Chapter 33 Breaking Out
At dawn, the atmosphere in Cao's camp was depressing.

Inside the big tent, Cao Hong and Cao Ren sat together, with Cao Hong lowering his head.

Liu Xun, the governor of Henei, who came to plead guilty, knelt in the middle. Cao Cao supported him with both hands and consoled him, saying, "The enemy is a monster. General, you were caught by surprise. It is normal for you to make some mistakes occasionally. Don't worry about it."

Liu Xun and Cao Hong were both powerful military officials. The title did not only refer to their domineering behavior, but was also a recognition of their status.

There are wrong names, but there are definitely no wrong nicknames.

When Liu Xun was at his strongest, he had only 20,000 to 30,000 followers. When he was forced to flee to the north, he still had more than 2,000 followers.

Excluding Zang Ba's group, Liu Xun was the second most powerful armed leader after Zhang Xiu.

Although Zhang Xiu's army was large in scale, the core members were becoming fewer and fewer, and the people from Nanyang were also leaving the periphery.

In terms of cohesion, Liu Xun's troops are currently the best among non-combatants, followed by Li Dian's troops.

After pacifying Liu Xun, Cao Cao motioned Liu Xun to take a seat, then he picked up a piece of silk book on the table and shook it, glancing at Cao Hong: "This was written by Yuan Huan when he passed by Gao's manor. It shows that the fleet sent by Sun Quan and Xu Kun is deeply involved with the White Goose Bandits."

The silk book was written by Yuan Huan when he was at Gao's manor. At that time, Black Bear was offering sacrifices to Gao Shun's tomb.

After they left, the Gao family delivered the silk book to the Chenliu County Magistrate's Mansion according to Yuan Huan's instructions, and it was handed over to the army from the County Magistrate's Mansion this morning.

Cao Hong was even more ashamed, as he was just doing some business with Jiangdong.

The silk book finally reached Cao Hong, who read it patiently, and his brows lifted when he saw its contents.

Yuan Huan speculated that the White Goose Bandits' rebellion was caused by Lu Bu's former subordinates taking the opportunity to incite the civilians of Liangpei and hijack the Jiangdong fleet; it was also possible that Sun Quan's cousin Sun Qian, who was on the ship, was dissatisfied and instigated the riot halfway.

If the Suiyang Canal is dug, the probability of unrest between Liang and Pei will naturally increase.

Whether it was the conscription of corvée labor or the relocation of military settlements, civilian settlements, and scholar households after the Suiyang Canal was completed, it would cause civil unrest.

People who are dissatisfied may take risks and cause chaos.

However, no one expected that the White Goose Bandits were so good at running. They broke out between Liang and Pei, and actually went along the Wei River into the Huai and Si rivers, and then went upstream along the Ying River and Langdang Canal, surrounding the Central Plains water system within a few months.

With this kind of efficient sailing ability, it can only be said that the main force of the so-called White Goose Bandits must be mainly people from Jiangdong!
Even if the remnants of Lu Bu were involved, they were not decision-makers.

After Cao Hong finished reading, he breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Brother, do you mean that Sun Qian is dissatisfied with Sun Quan and is causing the rebellion, and intends to alienate the court and Jiangdong?"

"What can this kid do to cause discord?"

Cao Cao said calmly, "The one I am worried about is Benchu. No matter if it is Sun Qian or anyone else, this white goose thief has some unusual skills. If he joins forces with Benchu, it will be a long-term problem."

Cao Ren glanced at the silk book and said, "Yuan Benchu ​​has been ill for a long time. So far, the Hebei troops have not made any moves. Brother, you should take action as soon as possible."

The Suiyang Canal is about to be completed, and the water inlets and sluices of the old river channel have been inspected. There is no hidden danger of flooding after the channel is completed.

With the Suiyang Canal, the loss of manpower and material resources in the mobilization between Liang and Pei was lower, which was conducive to a protracted war with Hebei.

During the Battle of Guandu the year before last, the main forces of both sides were deadlocked at Guandu, but the fighting on the flanks and in the rear was also very intense.

The reason why Yuan and Cao were short of food was not because there was no food in the warehouses in the rear, but because it was difficult to transport food to the front line, and also because the attitude and stance of the people in charge of the warehouses were problematic.

Now we are counterattacking Hebei. The southeast is friendly with Sun Quan, and Henan Yin Xiahou Dun is also preparing his troops and is ready to rush to the Wankou area at any time, which can prevent invasions from Liu Biao and Liu Bei.

Zang Ba and Li Dian on the eastern front have also performed very well in the past two years. Yuan Tan could not withstand the joint attack of Zang Ba, Li Dian and Lu Qian. Zang Ba invaded Jinan and Le'an last year and almost destroyed the Yuan family's foundation south of the Yellow River.

But Zang Ba was unable to rally the people in the core area of ​​Qingzhou, so now all parties are fighting repeatedly, the Yellow Turban Army in Qingzhou has risen again, and with the addition of various separatist heroes, the situation is very chaotic.

Such an eastern battlefield is beneficial to the Xudu court.

The rear and eastern battlefields are stable, so we only need to consider the central front battlefield. As for the western battlefield in Guanzhong managed by Zhong Yao, it is not critical and is in a stalemate with Bingzhou Mu Gao Gan.

Zhong Yao and Gao Gan are restraining each other, which is good news for the central battlefield.

In all aspects, the time is ripe for counterattack in Hebei.

However, news of Yuan Shao's serious illness continued to arrive, so Cao Cao chose to wait and see, wanting to wait for a better opportunity.

Seeing that Cao Cao was unmoved, Cao Ren, who was known for his bravery and offensive prowess, continued to express his own views: "As my brother said, this White Goose Bandit has quite a lot of magical skills. If we let him go, once he cures Yuan Benchu's stubborn illness with magical skills, the people of Hebei will be excited, and it will be difficult for our army to have such a good opportunity again."

Cao Cao just nodded slowly and did not directly agree to the attack. The inherent pride of the Hebei people would not easily give in.

Even after the defeats at Guandu and Cangting, the people of Hebei would still follow Yuan Shao in rebelling against the Xu Du court.

When 80,000 surrendered people were killed, the people of Hebei resented Yuan Shao's incompetence and Xu You's immorality, but they actually hated the Xudu court the most.

What's more, there is the system of alternating labor service. Under Yuan Shao's propaganda, the system of alternating labor service has been demonized in the eyes of the scholars and people of Hebei, and they will naturally cooperate with Yuan to resist the court.

As long as Yuan Shao is alive, Hebei will be a collective; if he dies, it will be divided and morale will decline to the extreme.

The system of alternate labor service has been firmly tied to the Xudu court. Without the system of alternate labor service, the Xudu court would disappear in an instant.

After the defeat at Wancheng that year, Cao Cao conducted a deep self-reflection, thinking that he was too naive and trusted others too much.

From then on, he vowed not to repeat the same mistake again. Whenever he accepted the surrender of an army, he would immediately implement the staggered service system. Naturally, things like the surrendered army launching a surprise attack on the main camp would not happen.

With Zhang Xiu as an example, who would dare to refuse the system of mixed labor among those who surrender in the future?
At this moment, the ditch of one of the two tributaries upstream of the Langdang Canal.

The strong cavalry under the command of General Zhang Xiu, who defeated the Qiang, galloped on horseback on both sides of the river, and from time to time they approached the river bank and shot arrows at the boats in the canal.

Unfortunately, their arrows were unable to effectively damage the sails, and all attacks were in vain.

Zhang Xiu stationed his horse on the east bank of Yingou and watched the fleet sail into the Yellow River.

At this moment, Zhang Xiu's eyes were emotionless, neither sad nor happy, nor was there any anger after failing to intercept.

As a man of talent and wisdom, he has been drifting with the tide until now, and has done too many things that should and should not offend others. On the Yellow River, after escaping from the harassment of cavalry shooting, the sailors adjusted the sails and the speed of the boat increased again.

The soldiers came out of the cabin and began to pick up and pull out the arrows nailed to the wooden boards.

Black Bear also returned to the compartment in the cabin to rest. Lu Bu, a Taoist soldier in a white robe, sat cross-legged at the door of the compartment with his sword across his legs.

The black bear felt much safer in the compartment and continued to sleep against the corner of the wall.

The white magic power injected into his body was still effective. He closed his eyes and fell asleep, falling into a dream in an instant.

It was another dream in which the skyscrapers looked like a jungle. He was sitting on the garden steps of the pedestrian street. Planes began to fall from the sky and people around him hurriedly fled into the underground street.

The black bear didn't open his eyes until the second plane fell nearby and the explosive gas wave engulfed him.

It’s hard to say that his sleep quality was good. This bizarre and slightly scary dream made him feel even more tired.

It was only his spirit that was tired. With the nourishment of his body's vitality, he just relaxed a little and his condition improved.

Back on the deck, Xuan Liang came to report: "Sir, there is a man on the black-sailed boat, claiming to be Liu Ye of Huainan, styled Ziyang. He was shot by an arrow and has been dragged to Zhang Ding's boat. If you want to treat him, you should go ashore."

The north bank of this place is Henei County in Sili. Ever since the Henei County Magistrate Zhang Yang went against the wishes of his people and insisted on sending troops to rescue Lu Bu and was killed by his people, Henei has fallen into turmoil.

Liu Xun, the prefect of Henei County, was only a nominal prefect. Now Henei was divided into two, and including the neutral ones, neither Yuan nor Cao had the advantage.

The natural barrier of the Yellow River and the turmoil in Hanoi indicated that the Yuan family was beginning to decline.

"Then we'll go ashore. How many days can we last?"

"I bought fifteen shi of rice in Fulecai, which will last me four days."

Xuanliang pointed to the outline of a distant city on the southeast bank downstream and said, "Sir, that is Yanjin City. Perhaps we can get rice and wheat there."

There are mostly ruins of cities and villages on both sides of the river. Looking around, the fields are all deserted. The occasional human settlements are beacon fire warning posts set up near the river bank.

"We will stop at the north bank for supplies first and bring Yuan Huan here. I want to ask who the commander of Yanjin is."

"Yes."

Xuan Liang agreed and first commanded the fleet to sail close to the north bank to find a suitable section of the river for anchorage, and also sent people to bring Yuan Huan up.

Yuan Huan, who had not been exposed to the sun for a long time, raised his hands to cover his eyes as soon as he came out of the cabin. After adjusting for a moment, he looked around and observed the distance and nearness, and naturally recognized the scenery on both sides of the Yellow River.

He rubbed his eyes again, and after washing his face and hands with the river water brought up by the sailors, he said, "The defense of Yanjin and its surrounding areas should be the responsibility of Cheng Yu, the governor of Jiyin."

Xuan Liang was puzzled: "Why is the governor of Jiyin County guarding Dongjun?"

Yuan Huan glanced at Xuan Liang and said to Black Bear, "Cheng Yu and Cheng Zhongde are from Dong'e, Dongjun. To avoid the Three Mutual Laws of the court, they were appointed as the governor of Jiyin County and served as the governor of Yanzhou. I heard that he has recruited refugees and registered the people in recent years, and has obtained more than 3,000 soldiers."

"So, you don't know the commander of Yanjin, and Cheng Yu is just the commander of Yanjin's superior?"

"No, Yuan means that Yanjin is close to Dong'e. If General Qu can reach this place, it will surely anger Cao Gong. The garrisons of the cities along the river are on high alert. Yanjin is a strong city, and Cheng Yu is nearby to help, so it is difficult for General Qu to obtain food and fodder from Yanjin."

Yuan Huan raised his hand and pointed to the east, which was also far away on the north bank. "The general is short of food. You can go straight to Liyang. The commander of Liyang is Yuan Tan, the governor of Qingzhou. I have a good relationship with him. You can ask for 100 dan of rice and millet."

"What do you want from helping me like this?"

"I helped the general to get rice and millet, and introduced myself to Yuan Tan. Yuan Tan knew my difficulties and would let me cross the river."

Yuan Huan said seriously: "Even Yuan Benchu ​​doesn't like the hijacking method used by Commander Qu."

"I can go to Liyang and get rice and millet from Hebei without bothering Mr. Yuan."

Black Bear re-examined Yuan Huan, somewhat puzzled: "Mr. Yuan should also know that my methods are different from ordinary ones, so why do you insist on joining Cao Cao's army?"

"I am not under the command of Lord Cao. The Central Plains is the orthodox court. This old man is going to serve the Han Dynasty."

Yuan Huan explained: "In order to preserve the Han Dynasty, Cao Gong inevitably acts harshly. This is the truth of using strong medicine for a serious illness. When peace is restored in all directions, he will naturally adopt lenient policies and love the people."

"Haha, don't talk about whether the people of Hebei believe it or not. As far as I know, the people of Central Plains don't really believe Mr. Yuan's statement. Instead of waiting for Cao Cao to love the people, it's better to hope that the sea will dry up and the rocks will crumble."

Black Bear sneered and glanced sideways at the hatch. The soldier next to him understood and stepped forward to urge him. Yuan Huan could only lower his head and get into the hatch.

Soon, the fleet approached the north shore, sank the anchor, and anchored.

Black Bear grabbed the mast rope and jumped to Zhang Ding's boat, where he saw Liu Ye lying on the deck with his clothes stripped off and an arrow shot in the chest.

Twenty-three-year-old Liu Ye has started growing a beard because of the death of his parents, but due to his young age, his beard is sparse and short, and he looks a little sloppy after being rescued from the water.

It was just a simple arrow shot, the wound was not deep and did not have time to become inflamed. Liu Ye was in good spirits, and he squinted his eyes to look at the black bears and others who were jumping over.

Xu Lin first checked Liu Ye's arrow wound, then turned his head to Black Bear and said, "Sir, this gentleman is lucky. His sternum blocked the arrowhead."

"If I'm lucky, I won't be hit by this arrow."

Liu Ye tilted his head slightly and squinted at Black Bear: "Who are you, sir? How dare you be so bold?"

"I said I am a great master of the Mohist school, do you believe me?"

Black Bear looked at Xu Lin with a smile and said, "Go and wash the fine cloth, and then treat Mr. Liu's arrow wound."

Xu Lin responded by going into the cabin to get the brazier, hanging pot, fine linen, and gold medicine. Black Bear asked Liu Ye: "I have no personal grudge against you. I am saving you now. Are you willing to work for me?"

"If you don't want to, what should you do?"

"I'll stab you and throw you into the river to feed the fish."

(End of this chapter)