My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 438 Dream Killing Upgrade
"Chen Lin, you bastard! I swear to kill you! How come this foul-mouthed beast escaped when we conquered Ye City? You disloyal and unrighteous man, why didn't you die with Yuan Shang?"

In the Sikong Mansion of Xudu, after reading the 2.0 version of Chen Lin's insulting manifesto, Cao Cao was so angry that he almost died.

In the end, he still managed to use his skills as a desk cleaning master and swept everything on the desk to the ground, smashed them into pieces and stomped on them a few times. This was enough to relieve the pressure in time and avoid too much harm to his body.

As for the attendant who had hurried over to offer treasures upon receiving Chen Lin's letter, Cao Cao also ordered him to be arrested: "What's the point of using such filthy words? Can this be considered military and political information? Take him out and behead him!"

The other attendants around Cao Cao knew his temper well and did not dare to dissuade him when he was angry.

Cao Cao's two Cao officials Sima Lang and Mao Jie were standing by and felt a little reluctant, so they reluctantly advised him: "Your Excellency has always been pleased to hear criticism. This time, the attendant reported the letter immediately. Although he deserves death for his negligence, your Excellency's handling of the matter may put those who offer advice in the future in danger and harm the public opinion."

Cao Cao was not relenting: "If it is a military or political policy, how can I punish someone for his words? But what is the point of spreading such useless insults? This is taking advantage of the opportunity to confuse people! There is no need to talk about this matter any more!"

Cao Cao had explained the reason, and even if Sima Lang and others felt it was inappropriate, they could not persuade them.

Cao Cao was actually furious in his heart: "Humph, last time I read Chen Lin's manifesto, I was so shocked and angry that my brain meridians were opened up, and my headache was relieved for a while, so I didn't pursue it. Do these bastards think that I will be generous and reward them just because they see Chen Lin's article? If I can be easily predicted by these bastards, how can I control them in the future? They dare to guess my intentions, damn it!"

How could a suspicious person in a high position like Cao Cao allow his daily habits and behavior to be so easily figured out by his subordinates?

This incident had already angered him, so he took the opportunity to kill one person to establish his authority, and those servants and villains would not dare to do anything wrong.

It’s a similar thing, one time it’s a reward, the other time it’s a killing, the point is that it’s unpredictable.

This is even better than killing someone in a dream.

After killing a close associate, Cao Cao waved his hand to drive away all the other attendants, and then asked Sima Lang to find Xun You and Guo Jia. Cao Cao decided to urgently discuss the latest countermeasures to the changes in Youzhou.

This discussion mainly involved military strategy, so Xun Yu had nothing to do with it, as he was not an expert. Xun You and Guo Jia were enough.

Soon, everyone arrived. As soon as Xun You entered the room, he saw Cao Cao holding a lacquer cup, sipping a glass of wine, his eyes wandering. The hand holding the lacquer cup twitched and swayed subconsciously, and the wine spilled from time to time, but Cao Cao didn't care.

Xun You knew that Sikong was really angry again this time, otherwise he would not have suddenly started drinking when discussing government affairs in broad daylight. He was drinking to vent his unhappiness.

Cao Cao heard the footsteps approaching, but he didn't even look up to see who was coming. He just stared at the wine cup and said in a deep voice: "Now that it has been confirmed, Yuan Tan has basically offered all the prefectures and counties bordering the court to Liu Bei.

Then if I attack Youzhou or Nanpi again, I can destroy Liu Bei's prestige and destroy the prestige he just built up after the alliance with Yuan and Liu. I have also figured it out recently. I was impulsive in competing with Liu Bei for victory in Xuhuai last year.

The terrain between Xuzhou and Huaihe, especially in Pengcheng, Xiaopei, and Taishan, is complex, making it difficult for the imperial army to deploy. In the past, when the Qin Dynasty was tyrannical, Chen Sheng, Xiang Yu, and Liu Bang all rose from Pengcheng and Peicheng. That place has been a place where bandits who resisted the imperial court have been entrenched since ancient times.

I have a large army in my hands, and the advantage is that I have a large number of people. I should compete with Liu Bei in the Hebei Plain. Those places were still in Yuan Tan's hands at the beginning, and it would not hurt Liu Bei's face if I attacked them. Now that they have been given to Liu Bei, I will fight with him in You and Ji in the future! I will definitely be able to play to my strengths and avoid my weaknesses!
I want to end the truce ahead of schedule and regroup to attack Youzhou and Nanpi. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Jia disregarded his own weakness and panted as he cupped his hands to dissuade him: "My lord, do not do this! Liu Bei's army has just occupied Zhuo, Ji, and Nanpi, so they must be on high alert, with a large number of troops stationed there, waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out. Although the imperial army is large, to be honest, it is no longer as elite as Liu Bei's troops, and their weapons and armor are not as strong as his.

If they attacked with all their strength when Liu Bei was ready, it would be difficult to achieve success without the right time and place. However, the land of Youzhou also had a disadvantage, that is, the local grain production was insufficient, and it was difficult to feed a large army for a long time.

Liu Bei might be able to station 50,000, 100,000, or even more elite soldiers in Youzhou in the first year after he occupied it, but it would not last long! In the future, even if a large number of troops were stationed there permanently, they would have to be replaced by elite soldiers.

Our army has been in truce for only two or three months, and has not even survived the annual grain harvest season. This period of truce will not help restore the people's strength and morale. We should continue to hold off and wait for changes. It will definitely be more beneficial for our army to recuperate for at least one or two years!
Moreover, Mi Zhu had just taken advantage of our army's unpreparedness to buy a batch of Hejian County's stored grain at such a high price, and Zhao Yun had taken advantage of the opportunity before General Zhang's replacement to sneak attack and robbed a batch of military rations.

Therefore, Youzhou should not be short of food in the short term. After all, according to the interrogation of the powerful who had colluded with the enemy, Mi Zhu even offered a high price of 2,000 coins per stone. How desperate must he be? And once he succeeds, how well prepared will he be in the short term?

What they lack is the ability to produce food for long-term self-sufficiency. If we attack them now, it will be exactly what Zhuge wants!"

After saying so much in one breath, Guo Jia couldn't help but feel out of breath and started coughing violently again.

Historically, Guo Jia had less than three years left to live at this time.

In this life, during the Battle of Donghai two years ago, when Xiahou Yuan was defeated and retreating, he was chased by Guan Yu and Zhang Liao, and in panic he fell off his horse and broke his leg. Although the fracture healed after half a year, his health condition deteriorated.

They also pick up more bad habits to distract themselves and numb the pain, which further leads to alcoholism and other unhealthy lifestyle habits.

Taking all these factors into account, Guo Jia lost at least one more year of his life and now looks rather haggard.

Cao Cao couldn't help being moved when he saw Guo Jia's thin face and heard his earnest words.

Feng Xiao is in such poor health, but he is still thinking about helping me solve my problems and analyzing the possible conspiracies and traps of the Zhuge brothers. I can't ignore his advice.

"What Fengxiao said really makes sense... Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang were treacherous and cunning. They let Mi Zhu and Zhao Yun take advantage of the situation and seize so many advantages. Now the enemy army in Youzhou must have sufficient soldiers and food, and they want to wait for me to attack!

I just didn't fall for the Zhuge brothers' trick! They stationed 100,000 elite soldiers in Youyan for nothing, and then they would eat up all the food they had stolen. Next year, when Mi Zhu and Zhao Yun had eaten up all the food they had stolen and robbed, and the local grain production in Youzhou couldn't keep up, the soldiers would be exhausted and discouraged.

The imperial army has already finished its rest and reorganization, and Yuan Shao's former subordinates in Jizhou have also been recovered and reorganized, so they can attack again! "Cao Cao knew very well that he had just killed Yuan Shang in the early winter of last year, and it would take time for Yuan's former subordinates to be digested slowly, so within one to two years, he would have an advantage in farming, cleaning up the internal affairs, and wasting time with Liu Bei.

After two years, if he continues to waste time for a long time, it will be disadvantageous to him, because by then those who need to rest will have had enough rest, and those who need to be divided, disintegrated and won over will have been won over. No matter how much more time he is given, he will have nothing to grow, and can only hope to expand his territory externally.

Because if I just do farming, Liu Bei's new "strange skills" and imaginative methods of encouraging farming and management are endless, and I have no advantage.

Of course, expanding territory does not mean that you have to attack Liu Bei's direct territory directly. If the opportunity is not good, you should still pick the soft persimmon first according to the original plan, hold Liu Bei with one hand, and use a small force to deal with Han Sui and Zhang Lu in the rear with the other hand.

The matter of Youzhou was, after all, just a minor setback and storm. I must not lose my composure because of these unexpected events and fall into the trap of the Zhuge brothers!
When Guo Jia saw that Cao Gong finally adopted his plan, he smiled with relief and coughed violently a few times, but he felt very happy.

Xun You on the other side did not refute Guo Jia at first. After Cao Cao understood what was going on, Xun You reminded him with a little worry: "My Lord and Feng Xiao's views are both in line with the art of war. For now, we must not hastily interrupt our rest and forcibly send troops to Youzhou.

But the Zhuge brothers are so cunning and treacherous that they are incomparable to ordinary people. I foolishly believe that since they have set up a plan to lure the enemy, it is impossible that this is the only trick. We must also guard against their subsequent changes of pretending to be real and pretending to be fake. "

Cao Cao's expression turned cold when he heard the disappointing words, but he did not blame him. He just sighed and said, "Gongda, if you have any opinions, please feel free to speak up."

Xun You: "I am worried that Brother Zhuge persuaded Liu Bei to station a large number of troops in Youzhou at all costs. On the one hand, he certainly wanted to lure our army to attack and take the opportunity to defeat our army again.

On the other hand, they may also have a backup plan. If our army does not fall into the trap and does not attack, they will transfer the Youyan troops from west to east and turn around to attack Gongsun Du in Liaodong on the other side.

Gongsun Du had always been submissive to the court, and had conflicts with the Yuan family before. After the Battle of Guandu, he completely turned to the court. As long as Gongsun Du was there, the court could count on Gongsun Du to attack Youyan and Nanpi in the future.

Even if Gongsun Du did not send troops, his presence alone could contain Liu Bei and Yuan Tan, making them dare not relax their defense of Liaoxi and Youbeiping. In this way, when the imperial army attacked Bohai, Zhuojun, Guangyang, Yuyang and other places, the enemy troops they faced would be reduced by half.

Therefore, the imperial court must not allow Gongsun Du to be easily destroyed by Liu Bei's army at a small cost! As long as Liu Bei attacks Gongsun Du, the imperial court army should immediately attack Youyan to hit its tail and tie down Liu Bei's forces, so that they cannot go east with all their strength!

But now that Brother Zhuge has set up a plan like this, with layers of defenses in Youyan, and squeezed the imperial army from attacking, over time, will they cut off the communication between Liaodong and the imperial court? I am afraid that if one day Brother Zhuge suddenly persuades Liu Bei to take action against Gongsun Du, the imperial court will not know about it yet, and they will secretly seize the time to succeed. "

"We must be on guard against this! As expected of Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang, they are indeed vicious!" Cao Cao immediately judged that what Xun You said made sense and must be guarded against.
"Their strategy is to use both the real and fake strategies together! If the imperial army is lured into a trap, they will use the abundant military rations, the strong city and the Yishui River to consume the imperial army - just like Gongsun Zan consumed Yuan Shao with the Yijing Tower on the banks of the Yishui River.

If the imperial army does not fall into the trap, but becomes paralyzed over time, they will attack Gongsun Du! They can go either way, they can advance or retreat, it's really tricky! Fengxiao, do you have any countermeasures for this? It was you who advised me not to attack Youyan. Gongda pointed out the hidden dangers, and you are also responsible for checking and filling them. "

After Cao Cao analyzed the situation to himself for a while, he finally caught Guo Jia and asked him to find a solution.

Guo Jia coughed a few more times with a gloomy face, his eyes rolling around, his brain thinking rapidly, and finally reluctantly gave Cao Cao an idea:
"You don't have to worry too much. Although the Zhuge brothers are cunning and scheming, Liaodong Gongsun Du has dominated Haidong for more than ten years and has deep roots. Although it is called a county, its territory is actually better than a state. Its influence has spread far and wide, and it is said that it has even penetrated into the Three Kingdoms of Korea.

Gongsun Du had more than 100,000 soldiers, and the king of Buyeo, Wei Choutai, married his daughter, making him his son-in-law. Many Goguryeo and Xianbei tribes north of Liaodong also had marriage alliances with him.

Even if Liu Bei chose the right time to take action in the future, it would take more than a year or two to annex such a powerful force. Moreover, the Liaoxi Corridor is 400 miles long, and the roads are difficult to travel. No one lives along the way, and it is all deserted. The Liaohe River and the Greater and Lesser Yu Rivers swell during the flood season, forming the Liaoze, which is inaccessible for several months.

So when Liu Bei really took action against Gongsun Du, the imperial court only needed to do a good job of scouting and ensure that Gongsun Du could seek help in time, and nothing would happen!
By then, Liu Bei's troops will advance eastward, and Youji will be left empty. The imperial army will cross the Yishui River from Hejian and Zhongshan to the north, and Zhuo and Ji will be easily captured! Please don't worry, my lord!"

After hearing Guo Jia's additional analysis, Cao Cao's expression looked a little better.

Gongsun Du, the lord of Haidong, is indeed not so easy to deal with, and he has enough time to react. In this way, the key to the problem becomes how to ensure the smooth flow of intelligence.

Xun You, who was standing by, had obviously also thought of this problem, and pointed out sharply: "But it is very difficult to ensure that intelligence is flowing smoothly and Gongsun Du can seek help in time when something happens.

Liu Bei's army had occupied all the territories along the Bohai Sea coast, from Qingzhou in the south to Youbeiping and Liaoxi in the north, and the coast of Jizhou and Bohai County in the west. In terms of naval superiority, the imperial court could never match Liu Bei.

As long as Liu Bei searches along the Bohai Sea with his boats and patrols on the shore, he can definitely kill all the envoys of Gongsun Du who try to contact the court by sea. In this way, as long as Liu Bei deliberately blocks it, he may have been attacking Gongsun Du with all his strength for a long time, and we don’t know it. ”

Guo Jia thought quickly and responded, "The sea route messengers are definitely cut off, but Liaodong is connected to the Xianbei and Goguryeo in the north, so we can still count on Gongsun Du to collude with the Hu people and send letters from the grassland.

It would be better for the imperial court to send envoys to the north in the near future to appease the Xianbei, give titles to the leaders of the Hu tribes who are willing to be friendly with the imperial court, and ask them to help keep an eye on Liu Bei. At the same time, promise them that if there is any trouble in Liaodong, let them help pass on the news.

As long as any Xianbei or Goguryeo tribe can promptly report the Liaodong military situation to the court in times of crisis, so that the court army can seize the opportunity to attack Liu Bei and rescue Gongsun Du, then those Hu people can be rewarded more heavily. "

Cao Cao stroked his beard and thought for a long time. Indeed, when water communications would definitely be cut off, the only means of communication he could rely on was the Hu people on the grassland.

After all, the prairie stretches for thousands of miles from east to west. No matter how powerful the Zhuge brothers' schemes are, they cannot block communications on the prairie.

In this way, the imperial army can rest assured during its rest period.

At least Cao Cao himself felt relieved for the time being.

Cao Cao finally nodded and said: "Feng Xiao's plan is very good. In an emergency, we can only send someone to contact the Hu people. We don't expect the Hu people to help us fight the Han people, we just need to pass on the message."

(End of this chapter)