Han officials

Chapter 279 A Person's Nature Is Hard to Change

On the Bingzi day of the second month of spring in the second year of Xingping.

As Ma Teng and Han Sui formed an alliance and repeatedly attempted to enter the Three Auxiliary Regions, Li Jue and other Liangzhou troops began to feel uneasy.

Although Li Jue and his men had just repelled the Liangzhou rebels' offensive a month ago, this worry could not be dispelled.

Like the former nobles of Luoyang, Li Jue and other remnants of Dong Zhuo's forces also grew to loathe the barbarians from Liangzhou.

Even though Li Jue and others were also from Liangzhou, their attitude was determined by their own circumstances.

Now that they are in power, they naturally need to distance themselves from their past selves.

Interestingly, Li Jue and others who rose to power through force had similar ideas to the former nobles of Luoyang.

Perhaps knowing the profound truth of Liangzhou that the more savage the enemy, the stronger their fighting power, Li Jue and his men did not continue their attack.

Of course, it's also possible that the comfort of Chang'an led to the decline of these remnants of Dong Zhuo's forces.

After defeating the Liangzhou rebels, Li Jue instead sent people to negotiate peace with Ma Teng and Han Sui.

It's unclear what agreement they reached in private, but the Liangzhou rebels actually quieted down.

Shortly thereafter, the imperial court in Chang'an issued an edict, announcing to the world:
The four commanderies of Liangzhou in Hexi—Jincheng, Jiuquan, Dunhuang, and Zhangye—were declared to be part of Yongzhou, with its capital at Guzang. Handan Shang was appointed Governor of Yongzhou, and Zhang Meng was appointed Prefect of Wuwei. Ma Teng was appointed General of Andi, and Han Sui was appointed General of Anjiang.

Liangzhou was originally shaped like a dumbbell, but this split it in two.

And it's not just cutting it in the middle, but dividing the dumbbell into two narrower sections.

Judging from this layout, the Chang'an court was clearly divided according to the territories of Ma Teng and Han Sui.

Yongzhou was basically under Han Sui's control, while the remaining counties and prefectures of Liangzhou were mostly under Ma Teng's influence.

Li Jue and others may not have understood politics, but they understood the people of Liangzhou.

Sure enough, Liangzhou entered a relatively peaceful period after that.

Ma Teng even became sworn brothers with Han Sui, agreeing to use Yong and Liang as the boundary and not to invade each other's territory.

Meanwhile, in the Central Plains...

After leaving Xiapi, Chen Deng finally met Cao Cao in Liang after traversing Pei.

Coincidentally, Cao Cao is currently separated from Xuzhou only by Pei State.

This is also why Cao Cao attacked Liang first when he attacked Yu Province.

Once he conquered Liang, Cao Cao's next target would be Pei.

It should be noted that Pei County (Xiaopei) within the territory of Pei State has always been known as the gateway to Xuzhou.

The facts are exactly as Chen Gui said.

Although Yuzhou has not yet been captured, Cao Cao has already set his sights on Xuzhou.

The phrase "eating what's in the bowl while eyeing what's in the pot" perfectly describes Cao Mengde.

At this moment, Cao Cao was like the old Wang next door, while Chen Deng was like the beautiful widow who had been widowed for many years.

The two hit it off immediately upon meeting, their conversation flowing like a thunderbolt from the blue.

……

"The Wei clan harbors ambitions and plots to seize Xuzhou. Lord Cao, the heavy responsibility of restoring the Han dynasty rests on your shoulders!"

When Chen Deng uttered these words with a sincere expression, even Cao Cao was stunned.

But he quickly realized what was happening, and his whole body seemed to glow as if he had taken an aphrodisiac.

However, Cao Cao outwardly feigned a sense of shame and remorse.

“Yuanlong, you are mistaken. What virtue or ability do I have to compare myself with General Wei?” Cao Cao said, feigning humility. “There must be some misunderstanding here.”

Upon seeing this, Chen Deng realized that Cao Cao did not fully trust him.

Although he felt that Cao Cao was too suspicious, he still patiently told him the whole situation in Xuzhou.

Upon learning that Tao Qian was seriously ill and that Xi Zhicai was in Tancheng, Cao Cao's expression finally turned serious.

After a moment, he said with a complicated expression, "...Is Tao Gongzu really nearing the end of his life?"

"Based on the information my family has received, this is almost certainly true." Chen Deng said, and then quickly added, "Now that Prefect Mi Zhu has colluded with Ye City, selling out the state for personal gain, Lord Cao, please act quickly, otherwise things may change!"

Hearing this, Xun Yu, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but frown. Xun Yu was well aware of the consequences of Wei Zhe occupying Xuzhou.

The problem is that they are currently attacking Yu Province and fighting with Yuan Shu's army.

If we rashly open up the Xuzhou front, we may not achieve any results.

At least with the current military and logistics in Yanzhou, it is not enough to support a two-front war.

After a moment's thought, he looked at Cao Cao and offered a tactful piece of advice:
"My lord, one cannot have both fish and bear's paw; sometimes one must make a choice."

"Moreover... the eldest young master is still in Ye City."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao, who was already hesitant, became even more conflicted.

He knew Xun Yu was right, but Chen Deng's words were too tempting.

Regardless of whether Tao Qian is dead or not, Xuzhou is practically in a state of no master.

Cao Cao felt he would have a great chance of winning if he attacked at this time.

After all, no matter how incompetent Yuan Shu was, he was still a living person.

Since entering Yuzhou, Cao Cao has encountered considerable resistance.

Even if we take a step back and assume the worst, this is also a great opportunity for him to get revenge!

The thought of the humiliation of ceding territory and offering hostages last year still made Cao Cao grit his teeth in anger.

With this in mind, Cao Cao immediately made a decision.

He did it all for no other reason than to prove himself!

"Zhongde, I entrust the Liang Kingdom to you. I will give you five thousand men." Cao Cao immediately looked at Cheng Yu with a firm gaze and said, "Just hold out for three months, and I will surely return."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yu couldn't help but sigh softly, but he still resolutely accepted this important task.

After all, although Xiahou Yuan was a general in Cao Cao's army, he was good at attacking but not good at defending.

Of all the soldiers in Cao Cao's army, he is the most suitable for this position.

Contrary to later accounts in historical novels, Cheng Yu was not a strategist in Cao Cao's army, but rather a general who led troops.

Furthermore, Cheng Yu also had his own private army.

From this perspective, he is essentially the same as Li Qian, a powerful figure in Yanzhou.

Throughout his time serving under Cao Cao, he spent most of it leading troops in battle. Moreover, in the early days when Cao Cao lacked capable commanders, Cheng Yu was often the one leading an army and taking charge of a single force.

In contrast, Xun Yu was entirely a strategist and logistics manager.

For example, this time, seeing Cao Cao's determination, Xun Yu did not try to persuade him again, but immediately began to make plans.

On his advice, Cao Cao abandoned the short route from Xiaopei to Xuzhou and instead chose to take a longer route through Pei State before entering Xiapi State.

Since Xiapi was the stronghold of the Chen family, their support would allow them to launch a surprise attack.

Furthermore, the southern tip of Xiapi State was only a little over a hundred li away from Tancheng, the capital of Xuzhou.

If they can successfully sneak up here, then a surprise attack on Tancheng is not impossible.

The most dangerous aspect of this plan is that Pei State is still Yuan Shu's territory.

To attempt a flanking maneuver within enemy territory would be a gross underestimation of Yuan Shu's importance.

However, neither Cao Cao nor Xun Yu took this issue seriously.

Things became even simpler after Chen Deng took the initiative to express his willingness to smooth relations between the various parties in Pei State.

It should be noted that Chen Gui was originally appointed by the imperial court as the Prefect of Pei, and had governed this area for many years.

It wasn't until two years ago that he was forced to resign his post and return to his hometown because he refused to submit to Yuan Shu.

When Yuan Shu saw that Chen Gui had fled, he appointed Shu Zhong, a renowned scholar from Chenliu, as the chancellor of Pei.

Therefore, the Chen family still has some connections in Pei State.

With Chen Deng leading the way, Cao Cao's ability made this maneuver much easier.

Meanwhile, undercurrents were swirling more and more within Xuzhou...

(End of this chapter)