Cao Cao was recuperating in Xuchang. When he received the news from Chang'an, he immediately summoned civil and military officials to discuss the matter.
Cao Cao said, "Liu Qi has arrived at Wuguan now. He is indeed trying to form an alliance with Ma Teng and spy on Guanzhong. Little does he know that Ma Teng is already under my control. Sun Quan attacked Huainan and seized Lujiang a few years ago. It is time to take revenge. What do you think?"
Xiahou Yuan was already dissatisfied with the sneak attack by Dongwu, and nodded and said, "The rats in Jiangdong are fickle, and if we don't teach them a lesson and use force to deal with them, they will definitely do it again in the future. We can take back the land north of the Yangtze River and put an end to the trouble forever."
After Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun were redeemed, Cao Cao transferred them to Xuzhou in exchange for Zhang Liao and Xiahou Yuan, who were to guard Jingzhou. All the personnel had already been deployed.
Jia Xu said, "Liu Qi actually came to Wuguan in person. I'm afraid he must have some plan. If he disturbs the situation in Guanzhong, it may spread. The Prime Minister needs to be cautious."
Cao Cao laughed and said, "Although Xu Huang was defeated, Liu Qi is not strong enough to send troops to Guanzhong. Now Ma Teng has already sent troops, and I will provide food and grass. What is there to worry about? Cao Hong and Xu Huang are guarding Guanzhong, so there is no need to worry."
Jia Xu frowned slightly, pulled his beard and said nothing more. On the surface, this matter seemed foolproof, but he always felt something was wrong in his heart, and he couldn't discuss military situation based on his feelings alone.
Cao Cao saw that he was hesitating and said with a smile, "I have discussed this matter with you years ago. Why are you hesitating when it comes to sending troops? It is not the behavior of a great general to hesitate and miss the opportunity. I have made up my mind. I will definitely conquer Jiangdong and scare the blue-eyed man into surrendering."
Le Jin couldn't wait any longer, and clasped his fists and said, "I am willing to be the vanguard and rush to Huainan."
Cao Cao then appointed Le Jin as the vanguard, and at the same time sent envoys to the Eastern Wu, accusing Sun Quan of violating the border and killing court officials, and demanding that he tie himself up and surrender.
Xiahou Yuan was left to guard Xuchang, while Zhang Liao went to Kunyang and led an army of 50,000. He also transferred troops from Hebei and Xuzhou to the south to gather in Shouchun to attack the Eastern Wu.
…
Three days later, Cao Hong mobilized his troops in Chang'an and marched towards Wuguan. He also sent 50,000 shi of food and fodder to be transported to Chencang by Zhong Jin to encourage the Xiliang army.
When Zhong Jin arrived at Chencang again, he was full of confidence. When he was on a diplomatic mission before, he asked Ma Teng to send troops, and this time he helped Ma Teng get food and fodder. He felt that his life had reached its peak.
Ma Xiu was preparing food and fodder in Chencang, but he did not expect Zhong to come in so quickly. He hurriedly ordered the soldiers to load the moldy food and fodder in the treasury onto carts and place them outside.
Seeing Zhong Jin delivering more food and grass, Ma Xiu couldn't help but feel happy and said with a fist: "The general is indeed a man of his word."
Zhong Jin smiled and said, "I will do what I promised. General Cao has already sent troops to attack Liu Qi. He gave me some face before he left and allocated food and grass to boost the army's prestige. General Ma, please don't let us down!"
"We should be brave and dedicated to eradicate the treacherous villains!" Ma Xiu nodded repeatedly and asked, "General Cao wants to attack Liu Qi. Does he want to send troops out of Wuguan?"
Zhong Jin laughed and said, "General, you don't know that Liu Qi actually went to Wuguan in person. General Xu Huang didn't know the truth, so he suffered a great defeat. Now that General Cao is personally leading the expedition, he will definitely make this guy return in defeat."
"So that's how it is!" Ma Xiu's mind moved, and he asked some more questions about the situation in Chang'an. He took Zhong Jin and the vehicle to the camp and ordered people to check the delivery.
Zhong Jin saw that most of the food and grass prepared by Ma Xiu were moldy, and he immediately felt relieved. He pretended to be indignant and said, "How can we ask the three armies to fight with such food and grass?"
Ma Xiu sighed helplessly, "I was just worrying about food and fodder. The general's arrival is just in time. It's like timely help."
In his capacity as an envoy, Zhong Jin said a few words of comfort, but this time he did not dare to agree to send more food and fodder. He only said that he would report truthfully after returning and ask Cao Hong to allocate more money and food so that they and his son could take over Hanzhong as soon as possible.
Ma Xiu thanked him again and again and hosted a banquet for Zhong Jin. However, this time Zhong Jin did not dare to stay long. He ate his meal in a hurry and immediately returned to Chang'an to report.
After seeing Zhong Jin off, Ma Xiu rushed to Sanguan overnight to report the military situation in Chang'an to Ma Teng. There were only 5,000 defenders left in the city, and excluding the patrol officers, there were no more than 3,000 elite soldiers.
Ma Teng was overjoyed and said, "Liu Qi went to Wuguan in person to help me take Chang'an. Now the time has come, why should I hesitate?"
Ma Xiu said: "Cao Hong will come out in person. I think Liu Qi will pretend to retreat and lure the enemy deep into our territory. If we send out troops overnight, Cao Hong will not be able to rescue us in time, and we can capture Chang'an in one fell swoop."
"I have a place called Guanzhong, so why worry about not accomplishing great things?"
Ma Teng agreed with this and ordered Ma Xiu to return to Chencang and sent more spies to monitor the war in Chang'an, with elite troops stationed in the city ready to set off at any time.
…
Liu Qi occupied Shang County and took advantage of Xu Huang's defeat to gradually encroach on the post stations along the way and approach Chang'an.
Zhang Fei's killing made Cao's army terrified and forced them to retreat step by step. He led his troops to capture three camps in succession and retreated all the way to Shangluo.
On this day, while he was feasting with Pang Tong and others and tasting the chopped pepper fish head made by Liu Qi himself, a scout came to report that Cao Hong had gone out in person to fight again, with Xu Huang as the vanguard.
Since chili peppers have been widely promoted, Xiangyang's hot and sour fish and spicy fish have become unique.
In the Han Dynasty, meals were mainly cooked by steaming and boiling, with very few seasonings. After Liu Qi discovered chili peppers, he felt like he had found a treasure and even began to cook for them himself.
At the beginning, everyone was not used to spicy food and was very disgusted with it, but after a few times, it seemed as if the Hunanese people's spicy food gene was aroused, and it became popular throughout Jingzhou within a few months.
Liu Qi laughed and said, "Cao Hong really fell into the trap. The situation in Guanzhong has changed suddenly this time, and we can take advantage of the situation to fish in troubled waters."
Zhang Fei sucked up half of the fish head and laughed, "This is not fishing in troubled waters, but casting a long line to catch a big fish."
Pang Tong also tasted the delicious food happily and said with emotion: "When I was in Xiangyang, I ate the Hanzhong giant salamander. Because its cry is like a baby crying, the locals call it 'baby fish'. It is extremely delicious and has the effect of nourishing yin and tonifying yang. If it can be cooked with this cooking skill, it will definitely be a masterpiece."
Liu Qi smiled knowingly: "Don't worry, sir. Within half a year, I will make a spicy and sour giant salamander dish myself."
In his era, this thing was impossible to eat. Even if you were caught, you would have to spend at least three years in jail before you could even taste the delicious food.
Zhang Fei ate to his heart's content and burped: "I've had enough, it's my turn to go on stage!"
Pang Tong smiled and said, "General, please be patient. It won't be too late to fight Xu Huang when his troops arrive."
Zhang Fei said in dissatisfaction: "Cao's army has been defeated repeatedly, why should we be afraid of him? Even if Cao Hong leads an army of 100,000, I will still defeat him!"
Pang Tong said: "We are here to help Ma Teng take Chang'an. We cannot fight him head-on. If we can force Xu Huang to surrender to the general, it will not be in vain."
Liu Qi was stunned, shook his head and laughed: "Xu Huang is Cao Cao's trusted and beloved general, how could he surrender so easily?"
Xu Huang is not Yu Jin, Li Dian and others. Liu Qi would not even dare to dream of asking him to surrender.
Pang Tong chuckled and said, "Haven't you heard the military strategy that says: Seek the best and you will get the middle; seek the middle and you will get the bottom; seek the bottom and you will surely fail? Even if we can't force them to surrender, if we can make them quarrel, then Cao Hong won't be a concern!"
"Sir, that's a good idea!" Liu Qi nodded and sighed, "Things in this world are not difficult to accomplish, but we are afraid of not daring to think about them."
From what I have experienced during this period of time, I find that Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong each have their own strengths. Zhuge Liang focuses on being righteous and seeking victory in a stable manner, while Pang Tong emphasizes on making unconventional plans and winning by surprise.
A phoenix chick is a phoenix chick. He does things in a bold, unique and unexpected way, which is how he makes a big splash.