The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 461 All the people are soldiers
The phrase "Jiangdong rats" is not just a casual remark. Most of these officials were from aristocratic families, and they often forgot their principles when they saw profit. They were good at fighting internally but not externally. When Cao Cao's army was approaching, they thought about surrendering, joined forces with Liu Bei, and finally dealt a fatal blow to Liu Bei. What else could this be but rats?
Of course, Zhou Yu, who retreated to Xiakou, didn't think so. When Zhou Yu heard the news of Sun Quan and Huang Gai's suicide, he burst into tears. Then he led the remaining troops and negotiated with Wei Yan and Fa Zheng to stop the enemy from attacking Jiangdong and buy time for Cao Cao.

His command also included generals such as Dong Xi, Ling Tong, Zhou Tai, as well as veteran generals such as Han Dang and Cheng Pu. The generals under Cao Cao and Sun were rarely united.

Although Wei Yan was brave and Fa Zheng was good at making strange plans, the area south of the Yangtze River was densely networked with waterways. Zhou Yu was good at using troops, Guo Jia had good strategies, and they had many generals. Although they had fewer soldiers and horses, they still kept Wei Yan in Jiangxia and made it difficult for him to advance.

However, the atmosphere in Xiakou City was not as relaxed as one might have imagined. Zhou Yu showed a murderous aura and no longer had his former elegance. Guo Jia was pale, holding a wine gourd in his hand and taking a sip from time to time, before his face showed a slight blush.

"Fengxiao, if it doesn't work, you should go back to Kuaiji and rest. This Wu Shi San is not a good thing." Zhou Yu looked at the other party with some concern.

During the Battle of Wulin, Guo Jia slipped and fell into the water during the retreat, and his health has been deteriorating since then. If he had rested peacefully on weekdays, he would have gotten better naturally, but now he is worrying all day long and his health is getting worse and worse.

Guo Jia smiled bitterly and said, "The Cavalry Army is marching into Jiangdong in large numbers. Where can I rest? If I cannot stop Wei Yan, and his troops join Zhang Liao, my lord will certainly not be able to stop them."

After hearing this, Zhou Yu immediately let out a long sigh. How could he not know the logic behind this? In the Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao's navy was completely destroyed and more than half of his infantry and cavalry were lost. The situation was critical and if they were not careful, they would be in danger of being destroyed.

Both himself and Guo Jia knew that this was a war of unequal strength. They did not want to be destroyed, so even if they died on the battlefield, they would not let Qin Shoudong advance even a single step.

"What I am worried about now is that Qin Shou will abandon Liu Bei and attack us instead." Zhou Yu hesitated.

Guo Jia was silent after hearing this. This was also his own worry. Moreover, the two knew that Cao Cao was a greater threat than Liu Bei. If the six counties and eighty-one states of Jiangdong worked together, they could gather tens of thousands of troops in a relatively short period of time.

If Cao Cao was given some time, it would not be difficult to gather an army of 100,000. At that time, relying on the Jiangdong water network, he might be able to fight against Qin Shou. What Cao Cao needed was time.

Qin Shou might not be unable to see this problem, so it is very likely that Qin Shou will change his route and attack Cao Cao.

Even Zhou Yu felt the pressure when he thought about facing an army of more than 100,000.

"Grand Commander, news has come from Nanjun that Qin Shou has raised an army of 100,000 and is heading towards Jiangdong. The vanguard has already entered the territory of Jiangxia." Zhou Tai reported loudly.

After hearing this, the two of them sighed to each other and their faces quickly returned to calm. Everything was just as they had guessed. Qin Shou really led a large army to attack. The two of them were relieved. Now they only needed to consider how to deal with this matter.

"There is no other way. We can only mobilize all the people to fight. It is okay to pay a price for this." Guo Jia said calmly: "As for what the result will be, that is a matter for the future."

After hearing this, Zhou Yu immediately understood what Guo Jia's strategy was, which was to mobilize the aristocratic families in Jiangdong, allow them to have private soldiers, and allow these aristocratic families to use their private soldiers to protect their own interests.

However, by doing so, the power of the aristocratic families in Jiangdong will increase, and may even restrain Cao Cao's rule.

In fact, in history, Jiangdong's generals all had private soldiers, but the number was different. Every time Sun Quan went to war, the generals would lead their private soldiers. It must be admitted that the private soldiers led by these generals were very powerful and could not be compared with the soldiers under Sun Quan. After all, these private soldiers were the capital for the generals to settle down and make a living, and they were treated the best in all kinds of ways.

In the past, Cao Cao was very opposed to the private soldiers of these aristocratic families and even suppressed them. This was very similar to Qin Shou. But now he could not care less. Cao Cao's troops suffered heavy losses, his men were insufficient, and the enemy was approaching.

The lesser of two evils has always been the case. Compared with destruction, the restriction of power seems to be not unacceptable. Moreover, Guo Jia believes that Cao Cao's skills will definitely solve this problem in a short time.

"Now is the critical moment of life and death, Shanyue is another helper." Guo Jia said while writing the letter.

"I'm afraid the Marquis of Wu won't use it, just like the King of Tang doesn't want to contact the Shanyue and Wuxi barbarians. They all have their own bottom lines." Zhou Yu shook his head.

He knew that if Qin Shou had contacted the Shanyue and Wuxi barbarians before heading south, the war would have ended long ago. It would not be like today, with the two sides still fighting.

"There's nothing we can do about it."

After hearing this, Guo Jia's face turned pale and he could only let out a bitter smile. He knew his body and he was not sure whether he could see Cao Cao again this time. Perhaps, this was his last time to offer advice to Cao Cao.

As for whether the other party would use it or not, Guo Jia didn't care.

After hearing this, Zhou Yu could only sigh. There was nothing Zhou Yu himself could do about this matter.

Guo Jia's letter was soon delivered to Cao Cao in Wujun.

After receiving the letter, Cao Cao, who was already in a state of panic, followed Guo Jia's plan without hesitation. He sent orders to all the aristocratic families in Jiangdong, ordering them to form private armies and confer official titles on them. Titles of generals such as "suppressing bandits" and "suppressing bandits" were given out free of charge.

At one time, there were countless generals in the land of Jiangdong. Anyone who led a team of hundreds of people dared to call himself a general, and the title of general became the least valuable title.

Some of the aristocratic families that had been hostile to the Cavalry Army also gathered together at this time, gathered in the mountains and forests, occupied cities and counties, and prepared to compete with the Cavalry Army.

In order to save his own life, Cao Cao no longer cared about the future situation. From the beginning, he mobilized all the people and all the noble families in Jiangdong to deal with Qin Shou together.

Unless Qin Shou wiped out all the Jiangdong aristocratic families at this time, it would be impossible for the other side to capture Jiangdong easily.

By the time the other side seized the entire Jiangdong, they could only get a ruined Jiangdong with no one living there for thousands of miles and the people living in misery. As for his own reputation before and after his death, Cao Cao no longer cared about it.

(End of this chapter)