Lu Lingqi originally wanted to try hard, thinking that Lu Bu was of high status, and if he could really marry Madam Du and they could become a family, it would be a good thing for Madam Du to have someone to protect her, but this proposal was flatly rejected by Yan.
Lu Lingqi wanted to say more, but Yan asked her to go back to the house, obviously not wanting to talk about this matter anymore.
Lu Lingqi was depressed, but since Yan refused to offer the opportunity, she could only think of another way.
When Chen Gui was on a diplomatic mission to Henei, not many people in the world paid attention to the Heishan area. The princes were still fighting for territory and expanding their power.
Only one place turned its attention to Hedong County, where Emperor Liu Xie was located.
Yanzhou.
Cao Cao frowned and said to the people sitting below him, "Has Chenliu County not been taken yet?"
Xun Yu said, "Puyang is a strong city, and it is difficult to besiege it. However, if this continues, Zhang Miao will run out of food in another month."
When Cao's army attacked Chenliu County, Zhang Miao and his brothers led their troops to station in Puyang, the capital of Chenliu, for defense. The city had strong walls and Cao's army attacked the city several times but returned without success.
Cao Cao stared at the empty seat opposite him, feeling quite uncomfortable, because Xi Zhicai had finally fallen ill and died a few days ago.
The position of chief adviser is vacant, and Cao Cao's advisers are all eager to compete for this position, but for now, no one has opened up a gap with others.
Only after offering suggestions and making great contributions can one take the position of strategist, right?
Xun Yu knew that he was good at government affairs but not very good at planning strategies, so he turned his gaze to the opposite side.
The person kneeling over there was a scholar who was a few years older than Xun Yu, about forty years old, but in terms of seniority, he was Xun Yu's nephew.
Xun You.
After Xi Zhicai passed away, Xun Yu recommended Xun You. Cao Cao personally wrote a letter to invite Xun You to Yanzhou. The two sides had a very pleasant conversation after meeting, and Xun You became Cao Cao's adviser.
At this time, Xun You's face was calm, and he said, "If we want to capture Puyang in advance, there may be a way."
Cao Cao was delighted and asked, "What do you think, Gongda?"
Xun You said, "Puyang is south of the Yellow River and north of the Pu River. It is quite troublesome to transport troops or food."
"But the terrain is not very high. If we can dig one of the two rivers and flood the city with water, we should be able to capture it."
The Yellow River channel near Puyang is famous for its twists and turns, and it is very easy to burst when the water floods.
Volume 24 of "Annotations to the Classic of Waterways" says: The Huzi River originates from the Beihe River in Puyang County, Dongjun.
During the Western Han Dynasty, the Huzi River burst its banks. The Han court later sent people to manage the situation, but it took more than 20 years to stop the breach.
Volume 24 of "Shui Jing Zhu" also says: The branch channel of Pu River flows northeast through Xiaochengyang in Juyang County, east of Chuiting and west of it, and then flows north into Hu River.
The branches of the Pu River flow eastward and northward into the Huzi River, which is derived from the Yellow River. The Huzi River is south of the Yellow River, so the water system surrounding Puyang City is extremely developed. Therefore, the area near Puyang has always been a key point for controlling the Yellow River floods.
When Xun Yu heard this, his expression changed.
There was no other reason. All of Cao Cao's advisers and subordinates knew about the water system around Puyang City, but not many of them dared to directly ask for the use of water to attack the city.
Because the water attack is too sensitive.
The earliest person to propose water attack was Sun Tzu's Art of War. In the chapter "Fire Attack", it says: "Thus, he who attacks with the aid of fire is wise, and he who attacks with the aid of water is strong. Water can be cut off, but it cannot be taken away."
He believed that fire attack was effective, but water attack was more powerful. However, water attack could cut off the enemy's retreat but could not take away their will.
Because once a fire attack is launched, if the enemy cannot put out the fire, they can just open the city, flee, or surrender.
But water attack is different. The water poured into the city, and the civilians and soldiers suffered together. They were soaked in the water for a long time and could not escape even if they wanted to. So they could only fight desperately, and the water attack had the opposite effect.
Moreover, water attack is extremely detrimental to one's virtue. Once the floodwaters pour in, the whole city will be affected and it will be difficult to get food. A large number of people will die in a short period of time, and the first to suffer are the elderly, children, women and children in the city.
Moreover, the aftermath is extremely troublesome. After the water attack, the city is littered with corpses, and the people's homes are broken up. Even if the water recedes, it may take several years or more for the city to return to a habitable state. The tragedy is even worse than that of the massacre.
Therefore, when generals led troops to fight, few of them used water attacks.
Of course, water attacks also have their advantages. By blocking the river upstream and waiting for the water to rise, one can dig it up and flood the city, then watch everyone in the city die. There is no need for soldiers to attack the city, thus preventing casualties.
Xun Yu murmured in his heart, Xun You had just surrendered to Cao Cao, and he came up with such a vicious plan. Was he being too hasty?
Cao Cao laughed when he heard this and said, "What you said is exactly what I want!"
After hearing this, Xun Yu sighed inwardly.
It would not be surprising if Yuan Xi was present, because Cao Cao really liked water attacks.
Later, when he attacked Yuan Shu in Yanzhou, he opened the canal to flood Taishou and defeated Yuan Shu's army. The scene was so tragic that Yuan Shu never dared to invade Yanzhou again.
When attacking Lü Bu's Xiapi, the same trick was used again. The Records of the Three Kingdoms states: "They diverted the Yi and Si rivers to flood the city, causing it to collapse, and captured Lü Bu alive."
When attacking Yecheng, they used a siege strategy by digging trenches, opening the Zhang River, and flooding Yecheng for more than 40 miles. The people in the city held out for seven months, and more than half of the soldiers and civilians starved to death.
Although the direct cause of the fall of Yecheng was that Shen Pei's nephew Shen Rong left the city to surrender, in fact, Yecheng was already at the end of its strength at that time, and even if it had not surrendered, it would not have been able to hold out for long.
Cao Cao was very decisive in using his troops, without much consideration of the consequences, especially when he was fighting with Yuan Shu for Yanzhou. When he flooded Taishou, all those who drowned were Yanzhou's own people. This laid the hidden danger for him to be betrayed by the Yanzhou gentry in the future.
Seeing that Cao Cao had made up his mind, Xun Yu was in a difficult position to speak. At this time, Cheng Yu stood up and said, "Zang Hong, the governor of Dongjun, is showing signs of instability."
"He has now left Dongwuyang, the capital of Dongjun, and has gone to Yecheng. According to the information sent back by the spies, he intends to ask Yuan Shao to send troops to Chenliu to rescue Zhang Miao and his brothers."
Everyone was shocked when they heard this. This was not good news!
If Yuan Shao intervened in the war in Chenliu County, the troops he sent from Yecheng would arrive in a few days, less than 200 miles away, and the situation would be chaotic by then!
What's more troublesome is that if Yuan Shao intervenes, can Cao Cao openly turn against him?
Cao Cao sneered after hearing this and said, "He is so bold!"
Zang Hong, courtesy name Ziyuan, was a native of Sheyang, Guangling. He was a man of courage and integrity, and was once the leader of the anti-Dong coalition in Guandong.
After Dong Zhuo killed Emperor Shao Liu Bian, he found Zhang Chao, the then prefect of Guangling, and persuaded him and Zhang Miao to rise up against Dong. This led to the later Suanzao League and the formation of the Guandong Coalition. It can be said that the anti-Dong alliance was first initiated by Zang Hong.
At that time, Zang Hong was just a Gongcao under Zhang Chao, and his power was not enough among the princes of the Guandong coalition. Despite this, he finally took on the title of leader of the alliance, which shows that he is still very loyal.
Later, Zhang Chao sent Zang Hong to contact Liu Yu. When he arrived in Hejian State, he met Yuan Shao, who valued him and appointed him as the governor of Qingzhou. In the next two years, he achieved remarkable results. The bandits fled to the mountains to hide, and Taishan became a threat.
But at this time, Yuan Shao moved Zang Hong to be the governor of Dongjun, with his seat in Dongwuyang.
The governor became the county magistrate, which was obviously a sign of surrender, but Zang Hong did not say anything and took up his post.
Zhang Chao was Zang Hong's sponsor. Now that Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao were trapped in Puyang, it was reasonable for Zang Hong to go to Yecheng to ask Yuan Shao for help. However, this move would cause a lot of trouble for Cao Cao.
Cao Cao's face looked a little gloomy as he began to think.
If everything goes smoothly in Jizhou, it is unlikely that they will send troops to rescue Chenliu.
Because logically speaking, Jizhou should concentrate its forces on attacking Heishan at this time and not get distracted by the affairs of Chenliu.
But it is better to be safe than sorry. Moreover, for Cao Cao, it was very important to capture Chenliu, otherwise it would block his way to the west to Sili and Hedong, and it would be difficult to implement his next plan.
Thinking of this, Cao Cao said to everyone: "I have my own arrangements for this matter, you just need to focus on Puyang!"
Everyone obeyed the order.
Cao Cao said, "The emperor is returning to Luoyang, but is stranded in Hedong. Li Jue and Guo Si are pursuing him, but the emperor is being held hostage by the Baibo Army and Zhang Yang, the governor of Henei."
"What do you think about this?"
Xun Yu heard this and immediately said, "Please, my lord, repel the thieves who are holding the emperor hostage as soon as possible and welcome the emperor's carriage!"
"Duke Wen of Jin welcomed King Xiang of Zhou back and the other princes obeyed him. Emperor Gaozu of Han went east to fight against Xiang Yu and wore plain clothes to mourn for Emperor Yi, and the people of the country were at peace."
"At this time, serving the Lord and following the will of the people is a great obedience; being impartial and subduing the heroes is a great strategy; supporting justice and attracting the talented is a great virtue. Even if there are rebellious people in the world, they will not be a burden. This is clear. If the court is not rectified in time, the people in the world will rebel, and even if we consider this matter in the future, it will be too late!"
A big part of the reason why Xun Yu did not oppose flooding Puyang just now was that only by taking Chenliu could Cao Cao open up the route to Luoyang.
If Chenliu is not captured, even if we can take a detour to Luoyang, we cannot guarantee the subsequent food and logistics. How can we drive away the forces of Li Jue, Guo Si and the Baibo Army and welcome the emperor?
Some time ago, Cao's army failed to capture Xuzhou after three attacks and decisively withdrew its troops. It was also with the strong support of Xun Yu. After all, in Xun Yu's view, Xuzhou was far less important than welcoming the emperor.
Xun Yu took the lead and everyone started talking. Xun Yu was passionate and refuted those who held opposing opinions one by one. In the end, all the counselors were convinced by Xun Yu and stood on his side.
Cao Cao said decisively, "Since this is the case, after we capture Chenliu, I will personally lead the army to Luoyang to welcome you!"
After all matters were decided, Cao Cao left and asked Cheng Yu to stay alone. He said, "Send a letter to Yecheng and find a way to stop Zang Hong."
Cheng Yu hesitated for a moment and said, "After thinking about it, I think it is safest for that person to take action."
Cao Cao heard this and said, "Send all the newly made Wushisan over there."
"If they still have requirements, we will try our best to satisfy them."
After hearing this, Cheng Yu immediately accepted the order.
When he was about to get up and leave, Cao Cao called him, "Zhongde, you've been inconvenienced."
"You have done a lot of shameful things for me and suffered a lot of injustice. I will never forget it."
After hearing this, Cheng Yu burst into tears of gratitude and said, "I dare to die for you, sir!"
At this time, Cao Cao was thinking that several of his own accomplices around Liu Xie were already fully prepared and were just waiting for him to make the final decision!