Cao Cao sat in the tent, motionless, his face cold as dark clouds pressed against him.

The atmosphere in the tent was depressing and solemn, making people unable to breathe. Even the breathing sound was deliberately lowered, for fear of attracting Cao Cao's attention and causing unintentional disasters.

After several days of continuous battle, there was no war on Gunlongpo. Huang Zhong's troops approached the slope. After a little test, they found that there was no gap to attack, so they gave up the attack and sent scouts to investigate the terrain. They thought they could continue to confront each other until Huang Zhong had enough food to retreat, but they never thought something happened to Dangqu behind him.

The Wu army appeared on Bameng Mountain, and there were many people. Not only did they rob a large amount of supplies transported from Dianjiang and Chengdu, but they also ambushed the Three Thousand Dangqu tribes led by Pang Jun.

What made Cao Cao even more angry was that such a big thing happened. Cao Hong first concealed it and then cheated it, but in the end he couldn't hide it. He was forced to report it, but he was still confused. No one could explain how many Wu troops were in Bameng Mountain. No one knew how Pang Jun was imprisoned.

Cao Hong is really not a person who can take great responsibility. He can't do such a simple thing well.

Xin Ping is not a qualified adviser. If Chen Gong or Fa Zheng were here, even Zhang Song would do it, there would never be any confusion.

But he couldn't let go of these two people, especially Cao Hong. Cao Hong was limited in ability and loyalty. Apart from Cao Hong, he couldn't think of who could stay in Dangqu.

I thought Dangqu was safe behind me, but I never thought it would be a mistake. Huang Zhong played this trick beautifully and used the reason to punish Xu Huang to move Xu Huang away from his sight, which not only comforted the victims but also deceived him.

Of course, from another perspective, the Wu army's advantage in mountain warfare was also fully demonstrated in this battle. Only by marching in the impossible can we avoid the scout's sight and appear quietly on Bameng Mountain.

Meeting such an opponent is both a headache and exciting.

Cao Cao's eyebrows raised slightly, his mouth tilted, and ordered someone to invite Feng Luan, and then looked back to the map he was facing.

Feng Luan soon came excitedly. The wars were easy these two days, and Cao Cao was also relaxed. He often invited him to talk about wine and rewarded him from time to time. He was both face and profitable, and he was very interested and came as soon as he summoned him.

After entering the tent, Feng Luan saw Cao Cao paying attention to the map at his desk, but he didn't pay attention to his arrival. He deliberately stopped and laughed loudly, "The king is very worried about moving, are you planning to attack?"

Cao Cao raised his head and saw that it was Feng Luan. He quickly got up, met him, reached out and held Feng Luan's arm with his hand, laughing. "Yuanfeng, if you attack, where should you take first?"

Feng Luan was just talking casually, but he never thought of taking the initiative. Seeing Cao Cao say this, he hesitated a little. These days, he saw Cao Cao and his generals using troops in Cao Cao's army, and knew that he could not compare with Cao Cao in terms of military tactics. If he said it wrong, he would be ridiculed at the least, and would affect military affairs at the worst, and even related to life and death.

Feng Luan pondered for a moment and said in a careful manner: "King, Huang Zhong is short of food. Even if the Han and barbarians around Xuanhan can plunder, their income is limited, and they will not last long and they will retreat sooner or later. Why should the king take risks?"

Cao Cao nodded, patted Feng Luan's arm, and smiled and said, "Just just joke, Yuanfeng doesn't have to be nervous."

Feng Luan breathed a sigh of relief. Cao Cao really likes to joke, so there is nothing strange about this.

Cao Cao led Feng Luan to the seat, ordered someone to drink wine, and drank two glasses with Feng Luan. "Yuanfeng, recently received news that Yan Pu had made plans for Huang Zhong, contacted some Brazilian tribes, and recruited troops and collected food. Have you ever heard of the news?"

"Is this happening?" Feng Luan said seriously. In fact, he also received the news, but it was hard to say it clearly.

Although Cao Cao was the King of Shu, not everyone was willing to support him. There were many people who were loyal to the Han Dynasty. Cao Cao came from Chang'an to Empress Fu and the eldest son of the emperor, but he never supported the new emperor. It was obviously inconsistent with the image of a loyal minister he claimed, and many people were suspicious. In addition, Cao Cao's background was full of people who disdained to be with him.

"Yes, the elite Wu army, Huang Zhong is not an idiot, and he will not admit defeat easily. The soldiers are like water and change without any change. Who knows where they will break through." Cao Cao drank the wine in the glass and pointed to the map. "The way to use troops is to be invincible first, then to be invincible. Today, I want to come here to discuss with you to see if Huang Zhong is likely to use a surprise soldier to win. If there is any negligence, how should our army make up for it."

Feng Luan nodded and agreed. It is appropriate to be cautious when marching and fighting.

The two of them were drinking while chatting and analyzing the possible actions Huang Zhong took. Cao Cao went around in a circle and proposed a hypothesis: If Huang Zhong sent people to occupy Babian Mountain, would the situation be reversed?

Feng Luan didn't realize Cao Cao's real intention at all, and thought about it very seriously. "There will be some problems, but as long as it is handled properly, it will not reverse the situation."

Cao Cao was surprised. "Yuanfeng, Babian Mountain is south of Dangqu, and the terrain is dangerous. If it is occupied by Huang Zhong, it would be like strangling my throat and fighting life and death at the opponent. Wouldn't the situation be lost?"

Feng Luan shook his head and smiled slightly reservedly: "King, normally, being strangled by someone's throat is naturally related to life. Don't be careless, you must do your best to fight to the death. But what if the person who strangled my throat is a dying person? I'm afraid he swallowed himself before he could strangle me to death. Since that's the case, why should I care?"

Cao Cao also smiled and raised his wine glass. "Yuan Feng is worthy of being a famous general. Although he is gentle and elegant, he is a famous scholar, but he has a tiger in his heart."

Feng Luan was extremely proud and blinked. "King, although I am a Han Chinese, I am also accustomed to the barbarian style and regard tigers as gods. Over time, some tiger aura will be natural." After that, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that his words made sense, and couldn't help laughing.

Cao Cao chatted with Feng Luan for a while, assuming how to deal with the fall of Babian Mountain. Under the intentional or unintentional guidance of Cao Cao, Feng Luan was full of confidence and tried to prove that his analysis was correct. He proposed that if Babian Mountain was lost, there were roughly two solutions: one was to regain Babian Mountain, and the other was to bypass Babian Mountain and take other paths.

The meaning of Babian Mountain is to guard the canal water. Once Babian Mountain is controlled by the enemy, the waterway leading to Dianjiang will be cut off. In the long run, of course it will not work and must be recaptured. However, the impact in the short term is limited. First, Dangqu has a certain amount of grain storage, so there is no rush in a while, and second, there is another way to go.

The Dang Canal is surrounded by water, and there are two rivers with large water volume: one is the Bucao River from Xuanhan, and the other is the canal water from Hanchang. After the two waters merge, they flow south to Dianjiang, merge with the Han River from Langzhong and Anhan, and then flow south into the river.

The canal water flow is large and the water flow is gentle, which is the main channel between Dangqu and Dianjiang. Even when you go to Langzhong, the county capital northwest of Dangqu, most people like to go south through the canal water and then go up the Han River after reaching Dianjiang. Although it takes a longer time, it saves energy and economical.

But this is not the only way. You can reach the Han River by traveling west from Dangqu for about 200 miles. There are also some rivers in the middle that can be transported, but they cannot be directly accessible and need to be transported. It is not as convenient as the canal water.

Therefore, even if Huang Zhong sent people to seize Bameng Mountain, the result would not be changed.

Cao Cao agreed deeply and sincerely praised Feng Luan. He originally wanted to stabilize Feng Luan and stabilize the Dangqu family. Now, after listening to Feng Luan's analysis, he himself was convinced.

The gains and losses of Bameng Mountain are not enough to change the situation. As long as he can stabilize, the Dangqu clan can stabilize and the Brazilian clan can stabilize.

When the wine was half over, Cao Cao told Feng Luan the news he had just received. Feng Luan then realized that what Cao Cao said was not an assumption, but a fact that had happened. He glared at Cao Cao and didn't say anything for a long time. He talked to Cao Cao for a long time, but he didn't see any flaws.

I knew Cao Cao was cunning many years ago, but today I have seen it.

"The king is not surprised when he changes, I admire him." Feng Luan said meaningfully, with a complicated look. The words he had advised Cao Cao before have played a role now, at least convinced himself, making him not look so nervous.

"That's because of Yuanfeng." Cao Cao took the cup and smiled slightly. "If you can win this battle, you can pick up the blue purple and set up a county in Dangqu, how about?"

Feng Luan smiled bitterly and bowed to thank him.

Cao Cao asked Feng Luan to return to the city to calm the people and gather various troops. After he settled down on Gunlongpo, he would personally rush back to Dangqu, capture Bameng Mountain, annihilate the lonely army of Xu Huang, and cut off Huang Zhong's arm to prevent his loss.

Feng Luan felt it was reasonable. Gunlongpo was easy to defend but difficult to attack. Even if Cao Cao was not there, it would be difficult for Huang Zhong to take it down. However, even if Bameng Mountain could not affect the overall situation, it was too close to Dangqu and could not be ignored.

Cao Cao ordered people to invite Xuan'an to inform him of the situation, and repeated his promise to Feng Luan. Although Xuan'an was shocked, he was convinced by Feng Luan's reasons and Cao Cao's promise, and expressed his support for Cao Cao's decision by all the clans, and was willing to assist Feng Luan and appease the tribes of the Dangqu.

After discussion, Feng Luan set off overnight and returned to Dangqu.

After seeing off Feng Luan, Cao Cao summoned the generals to discuss matters.

When they heard that Xu Huang appeared in Bameng Mountain and ambushed Pang Jun, all the generals were surprised.

Xuan'an stood up at the right time, repeated Feng Luan's opinions, explained in detail the terrain around Dangqu, and proved that the gains and losses of Bameng Mountain had nothing to do with the overall situation. Instead, it was a great opportunity to annihilate part of the Wu army. He also expressed his opinion on behalf of the Dangqu clan, giving people and food to fully support the King of Shu.

After listening to Xuan'an's analysis, the generals regained their calmness and began to consider how to fight back.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Cao Cao announced his plan. He appointed Xuan'an as the general of the guard and assisted the leading general Shi Huan to stay in Gunlongpo and block Huang Zhong. In order to ensure that Gunlongpo is safe, Cao Cao also appointed Zhang Ren, who had proved his ability in Qidaoyan, as the general of the bandit, to assist Shi Huan and Xuan'an in fighting.

The others followed him back to Dangqu and attacked Bameng Mountain.

When Bameng Mountain was occupied, the materials from the Dianjiang River could not be transported in time, Langzhong became the key. Cao Cao promoted several young generals, Huang Quan and Hu Du from Langzhong, and appointed them as lieutenants of the Central Army, each leading a thousand people. He also appointed Yi Wang Pu Hu and Du Fu of Ba County as generals to show his reliance on the Sanba Han barbarians and promised that he would not be stingy to reward after the war, and those who have made meritorious can be promoted and enjoy wealth.

There is no need to explain the protection of the interests of the aristocratic families, and it is all indifferent.

Cao Hong soon heard news that after Feng Luan returned to the city, he contacted the tribes and quickly stabilized the situation. Pang Jun, who was killed, was buried with great pain and injured. The soldiers who died were given pensions, and people's hearts gradually stabilized. The families gathered more than 10,000 troops, enough to support half a year of food, and prepared to follow Cao Cao to attack Bameng Mountain.

Cao Cao was overjoyed and led his troops back to the city.

After receiving the news that Xu Huang had succeeded in ambushing Pang Jun, Huang Zhong sent additional scouts to pay close attention to Cao Cao's movements.

Upon learning that Cao Cao had left Gunlongpo, Huang Zhong realized that Cao Cao might launch an attack on Bameng Mountain, and the expected combat goal was about to be achieved, and Xu Huang would also usher in a arduous battle.

He planned to take the initiative to attack Gulongpo and share the pressure for Xu Huang.

This plan was tactfully opposed by Yan Pu.

Although Cao Cao left Gulongpo, Gulongpo's defense line was very strong and not easy to attack. A strong attack would only cause major casualties and increase consumption, but he was not sure of winning. Instead of doing so, it would be better to maintain a forward position and wait patiently for the fighter's opportunity.

Although the current situation is not safe and there is not enough food, it can be barely maintained, which is much better than when he first came out of the mountain. As time goes by, the news of Xu Huang's victory spread, and the Brazilian people's confidence in the Wu army will become stronger and more support will be greater. If Xu Huang can hold on to Bameng Mountain and defeat Cao Cao's attack, Cao Cao's prestige will be ruined, and Shu's power will come to an end, and he will win without a fight.

Huang Zhong knew that Yan Pu's words were reasonable, but his fundamental purpose was to win benefits for the Brazilian clan. The longer the confrontation between the two sides, the more they depended on the Brazilian clan. However, he had to consider Yan Pu's suggestions. First, he needed Yan Pu to contact the Brazilian clan to obtain food, and second, it was easy to defend but difficult to attack on Longpo, and he was not sure.

Even if he wins Gunlongpo at any cost, it doesn't mean he will win.

There is also Dangqu County Town after Gunlongpo.

One mistake is wrong, one step is wrong. From the moment he sent troops in a hurry, he lost the initiative and could not help himself. Before the reinforcements arrived, he could only be at the mercy of Yan Pu, otherwise he would be out of food at any time and would be defeated without fighting.

Huang Zhong couldn't say anything about his suffering, so he could only accept Yan Pu's advice and wait patiently for the opportunity.

At this time, he received news from Xu Shu.

Guan Yu was ordered to take over the military affairs of Xiangyang, recruited thousands of elite troops from Nanyang and Nanjun to conduct training, and collected a large amount of materials, so he could reinforce Hanzhong and Brazil at any time.

Lu Su, the Grand Governor of Anxi, learned that Huang Zhong had left the country and ordered people to send a large amount of dried fish, which would be transported to Xicheng soon. He was trying to find a way to recruit civilians and organize transportation. At most one month, he could deliver the dried fish to the front line. Please make sure that Huang Zhong hold on.
Chapter completed!