OK? Forty is too much!"

Yuan Mai glared at his eyes: "Is there a market in the camp? How can you bargain? Forty military sticks cannot be missed!" After saying that, hello: "Come, beat me!"

He had already moved forward, overturned Qu Yi to the ground, swung military sticks and beat General Qu to the ground, only beat him up.

"Yuan Mai's son, how dare you hit me? Isn't it just a woman? What a big deal? I... I and you all end up!" Qu Yi was punished and shouted loudly, for fear that the soldiers in the camp would not hear it.

After the rod was punished by Qu Yi, Yuan Mai's anger was relieved and brought the guard camp back to Hanoi. It was midnight and he received a report from the fast horse, saying that Qu Yi had led his troops to join Cao **.
Chapter completed!