Chapter 424

Outside the city of Xiapi, in the camp of Cao Jun.

"My lord!" Xia Houyuan led more than a thousand soldiers and horses to gallop out of the camp gate to meet Cao Cao and the others.

Cao Cao nodded: "Miaocai, thank you for your hard work, let's talk about it after entering the camp."

Xia Houyuan nodded respectfully, and welcomed Cao Cao and a group of lieutenant generals into the Cao army camp outside Xiapi City.

"My lord, what is the situation of the encirclement and annihilation of Cao Bao?" Xia Houyuan asked impatiently. When Cao Cao commanded the army to encircle and suppress the Danyang soldiers, he was ordered to surprise Xiapi and did not participate in the battle, so he was eager to know the battle situation.

Cao Cao looked at Xi Zhicai, and Xi Zhicai explained: "General Miaocai, our army originally encircled Cao Bao and his Danyang soldiers on all sides, but unexpectedly, Liu Bei, Prime Minister of Pingyuan, borrowed a soldier from Gongsun Zan and suddenly led the army to attack. Come to help, so that our army has not completed all its efforts."

Xia Houyuan frowned: "Liu Bei? He also came to meddle."

Cao Cao sneered and said: "It's okay, Liu Bei and Cao Bao's remnants fled into Xiapi City. Our army only needs to break through Xiapi City, and Xuzhou can be pacified."

In the city of Xiapi.

"Liu Bei, Prime Minister of Pingyuan, has met Mr. Tao Shijun."

"Xuande traveled thousands of miles to save me in Xuzhou. This kindness will always be remembered in my heart. If Xuzhou can rescue me in the future, I must be grateful."

After finishing speaking, Tao Qian said to Mi Zhu: "Zi Zhong, please arrange to invite Xuande and the two heroes to live in the post house, don't neglect."

Mi Zhu cupped his hands: "No, Mr. Tao."

Tread Tread! The messenger suddenly broke into the hall and knelt down on one knee: "Tao Shijun, Cao's army is attacking the city!"

"What?" Tao Qian said with a worried expression, "I put on armor for the governor, so I want to personally go into battle to supervise the battle."

"Tao Shijun." Liu Bei stood up and said, "If you don't give up, Bei and the two brothers are willing to lead the trilogy to fight on the top of the city."

Tao Qian said with some embarrassment: "Xuande just got off in a bloody battle today, this."

On the other hand, Zhang Fei laughed: "Mr. Tao doesn't have to worry about us, I, Lao Zhang, haven't played enough today, and I just went to battle to exercise my muscles and bones."

Cao Bao frowned: This guy is also rude, Tao Shijun asked Liu Bei, how did you come out to answer?

Tao Qian chuckled: "General Yide is really a warrior, if that's the case, I'll trouble the three of you."

After all, the three brothers Tao Qian, Liu Bei, and a group of civil and military personnel from Xuzhou went to the top of the city to supervise the battle. When the Xuzhou soldiers on the top of the city saw the general coming up, they immediately gave way to a passage.

"Cao Jun is so majestic." Tao Qian looked down from the top of the city, and immediately frowned. Back then, Tao Qian was also a military general who was killed in a sea of ​​blood and corpses. He was ordered to fight the rebellion in Liangzhou. He had quite a lot of military experience, but he couldn't help but feel deeply worried when he saw the formation of Cao's army under the city.

It can only be seen that the number of Cao's troops under the city head is more than 30,000 and less than 40,000. They surrounded the east, west and south respectively, and deliberately left the north gate empty, forming a situation of encircling three ques and one.

Xiapi County is located in the middle of Xuzhou. Cao Jun came from Qingzhou all the way to the south. If the Xuzhou army in Xiapi City fled, they could only flee from the north gate, and they would inevitably be surrounded by Cao Jun.

And the main force attacking the city on each side of the city is more than 10,000 people, and they are all brave Qingzhou soldiers, full of murderous intent.

Cao Cao led a total of 50,000 troops to the south. Although he lost more than 4,000 troops in the battle to encircle and suppress Cao Bao, after joining forces with Xia Houyuan, the total number of troops was still as high as nearly 40,000, and their morale was high.

Although Xia Houyuan besieged Xiapi for the past few days but did not attack, he did not do nothing. He felled trees around Xiapi and made a large number of siege equipment.

"My lord, please give me an order." Xi Zhicai said excitedly.

Xiahoudun, Xiahouyuan, and Cao Ren were all in charge of the battle at the gates of the three sides of the city, and they were all fierce generals who could stand on their own.

"Wait a minute!" Cao Cao gave an order, and then he slowly stepped out surrounded by Dian Wei and hundreds of guards, looking at the top of the city.

"Where is old man Tao Qian? General Cao Cao has something to say to you."

"Tao Qian is here, but I don't know what General Cao has to say?" Tao Qian poked his head out from behind the parapet and asked with a sigh.

"Old man Tao Qian, you took in the Yellow Turban rebels and killed my father, did you expect this to happen?" Cao Cao asked sharply.

"General Cao, Tao did not expect that Zhang Kai would kill Mrs. Cao without authorization, but this was not ordered by Tao, so I ask Mr. Cao to investigate clearly." Tao Qian said helplessly.

Cao Cao sneered: "Old man, I'm afraid you are already old and incompetent, and you can't tell who is a commoner and who is a traitor. Today, I will help you distinguish who is a traitor in Xuzhou. If you are sensible, you will open the city and surrender. Otherwise, the city will be destroyed, and no chicken or dog will be left behind!"

Tao Qian closed his eyes, then opened them: "General Cao, if I will take the blame and let General Cao deal with it, can General Cao let Xuzhou's father and elders go?"

A hint of excitement flashed in Cao Cao's pupils: "As long as you are willing to open the city and surrender, you will naturally treat the people of Xuzhou kindly." Adopt Cheng Yu's "human preserves" strategy.

If Tao Qian is willing to give up Xuzhou, then Cao Cao will be able to sit on the land of the two states, and he will be one of the most famous figures among the princes of the world.

"Okay, if that's the case." Tao Qian sighed, turned around, and said in a low tone: "Everyone, please help me take off my armor, I want to go to Cao Ying to take the thorns and plead guilty."

Tao Qian could see very clearly that Xuzhou's troops were weak, not to mention that Zang Ba of Taishan County belonged to Xuzhou in name, but in fact he did not obey his command. Although Yuan Shu's Zhang Xun sent troops, he did not come to help. I would like to offend Cao Cao and stand still

Once Xiapi City is breached by Cao Jun, Cao Jun, who has suffered a lot of casualties, might massacre the city to vent his anger. In this case, Tao Qian might as well give up his life.

"Tao Shijun can't do it!" Liu Bei said solemnly: "Cao Cao was tyrannical and slaughtered the people. If such people are allowed to rule Xuzhou, wouldn't the people have no way out?"

"If Envoy Mengtao does not give up, he is willing to lead his second and third younger brothers and the Pingyuan army to fight. When Cao's army runs out of food and grass, he will naturally retreat."

"That's right! Mr. Tao, Xiapi City is so strong, and there are more than ten thousand soldiers and horses in the city, we may not lose to Cao Cao." Zhang Fei agreed.

Mi Zhu also persuaded: "Emissary Tao, until now, we can only fight with the enemy force. Although the soldiers in Qingzhou are large and powerful, but the millions of yellow scarves consume a lot of food and grass, we may not be able to persist until Cao's army retreats."

Seeing Liu Bei's generosity, Cao Bao, the "No. 1 general in Xuzhou", naturally patted his chest, and said proudly: "Don't worry about Tao Shijun, there are nearly ten thousand Danyang soldiers under the command of the last general, and he is willing to fight with Cao Jun."

Tao Qian nodded solemnly, cupped his hands and said, "Then I'll leave it to you gentlemen!"