The Most Romantic of the Three Kingdoms

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Everyone saw that the speaker was in his forties, with a dark complexion and an ordinary appearance. His clothes were very simple. He was wearing a scarf on his head, a black robe, and a leather belt around his waist. He was not tall, but Cao Cao.

Yuan Shao said, "Immediately launch an offensive against Gongsun Zan?"

Cao Cao adjusted his sitting position and rushed to Yuan Shao sideways, his waist was straight, but his chin was slightly turned inward to show respect for Yuan Shao, and said: "Exactly. There is no way to save it, and as we have discussed several times before, once Nanyang is gained by virtue, then south of the great river, there will be no one who can resist chastity. Liu Jingsheng is not a pioneering and enterprising person, and Liu Yao from Yangzhou has a false reputation. , in time, the two states of Jing and Yang will also have them! At that time, he will hold five states, ... no, plus Yuzhou, Henan Yin and other prefectures, it will be half of the six states, and the world will be divided into two parts. It's half done! Its momentum can be imagined, and the whole country will be shaken by it! And if the public has not won Youzhou until then, it will be difficult to compete with it! Because, for the public's sake, it must be obtained. Hurry up and control Youzhou's income first, and then you can compete with it. And the best time to take Youzhou is naturally now, while its main force is still in Nanyang! Don't miss this opportunity. , because I thought it was time to attack Gongsun Zan immediately."

As he spoke, Cao Cao waved his hand down, as if cutting a thorn with a sharp knife, and said, "Destroy Gongsun Zan first, and then the army will follow the trend northward, occupy Zhuo County, take Ji County, and encircle the east, so that Nangyou will start."

- Attacking Gongsun Zan is just an introduction, or in other words, a prelude.

Cao Cao's suggestion actually suggested that Yuan Shao should hurry up and seize Youzhou.

One of the people at the banquet responded, "Duke Ming, the officials are ignorant. Cao's comments are very serious. Now is the best time to immediately launch an offensive against Gongsun Zan, and then take advantage of the situation."

The seat that this person sits is above all the officials in the hall, and the seat on the right hand is the highest. This is the most honorable seat other than Yuan Shao's chairman/seat. Ju awarded.

Yuan Shao stroked his beard and pondered.

Ju Shu said: "Duke Ming, the reason why the officials said that now is the best time to destroy Gongsun Zan first and then take Youzhou is because Duke Cao said that the main force of chariots and cavalry is still in Nanyang, and there are two reasons."

"Which two reasons?"

Ju Shou said: "General Zuo has been operating Nanyang for four or five years now, and although he has unfortunately lost his life and died, his army still survives. He must have to put his main energy on appeasing Nanyang and digesting the remnants of the left general's army, which means that he has no time to look after him in a short period of time, and that's why."

"What about the second reason?"

Ju Shou said: "This time, in the use of Nanyang, the chariots and the cavalry are in alliance with Liu Jingzhou. Nanyang may be easy to obtain, but how to handle the relationship with Liu Jingzhou will not be easy. These two reasons are the same."

"The meaning of the supervisor is that even if the Nanyang campaign is over, Xun Zhen will not be able to take care of me in Jizhou for the time being?"

Ju Shou said: "Returning to Duke Ming's words, this is exactly what the officials meant. In the humble opinion of the following officials, even if the Nanyang campaign can be finished and finished within this month, it will be at least half a year, or even more than half a year. He still has no time to look after him. Duke Ming, isn't this the best opportunity for our army to annihilate Gongsun Zan and take over Youzhou? Duke Ming, this opportunity must not be missed! If you miss it, wait until the chariots digest it. After Nanyang is over and the relationship with Liu Jingzhou is settled, if our army wants to take seclusion again, he will definitely not sit and watch, but will definitely send troops and horses, either out of the plain and into the Bohai Sea, or out of Dongjun to threaten Ye County, to interfere!"

- Ju Shou's meaning is actually the same as Cao Cao's, but compared to Cao Cao, in addition to the military factor that "Xun Zhen's main force is currently in Nanyang", he pointed out to Yuan Shao two more factors that affected Xun Zhen's lack of time to look after him. Political factors, even if the Nanyang battle is over, there are two important things that need to be dealt with by Xun Zhen, such as appeasement of Nanyang after the war and handling of diplomatic relations with Liu Biao. Compared with the former, it is obvious that the latter will consume more Xun Zhen's energy and time when it comes to "Xun Zhen's invasion of Nanyang".

Yuan Shao pondered for a while, stroking his beard, and while thinking about it, he said: "What the two of you said is true, but although Gongsun Zan is about to be defeated, he still has tens of thousands of people. The Yijing he built was extremely strong, and I heard that he was stationed in the fields inside and outside the dock, and his grain storage was sufficient. At the same time, he kept in contact with Zhang Feiyan, and Liu He, Xian Yufu, and Yan Rou had followed my lead. The order, it is expected that they will not be reconciled, so if I launch a general attack on Gongsun Zan at this time, if the offensive does not go well, will there be any changes?"

Cao Cao asked, "In the beginning, what happened?"

Yuan Shao said: "Xun Zhen has now stationed elite troops in Pingyuan County and Dong County. Xun Cheng and Le Jin have also led their troops to Jinan and Jiyin respectively. What I worry about is if Xun Cheng and Le Jin are the same. Attack my Bohai Sea, threaten my Yexian County, ... and then Liu He and others riot in it, and after Zhang Feiyan leaves Zhongshan and attacks the main force of our army under Chunyu Qiong's supervision, this battle will probably have variables!"

The superficial situation is indeed as Yuan Shao said.

The Yijing built by Gongsun Zan is very strong and difficult to capture; Liu He and others are unconvinced and may defect at any time; Zhang Feiyan is very likely to rush to help Gongsun Zan; and Xun Cheng and Le Jin should not be taken lightly.

If the battle of Yijing goes well, nothing needs to be said; but once it gets into a hard fight, it may happen that Yuan Shao and others don't want to see changes as Yuan Shao thought.

But I didn't expect that the main force has arrived, or is about to arrive.

In the periphery of Yi County, all kinds of military resources have been largely transported to Chunyu Qiong's army, so far they are fully prepared for Gongsun Zan's general attack, but Yuan Shao has doubts!

Cao Cao was speechless.

However, Yuan Shao was the "lord", so Cao Cao had no choice but to hold back his temper, stroked his beard, and said with a smile, "Original! What you are thinking about, in my opinion, is nothing to worry about!"

"Oh? Why?"

Cao Cao said: "Let's talk about Lejin and Xuncheng's troops first, the main force of Zhen is in Nanyang, and the troops of Qingzhou and Yanzhou are nothing but bluff! Besides, haven't you sent more reinforcements to all the counties in eastern Hebei? Lejin If Xun Cheng dared to invade Jizhou from the west, it is expected that they will not achieve anything in the end."

"Meng De, don't underestimate the enemy. Le Jin and Xun Cheng are both famous generals under Xun Zhen's tent, and they are both good warriors."

Cao Cao disapproved, waved his hand, and said with a smile: "In the beginning, Zhenzhi and I fought fiercely in Yan, because I was relatively clear about the abilities of his generals. Lejin Xiaoguo has the appearance of a famous general. Xun Cheng is nothing more than a person who makes things happen because of people. In the beginning, only one person who made progress, only relying on Zhenzhi's bravado, could it shake your defense line in eastern Ji?"

"Zhang Feiyan is cunning, with tens of thousands of troops, and a formidable enemy."

Cao Cao smiled and said: "From Zhongshan to Yixian, there are two ways to go, one is from west to east, to Yixian, the other is north to Youzhou, and then from Zhuojun south to Yixian. In any case, it is impossible to get around the back of Chunyu Qiong's clan, that is, if Zhang Feiyan wants to copy Chunyu Qiong's back path, there is only one way to go. Then, if you think about this, you should first choose the elite and kill them. Wouldn’t it be enough to live in Zhongshan and the east-west main road leading to Yixian?”

"...If Liu and the rest of the people are in chaos, what will they do?"

Cao Cao laughed loudly and said, "Liu and literate scholars do not know how to fight; Xian Yufu and Xianyu Yinqian followed Liu Yu and were defeated by Gongsun Zan with thousands of cavalry. Because Liu Yu was a prisoner, he was Xian Yufu. , Xianyu Yin's scheming is useless! Among the generations, only Yan Rou is known for his bravery, but Yan Rou's commander is the Wuhuan, Xianbei's Huqi, but now Su Puyan and other Hu chieftains have received more from you. Since the veneration and generous rewards have already been attached to you, then Yan Rou is useless. In my opinion, what are you worrying about these generations?"

Yuan Shao said, "Meng De, what do you think?"

Cao Cao said sternly: "In the beginning, what the supervisor said was exactly what I wanted! Now is the best time to annihilate Gongsun Zan and take advantage of the situation to seize Youzhou. This opportunity cannot be missed!"

Yuan Shao turned his eyes to Guo Tu and asked, "Gongze, what do you think?"

In this matter, Guo Tu also agreed with Ju Shou and Cao Cao's suggestion.

Chunyu Qiong was the one who led the troops on the front line. If Gongsun Zan was completely eliminated at this time, and then Youzhou was acquired, then it would of course be the best for Guo Tu and his party.

They will be the biggest beneficiaries, and the party of Jizhou scholars may even be completely overwhelmed by them.

Guo Tuyin said: "Ming Gong, Tu's stupid opinion, the supervisor and Cao Gong's words are reasonable."

Yuan Shao finally made up his mind, made a decision, and said: "Okay! Meng De and the military supervisor, then according to the intention of the two of you, we will hold a military meeting in the next two days to formally discuss the general attack on Gongsun Zan and take advantage of the situation to take Youzhou. thing!"

Cao Cao said with a smile: "In the beginning, although Gongsun Zan's dock wall was strong, but facing the enemy in battle, the most important thing is not whether the dock wall is strong or not, not whether there is enough food, but the military heart and morale. Gongsun Zan has been defeated for our army repeatedly. , his fighting spirit has been lost early, and he has been trapped in Yijing for several months now, and he sits and sees that he will be defeated and die, and refuses to rescue. As long as you give an order, Chunyu Qiong will definitely be able to clean up Keyi County for you and present Gongsun Zan to you at the latest!"

Yuan Shao stroked his beard and said with a smile, "I hope it can be as good as yours!"

Cao Cao paused, then continued: "In the beginning, in order to fight against Zhenzhi, not only do you need to bring Youzhou under your control as soon as possible, but Bingzhou also needs to be completely taken over by you as soon as possible. Since it is no longer south to attack Luoyang, then It is useless for me to stay in Ye County. If you agree, I think I will return to Taiyuan in two days. After returning to Taiyuan, I will continue to recruit the Hu tribes in Yanmen and other counties for you, and strive to make them surrender. As for you, at the same time, I wonder if I can get in touch with Han Sui, Ma Teng and other troops in Guanzhong first, so that we can deal with Zhenzhi together with them in the future, what do you think?"

Yuan Shao smiled and said, "Meng De, you can't leave."

"...why is this?"

Yuan Shao stroked his beard and said calmly, "Although according to your analysis, Gongsun Zan may not be difficult to annihilate, but Gongsun Zan still has 10,000 or 20,000 strong soldiers, and Zhang Feiyan will rush to help him out of ten. At the moment, it is when you are relying on you, how can you go back to Taiyuan? The Xihe White Wave Yellow Turban has been pacified by you, and Taiyuan is now free from external troubles. Mengde, you should stay in Ye County first and help me eliminate Gongsun Zan, After you take down Youzhou, it's not too late for you to return to Taiyuan."

Cao Cao stroked his beard, laughed dryly, and said, "In the beginning, although Gongsun Zan still had some soldiers and horses, but he is already at the end of the day, and he is about to die. How can I help him? Chunyu Qiong, an old friend of you and me, We all used to be captains in the West Garden in the past. You and I are very clear about his ability to lead troops. With him as the main general, he will definitely be able to annihilate Gongsun Zan! Besides, the monarchs of Jianjun and Gongze, They are all resourceful and resourceful people, and they will advise you. Not to mention a mere Gongsun Zan, plus Zhang Feiyan, Liu and others, it is not a concern. It is not necessary for me to stay in Ye County."

"You can't say that, Meng De, you'd better stay."

Cao Cao trusted his heart, with a sincere look on his black face, and said, "In the beginning, although Taiyuan has no major foreign troubles, in order to fight against Xun Zhenzhi in the future, at least recruiting troops and horses is necessary, right? It is also necessary to practice, right? Another, as I said just now, the Xianbei, Wuhuan, Tugo and Hu tribes in Yanmen and other counties are quite a force, and I have to go back to continue. To recruit them, in addition, there are Han Sui, Ma Teng and the others... At first, these need to be done now! Therefore, I think it is better for me to go back to Taiyuan than to stay in Ye County. more for you."

Yuan Shao said, "Meng De, what you said, whether the Hu clan in Yanmen and other counties, Han Sui, Ma Teng, etc., are not in a hurry, recruiting troops and horses is a trivial matter, and Yuan Cai is enough for it. Don't worry about it, just stay in Ye County."

"...In the beginning, after all, I was the prefect of Taiyuan. I originally followed the rules of the Han family, and there was no edict that 2,000 stones were not allowed to leave the county without permission. I've actually violated this rule by bringing troops to Ye. If I stay in Ye for a long time, I'm afraid inappropriate."

Yuan Shao waved his big hand and said proudly: "Meng De, with your ability, with your ability to clear the Yellow Turbans of the Xihe River and the achievements of King Qin, a Taiyuan prefect is indeed a Qucai! Hasn't the court already worshiped you as a queen general? Well, let's wait. After taking You, I will make a statement to the court and declare that you are the governor of Youzhou, how about it?"

Yuan Shao said, Cao Cao is not a three-year-old child, so he didn't believe it at all, he said: "Original..."

Yuan Shao said with a smile: "Okay, Meng De! This matter is not discussed. You listen to me and stay in Ye County to help me."

…

But why did Cao Cao repeatedly propose to Yuan Shao to return to Taiyuan?

There is of course a reason for this.

The reason is also very simple. At the same time when Cao Cao was called to lead his troops to Ye, according to Guo Tu's plan, Yuan Shao also sent a secret order to Gao Gan, ordering Gao Gan to seize the opportunity of Cao Cao's departure from Taiyuan, and take Xihe County as soon as possible. brought under its control.

Yesterday, Cao Cao had just received an urgent letter from Cheng Li, who had been left in Taiyuan by him. The book said that the high cadres would send troops and horses to the Xihe.

Although Cao Cao brought most of his troops in Taiyuan with him when he left Ye County in Taiyuan, he did not move from Xiahou Dun of Xihe County, but Gao Cao was Yuan Shao's nephew and the prefect of Bingzhou, regardless of his status or background. They are far from comparable to Xiahou Dun, so once high-ranking soldiers and horses enter Xihe County, Xiahou Dun, even with Cheng Li, will definitely not be able to compete with them. If so, Xihe County will definitely be won by high-ranking officials. Cao Cao worked so hard in Bingzhou for so long, and he fought wars and tried his best to establish a good relationship with Wang Yi. Wouldn't that mean it was all in vain? In other words, it was even a wedding dress for high officials.

In this regard, Cao Cao/he is of course unwilling.

Therefore, he repeatedly asked Yuan Shao to return to Taiyuan.

But the reason why Yuan Shao kept him in Ye County was to help Gao Gan occupy the Xihe River, so how could he be willing to let him go back?

After coming out of Yuan Shao's mansion and returning to his residence, Cao Cao said angrily: "Seeing small profits and forgetting great righteousness, Shuzi can't make plans!"

His eldest son Cao Ang waited for him to take off his coat and asked, "Father, why are you so angry? Is there something wrong? ... Who is Shuzi?"

When Yuan Shao's mansion was discussing matters, although Cao Ang was the son of Cao Cao, he did not attend because he was not an official of Yuan Shao's mansion.

Cao Cao asked himself to be returned to Taiyuan, Yuan Shao told Cao Ang briefly about this matter, and then said: "Yuan Shu is extremely useless, with Wan's strength, with enough food for his troops, but not even an inch of arrows are released, one day In the meantime, Wanxian has been lost, and he himself died at the hands of thieves, and Nanyang has already gained its virginity! Jing and Yangzhou, two years later, and more than a year old, will also be responsible for it. All of them. Zhenzhi is taking over the imperial court, and the king's orders are used for it! In terms of the situation, we have fallen to the disadvantage. At this time, when it is time to make concerted efforts to fight against chastity together, Yuan Benchu ​​is so stubborn that he is still plotting against me. The Xihe and Taiyuan of Xihe and Taiyuan are simply unreasonable! It is absurd that Wanxian fell so easily. I don’t think this Yuan Benchu ​​is much better than his younger brother Yuan Gonggong!… I am clumsy, I actually regarded him as a hero back then. !"

"So it is! Father, what should we do?"

Cao Cao sat on the table and said angrily, "What else can I do? I can only think of countermeasures."

Cao Ang made a plan and said to Cao Cao, "Father, why don't you go to Ju Shou and let Ju Shou come to help him persuade the generals and let him return to Taiyuan? Ju Shou is a wise counselor, he will definitely be able to discern the situation and the importance of it. ."

Cao Cao shook his head and said: "At the beginning of this day, his authority in Jizhou has stabilized, and he has gradually distanced himself from the supervisors and other soldiers, and is more inclined to Guo Tu's scholars. I just went to the supervisors, and the supervisors also If you agree with me returning to Taiyuan, Yuan Benchu ​​probably won't like him either."

Cao Ang said, "Then my father is going to find Guo Tu?"

Cao Cao still shook his head and said, "Guo Gong is narrow-minded and only has selfish interests in his eyes, so it is useless to seek him... I even suspect that it might be Guo Tuxian who took advantage of me to go to Ye to take Xihe and Taiyuan away. For Yuan Benchu!"

Cao Cao is not a "clumsy-eyed" person who does not know people, but he guessed it correctly.

"Father, what should I do?"

Cao Cao put aside his anger temporarily, sank his mind, thought for a long time, and said, "There are only two people who may help me at the moment."