Ji Han Liu Zhang

Time flies, the years are like a shuttle.

Time came to the end of the fifth year of Jian'an. The heavy snow in the severe winter fell slowly, and under the blowing of the north wind, it covered the city walls of Xudu.

Cao Cao, the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, unafraid of the severe cold or the strong wind, came to the top of the city to enjoy the snow scenery.

As far as the eye can see, the sky and the earth, the far and the near, are all covered in white, which can be called a magnificent sight.

However, Cao Cao was absent-minded and didn't care much about the scenery. Compared with the scenery in front of him, the current situation was what he was concerned about.

He welcomed the emperor to Xu County and established ancestral temples and altars to the country in Xu County. Under the pretense of the emperor's name, he conquered all directions, wiped out the heroes, swept across the Central Plains, and swallowed up the areas south of the Yellow River and north of the Yangtze River.

The only surviving princes are Yuan Shao of Hebei, Liu Zhang of Guanzhong, Liu Biao of Jingzhou, and Sun Ce of Jiangdong.

Cao Cao's original intention was to continue to maintain a neutral stance in the name of the emperor, to provoke disputes among the princes, and then to profit from it and reap the benefits.

But after Yuan Shao encountered bad luck with the jade disc, he changed his mind, used the secret decree as a banner, divided his troops into three groups, and marched south to plot against the Central Plains. He finally relied on the traitor Xu You to repel Yuan Shao at Guandu.

Over there in Guanzhong, Liu Zhang used the Secret Edict as a banner, threatening to escort the emperor back to Luoyang, and sent Gan Ning and Ma Chao to attack Henan Yin. Now most of Henan Yin was in the hands of Liu Zhang, along with the old capital, Luoyang City.

"The Imperial Edict." Cao Cao gritted his teeth. He supported the Han Dynasty and stabilized the Central Plains. He had made outstanding contributions to the emperor and the Han Dynasty. However, that group of Han officials had made no contributions to the Han Dynasty, but always wanted to harm him.

This group of Han officials did not even think about the fact that if it were not for Cao Cao, there would be many people in the world who would call themselves kings and few who would call themselves lonely.

Authority cannot be handed over to others.

Cao Cao's eyes were determined. His safety depended on the military power in his hands. Once he lost the military power, he would be like a fish on the chopping board, at the mercy of others. Therefore, there was no possibility for him to share either the military power or the power of governance.

Only by keeping power firmly in his hands could he close one eye and sleep, while keeping the other eye open to guard against the so-called loyal officials of the Han Dynasty and prevent them from taking advantage of his slackness to do things that would bring disaster to him.

"Mingsir." A familiar voice came from behind Cao Cao.

Cao Cao knew the identity of the person without turning around. He still looked at the snowy scene in front of him and said, "Wen Ruo, is there anything important?"

Xun Yu was wrapped in a fur coat, looking calm and unhurried. He walked slowly to Cao Cao's side and reported: "It is snowing heavily and the roads are blocked, which is not conducive to the war. Therefore, Yuan Tan in Qingzhou has led his troops to retreat."

After Yuan Shao was defeated at Guandu and led his troops back to Hebei, Yuan Tan of Qingzhou did not withdraw his troops, but continued to launch an offensive, attacking Zang Ba and Sun Guan of Taishan County in order to seize all of Xu County and reach Huainan.

However, as Xun Yu said, in the cold winter now, the weather has put a certain amount of pressure on Yuan Tan, forcing him to lead his troops to retreat and return to Qingzhou.

'Yuan Tan.' Speaking of Yuan Tan, Cao Cao's eyes suddenly saw a figure with a straight figure and upright posture. His face was not as sharp as a sword, but his features were handsome and he had the aura of a young man from an aristocratic family.

This was Cao Cao's impression of Yuan Tan. He and Yuan Shao had been good friends for many years and knew each other's children.

Cao Cao sighed about Yuan Tan's behavior of continuing to attack Mount Tai for a while after Yuan Shao withdrew his troops, saying, "Xiansi is indeed very diligent, and has the same decisiveness and tenacity as Yuan Benchu ​​in his early years. After all, a tiger father will have a dog son."

Xun Yu stood behind Cao Cao. He shook his head and said, "Yuan Xiansi cannot help but be diligent. Yuan Benchu ​​likes his youngest son Yuan Shang and intends to make him his heir. Yuan Xiansi must be feeling like a thorn in his side and dare not slack off."

"Maybe." Cao Cao nodded, but only slightly.

As a half-monarch, Cao Cao had his own opinion on the fact that Yuan Shao favored his youngest son and disliked Yuan Tan.

If Yuan Shao simply appointed Yuan Tan as his heir, since Yuan Tan was in his prime while Yuan Shao was old and frail, all the civil and military officials would know where to turn to and would most likely show their loyalty to Yuan Tan. The power in Yuan Shao's hands would gradually shift, and Yuan Tan would most likely become arrogant and would not be able to hone his talents and temper.

But if, as is the case now, Yuan Shao does not appoint a successor and behaves in favor of his youngest son, firstly, all the civil and military officials under Yuan Shao will not know where to go and will be loyal to Yuan Shao; secondly, Yuan Tan will feel the pressure and will be as diligent as he is now and will not dare to slack off in order to show off in front of Yuan Shao.

This is also why Cao Cao did not explicitly designate Cao Ang as his successor even though Cao Ang was the oldest and most virtuous man. Instead, like Yuan Shao, he showed fondness for his youngest sons Cao Pi and Cao Zhi, which put a certain amount of pressure on Cao Ang.

After Yuan Tan was led away, the Taishan generals Zang Ba, Sun Guan and others made great contributions, so Cao Cao rewarded Zang Ba and Sun Guan: "Appoint Zang Ba as the General of Yangwei, and Sun Guan as the General of Zhenwei. The rest of the generals such as Wu Dun and Yin Li will be rewarded differently to reward them for their loyalty and dedication to the royal family." "Yes." Xun Yu responded.

After discussing the Qingxu incident, Cao Cao expressed his concern for the south of the Yangtze River: "Sun Ce is as brave as his father. This year he has sent troops to Jiangxia. How is the situation in the battle?"

Xun Yu replied calmly: "Although Sun Ce is brave, there are Shanyue people in Wu and clan thieves rebelling. It is difficult for him to achieve success in Jingxiang... This year, Sun Ce led his troops to Jiangxia and fought with Huang Zu, Huang Zhong, Liu Pan and others. Although he won a small victory, Liu Jingsheng lured the Shanyue people and clan thieves in Wu to rebel. Sun Ce had no choice but to lead his troops back to Wu and prioritize solving internal disputes."

The sky gradually brightened and the snowstorm subsided.

Cao Cao and Xun Yu stood on the top of the city wall and did not speak for a long time.

After a long while, Cao Cao looked back at Xun Yu and said, "Wen Ruo, in your opinion, who should be considered the strongest among the princes in the four borders in the world today?"

"Liu Jiyu." Xun Yu gave a straightforward answer.

"Why?" Cao Cao asked a follow-up question to Xun Yu's answer, but it seemed that this question was not completed. The complete sentence should be "Why not Yuan Benchu?"

Xun Yu looked at the empty mountains and snowy scenery, and kept talking: "Liu Jiyu controls the three states of Yong, Liang and Yi. He owns Hedong and Henan. He already owns two of the Three Rivers. In addition, Taiyuan and Yanmen were annexed by him this year. The mountains and rivers are convenient, and the terrain is connected by land. He can be said to be another powerful Qin."

"Moreover, Liu Jiyu is good at governing and has strategic strategies. He is good at both civil and military attack and defense, and is not limited to strengthening Qin."

"Although Yuan Benchu ​​was a powerful figure in Hebei and also controlled the three states of You and Qing, as well as Shangdang and other counties, he was constantly busy with internal affairs and the people. Although he had millions of troops and thousands of warriors, he was no match for Liu Jiyu and would be defeated by him sooner or later."

"Wen Ruo's opinion is the same as mine." Cao Cao laughed heartily twice. The laughter from the top of the city wall spread all over the country in an instant. Before the echo came back, Cao Cao stopped laughing. He suddenly asked Xun Yu: "In your opinion, Yuan Benchu ​​is no match for Liu Jiyu. Even so, I should turn my back on him and surrender to Liu Jiyu with courtesy."

"I think that with Liu Jiyu's kindness, I should not lose my title of nobility." At this point, Cao Cao showed a teasing smile.

Xun Yu shook his head calmly and said, "Victory or defeat cannot be determined until the last moment. Just like when you and Yuan Benchu ​​were at a stalemate at Guandu, the food and grass were running out and the army was going to collapse in just a few days."

"However, Xu You surrendered and pointed out where Yuan's army's food and grass were. Your Excellency acted decisively and took the risk of launching a surprise attack. After one night, Yuan Benchu ​​had no choice but to leave and dared not spy on the Central Plains again."

"It can be seen that victory or defeat has nothing to do with strength, but is determined by benevolence and military strategy... Just like when Zhou destroyed Shang and Emperor Gaozu attacked and killed King Xiang, the strong cannot always be strong, and the weak can also defeat the strong."

"You are right." Cao Cao had a clear understanding. He knew that what Xun Yu said was mostly words of comfort, but at the moment, he had no choice but to believe these words.

At this point in the discussion, Cao Cao's brows showed worry: "You and I both think that Liu Jiyu is a strong opponent, but Yuan Benchu ​​probably doesn't think so. Yuan Benchu ​​may still want to send troops to the Central Plains, starting with the easy ones and then moving on to the difficult ones."

"If there is another Guandu battle, Liu Jiyu will take advantage of the opportunity to attack, and the situation will be difficult to save..."

Xun Yu nodded and said, "Yuan Benchu ​​was blocked at Yubi City in Hedong before, which shows how strong the four barriers in Guanzhong are. Now that Taiyuan and Yanmen have been taken by Liu Jiyu, the situation is getting worse and it will be difficult to control."

"However, as you said, Yuan Benchu ​​has always boasted of being the leader of the princes, and he also regards Hebei as the most powerful vassal in the world, and both you and Liu Jiyu are inferior to him... In addition, Hedong is a strong fortress, and Yuan Benchu ​​is afraid of difficulties and is unlikely to have the intention of coveting Hedong. It is better to go south to the Central Plains, which is a smooth road."

"Therefore, we should send an envoy to inform Yuan Benchu ​​clearly and explain the dangers of Liu Jiyu. It is best to seek the combined strength of Hebei and Central Plains to jointly fight against Guanzhong... Otherwise, if you and Yuan Benchu ​​fight again like this time and fight to the death, I am afraid that you will be defeated by Liu Jiyu sooner or later."

"I'm afraid it will be difficult." Cao Cao half narrowed his eyes. He knew Yuan Shao very well. Yuan Shao had a sense of arrogance in his character and was not willing to yield to others easily. Therefore, Yuan Shao would most likely not agree to the idea of ​​forming an alliance.

Needless to say, Yuan Shao was currently under the shadow of the defeat at Guandu. How could the somewhat arrogant Yuan Shao be willing to reach an alliance agreement with the Central Plains to jointly fight against Guanzhong after the defeat at Guandu and the defeat at which he was defeated?

Xun Yu served under Yuan Shao in his early years and had some understanding of Yuan Shao's character. He knew that forming an alliance with Yuan Shao to fight against Liu Zhang would be extremely difficult to succeed, as Cao Cao had said.

However, given the current situation, Xun Yu thought that no matter whether it could succeed or not, he should give it a try. Even if the alliance failed, it could slightly resolve the conflict between Hebei and the Central Plains: "Mr. Mingshou, you can send a wise man to persuade Yuan Benchu. Whether it succeeds or not, we can do our best and leave it to fate."

"Yes." Cao Cao nodded in response. Whether there is a date or not, let's try it first. Just like what Xun Yu said, if the alliance can succeed, it would be the best. If it can't succeed, that's fine. (End of this chapter)