Han officials

Chapter 156: Disappointed Cao Cao [4.5K]

It is said that after Wei Zhe left Zhuo County and entered Jizhou, he once thought about whether he should take a detour to Changshan State.

After all, Xiaquyang in Julu County is right next to Zhending, so the excuses are ready.

But before Wei Zhe could revisit his hometown, he met a group of young and strong men who came to join the army in Hejian State.

At first, Wei Zhe didn't care and just followed the customary practice of being respectful to the wise and humble.

However, he only heard the heroic young man opposite him say: "Zhao Yun of Changshan, I pay my respects to General Zuo!"

As soon as these words came out, Wei Zhe's eyes suddenly lit up.

But he had seen a lot of storms after all, so he asked one more question just in case.

"Zhao Yun of Changshan? Do you have a courtesy name?"

Although Zhao Yun was surprised to hear this, he still replied respectfully, "Yes, my brother has given me the name Zilong."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe was immediately delighted and said with a smile, "Clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger. Hmm, what a good word!"

After saying that, Wei Zhe couldn't help but look Zhao Yun up and down, and the more he looked, the more satisfied he became.

But after being delighted, Wei Zhe suddenly asked, "Changshan State is located in Jizhou. Why don't you submit to Jizhou Governor Han Wenjie and Bohai Governor Yuan Benchu?"

Although Zhao Yun didn't know what an interview was, he knew it was a test from Wei Zhe. He calmly and sincerely said, "The world is in turmoil. I lack experience and it's difficult to discern the general trend. I only know that we should follow the path of benevolent rule. General, you have lived in Liaodong for six years and saved countless lives. I truly believe you are a true hero of our time!"

Zhao Yun then explained, "Moreover, when you fought the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Xiaqu and Yangping, this county and its people also benefited from your kindness. I will never forget your kindness, and I am willing to repay you in any way I can."

I have to say that Zhao Yun is worthy of being Zhao Yun, his emotional intelligence and IQ are extraordinary.

Compared to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who have more obvious character flaws, Zhao Yun is simply a model military general!

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe suddenly felt more satisfied.

However, he did not give Zhao Yun a high position and generous salary right away.

After all, Wei Zhe's team is now growing stronger and has its own rules. It is no longer the makeshift team of the past.

If anyone can come and take over without any merit, it will only create hidden dangers in the future, which will not be good for either Wei Zhe or Zhao Yun.

So after accepting this volunteer group, Wei Zhe only recruited Zhao Yun as his personal cavalry and temporarily appointed him as the captain.

Zhao Yun remained calm and composed when he heard this, accepting the arrangement with a composed expression.

Seeing this, Taishi Ci, who was standing by, understood that his brother must be very optimistic about this person.

Although many of the heroes who had recently joined the army were appointed military marquises, Taishi Ci was well aware of his brother's hiring habits. If he saw someone he liked, he would first recruit him as a personal soldier, observing and training him before sending him out to serve in other places. This was the case with Zhang Chang, Liu Yi, Han Zhong, and others.

Thinking of this, Taishi Ci became interested in Zhao Zilong.

After setting up camp that night, the bored guy went to Zhao Yun to practice martial arts.

And then...it was out of control.

There was no way. Marching was actually very boring. Tai Shizi naturally didn't want to give up after finally finding something fun.

The only hardship was for Zhao Yun, who served as a personal soldier during the day and had to face Taishi Ci's harassment at night. His life was so fulfilling along the way.

However, Zhao Yun quickly gained a foothold among Wei Zhe's personal cavalry.

This is how it is in the military, strength is always the best self-introduction.

Of course, Taishi Ci did not really bully others by taking advantage of his power. In addition to practicing martial arts, he did not treat Zhao Yun badly. Seeing that Zhao Yun had read military books but had no family inheritance, Taishi Ci told him all his understanding of cavalry warfare.

As time went by, Zhao Yun's progress was getting better and better, which made him feel that he had made the right choice this time.

Not to mention how Zhao Yun enjoyed himself in Wei Zhe's army.

As Wei Zhe's army entered Jizhou, it was natural for them to say hello to Jizhou Mu Han Fu.

So Wei Zhe went through Hejian, passed Ganling, and came to Yecheng, Weijun, to meet Han Fu.

Han Fu was also a very particular person. Although it was his first meeting with Wei Zhenai, he also gave him a batch of food and fodder.

After all, he controls Jizhou and has abundant treasury, so he really doesn't lack a little food.

Wei Zhe was really envious of such a wealthy appearance.

……

As the New Year passed, the court promulgated a new reign title - Chuping.

So in the first month of the first year of Chuping, Wei Zhe finally led his troops to the Suanzao camp.

Unlike the legends and epics of later generations, the Anti-Dong Alliance was actually a loose group.

Although the governor of Dongjun, Qiao Mao, forged a letter from the three highest officials and sent it to all prefectures and counties across the country, causing a surge of public outrage and encouraging people to rise up in arms, the armies fighting against Dong had little connection with each other.

Simply put, the coalition forces against Dong Zhuo can actually be divided into three parts.

That is, the Hanoi Allied Forces, the Suanzao Allied Forces, and the Nanyang Allied Forces.

The Henei coalition was mainly composed of Yuan Shao, the governor of Bohai, Wang Kuang, the governor of Henei, and Han Fu, the governor of Jizhou.

In addition, Zhang Yang, a military officer from Bingzhou, also led more than 3,000 people to swear an oath of alliance.

However, Zhang Yang has no official identity now and is a bit like a bandit, so few people in the world know him.

But then again, it was actually He Jin's fault that Zhang Yang was in this state.

After the death of the previous emperor, in order to kill the eunuch He Jin, he decided to recruit foreign troops into the capital. At that time, in addition to Dong Zhuo, he also sent Zhang Yang back to Bingzhou to gather troops and stay in Shangdang on standby at any time.

After recruiting a thousand men, Zhang Yang also took the opportunity to quell the rebellion of bandits in Shangdang.

But what Zhang Yang did not expect was that He Jin was killed by eunuchs shortly afterwards, making him a rootless tree in the blink of an eye.

Therefore, when Dong Zhuo gained control of the government, Zhang Yang simply led his troops to attack the Shangdang governor at Huguan. Unfortunately, he failed to capture the city. So Zhang Yang could only lead his troops to plunder various counties and gradually gathered more than 3,000 people.

Similar to Zhang Yang's situation was the exiled Southern Xiongnu Khan Yufuluo.

Yu Fuluo had originally led his people south to the Central Plains to ask Emperor Liu Hong for help in restoring his kingdom, but the ongoing unrest in Luoyang meant the court had no time to attend to him. Consequently, Yu Fuluo led his people to join forces with the Baibo bandits and plunder the counties of Hedong.

However, what Yu Fuluo was most concerned about was regaining the position of Khan of the Southern Xiongnu.

Therefore, when he discovered that the coalition forces against Dong Zhuo were emerging like wildfire, the once invincible Dong Zhuo immediately fell into a disadvantage, and Yu Furuo immediately thought that his opportunity had come.

So he immediately parted ways with the Baibo bandits and led his people to Henei to join Yuan Shao.

However, Yuan Shao did not dare to trust these two too much, and only ordered Zhang Yang and Yu Fuluo to station at Zhangshui. As for Yuan Shao himself, he and Wang Kuang stationed in Heyang County, aiming at Mengjin, while Han Fu stayed in Ye to supply military supplies.

Putting aside the quality of the troops, the Hanoi coalition forces did appear to have an army of 30,000.

However, compared with the Sour Jujube Coalition, the number of people in the Hanoi Coalition is nothing.

The next day, outside the Suanzao camp.

When more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry under Wei Zhe's command came from afar, Zhang Miao, Cao Cao and others outside the camp gate suddenly had different expressions. Even an old scholar like Shanyang Prefect Yuan Yi could feel a sense of fierceness.

The county soldiers under their command were clearly inferior to the Liaodong volunteer army.

Even Cao Cao, who had strongly invited Wei Zhe to join the alliance, looked surprised at this moment.

This was the first time he had seen Wei Zhe since they had parted in Xia Quyang, but he had no idea...

But no matter what they thought in their hearts, everyone still greeted Wei Zhe with a smile.

Especially Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou.

Because he was from Mouping, Donglai County, he knew the most about Wei Zhe's situation.

After everyone welcomed Wei Zhe into the tent, Liu Dai couldn't help but sigh before Cao Cao could even speak: "I've heard of your name for a long time, and today I finally get to meet you!"

After saying this, Liu Dai complained with a smile, "Lord Wei was too ruthless. He didn't leave any talented people in Qingzhou for me. It really gave me a headache to take up my post last year."

Just as Han Fu immediately sent people to Yingchuan County to welcome local scholars to Jizhou after he took office as the governor of Jizhou, Liu Dai also immediately sent people back to Qingzhou to recruit local people after he took office as the governor of Yanzhou.

However, what made Liu Dai helpless was that after searching around, he found that all the talented people in Qingzhou, such as Guan Ning, Bing Yuan, Hua Xin, Guo Yuan, Tao Qiuhong, etc., had been taken away by Wei Zhe.

Even Zheng Xuan, a figure Liu Dai hadn't dared to dream of, was invited by Wei Zhe to teach at Liaodong County Academy. After jokingly scolding Wei Zhe, Liu Dai sighed with emotion, "Everyone knows you excel in military affairs, but few know you are the most diligent in cultural and educational matters. You truly are worthy of being a son of Qi and Lu!"

That’s right, Liu Dai also regarded Wei Zhe as a fellow villager.

After all, he is also from Donglai, and the mark of Donglai on Wei Zhe is too deep now.

For example, Taishi Ci, who was sitting next to Wei Zhe, was a native of Donglai.

Hearing him say this, Wei Zhe immediately laughed and said jokingly, "It's a pity that you are an official in Luoyang, otherwise I would tie you up and take you to Liaodong!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a burst of laughter broke out in the tent.

After this greeting, Zhang Miao, Qiao Mao and others also gained a new understanding of Wei Zhe.

Even Cao Cao couldn't help but look at Wei Zhe with admiration.

In the past, he only knew that Wei Zhe had made great military achievements in Liaodong, but he did not expect that Wei Zhe was so studious.

After exchanging pleasantries, Wei Zhe looked around the tent and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why isn't Kong Yuzhou here?"

Wei Zhe remembered that the Yuzhou governor Kong Rong should be among the Suanzao coalition forces.

Cao Cao, who was standing by, immediately explained, "Kong Yuzhou is ill and unable to lead the expedition in person, so he will remain in Yingchuan to supply the army with food and fodder and prepare logistics."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe immediately understood. It was the same as what Han Fu, the governor of Jizhou, meant.

The only difference is that Han Fu supplied food and fodder to the Henei coalition forces, while Kong Jun supplied food and fodder to the Suanzao coalition forces.

That night, the Suanzao Camp held a welcoming banquet for Wei Zhe.

The central army tent was brightly lit, and there were fine wines, beautiful women, and delicacies from land and sea. From time to time, the sound of stringed instruments could even be heard, and the aroma of wine filled the air, making people forget where to go.

Clinking glasses, singing and dancing, what a grand scene of a banquet on the river and the sea!

However, although Wei Zhe drank a lot of wine, his eyes remained clear.

The more Wei Zhe drank, the less appetite he had and he gradually lost interest.

Although he knew that the Suanzao coalition was not really interested in attacking Dong Zhuo, the current scene still made Wei Zhe somewhat disappointed.

How can we possibly get anything done with this bunch of insects?

Facts have proved that what Wei Zhe thought was right.

The next day, the Suanzao coalition and the Kuangye army gathered at the altar and swore an oath of blood.

However, the altar was set up and the soldiers and generals below the stage had been waiting for a long time, but Zhang Miao, Liu Dai and others were still pushing each other around, and no one wanted to be the first to preside over the alliance.

After all, they were just pretending to raise an army to fight Dong Zhuo, and they didn't really want to fight him to the death.

If you take the lead now, Dong Zhuo might start attacking you soon.

By then, they would not be sure that they could withstand the ferocious barbarians from Liang Province under Dong Zhuo's command.

Seeing this, Wei Zhe shook his head in disappointment, and then went on stage decisively.

Seeing that Wei Zhe took the initiative to take on this difficult job, Zhang Chao, Bao Xin and others also felt relieved.

Only Cao Cao looked at Wei Zhe on the stage with envy, and even secretly regretted that he was a step slower.

At the same time, Wei Zhe on the stage did not hesitate.

Looking at the tens of thousands of soldiers and horses below, Wei Zhe said with emotion:

"The Han Dynasty suffered misfortune, the imperial power was lost, the traitorous minister Dong Zhuo took advantage of the situation and committed evil, bringing disaster upon the emperor and oppressing the people. I fear that the country will be destroyed and the world will be overthrown.

Today, General Zhe of the Left, Governor Dai of Yanzhou, Governor Ji of Yuzhou, Prefect Miao of Chenliu, Prefect Mao of Dongjun, Prefect Chao of Guangling, Prefect Yi of Shanyang, and Xin Jing of Jibei have gathered together the volunteer army and are going to the national crisis.

All of my allies will work together to serve the country and will not hesitate to sacrifice their lives.

If you have this alliance, you will lose your life and have no inheritance.

The Heaven and Earth, the spirits of our ancestors, are all witnesses to this!

Every time Wei Zhe said something on the stage, more than a hundred personal soldiers below the stage would shout in unison.

As soon as Wei Zhe finished speaking, all the generals on the field were excited and their morale was instantly boosted.

Seeing this, Cao Cao in the audience could not help but sigh, "Gong Wei is indeed well versed in the art of war!"

After all, being able to boost the morale of the entire army with just a few words is not something that an ordinary general can do.

Hearing Cao Cao say this, Zhang Miao and others nodded slightly.

That afternoon, the announcement of the Suanzao Oath was spread everywhere by messengers.

In fact, this behavior is no different from the warlords in the Republic of China who often sent telegrams to the whole country.

For example, in the notice, the Sour Jujube Alliance demonstrated their current coalition strength.

Secondly, the Sour Jujube Alliance explained the reason for sending troops - Dong Zhuo was causing harm, bringing disaster to the emperor, and oppressing the people.

Finally, the Suanzao coalition declared their position - to gather volunteers and fight for the national crisis.

At the same time, the Sour Jujube Alliance also revealed their political attitudes.

That is to respect Yuan Shao, the governor of Bohai, as the leader of the alliance and regard Dong Zhuo as the main enemy.

The reason why Yuan Shao was chosen as the leader of the alliance to fight against Dong Zhuo was not because he was so highly respected, but because of the respect for the Yuan family behind him, which was the Guandong gentry.

After all, the Guandong samurai are the mainstream of the world at present, and the Yuan family is the leader of the Guandong samurai.

As for Yuan Shao, he was just a representative of the Yuan family of Runan.

This kind of political stance is to some extent a way of distinguishing between the enemy and our own camps.

Of course, what politicians say is often no different from farts.

When there is a conflict of interest, internal strife will break out in the blink of an eye.

The main purpose of the Suanzao coalition's announcement being spread to all directions was actually to isolate Dong Zhuo's camp.

To put it more bluntly, it was to isolate the Luoyang court controlled by Dong Zhuo.

To a certain extent, it can be regarded as a complete destruction of the central authority of the Han Dynasty!
So many times, politics and military are inseparable and are two sides of the same coin.

Soon, the news of the sour jujube spread to Hanoi County.

When Yuan Shao saw the announcement of the Sour Jujube Alliance, he immediately understood the hidden meaning.

Yuan Shao then swore an oath of blood at the Zhang River, vowing to jointly defeat Dong Zhuo and support the Han Dynasty. He named himself General of Chariots and Cavalry and granted official titles to all members of the anti-Dong Zhuo alliance.

For example, Bao Xin was promoted by Yuan Shao as the General of Breaking the Enemy, and his brother Bao Tao was also promoted as the General of the Auxiliary Army. Cao Cao was given the title of General of the Martial Arts, Yuan Shu was given the title of General of the Front, and Wei Zhe was also given the title of General of the Guard.

However, neither Yuan Shu nor Wei Zhe took the title of general bestowed by Yuan Shao seriously.

Wei Zhe still fought under the banner of Liaodong Governor and Left General.

Even Zhang Miao, Qiao Mao and others did not change their names or banners, and continued to command their subordinates according to their own positions.

After all, they are all thousand-year-old foxes, and no one will be fooled by Yuan Shao’s big promises.

In contrast, there is a more important issue to discuss after the Sour Jujube Alliance’s oath-taking ceremony.

That is, whether to send troops, when to send troops, and who should send troops?
Cao Cao's impassioned speeches could be heard almost every day in the central military tent.

However, to Cao Cao's disappointment, except for Jibei Prime Minister Bao Xin, Zhang Miao and others were very perfunctory in their attitude towards sending troops. They talked big all day long but showed no intention of mobilizing troops.

What Cao Cao couldn't understand the most was that Wei Zhe remained silent.

He spent the whole day either training his soldiers in the training ground or conspiring with his staff in his tent.

Even if Cao Cao took the initiative to come to him, Wei Zhe always said that the time was not right.

This made Cao Cao even doubt that he had misjudged the person. The current Left General Wei Zhe might no longer be the Wei Gongwei of Liaodong who had once stood under Guangzong City...

(End of this chapter)