Lu's relatives

Chapter 640 Dark Gap, Who Is The Three States ([-])

The Hebei incident has always been a heart problem for Cao Cao.Like Lu Bu, Cao Cao, who was in the Central Plains, had inherent advantages over the border forces in terms of economy, combat power, and political resources, but because the Central Plains had no danger to defend, he had to use a lot of Resources are used to guard against the Quartet, which unreasonably lowers the overall strength.Under the premise of gaining a firm foothold in today's troubled times, seeking a stable rear has become the top priority in moving forward.

No wonder Cao Cao respects Qin Xu so much now.As early as before when Lv Bujun first occupied Qingzhou, and was still under attack from three sides by Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Tao Qian at that time, Qin Xu, together with Jia Xu and Guo Jia, had made a plan for Lv Bu to use Qingzhou as the base camp and Xuzhou as the depth. , Jiangdong is a strategic arrangement for the rear.At that time, Cao Cao, who was eager to expand his power in all directions and used troops against Sili, Yongliang, Yuzhou, and Jingzhou, once laughed at Lu Bu who only focused on the barren land and was not a man who planned the world, but now it can be seen that he has already put his worries away. The power of Lu Bu's army, which has been reduced to the lowest level, after several years of forbearance, is about to explode. The appetite is so big that it does not target one state and one county, but the whole of Hebei. Its momentum is enough to make Cao Cao look sideways. .

It's just that Hebei has long been regarded as something in Cao Cao's pocket.As early as Yuan Shao was still there and his army was still weak, Cao Cao had already started to support the black mountain bandits to indirectly intervene in Hebei affairs, and influenced the war between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan at that time.It was only because there were too many variables afterwards, Yuan Shao died suddenly, Gongsun Zan became powerful with the help of Liu Beizhi, and the black mountain bandits broke out of control, which made Cao Cao's plan to annex Hebei in one fell swoop fall into vain, but in the end he finally occupied Bingzhou through remote control Yuan Tan.It's just this kind of gap that made Xu Shaoyue's comments on the capable ministers and heroes in troubled times deeply agree with Xu Shaoyue's comments. , as if punching with all his strength, all hit the cotton, the feeling of emptiness was extremely depressing.

Afterwards, the Hebei affairs were completely out of control, and the five forces got entangled with each other and reached a strange balance. In addition, because the new emperor was established, all the relatives of the Han family were closely related and had their own schemes, which was really unpopular. It is no longer easy to meddle in trouble at will, so even if Cao Cao covets Hebei again, he can only strictly order Xiahou Dun and Cao Chun to strictly control Bingzhou and wait for the opportunity.Unexpectedly, this opportunity came so soon.

The importance of Wancheng in Hebei is more important in Cao Cao's mind.One is the crucial matter of purging Jingbei. In the past, the remnants of Xiliang were defeated and fled to Chang'an, and more than [-] soldiers and horses were able to rely on a mere Wancheng to support them for several years. The importance of Wancheng in the land.Cao Cao had long coveted Wancheng, which connected Wuguan, condescended to intimidate Tongguan and Sishuiguan, and crossed the old capital Luoyang and Chang'an.What's more, as long as Wancheng is in hand, it will be able to connect the passages between Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Tongsili, and Yongliang, and connect Cao Cao's sphere of influence. It is Sichuan, and everything will be unimpeded.In the past, it was only because of Liu Biao's strength and the status of an ally that Cao Cao didn't want to make enemies on all sides, so he didn't rush to attack Wancheng. Now that Liu Biao was defeated, Cao Cao saw the opportunity and accepted Cai Mao's surrender. It may only take three to five months to fulfill the long-cherished wish of the past if we have obtained half of Jingbei and surrounded Wancheng on all sides.

But at this time, Hebei is approaching.The importance of the land of Hebei is unnecessary for Cao Cao. If he can get Jizhou and Youzhou, the whole north will be in his pocket. Just like Lu Bu who has already won Jiangdong, from now on he can concentrate on attacking other counties and leveling the world to achieve unrivaled achievements.Lu Bu's involvement before, coupled with the status of Jizhou that had to be handed over to appease Lu Bu, made Cao Cao restrained, but now that Liu Bei and Yuan Shang conspired to plot Hebei, it gave Cao Cao an excellent opportunity to raise troops. Excuse, if the plan is good, you can use Gongsun Zan to shrink his troops in Liaodong, fight Gongsun Kang to the death, take advantage of Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan's status as a minister under Gongsun Zan, and use the pretext of threatening Bingzhou to enter Youzhou. In the middle, Tui can also take the opportunity to use Yuan Tan's name to divide the Yuan faction in Jizhou with the alliance between Yuan Shang and Liu Bei, cross Huguan, and take Jizhou.As long as the action is fast enough and the established facts are established before Lu Bu, who is still "hesitating", can react, then even if Lu Bu has resentment, Cao Cao, who has successfully obtained the land of the three states in Hebei at that time, will be Lu Bu, who is so powerful, can't say that he has to consider whether it is worthwhile to extend the front line and fight against Cao Cao for the sake of "mere" Jizhou.

Is it necessary to secure the interior first in order to fight against the outside world?Or do you want to seize this rare opportunity to win Hebei?Cao Cao, who has always been calculating, was a little unsure about paying attention.I have to ask Ji Yu to see if he can find a balance between the two.

Among the three people who were summoned, Xun You is now the mastermind of Cao Jun, and Xun Yu is the chief steward of Cao Jun's forces. Cao Cao's reliance on these two people is often compared to Zhang Liang and Xiao He, the Marquis of the early Han Dynasty.Especially after the death of Emperor Xian, Cao Cao did not follow the example of the former eunuchs and relatives of Lingdi when they fought for power, as people in the world had guessed, and set up the royal child as the emperor. A family member in their thirties is the new emperor, although this new emperor Liu Yi is worse than the previous tragedy of Xiandi's decree not coming out of Weiyang, and he doesn't even have the Jade Seal of Chuanguo, and the Dai Tianzi Xi who issued the decree controls it In the hands of Cao Cao, just because of this move, and the so-called unrest in the world, the new emperor is invited to watch the government, and when the world is peaceful, he should return the government. It is recognized by my parents, but after all, it is also the reason for the continuation of the Han Dynasty. I have obtained the understanding and approval of the Xun family, who are die-hard royalists. While the two uncles and nephews served Cao Cao, the Xun family also took most of the responsibility for Cao Cao's move. The pressure from the gentry, so Cao Cao's trust and reliance on the two of them needless to say.

But Xu Huang who was summoned at the same time was in a different situation.Through these years of "investigation", Xu Huang, who had friendship with Qin Xu at the beginning, has become one of Cao Cao's confidant generals. When most of his family generals were stationed outside the parties, they are now represented by Cao Cao. Xu Huang, who was a high-ranking Lieutenant of Sili, was the number one general with a foreign surname in Cao Jun's forces, but he was still kept by Cao Cao's side, showing his kindness more and more day by day.Although he was suspected of being a horse bone, it was also a trick to gather the hearts of the soldiers at the beginning of the new emperor's establishment, when the hearts of the people were scattered.

Cao Cao's method of attacking the gentry and military generals in such a way, it can be seen that Cao Cao, who was doing the same thing as Dong Zhuo in the past, is indeed much smarter than Dong Zhuo in terms of scheming.

"Hebei or Wancheng? Which is more important? I hope you will teach me!" Cao Cao used to be vigorous and resolute. After the three of Tong Chuan arrived at home, he roughly explained the situation and asked directly.

"My lord, is this really true?" Uncle Xun and Xu Huang, who heard about it at first, were as surprised as Cao Cao was when he heard the news. Yu frowned and asked.

"Naturally! Zhong De and Yuan Rang wait until a certain department investigates, and the information from the three parties can learn from each other! No matter how capable Lu Bu and Qin Xu are, they will never be able to control all the sources of information like us. There is no objection to this matter. .” Cao Cao understood what Xun Yu was worried about.Not to mention anything else, the several encounters with Qin Xu, as well as the Guo Jia who made Xun Yu and Xun You fearful, were also fooled by Qin Xu, making all the information from Qingzhou credible in Xun Yu's eyes The speed has dropped by at least [-]%. It is no wonder that when Cao Cao said that Cheng Yu's information came from Qin Xu's house, he would have such a hesitant expression.

"It's indeed a bit strange! Why did such a thing happen in Hebei when the lord was determined to clean up the state and planned to concentrate on attacking the more than [-] Xiliang cavalry participating in Wancheng? It is indeed a bit disturbing." Xun You, who has an honest and honest face, but is exquisite and seven-apertured, if he can be regarded as the mastermind by Cao Cao, the angle of consideration of the problem is also very "tricky".

"Gongda's meaning, this incident in Hebei is because someone deliberately lured us not to attack Wancheng? Could it be that the group of remnant Xiliang soldiers who were stubbornly resisting in the corner were actually implicated in Yuan Shang and that Liu Da'er, and also bothered Qin Zhongming? Do you personally count your steps in exchange for a few more days of dying?" Cao Cao has always obeyed Xun You's words, but now there are many lines of information in front of him, except for Cheng Yu's new group. The source of the news comes from Qin Xu's house, It may be that guy's treachery, other news from Xiahou Dun, Cao Chun, and Cao Cao's inherent channels have all confirmed the truth of the matter.Therefore, Cao Cao was extremely satisfied with Xun You's thoughtfulness, but he also thought that the matter might not be that troublesome.After all, regardless of Qin Xu or Lu Bu, if they can "mobilize" Liu Bei, Yuan Shang, and even Cheng Yu, Xiahou Dun, and Cao Chun to speak for them as Xun You expected, then Cao Cao will not have to mess around anymore.

"I think what the lord said is very true, isn't Gongda worrying too much this time?" Because he has never made any outstanding moves in Cao Cao's war against Qingzhou, it is very easy to get some benefits from Qin Xu this time. Coupled with Cao Cao's "recognition" before, Cheng Yu heard Xun You's words at first glance, although he knew that he was far less important than Xun You in Cao Cao's heart, but he couldn't help saying: "The [-] remaining soldiers in Wancheng, Relying on the supply of this place alone, it has been at the end of its strength for several years, and it will not be able to penetrate Lu Jin. Sooner or later, it must be in the pocket of the lord, and now it has been surrounded by the prefectures and counties under the command of the lord, and has become a turtle in the urn. , Yuan Shang, etc. are old, and they can be persuaded to perform such a self-defeating action in order to survive for a while in Wancheng, which is thousands of miles away. Does the environment provide an excellent excuse? Even if he has such thoughts, it is nothing more than a clumsy plan to steal chickens and lose money!"

"Hmm... have Lu Bu's army made any moves recently?" The sarcasm hidden in Cheng Yu's words did not seem to be noticed by Xun's uncle and nephew. Seeing that Xun You was still in deep thought, Xun Yu suddenly asked.

(End of this chapter)