Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 694 Satisfaction
"Haha, Cao Cao has finally come to this!" Yuan Shao laughed, "Since he is willing to join me, he must obey my orders."

"My lord, Cao Cao is an ambitious man. We must be on guard against him," warned the counselor Guo Tu.

"Humph, he is alone and weak now, what kind of trouble can he cause?" Yuan Shao said nonchalantly, "Pass the order to allow Cao Cao to join us and let him come to Jizhou immediately to be deployed."

After receiving Yuan Shao's reply, Cao Cao had no choice but to lead his army to Jizhou. Along the way, Cao Cao was in a very heavy mood. He looked at his army and secretly vowed in his heart that he must find a chance to get rid of Yuan Shao's control.

"My lord, do we really have to obey Yuan Shao's orders?" General Xiahou Dun asked unwillingly.

"Yuan Rang, this is only temporary." Cao Cao patted Xiahou Dun on the shoulder and said, "We must be patient and wait for the right time. As long as we preserve our strength, one day, we will regain our glory."

After arriving in Jizhou, Cao Cao met Yuan Shao, who sat high up in the main seat and looked at Cao Cao with a smug look on his face.

"Meng De, it is a wise move for you to come and join me." Yuan Shao said with a smile, "From now on, you will follow me and achieve great things together."

Cao Cao suppressed his dissatisfaction and said, "Master Yuan, Cao Cao is willing to serve you."

"Okay, okay!" Yuan Shao nodded with satisfaction. "I see that you have many talented people under you. Please give me more advice in the future."

From then on, Cao Cao was under Yuan Shao's command. On the surface, he obeyed his orders, but secretly he was looking for opportunities to develop his own power. He used some of the power Yuan Shao gave him to secretly recruit soldiers in Jizhou and expand his army. At the same time, he also discussed with his advisers how to get rid of Yuan Shao's control.

"My lord, Yuan Shao is still on guard against us. It may not be easy for us to get rid of him," said Cheng Yu.

"I know, so we have to be more cautious." Cao Cao said, "We can help Yuan Shao solve some problems first, so that he can relax his vigilance against us."

As a result, Cao Cao began to actively provide advice to Yuan Shao and helped him resolve some internal conflicts and external threats. Yuan Shao was very satisfied with Cao Cao's performance and gradually relaxed his vigilance against him.

"Meng De, you are indeed a talented person." Yuan Shao said to Cao Cao, "If it weren't for you, I really don't know how much trouble my Jizhou would have."

Cao Cao smiled slightly and said, "Master Yuan, thank you for your praise. This is what I should do."

However, Cao Cao knew that the conflict between him and Yuan Shao would break out sooner or later. He was waiting for the right time, a time to completely get rid of Yuan Shao and achieve his own hegemony.

Yuan Shao's mansion in Jizhou was brightly lit with carved beams and painted buildings. Yuan Shao sat upright in the main seat, looking at the counselors and generals below. Now he already controlled Jizhou, with a strong power and a strong army. He was in high spirits and was planning the next step of expansion.

"Everyone, now that I have taken over Jizhou, my foundation is gradually becoming stable. But the world is in constant conflict, and there are many forces around us. We cannot rest on our laurels." Yuan Shao's voice was deep and powerful, echoing in the hall. "Gongsun Zan occupies Youzhou, which is adjacent to me, and often invades my border. Qingzhou has fertile land and a large population. If we can take it, our army's food and manpower will be greatly increased. Now we have to decide whether to attack Gongsun Zan first or take Qingzhou first. Everyone, please speak freely."

As soon as he finished speaking, the general Yan Liang stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and said loudly: "My lord, in my opinion, the most urgent task is to attack Gongsun Zan! Gongsun Zan has repeatedly invaded the border of Jizhou, burning, killing and looting, and the people are suffering. If we don't teach him a lesson, he will think we are easy to bully! Moreover, once we defeat Gongsun Zan, we can incorporate Youzhou into our territory and further expand our sphere of influence." Yan Liang was a burly man with a face full of flesh. He spoke with great vigor, and the long sword in his hand flashed coldly under the light, as if he could not wait to rush to the battlefield.

"General Yan's words make sense," counselor Guo Tu stroked his beard and spoke slowly, "but Gongsun Zan has elite White Horse Volunteers under his command, who are extremely powerful, and Youzhou is strategically located and easy to defend but difficult to attack. If we attack rashly, we will probably get into a tough fight and lose many soldiers. In contrast, Qingzhou Governor Tian Kai is mediocre in ability and his troops are not strong. If we attack Qingzhou, we will have a greater chance of winning and can quickly expand our strength."

"Mr. Guo, you can't say that." Another strategist Feng Ji retorted, "Gongsun Zan is strong, but now he has many conflicts with the surrounding forces, and he is not united internally. We can take advantage of his internal and external difficulties to attack him and catch him off guard. Moreover, if we can defeat Gongsun Zan, our prestige among the princes will be greatly enhanced, and it will be much easier to plot other places in the future."

Everyone was arguing, their faces red, and it was difficult to reach a consensus. Yuan Shao listened quietly, frowning slightly, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

At this time, Xu You, who had been silent, stood up and said, "My lord, in my opinion, attacking Gongsun Zan and Qingzhou both have their own advantages and disadvantages. But we might as well think from another angle and observe the surrounding situation and the movements of other princes. If we rashly send troops and other princes take the opportunity to attack our rear, it will be troublesome."

Yuan Shao nodded slightly and said, "What Ziyuan said is not without reason. The situation in the world is complicated now, and we must act cautiously. Let's send a few elite scouts to Gongsun Zan and Qingzhou's territories to keep a close eye on their every move. At the same time, strengthen Jizhou's city defense to prevent other princes from taking advantage of the situation. We will make a decision after we understand the situation."

Everyone nodded in agreement. So Yuan Shao immediately ordered scouts to go to Gongsun Zan and Qingzhou to gather intelligence. At the same time, he arranged for generals such as Yan Liang and Wen Chou to strengthen Jizhou's defenses, train soldiers, and improve combat effectiveness.

A few days later, the scouts returned one after another, bringing detailed intelligence.

"My lord, Gongsun Zan has been recruiting soldiers in Youzhou recently to expand his army, and he seems to be guarding against us." A scout reported.

"What about Qingzhou?" Yuan Shao asked.

"Tian Kai, the governor of Qingzhou, heard that we were discussing attacking Qingzhou, and was also strengthening the city's defenses and seeking help from surrounding princes." Another scout replied.

After hearing this, Yuan Shao fell into deep thought. After a moment, he said, "It seems that Gongsun Zan and Qingzhou are already prepared. If we send troops now, I'm afraid it will be difficult to win a quick victory." "My lord, in this case, we might as well keep our troops in place and wait for the right time." Guo Tu suggested, "We can use this time to continue to accumulate strength, expand the army, and store food and grass. When Gongsun Zan and Qingzhou are in civil strife, or when other princes are too busy to take care of us, we can send troops again, and we will definitely get twice the result with half the effort."

Yuan Shao thought for a long time, and finally said: "Okay, let's do as Mr. Guo said. Pass the order down, the whole army will strengthen training, store food and grass, and pay close attention to the surrounding situation. Once the time is right, we will immediately send troops to capture Gongsun Zan and Qingzhou!"

"Yes, sir!" Everyone responded in unison, their hearts full of anticipation. They knew that Yuan Shao's ambitions did not stop there, and taking down Gongsun Zan and Qingzhou was only the first step in his quest for supremacy.

In Youzhou City, the atmosphere was as heavy as lead. Gongsun Zan sat in the main seat of the meeting hall, his face gloomy, holding tightly in his hand the secret letter just delivered by the scout, which reported in detail that Yuan Shao was planning to attack Youzhou. His eyes slowly swept over the civil officials and military officers in the hall, and everyone's faces were filled with worry and anxiety.

"Everyone, Yuan Shao wants to attack our Youzhou and is now actively preparing. How should we respond?" Gongsun Zan's voice was low and powerful, breaking the silence in the hall and echoing in the empty hall.

As soon as he finished speaking, General Yan Gang stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and said loudly: "My lord, Yuan Shao is going too far! I am willing to lead the elite White Horse Volunteers out of the city to fight him. We must kill him without leaving a single piece of armor, and let him know how powerful Youzhou is!" Yan Gang was tall and sturdy, and his beard made him look more brave. He spoke with a menacing tone, as if he had already seen the defeat of Yuan Shao's army on the battlefield.

"General Yan, don't be reckless." Advisor Guan Jing tried to dissuade him. He was thin, serious, and his eyes showed wisdom and calmness. "Yuan Shao now controls Jizhou, with a strong army and abundant food and grass. He has many advisors and generals under his command. If we rush out of the city to fight, it will be exactly what he wants."

"Then according to Mr. Guan's opinion, what should we do? Are we just going to sit there and wait for death?" Yan Gang asked with a frown and an unconvinced look on his face.

Guan Jing shook his head slightly and said, "Of course not. We should first strengthen the city defense, reinforce the city walls, and add watchtowers and beacon towers so that we can keep track of the enemy's movements in a timely manner. At the same time, we should store enough food and weapons in the city and be prepared to hold out for a long time."

"Mr. Guan's words make sense," another strategist, Tian Yu, stood up and added, "but we can't just defend. We can send out small groups of cavalry to constantly harass Yuan Shao's borders, destroy his food and grass transportation lines, and disrupt his offensive plans."

Gongsun Zan nodded slightly, and after thinking for a moment, he said: "Mr. Guan and Mr. Tian's suggestions are both good. The city defense must be strengthened, which is our foundation; harassing the enemy is also feasible, which can dampen their spirit. But I think we still need to seek external assistance."

"My lord, you mean..." Guan Jing looked at Gongsun Zan thoughtfully.

"That's right," Gongsun Zan said with a firm look, "We can send people to Qingzhou to discuss with Tian Kai about joining forces to fight against Yuan. Tian Kai and Yuan Shao also have conflicts. If we can unite, our chances of winning will greatly increase."

"My lord, this is a great idea!" Everyone nodded in agreement.

Therefore, Gongsun Zan immediately gave orders, ordering Yan Gang to be in charge of city defense affairs, organizing soldiers and civilians to reinforce the city walls day and night, and placing a large number of rolling logs and stones, strong bows and crossbows on the city walls; he sent Tian Yu to lead a small group of white horse volunteers to harass Yuan Shao's border; at the same time, he selected an eloquent envoy to go to Qingzhou to contact Tian Kai.

A few days later, the messenger returned from Qingzhou and brought Tian Kai's reply.

"My lord, Governor Tian expressed his willingness to join us in fighting against Yuan. He said that Yuan Shao's evil ambitions would endanger Qingzhou sooner or later if they were not curbed. He is willing to send troops to help and jointly resist Yuan Shao's attack." The messenger reported respectfully.

After hearing this, Gongsun Zan felt relieved and said, "Okay, in that case, let's discuss the specific cooperation matters with Tian Kai immediately."

Soon, Gongsun Zan and Tian Kai reached an agreement. The two sides agreed that once Yuan Shao sent out his troops, Gongsun Zan would lead the main force of Youzhou to meet the enemy head-on, while Tian Kai would lead the Qingzhou army to attack Yuan Shao's rear from the flank, attacking Yuan Shao from both sides.

"Everyone, now that we have the support of Qingzhou, we are more confident. But we must not take it lightly, Yuan Shao is by no means an ordinary person." Gongsun Zan looked at everyone and said solemnly, "We must intensify the training of soldiers and improve combat effectiveness. At the same time, pay close attention to Yuan Shao's movements. If he shows signs of sending troops, we must be prepared immediately."

"Yes, sir!" everyone responded in unison, their voices filled with fighting spirit.

In the following days, Youzhou City was busy. Soldiers trained day and night, the city defenses were constantly improved, and food and weapons were continuously stored. Gongsun Zan personally inspected the city defenses to boost the morale of the soldiers.

"Brothers, if Yuan Shao dares to attack, we will make sure he never returns! We must defend our homes and our loved ones!" Gongsun Zan stood on the city wall and shouted to the soldiers.

"Defend our homes! Defend our loved ones!" The soldiers shouted in unison, their voices deafening, echoing throughout the entire Youzhou City.

Gongsun Zan looked at the soldiers with high morale and was full of confidence. He knew that the upcoming war would be extremely cruel, but he firmly believed that as long as everyone worked together, they would be able to resist Yuan Shao's attack and protect the land of Youzhou.

The night in Youzhou was as dark as ink, weighing heavily on the ground. The cold wind whistled past, making the flags on the city walls flutter. In Gongsun Zan's mansion, the lights flickered, and the atmosphere was solemn and tense. A group of trusted generals and counselors sat in the meeting room, each with a bit of anxiety and uneasiness on their faces. The rapid expansion of Yuan Shao's power was like a heavy mountain, pressing them so hard that they couldn't breathe. Gongsun Zan knew that if he didn't come up with a response plan as soon as possible, Youzhou would be in danger.

"Everyone, Yuan Shao is ambitious. Now that he has occupied Jizhou, his power is growing stronger. His next target must be Youzhou. We have received accurate information that he is gathering his men to discuss attacking our army or Qingzhou. If Qingzhou falls, Youzhou will also be in danger." Gongsun Zan's voice was deep and powerful, breaking the silence in the hall. He stood up, resting his hands on the table, and looked at everyone with a cold gaze.

"My lord, Yuan Shao is very powerful. If he attacks us with all his might, we will not be able to resist him with only the troops in Youzhou." General Tian Kai said worriedly. Tian Kai was a burly man with a full beard. He had followed Gongsun Zan for many years and had experienced many battles. He had a clear understanding of the current situation.

(End of this chapter)