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－On June 13, 3rd year of Chuping, Puyang－

Puyang is one of the few big cities in the Central Plains. There are more than 6,000 households in the city, with a population of about 20,000 or 30,000. The city walls are strong and the armed forces are complete. Lu Bu used this as the foundation to compete with Cao Cao for Yanzhou, but now this place has become Zhang Susu's territory.

It’s not that Cao Cao was so kind-hearted that he gave the huge city to Zhang Susu, but because Yuan Shao’s army is approaching, he deliberately showed goodwill in order to win over Zhang Susu.

It’s a pity that people’s calculations are not as good as God’s calculations. How could Cao Cao have imagined that Chen Mo and Zhang Susu, who were inseparable from the past, would have a day when they parted ways.

After a quarrel with Chen Mo that day, Zhang Susu brought her Qingzhou soldiers back to Puyang. She didn't know what to do in the room every day. Only when it was night would she walk out of her room and walk into the yard to watch the astrological signs at night. It was a night at first glance.

Everyone can see that these days, this woman who is strong in everything has really lost weight.

It was late at night, and the people in the city went home to rest early. Even the city guards, except for the Qingzhou soldiers who were patrolling, the rest of the city fell asleep. Except for a woman who seemed to be only thirteen or four years old, walking in the courtyard of the mansion with an anxious look on her face.

The woman was named Yier, and her father's surname was Chen. When Zhang Susu first came to Puyang two months ago, she was selling herself to bury her father on the street. Seeing that she was pitiful, Zhang Susu asked someone to bury her biological father for her and gave her some money. However, unexpectedly, during the time when Zhang Susu went to the White Horse to help Chen Mo, this girl, who was only thirteen and four years old, was waiting outside the city guard's mansion for a full month. Finally, after a big fight with Chen Mo, she led her army back to Puyang in anger.

Perhaps it was moved by the perseverance of this little girl, or perhaps because her surname was Chen, Zhang Susu took her in and called her his maid, saying that she was a maid, but in fact she just combed Zhang Susu's hair every day. After all, there are many servants in the mansion, and even the girl didn't need to do it by fetching water.

For some reason, Zhang Susu seemed to be very fond of this helpless girl. Perhaps she had thought of herself, but the little girl named Yier obviously did not understand Zhang Susu's mood, but simply regarded her as her benefactor for life. So, this little girl could not find her master in Zhang Susu's room, and was anxious to search back and forth in this huge courtyard.

Suddenly, with a bang, Yier seemed to accidentally hit something when she passed by the corner of the corridor. She fell to the ground. She rubbed her forehead and raised her head, and suddenly saw a tall black shadow standing in front of her.

"Ah!" Yi'er couldn't help but exclaim. When she looked closely, she realized that this tall black shadow was the general under her master's command, General Red Ghost.

"Red...Red Ghost General..." Yier quickly stood up and bowed timidly, because she felt that the person in front of her was very powerful, much stronger than the generals she had seen in the city before.

There is no doubt that Lu Bu is standing in front of Yier at this moment. I have to say that he has too many memories of Puyang, those memories of his life when he was still alive. Just as he silently looked at the vaguely familiar scenery in the yard, he didn't expect a risk-losing guy to hit Lu Bu's back.

"Well!" Seeing the reckless girl saluting her, Lu Bu nodded slightly, then frowned and asked, "Didn't you go to serve your master late at night, why are you here to come here if you don't go to serve your master?"

When Yier heard this, she recalled the purpose of her trip and asked carefully, "The slut who just went to the room just now, found that the lady was missing. Can General Red Ghost know where the lady was?"

"Are you missing?" Lu Bu frowned, then his heart moved, turned to look at the dark inner courtyard, and said, "You go to the inner courtyard Huting..."

"Inner courtyard lake pavilion?" Yi'er was stunned. After thanking her, she walked in the direction Lu Bu pointed suspiciously.

Speaking of which, the scenery in the Puyang City Palace is no less than that of the Prime Minister Cao's Mansion in Xudu. After all, this was Lu Bu's mansion. There were bamboo forests, lakes, and pavilions in the mansion. It covers a large area of ​​more than a few miles. No wonder Yier ran back and forth here as if she was in a maze.

To be honest, Yier was a little skeptical about Lu Bu's words. After all, in her opinion, how could her lady run to the pavilion in the lake in the courtyard to appreciate fish in the middle of the night? You should know that the inner courtyard is pitch black at this moment, so where can you see the fish in the lake clearly?

But for Yier's surprise, Zhang Susu was actually there. She was sitting in the pavilion wearing a thin dress, half on the railing, with her chin on her arms, and her eyes were blurred at the dim lake. She was obviously worried.

"Miss?" Yi'er walked over and called carefully. Although they were both women, Yi'er knew very well how noble the identity of her lady in front of her was. She was the Minister of State of the dynasty, holding the military power of a 50,000 army in her hand, which was no less than that of a man.

Especially when I saw the heroic figure of my ladies when they shouted at the generals, Yier admired her very much. After all, in this era, there was no one else in the example of women holding power except Zhang Susu.

"It's you, Yi girl..." Zhang Susu glanced at Yi'er when she heard this, without any intention of moving. She was still staring at the lake in a daze. The fool could see that she was worried at the moment.

If it were someone like Sima Yi who knew how to observe his expressions and expressions, he would have already known the tactfully at this moment. Only a little girl like Yier, who is not well-informed in the world, would have come forward foolishly.

"Miss, do you have any worries?" Yier asked in confusion.

If someone else had asked so presumptuously, Zhang Susu would have been dissatisfied, but she felt that it would be difficult for her to get angry with the little girl in front of her who was not very familiar with the world.

"Yi'er, come here to sit..." Zhang Susu called softly.

"Yeah!" Yi'er nodded, walked over and sat next to Zhang Susu, looked at her with a sad face, and said with concern, "Did the lady think of something sad? My father told Yi'er before that when you feel uncomfortable, just laugh..." As she said that, she grinned.

"..." Looking at the innocent smile of his maid, Zhang Susu sighed deeply.

Xiao Mo, maybe this is the smile you want to see?

but……

Susu can no longer do it, Susu can no longer be like she did before...

As she thought about it, Zhang Susu's eyes couldn't help but red, because she couldn't help but think of the days when she and Chen Mo fled to Runan when they shared joys and sorrows and shared life and death.

Why?

Why do you want to abandon Susu?

You have clearly said that you will always protect Susu and do not ask anyone to harm Susu. Why is it that you are the one who is the deepest?

"Miss?" Seeing that two tears fell on Zhang Susu's face, Yier was obviously panicked and said in panic, "Is it... Is Yier smiling bad?"

"Puchi..." Even Zhang Susu, who was extremely depressed at this moment, couldn't help but be happy when she heard such innocent words. After raising her hand to wipe away the tears from her face, she patted Yier's head and said softly, "Yes! - My daughter's family should be able to smile without showing her teeth. Do you understand? How can she be so silly like the man Nan!"

Yier tilted her head in confusion and asked curiously, "What does it mean to smile without showing her teeth?"

Zhang Susu was stunned when she heard this, then looked at Yier angrily and whispered, "Look!" As she said that, she smiled slightly.

I have to say that Zhang Susu, who has a beautiful face, was not affected by the faint tears on her face at all. She smiled slightly at this moment, as if the pear blossoms were covered with rain. Even Yi'er couldn't help but look dumbfounded.

"Miss smiles... so beautiful..." Yi'er said in a daze.

Zhang Susu smiled in surprise when she heard this, then sighed self-deprecatingly and murmured, "What's the use of saying it's good to look? Some people don't think so..."

"That person is so hateful!" Yier said angrily.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Susu's expression changed slightly, and he subconsciously frowned and scolded, "Don't talk nonsense!"

Yi'er was obviously startled by Zhang Susu's sudden scolding, and shrank his head and looked panicked. At this time, Zhang Susu also realized his loss of composure, raised his hand to stroke Yi'er's hair, and said with a pleasant look, "That person is the person with the most weight in my heart, so don't talk nonsense..."

Yier nodded obediently, then seemed to have thought of something, and asked timidly, "Is it a man?"

Zhang Susu was stunned when she heard this. Seeing Yier's black eyes rolling, she didn't know what she was thinking. She chuckled and said, "Are you surprised?"

"Yeah!" Yier nodded vigorously.

Zhang Susu smiled faintly when she heard this, stroked Yier's hair, and murmured, "After all, I'm just a woman, of course I will fall in love with someone..."

"Who is that person? Are you in the city? Have you ever seen Yier?" Yier asked nonstop.

Looking at the excited look of his maid, Zhang Susu sighed quietly and shook her head slightly.

"He left with another woman..."

"Huh?!" Yi'er widened her eyes in disbelief. When she was about to ask more, she found that Zhang Susu stood up and wrapped in thin clothes on her body.

"It's getting late, go back..."

"Oh..." Seeing Zhang Susu say this, Yier couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. After all, she was very curious about Zhang Susu.

"Let's go," touched Yi'er's head, Zhang Susu walked straight out of the pavilion. As she walked, she looked up at the stars in the night sky, and a complicated look flashed in her eyes, and then she left and disappeared into the night.

Not to mention that Zhang Susu has self-respecting troops in Puyang, but in the Guandu area, Yuan Shao was in a fierce confrontation with Cao Cao. In the days from June 12 to June 18, the two sides launched an offensive across the river. Yuan Shao attacked fiercely and Cao Cao defended to the death. For a moment, the two sides actually had a slutty battle.

No wonder, after all, Guandu was Cao Cao's last line of defense. If the area was defeated, there would be no chance to turn defeat into victory. In this way, the Cao army was united and united, and it was quite powerful to swear to block Yuan Shao north of the Yellow River.

It has to be said that this kind of fierce battle that takes time and time is precisely the most inferior tactic of military tactics. After all, whether it is Yuan Shao or Cao Cao, it will be trapped in the quagmire of war and it will be difficult to get out of it. The most direct impact of this will undoubtedly be both defeated, and it will be a disadvantage for other princes.

Even if Yuan Shao finally defeated Cao Cao after consuming many troops, it would be difficult to defeat the situation and sweep across Jingzhou, Jiangdong, Hanzhong, and Shu, not to mention Cao Cao, you should know that Liu Biao from Jingzhou has always been in a feud with Cao Cao, and once Cao Cao lost too much troops when dealing with Yuan Shao, Jingzhou would probably take the opportunity to attack.

To this end, both Yuan Shao and Cao Cao hope to have a breakthrough that can change the current situation and decide the outcome with a decisive battle as much as possible.

"The breakthrough point is in Wuchao!"

Perhaps it was a coincidence that Yuan Shao and Cao Cao decided on the same day and at the same time.

In the next few days, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao maintained a truce in tacit understanding. This seemed to be the tranquility before the storm, which brought great pressure to the Cao army, but on the other hand, Yuan Shao's side was also under a considerable degree of pressure.

After all, if you say a good thing, you must first deceive yourself. For this reason, Yuan Shao did not hide his intention to use Wuchao as a place to store grain and heavy land. What's more, he made great efforts, fearing that Cao Cao would not know that he would station all the food and money he used by the three armies in Wuchao, and Cao Cao's side was also ready to attack Wuchao.

This is a battle between hunters and prey. As for who can laugh to the end, he still can't see through it. The only thing that can be clear is that Cao Cao is preparing to lead his army to attack Wuchao, a major grain-station in Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao is preparing to lead his army to ambush Cao Cao, who is trying to attack his Wuchao.

On June 23, the third year of Chuping, Li Dian, Le Jin, Cao Hong and others led their Qu troops to quietly leave Guandu and hide in the shallows of the Yellow River downstream of Guandu. At the same time, Yuan Shao also asked the general Chunyu Qiong, who was in Wuchao, to prepare.

Could it be that Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's advisers failed to understand each other's layout?

Obviously not!

In fact, the strategists on both sides are very clear, and even Yuan Shao and Cao Cao are very clear. After all, this is a gamble.

Yuan Shao bet that Cao Cao would attack Wuchao, but he could not conquer Wuchao's defense. At that time, Guandu was empty, so he could naturally take Cao's camp effortlessly. In this way, Cao Cao was doomed to be defeated, and Yuan Shao could take hundreds of thousands of victorious troops southward, Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Hanzhong, Shu, and enjoy the whole world.

Cao Cao bet that his side could forcibly capture Wuchao before Yuan Shao sent his army to intercept it, burning the food and supplies inside. In this way, Yuan Shao had to transfer grain from the white horse. As long as he cut off his food route, even if Yuan Shao had hundreds of thousands of troops, he would probably not escape defeat. Although this matter was extremely dangerous, the advantage of doing so was that his army would not lose too much, and would not usher in the embarrassing situation where Yuan Shao had just retreated and Liu Biao came to attack again. After all, for Cao Cao, it was not enough to just repel Yuan Shao. He also had to be careful of Liu Biao in Jingzhou. Once he lost too many troops after this war, it would undoubtedly be a good deal for Liu Biao. For Cao Cao, whether it was Yuan Shao or Liu Biao, he was not going to give in to the Yan and Henan states.

I have to say that this is a battle where you plot against me, I plot against me, and I plot against each other, but what Yuan Shao and Cao Cao did not expect was that one of them completely disrupted their plans...

"Yuan Shao has stored the grain and grass in Wuchao?"

Obviously, this news also reached Chen Mo's ears.

It has to be said that Chen Mo and his Black Wolf Cavalry have had a hard time in the past two days. Because of the successive defeats of Pingqiu, Yanjin, Yancheng and other places, they were completely wrapped in Yuan Shao's sphere of influence. What's worse is that the shocking attack a month ago made hundreds of thousands of Yuan troops attach great importance to him, and the defense strength has not only doubled, especially at night. In order to prevent Chen Mo from playing with them as he did last time, Yuan Shao specially transferred 20,000 Wuwan Cavalry from Wen Chou, and was temporarily led by Gao Lan and Zhang He, patrolling near Yancheng every night in order to prevent Chen Mo.

It has to be said that for Chen Mo and the Black Wolf Cavalry, who now only has 1,934 members, Yuan Shao mobilized many troops and did not dare to slack off at all.

Although it was a bit funny that Yuan Shao was so arrogant, no matter what, Chen Mo and his Black Wolf Cavalry were restricted. As Xun You and Chen Qun expected, one month after the attack on the white horse at night, Chen Mo and his Black Wolf Cavalry had no effect anymore.

No wonder, after all, Yuan Shao sent 20,000 Wuwan cavalry specifically to guard against Chen Mo, not to mention that Zhang He and Gao Lan were commanded by him. If this happened, those who were waiting for Chen Mo would probably have to surrender.

But the problem is that Chen Mo is now trapped within Yuan Shao's sphere of influence, and how to get supplies has become his most troublesome problem. After all, when Cao's army retreated, it implemented a strategy of clearing the fields, dirting water sources and burning mountains and forests, in order not to ask Yuan Shao to get military rations from the local area. Now, Yuan Shao has not seen any of it yet, Chen Mo has tasted this pain first.

Because of this, when Chen Mo learned about Yuan Shao's camp, he couldn't help but feel a little moved. After all, as the saying goes, the three armies should go ahead before they move their food. If they could burn another fire to burn Wuchao's grain, even if Yuan Shao had hundreds of thousands of troops, it would be difficult to achieve. The more important thing is that the 1,934 Black Wolf Cavalry soldiers had already lost food for more than half a month. They walked in the mountains and forests that were spared from fire every day, relying on wild fruits and game to fill their hunger. It has to be said that this was too desolate for such meritorious people.

Perhaps the success of attacking the white horse an eve a month ago greatly encouraged Chen Mo and the Black Wolf Cavalry soldiers' self-confidence, or perhaps they were forced to have no choice but to be forced by the rations, Chen Mo decided to go to Wuchao.

I have to say that Chen Mo's thoughts were still too simple. How could he know that the Wuchao incident was a game between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, which was related to the game between Yan and Henan, the game between the Central Plains, and the game between the world!

On the night of June 24, the third year of Chuping, Cao Cao's generals, with his troops from Qu, quietly took a boat to cross the river, preparing to burn Wuchao. At the same time, Yuan Shao had already ambushed the Wuchao to Yancheng area, waiting for Cao Cao to fall into the trap.

And during this period, Chen Mo, who had a simple idea, also went to Wuchao, and stepped into this trap that Yuan Shao had originally set for Cao Cao, a trap that was lifeless...

The war is about to break out!

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Chapter completed!