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

Chapter 184: The Anti-Yuan Alliance is Formed
But it is said that Lu Bu was hunting with his generals in Runan, and he was feeling very proud and triumphant.

Suddenly a scout came running.

"Report——"

"Reporting to Lord Wen, an imperial edict has arrived from the court."

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu, Cheng Lian, Wei Xu and other generals dismounted and waited for the imperial edict.

The book briefly said that Yuan Shao was unkind and raised a rebellious army south to the Yellow River, intending to harm the emperor.

I now summon Wenhou Lu Bu and have him come to the capital immediately to protect the king. There must be no mistakes.

After the messenger finished reading the contents of the imperial edict, Lu Bu and others were all shocked.

"...Yuan Shao is actually going to move south?"

The generals whispered to each other and were all shocked.

During this period of time, they stayed in Runan and lived a happy life.

He hadn't noticed that the world situation was about to undergo a huge change.

"Wen Hou, what should we do now?"

The generals asked.

Lu Bu was also a little hesitant, as he was least good at choosing sides.

"This is a serious matter, I must discuss it with Mr. Gongtai."

So, Lu Bu led his generals back to the county government, found Chen Gong, and told him what had happened.

During this period, Chen Gong accompanied Lu Bu in Runan to recuperate.

Although Lu Bu and other generals were content with mediocrity, Chen Gong never gave up his ambition.

Now that the imperial edict to support the king has been sent, he is extremely excited. He picks up the edict and reads it over and over again.

Then he said to Lu Bu excitedly:
"Wen Hou, this is a godsend opportunity!"

"What God-given opportunity?" Lu Bu asked.

"Now Yuan Shao is strong and marching south, Cao and Liu are trapped in Henan."

"This battle will definitely determine the situation in the world."

"With Marquis Wen's bravery and strength, can he stay out of this matter alone?"

Lu Bu replied in a daze that he could not.

Chen Gong said again:

"Now, our Runan has not had a military campaign for many years, and there are tens of thousands of Yellow Turban bandits causing chaos."

"In my opinion, Yuan Shao will incite rebellion in Runan in order to win the war."

"If Runan rebels in the rear, will Cao Cao and Liu Bei be able to rest assured?"

Lu Bu was silent for a moment, not knowing what to say.

"Mr. Gongtai means...?"

"Ask for a price, the highest bidder wins."

Chen Gong smiled meaningfully.

In history, Chen Gong was a politician engaged in speculation and profiteering.

As a representative of the Yanzhou gentry, he had previously instigated Lu Bu to rebel but ended in failure.

But Chen Gong never thought of giving up his family's interests in Yanzhou.

The current battle between Henan and Hebei is an opportunity for him.

Chen Gong hopes that Lu Bu can profit from this and see whether Yuan is strong and Cao Liu is weak, or Yuan is weak and Cao Liu is strong.

Yuan Shao is powerful. If Cao and Liu cannot hold out, then Lu Bu can join Yuan Shao in attacking from the north and south and divide the Henan territory together.

Given Yuan Shao's benevolent character, he would definitely give Yanzhou to them after the war.

This will help Chen Gong achieve his goal of recovering Yanzhou.

If Yuan Shao cannot defeat Cao and Liu, then he will respond to the call of the court.

Assist Cao Cao and Liu Bei in fighting against Yuan Shao.

Then he would seize profits from it and seek other ways to recover Yanzhou.

Obviously, the former can better help Chen Gong achieve the goal of recovering Yanzhou.

But the war has just begun. Since ancient times, there have been many cases where the weak defeated the strong.

Now that the outcome is still undecided, we should not make a decision lightly.

Just wait for the battle to unfold.

"This……"

Lu Bu was a little hesitant. "The court has issued an edict ordering me to go to the capital to defend the king. If I don't obey the edict, and instead delay and resist, I'm afraid it will be inappropriate."

"Hey!"

Chen Gong was a little anxious and said with a look of disappointment.

"Fengxian, you are so confused!"

"Today, all imperial decrees come from the Sikong Mansion and Zuojiangjun Mansion."

"I wonder if this edict is from the emperor or from Cao Cao or Liu Bei?"

Lu Bu paced back and forth for two steps, pondered for a while, and said slowly:

"Sikong is the Sikong of the Han Dynasty, and Zuo Jiangjun is the Zuo Jiangjun appointed by the emperor."

"The edicts of the Minister of Works and the General of the Left are the edicts of the Han Dynasty."

Chen Gong was speechless for a long time before he asked:

"Could it be that Fengxian, you are still planning to go north to fight against Yuan Shao?"

Lu Bu replied:

"Since you said that this war concerns the overall situation of the world, Bu Mo can't just sit on the sidelines and watch."

"Now that the emperor has issued an edict, we are raising an army to march north as a righteous army, so why not go?"

Chen Gong advised:

"Fengxian, you must think it through. If you go north, you will become the enemy of the Yuan family."

"There is no turning back!"

Lu Bu raised his eyebrows, and a hint of arrogance appeared on his face.

"I have a Fang Tian painted halberd and a red rabbit horse that neighs in the wind."

"Who am I afraid of?"

"Besides, since I fled from Chang'an, I first surrendered to Yuan Shao, who used me to fight the Black Mountain bandits."

"I have made great contributions in defeating Zhang Yan's army several times, but Yuan Shao not only refused to use me, but also repeatedly sent troops to attack and kill me."

"Yuan Shao is so narrow-minded and intolerant."

"Now you have abandoned Cao and Liu Yi's troops and instead joined Yuan Shao, becoming an accomplice to the tiger?"

Chen Gong fell silent.

He wondered why Yuan Shao sent troops to attack and kill you. Don’t you have any idea?
You didn't say a word about the time you led your troops to plunder his counties.

"...Sir, there is no need to say more."

"I regard all the rats in the world as grass."

Lu Bu's face straightened, he raised his eyebrows and said:
"Yuan Shao was very powerful in the past, and I couldn't match him, so I had to compromise."

"Cao and Liu are now simultaneously attacking Hebei and need my help. I will take this opportunity to avenge myself on the Yuan family."

After a slight pause, he added.

"Besides, Hebei is strong and Henan is weak. If I surrender to Yuan Shao, he will not respect me."

"Everyone says that Yuan Shao is generous on the outside but jealous on the inside. If he remembers my past misdeeds, he will be even less tolerant of me."

Lu Bu could still figure out this account.

As a strategist, Chen Gong could certainly take advantage of the situation between Hebei and Henan.

But Lu Bu couldn't.

Given Yuan Shao's character, whether he could be tolerated was a question.

On the other hand, in Henan, Lu Bu had always called Liu Bei his good brother, and Liu Bei did not refuse.

This means that they definitely treat you as a brother.

What's more, Li Yi has now become the chief strategist of Henan and is in charge of the troops of four states.

When he was defeated and had no choice but to flee to Xuzhou, Li Yi told him clearly that if he had any difficulties, he could come to him.

Just for the sake of their loyalty, Lu Bu had to help Henan no matter what.

"I have made up my mind. There is no need to discuss this matter any further!"

Lu Bu stood up and said solemnly.

"Pass my order, all officers and soldiers return to camp immediately, gather the troops, and then march north."

"March into Chendi, protect the king, and behead those who neglect it!"

Seeing that Lu Bu had already issued the general's order, Chen Gong could not dissuade him and could only sigh helplessly.

Since the group boss has chosen to side with Henan, Chen Gong can only do his best to assist Henan in winning this battle.

Only then can we hope to divide as much of the spoils as possible after the war.

Soon, generals Cheng Lian, Wei Xu, Hou Cheng, Song Xian and others returned to their camps to gather their troops.

Lu Bu left his wife and children in Runan and prepared some winter clothes.

He then took Chen Gong and the remaining generals with him and led 8,000 troops north to Chen.

Not stated.

……

Lu Bu's troops in Runan have officially joined the Henan camp and sent troops north to support Cao and Liu.

Going further west, it is the same as Zhang Xiu in Nanyang.

The first edict sent to Nanyang also came from the Chen court.

Of course, this was sent jointly by Cao Cao and Liu Bei.

As for Liu Bei, he naturally asked Zhang Xiu to keep his promise and immediately send troops north to help the Henan camp.

Cao Cao also expressed his willingness to put aside past grudges and let bygones be bygones.

It's better not to avenge the murder of my son.

As long as Zhang Xiu was willing to surrender with his people, Cao Cao was willing to immediately recommend Zhang Xiu as General Yangwu.

At the same time, in order to reassure Zhang Xiu.

Cao Cao even expressed his willingness to allow his clan children to marry Zhang Xiu.

In this era, the status of in-laws and blood ties is self-evident.

Cao Cao was willing to marry Zhang Xiu in order to show that he was really willing to let go of the old grudge and asked Zhang Xiu to rest assured.

That's why Cao Cao was willing to make such a great sacrifice.

One reason is that the army led by Zhang Xiu was the successor to Zhang Ji's Liangzhou Army, and its combat power was very strong.

Second, Zhang Xiu’s position was too close to Cao Cao’s base camp.

If Cao Cao cannot destroy Zhang Xiu in a short period of time, he can only win him over to his side.

Since it had been agreed upon before, Zhang Xiu did not hesitate at all.

These days, he has been training his troops and has already made his soldiers strong and vigorous.

Just wait for Cao and Liu to send a signal to summon him to the front line.

When the signal arrived, Zhang Xiu was about to respond.

Suddenly someone reported that Yuan Shao's envoy had arrived.

Zhang Xiu was startled and was about to invite Yuan Shikai to take a seat, but Jia Xu suddenly scolded him:

"Return to thank Yuan Benchu. Brothers cannot even get along with each other, how can we get along with the great men of the world?"

He ordered the warriors to drive Yuan out with sticks.

Zhang Xiu was shocked and asked Jia Xu:

"Yuan Shao is now so powerful that no one in the world can rival him. Even if we don't want to befriend him, we shouldn't offend him either."

"Sir, why are you so determined and leave no room for maneuver?"

Jia Xu said:

"General, have you forgotten that you promised Xuzhou that you would help Cao and Liu in the wars in Hebei and Henan?"

Zhang Xiu was startled and waved his hand:
“I really can’t forget it!”

"But we shouldn't treat Envoy Yuan like this!"

Zhang Xiu actually lacks a sense of security.

He himself was living under someone else's roof and dependent on Liu Biao.

He had offended Cao Cao before, and had a grudge against him for killing his sons and generals.

Although Cao Cao himself had expressed his willingness to give up his old grudge, Liu Bei also expressed his willingness to act as a guarantor.

But Zhang Xiu's forces were too weak after all, and he hoped he could keep more cards in his hand.

Jia Xu, on the other side, seemed very confident and patiently advised Zhang Xiu:

"Since the general has made up his mind to cooperate with Cao and Liu, he should cut off contact with Yuan's envoys and not arouse Cao and Liu's suspicion."

"Otherwise, if Yuan fails to form an alliance, Cao and Liu will fail to gain trust."

"I can't please both sides, so I am not worthy of being a general."

This……

Zhang Xiu was speechless after hearing Jia Xu's words.

Obviously this was a criticism of him for wanting to have it all.

But there is no such thing as the best of both worlds in politics. Many times, it requires you to make a choice.

Jia Xu's words continued to come.

"Today Hebei is strong and Henan is weak."

"Now that I am following them with a small number of people, the Yuan family will certainly not regard me as a senior official."

"Henan is in a weak position, so they will be happy to have me."

"Besides, Lord Cao is in Yingchuan, and he only has us to worry about."

"May the general not doubt it!"

Seeing this, Zhang Xiu finally made up his mind and led his people to surrender to Henan.

Zhang Xiu's troops also officially joined Henan and rushed to the battlefield.

Since then, in addition to the Henan mainland, two other military forces have joined the anti-Yuan alliance.

But the real threat and power came from Ma Teng and Han Sui of Xiliang.

Unlike Lü Bu and Zhang Xiu, two barbarians, Ma Teng and Han Sui were true lords, and their influence on the war situation was even no less than that of Liu Biao.

Liu Biao just did not officially take part in the Battle of Guandu. If he had taken sides with either side, it would have been hard to say who would have won.

Ma Teng and Han Sui had tens of thousands of elite soldiers in Xiliang and the most powerful legion in the late Han Dynasty.

Their stance becomes crucial.

As early as when they destroyed Yuan Shu, Cao Cao and Liu Bei had already discussed and decided to win over Ma Teng and Han Sui together.

We use both soft and hard tactics, hoping that they can help Henan in the future war that will determine the outcome of the Central Plains.

As for Yuan Shao, he naturally realized the importance of Ma Teng and Han Sui.

In Yuan Ying's view, as long as the Xiliang camp supports Hebei.

Then they would be able to send troops to Guanzhong, and in order to resist the main force of Yuan’s army, Cao Cao would inevitably be unable to defend the Guanzhong area.

Once Guanzhong was lost, Yuan Shao would be able to free up another army.

Starting from Bingzhou, troops were sent to Luoyang area.

This was undoubtedly a huge disaster for Cao Cao.

Therefore, Cao Cao would rather take Guanzhong, which would be a blood-draining channel, than not take it.

The purpose was to prevent Yuan's troops from landing in Guanzhong and put pressure on Cao Cao's western battlefield.

Whether it was Yuan Shao or Cao Liu, they were trying their best to win over Ma Teng and Han Sui.

These two people are people who curry favor with the powerful. Faced with the solicitation of two major powers, they naturally try to please both sides and make the most of it.

While having an affair with Cao Cao, he was secretly accepting money and food sent by Yuan Shao.

But now, the war has officially broken out.

It was no longer possible for Ma Teng and Han Sui to eat from both sides as they did before.

Because both Hebei and Henan forced the two to express their stance immediately.

No matter how ambiguous your attitude is, it will be useless, because as long as you don't send troops to take sides, you will be regarded as an enemy.

This can be considered as the result of Ma Teng and Han Sui eating from both ends.

Of course, can you just stand by and watch like Liu Biao and not take any action?
The answer is of course yes.

After all, neither Cao, Liu nor Yuan Shao wanted to be disturbed by external forces, especially uncertain factors.

If Ma Teng and Han Sui defected to Henan, they could directly send troops to Bingzhou to threaten Yuan's left wing.

If they surrender to Hebei, they can send troops to Guanzhong and threaten Henan's flank.

That is why the power of Xiliang is extremely important and can influence the outcome of the war.

Cao Cao appointed Zhong Yao as the Inspector of the Imperial Guards and gave him the power to supervise Guanzhong.

Therefore, Cao's camp was the first to come into contact with the Western Liang army.

Cao Cao was fully focused on dealing with the war in the north, so he could only hand over all the affairs in Guanzhong to Zhong Yao.

I can only choose to believe him, this famous scholar from Yingchuan who was strongly recommended by Xun Yu.

Zhong Yao then sent Fu Gan, an official from the Cangcao Department, to Hanyang to meet Ma Teng.

At that time, Ma Teng and Han Sui were sworn brothers, although they were plastic brothers.

Han Sui killed Ma Teng's wife and eldest son, and fought for several years.

But among the dozen or so warlords in Guanzhong, Ma Teng and Han Sui were still the most powerful.

So the two of them inexplicably reached a reconciliation.

There is no clear record in history books about how the two reconciled.

Perhaps in the eyes of these Xiliang warriors, it is not worth avenging the murder of their wives and children.

But the two of them do now jointly govern Liangzhou, and each of them has more than 10,000 elite soldiers under their command, so their strength should not be underestimated.

Faced with the envoy sent by Zhong Yao, Han Sui and Ma Teng did not dare to be disrespectful and immediately convened a meeting of civil and military officials.

"Shoucheng, what do you think Cao Cao wants to do by sending an envoy here?"

Han Sui asked Ma Teng who was sitting nearby in a playful tone.

"I heard that Yuan Shao is leading an army of 800,000 to the south to pacify Henan."

"Cao Cao sent an envoy to ask for help from Xiliang."

Ma Teng replied calmly.

"Oh? Yuan's army has 800,000 soldiers?"

"Since he is so powerful, why don't we reject Cao's envoy and befriend Yuan Shao?"

Han Sui pretended to be frightened, but there was a hint of teasing in his tone.

The atmosphere in the hall froze for a moment, and everyone present knew that the relationship between Ma Teng and Han Sui was very delicate.

Ma Teng was not in a hurry to reply, but asked the young man behind him:
"Mengqi, tell me, should we reject the envoy from Cao?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a young man holding a spear walked out from behind Ma Teng.

He is eight feet tall and his eyes are like shooting stars.

The body of a tiger, the arms of a monkey, the belly of a leopard, the waist of a wolf.

He is really handsome, elegant, vigorous and strong.

Therefore, people at that time called him Jin Ma Chao.

The sound was like a loud bell, echoing throughout the hall.

"As the ancients said, it is a great pleasure to have friends coming from afar."

"Now that Cao's envoy has come to ask for an audience, what's the harm in meeting him?"

"If you can't convince me, I can just expel them from the border."

Upon hearing this, Ma Teng threw his head back and laughed.

"My son, what you said makes sense. What do you think, Brother Han?"

Han Sui just smiled faintly:
"Since my nephew Mengqi has said so, let's go meet this envoy Cao."

After he finished speaking, he ordered Fu Gan to come inside.

"Fu Gan, the head of the Cang Cao, greets the two generals."

Without any unnecessary nonsense, Fu Gan greeted the two of them neatly.

Han Sui asked coldly:
"What are you doing here?"

Fu Gan answered straight to the point:

"I came here to lobby for Henan."

Hahaha……

As soon as these words were spoken, many people present laughed.

Although they are all warriors, they have little culture.

But we also know that in ancient times, lobbyists were mostly sharp-tongued and had many ulterior motives.

How can you show your cards right away without any tact?

Seeing Fu Gan standing so straight, Han Sui also wanted to bully him.

These Xiliang warriors like to bully honest people.

He drew his sword, his face showed a fierce look, and he shouted sternly:
"You know we have already surrendered to Lord Yuan!"

Fu Gan replied calmly, "I don't know."

Han Sui's tone became more serious:

"My Xiliang army has surrendered to Lord Yuan, and now you have come for Cao and Liu... humph!"

"My army is in need of a lucky item, so I'll use your head as a sacrifice!"

These Xiliang generals simply kill without any hesitation, without any concerns.

Some people who were unaware of the situation started to make a fuss and threatened to behead Fu Gan.

Unexpectedly, Fu Gan behaved unusually calmly at this moment. Facing the aggressive Xiliang generals, he even laughed with his head raised.

"...Hahahahaha!"

Han Sui's face was covered with a layer of frost, and he gritted his teeth and cursed:

"Do you understand? We are going to take you out and behead you."

Fu Gan's laughter continued, "It's not a pity for Gan to die, I'm just laughing at you guys who are about to get into trouble without knowing it."

Han Sui was startled and turned to look at Ma Teng.

Ma Teng asked, "What disaster have we encountered?"

Fu Gan looked around and saw that the generals on his left and right had drawn their swords and were glaring at him fiercely.

He said calmly to Ma Teng and Han Sui:
"Since you want to listen to my words, why do you have to deploy swordsmen and axemen on both sides?"

“Is this the way to entertain guests?”

Han Sui pondered for a while, then waved his hand, signaling everyone to put away their swords.

"The swords and axes have been put away. Can you speak frankly now, sir?" Han Sui asked.

Fu Gan nodded, then walked out and said earnestly:
“As the ancients said, those who follow the way will prosper, while those who go against virtue will perish.”

"Now, Sikong Cao and General Liu serve the emperor in Chen, punish the tyrants and put an end to the chaos, and govern the country with laws."

"The superiors and subordinates obey orders, those who are righteous will be rewarded, and those who are unrighteous will be punished. This can be said to be in accordance with the way."

"The Yuan family disobeyed the king's orders and drove the barbarians to bully China."

"Be generous but cautious, and be kind but not harsh."

"Although the army is strong, it has lost the hearts of the people. This can be said to be against morality."

"Now the general has done his job properly, but he doesn't use his full strength, and he has two intentions."

"I want to sit back and watch the success or failure..."

Fu Gan pointed out the sharpness of Ma Teng and Han Sui's intention to sit on the sidelines, so there was a hint of joking in his tone.

"... Gan is afraid that the success or failure of the two generals is already determined, so I will resign and punish them."

"The general will behead him first."

Fu Gan’s meaning was very clear, and he told Ma Teng and Han Sui.

If you two want to sit on top and watch the tiger fight, just take your time and watch.

After the war is over, Henan will give you two a game of three tribes elimination~
When these words were spoken, Ma Teng and Han Sui both looked frightened.

After all, they were both born as Xiliang warriors and had the same shortcomings as other warriors, lacking political acumen.

Faced with Fu Gan's verbal threats, the two were actually frightened for a moment.

I didn't have time to think about the details.

There was no strategist like Jia Xu around to analyze the situation for the two of them.

In this way, I was led by Fu Gan and completely entered into his rhythm.

But Fu Gan continued:

“…A wise man turns misfortune into fortune.”

"Now Cao Sikong, General Liu and Yuan are in a stalemate, while Gao Gan alone controls Hedong."

"Although Li Ziyu has a perfect plan, he cannot prevent Hedong from being in danger."

If the general can truly lead the troops to attack them from both inside and outside, they will surely be able to take over!"

"If the general does this, one move will cut off one of Yuan's arms."

"It is to solve the urgent need of one side."

Fu Gan smiled slightly and continued, "It is true. Both Cao Sikong and General Liu must respect the two generals."

"The general's achievements cannot be recorded in bamboo slips."

"Only the two generals can make the decision!"

Fu Gan advised Ma Teng and Han Sui to think carefully, word by word.

If the previous paragraph is to advise Ma Teng and Han Sui on how to stand on the right side.

The following paragraph even laid out the specific strategic arrangements for the two of them.

That is, let them send troops to Hedong to attack Bingzhou where Gao Gan is located.

That is Fu Gan’s original words, “Cut off one of Yuan’s arms.”

Don't underestimate this power.

Once the Xiliang army can tie down the Bingzhou army, it will greatly ease the pressure on Henan's western front.

On the contrary, not only Cao Cao was exhausted from dealing with the two armies.

Even Liu Bei had to hurry and send reinforcements to Yanzhou.

Otherwise, once Yuan's army moved south from Guanzhong to attack Cao Cao, Cao Cao would not be able to resist at all.

Quiet.

It was quiet.

After a long time, Ma Teng was the first to stand up, walked down, shook Fu Gan's hand and said:

"Mr.'s words are very inspiring."

"Teng Jing follows the teaching!"

Although Xiliang was jointly ruled by Ma Teng and Han Sui at that time.

But when Ma Teng made such an important decision as which side to take, he did not ask Han Sui for his opinion.

Instead, I made the decision myself.

"...Haha, General Ma did a wise thing."

Then he looked at Han Sui above.

Han Sui was in a difficult situation at this time.

Just agree to it. I haven’t thought about it yet.

You don't have to agree to it. Ma Teng has already agreed to it.

"Brother, why are you still hesitating? Don't miss this opportunity!"

Ma Teng spoke up and followed Fu Gan in persuading him.

Han Sui had no choice but to stand up, bow and say:
"I would like to follow your advice and join forces with Minister Cao and General Liu to defeat the enemy."

In order to show his sincerity, Ma Teng asked Fu Gan:

"Sikong Cao, has General Liu already mobilized his troops?"

Fu Gan nodded. "Before Gan left, Henan had already started to raise troops to march north. I hope the general will not delay the opportunity."

Ma Teng raised his eyebrows and said seriously:
"In this case, I will immediately send my son Ma Chao to lead 10,000 elite soldiers."

"Order Pang De to take over and take Bingzhou to the west immediately to help Henan!"

……

(End of this chapter)