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

Those from aristocratic families and those from non-aristocratic families all fell silent.

Cao Cao smiled awkwardly, "Interesting, indeed interesting."

"Let's get back to the main topic: who is leading the armies from Chang'an and Mount Tai?"

"Wen Yuan is quite capable of leading troops and can serve as the commander-in-chief of the Chang'an route. This route requires fighting from Chang'an to Mengzhou, and then to Yunzhou and Jizhou. He needs General Xiahou Miaocai and General Yu Jin as his assistants, and Guo Jia as his strategist."

"Mount Tai connects Yanzhou and Qingzhou, and is the foundation of our lord. General Cao Ren can be the commander of this route, with General Xiahou Dun, General Yue Jin, and General Xu Huang as his assistants, and Cheng Yu as the military advisor."

"We can also have General Gan Ning lead the navy to land at Youzhou, as a detachment of this force, so that we can take Youzhou and attack Bohai more quickly."

Xi Zhicai added that they had already discussed these matters long ago.

Cao Cao nodded silently at Zhang Liao and Cao Ren, as they were also his preferred candidates.

These two armies are no small matter; his trusted confidants must be chosen.

Zhang Liao was his subordinate when he was still commanding the Imperial Guards in Luoyang. He was a veteran under his command and the most capable commander among the non-royal generals, so he was naturally qualified to command an army.

Cao Ren was his brother. Even though the Cao and Xiahou families had produced many talented generals, Cao Ren was still the most outstanding one. He could command large armies, fight tough battles, and was also intelligent enough to make strategic plans. He was an invaluable talent in the Cao clan.

With him leading the army from Taishan Commandery, Cao Cao could almost completely rest assured.

"Next, we will start recruiting and training troops with all our might. We must win this battle and defeat Yuan Shao so that he can never stand up again."

"Bojing, Wenruo, I'm leaving the logistics to you."

"Rest assured, King Qi, the funds and provisions needed for the army will certainly be in place."

Wei Xue nodded, glanced at Xun Yu, and sighed inwardly.

After Liu Xie and Liu Bian both died, Xun Yu's regrets collapsed. Previously, he had been able to cheer up because he wanted to eliminate Dong Zhuo and avenge the emperor.

Now that Dong Zhuo has fled abroad and there is no longer a Han emperor in the country, everyone has assumed that the warlords will decide on the successor to the new dynasty. This has left Xun Yu, a staunch supporter of the Han dynasty, feeling somewhat lost.

Cao Cao also took in Xun Yu's reaction, glanced at Xun You who remained unmoved, and then looked at Guo Jia again.

"How are things going with Liu Bei and Sun Jian?"

"Liu Bei has already become entangled with the powerful clans and is rapidly expanding his power with their help. He has already taken over the entire Jingzhou. Sun Jian can only rely on Yangzhou as his base to resist Liu Bei."

"I estimate that Sun Jian won't last many more years. If Liu Bei manages to annex Sun Jian before our war with Yuan Shao ends, he will definitely send troops north to stab us in the back."

"Therefore, Sun Quan must not fall before our war with Yuan Shao ends, and we must also deploy a large number of troops in the south to defend against Liu Bei."

Guo Jia's expression was somewhat unpleasant. Liu Bei's growth rate was too fast; he was almost absorbing the power of aristocratic families at any cost. This would have serious consequences, and he could easily become too powerful to control.

Guo Jia also knew that Liu Bei did this because he had no other choice; otherwise, he would have been forced to wait to be annexed by Sun Jian or by the victors in the north.

There's only one way for him to win.

But this did present them with a real problem: they absolutely could not let Liu Bei defeat Sun Jian so easily.

"Give Sun Jian some support, and he will definitely agree."

"Also, befriend Sun Jian's descendants. If Sun Jian is defeated one day, you can recruit them, give them troops, and let them resist Liu Bei."

Cao Cao decisively gave the order and even set his sights on Sun Ce.

"Our lord is wise."

Guo Jia smiled broadly. His thoughts were the same as Cao Cao's. The two were very compatible in terms of both interests and ideas, making them a very comfortable match.

After everyone had left, Cao Cao took out a wooden box from a hidden compartment under the bed.

Cao Cao opened it, revealing a crystal-clear jade disc with the inscription "By the mandate of Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous."

This is the Imperial Seal of the State, which Dong Zhuo gave to Cao Cao before he left. This was also the intention of the Wei family, as the Imperial Seal of the State could not possibly leave the Central Plains.

"By the mandate of Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous!"

Cao Cao gently stroked the imperial seal, and the image of Xun Yu's somber expression flashed through his mind. In this life, Xun Yu had not been of much help to him. When Xun Yu joined him, he was already the ruler of a province and one of the most powerful warlords in the land.

His logistical rear was always managed by Wei Xue, and there was also a weakened version of Xun Yu—Chen Qun, whose importance and status were far inferior to those in the original history.

If Xun Yu truly fails to see the bigger picture and tries to prevent him from ascending the throne, considering Xun Yu's years of diligent service and out of respect for Xun You, he will not kill Xun Yu, but he will also not allow Xun Yu to remain in a high position.

"Wenruo, I hope you won't put me in a difficult position."

……

None of the feudal lords who have survived to this day are pushovers; they are all accumulating strength, hoping to achieve their goals in one decisive battle.

Time is something every lord must seize. Once mired in a quagmire of war, it will not end in a short time. Other lords will not let go of this opportunity, and the lord will be in a very passive position, missing a great opportunity.

The realm was under the rule of four vassal kings for three years. Three years was enough time for these vassal kings to recover from the losses of the war and complete all military deployments.

Cao Cao fired the first shot, arguing that Yuan Shu's claim to the throne was treasonous and that Yuan Shao had not punished him. Cao Cao condemned the Yuan family as usurpers of the Han dynasty. Yuan Shao expressed his support by not opposing the attack. Cao Cao, as a minister entrusted by Emperor Ling of Han, believed he should punish the disloyal.

Cao Cao assembled an army of 300 million and divided it into three routes to attack Yuan Shao.

With 50 troops in Chang'an, 80 troops in Taishan, and a total of 170 million troops in Luoyang, Cao Cao personally led his troops to attack Ji Province.

Yuan Shao met the challenge, vehemently denouncing Cao Cao for launching a war for his own selfish interests, plunging the people into the flames of war, and declaring him unrighteous, disloyal, and unfilial. He vowed to punish this villain.

They mobilized a massive army of 400 million men by land and sea, and divided them into three routes to meet Cao Cao's army.

Liu Bei also mobilized a large army and set out from Jingzhou to attack Sun Jian.

With Cao Cao's support, Sun Jian vigorously developed his army, especially his navy, and used the advantage of his navy to firmly resist Liu Bei.

The world's attention is once again focused on these two battlefields, which are the semi-finals of the battle for supremacy.

This battle will also be the last chance for all the major powers to place their bets.