Control your ancestors and create an immortal family starting from the Eastern Han Dynasty

Chapter 78: Cao Cao establishes Liu Xie, defeats Cao Cao and takes Chang'an
The world situation will continue to change.

In fact, for Gu Chen, killing Liu Dai directly now would not bring him any benefits.

Quite the opposite.

If Liu Dai could be saved, it would be of greater help to him.

But Gu Chen never cared about these things.

If it was purely for the sake of profit, he could have taken Liu Bian and Liu Xie with him when he left Luoyang.

With the imperial seal in hand, these two people are absolute trump cards.

But so what?
For Gu Chen.

From the moment he decided to kill Empress Dowager He, it was no longer possible for Liu Xie or Liu Bian to become the king he recognized.

This is Gu Chen's character.

Compared with other emperors in the past, Emperor Liu Dai's presence was really too weak.

——He has no mandate from heaven and is not kind to the people.

Who cares about his life or death?
His so-called throne was so ridiculous from beginning to end.

But for Cao Cao, the meaning is different.

As the news gradually spread.

Cao Cao immediately prepared a grand coronation ceremony for Liu Xie in Xuchang, announced the change of the reign title to "Jian'an", and conferred titles on his ministers.

Gu Chen was appointed as the governor of Liangzhou, Gu Wei was appointed as the governor of Bingzhou, and Liu Bei was appointed as the governor of Qingzhou.

Meritorious generals under his command and the noble families of Ji, Youzhou and Yan can also be rewarded.

Even if there is no imperial seal.

But for Liu Xie, his bloodline is his greatest weapon.

Of course, Cao Cao would not recognize Liu Dai's throne. Only in this way could Liu Xie's bloodline be the most orthodox.

He took advantage of this momentum.

In the name of the court, Liu Dai was completely labeled a traitor.

There are also those noble families who support him.

Now that these noble families are under his command, the blame naturally falls on the Yuan family, which is gradually losing power.

Today, the Yuan family has truly experienced what it means when people leave and the tea gets cold.

With Yuan Shao's defeat, Yuan Wei died suddenly.

The Yuan family, which was once so prosperous, has now completely reached its end.

Even if Yuan Shu were still alive, nothing could be changed.

Yuan Shu's current strength has been severely damaged.

After a series of defeats in Hanoi, Sun Ce also took away Sun Jian's group of powerful generals when he left.

Although Yuan Shu still occupies Yangyu today, he is no different from a defeated country.

His personality was not liked by the nobles.

If the Yuan family's power remains unchanged, this problem will not break out in a short period of time.

But in the current situation.

The nobles under his command will gradually become alienated from him and choose the now powerful Cao Cao.

Cao Cao did not consider any old friendship and labeled the entire Yuan family as rebels, and summoned the princes of the world to attack Yuan Shu.

Of course, there were people who wanted to please Cao Cao.

He proposed that Cao Cao take on the position of "Taifu".

For the Han Dynasty today, it is self-evident what "Taifu" represents.

Although he is not the prime minister.

But better than the prime minister.

However, Cao Cao directly refused this matter and publicly declared that "my current achievements are definitely not enough to make me qualified for the position of Taifu", and he only served as the Secretary of State and the Minister of Works.

This is what makes Cao Cao so extraordinary!

No matter how great the temptation is, he can always control himself.

For him.

What are the benefits of becoming a "Taifu" now?
Why does he need this position if he controls the government?
Gu Xi had fought for his position on his own. If he rashly took the position of Grand Tutor before he could show his kindness to the people and completely stabilize the situation, it would definitely affect the people's hearts.

This move made everyone see what kind of person Cao Cao was.

At that moment, many talented people from prominent families came to join him.

In an instant, Cao Cao's reputation became even more resounding throughout the world.

Gu Chen could naturally see what Cao Cao was thinking.

He did not attack Yuan Shu directly.

For Gu Chen.

The most important thing at this moment is to take over the entire Sizhou.

As long as the entire Sizhou can be taken, Hanzhong, Sizhou, Liangzhou and Bingzhou will be connected without any risk.

He didn't even accept the imperial edict from the court appointing him as the governor of Bingzhou.

Holding the emperor hostage and commanding the princes?

It's doomed to fail with him.

But Gu Chen could not care at all, but Liu Bei could not.

——Liu Bei has now defeated Lu Bu.

Lu Bu’s strength is indeed extremely strong, but Liu Bei also has generals of the same level as Guan, Zhang and Zhao under his command.

After Liu Bei led his elite troops directly back to Qingzhou.

Lu Bu's offensive is naturally not worth mentioning.

Now Lu Bu has retreated to Xuzhou.

Liu Bei originally wanted to take this opportunity to join forces with Tao Qian to eliminate the threat posed by Lu Bu.

But the imperial court's decree forced him to stop.

He could ignore Liu Dai's imperial edict.

But Liu Xie’s was different.

After all, Liu Xie was the biological son of Emperor Ling Liu Hong, and according to the law, he could have inherited the throne.

Moreover, from beginning to end, Cao Cao never rebelled against the Han Dynasty.

How could he do what Gu Chen did and completely ignore the imperial edict?

This is why Cao Cao was unwilling to take on the position of "Taifu".

Since some people don't care about the imperial edict, there will be people who will care.

Liu Bei was one of them.

Perhaps because Cao Cao's power was so great now, even Tao Qian in Xuzhou wanted to please Cao Cao.

Not only did he accept the order, he was also willing to let Liu Bei lead his army into Xu to first suppress Lu Bu and then attack Yuan Shu.

This move was beyond everyone's expectations.

The world war breaks out again.

——June, the first year of Jian’an.

Liu Bei had to lead his army out of Qingzhou and head to Xuzhou.

At the same time, Tao Qian also mobilized his troops.

Cooperate with Liu Bei to attack Lu Bu from the front and back.

August;

Lü Bu was badly defeated at Xia Pi and retreated to Yuzhou with a few cavalrymen to seek refuge with Yuan Shu.

His reputation is indeed too bad now.

He first killed his adoptive father Ding Yuan, and then abandoned Yuan Shao in times of crisis.

If it were any other prince in the world, no one would accept Lu Bu's surrender, even if they knew Lu Bu was brave.

But Yuan Shu was different.

Yuan Shu is now in a completely desperate situation.

He was like Yuan Shao in the past, under pressure from three sides.

Moreover, the generals under his command are indeed not good enough.

Under this situation.

Yuan Shu actually accepted Lu Bu's surrender.

October;

Liu Bei and Tao Qian's army passed through Guangling and entered Yangzhou to attack Jiujiang.

At the same time, Cao Cao also mobilized his troops from Yanzhou.

But this time he did not lead the army in person.

Instead, he appointed Cao Ren as the commander, and Cao Hong, the Xiahou brothers and others as generals, and sent an army of 100,000 to attack Yuzhou.

End of October;
Gu Chen successively captured Hongnong and Hedong counties,

We are only one step away from unifying Sizhou.
Xuchang.

"Fengxiao, you should know what I mean, right?"

Cao Cao looked at the young man in front of him with an indifferent expression, and did not hide his admiration for him at all.

Although Guo Jia had not been in Cao's camp for long.

It was Cao Cao who came here with the Yingchuan nobles to seek refuge with him.

But because of his unparalleled talent.

Cao Cao also attached great importance to him.

Guo Jia's expression was very calm. Instead of answering, he asked, "My lord, do you want to conquer Qingping?"

Hearing this, Cao Cao's face showed no anger at all. He simply nodded and said, "Not bad."

"The princes from all over the world are gathered here today."

"However, except for Gu Ziyan and Liu Xuande, the rest of them are not worthy of my attention."

Cao Cao did not hide anything.

He has been thinking about this matter for some time.

It is obvious that there is bound to be a big battle between Gu Chen and him, and this battle is not far away.

As for Liu Bei——

This person was always loyal to the Han Dynasty, not Cao Cao.

This means that there will be a battle between the two in the future.

He did not personally lead the expedition against Yuan Shu this time because he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and strike first.

Hearing this, Guo Jia also nodded slightly, bowed to Cao Cao and said, "My lord is wise."

"I also feel that these two are definitely the lord's great enemies."

"Gu Ziyan"

"I have sent people to inquire about his character."

"This man has a will as strong as iron. He has never made a mistake in commanding his troops, and his martial arts are among the strongest in the world."

"My Lord, you must not attack him directly, but start with others."

Guo Jia's tone was very calm.

Hearing this, Cao Cao couldn't help but frown and whispered tentatively, "Fengxiao is saying that we should start with his brother Gu Wei?"

"good."

Guo Jia nodded immediately, chuckled, and said, "I've heard of this man before. He was once known as the Gu family's greatest contemporary talent."

"My Lord, do you know what this man's character is like?"

The number one hero?

Cao Cao was stunned for a moment, then he remembered the name, and suddenly smiled.

He used to think so too.

But now it seems that this person is still far inferior to the once unknown Gu Chen.

He was silent for a long time before he spoke slowly, saying only one word:

"proud!"

Just one simple word, very direct.

Just as Gu Yi judged Gu Wei.

Cao Cao's judgment of Gu Wei is also arrogant!
"proud?"

Hearing this, Guo Jia was stunned for a moment, then smiled again: "As expected of a descendant of the Gu family, you have every reason to be proud."

Having said that, he fell silent.

He began to think about countermeasures, and Cao Cao did not rush him.

The whole hall fell silent.

It was not until a long time later that Guo Jia spoke again: "My lord, this Gu Wei is a member of the Gu family." "Usually, the strategy of sowing discord will not work on him."

"Whether it's alienating brothers or alienating tribesmen."

"But if he is arrogant, then there is a chance to break him."

As he spoke, Guo Jia slowly stood up, walked directly to the feng shui map, and pointed at the black mountain on the map.

——Zhang Yan of the Montenegrin Army!

In just a moment, Cao Cao seemed to have guessed something.

The whole person's eyes suddenly lit up.

But he immediately shook his head: "Fengxiao, don't forget that Zhang Yan is from Changshan."

"With the Gu family's reputation in Jizhou."

"Why would he rush to Bingzhou?"

Without saying much, Cao Cao had already figured out what Guo Jia meant.

"Why should my lord care about these things?"

Guo Jia smiled faintly and looked at Cao Cao: "If someone were to capture Zhang Yan and his trusted subordinates and their families, how could he not go?"

"I've heard that Zhang Yan has always stood by the soldiers through thick and thin."

"I think he will obey orders and rush to Bingzhou."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao fell silent.

If word were to get out that this was how people came to seek refuge, it would definitely have a huge impact.

But if we can really take this opportunity to seize Bingzhou.

Cut off one of Gu Chen's wings.

For him, it is definitely a good thing.

Cao Cao was not someone who would hesitate. After a brief silence, he nodded directly.

"Can!"

"My lord is wise."

Guo Jia smiled and bowed to Cao Cao, then continued, "As for Qingzhou."

"My Lord, you can also take this opportunity to make it difficult for Liu Bei to return to power!"
Bingzhou.

Today's Bingzhou is completely new compared to the past.

——The rebellions on all sides were pacified one after another.

Even the bandits who were the most numerous in the past did not dare to commit crimes because of Gu Chen's reputation.

Gu Wei is quite capable in handling domestic affairs and people's hearts.

Whether it is dealing with the aristocratic families or providing food and supplies for Gu Chen, these things are easy for Gu Wei.

This is also the reason why Gu Chen asked Gu Wei to take charge of Jinyang.

Only with stability in the rear can he feel at ease to expand his territory.

However, in recent days, problems have gradually emerged in Bingzhou's stability.

The Black Mountain Army once again entered Bingzhou and carried out large-scale looting in various places.

Gu Wei didn't take it seriously at first.

He just sent someone to deliver a letter to Zhang Yan.

He believed that with the Gu family's reputation, people from Jizhou like Zhang Yan would definitely give up looting and come to join them.

But the outcome was beyond Gu Wei's expectations.

As a last resort.

He had no choice but to prepare his troops and send people to quell the rebellion.

Gu Chen still left behind a lot of soldiers and horses, including some deputy generals who had followed Huangfu Song in the past.

This force is definitely not weak.

But how could the Montenegrin Army be so easily pacified?
In the original history, the Black Mountain Army was able to withstand the attacks of Yuan Shao and Lu Bu.

Zhang Yan made perfect use of the terrain.

All the troops sent by Gu Wei were beaten back.

As soon as this incident happened, the people of Bingzhou, who had just been stable for a short time, could not help but become uneasy again.

Jinyang, inside the prefectural government office.

"No!"

"We must not tell Zi Yan about this and prevent it from affecting his offensive in Sizhou!"

"Zi Yan, leave the rear to us."

"If Cao Cao were to attack, we could have informed Zi Yan. Now he's just a bunch of robbers."

"If everything depends on Zi Yan, when will we be able to clear the world?"

Gu Wei's expression was extremely serious, and he suppressed the idea of telling Gu Chen to everyone.

He was aware of his own shortcomings in military talent.

It is precisely because of this that Gu Wei is willing to coordinate everything from the rear.

For a proud person like him.

If this little thing affected Gu Chen's offensive in Sizhou, how would he have the face to meet Gu Xi in the afterlife?

To this day, how could Gu Wei not understand that the future of the Gu family lies in the shoulders of Gu Chen alone?

How could he accept that Gu Chen would be affected by such a small matter?

Upon hearing this, all the soldiers fell silent, and the fighting spirit resurfaced in their eyes.

In fact, they also feel a little ashamed.

After all, people like Zhang Yan are just robbers in their eyes.

All of a sudden, the voices of the generals requesting to fight were heard.

Gu Wei looked at everyone very seriously. After a moment of silence, he picked out two people again and gave them the task of suppressing the bandits.

He does have some ability in judging people.

These two are indeed among the best among the deputy generals under Huangfu Song.

But how could Zhang Yan be so easily pacified?

He can leave his name in history.

Just based on this point, he surpassed too many people.

And the most crucial thing is that the Montenegrin Army is too familiar with fighting in the mountains.

Zhang Yan cleverly avoided the elite troops sent by Gu Wei.

When they attacked, Zhang Yan hid in the mountains.

If they withdraw their troops, Zhang Yan will attack them.

The Bingzhou army will not retreat?

They can also bypass Bingzhou through mountain roads and carry out looting.

It is constantly consuming the energy of the Bingzhou army.

Under such circumstances, although the Bingzhou army did not suffer a major defeat, the hearts of the nobles in the entire Bingzhou area could not help but become uneasy.

Afterwards, Cao Cao followed Guo Jia's suggestion and began to contact the Bingzhou nobles in secret.

His current status is indeed extraordinary.

If Gu Chen were in Bingzhou, his methods would not be worth mentioning.

There is absolutely no way Zhang Yan can stop Gu Chen.

But Cao Cao took advantage of this opportunity.

Gu Chen is destined not to go to war with Cao Cao until he has completely pacified the rear!

At the same time, Cao Cao was secretly organizing his army.

He also sent people to sow discord among the Qingzhou nobles.

The emperor ordered Cao Chun to lead the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to secretly cross the Qing River, preparing to directly annex Bing and Qing states.

——Turbulence continues in all directions.

March, the second year of Jian'an;
The allied forces of Liu Bei and Tao Qian defeated Yuan's army at Yinling and headed straight for Shouchun.

Cao Ren successively conquered Liang and Chen.

The fighting became more intense.

May;

The armies of Liu Bei and Tao Qian were defeated at Julu in Huainan.

Cao Ren also led his troops to Runan.

The entire Yuyang area was in chaos.

Yuan Shu lost the support of the people.

He had no choice but to flee to Lujiang County.

At the same time, Gu Chen attacked Zuo Fengyi again and headed straight for Chang'an.

There is only one step left to completely open up the entire western part of the Han Dynasty.

June;

Yuan Shu was refused when he attempted to flee to Shu County, and ultimately ended up being pushed down by everyone.

Lu Bu abandoned Yuan Shu again.

The heat was unbearable, and Yuan Shu wanted some honey to quench his thirst, but there was no honey.

In the end, Yuan Shu could no longer bear the disparity between the beginning and the end.

He died of vomiting blood in Huoshan.

And at the moment when this news spread, Cao Cao finally got the opportunity he had been waiting for and suddenly took action against Bing and Qing states!

The troops have been ready for action.

They immediately rushed towards Bing and Qing states.

But what he didn't expect was that Gu Chen had already received the news from Bingzhou.

Although Gu Chen is very confident in Gu Wei.

But how could the influence Zhang Yan had on the entire Bingzhou be suppressed?

After learning about this, Gu Chen immediately guessed what Cao Cao was thinking.

Ma Chao had already secretly returned to Bingzhou to provide assistance.

The troops he led were the elite ones who had followed him in the surprise attack on Longyou!

These people already had experience with surprise attacks on mountain roads.

He hasn't taken any action yet because he is waiting for Cao Cao to make the first move!
——Gu Chen wants to take this opportunity to clean up the Bingzhou clans.

He can be said to have inherited everything from Gu Xi and has no mercy on the aristocratic families.

But in today's world.

It is impossible for Gu Chen to take action directly.

If he were to attack the nobles under his command without any reason, he would surely be the enemy of the whole world.

Reality is not fiction after all.

No matter how brave Gu Chen is, it is impossible for him to conquer the world under such circumstances.

But it’s different if there is an excuse!
The two sides launched a decisive battle on the Taihang Mountain Road.

Ma Chao, who had been prepared for this, defeated Yu Jin, a general under Cao Cao, killing nearly 5,000 enemies and completely repelling Cao's army.

Afterwards, Ma Chao went straight back to Bingzhou to fight Zhang Yan!

And brought Gu Chen's letter to Gu Wei.

——That is to kill all the nobles who secretly defected to Cao Cao this time!

Cao Cao never expected that Gu Chen had this trick.

But for him, this matter was not without gain.

Although he did not get Bingzhou.

But Cao Chun's plan in Qingzhou was indeed very successful.

He took Qingzhou!
------

"In the second year of Jian'an, the then Grand Marshal Cao secretly sent Zhang Yan to Bingzhou to disrupt the people's morale. He also made envoys to form alliances with the Wang family of Bingzhou and the Cui family of Qingzhou, promising to supervise the military affairs of the two states.

At that time, Gu Chen of Longxi was attacking Chang'an. Upon hearing his scouts report unusual movements in Yezhong, he laughed and threw his military token to the ground, saying, "Is Meng De trying to emulate Han Xin and sneak through Chencang?"

He then selected elite cavalry and gave them to his brave general Ma Chao, ordering him to secretly rush to the Taihang Mountains for support.

In June, Cao heard that Shu was defeated, so he sent Yu Jin to lead 8,000 elite soldiers from Danyang to sneak through Fukou Pass. Their armor was wrapped in hemp, and they hid in the woods during the day and climbed the cliffs at night.

When the imperial army reached Panshi Valley, with their horses' bridles still in use, they suddenly saw flaming arrows raining down from the cliffs on both sides, and rolling logs and rocks blocking their path.

Chao, holding a golden tiger-head spear, led the charge into the battle array, crushing Cao's army. Blood covered the stone edges in the valley, and broken armor hung on trees for thirty miles.

Jin fled alone, lost his seal and ribbon in the turbid Zhang River, and only three out of ten of his troops survived."

——"Records of Heroes in the Late Han Dynasty, Gu Chen"

(End of this chapter)