My Three Kingdoms is not right

Cheng Yu nodded thoughtfully, then couldn't help but sigh, "In that case, Her Highness is really lucky; she's just what the Lord wanted."

Upon hearing this, Guo Jia chuckled and picked up the wine jug, then poured the wine into the empty vessel in front of Cheng Yu without saying a word.

"Zhongde, Zhongde, you didn't drink that wine properly!"

Cheng Yu quickly reached out to stop him, saying, "Stop! Stop! I really can't drink anymore!"

Guo Jia persisted, pouring more water into her drink while saying, "What good luck? Her Highness the Princess understands, and so does our Lord. You didn't understand the unspoken understanding between them when you were sober, so you might as well drink more."

"It's almost done!!"

Cheng Yu reluctantly took a few sips, but he was still worried.

He wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth and said, "But Sun Ce has risen so quickly, and in the blink of an eye he already owns three counties in Jiangdong. I am really worried that I am raising a tiger that will eventually threaten my life..."

Guo Jia tilted his head and glanced at her: "Precisely because our rise has been so rapid, there is no need to worry."

"Huh?" Cheng Yu was stunned.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Guo Jia poured her more wine: "Sun Ce has been too hasty in his conquests and has also forcefully suppressed and killed too many local heroes who opposed him. He seems to be enjoying great success, but in fact he is in danger amidst turbulent undercurrents."

"She was young and promising, brave and intelligent, so she was overconfident and careless. Such a person is likely to die at the hands of a commoner."

"This..." Cheng Yu was dumbfounded as he looked at Guo Jia, who spoke with such certainty.

Guo Jia had already leaned back on the low table, picked up the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp, then waved the empty cup at Cheng Yu.

"What's this? Drink up!"

……

Three days later, at the court assembly, Sun Quan, as an envoy, presented a memorial to the emperor, offering tribute.

The emperor immediately issued an edict appointing Sun Ce as General Who Subdues Rebels and enfeoffing him as Marquis of Wu.

From then on, Sun Ce finally gained the right to command Jiangdong.

After completing his mission, Sun Quan was unwilling to delay and respectfully bid farewell to Liu Xun the next day before setting off to report the good news to his elder sister.

Before leaving, she called Sun Shangxiang and Sun Xu to her side:

"Mother will be taken care of by me and my elder sister. You can rest assured to stay by His Highness's side, be sure to perform your duties diligently, and follow His Highness's arrangements in everything."

Sun Xu scratched his head: "Um...didn't my second sister say she was going to take us back?"

"The past is the past, and the present is the present." Sun Quan smiled wryly. "I originally thought that my elder sister sent you to His Highness to repay a debt of gratitude. Now I realize that this is an immense opportunity for you."

She paused, her tone becoming serious: "Your Highness is a woman of great loyalty and righteousness, and her strength is unfathomable."

"You should get closer to His Highness. The future of the Sun family may very well depend on your efforts."

Sun Shangxiang and Sun Xu looked at each other, somewhat bewildered, but still nodded vigorously.

Sun Quan looked at his two younger sisters and sighed inwardly.

They are still young and don't yet understand the weight of these words.

But one day, they will understand.

-----------------

In autumn, the flags atop Yijing City finally fell.

Gongsun Zan, a powerful and once dominant figure in Hebei, finally succumbed to his arch-enemy Yuan Shao after holding out in Yijing for several years.

Seeing her Yijing Tower, which she believed to be invincible and had stockpiled three million bushels of grain, crumble under Yuan Shao's tunnel offensive, she knew she could not escape her fate. So she first strangled her brothers, husband, and daughter, and then set herself on fire and died.

But the enemy did not let her go.

Yuan Shao's army dug Gongsun Zan's body out of the ruins and displayed his head to the public.

In any case, the long-running and dramatic struggle between You and Ji has finally come to an end.

This also means that Yuan Shao, a hegemon who has the support of the gentry and the power to control the four provinces of Ji, Bing, Qing and You, has finally freed up his hands and is about to join the game of vying for control of the Central Plains.

When Liu Xun heard this news in the court, he looked at Cao Cao.

The girl's expression didn't change much; she just narrowed her eyes slightly.

But none of the officials could remain as composed as she was.

To prepare for this day, Cao Cao and his civil and military officials had made many preparations.

But it's clear to anyone with eyes to see that Cao Cao's power was far inferior to that of Yuan Shao, who, after annexing Gongsun Zan, commanded hundreds of thousands of troops and looked down upon the world.

After the court session ended, Liu Xun stood on the steps, watching the officials disperse in twos and threes, whispering among themselves. Looking at their faces filled with fear and unease, he sighed.

The Yuan family had produced four generations of high-ranking officials, and their protégés and former subordinates were all over the country. It's likely that many people already considered Yuan Shao their future master.

People's hearts are restless; a storm is brewing.

……

Bad news always comes one after another.

Less than half a month after the fall of Yijing, an urgent report came from Hanoi: Sui Gu had surrendered to Yuan Shao and led his troops to garrison at Shequan.

Speaking of Sui Gu, she was born into the Black Mountain bandit leadership and was a subordinate of Zhang Yang, the former governor of Hanoi. Zhang Yang was killed by his subordinate Yang Chou, and Sui Gu then killed Yang Chou, consolidated Zhang Yang's remaining forces, and occupied most of the Hanoi region.

She was just an average military general with not much military strength.

But the key point is that Hanoi's location is too important.

It is bordered by the Yellow River to the south, the Taihang Mountains to the north, Jizhou to the east, and Hedong to the west.

This pattern of "Southern Hebei, Northern Mountains, Eastern Hebei, and Western Bingzhou" made Hanoi a hub connecting Hebei, the Central Plains, Guanzhong, and Bingzhou.

It can be said that whoever controls Hanoi holds the initiative in the war in the north.

Especially for Cao Cao, whose forces were far fewer than Yuan Shao's, only by controlling Hanoi could he concentrate his forces to confront Yuan Shao head-on without worrying about being attacked from the flanks or rear.

If Yuan Shao were to take complete control of Hanoi, he could not only cross the river from the front (Baima, Yanjin), but also bypass it from the west (Dushijin).

With the northwest gateway to Xuchang wide open, Cao Cao's already limited army will be forced to divide its forces and defend on a wider front.

There's basically no need to fight this battle anymore.

"We must take Hanoi."

When Cao Cao said this at the court meeting, his tone left no room for doubt: "Yuan Shao has just swallowed Youzhou and has no time to send troops."

"We must win this battle, and we must win it quickly!"

-----------------

As before, after finally persuading the emperor, Liu Xun led 1,500 imperial guards northward with Cao Cao's central army.

He promised his elder sister that he would not personally risk his life this time.

However, to his surprise, the Imperial Guards didn't even get a chance to engage in battle.

Cao Cao's central army stopped after reaching the south bank of the Yellow River.

She was waiting for news from Cao Ren, who had crossed the river ahead of her.

Just a few days later, the good news arrived.

Cao Ren, leading Shi Huan, Yue Jin, and Yu Jin, won a decisive victory and ambushed Sui Gu, who was attempting to head north to join Yuan Shao, at Quancheng.

Vanguard general Shi Huan killed Sui Gu in battle. With their commander gone, Sui Gu's army collapsed, and their main force was completely annihilated.

Cao Cao then led his army across the Yellow River.

When they arrived at the city of Shequan, the city was already in complete chaos.

With their commander-in-chief killed and their main force annihilated, the morale of the soldiers defending the city collapsed.

Cao Cao did not rush to attack the city. Instead, he sent Dong Zhao to persuade the city to surrender.

Dong Zhao had served under Yuan Shao and was very familiar with the situation in Hebei. He also had a past relationship with Xue Hong and Miao Shang, the garrison commanders of Shequan City.

After entering the city, they came out in less than half a day.

Behind her followed Xue Hong and Miao Shang, who knelt before Cao Cao, holding the imperial seal, and surrendered.

Thus, Cao Cao captured Shequan City without bloodshed. In the following days, his army swept across the entire territory of Hanoi, and cities everywhere surrendered without resistance.

Liu Xun's expedition this time turned into an armed parade.

However, Liu Xun was quite happy.

It's best to avoid fighting if possible.

At least no one will die.

Moreover, with such a swift and decisive victory, the people of Xudu will surely feel more at ease.

However, an urgent report from Xudu shattered his illusions completely.