Tiger Guards

Chapter 348 Instant Expansion
In Jibei, after the spring plowing was completed, Cao Cao began to mobilize his troops as usual.

Every year in March, April and May, the weather is not so hot, and the army is short of supplies.

For Cao Cao, launching military campaigns at this time of year had become a routine practice.

This year is no exception; we must keep the pace of the war in our own hands.

It's hard to say how much benefit they'll gain, but at least they'll disrupt Zhao Ji and Lü Bu's plans.

The only suitable target for Cao Cao to attack now is Zhang Yang in Chenliu; or he could go down the Si River and take a hard hit on Xuzhou, which is defended by Liu Bei.

Last year, Sun Ce seized Xiapi, and Liu Bei had to retreat in a sorry state. If Zhao Ji hadn't arranged for Xu Qiu, the Chancellor of Donghai, to come to his aid in advance, Liu Bei would have suffered heavy losses and lost many officials and soldiers while running out of food.

Therefore, although Liu Bei experienced a rather embarrassing situation last year, his main army did not suffer any losses. On the contrary, due to the collapse of Sun Ce's forces, Liu Bei absorbed some soldiers, which made his main army stronger.

Meanwhile, during the time when his family was captured by Sun Ce, Mi Zhu married his younger sister to Liu Bei as a concubine, with more than two thousand servants as dowry, and transported a large amount of money, grain and equipment as dowry, which greatly boosted Liu Bei's power.

Pengcheng is the gateway to Xuzhou, located right on the banks of the Sishui River.

To attack Liu Bei, one must first take Pengcheng... Cao Cao had no such idea; he did not want to go to Xuzhou unless absolutely necessary.

Given the infamy Cao army committed in Xuzhou, there are only two possible outcomes if they go to Xuzhou: either the Xuzhou army will be terrified and dare not resist, resulting in a complete rout; or they will fight to the death out of blood feud and be able to drag Cao army there to their deaths.

As April approached and Cao Cao was reorganizing his troops, a major upheaval occurred in the State of Chen.

When King Chen and Chancellor Luo Jun went out of the city to comfort the disaster victims and inspect the farmland, they were assassinated by Zhang Kai.

Immediately afterwards, Chen generals Yue Jiu and Qiao Rui sent envoys to welcome Yuan Shu, and a civil war broke out in Chen.

The remaining soldiers loyal to King Chen escorted the royal family to Chenliu, where they sought refuge with Zhang Yang.

"Moral depravity!"

Cao Cao couldn't help but sigh, he really hadn't expected that Yuan Shu could win over and turn most of Chen's generals and officers against him.

This is not surprising, as these officers were young precisely when Yuan Shu was making a name for himself.

Chen State is not far from Runan, and when it comes to connections, most of them have various messy relationships with Yuan Shu and his civil and military officials.

Inside the tent, Xiahou Dun, his expression gloomy and his left eye covered by an eye patch, was also reading through intelligence from the Chen Kingdom: "Mengde, Zhao Ji's brother is injured. This year, that brat will definitely have a battle with Yuan Shu."

“I am worried about this.”

Cao Cao looked helpless: "Yuan Shu has no choice but to offend someone, attempting to assassinate the Prince of Chen, which is a grave offense against the world. Judging from Zhao Ji's actions, he intends to first secure Guanzhong and Longxi, and then gradually plot against Guandong and Hebei. If Yuan Shu seeks help from Hebei after Zhao Ji's expedition to Guandong, Yuan Shao will force our army to come to our aid."

With no one else in the tent, Cao Cao had no reservations and continued, "Based on my understanding of Zhao Ji, it's fine if our army doesn't move. But if we make any move, we'll inevitably provoke a fierce attack from Zhao Ji. His grandfather, Zhao Yan, is a cunning and treacherous old official who knows that Yuan Shu's strength is temporary but not sustainable, so he's not a concern. What I'm concerned about is myself."

Although it might seem like he was exaggerating his own abilities, Cao Cao felt that his prediction was correct.

In the battle of Chenliu last year, Zhao Ji spared no effort to strengthen and gain the trust of Lü Bu in order to defeat him. He even made repeated concessions to Lü Bu and helped him rise to the position of Grand General.

At the beginning of this year, Zhao Yan even withdrew from Luodu, avoiding Lü Bu from any place that could trigger conflict.

As a result, no sooner had Zhao Yan left than Xuchang was thrown into turmoil. After Lü Bu hastily quelled the unrest, the court, officials, soldiers, and disaster victims retreated to Nanyang.

With Lü Bu's retreat, King Chen was left isolated and vulnerable to attack by Yuan Shu, who was short of supplies.

Now that Yuan Shu has consumed 700,000 to 800,000 people, along with money, grain, and weapons, and Lü Bu has withdrawn from the Ruying region, the Liang and Pei kingdoms are also empty.

For Yuan Shu, his influence extended to Yu Province in one fell swoop.

Xiahou Dun put down the intelligence report and said, "The generals and officers of Chen have betrayed the King of Chen. Although they are numerous, their morale has collapsed. Mengde, what I am worried about is Liu Xuande."

Before Cao Cao entered officialdom, he had already met Liu Bei, who was studying under Lu Zhi.

Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan had known Guan Yu and Zhang Fei for a long time; they were not strangers to each other.

When Cao Cao fled to Guandong, he met Liu Bei on the way and they even traveled together back to Pei State to recruit soldiers.

Xiahou Yuan's younger brother, Xiahou Bo, left with Liu Bei back then and is still serving under Liu Bei.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao's expression became even more serious.

Yuan Shu has already violated the court's taboo by openly assassinating a vassal king and a wise ruler of the time; given Yuan Shu's character, it is absolutely impossible for him to hand over the murderer or apologize to the court.

If the imperial court issues an edict to attack Yuan Shu, Liu Bei will definitely respond enthusiastically.

"My lord, the strategist has arrived."

Han Hao announced from outside the tent, and Cao Cao straightened his posture and said, "Please come in quickly."

Xiahou Dun maintained his seated posture, and soon Guo Jia and Xun Yu entered the tent together. Xun Yu wore a cage-like hat and a black veil covering his face.

Only by rescuing the emperor from the treacherous minister Lü Bu could Xun Yu, who had endured humiliation and hardship, finally see the light of day again.

The two men sat down, their expressions becoming even more serious. Guo Jia spoke up: "My lord, a report has come from Huainan that Liu Yao, the governor of Yangzhou, has passed away."

A chill enveloped Cao Cao, and he turned to gaze at Guo Jia, who nodded slightly.

At this moment, Xiahou Dun spoke up: "My lord, if Lü Bu, Zhao Ji, and Liu Bei join forces to attack Yuan Shu, our army can remain neutral and observe."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao felt somewhat relieved.

If Yuan Shu were to regain control of the counties of Jiangdong, then no matter how many people were to besiege him, Yuan Shao would at least not force them to join the battle.

For the past few years, he was the one chasing Yuan Shu around and beating him up, but what has happened now?
On the eve of his taking control of Yan and Yu provinces, he was defeated by Zhao Ji and Lü Bu, leaving him only with eastern Yan province and a population of only one million. Yuan Shu, on the other hand, would have at least three million people under his command once he took over Yang province.

Most importantly, Yuan Shu is about to smoothly navigate this difficult period of transition between generations.

When summer and autumn arrive, it will be time for Yuan Shu to show off his power and prestige.

Liu Yao died of an epidemic. His good friend Xu Shao had died of the same disease in Yuzhang last year. The epidemic spread, and this spring, Jiangdong was hot and humid, and Liu Yao followed suit.

However, Cao Cao believed that Liu Yao's death might also be the work of Yuan Shu.

If the imperial court cannot send a high-ranking official to Yangzhou, it will be difficult to reorganize the various counties in Jiangdong.

At this moment, Xun Yu spoke up: "My lord, Yuan Shu assassinated Prince Chen and poisoned Liu Yao, harming two great vassal states of the court. He is truly the most heinous villain in the land, and his harm is no less than that of Li Jue and Guo Si. I urge you to submit a memorial to the court and request an imperial decree to punish the traitor Yuan Shu."

Guo Jia also said, "The people of Jiangdong are wealthy and rich, and your military skills are excellent. If you can acquire them, you can achieve hegemony."

Staying in eastern Yanzhou and serving as Yuan Shao's henchman is not a long-term solution.

As for the issue of family members being held hostage, it can be resolved through gradual mediation.

If they remain here, when Yuan Shao launches his offensive, he will inevitably have to gradually remove people from Cao Cao's camp.

Cao Cao nodded slowly: "This is a major matter. I will ask Yuan Shao about it. However, we also need to send envoys to the court to persuade the officials and ministers to join us and make decisions for our army."

The high-ranking officials in the court also lacked the support of powerful figures in the prefectures and counties, so this was a perfect match.

Cao Cao then asked, "Who would be the most suitable envoy?"

His gaze fell on Xun Yu, who said, "Wang Jun, the chief secretary of the military headquarters, has many connections with the court. He can be sent to the court as an envoy."

Wang Bi has been there twice already, so going again wouldn't be a problem.

Faced with the suddenly bloated Yuan Shu, Lü Bu would not refuse their goodwill.

Cao Cao nodded: "And Xu Province, someone needs to go and negotiate with Liu Bei to clear up the misunderstanding."

He gathered his troops here and reorganized the army.

Liu Bei was also on edge. He personally took command in Pengcheng and ordered Guan Yu to lead troops to seize Pei County and guard the Si River.

Pei County was a key node in the Sishui canal transport, especially when defending against Cao Cao's army upstream.

When Cao Cao asked for recommendations, Guo Jia did not make any. Xun Yu, after a little consideration, recommended someone: "Gao You from Zhuo County, Zhuo Commandery, once studied with Liu Bei under Minister Lu. He can be an envoy."

Cao Cao had some impression of this person, so he said, "It's feasible. After I write a copy, I will ask Gao You to go to Xuzhou."

They all received the news from Jiangdong, and Liu Bei should have received it a few days earlier.

The fact that Liu Bei did not send an envoy to discuss or negotiate this matter shows that Liu Bei was still wary of himself.

There was nothing that could be done. When Wang Bi went to the court for the second time to seek an official position, he was appointed Governor of Yanzhou and General of Jiande. At that time, news of Cao Song's entire family being murdered had also reached Guanzhong.

When Li Jue was in control of the court, he deliberately gave Cao Cao the undeserved title of General Jiande, just to spite Cao Cao.

Even so, Cao Cao could not give up the title of General Jiande bestowed by the imperial court, as he desperately needed this position to reorganize his troops effectively.

Let alone being a general of the four directions, he doesn't even have a general title now; he's really doing a terrible job.

Currently, among the four generals, the Front General is Gongsun Zan, the Right General is Yuan Shao, and the Left General is Yuan Shu. The Rear General, Yang Ding, escorted the emperor eastward but encountered setbacks and feared being purged, so he abandoned his army and fled to Jingzhou, where he was most likely killed by the mountain people of Wuguan Road.

Even Chen Deng, the governor of Guangling County, had a general named Fubo, which was a titled general.

While Yuan Shu's rise to power was certainly a bad thing, it also presented Cao Cao with an opportunity to reintegrate into the court.

If one can obtain a higher-ranking general title, or directly become the Rear General, then one's status will be on par with Yuan Shao.

Although the rank of the Rear General is lower than that of the Right General in the court assembly, they are both generals of the four directions, and there is no absolute difference between them.

As for things further into the future, those are not something we can consider at the moment.

Currently, only Zhao Ji, Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan, Lü Bu, and Yuan Shu have a wider range of options to plan for the longer term.

The others could only go with the flow and react to whatever came their way.

Liu Bei, Liu Biao, Liu Zhang, Zhang Yang, and others all had various problems.

As for Zhang Jin, the governor of Jiaozhou, he was never taken seriously by the warlords of the Central Plains.

It's true that this man could act arrogantly and domineeringly in Jiaozhou, but any imperial edict could bring Zhang Jin down.

If the messenger delivering the imperial edict were to cause trouble, it wouldn't be impossible for him to kill Zhang Jin directly.

If the various factions in the Central Plains were given a choice, no one would choose to go to Jiaozhou.

Sun Ce might have been willing, but he no longer had the chance.

The governor of Taishan was the prison where Sun Ce was besieged.

If you don't perform well, you'll just stay in that position and die.

(End of this chapter)