The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 411: Filial and upright, a capable person!

Jia Xu suddenly laughed.

"No wonder the lord is afraid of Cao Cao. Now it seems that his strategy is very powerful. Even I was fooled. It was unexpected!"

Cai Mao, Kuai Liang and others also nodded, lamenting Cao Cao's treachery.

"Military advisor, Cao Cao is now heading south and heading towards Dangyang. It is obvious that he wants to attack from the front and back with Guan Yu and capture Dangyang together. Wenchang and Zhongda may not be their opponents!" Cai Mao was a little worried.

"Wen Chang likes to win by surprise, but Zhongda is a steady man. Cao Cao and Zhuge Liang are very wise, but as long as they defend Dangyang, Cao Cao may not be able to defeat Dangyang." Jia Xu comforted him, "General Gao Shun can lead the Tiger Guards to the south. I believe that after Cao Cao knows that you are leading the army to the south, he will not dare to attack Dangyang, and may even give up the decision to meet Liu Bei in Dangyang."

"The last general takes orders."

Gao Shun did not dare to delay and quickly retreated, leading his troops in pursuit.

"From Xiangyang, you can go south to Bin County, Yi County, and Bian County, and then cross the Jin River to reach Dangyang. But there are not many troops stationed along the way from Xiangyang to Dangyang. With Cao Cao's ability, it is still easy to conquer these counties." Cai Mao was still a little angry.

"With Gao Shun leading the army southward and the Tiger Guards following in pursuit, it will not be easy for Cao Cao to reach Dangyang. According to my speculation about Cao Cao, he will eventually return to Jiangxia."

Jia Xu guessed while looking at the map in front of him.

Going to Dangyang and meeting Guan Yu is certainly one way, but Jia Xu believes that Cao Cao will not take this path. He believes that what he can guess, others may not be able to guess.

Only by taking the enemy by surprise can you escape.

In fact, it was just as Jia Xu had guessed. When Cao Cao arrived at Bin County, he found the city gates closed. He knew that the Cavalry Army was ready, so he immediately ordered his troops to continue moving south. Near Yi County, he headed southeast without hesitation, abandoned Dangyang, and prepared to return to Jiangxia.

During the march, Cao Cao learned that the Huben Camp led by Gao Shun was pursuing them, and he immediately sighed.

"It is just as I guessed. If I went to Dangyang, I would probably die in Dangyang." On the Han River, Cao Cao, who had escaped, felt very fortunate.

"I'm afraid Jia Xu would never have thought that the lord would give up Dangyang." Cheng Yu said with a smile.

Cao Cao was very happy to hear this. He looked towards Xiangyang and sighed, "This defeat is all my fault. Xiahou Yuan, Li Dian, Cao Pi, and Cao Anmin all died in Xiangyang because of me."

Cao Cao felt very aggrieved. Since he started his army, he had never suffered such a defeat. He lost a large number of troops and it would be very difficult to recover. He didn't know whether Qin Shou would give him enough time.

"Let's go!"

When Cao Cao thought of this, he urged the army to hurry on, but the worry in his heart never diminished in the slightest.

The army itself was already a little weaker, and now it had lost more than 10,000 soldiers, including so many generals, such as Xiahou Yuan, Li Dian, etc., who were all capable generals, but they all died in Xiangyang, making its own strength even weaker.

Cao Cao didn't dare to imagine how he would deal with the current situation once the enemy attacked, because he found that his troops were not enough to support the subsequent war, and Jiangdong seemed to be in danger.

Hanzhong, under the city of Guangyuan.

"How did he know I was in Guangyuan?"

In the Cavalry Army camp, Qin Shou asked in surprise.

"My lord, Zhang Song is a wise man and may be able to guess your whereabouts." Xun You was also surprised.

Qin Shou nodded, stroked his short beard and began to think.

Zhang Song is a famous person in history. The most famous thing is his erudition and strong memory. Then there is the story of Zhang Song presenting a map. He originally wanted to present the map of Shuzhong to Cao Cao, but Cao Cao was arrogant and rude to him, while Liu Bei treated him with great courtesy, so he presented the map to Liu Bei.

Not only that, after returning to Shu, he also made connections to prepare to escort Liu Bei into Sichuan, but he was discovered by Liu Zhang, who killed Zhang Song's entire family without hesitation. Zhang Song was a meritorious official to Liu Bei, but a traitor to Liu Zhang.

"Prepare the drums, music, and ceremonial guards. I will personally go out to welcome you."

Qin Shou patted his thigh and said, "Since they were able to guess that I was in Guangyuan, it's worth it for me to go out and meet them in person."

"Okay. I'll prepare it right away." Xun You hurried down to prepare without saying anything.

Outside the camp, Zhang Song was walking back and forth on the grass, but his expression was calm and there was no expression on his ugly face. The followers behind him were also very cautious.

At this moment, drums sounded throughout the camp, and countless soldiers came one after another. They marched in neat steps, holding spears in their hands, and slowly came, then lined up on both sides of the gate.

A general came riding at full speed, and when he saw Zhang Song, he immediately jumped off his horse.

"Wei Yan, the General of the Western Expedition of the Han Dynasty, is ordered by the Prime Minister to invite you to enter the camp." Wei Yan saluted and said, "Sir, please."

Zhang Song followed Wei Yan into the camp before he could recover from the shock of the situation.

The two men had only walked forward ten steps when they heard the sound of drums and music. In the distance, a group of people were slowly approaching. The person leading them was dressed in gorgeous clothes. He had a graceful demeanor and walked slowly with a smile on his face. Behind him, there was a guard of honor following him.

It was the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, Duke of Tang, Qin Shou, who came to welcome him in person.

Zhang Song saw this and showed surprise on his ugly face. He hurried forward to salute, but saw Qin Shou take two steps at a time, grab the other's right hand and said:
"Zi Qiao, I have been waiting for you for a long time!"

"Zhang Song is a useless man, how dare I trouble the Prime Minister to come and welcome him in person."

Zhang Song bowed quickly.

From his expression, it can be seen that Zhang Song was deeply moved at this moment.

Qin Shou was so powerful that he already had the potential to unify the world. Yet, such a great man actually came to meet him in person. He thought of the time when Qin Shou sent people thousands of miles away to meet talented people.

Now it seems that the prime minister before him still respects himself and the scholars in Shu.

"If Ziqiao is useless, then there will be no one left in the Central Plains! Sometimes I envy Liu Zhang, who has so many talented people under his command. Ziqiao, Fa Xiaozhi and others are all wise men, Zhang Ren, Yan Yan and others are all great generals, and the soldiers in Sichuan are all brave. The economy is prosperous, and there is enough food and grass. It can be said that the soldiers are well-trained and well-fed. What a pity!"

Qin Shou shook his head.

After hearing this, Zhang Song didn't know what to say and could only remain silent. He also thought that Bashu was a good place. However, even in such a place, Liu Zhang could not quell the rebellions in Dongchuan and Xichuan, nor could he defeat Zhang Lu and the barbarians in the south. He was truly an incompetent person.

"Zi Qiao, how did you know I was in Guangyuan?"

Inside the big tent, after everyone sat down, Qin Shou asked.

"Fa Xiaozhi concluded that the Prime Minister must be in the direction of Hanzhong."

Zhang Song did not hide it either.

"Xiaozhi, a capable person!"

Qin Shou sighed.

(End of this chapter)