Cao Pi lifted up the chair placed by the wall and sat opposite Cao Cao. A chill came out of the ice mirror, which immediately became much cooler. Cao Cao asked with a smile, "Zihuan, haven't everyone left yet?"
"Not yet, they are still talking in the big account, maybe they still want to see their father."
"If you can't see me, there must be noisy in the big tent, right?" Cao Cao picked up the book in hand again.
"No, after hearing that, General Zixiao and General Yuan Rang almost all started to deal with Mr. Wenhe." Cao Pi shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Father, we will lose peace. I'm afraid it will not end well."
"Jia Xuning can't bend, he is sturdy and conscientious, that is, his lips are very wicked, and he refuses to forgive. To be honest, sometimes it is quite annoying." Cao Cao smiled, "Zi Xiao and Yuan are grumpy and straight-tempered. , But they still didn't dare to do anything with Jia Xu. At most, they cursed and slapped their tongues quickly." Cao Cao knew their temper very well.
"Father, my son has something to say, I don't know if it is inappropriate to say it?" Cao Pi said hesitantly.
"Speak, there is nothing wrong to talk about." Cao Cao clapped his hands with the book, "Pi'er, you are too modest and polite. A man who stands in the world is standing upright in the world, and he acts with one word. Lost."
"Thank you father for your advice." Cao Pi stood up and bowed in a salute, then sat back on the chair and said, "Father, you are not an arrogant and rude person. When you approach the enemy, you often consult with your advisers and generals. Why did you avoid this time? Not seeing it?"
"It's not difficult to break the city of Ye, so why bother to discuss it with everyone?" Cao Cao looked at the beating flames in the charcoal basin. "The real difficulty is an unspeakable thing, but it has always been in my heart. It makes people think about it. , Hesitating and difficult to decide, what I have to do but reluctant to do."
Cao Pi was silent for a while, then slightly nodded and said: "Father's thinking is really unpredictable, but it breaks the city..." Cao Pi didn't dare to say any more. Although he was a noble son born and raised in the palace compound, he also knew that a strong attack on the city would require advancement. The formation of troops and the coordination of the exercises should be supplemented by siege equipment such as rush vehicles, ladders, wells, and catapults, so as to reduce the casualties of soldiers. However, Cao Cao did not issue any orders during the ten days of siege of Yecheng. He neither deployed sergeants nor rushed to build siege equipment, and had no intention of attacking at all.
"Pi'er, haste is not enough. It is a taboo for leaders to be unable to calm down before the battle." Cao Cao said, handing the book in his hand to Cao Pi, and asked: "Pi'er, let me ask you, this book of "Grandson Have you read the Art of War?"
Cao Pi nodded suspiciously, wondering what his father meant when he mentioned Sun Tzu's Art of War.
Cao Cao smiled and said: "Then I will test you. As mentioned in The Art of War by Sun Tzu, the method of using soldiers is ten to encircle, five to attack, double to fight, enemy to divide, and less to escape. So, if you don’t, you can avoid it. So what does it mean that the enemy is strong and the big enemy is captured?"
Cao Pi lowered his head and thought for a moment, and said, "This passage of Sun Tzu means that in actual combat, if our army has ten times the strength of the enemy, we will carry out encirclement and annihilation, and if our army is ten times stronger than the enemy, we will carry out an attack. The enemy must work hard to defeat the enemy, even if the enemy is evenly matched, try to disperse and destroy each one. If our army is weaker than the enemy, avoid fighting. Therefore, if the weaker defends hard, it will become a prisoner of the powerful enemy."
"Not bad." Cao Cao nodded slightly, "Pi'er, I will ask you again, at this moment, who is stronger than Yuan Shang and who is weaker?"
Cao Pi hesitated for a moment, and said: "If you compare the strength of the troops at this time, his father and Yuan Shang should be about the same, but Yuan Shang defends the city firmly, I'm afraid he still has the upper hand."
Cao Cao took out a map from his pillow, unfolded it on the couch, and pointed out: "Pi'er, what you have seen is good, I will ask you again, if Zhang Yan from Binzhou comes to attack, what about the strength of Yuan Shang and me?"
"Father?" Cao Pi was shocked and lost speech.
Cao Cao closed the map, smiled with satisfaction, and then said tiredly: "This is the real hard thing, we need to beware!"
Zhang Yan was originally named Chu Yan. In the first year of Zhongping (184), the Yellow Turban Uprising broke out. Chu Yan gathered a group of young men as robbers and fought in the mountains and rivers. By the time they returned to the truth, the tribe had reached more than 10,000. In the second year of Zhongping (185), Zhang Niujiao from Boring also gathered a group of people who called themselves generals and joined Chu Yan. Chu Yan nominated Zhang Niujiao as the leader, and advanced troops to attack Yingtao. Zhang Niujiao was shot by a stream arrow and was seriously injured. Before he died, he ordered his men to honor Chu Yan as the leader. After Zhang Niujiao died, everyone supported Chu Yan as the leader, so Chu Yan changed her surname to Zhang and called Zhang Yan.
Zhang Yan was called "Feiyan" in the army because he was as light as a swallow and was brave and good at fighting. Later, Zhang Yan's army continued to grow and communicated with the rebels in Changshan, Zhaojun, Zhongshan, Shangdang, Hanoi and other places. The small leaders of the rebels, Sun Qing, Wang Dang and others, brought their tribes to Zhang Yan. Under his command, Zhang Yan's tribe has grown to hundreds of thousands, known as the "Black Mountain Army."
After Zhang Yan conquered Huguan, took down Jinyang, and took Bingzhou as his foundation. After Yuan Shang entered Hebei, he had been sending people to Jinyang to recruit Zhang Yan and let him put him under his account, but Zhang Yan was worried about the unstable situation in Hebei, and Cao Cao was watching. Yuan Shang is not necessarily Cao Cao’s. The opponent has hesitated and did not agree.
"The guards in the counties and counties in Jizhou were mostly Yuan Shao’s old men. Yuan Shang violated his moral character and killed his father. Those soldiers were very disappointed. It was only a temporary expedient to seek refuge in Yuan Shang. We gained an advantage in the Yellow River and we besieged Yuan Shang In Yecheng, the attitudes of these captains also began to waver, so 90% of them would not send troops to support them. And even if they lead the army, as long as I slightly suspect the soldiers, it will be enough to stop them." Cao Cao put the map back on his pillow. On the side, there was a long silence, and he sighed lowly: "It's just Zhang Yan, it's a little difficult..."
"Please father's advice." Cao Pi bowed.
"Without foreign aid, the breach of Yecheng City is just around the corner. At that time, the situation in Hebei will inevitably show great changes. In order to protect itself, Yuan Shao's old ministry will definitely abandon Yuan Shang and betray him to our camp. It is only a matter of time before Hebei is included in the bag." Cao Cao said with squinting eyes, "But is Zhang Yan happy to see me sweep Hebei?"
Cao Pi lowered his head, thinking carefully about what Cao Cao said.
"Looking at the north, the dispute between the princes has gradually evolved into a battle between me and Yuan Shang. For Zhang Yan, all he has to do is to make a choice between me and Yuan Shang. Zhang Yanruo is willing to submit to the court and become a wife. Yinzi will help me; if you want to keep it as it is and occupy the mountain as the king, he will help Yuan Shang. And the form at this time is precisely..." Cao Cao said in thought.
"The life of the two masters now hangs under one's feet. Han wins at one step, and Chu wins at one step." Cao Pi raised his head and took over Cao Cao's words with the words of the Qi State debater Kuai Tong when Chu and Han were fighting.
"Yes, after following me for such a long time, you really have become acquainted." Cao Cao nodded slightly, "In short, Zhang Yan has become the third power besides me and Yuan Shang. Pi'er, I ask you, if you are Zhang Yan , Do you choose to help me or Yuan Shang?"
Cao Pi thought for a long time before he replied, "If I were Zhang Yan, I might choose to help Yuan Shang."
"Oh? Let's just listen." Cao Cao raised his eyebrows and smiled.
"The son said something offensive. Father and Yuan Shang are like tigers and wolves. Zhang Yan is afraid that he does not have the courage to drive away the wolves and meet the tigers."
"Yes! So I need someone to persuade Zhang Yan so that he can brave the courage to cooperate with the Tigers." Cao Cao fell into thought as he said, with a hesitant look on his face. When Cao Pi saw him, he didn't dare to disturb him, bowed his head and waited aside.
For a long time, Cao Cao stretched his eyebrows and sighed long, "I need someone who can be trusted by him."
Cao Pi looked at his silent father, smiled faintly, bowed on one knee and saluted: "Then I will go."
Cao Cao rubbed his hands and didn't look at him. He just nodded and said in a low voice: "If someone else goes, I'm afraid it will be difficult to win Zhang Yan's trust. Only you will go, because you are my favorite son."
Cao Pi didn't say anything. He silently knocked a few heads at Cao Cao, and stood up to go out.
Cao Cao suddenly raised his head and shouted: "Pi'er." Cao Pi had already raised the curtain of the tent. At this moment, when he heard Cao Cao's call, his hands stopped in the air, and a strong wind stirred up the dust in the sky, blowing the dust. Come in.
Cao Cao was silent for a long time and said, "Pi'er, remember to come back. Father is here waiting for you to come back."
"Yes." Cao Pi replied respectfully, before bowing and stepping out of Cao Cao's army account.
Cao Cao watched the curtain of the tent fall silently, and then was blown by the wind outside the tent, and the sky became gloomy. It was really mountain rain and the wind filled the building. Desolation and tiredness occupied his body and mind. He whispered: "Father is here waiting for you to come back."
After Cao Pi arrived in Jinyang City in Bingzhou, he was pushed to the ground with his hands tied behind his back. He raised his head stubbornly regardless of the sharp blade on his neck. Sweeping around Zhang Yan, who was staring at him, he tugged at the corner of his mouth and laughed low.
"Young Master Cao came all the way and worked hard all the way. The country people's vulgar hospitality made the young man laugh." Zhang Yan sat on the high hall and waved to the left and right: "Don't you want to loosen the tie for the young man?"
The soldiers withdrew their knives and cut away the hemp rope on Cao Pi's wrist. Cao Pi slightly loosened his somewhat numb hands, and said to Zhang Yan, "I am hereby ordered by the prime minister of the Great Han, Cao Gong, to visit the general."
"My subordinates are vulgar people. It is really very rude to treat Young Master Cao in this way. I hope Young Master will not mind." Zhang Yan bowed slightly, "But I don't know anything about it, so I hope Young Master will advise."
"General, please tell me, I know everything I know." Cao Pi replied with courtesy.
"Isn't Prime Minister Cao the father of the son?" Zhang Yan frowned. "The son said it was ordered by the prime minister, not by his father. There is a lot of meaning in this? Please forgive me for being stupid, and I hope the son will not hesitate to enlighten me. "
"Don't dare." Cao Pi arched his hands. "I will come to visit the general next time. I am an envoy of the great man, so I only talk about state affairs, not father and son!"
Zhang Yan smiled and said, "That's it. I dare to ask the son what he intended to do here?" Zhang Yan seemed to be very interested in what Cao Pi said...