A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

Even if Liu Bei were to unify the country, the Empress would still be from their prestigious Yizhou family, and they would all be founding heroes. According to custom, they would all have the opportunity to be granted titles of kings.

Thinking of this, the entire Yizhou aristocratic family reached a fever pitch, and they opened their hearts to Liu Bei.

They provided money, manpower, and resources whenever Liu Bei needed them, sparing no effort as long as it helped him expand his power.

Given the current situation in the world, the probability of Liu Bei gaining control of the country is not small.

No one believes that the war between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao will end quickly. The consensus in the world is that these two are unparalleled rulers. As long as no one is brain-dead, it will take at least several years or even more than a decade to determine a winner.

If Liu Bei can defeat Sun Jian as quickly as possible during this period, then the two sides will fight like the snipe and the clam, and the fisherman will benefit.

Even at the very least, they could rely on the natural defenses of Yizhou and the Yangtze River to maintain a secluded territory and divide the world in two.

After the world returned to peace, Yuan Shao, who held control of the northern provinces, felt that the title of Prince of Ye was not enough to reflect his status, so he changed his title to Prince of Jin.

The State of Jin was once a hegemon during the Spring and Autumn Period, and its core territory was in the hands of Yuan Shao. Only a title of king was worthy of Yuan Shao's status.

After being comforted, Yuan Shao's character flaws began to surface.

He believed that his forces were no weaker than Cao Cao's. If Cao Cao hadn't gained the upper hand and been closer to Chang'an, and hadn't taken over Dong Zhuo's territory while Dong Zhuo was away, Chang'an should have been his.

Previously, his power was inferior to Cao Cao's, but now it is no less than Cao Cao's, and Yuan Shao feels that the advantage lies with him.

After all, how could Cao Cao compare to him? He was just his former little brother.

Even if he had some opportunities and rose to prominence, he was still just a descendant of eunuchs, far inferior to someone from a family that had held high office for four generations.

Once he has had time to recuperate and recover, his combined forces will surely be able to overwhelm Cao Cao, leaving him unable to defend himself on both fronts and ultimately defeating him in one fell swoop.

As for Liu Bei and Sun Jian, they are all not worth worrying about; a simple proclamation can quell their rebellion.

If they do not surrender, a single detachment of troops can be dispatched to annihilate them.

Yuan Shao's advisors also began to vie for power and profit. Although he had tricked the aristocratic families back then and did not want them to have the power to threaten him, he did not completely abandon them.

He still has a large number of powerful families under his command, but these families can only provide him with assistance and can no longer threaten his power and status.

Seeing that Yuan Shao had the potential to unify the country, these powerful families naturally thought of everything that the powerful families of Yizhou could think of.

Who wouldn't want to be a hero who helped the emperor rise to power?!

Who wouldn't want to go out and conquer new territories?!

Many powerful families began to fight and betray each other for power, to the point that they disregarded Yuan Shao's interests and would oppose whoever their opponent supported and support whoever their opponent opposed.

Opposing for the sake of opposing.

Yuan Shao further fueled the flames, and the united aristocratic families were ultimately too powerful. Even if they didn't threaten him, they were still a big problem.

Only by letting these powerful families fight amongst themselves can he secure his position.

He now understands Emperor Ling and Emperor Huan of Han somewhat; they both used and suppressed them—that's the art of imperial rule.

Yuan Shao's actions were quickly discovered by Cao Cao's son, who was keeping a close eye on the situation. The news was relayed back to Luoyang, which was the center of Cao Cao's power base. Cao Cao had already made Luoyang his stronghold.

"A model of virtue in adversity, but worse than pigs and dogs in prosperity; Xu Shao's evaluation is indeed remarkable."

"He hasn't even beaten me yet, and he's already getting cocky?"

"You really think you've got Cao Cao figured out?"

Cao Cao was so angry he laughed. When he became a powerful regional official, Yuan Shao was just a lowly staff member in He Jin's household, without even an official title. Why should he look down on him?

Based solely on family background?

Does the Yuan family still exist?

Yuan Shu is dead, and the Yuan family has been wiped out. Now only Yuan Ji and Yuan Shao remain. Are their forces inferior to the several provinces he controls? Are they comparable to the million-strong army he commands?

You're inferior to everything, so what are you so arrogant about?!

"This is a good thing for us. The more arrogant Yuan Shao is, the greater our advantage will be."

Wei Xue smiled. Yuan Shao's strength was not weak, and it would take them a very long time to completely annex him.

But if Yuan Shao makes a foolish move, then it's hard to say.

A fool's sudden inspiration can cause all sorts of consequences, and might even allow them to defeat the opponent in one fell swoop.

"Hahahaha, that's right, that's right."

"The more confused Yuan Shao is, the better. The more confused he is, the better."

Cao Cao and the others laughed as well.

However, putting everything else aside, these warlords at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty all had the same weakness, but Yuan Shao's was particularly prominent.

Dong Chang'an, Yuan Guandu, Cao Chibi, Liu Yiling, Sun Shiwan—each of them, when they held the advantage, would have a moment of madness and squander their entire winning position.

"Gentlemen, what are your thoughts on our future developments?"

Cao Cao asked his many advisors.

"Prepare the troops and horses, and wait for an opportunity to launch a northern expedition."

Guo Jia succinctly stated that before heading south, a decisive battle was inevitable between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao could never stand by and watch Cao Cao march south and swallow up most of the country, and Cao Cao could not fight on two fronts, that would be a death sentence.

"We can launch a three-pronged attack from Chang'an, Luoyang, and Taishan. The army from Chang'an will attack Mengzhou and Yunzhou, the army from Taishan will attack Youzhou, and the King of Qi will personally lead the army from Luoyang to launch a northern expedition against Jizhou."

"The powerful clans under Yuan Shao are fighting fiercely, partly due to our instigation. As long as we let them continue fighting, with Yuan Shao suppressing the central army, they won't go too far."

"It's still the other two armies. Those people will definitely not allow their opponents to command one army alone. They will definitely plant a large number of people in each other's armies. With no unified command, these two armies will surely be defeated."

"The army that set out from Chang'an entered Ji Province from Changshan State, and the army that set out from Taishan Commandery entered Ji Province from Bohai. The three armies converged and attacked Ye City from both sides. Yuan Shao had no way to escape."

Xi Zhicai added.

"Even if a large army is pressing in and they show signs of weakness, will the powerful families still fight amongst themselves?"

Cao Cao was not optimistic about this.

Xi Zhicai smiled slightly and looked at Xun Yu.

Cao Cao could see it that way. Xun Yu closed his eyes. He was a legitimate son of a noble family and had received the most orthodox education. So he knew that Xi Zhicai was right. Even if they attacked at their doorstep, they could not compromise with the heretics.

This is what a prestigious family is like.

Seeing Xun Yu's expression, Cao Cao knew the outcome.

Cao Cao was dumbfounded. Just what kind of magical existence were these aristocratic families?

"Single-handedly, he became a role model for the world, winning every battle and leaving his mark on history."

"Helping each other is worse than being a pig or a dog; you'll be defeated in every battle; you know you're wrong but you won't admit it."

Wei Xue succinctly summarized.

Xun Yu was speechless. He thought about it and realized that although the words were rough, the reasoning was sound.

That's really how aristocratic families are. If an aristocratic family is developing on its own, the power that a family with strong cohesion can unleash is also extremely powerful.

But if several powerful families get together, then it's bound to be a case of one family tripping another up, even if it means suffering losses themselves, they'll still try to sabotage the other.

It's self-defeating to harm others, even at the cost of one's own life.