Xu Prefecture.
Tao Qian had been sitting on pins and needles in this half a year.
Even though Cao Cao himself had returned to Yanzhou, and even though he still needed to deal with Yuan Shu in Yangzhou, his army in Xuzhou had actually settled down.
Moreover, through his investigation, he found that Xiaopei had a large amount of grain, while Xiapi's army was stable. Under Cao Ren's command, they had never attacked.
They had been guarding Xiaopei City and had no intention of fighting with Xu Prefecture.
The more calm Cao Ren was, the more anxious Tao Qian became.
The rumors in Tan County were getting more and more serious. When Cao Cao's autumn harvest ended and the army arrived, there would be no turning back.
……
Tan County Office.
On the stone stairs, Tao Qian paced back and forth in front of the door as if he was waiting for something. The old him seemed to have aged a few years.
Not long after, a soldier rushed in from outside the door.
When Tao Qian saw him, he immediately went up to him and asked anxiously,"How is it?"
"My lord, the messenger has returned.”
"Zang Ba has stationed his troops in Kaiyang. If Cao Cao attacks Tan County, he will move his troops to Lanling and Duyang. There is a smooth road there.”
"Xu Zhen…"
This wasn't the first time Tao Qian had heard of this name, but he still trusted Zang Ba. After all, Zang Ba was a person who was far more trustworthy and brave than ordinary people.
He was very prestigious in Langya and did not lose to Cao Bao.
However, he was unwilling to be a general in Tan County, and he was grateful that he had given him a way out, turning him from a bandit into a general who helped the Han Dynasty, and turning his tens of thousands of rebel soldiers into officers and soldiers.
However, since he was willing to go to war, there was no need to worry about the north. If he could hold on a little longer, he might be able to hold on until winter.
In winter, Cao Cao would definitely retreat. How could they survive these three months?
"Where are Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Gongsun Zan, and the others?! Any reaction?"
That person was stunned for a moment, but eventually shook his head.
When Cao Cao had just retreated, they had sent a letter to Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, the two alliance leaders who had attacked Dong, asking them to come out and advise them.
As for Gongsun Zan, he was also the ruler of Youzhou and had 100,000 soldiers under him.
These three people were all influential figures. If they were willing to help, Xu Prefecture's troubles might be resolved.
The soldier was silent for a moment before he sighed and said,"My lord, the people we sent didn't even see their master before they were rejected and driven back. Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu didn't intend to help. As for Gongsun Zan…he was about to start a war with Yuan Shao, and he had to guard against horses outside the border, so he had no time to worry.”
"But…it is said that Tian Kai of Qingzhou and Liu Bei have discussed that if there is a need, they can lead 3,000 troops to help.”
Three thousand?
Forget it.
Qingzhou itself was difficult to protect. There were countless bandits on a small piece of land. There was not even much land left for farming. How could they save it?!
Even if 3,000 people came, it was just a gift.
"Forget it!"
Tao Qian let out a long sigh and put his hands behind his back. He now understood his situation.
None of the dukes planned to make a move. Only Liu Bei and Tian Kai were of no use.
The two of them should only be talking about it. Qingzhou still needed manpower to eliminate the bandits. How could they come to help Xuzhou?
"Sigh!"
Tao Qian turned around and entered the main hall of the government office. At this moment, other than the two guards outside the door, it was empty inside. No one was waiting for him.
Therefore, he felt an indescribable loneliness.
There was no one to help.
There were rumors everywhere in Tan County, and Xiang Cao's words could be heard everywhere.
Most of the commoners had already fled to Xiapi.
From Que Xuan's rebellion to Cao Cao's scolding of Tao Qian for harming his father, the impact of this matter was huge. He had been the Xu Prefecture Overseer for less than two years.
It was probably the end.
Tao Qian sighed deeply.
……
Five days later, Xu Zhen withdrew from Xiao Pei.
When the news came, Tao Qian felt a trace of astonishment.
"What do you mean?"
"Xu Zhen, retreat?"
Tao Qian looked at Cao Bao in front of him and couldn't figure it out for a moment.
"My lord, last night Cao Chun led ten thousand tiger leopard cavalry and took over as the prefect of Xiaopei. He also stationed his troops in Jiangduyang and Wuyuan.”
"Xu Zhen's troops have all returned to the army and changed generals before the battle. They should be attacking Xu Prefecture on a large scale and using the Cao clan to make contributions.”
Cao Chun was here instead?
Tao Qian instantly understood. Cao Chun had defeated Yuan Shu at Kuang Ting last year.
This year, after Xu Zhen was stationed for half a year, he gave this opportunity to Cao Chun.
It seemed that Cao Cao really intended to end the battle before winter and finish it in one go.
"Prepare to gather troops and defend Tancheng and Siwu. We must not let Cao Cao succeed. Even if I die, I will make him suffer a great loss!”
Tao Qian knew that he definitely couldn't beat them, but as long as Cao Cao moved, it would be easier.
He wouldn't have been harmed by the internal strife like he was now, spending every day in the pain of losing the hearts of the people.
Cao Bao was Tao Qian's trusted aide. When he heard this, he immediately cupped his fists and said,""My Lord, I will give the order now!”
……
Cao Camp.
Xiao Pei.
Xu Zhen stood in the camp and shouted loudly.
"Take them all away!"
"Pull out those old horses in the stable and help carry some things!!”
"All the money cannot be left behind! We have a policy, we won't take a single needle or thread! Take everything else and don't leave it for Cao Chun, that grandson!”
"Yes, sir!"
Dian Wei stood in front of Xu Zhen with an unwilling expression and clenched his fists tightly.
"What is this?"
"We're about to attack Xu, and Cao Chun is going to take all the credit? Didn't he just make a contribution in Kuang Ting?”
"Milord, I can't take this lying down.”
Xu Zhen rolled his eyes at him." When are you going to die?"”
"I…"
Xu Zhen kicked him and shouted,"I'm carrying out an order. Are you going to violate the military order again?" I've always been criticized for disobeying orders before the battle. It must be your fault!”
Dian Wei was speechless.
His expression instantly became aggrieved.
This was really an injustice.
"My lord…"
" Big who?!" Xu Zhen glared at him." I've already called you Lieutenant!”
"General…are we really going to swallow this anger? Those 1,000 slaves still haven't found their weapons yet…"
In fact, it was not that they did not have a solution. They already had ordinary half-body leather armor and wooden iron spears. Those 1,000 people had long been equipped with infantry armaments.
However, Dian Wei had been following Xu Zhen for a long time and subconsciously felt that without a full set of armor, a spear, a knife, and a horse, it was not called preparing military equipment.
If all the armaments were complete, then a person's combat strength would undergo a qualitative change. It would probably not be a problem for him to fight more than ten people alone.
"General!"
Just as Xu Zhen was about to leave, a carriage stopped outside the camp.
Dian Wei shrunk his head and said," It's over. He came to look for you. Why did you talk so big at that time?"”
"Can you get lost!" Xu Zhen rolled his eyes at Dian Wei in annoyance." Was that a lie? I can do what I say."
However, he still scratched his head, feeling a little guilty.
To be honest, he had originally planned to take down Xu Prefecture and then take the Sun Clan and the Mei Clan with him when the credit was divided. Now, there was a sudden transfer order for him to leave Xiao Pei and return to Yanzhou.
It disrupted the rhythm.
He didn't know what Boss Cao was up to. If he didn't give him a good reason, he would have to suffer.
Thinking of this, Xu Zhen also walked out quickly.
Mei Zhen…still owed him a little.
Just say a few words and send her away. Whatever she said would be done.
" General." Mei Zhen was in the carriage. She lifted the curtain to reveal a cold and noble face." I heard that they're retreating back to Yanzhou?"”
"Yes, there is still a heavy responsibility."
Xu Zhen nodded.
"When this little girl and the general return, they will follow you around and serve you sooner or later.”
"Alright, no problem. Leave it to me.”
Xu Zhen's smile suddenly froze.
"Ah? What did you say?"
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