Chapter 523 Cao Bao, it's too late for me to apologize to Chen Yuanlong now? (Four thousand)

Guangling County.

Yuan Shu gave the order to attack the city with great enthusiasm and rose into the sky with the sound of war drums.

An army of fifty to sixty thousand launched a violent offensive against Guangling. Rows of catapults roared and threw out stone bombs. The ferocious power seemed to cover the sky and the sun.

Under the cover of stone bullets, the soldiers piled up ladders and carried battering rams and bravely moved forward.

Just looking at the current situation, it is extremely beneficial for them.

It was so good that Yuan Shu didn't even mind the worry on Yang Hong's face. It was so good that Yuan Shu forgave Yang Hong's previous defiance. It was so good that he raised his head and laughed, "Chen Deng, you are nothing more than that! You will definitely not be able to defend Guangling City this time! Clean up the world and put down the chaos, starting today!"

The generals sent their congratulations one after another, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, congratulations, Your Majesty."

The surroundings were instantly enveloped in a joyful and harmonious atmosphere. Yuan Shu and his generals were full of confidence in capturing Guangling. Many people even imagined what kind of official position they would be awarded after this battle.

The next moment, the news brought by the panicked messenger really poured a bucket of cold water on everyone.

"Reporting to your majesty, General Zhang Xun, the general who conquered the north, was beheaded by Zhang Wenyuan in the midst of thousands of troops. Our army lost all its elite troops in the battle against Chen State, and Liu Bei led his army directly to Shouchun."

"!"

The smiles on the faces of the generals froze completely. They were first in disbelief. The previous battle report clearly stated that Zhang Xun and Liu Bei were evenly matched. How could he be defeated in the blink of an eye? Even lost his life?

Could it be that Zhang Xun deceived them?

Afterwards, the faces of the generals became colorful, turning blue and purple at once, as ugly as possible, and some of them even began to tremble.

Liu Bei's troops are heading straight for Shouchun. Shouchun is in danger!

Shouchun behind them was surrounded, and they were afraid that even the supply of food and grass would be cut off.

Even though Yang Hong had made prior preparations, providing food for tens of thousands of people and horses was not a small number.

Yuan Shu's face turned pale, and his previous confidence and pride collapsed at this moment, as if what just happened was just an illusion.

He looked at Yang Hong, lowered his head, and asked for advice humbly, "Prime Minister, Shouchun is in danger right now. Please teach me."

"Alas." Yang Hong sighed. He had a vague feeling that something was wrong and thought that Zhang Xun could last for some time. He never expected that Zhang Xun would be defeated so quickly, so quickly that he was caught off guard. "Your Majesty, a man should not use his fists to untie tangled threads. To persuade people to rescue, there is no need to participate in the fight. Avoid the fierce places and go straight to the empty places to curb the situation. This is the purpose of Liu Xuande's troops to Shouchun."

At this time, a general who thought he was smart said: "Prime Minister, if that's the case, we can't fall into the trap. We should attack the city with all our strength."

"Shut up!" Even Yuan Shu couldn't bear to listen any longer and immediately scolded the general to shut up.

Faced with Yuan Shu's imperial power, the general was frightened, smiled awkwardly, and decisively shut his mouth.

Yuan Shu's mood fell to the bottom at this moment. He understood what Yang Hong meant. There was no plan at the moment.

It can be seen from the battle of Chen State that no matter how many people there are, it will not be advantageous to deal with Liu Bei.

If they were not elite soldiers, they would not even have a chance to fight against Liu Bei's army.

Yuan Shu smiled bitterly and said, "Prime Minister, is the only option now to return to Huainan?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, if Huainan is lost, all your previous efforts will probably be turned to ashes." Yang Hong's face was full of worry.

The generals also fell into collective silence. Most of the people present had their heads. Yang Hong's words were not shocking. To be more precise, Yang Hong's words were too light.

If Shouchun were captured, Huainan would be completely lost.

If you don’t even have your own territory, what’s the point of having an official position or title?
Wouldn't that mean you've become a robber or a thief?

Therefore, even if there was hope for the siege, Yuan Shu had no choice but to give up. He issued an order to the three armies, "All generals, listen to my order, stop the siege, rush to Shouchun at night, and make sure to intercept Liu Xuande's army!"

As Yuan Shu issued the order, the army of 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers immediately stopped fighting.

This made the guards of Guangling County look at each other in confusion, and they all saw a hint of confusion on each other's faces.

Why did they stop fighting?

郯县
Xuzhou Governor Tao Qian had a look of deep worry between his brows, his wrinkled face was full of fatigue, and there was a dark halo around his eyes.

He muttered to himself, "The thief Yuan led 50,000 to 60,000 people to attack Guangling. Now it has been several days. But there is no news. If Guangling City is broken, what should we do?"

"Sir, don't worry. Chen Deng and Chen Yuanlong are extraordinary people and will be able to protect the country and the people." Wang Lang, an official of the Ministry of Personnel, saw the worry in Tao Qian's heart and comforted him.

Cao Bao's face was full of contempt. "Chen Yuanlong? Just because Chen Yuanlong was able to repel the Yuan thieves before, it doesn't mean he can repel them now. The envoy was kind enough to order me to lead the Danyang soldiers to help, but this guy flatly refused. If it weren't for the envoy's face, I would definitely make Chen Yuanlong pay!"

"." Wang Lang glanced at Cao Bao inconspicuously, and suddenly felt amused. He was still considering the face of the envoy. Could it be that he was afraid of the general behind Chen Yuanlong? ! Besides, how could he say such a thing in front of his superior? If the envoy was not kind, Cao Bao would have been punished long ago!

As for rushing to help Guangling, it is even more ridiculous!
Everyone knows that the country is prosperous under Chen Deng's rule. Is this an attempt to provide assistance?
It's obvious that he wants to take advantage of the opportunity to gain some benefits!
"Sima Cao, please be careful with your words. I trust the Magistrate Chen." Tao Qian said this in a light tone, seeming to lack confidence.

Of course, it is true that he has no confidence. Yuan Shu is coming with great force this time, and Tao Qian is pessimistic about it.

Besides, he didn't want to be too harsh on Cao Bao.

Cao Bao was originally his old subordinate and had followed him for many years, having experienced countless battles of all sizes.

It was just a slip of the tongue, how can you bear to blame me?
In recent days, he often felt exhausted, and Xuzhou would have to rely more on Cao Bao in the future.

He didn't want to see the conflict between Cao Bao and Chen Deng.

Besides, Cao Bao was just a Sima, and he felt ashamed of Cao Bao.

If Wang Lang knew what Tao Qian was thinking, he would definitely shake his head and sigh, saying that Tao Qian was confused. Although Cao Bao was a Sima, he managed the most elite troops in Xuzhou. In Xuzhou, Cao Bao was not like a general, but he was better than a general!
"After all, Chen Yuanlong's background is too deep, and his methods are particularly cruel."

Tao Qian, lost in thought, couldn't help but think.

He caught his fellow villager Zuo Rong off guard and tied him up.

Chen Deng later told Tao Qian the reason why Zuo Rong was arrested. After listening to Chen Deng's statement, Tao Qian also felt that Zuo Rong had gone too far, but out of friendship as a fellow villager, he wanted to plead with Chen Deng.

Unexpectedly, Chen Deng refused outright and said that the evidence had already been sent to Liu Bei.

What Tao Qian did not expect was that Chen Deng actually took great pains to explain to him the harm that Zuo Rong's evil deeds had caused to the people of Xuzhou.

At the same time, the evidence was placed in front of Tao Qian, who immediately clenched his fists when looking at the shocking evidence. He never thought that Zuo Rong had harmed so many people. If he were a few years younger, he would have wanted to pick up a spear and give Zuo Rong a chill!
Even when recalling it now, Tao Qian felt a little angry.

When Tao Qian looked at Cao Bao and Wang Lang, he was relieved. Cao Sima was extremely brave and Wang Zhizhong was loyal and reliable, and they would surely make Xuzhou prosperous. However, Cao Bao, who was called brave by Tao Qian, was very unhappy. No matter what he did, he felt uncomfortable, as if there were sharp needles under his buttocks.

Cao Bao simply stood up and walked towards the door.

Wang Lang called out to Cao Bao in time, "Sima Cao, what are you doing?"

"What? I'm going to count the soldiers so that we can make plans to rush to help Chen Yuanlong!"

The moment Cao Bao finished speaking, a panting messenger appeared in front of the door.

All the officials in the hall were stunned. Tao Qian asked, "What's the matter?"

The messenger panted and said, "Reporting to the envoy, this is about... It's about the thief Yuan."

"Yuan thief!"

Cao Bao, who was originally a little unhappy, heard the word "Yuan thief", and his gloomy face immediately broke into a bright smile.

However, perhaps out of consideration for other people's gazes, Cao Bao suppressed his smile, but his urging tone was inevitably filled with excitement, "It's about the Yuan thief, what exactly is it? Is it Chen Yuanlong, the Lord of Chen Mansion, asking for help? Or is it General Wei who is asking for help?!"

"No, no, no," the messenger shook his head repeatedly, "Yes, General Wei led an army of 10,000 to defeat Zhang Xun's 100,000 troops. Now General Wei's troops have marched to Shouchun, and the Yuan thieves have withdrawn their troops to support Huainan. The danger in Guangling has been resolved."

"what?"

Cao Bao was stunned and couldn't come back to his senses for a long time.

He thought it was Chen Deng asking for help, but he never expected Liu Bei to be so brave.

Not only did he defeat a hundred thousand with only ten thousand, but he also went straight to Huanglong.

Originally, Yuan Shu's army was approaching the border, but in the blink of an eye it turned into the Battle of Shouchun.

If he had known that Liu Bei was so powerful, why would he have targeted Chen Yuanlong!
anyway
Still...can we reconcile?
And slow!

Could this have been arranged by Chen Yuanlong?
Cao Bao swallowed.

The silent officials in the hall also started to move, praising the

"General Wei is truly brave!"

"Hey, I had already predicted that General Wei would be able to defeat the bandits in one fell swoop!"

Some officials even suggested to Tao Qian: "I think it would be better for you to send a letter to General Wei, and when the rebellion is quelled, please ask General Wei to move to Xuzhou so that we can express our gratitude to him!"

Looking at these people's completely different faces, Wang Lang's face twitched and he cursed in a low voice: "What a bunch of flatterers!"

Outside Shouchun City.

Liu Bei held a telescope and observed the movements in Shouchun City. He led his army from Chen State and captured cities and strongholds along the way.

No matter how inexperienced the soldiers of the State of Chen were, they were rapidly transforming under the influence of his own troops and the various factors that gradually led to their participation in the war.

Liu Bei, who couldn't figure out what was going on, put down his binoculars and couldn't help but look at the Chen soldiers led by Qiao Rui and Liu Chong. From afar, he saw that they were standing tall and obeying orders.

He nodded. It was true that the army had already become a strong one.

In fact, what Liu Bei failed to realize was that the army of the Han Dynasty today was skilled in the use of bows and crossbows, and was equipped with swords, spears, swords and halberds. They were also physically strong and disciplined. They were undoubtedly elite troops.

However, all the soldiers he came into contact with were from Chen Dao.

When it comes to talent in training troops, Chen Dao is one of the best in the world, and he has the reference of later theories and the full support of the emperor.

It is far ahead of the entire era.

"General Wei!"

The voices of Zhang Liao and Xu Huang drew Liu Bei's attention.

"It's Wenyuan and Gongming, huh? Who is this?"

Liu Bei found that Zhang Liao was actually supporting a hunchbacked old man with gray hair. Although the old man was wearing an outer coat, he was still able to see a corner of the brown coat exposed under the collar. In addition, the strange smell coming from the old man, the cramped look with his head down, and the dark skin from the sun and wind all showed that the old man was born in poverty.

Xu Huang explained, "General Wei, we were patrolling around and found this old man. He said he wanted to see you and told you something important."

"Good." Liu Bei nodded.

As a minor official, Zhang Liao naturally knew how to get along with the old man. His tone was extremely gentle, so gentle that even Xu Huang was surprised. He did not sound like a fierce general who could behead a thousand soldiers. "Old man, this gentleman is the highest official among us."

"General Weiwei." The old man shuddered and raised his head timidly, revealing his wrinkled old face.

Liu Bei knew that the old man was afraid and nervous about his identity. He looked at the old man's hands and smiled gently, "Father, if I'm not mistaken, you are a good farmer, right?"

"Ah?" The old man was slightly stunned, obviously not knowing why the nobleman in front of him suddenly talked about farming. But what Liu Bei said was not wrong, and after a slight pause, the old man immediately nodded.

Then Liu Bei opened up and talked about farming. The most important thing was that the old man found that he understood every word. Thinking carefully, eh?! Isn't this what I do every day?
"General Wei, are you also a farmer?" After saying this, the old man realized that he had spoken out of turn. How could the farming of a nobleman be the same as theirs?
Liu Bei laughed and said, "No, I am a weaver of straw sandals and mats."

"Ah? Weaving straw sandals and mats." The old man blinked. For some reason, he felt that the general in front of him was completely different from the generals he had met before. However, what the old man himself did not notice was that his mouth was no longer trembling and the fear had gradually subsided.

"Although I don't know why you want to see me, it's windy outside, please follow me into the house." Liu Bei was speaking when he naturally took the old man's hand, "Please, old man."

The old man was a little confused. In his decades of life, he had never seen such a kind general.

"General. How can I..." The old man opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. He just felt some indescribable emotions in his heart, and finally nodded.

Liu Bei invited the old man into the tent. With the tent shielding him, the coldness on his body immediately dissipated and his whole body felt warm.

When facing Liu Bei, the old man no longer felt nervous or afraid as before. Liu Bei made him feel like an old friend he hadn't seen for many years.

The old man had no more worries and told everyone everything about his trip.

He cried and said, "General, my only son has been dragged by the rebellious Lord Yuan to be a soldier guarding the city. I hope you can help me!"

"Huh? What? Guards?!"

(End of this chapter)