Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 290: A plan to break the impasse, three people make a tiger

If Cao Cao had been the governor of Yanzhou before, he might have been persuaded by Xun Chen to join Yuan Shao in this difficult time. However, after he had tasted the power, it was difficult for him to submit to Yuan Shao. Otherwise, how could he have expected Cheng Yu's words to strengthen Cao Cao's determination to resist?

After making it clear that he would not surrender to Yuan Shao, in order to find a way out of the impasse, Cao Cao immediately asked someone to invite Xun Yu to his government office to consult on the survival of the army.

Cao Cao paced worriedly in the hall and asked, "Lü Bu is a fellow villager of Zhang Yu. He used to be stationed in Yingchuan and was supplied by Yuan Shu. Chen Gong and Zhang Miao went with Lü Bu to attack Yanzhou. The counties repeatedly abandoned him, but only three cities are still in our hands. Now there is a severe drought and no rain, locust plagues are everywhere, the city walls are in ruins, and the soldiers are in distress. I would like to ask Wen Ruo and Zhong De what good plans do you have? What is the future of our army?"

Although Cao Cao had previously controlled Yanzhou, he had never thought of spying on the artifact. Now, stimulated by Cheng Yu, Cao Cao was determined to follow Tian Heng's path. He simply boldly envisioned his hegemony and thought of conquering the world.

After a pause, Cao Cao added, "A scout reported the other day that Tao Qian had passed away and Zi Shang had succeeded him. Xuzhou is undergoing a transition. I wonder if we can use our troops?"

Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou twice, slaughtered Pengcheng, conquered Langya, and marched to Donghai, where he almost destroyed Tao Qian's troops. Tao Qian was terrified and wanted to flee to Danyang for refuge. Thanks to Zhang Miao and Lu Bu's surprise attack on Yanzhou, Tao Qian was relieved. Soon after Cao Cao led his troops to evacuate Xuzhou, Tao Qian died of exhaustion.

Tao Qian knew that his two sons were incompetent and could not take over the mess in Xuzhou, and there was no honest man Liu Bei to take over, so before his death, he asked the civil and military officials of Xuzhou to choose the governor of the state. After a quarrel between the civil and military officials, Tao Qian's eldest son Tao Shang was finally appointed as the governor of the state temporarily. At present, the army was in trouble and Lu Bu was difficult to deal with, so Cao Cao could not help but think of starting over in Xuzhou.

Xun Yu's thin face showed a thoughtful expression, and he said, "Sir, in the past, Emperor Gaozu protected Guanzhong, and Emperor Guangwu occupied Henei. They all consolidated their foundations before competing for supremacy in the world. In this way, they could defeat the enemy when they advanced, and they could conquer the enemy when they retreated. Therefore, Emperor Gaozu suffered several defeats before he finally achieved his great cause. Now, Yuan Shao, Zhang Yu, and Yuan Shu are fighting for the world, and they all took a state as their foundation."

"Your Excellency raised troops in Yanzhou and suppressed the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and the people were all happy and obedient. Moreover, the He and Ji rivers are the center of the world. If you control them, you can subdue the world. So even though it is in ruins now, it can still protect itself. This is your Excellency's Guanzhong and Henei, so you must stabilize them."

"Your Excellency's problem is that you have no food. So why not go east to Lu, eat the food in Qing and Ji for now, and write to Yuan Shao for help. When the spring comes, march west to Jiyin, confront Lü Bu in Dingtao, eat the food and grain, train the troops, and maybe defeat Lü Bu in one fell swoop. After defeating Lü Bu, then ally with Yangzhou in the south and Yuan Shao in the north, and jointly attack Yuan Shu and take over the counties of Huai and Si."

"If we lead our exhausted troops east, Lü Bu will certainly raise an army to take the three cities. Therefore, if we leave more troops, it will be difficult to take Xuzhou, and if we leave less troops, it will be difficult to defend the city. Since Lü Bu entered Yanzhou, he has harassed and plundered the people, and the people are in panic. Only Juan, Fan, and Wei can be saved, and the rest are not yours. If the three cities are conquered by Lü Bu, then Yanzhou will not be yours."

"Although Tao Qian is dead, the soldiers and officials of Xuzhou are still there. When you attacked Xuzhou, you were so terrified that the sons and daughters remembered the revenge of their fathers and brothers, so they would not surrender. Therefore, even if you could take Xuzhou, you would not be able to occupy it. If Xuzhou is not taken, where would you stay?"

"The world is vast. It is possible to sacrifice the small for the big, and it is feasible to exchange the big for the small; it is also possible to exchange danger for safety, and it is also feasible to exchange safety for danger. When evaluating the current situation, we must consider the fundamentals. I hope you will think carefully."

Xun Yu gave up Zhang Yu and Yuan Shao to join Cao Cao, which was a well-thought-out decision. Although Cao Cao was in a difficult situation, Xun Yu still worked hard to make plans in order to prove that his vision was correct, hoping to help Cao Cao break the impasse. Moreover, Xun Yu believed in Cao Cao, and with Cao Cao's military talent, he would surely make a career.

Cao Cao paced with his hands behind his back, and said worriedly, "We can go east to Lu to find food, but as for Yuan Shao's request for troops, I have refused to move my family to Xindu, so I am afraid Yuan Shao is unwilling to help. Besides, Sun Jian of Yuzhou has not sent troops yet. If Sun Jian sends troops, he and Lu Bu will not be able to defeat us together."

"otherwise!"

Xun Yu said: "Lü Bu is from the same hometown as Zhang Yu. He and Zhang Yu fought against Li Jue together, conquered Guanzhong, and welcomed the emperor. If Lü Bu attacked Yanzhou, Yuan Shao would be surrounded by Zhang Yu in the west, Lü Bu in the south, and Liu He in the north. Yuan Shao would be surrounded by enemies on three sides. At this time, Zhang Yu has sent troops to Hebei, and Yuan Shao will be in danger. Therefore, Yuan Shao is worried about the situation and will help you to seize Yanzhou as a shield for him."

"As for Sun Jian of Yuzhou, he is deeply suspected by Yuan Shu. How could Yuan Shu use Sun Jian to take Yanzhou now? If Sun Jian does not go to Yanzhou, then the enemy of Yanzhou will only be Lu Bu. If you find it difficult to take Jiyin next year and are unable to control the He and Ji rivers, then it will not be too late to discuss the matter of taking another base!"

"Xuzhou is your enemy, so it is not easy to take it now; Huaiyang has no vassal entrenched except Liu Yao, so you can still wait and see."

"What Wen Ruo said makes sense!"

Cao Cao paced and thought, and said: "Xuzhou is a city of unity, and it cannot be taken suddenly. Moreover, this year, natural disasters and man-made disasters have come together, and the soldiers are exhausted and can hardly fight. If we can get support from Yuan Shao, and the rain is normal next year, and the grain harvest is good, then there may be hope of defeating Lu Bu. If we cannot achieve success next year, Yanzhou is not a place to stay for long, and we need to discuss the foundation again."

"Your Excellency is wise!" said Xun Yu.

It's not that Cao Cao and Xun Yu were pessimistic and had to find a way out, but the situation in Yanzhou was more complicated than in history. For example, Lu Bu, who attacked Yanzhou, was not a stray dog in history, but a genuine governor of Yanzhou appointed by the court, with Zhang Yu as his support. In order to disgust Cao Cao, Yuan Shu didn't mind helping Lu Bu.

With Zhang Yu and Yuan Shu's intervention, Xun Yu and Cao Cao became more cautious in judging the future situation in Yanzhou, so they formulated two plans. If they defeated Lu Bu, Cao Cao would join forces with Liu Yao to restrict Yuan Shu; if they could not win, Yanzhou would become a place of war on all sides, and Cao Cao would need to withdraw in time and find a new foundation as soon as possible.

As for the new foundation, only Huaiyang, which was still a virgin land, could wait and see. Huaiyang was close to Cao Cao, not to mention that the real key was that the Cao family had many connections in the Huainan area. It can even be said that the connections of the Cao family in Qiao County were in Huaiyang. For example, when Cao Cao was defeated in the campaign against Dong, Chen Wen, the governor of Yangzhou, funded the troops; Cao Ren secretly made friends with young people and maneuvered between Huai and Si; Cao Hong used to be an official in Huaiyang and recruited five or six thousand people for Cao Cao in Yangzhou. Or Cao Xiu took his mother to Wujun because his grandfather, the former Shangshu Ling Cao Ding, had served as the prefect of Wujun.

Therefore, for Cao Cao, if he could not make a breakthrough in Yanzhou, he might be able to make something happen with the connections of his father in Huaiyang. However, Cao Cao was reluctant to go to Huaiyang. After all, in reality, Huaiyang could not compete for hegemony over the world, and going to Huaiyang meant rebuilding his foundation and starting all over again.

After discussing with Xun Yu and Cheng Yu, Cao Cao led his troops eastward to Lu in order to obtain food. He also sent people to contact Yuan Shao, citing the overall situation as an excuse and promising to cede the counties of Hebei in exchange for Yuan Shao's dispatch of troops and food.

While Yanzhou was temporarily calm, undercurrents were surging in Luoyang.

Liu Xie strolled along the corridor between the palaces, and asked casually, "What is the current situation in Luoyang City?"

"Your Majesty, since Zhang Yu allowed Henei to supply grain, no one in the palace or the officials has gone hungry. However, the price of grain in the market has risen to 200,000 coins per stone. The people have no food to eat and have to temporarily eat in the wilderness. Due to the shortage of food, there have even been cases of cannibalism in the capital." said Assistant Minister Tai Chong.

Liu Xie sighed and said, "Liang Shao said that Zhang Yu was arrogant, but Yuan Shao's actions far surpassed Zhang Yu's. He expelled the governor and occupied Chaoge. Now that the capital is in danger, Zhang Yu is the only one who provides food and relief."

The young Liu Xie was still a child. He thought Zhang Yu's seizure of Guanzhong was an enemy of the Han Dynasty. He adopted Liang Shao's advice and asked Zhu Jun to secretly plot against Chang'an. However, as things developed, with Yuan Shao as a comparison, Liu Xie felt that Zhang Yu was better, so he gradually alienated Liang Shao. Tai Chong was able to guess Liu Xie's thoughts, and he was attached to Dong Cheng and Wu Shuo, so he gradually gained Liu Xie's appreciation.

Wu Shuo winked at Tai Chong, who understood his intention and pretended to hesitate, saying, "There is a story circulating among the people today, and I don't know whether I should tell you about it or not!"

"But it doesn't matter!"

"Your Majesty, it is said in the court and the public that Zhu Jun took Guanzhong on your Majesty's orders. However, Zhu Jun conspired with Zhang Yu secretly, informed Zhang Yu of the news, and intended not to take Guanzhong." Tai Chong said.

Liu Xie frowned slightly and said, "I heard that the palace people mentioned this matter. It seems that they are making up stories to slander Lord Zhu."

Seeing Liu Xie's concern, Tai Chong said, "Although Mr. Zhu has made contributions to the country, I hope Your Majesty will not forget the fact that Dong Zhuo threatened Your Majesty. Moreover, the Han Dynasty is declining, and Zhang Yu has the power of Qin and Jin, and is in direct confrontation with Yuan Shao, and may have the potential to dominate the world. Therefore, if Mr. Zhu is thinking about his future, he will not dare to offend Zhang Yu, and will tell Zhang Yu the news of secretly taking Guanzhong."

Liu Xie frowned and said nothing. What Tai Chong said was not impossible. Although Zhang Yu and Zhu Jun had a conflict over the issue of Yongzhou Mu, the relationship between Zhang Yu and Zhu Jun was still deep. For example, Zhang Yu once recommended Zhu Jun's son to be the governor. Therefore, if Zhu Jun considered the wealth of his descendants, he would most likely contact Zhang Yu secretly.

"This is a rumor in the court and the public. I don't know whether it is true or not." Liu Xie said worriedly, "Besides, Mr. Zhu is deeply favored and is the recorder of the Shangshu. How could he betray me?"

The power of three people making a tiger finally gradually revealed itself. When Liu Xie first heard the rumor, he still didn't believe that Zhu Jun would betray him. But now that he heard the same thing for the second time, the suspicious Liu Xie no longer dared to believe Zhu Jun 100%.

Tai Chong said, "Your Majesty, there is no smoke without fire. There are rumors in the court and the public today. I'm afraid there may be something secretive in it, or that Mr. Zhu really intends to secretly connect with Zhang Yu."

Liu Xie thought for a while and asked, "What should we do if Mr. Zhu secretly colluded with Zhang Yu?"

"We must not let Lord Zhu hold military power again!"

Wu Shuo cupped his hands and said, "To test whether Lord Zhu is secretly colluding with Zhang Yu, Your Majesty might as well summon Lord Zhu to the capital for questioning. Or, you can tell Lord Zhu the rumors and see how he reacts."

Liu Xie pondered for a moment and said, "It is not appropriate for Zhu Gong to be in Hongnong as the Minister of the Secretariat. It is difficult to make plans for Guanzhong now, so let's send an envoy to order Zhu Gong to return to the capital."

Tai Chong said, "I am willing to be the envoy to invite Mr. Zhu back to the capital for Your Majesty!"

"good!"

(End of this chapter)