Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 336: Destruction before construction, walking to Jianghuai

Dongping State, Shouzhang, Cao Cao’s military camp.

"call!"

Cao Cao breathed out white air, wrapped tightly in a cloak and entered the tent. He said to the generals around him, "It is cold in winter, and it has snowed heavily for several days. You must take good care of the soldiers and make sure there are no more deserters."

Cao Hong cupped his hands and said, "Sir, our army is short of food and clothing. If we want to appease the soldiers now, the supply of food and clothing is the key issue."

Cao Cao waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about the food, clothing and other baggage. They will be delivered later. Let's settle the troops first."

"promise!"

The generals looked at each other, responded in unison, and then quietly left the tent.

After the generals left the tent, Cao Cao looked depressed. He sat down on the couch and covered his tired face with his hands.

This year, Cao Cao followed Xun Yu's advice and fought with Lu Bu for Yanzhou. The initial operation went smoothly and there was hope of expelling Lu Bu from Yanzhou. However, with the intervention of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, the situation in Yanzhou changed drastically.

Cao Cao not only failed to recapture Yanzhou, but also suffered heavy losses in his troops due to continuous fighting, and became increasingly dependent on Yuan Shao for material supplies. At present, the army was hungry and cold, and the morale of the soldiers was low, so many deserters occurred.

Seeing Cao Cao in a bad mood, Cheng Yu said: "You are the commander, and the soldiers in the camp all rely on you. If you are depressed and discouraged, how can the morale of the soldiers be high!"

Cao Cao looked up at Cheng Yu and said, "We have fought for Yanzhou for two years, but to no avail. Many of our civil and military officials have betrayed me and defected to the enemy. Now we are dependent on others and are controlled by Yuan Shao. Even if I want to boost morale, I don't know where to start!"

Cao Cao said in a low voice, doubting himself: "Yanzhou is a place surrounded by wars. Lü Bu, Zhang Miao, Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao and others all occupy counties, while I only occupy a few counties and cannot seize Yanzhou. Zhang Yu controls Shanxi and his troops are fierce; Yuan Shao's rule is prosperous and his people are satisfied; Yuan Shu's territory spans three states and he has many soldiers and generals. I want to be like Tian Heng, but I can't do it!"

"Your Excellency's military strategy is superior, not inferior to Han and Bai. Our current defeat is not due to the war, but because you have no foundation!" Cheng Yu said.

"Foundation?"

Hearing this, Cao Cao sighed and said, "Although the world is vast, it is so difficult to establish a foundation and career now!"

"You are in trouble now, why not ask Xun Jun for advice?" Cheng Yu said, "Xun Jun has the ability of being kind and fair, and he should be able to help you understand the important plan!"

Cao Cao seemed to be thinking about something, and said, "Last year, I consulted Wen Ruo about the major plan. Wen Ruo thought that taking back Yanzhou was the best plan, and attacking Xuzhou in the west was the worst plan. If the situation is critical, we may be able to flee to Huainan. But now we are short of food and clothes, and the future is uncertain, so we need to discuss the major plan again."

Cao Cao then ordered his attendants, "Come here, invite Xun Jun here for me!"

"promise!"

After Lu Bu seized Yanzhou last year, the situation under Cao Cao's rule was critical. He hesitated for a while whether to surrender to Yuan Shao. After being persuaded by Cheng Yu, Cao Cao took Tian Heng as his ambition and vowed not to be a member of Peng or Han.

After his conviction was firm, Tao Qian of Xuzhou died of illness. Cao Cao was worried that he could not recover Yanzhou, so he intended to march west to Xuzhou. After Xun Yu's analysis and persuasion, Cao Cao regrouped and sent troops to fight with Lu Bu for Yanzhou. Now that all major forces have intervened in Yanzhou, Cao Cao's hope of regaining Yanzhou is becoming increasingly slim.

Therefore, for Cao Cao, if he did not want to be controlled by Yuan Shao, he needed someone to analyze the current situation for him and find a place for him to establish his career so that he could get rid of Yuan Shao's influence.

After a while, Xun Yu, who looked thin, walked into the tent and bowed slightly to Cao Cao who was sitting on the couch.

"Your Majesty!"

"Wen Ruo, please take a seat!"

Cao Cao warmly greeted Xun Yu and asked his attendants to serve him tea. He said, "Now our army is in trouble, with less than 10,000 soldiers, and Yanzhou is divided and difficult to recover. If you have the ability to help the world, I wonder if you can give me some advice on what to do next."

Xun Yu took a sip of tea, pondered for a long time, and said, "Since Dong Zhuo, the world has been in chaos. Yuan Shao has taken over Ji and Qing, conquered Xu and Yan in the south, and has Gongsun as his support in the north. His foundation is well established. You cannot be his enemy, but should make him your friend. Zhang Yu went to Long in April and used his troops like a ghost. He controls Yong and Bing, and also controls the two rivers. He has Liu He as his support in the north and Lu Bu as his vanguard in the south. He really has the ambition to conquer the world, and he will definitely fight Yuan Shao to the death in the Central Plains."

"Yuan Shu's territory spans three states, and his population is rich. However, Yuan Shu has good people but cannot use them. He has many soldiers but they are not good at fighting. He is warlike but has few victories. He can be your enemy. Yangzhou has the dangers of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, and uses boats as horses. The population is as high as one million. Yuan Shu and Liu Yao compete for hegemony over the Yangtze and Huai Rivers. Now Yanzhou is in chaos and cannot be used as a base. Your family has been cultivating the Yangtze and Huai Rivers for a long time, so it is better for you to go south to the Yangtze and Huai Rivers and seize Yangzhou as your base!" The Cao family has been working in Yangzhou for many years, so the Cao family has a deep network of people in the Yangtze and Huai Rivers. In the past, the first batch of troops when Cao Cao, Cao Hong and Cao Ren started their armies all came from the Yangtze and Huai Rivers.

Cao Cao continued to ask: "Yuan Shu welcomed the emperor, replaced the governor of Yangzhou, and appointed governors of the counties in Jiangdong. Liu Yao fled to Jiujiang because of the difficulty. Now he wants to seize Yangzhou as his base, but I am afraid it will be difficult to compete with Yuan Shu!"

Xun Yu stroked his beard and thought, and said: "The reason why you were able to occupy Yanzhou in the past was because Liu Dai was killed in the Yellow Turbans, and the governors were in panic and had no leader, so they welcomed you into Yanzhou. Now Liu Yao has taken refuge in Jiujiang, fearing that Yuan Shu will attack him, so you went south to Jianghuai. Liu Yao will definitely regard you as a friend."

"The people of Jiangzuo are rich and the country is prosperous. Intelligent people are looking for a wise ruler. You should build a navy in Huainan and wait for the right time to lead the troops across the Yangtze River to establish a foundation for Jiangzuo. If you control Huainan and Jiangzuo, you will have the 'Guanzhong' of Emperor Gaozu and the 'Henei' of Emperor Shizu. When the Central Plains is in turmoil, you can lead your troops north and retake Yan and Yu."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao could not help but stand up from the couch, paced around the tent with his hands behind his back, and pondered the feasibility of establishing a career in Huainan.

"Our army has less than 10,000 soldiers and horses, and we need to pass through Xu and Yu to reach Huainan. I am afraid that Yuan Mi and Tao Shang will send troops to attack us. Besides, Liu Yao and I have no relatives or friends, so I don't know if I can unite with him!" Cao Cao said worriedly.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Huainan consisted of three counties and states: Jiujiang in Yangzhou, Guangling in Xuzhou, and Xiapi in Xuzhou, and was adjacent to Pei and Runan in Yuzhou. If Cao Cao wanted to reach Jianghuai, he could actually get there by passing through Pei, but Pei was controlled by Yuan Shu.

Since Pei State was impassable, they had to go through Xuzhou and go south along the Sishui River. However, Cao Cao slaughtered the people of Xuzhou so ruthlessly that Xuzhou would inevitably send troops to attack Cao Cao if he passed by.

Xun Yu said, "Yuan Shao and Liu Yao are related by marriage. Liu Yao was coerced by Yuan Shu, so he asked Yuan Shao to help him. If you want to make friends with Liu Yao, why not ask Yuan Shao to come forward? As far as I know, Yuan Shao has wanted to recommend his second son Yuan Xi as the governor of Yanzhou for a long time, but he has not been able to do so for the sake of your face."

Yuan Shao's network of contacts is beyond imagination. Liu Yao's elder brother is Liu Dai, the former governor of Yanzhou, and Liu Dai is related to Yuan Shao by marriage, so Liu Yao and Yuan Shao have a close relationship. When Yuan Shu threatened Liu Yao, it is not difficult to understand why Liu Yao sought Yuan Shao for external assistance.

"So in my opinion, if you want to establish a career in Jianghuai, it is better to recommend Yuan Xi as the governor of Yanzhou, and you can ask to be the governor of Yangzhou, saying that you will go south to attack Yuan Shu. When you go to Huainan, you can use the excuse of attacking Xuzhou with Gao Gan as an excuse to lead your troops south. When Gao Gan takes Xuzhou, you can temporarily use Guangling County as a base."

"Now in Yanzhou, I still have several counties as my base. If I go south to Jianghuai, I'm afraid I'll have nowhere to stay!" Cao Cao paced with his hands behind his back, hesitantly said: "Yuan Shu has no less than 100,000 soldiers and horses. If we fight with him for Jiangzuo, I'm afraid Yuan Shu will raise a large army to attack."

Seeing Cao Cao looking ahead and behind, Cheng Yu said: "You can't establish without destroying. The situation in Yanzhou is already in chaos, and it is not suitable for starting a business. As for the counties in Xuzhou, you have conquered and slaughtered them twice, and it is difficult to win the hearts of the people. Yuzhou is the base of Yuan Shu, and you are powerless to compete with him."

"Looking at all the prefectures and counties in the world, Yangzhou has not yet been occupied by a powerful lord, so it is a place for you to use your military power. As for Yuan Shu raising an army to attack you, Yu thinks that Yuan Shu is ambitious and arrogant, and you are as good at using troops as Han and Bai, so how can you be inferior to Yuan Shu?"

"What Zhongde said makes a lot of sense!"

Xun Yu said: "Zhang Yu started his business in a small area of Shangdang, and annexed two states with his military strategy. Your military strategy is extraordinary, why can't you follow Zhang Yu's example and build a foundation for Jianghuai. Yuan Shu is arrogant and defeated more than won. Your 30,000 soldiers can fight against Yuan Shu's 100,000. Now give several counties of Yanzhou to Yuan Shao, exchange them for the governor of Yangzhou, and borrow Guangling County, why can't you do it?"

Cheng Yu and Xun Yu chose Cao Cao, not because they knew Cao Cao could accomplish great things, but because of his outstanding military strategy. After all, in a chaotic world, if one does not have outstanding military strategy, he will not be qualified to unify the world, so Cheng Yu and Xun Yu firmly believed that Cao Cao could accomplish great things.

Although Yuan Shu's territory is vast, his rule is very watered down, relying more on the name of "Yuan family" to achieve success. In the battles with Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu hardly got any advantage. Therefore, if Cao Cao could establish a foothold in Huainan and expand his army to tens of thousands, he might not be unable to compete with Yuan Shu.

"What you two said gave me a sudden enlightenment!"

Cao Cao sighed and said, "Yanzhou is a place of war on all sides. It can intimidate the Central Plains because it controls the Yellow River and the Ji River. But I am weak now, and it is difficult to seize Yanzhou and intimidate the four directions. Jianghuai used to be a wild place, but now the population is rich, the people are rich and the country is dangerous. I am now in Jianghuai, and with the kindness of my ancestors, I may be able to open a business in Yangzhou. When the Central Plains changes, I will lead the people of Jianghuai to the north to achieve the hegemony of Wu and Chu."

Although Yangzhou in the late Eastern Han Dynasty was much richer than that in the Western Han Dynasty, it was still difficult for people in the Central Plains to change their stereotypes. Cao Cao had a favorable impression of Jianghuai because many of his ancestors served in Yangzhou. Xun Yu persuaded Cao Cao to start a career in Jianghuai because he felt that Yanzhou had become a mess and Hebei was divided up by Zhang Yu and Yuan Shao, so there was still room for development in Jianghuai.

"Now that Zhang Yu has pacified Longyou, he will definitely go to war with Yuan Shao next year at the earliest and the year after at the latest. So since you want to go south to Huainan to establish your career, you also need to contact Yuan Shao as soon as possible. In the name of going south to attack Yuan Shu, you should submit a letter to Yuan Xi, the governor of Yanzhou, and say that you will help Gao Gan to march south to Xuzhou and ask Yuan Shao for soldiers, food and official positions." Xun Yu said.

Hearing the news that Zhang Yu was going to Longyou to fight with Yuan Shao, Cao Cao could not help but envy Zhang Yu. In the past, he and Zhang Yu served as captains of the imperial guards in Luoyang together. They drank and had fun at that time, and they were like-minded people.

Two years ago, Zhang Yu held Bingzhou and he held Yanzhou, both of them were powerful and the gap was not big. But just two years later, he became a dog without a home, while Zhang Yu was already a powerful vassal of Shanxi, able to compete with Yuan Shao, the gap between the two was too big.

Thinking of this, Cao Cao couldn't help but think of He Jin's beautiful daughter-in-law. As far as he knew, Zhang Yu took He Jin's daughter-in-law as his concubine after he conquered Guanzhong. He had everything, including beauties and the country. It was really enviable!
"good!"

Cao Cao collected his thoughts and said, "I will go to Dongwuyang and personally pay a visit to Yuan Shao to express my ambitions to him!"

"Your Excellency is wise!"

(End of this chapter)