The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 183 Li Yi commanded the troops of four states and controlled the Sili. A real man should be like this

Now that Li Yi has obtained the Yitian Sword and the Mandarin Duck Sword, he officially gained the right to execute first and report later in the five regions of Yan, Xu, Yu, Yang, and Sili.

Since Li Yi was the strategist of Henan, he held up two swords and bowed to Cao and Liu, saying:

"I am honored to receive your trust. How dare I refuse to obey your orders?"

"I beg you to gather your civil and military officers and obey my orders tomorrow."

Cao Cao and Liu Bei both agreed readily.

Because the entire Henan and Hebei regions need to be mobilized for a battle.

It is impossible not to report such a major event to the Emperor.

Therefore, Sikong Cao Cao and Zuo Jiangjun Liu Bei joined forces with Chen Wang Liu Chong to transfer Luo Jun, who was the Shaofu.

He also invited Guo Gong, the governor of Yuzhou who was in Liang State, to come to the court in Chen.

He formally wrote a letter to Emperor Liu Xie, accusing Yuan Shao of crimes and asking the emperor to order an expedition against Yuan Shao.

After all, everyone was still Han ministers on the surface. As long as Liu Xie gave the order, Cao and Liu would have gained the public opinion advantage of "righteous army".

Liu Chong and Luo Jun were both loyal to the Han Dynasty, while Yuan Shao was from the faction of Emperor Shao Liu Bian.

If he were to succeed in his march south, the Chen court would certainly be the one to suffer.

Therefore, in the chain of interests, Chen State, Cao and Liu are consistent.

As for Guo Gong, he was originally Liu Bei's younger brother and followed Liu Bei.

It was simply because he was close to the State of Chen and was a high-ranking official like the Governor of Yuzhou, so he came to help out.

Therefore, when this group of ministers wrote the letter together, Liu Xie could not speak out in opposition, as he had no choice.

"I wonder when you, my dear ministers, will attack Yuan Shao?"

Cao Cao came out holding a hu tablet and bowed to remonstrate:
"Your Majesty, in ancient times, generals would build an altar to gather the people."

"Give him the white flag, the yellow axe, the seal, the military token, and then he will exercise his authority and command with dignity."

"Your Majesty should follow this ritual now, choose a day to build an altar, and appoint Li Yi as the Grand Commander."

"Supervise the troops of Yanzhou, Xuzhou, Yuzhou, and Yangzhou, and control the troops of Sili."

"If you give him the imperial seal and the axe, everyone will obey you."

In the Western Han Dynasty, generals were honored as Grand Marshal, while in the Eastern Han Dynasty, generals were honored as Grand General.

However, during the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, the limelight was overshadowed by the rise of the governors-general.

The first person to serve as governor was actually Yuan Shao, who was also in charge of four states: Ji, Qing, You and Bing.

Generally speaking, it is rare to supervise the troops of four states at the same time, and even if there is one, it is just a figurehead.

But no one expected that God Yuan actually controlled the four states.

Therefore, the name Yuan Shao directly overshadowed his identity as "Governor".

The position of governor was actually obtained thanks to Yuan Shao.

The position of Grand Commander officially appeared during the Cao Wei period.

But now, after the proposals of Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Chen Qun, Dong Zhao and others.

Li Yi was directly granted the title of Grand Commander.

This position, which appeared more than 20 years earlier, has roughly the same functions as it did historically.

They were all awarded the yellow axe, which represented the emperor's authority, and then held the imperial seal to control all senior generals.

He has the power to supervise internal and external military affairs and is the highest military commander in the country during wartime.

However, strictly speaking, it is not an official position.

It was temporarily added for the war.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, the general is still the most respected, followed by the generals of cavalry, chariots, etc.

However, Li Yi was still very young, but he had to supervise the troops of four states and control the troops of Sili.

The most important thing is that this was tacitly approved by both Cao Cao and Liu Bei.

After all, if one of them doesn't agree, it would be difficult for Li Yi to hold such a high position.

"……good."

Liu Xie nodded, glanced at the prince, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

"I have witnessed Mr. Li's talent with my own eyes."

"If it weren't for my beloved Li who welcomed me into Chen, I would still be humiliated by the two thieves, Kuai and Si."

"It's just that Yuan Benchu has three dukes in his four generations, and controls four states, with millions of households and thousands of generals."

"I know he is good at commanding troops, and Gongsun Zan is no match for him."

"Li Qing is still young, can he handle such a big task?"

Liu Xie actually knew in his heart that if Yuan Shao won the battle in Henan and Hebei, the Han Dynasty would truly be destroyed.

Because if Yuan Shao really unified Henan and Hebei, he would not do anything troublesome like holding the emperor hostage to control the princes.

The Yuan family has always believed in the prophecy that "the Yuan family came from Chen and are the descendants of Yu Shun."

Therefore, once Yuan Shao unified Henan, he would inevitably depose the emperor and establish himself as the emperor.

Liu Xie also didn't want to follow in his brother's footsteps, otherwise he would have been deposed as two emperors.

The Han Dynasty could no longer maintain its last bit of dignity.

"…Your Majesty."

Li Yi stepped out holding a hu tablet, bowed and replied:
"Although Yi is just a scholar, I have been blessed by the grace of the emperor and entrusted with an important task."

"Since I have the size to take, how dare I not fight to the death?"

"Although Yuan Shao seems powerful, he is ultimately just a commoner. He can gather people but cannot use them."

"Not a concern."

As he spoke, he glanced at Cao Cao and Liu Bei, as if to cheer them up, as well as all the civil and military officials.

Then he added:

“The success and failure of the ancients all depended on their talents.”

"Even if you are weak, you will become strong if you are not the right person."

"Although the strong can easily become weak, the survival and destruction of Emperor Gaozu and Xiang Yu are worth watching."

"Yuan Shao is generous on the outside but jealous on the inside. He trusts people but is suspicious of their hearts."

"It is worse than our Henan rulers and ministers being wise and open-minded, and only employing people according to their talents. This is a better way."

"Yuan Shao was slow to make decisions and missed the opportunity later."

"Henan can make decisions on major issues and respond to any situation. This is the key to success."

"Yuan Shao's army is lax and his laws are not strict. Although he has many soldiers, they are difficult to use."

"Since Henan's laws have been implemented, rewards and punishments will be severe. Although the soldiers are few, they all fight to the death. This is a victory of military force."

"Yuan Shao relied on his family background to establish himself and gain reputation, so many talented and inquisitive people came to him."

"Henan is not picky about who to hire, and we are generous with those who have made contributions."

"Therefore, all loyal and upright people in the world are willing to serve, this is the victory of virtue."

"I assist Your Majesty with my wisdom, wisdom, military skills and virtue, and fight against the enemy with justice. Who dares not to follow me?"

"What if Yuan Shao is so powerful?"

it is good!
After hearing Li Yi's bold words, Liu Xie also felt his blood boiling.

"Yuan Shao defies the will of Heaven and seeks to endanger the country."

"Relying on their numbers, they raised troops to attack the country."

"The old villain has long wanted to abolish the Han and establish his own regime, but he is just jealous of Lord Cao and General Liu."

"I am deeply honored that you two, my dear ministers, are able to lead the expedition."

He immediately accepted Cao Cao's advice and would build an altar tomorrow to convene a meeting of all officials.

Then Li Yi was allowed to ascend the altar to receive the title.

Don’t think that this is a cumbersome ancient etiquette. On the one hand, it can reflect the importance of the commander-in-chief.

On the one hand, it can also help the commander-in-chief establish his authority so as to intimidate his subordinates.

The next day, all civil and military officials arrived.

Cao Cao brought all the civil and military officials around him, and Liu Bei also brought his trusted civil and military officials such as Guan, Zhang, and Zhao with him.

Prince of Chen Liu Chong, Shaofu Luo Jun, and Yuzhou Governor Guo Gong also came to the altar.

Now we just have to wait for the emperor to arrive and officially confer the title.

Before going to the altar, Liu Bei found Li Yi alone again.

"...Sir, I know you are capable of great things, but you still need to make adequate preparations before you go up to the altar to be conferred the title."

The implication was to remind Li Yi not to be nervous.

Li Yi took out a letter and promised Liu Bei solemnly:
"Please be at ease, my lord. This is the time for a man to establish his reputation."

"Last night, I also finished writing this "Anti-Traitor Proclamation" overnight."

"After you are conferred the title on the altar, it will be read out in front of all the heroes in the world."

good……

Liu Bei nodded.

Chen Lin, like Ni Heng, is a keyboard warrior, but Chen Lin is just a simple internet troll who gets scared when he sees the truth.

In his "Exhortation to Punish the Bandits", he scolded Liu Bei as a traitor and called him a big-eared old man.

This made Liu Bei so angry that he didn't sleep well for two days, and he kept looking for an opportunity to curse back.

Now Li Yi also responded with a manifesto. As long as it was well written, Liu Bei would copy thousands of copies of it and spread them throughout Henan and Hebei.

After all, public opinion offensive is also very important.

Soon, Emperor Liu Xie arrived.

The eunuchs shouted and ordered Li Yi to ascend the altar to receive the title.

Li Yi strode up to the high platform. Many people below who had never seen Li Yi before looked at him.

He is eight feet tall and has a face like a beautiful jade.

It is beautiful, but it lacks ruggedness and arrogance, which makes many soldiers sneer inwardly.

I thought that both Cao Sikong and General Liu had experienced hundreds of battles and were good at using troops.

Why appoint a scholar as a general?

Liu Xie walked closer and handed the sword to Li Yi.

"Lord Li, I appoint you as the Grand Commander, commanding the troops of Yanzhou, Xuzhou, Yuzhou, and Yangzhou, and controlling the troops of Sili."

After that, he gave the seal to Li Yi.

"...In the battle of Hebei, I am powerless and have to rely entirely on Lord Li."

Li Yi thanked him and walked to the front of the civil and military officials.

He took out the pre-written manifesto and read it aloud:
"Yuan Shao has received the emperor's grace and the protection of his ancestors, but he has no intention of repaying his kindness."

"They invaded the state and occupied four provinces, and abused the people. Therefore, they divided the fertile land of Hebei into melons and beans."

"Yuan Tan, the governor of Qingzhou, was Shao's eldest son; Yuan Xi, the governor of Youzhou, was Shao's second son; Yuan Shang, the governor of Jizhou, was Shao's third son; Gao Gan, the governor of Bingzhou, was Shao's nephew."

"These four men have no virtue towards the earth and are guilty of sin against the people."

"But he deprived people of their high positions and stole their honors."

"He is not the emperor, but he is doing the emperor's work. How can the affairs of the world be decided by Yuan?"

"Yuan the thief's biological mother is naturally cunning and frivolous, and I am ashamed to be your maid."

"Shao knew that he was of low status and could not stand up for the truth. He only wanted to flatter his superiors and was devoted to slander and evil."

"In the past, Emperor Ling banned the clique, and the He family was appointed as the emperor, and Shao held an important position, but they dared not speak out."

"He was a scoundrel who tried to curry favor with both sides. When the eunuchs and relatives killed each other, Shao became ambitious, forged imperial edicts to kill and plunder, and led his troops into the palace."

"I have acted rashly, breaking the law by carrying a knife, and taking my anger out on Zi Ji."

"Cao Mengde, the Minister of Works, and Liu Xuande, the Left General, are both righteous men in the world."

"The soldiers fight to the death, and the tigers fight without stopping."

"Forgetting to care about the national crisis, the whole world is filled with anger."

"The emperor will be honored and the sacred artifact will be forever secure."

"The Huainan invaders were pacified and the country was restored to its former glory."

"The reason for this is that the whole world will be peaceful and the Han Dynasty will be revived."

"However, Shao has evil ambitions and does not respect the emperor. He usurps the throne of Yan Han and wants to establish a new emperor."

"By having intercourse with other races, the wolf will attract the Xianbei's strength."

"Sipping poisoned wine, snakes attached themselves to the soldiers of Wuhuan."

"The mountains and rivers are filled with resentment, and the heavens and the earth are filled with wailing."

"Alas! The day of annihilation of Yuan thieves is approaching."

"Whoever captures Shao's head will be granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households and rewarded with 100 million yuan."

"For those who surrender, including officers, lieutenants, and other officials, do not ask any questions."

"Publicize your grace and trust, and give rewards to the people. Announce it to the world, and let everyone know that Yuan the traitor has the intention of usurping the throne."

"As ordered!"

Li Yi read aloud passionately and was extremely emotional.

All the soldiers, both great and small, were excited by what he said.

Of course, it is especially great to hear that whoever captures Shao’s head will be granted the title of Marquis with ten thousand households and a reward of 100 million yuan.

This reward alone is almost mouth-watering.

After reading the proclamation to suppress the rebels, Li Yixian took out the mandarin duck sword and ordered the Xuzhou soldiers:
"General Liu has bestowed upon me the Yuan Sword. All the officers and men of Xuzhou, both great and small, will obey my orders."

"Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed!"

Everyone in Liu Ying knew Li Yi and knew that he always kept his word.

At this time, his expression was even more solemn, and it was obvious that he was serious.

So they all shouted: "Yes!"

Li Yi took out the Heavenly Sword and ordered the Yanzhou soldiers:
"Prime Minister Cao has granted me the Heavenly Sword. You and your lords will defend the north bank of the Yellow River and face the main force of Yuan's army."

"Everyone should guard the narrow pass and hold the strategic point firmly. Do not move rashly."

"Anyone who disobeys the order will be executed without mercy!"

Only some people in Cao's camp had seen Li Yi, and most of the rest had only heard of Li Yi's reputation.

But seeing him at this moment being paid homage to civil and military officials and being conferred a title by the Emperor, this is what a real man should be like.

They all shouted, "Yes!"

Finally, Li Yi took the Emperor's Sword given by Liu Xie in his hand and shouted loudly:

"This time we are following the imperial edict to fight against the enemy and eliminate harm for the country."

"Gentlemen, you must know that the army has regular laws, which should be followed."

"The law is impartial to those who violate it. Don't regret it and bring trouble to your family."

This time, the soldiers of Liu's camp, Cao's camp, and all the officials of the court shouted in unison: "Yes!"

After receiving the title, Li Yi officially began to deploy his troops.

He first came before Cao Cao.

Although Li Yi already had the power to dispatch soldiers from Cao's camp, he still had to do enough work to save his face.

If you really want to call for it, you have to do it in front of Cao Cao.

"Lord Cao, Yanzhou faces the Yellow River directly, and Yuan's army will surely move south from Weijun."

“We must be fully prepared.”

Cao Cao nodded and lifted his clothes to signal the generals to come up and wait for Li Yi's orders.

Li Yi knew that Cao Cao only valued the Cao and Xiahou families, so he first said to Cao Ren:
"General Cao, please lead your troops to Liyang first to form a line of defense."

"You can only dig deep trenches and build high fortifications, but you cannot fight."

Cao Ren looked at Cao Cao first, and Cao Cao nodded at him, and Cao Ren accepted the order. Li Yi then said to Jin:

"I would like to ask General Yu to lead 3,000 soldiers to guard the crossing at Yanjin on the south bank of the Yellow River."

"You will guard Baimajin together with General Cao Ren and prevent Yuan's army from crossing the Pu River."

Yu Jin gladly accepted the order.

Finally, Li Yi walked up to Cao Cao, bowed to him, and said:
"Lord Cao, I have set up two lines of defense on the south bank of the Yellow River."

"We will continue to send soldiers from Xuzhou to assist Cao's army in defending Bai Ma."

"Please, Lord Cao, hold on to Baimajinkou before my army from Xuzhou sets out!"

What this means is that Li Yi does not understand the internal structure of Cao's camp.

So only deployment was made on the south bank of the Yellow River, and the rest was left to Cao Cao himself.

But there is only one core strategy, and that is to defend Baimajinkou at all costs.

Cao Cao was also a military strategist and he saw through Li Yi's core tactical ideas at a glance.

That's just delaying time!
The main force of Yuan's army moved south, and they would definitely attack Cao's camp, because Yuan Shao's base camp in Jizhou directly faced Yanzhou.

Naturally, the main force is pushing towards Cao’s camp.

But with Cao Cao's current strength, he is simply unable to stop Yuan's army.

Therefore, the only way to solve the problem is to hold on and wait for Xuzhou to free up his hands.

On the Xuzhou side, the main target was the troops coming from Qingzhou.

Different from the last time I fought Yuan Tan.

The last time, Xuzhou was on the defensive and did not engage in a full-scale war with Yuan Tan.

Now Qingzhou has become a war zone with the support of the entire Yuan camp.

Although Xuzhou still has confidence that it can win the battle of Qingzhou.

But fighting also takes time.

If Xuzhou does not resolve the war in Qingzhou, it will not be able to support Yanzhou.

In other words, even if a small amount of troops could be provided, it would be a drop in the bucket.

The main force must be pulled to Yanzhou.

Then the two families joined forces, looked for opportunities, avoided the strong and attacked the weak, and fought a decisive battle with Yuan's army.

This is why Li Yi instructed Cao Cao to defend Bai Ma before the Xuzhou army was free.

Because only by defending Bai Ma can we defend the waterway connecting Yan and Xu.

There are a large number of water systems between Yan and Xu states, and the entire navigation route is within the control range.

Like Cao Cao, he could enter the Yingou River from the Honggou River, then enter the Ji River, and then enter the Si River.

Take a boat all the way to Xuzhou.

The whole process went smoothly without any obstacles.

Although the flow rate of the Central Plains water network is not fast, the speed of water transportation is still several times that of land transportation.

It goes without saying how much food and fodder can be saved and how many soldiers can be transported in the process.

And because of the alliance between Cao and Liu, the entire territory, whether in Yanzhou or Xuzhou, was unobstructed.

Not only can it replenish troops in a timely manner, but it can also solve the problem of food and fodder on the spot.

"The soldiers of Cao's army will definitely be able to hold on."

Cao Cao made a solemn promise to Li Yi, but there was a hint of discontent between his brows.

He changed the subject and said to Li Yi solemnly:

"But after next year, when spring comes, the situation will be very difficult."

"We need your help!"

Li Yi also made a solemn promise to Cao Cao:

"The soldiers of Xuzhou will definitely be able to end the war in Qingzhou before the beginning of next spring."

"only……"

After a slight pause, Li Yi was still a little worried that Cao Cao could not hold out for that long.

In history, Cao Cao was able to resist because he owned four states.

Cao Cao now has only the complete Yanzhou in his hands.

The newly opened Guanzhong area was also a bleeding groove, which forced Li Yi to be extra cautious.

He turned to the front of Liu Ying and looked around, scanning all the generals.

All the generals held their heads high and waited for orders.

In the end, Li Yi's eyes fell on Guan Yu.

Guan Yu saw Li Yi coming towards him and bowed:
"Grand Governor!"

"......Hmm." Li Yi held the sword upright, frowning.

"I have ordered the soldiers of Cao's camp to set up defenses on the south bank of the Yellow River and strictly guard the Baima Pass."

"However, Yuan's army is powerful, and Cao Sikong cannot focus on guarding the Baima Pass alone."

"So we still need to send troops from Xuzhou to support and assist in the defense of Baima."

"I have looked at all the generals in Xuzhou and none other than Yunchang can take on this important task."

Guan Yu was almost the best general in Liu's camp. Li Yi made a great determination to send Guan Yu out to assist Cao's army in guarding Bai Ma.

This also reflects Li Yi's importance to Baimajinkou.

Guan Yu saw that Li Yi had a solemn expression, not as talkative and cheerful as before.

He knew that Baimajinkou was extremely important, so he bowed and accepted the order:

"Yu understands. I will obey the orders of the Grand Commander."

He ordered his officers to go and pay their respects to Cao Cao first.

Cao Cao already knew that Li Yi would send someone to help guard Baima Pass, and he was just guessing who Li Yi would send.

But when he saw that it was Guan Yu, he was overjoyed.

I couldn't help but stepped forward and patted Guan Yu on the shoulder, saying happily:
"...Yes, very good."

"With Yun Chang's help, we can help defend Bai Ma. I estimate that Yuan's soldiers can't cross the Pu River even a step!"

Guan Yu, on the other hand, was serious and only thought about the battle at Bai Ma.

When Cao Cao spoke to him, Guan Yu simply answered without saying anything more.

However, Cao Cao was still enjoying it and continued to ask questions.

Not stated.

……

As for Liu Ying, Li Yi was fully aware of the situation there.

So all matters, big or small, were assigned one by one.

"...My Lord, unlike the battle in Yanzhou, we must hold on and wait for help."

"We in Xuzhou must take the initiative to attack and replace defense with offense."

"It is best to send troops quickly and fight a quick battle. Yuan Tan will be caught off guard."

"If we attack quickly, Yuan Tan may not be able to react in time."

"As long as we can capture Qingzhou before Jizhou and Youzhou come to support us, the battle in Xuzhou will be a success."

Liu Bei nodded, agreeing with Li Yi's strategic idea.

As for Xuzhou, if the Qingzhou war can be resolved one day sooner, Yanzhou will have to suffer one day less.

"You can first order Zang Ba to lead the Taishan troops and immediately head north from Langya to Qingzhou to attack Qi County, Beihai and other places first."

"I will lead the army behind me and press forward first."

"During this period, please assist Lord Cao and defend Yanzhou."

Li Yi hoped that Liu Bei could stay in the base camp in Xuzhou, mainly so that he could personally command the two battles on the Qingzhou front and the Yanzhou front.

Taking both sides into consideration at the same time, the resources that need to be allocated in the middle are no longer something that Li Yi can decide alone.

He is only the supreme military commander now, and it is not appropriate for him to interfere in the mobilization of internal resources.

"...Good, I will stay behind the town, please hurry up, sir."

Liu Bei reminded him again and again, and he also knew that Xuzhou must not be bogged down in the quagmire of war in Qingzhou.

Otherwise, if Cao can’t hold on, Yuan Jun will just make a fool of himself in Xuzhou.

Xuzhou had no strategic location to defend, let alone resist Yuan's army of hundreds of thousands.

"Yihe has been entrusted with an important task and I am willing to do my utmost to serve you!"

Li Yi spoke solemnly, enunciating each word.

Now the strategic deployment has been initially formed, but this is only the initial stage of the battle.

In the early stage, Henan had to rely on defense and waste time.

What's the waste?

Wait for Yuan Shao to make mistakes internally, and then Henan can seize the opportunity to deal a heavy blow to Yuan's army.

Given the chaos within Yuan’s camp, it was only a matter of time before internal conflicts broke out.

It depends on whether Henan can grasp the situation.

"Raise an army for a thousand days, use it for a while."

"Now we can call on the other princes who are in the anti-Yuan alliance to come to the Yellow River and fight Yuan Shao together."

Li Yi also suggested to Liu Bei that he could summon his younger brothers from the south.

Some of these vassal forces have money, some have food, and some have soldiers.

But as long as we can share even a little bit of the pressure with Cao and Liu, it will be worth it.

First of all, Liu Bei ordered Yuan Yin, the governor of Danyang, to immediately unite with Zu Lang, Fei Zhan and other generals.

The Shanyue tribe conquered during this period was organized into Danyang soldiers and sent to Xuzhou to await deployment.

Then he ordered Taishi Ci, who was in charge of Yuzhang, to send Yuzhang's money and grain to Xuzhou.

Taishi Ci had already arrived in Yuzhang and tried to measure the fields.

Although we encountered many difficulties in the process, it was finally successfully implemented.

For this purpose, Taishi Ci also wrote a special work report and sent it to Li Yi.

All the experiences and lessons learned were told to Li Yi one by one, so that it would be easier for Li Yi to implement land measurement in the entire Liuying territory in the future.

As for Runan, Lu Bu has not had much external affairs since he arrived in Runan.

Every day he would drink with his wives and concubines, and then go hunting with his soldiers.

From time to time, they would send the rare and exotic animals they hunted to the Chen court and present them to the emperor.

Occasionally he would go to the capital to meet the emperor.

Now Henan is following the imperial court's order to fight against the rebels.

Naturally, he also had the power to issue an edict, ordering Lu Bu to lead his Bingzhou cavalry to fight on the front line.

The imperial edict was sent to Runan the same day. As to whether Lü Bu accepted the edict or not, it is not known for the time being.

As for Cao Cao, his first concern was Zhang Xiu in the southwest corner.

This tyrant who killed his own sons and nephews was like a sharp thorn piercing his waist and abdomen.

As a result, Liu Bei intervened and persuaded Cao Cao to win over Zhang Xiu to join the anti-Yuan alliance.

But a long time has passed since then, and with the changes in the political situation, it is hard to guarantee whether Zhang Xiu's attitude will change.

After all, Zhang Xiu, like Lu Bu, a warrior who rose from the frontier, lacked political acumen and did not attach too much importance to trust and loyalty.

"I want to persuade Zhang Xiu to surrender with his people, but I don't know what his intentions are."

Cao Cao found Xun Yu and asked for his advice.

Xun Yu replied:

"General Liu has already guaranteed his safety. Now Zhang Xiu is far away in Nanyang. If he surrenders to Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao will find it difficult to save him."

"So I expect Xiu to be able to lead his people to surrender, so I hope you will not doubt it."

Cao Cao ordered someone to send a letter to Nanyang, persuading Zhang Xiu to surrender, silently hoping that he would give up his old grudges and surrender again.

This time, Cao Cao's vision is even bigger.

"If you want Zhang Xiu to surrender soon, you need to appease a group of people."

Xun Yu added from the side.

Cao Cao nodded and said:

"Ma Teng and Han Sui of Xiliang."

"That's right." Xun Yu nodded.

It was mentioned before that Zhang Xiu’s hometown was Wuwei.

The soldiers of his Liangzhou Iron Cavalry were recruited from his hometown.

If one wants to speed up Zhang Xiu's surrender, one must cut off the connection with Guanzhong.

In this way, not only can Yuan Shao be prevented from landing in Guanzhong, but Zhang Xiu can also lose contact with his hometown.

This will definitely shake Zhang Xiu's decision.

"There are more than ten generals in Guanzhong, but none of them can match one another."

Xun Yu analyzed the situation for Cao Cao in an orderly manner.

"Only Ma Teng and Han Sui are the strongest."

"When he sees the struggle in the Central Plains, he must gather people to protect himself."

"If we pacify them with kindness and send envoys to make peace, even if we cannot maintain peace for long, it will be better than a peaceful settlement of the war."

Prior to this, Cao Cao ordered Zhong Yao to supervise the military forces in Guanzhong and ordered him to appease and surrender Ma Teng and Han Sui.

Although these two people appear to be submissive, they are ultimately untrustworthy people, so we still need to be more careful and vigilant.

After everything was decided, the Cao and Liu camps each took action, deployed troops and prepared for battle.

As for the imperial edict that was issued, the first place it was delivered to was Runan, which was the closest.

At that time, Lü Bu was hunting in the suburbs with Cheng Lian, Wei Xu and other generals.

Runan was a prosperous city, and Lu Bu's ambition was to "use it when hungry and leave it when full", and to get by with just the day-to-day.

During the years in Runan, Lu Bu lived a quite happy life.

Without so many intrigues, and being able to have fun with my wives and concubines every day and night, I wouldn't trade it for anything even a god would.

"Wen Hou, watch me shoot the deer!"

Cheng Lian bent his bow and shot an arrow into the forest, but the deer ran away.

Lu Bu smiled and said:

"It's not surprising that the shooting method is fair."

"Look, I will shoot with you."

After he finished speaking, he drew his bow and arrow and shot an arrow at the frightened deer.

The arrow hit the deer right in the head and killed it.

"color!"

"color!!"

All the soldiers cheered in unison.

The corners of Lu Bu's lips curled up, thinking himself proud and successful.

In this Runan area, he is the king here.

Although Li Tong, who lived west of Runan, was Cao Cao's man, he and Li Tong had nothing to do with each other.

Suddenly, a sentry came galloping on a horse.

……

(End of this chapter)