Chapter 172: Tired Enemy Death
Liyang, Cao Cao took a carriage for inspection.

As the weather gradually got colder, Cao's army on the north bank stopped civil engineering work and began to evacuate the south bank in batches in an orderly manner.

Only elite troops will be left on the north bank to blockade and encircle the supply lines of the defenders of the two cities of Liyang.

Looking at the latest batch of troops boarding the ship at the dock, Cao Cao thought of the rumor and couldn't help but sigh.

Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, two prodigal sons, secretly killed the wives of their three brothers in order to avoid bringing disgrace to their family.

Cao Cao had never met Zhen Mi, but he had heard people mention her many times.

Even if they are just trivial details mentioned casually by others in life, Cao Cao can grasp these key information and find it difficult to forget them.

Watching the transport ship set sail, Cao Cao sighed and said, "What can we do if the black bandits invade Guanzhong?"

Military advisor Xun You was in charge of the camp, with only Guo Jia by his side.

Guo Jia thought for a moment and took two steps forward: "Mingsir, I have a plan."

Cao Cao turned around and looked at Guo Jia. He saw that he was calmer and had recovered from the shock of having his hair shaved. "Feng Xiao said frankly."

"Yes."

Guo Jia took two or three steps forward, came to the carriage and said: "What you are worried about is that Guanlong will join forces to rebel. Now that the black bandits have taken over Sanfu, the people of Liangzhou will be blocked from entering the court. They are surrounded by barbarians on three sides, so we dare not make enemies with Sanfu."

As soon as he opened his mouth, he defined Black Bear's Guanzhong as the Three Auxiliary Provinces, and Cao Cao nodded involuntarily.

Guanzhong is a region worthy of attention, but Sanfu does not seem that strong.

The Three Auxiliary Prefectures are the meat, and Guanzhong is formed by the outer circle of brave people in the mountains. If Liangzhou is added, it will be another Dong Zhuo!
Guo Jia went further and said: "Liangzhou has suffered from the invasion of the barbarians. Now that the black bandits are strong, they will inevitably develop a desire to rely on them. This will deter the barbarians. Even if there is a disaster, they can seek help from the black bandits and protect their clans and hometowns. Liangzhou's dependence on the black bandits is really difficult to stop."

"Well, Feng Xiao has a point."

Cao Cao agreed with this view. This was for the survival of the regional ethnic groups. The scholars in Liangzhou knew the priorities and would definitely move closer to Guanzhong.

The stronger the fighting power displayed by the Guanzhong black bears, the stronger the determination and motivation of the Liangzhou people to rely on them.

We are not afraid of the black bear's invasion, but of the various barbarians.

If the Hu people invade, our entire family will be wiped out.

On the contrary, the Guanzhong troops attacked Longyou, and the powerful remained powerful, and there was no substantial damage.

Guo Jia said immediately: "The black bandits have repeatedly asked for the post of General Zhenbei. My Lord, why don't you give it to him and let him be the governor of Yong and Liang states. If there is a turmoil in Hexi, how can he sit idly by and watch?"

After hearing this, Cao Cao nodded slowly. The war to quell the rebellion in the western part of Liang Province cost nearly 100 billion yuan, but it was never put down.

If we can find a way to drag Black Bear's Yuancong and Qijia troops to Hexi and Xiliang, two or three thousand miles away.

Even if the casualties in the war were not great, such a long journey would be enough to cause the army to become divided.

Not to mention the cost of war, it is better to let the black bear look west than for this man to raise troops and wait and see.

We will definitely be able to capture Liyang City this winter, and Yuan Shang will definitely come to rescue. The only thing we have to worry about is Black Bear’s reinforcements.

Whether it was attacking Xiahou Dun in Luoyang or going around Hanoi and heading straight to Liyang, both put him in a passive position.

If we instigate a rebellion in Xiliang, we can draw Black Bear's attention there.

Especially Han Sui, this old loach that can't be killed, can at least hold back the black bear for two or three years.

In two or three years, even if we fail to capture Hebei, we can still severely damage Hebei's vitality and make Yuan Shang lose his strategic counterattack capability.

Guanzhong has no savings to begin with, so how could the people of Guanzhong be willing to invest manpower and material resources into the Xiliang battlefield?

After thinking it through, Cao Cao nodded and said, "Feng Xiao's plan to tire out the enemy is feasible."

As he said this he let out a sigh of relief. He also had a reason to agree to Zhong Yao's request.

He didn't want to break up with Zhong Yao, but he was reluctant psychologically and for the sake of face.

Intellectually, he also knew that he had to give the authorization to be the General Zhenbei and the Acting King; if not, Luoyang would be in danger.

The more hurriedly he attacked Liyang, the more determined Yuan Shang became to support the new emperor after taking Luoyang.

A vicious circle will break out between Luoyang and Liyang, a vicious circle that will make him run around in exhaustion.

If you can avoid it, it's best to avoid it.

He instinctively thought that Xiahou Dun could not defend Luoyang because Luoyang City was too big and the eight-pass defense system was also very large.

Unfortunately, Xiahou Dun's newly added troops lacked resilience and were insufficient in number.

The Black Bear also demonstrated a very strong ability to attack and defend Luoyang. How could Xiahou Dun defend Luoyang if his 5,000 troops could not fill the walls of Luoyang!
If we transfer 20,000 or 30,000 troops there, given the terrain of Luoyang, if we fail, no one will be able to escape!

The two cities of Liyang were the front teeth of Yuan Shang, and Luoyang was the small bird of the Xudu court.

Therefore, he had to agree with Zhong Yao's opinion and give Zhong Yao a chance to manage, erode and disintegrate Black Bear from within.

If Guo Jia's strategy of tiring the enemy is implemented now, some people in Liangzhou will cooperate to attack the various Hu people, and some people in Guanzhong will also cooperate to encourage Black Bear to send troops.

In this way, Luoyang would be very safe, and no one would interfere with his attack on Yuan Shang's front teeth.

Cao Cao made a decision here and immediately drove back to the camp.

Outside the camp, Lou Gui was seen communicating with a group of people, and Lou Gui also drove out of the camp.

At this moment, I am changing into warm winter clothes in front of the car. Winter is cold and the clothes are still black.

Lou Gui was wearing a black brocade robe with dark patterns. When he waved his arms and posed for his fellow villager Xu You, from a distance one could see that the dark patterns on the robe reflected an extraordinary luster.

Cao Cao looked down at his autumn yellow and black robe and could not help but sigh. He said to Guo Jia and others, "Lou Zibo is rich and happy, but his power is not as good as mine."

Guo Jia didn't care about fancy clothes and delicious food. He looked down at his old clothes and said with a smile, "Mingsir, I think old clothes are close to my body."

Xu Chu squinted his eyes and watched in the distance Lou Gui and Xu You, two people from Nanyang, escorting Cao Cao back to the camp.

Xu You saw Cao Cao's carriage entering the camp from the corner of his eye, and said to Lou Gui, "Zi Bo, a new set of clothes costs tens of thousands of dollars. I'm afraid this will bring disaster."

"Instead of buying fine clothes and fine horses, are you going to buy swords and armor?"

Lou Gui held his sleeves with both hands and raised his arms to look at the patterns on his sleeves, smiling: "Ziyuan, you can see that managing the family property is my only pleasure now. The family property is abundant, and in this chaotic world, if I don't spend it, will it be left to outsiders?"

"This..." Xu You frowned: "Zi Bo, you know what I am worried about."

After the Hebei purge, Xu You's importance declined greatly, and now he just hangs out with Lou Gui, an old man from Nanyang who has a lot of free time.

Lou Gui was not short of money and had provided a lot of financial support to Xu You during this period.

The salary Cao Cao gave Xu You was not enough for him to buy two beautiful concubines, and he could not afford to support them even if he bought them.

Lou Gui just smiled, turned his head to look in the direction of Liyang Second City, grinned, and looked back at Xu You.

Xu You naturally understood what Lou Gui meant. As long as the two cities of Liyang were still there, Cao Gong would always be a kind and tolerant Cao Gong.

Both of them are old friends of Cao Cao. Who wouldn't be resentful at this moment?

Seeing that Xu You wanted to persuade him again, Lou Gui immediately said, "If Ziyuan continues to persuade us, we will lose the taste of the sheep today."

Xu You then glanced sideways and saw that the servants of the Lou family who were delivering winter clothes, pocket money and food to Lou Gui were slaughtering a yellow sheep, while other servants were setting up curtains.

Both of them were assigned the task of military advisors. Although they were not responsible for any important projects, their status was much higher than that of the officers in charge.

We set up a curtain outside the camp to block the wind and have a simple meal, just like a picnic. Who can interfere?

Even if you bring the military captain Ding Fei over, he won't ask about such a trivial matter.

The two of them sat down behind the curtain.

The curtain blocked the view from all directions. The military camp, the corridor, and the two cities of Liyang could not be seen. Immediately, most of the worries were reduced.

The two men sat side by side at the table. Lou Gui cut open the mud seal and said regretfully to Xu You while pouring wine: "I don't know why, but the chrysanthemum water dried up in July this year."

"How can the chrysanthemum water dry up?"

Both of them were from Nanyang, one in Yin County south of Ju Shui, and the other lived near Wancheng on the east side of Ju Shui.

When people in Nanyang drink chrysanthemum wine, they first recommend the chrysanthemums from the source of chrysanthemum water.

The two chatted about the drying up of the Chrysanthemum River and sipped the fine wine brought from Xudu.

None of them dared to drink excessively. Precisely because they were Cao Cao's early friends, they really didn't dare to gamble now.

In order to establish his authority, Cao Cao dared to do anything.

Before the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao took a nap one day and repeatedly ordered his two concubines to wake him up on time.

As a result, he fell into a deep sleep and his concubines did not have the heart to disturb him, so after Cao Cao woke up, he immediately killed his two favorite concubines.

Drinking in the military can be a big or small matter.

When they are about to catch you, taking a sip is a capital crime.

So after Xu You drank a cup of chrysanthemum wine, he saw Lou Gui had turned the empty wine glass upside down and picked up the wine jar with both hands: "Ziyuan, come and wash your hands."

Xu You was very reluctant, but he still stood up and followed Lou Gui to the side, washing his hands with wine: "Why is this?"

"There are rumors in Nanyang that after the Battle of Bowangpo, the black bandits took in more than 500 seriously injured soldiers from Liu Xuande and Xiahou Yuanrang. When they were treating the wounds, they used wine to clean the wounds, and then adopted them in Nanxiang County. More than 400 people recovered!"

As Lou Gui spoke, Xu You nodded slowly, washed his hands and began to wash his face.

It’s true, washing his face with chrysanthemum wine gave him a very strange feeling, as if it had awakened his dormant facial skin, giving him a refreshing feeling that took him back to his youth.

"It's really amazing."

Xu You took out a towel to wipe his cheeks and hands, and took the wine jar from Lou Gui: "It's time for Zi Bo... This wine has the effect of warding off evil spirits, killing viruses and removing insects. It should be very effective to use it to clean wounds."

He is now alone, with all his family, students, former officials and followers gone.

Sometimes he even had the thought of abandoning this only official position and going into the mountains to seek the truth.

Now, after hearing the legend of the drying up of the chrysanthemum water and the strange high percentage of seriously injured soldiers recovering, I feel itchy again.

However, this thought only lingered in his mind, and he did not dare to reveal even a single detail to Lou Gui.

Lou Gui also washed his hands and face, and even cleaned his ears. He wiped off all traces of alcohol before he breathed a sigh of relief.

Even if Cao Cao wanted to turn against them, they could just wash their faces and hands with wine and bypass the order to kill them.

The two men left the wine jar and returned to the table.

Xu You tied up his sleeves tightly, knelt upright, and put his hands on the zither to pluck the strings.

Lou Gui prepared tea for the two of them. In the past six months, drinking tea has quietly become popular in Xudu, and the price of tea in Jingzhou has increased.

Unfortunately, Lou Gui's net worth has inexplicably increased nearly three times in the past six months.

He knew very well why the powerful people in Xudu suddenly became keen on drinking tea, and he also knew that the small teahouse in his hometown had suddenly become a huge money-making place.

Fortunately, the tea shop was located in Nanxiang, and the county magistrate Yi Ji was a kind person. If Yi Ji had not taken action, who could have snatched Lou Gui's ancestral tea shop?
After brewing the tea, Lou Gui took out a stack of letter paper and handed it to Xu You: "Ziyuan, are you interested in Cai Bojie's suicide note?"

Xu You read the letter, which was sent by Lou Guang, Lou Gui's cousin.

Xu You frowned: "Meng De and Cai Bojie are close friends regardless of age difference. What does Zi Bo mean?"

"I want to sell my property, buy more fine silk, and go to Chang'an to copy Cai Boqi's collection of books."

Lou Gui squinted at the lonely wine jar a dozen steps away: "If you don't return to your hometown when you are rich and powerful, it's like walking in the night in brocade clothes."

The proportion of wealth he holds has changed dramatically. The estate in Yingchuan is no longer as valuable as the ancestral tea house in his hometown.

If Yi Ji, the prefect of Nanxiang County, does not take action this year, there is no guarantee that this person will not take action next year.

The tea shop's profits skyrocketed, and even after Lou Gui returned to his hometown and did nothing, the business grew rapidly.

Xu You raised his hand and pinched his beard, narrowing his eyes and pondering: "If Meng De is convinced, you and I can still get away. If it is just Cai Bojie's suicide note, I am afraid it will be difficult to satisfy Meng De."

After thinking for a while, Xu You looked at Lou Gui and asked, "Zi Bo, do you dare to be a spy?"

Seeing Lou Gui's smile faded, Xu You remained calm and said, "I am alone and I want to be a spy, but Meng De will not believe me. If Zi Bo believes me, Zi Bo will go first, and then you and I can work together and I can easily get out of the cage with my nephews."

"Otherwise, after Black Tiger Fang gathers his strength, who in Kanto can stop him?"

(End of this chapter)