Tiger Guards

Chapter 370 Be a Good Person
In Dongping Kingdom of Yanzhou, with the harvest of winter wheat, Cao Cao's confidence also grew.

But Yuan Shao would never let him off easy. At this joyous moment when the new grain was being stored, Yuan Shao began to interfere in Cao Cao's internal personnel arrangements.

He then submitted a memorial to the court, recommending Cao Ren to be the governor of Guangyang Commandery.

The traditional core administrative center of Youzhou was located in Ji County of Guangyang Commandery, north of Zhuo Commandery.

Gongsun Zan, the governor of Youzhou, and Xianyu Fu and others nominally reconciled under the mediation of Zhao Ji and the imperial court, and launched a joint military operation against Yuan Shao last year.

Gongsun Zan remained entrenched in Zhuojun, making it his current base of operations.

After killing Liu Yu, there was unrest in various counties of Youzhou, and Gongsun Zan also lacked strong means of control over Guangyang County.

After the allied forces' actions during the winter, Gongsun Zan regained control of Guangyang County and began to infiltrate and spread to Youbeiping, Yuyang, and Shanggu Counties.

For Gongsun Zan's side, the battle for Bohai was crucial before the decisive battle with Yuan Shao.

Only by capturing Bohai can Gongsun Zan secure his rear.

At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, Bohai belonged to Youzhou; later, Bohai was assigned to Jizhou.

At its peak, Bohai comprised twenty-six counties and marquisates, but it has since been reduced to nine counties.

This weakening is not about cutting off the original counties to neighboring counties, but rather about merging them... The reason for the merger is simple: the population and economy can no longer support the original framework.

The decline in population and economy was caused by the Yellow River changing its course, affecting both Hejian and Bohai.

Therefore, Bohai has a strong foundation and potential, making it a key influencing factor in the decisive battle between Youzhou and Jizhou.

Whoever gains control of Bohai will have the strategic initiative.

When Gongsun Zan's allied forces marched south in winter, the main force of the allied forces was confronted by Yuan Shao's main force, while a separate force was sent to seize Bohai.

In other words, Gongsun Zan failed to seize Bohai. If he had successfully captured Bohai, the allied forces would have been more cohesive and would not have retreated to Youzhou so easily.

Yuan Shao could not wait for Gongsun Zan to initiate the war; he had to take countermeasures.

Guangyang Commandery was under the control of Gongsun Zan, yet Cao Ren was appointed as the governor of Guangyang Commandery... Whether the court recognized this or not was the court's business. In any case, under the tyrannical rule of Lü Bu and Zhao Ji, who imprisoned the emperor and abused the ministers, they naturally appointed relatives and friends and did not recommend the virtuous and capable.

Therefore, apart from Lü Bu and Zhao Ji wielding power, the county and prefectural positions appointed by Yuan Shao here still had some effect among the scholar-official class.

Appointing Cao Ren as governor of Guangyang or Zhuojun is essentially the same thing: to transfer Cao Ren's troops to Hebei to participate in the war against Gongsun Zan.

Of all the generals under Cao Cao's command, Cao Ren is the most ferocious, a fierce general skilled in attack.

Using Cao Ren to fill the void left by Ju Yi's death could have some effect.

Although Cao Cao had anticipated this day would come when he handed over the hostages, he did not expect it to come so soon.

Yuan Shu invaded Xuzhou, and once he received the signal, he would definitely send troops to Qingzhou and the eastern part of Yanzhou.

If Lü Bu and Zhao Ji hold their troops and wait and see, then Cao Cao will have to face the pressure from Yuan Shu directly.

The near future is filled with uncertainty, and Cao Ren needs to share the pressure with him.

But Yuan Shao, instead of sending reinforcements to prepare for war, wanted to withdraw Cao Ren.

The war with Gongsun Zan was destined to take place in the autumn or winter, later than the decisive battle that was about to break out in the south.

Unless Yuan Shao has already made a decision to govern across the river from Yuan Shu.

Just as Cao Cao was feeling a chill run down his spine, Ding Fei came to the door: "My lord, Zixiao has arrived."

"Yes, the banquet will be held in the side hall."

Cao Cao got up and walked towards the door. Ding Fei quickly followed, escorting Cao Cao to the front and back of the small courtyard, and then went to greet Cao Ren.

When Cao Ren entered, his left hand was on the hilt of his sword, his steps were casual, and he looked around stiffly.

He suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Chenliu, and his forced crossing of the river without proper support led to the alienation of his peripheral troops.

Cao Chun, the younger brother, has been held captive by Zhao Ji and there has been no news of him since. At Zhao Ji's instigation, Cao Chun attacked and severely damaged Zang Hong's new Yanzhou army.

As a result, the people of Yanzhou dared not hate Cao Cao, but they caused Cao Ren a lot of trouble in their lives and work.

Feeling isolated and alone, Cao Ren began to indulge himself.

Even as a teenager, Cao Ren could gather a group of delinquents to roam freely between the Yangtze and Huai Rivers. After losing self-control, he became even more dissolute.

Although Ding Fei was arrogant, he dared not provoke Cao Ren now, and led Cao Ren into the courtyard.

In the courtyard, Cao Cao was drinking plum wine. In Cao Cao's eyes, Cao Ren's recent changes were nothing special.

Now that the Cao family's power has declined, those who subsequently relied on them are showing signs of disloyalty.

Cao Ren's licentious and ruthless nature could actually serve as a deterrent.

When faced with matters of great importance, the old Cao Ren might have hesitated, but now Cao Ren will only be more decisive.

"Zixiao, come quickly."

"Brother."

Cao Cao beckoned, and Cao Ren bowed respectfully outside the door. Without even taking off his boots, he entered the living room and sat down at the empty table opposite Cao Cao.

At this moment, a servant brought in dishes. After the people left, Cao Ren asked, "I wonder why you summoned me, brother?" "Benchu ​​sent a letter, and I have already recommended him as the governor of Guangyang Commandery. He wants to ask Zixiao to lead his troops to Hebei to assist in the battle."

Cao Cao handed the silk scroll and memorial to Cao Ren, then reached into the pot to grab the hot wine vessel. He firmly grasped the handle of the bronze wine vessel, pulled it out, and poured the wine into the vessel in front of him.

After adding two more spoonfuls of new wine to the bronze wine vessel, he placed the vessel in a hot copper pot to heat it.

After reading Yuan Shao's letter and memorial, Cao Ren asked, "He wants to make peace with Yuan Shu? After so many years of fighting between brothers, when Yuan Shu rebelled, he just backed down like this? So many people on both sides followed him, and there were many brothers who turned against each other and killed each other. With the hatred accumulating, how could Yuan Shu spare the people of Hebei when he gained power?"

Knowing that Cao Ren was angry, Cao Cao held out a cup of wine with both hands and handed it to him. Cao Ren took the cup.

Cao Cao then said, "If Zixiao is unwilling to go, I will send a letter to decline."

Cao Cao still had that much face to offer.

Based on his understanding of Yuan Shao, he knew that if he engaged in this kind of back-and-forth a few times, as long as the letters were written in a mild and humble tone, Yuan Shao would be happy to continue the back-and-forth.

"I go."

Cao Ren raised his wine cup in a gesture of respect, then immediately tilted his head back and took a sip. He picked up his chopsticks and ate some cold braised fern: "Brother, how do you think the war in Xuzhou will change?"

“It’s hard to estimate.”

Cao Cao also picked up his chopsticks, but smiled and said, "Sun Wentai's son is only observing with his troops. If he's not in a hurry, why should I be?"

When Xuzhou was swallowed up, Sun Ce was the first to suffer the consequences.

Even if Cao Cao's situation was dire, he could still cross the river and retreat back to Hebei.

As for the Yellow Turban surrendered troops scattered and settled in Dongping and Jibei... let them go. Take the core troops with them, and we can still fight them back in the future.

If Yuan Shu had developed his power step by step, taking Chen Wang in one year, then Jiangdong in two or three years, and then Xuzhou, that would have been much more terrifying.

The rapid expansion of power, like the instantaneous devouring of most of Yuzhou and Yangzhou, is not so terrifying.

Even someone like Zhao Ji, who came from a rural background, knew to squeeze out time to train troops in Jinyang amidst his busy schedule, while Yuan Shu's situation was so complex that he couldn't stop moving forward.

Like a person whose steps are unsteady and who is about to fall.

In order to avoid falling, I can only use faster and more chaotic steps to correct myself, otherwise I will fall down immediately!
From beginning to end, Cao Cao looked down on Yuan Shu.

Yuan Shu possessed everything he envied, but he never cherished it, instead associating with frivolous and lawless individuals.

When Cao Cao cited Sun Ce as an example, Cao Ren nodded in agreement.

When facing Yuan Shu's invasion, our side and Sun Ce's positions were highly aligned.

At this moment, Cao Cao raised his cup in a gesture of respect and asked, "Liu Bei is at his wit's end and has also sent me a letter asking for help. Do you think he can hold out until Lü Bu and Zhao Ji send troops to his aid?"

Cao Ren raised his cup in response. After a sip of wine, Cao Ren pondered for a moment and said, "I think we can send a detachment to capture Xiaopei and approach Pengcheng, so as to encourage Liu Bei and Guan Yu to defend the city."

Previously, Liu Bei sent Guan Yu to garrison Xiaopei, but after the assassination of Prince Chen and the death of Liu Yao, Yuan Shu rapidly expanded his power, Liu Bei withdrew his troops from Xiaopei.

After Yuan Shu annexed the State of Chen, Zhang Xun's army sailed down the Bian and Sui Rivers and had already divided its forces to garrison Xiaopei.

However, due to his historical record, Cao Ren also looked down on the combat capabilities of Yuan Shu's army.

Zhang Xun is difficult to defeat, but the detachments he sent out are still capable of fighting.

As for Yuan Shao's change in attitude after the attack on Xiaopei... even Cao Ren knew Yuan Shao's character. As long as he agreed to Yuan Shao's arrangements, he could gain some goodwill.

When goodwill faded, Cao Cao sent troops to Xiaopei. Even though this went against Yuan Shao's arrangements, Yuan Shao would not be too harsh or pursue the matter too seriously.

Sending troops to attack Xiaopei would directly test Yuan Shao's true attitude.

Yuan Shao's poor attitude can be offset; if Yuan Shao is happy to see this happen, then he should intensify his efforts, take the initiative to befriend the imperial army that is attacking Yuan Shu, and cooperate with them.

After Cao Ren expressed his opinion, Cao Cao held his chopsticks for a long time without touching them, staring at the boiling wine vessel on the side.

A moment later, Cao Cao came to his senses and saw Cao Ren get up to pour hot wine for the two of them.

After Cao Ren sat down again, Cao Cao said, "Yuan Shao wants to reap the benefits without lifting a finger, but with Gongsun Zan behind him, he dares not make any moves. If Yuan Shu is strong, he will direct our army to cooperate with the court; if Yuan Shu is at a disadvantage, Shao will launch a major attack on Gongsun Zan."

This was Cao Cao's opinion, which he shared with Cao Ren. Cao Ren had gone to serve under Yuan Shao, and if he encountered a similar meeting, he would also be able to speak at an opportune moment.

Yuan Shu employed a militaristic and aggressive style of warfare, and after defeating the imperial coalition, he would certainly continue to expand outwards.

The situation was different for the imperial coalition. Lü Bu had to consider the stability of Nanyang and would not be fighting abroad for a long time; Zhao Ji was the same, and he also had to consider their respective rear areas.

After defeating Yuan Shao, their concern was maintaining their own stability rather than expanding outwards.

If we press our advantage and attack Yuan Shao, the food supply alone will give them a major headache.

As for himself, when the imperial court was attacking Yuan Shu, he also sent troops to fight Yuan Shu. Even if Lü Bu and Zhao Ji wanted to fight him, they lacked a reason to start a war.

Even when war was forced out, Liu Bei tried to persuade them and spoke kindly to them.

If a real fight breaks out, both of them will lack a sense of righteousness and there is also the hidden danger of instability among their inner circle.

Therefore, I must take action, engage in battle with Yuan Shu ahead of time, support Liu Bei, and gain Liu Bei's favor.

Of the five vassal states under heaven, two have already fallen. Our rescue of Liu Bei is itself an act of loyalty and righteousness.

(End of this chapter)