The Three Kingdoms: Home Travel

Chapter 125 Jiang Zhe's Advice! (Part Two)

When Cao Cao captured Yijing, Yuan Shao, who was far away at Jieqiao besieging the Yellow Turban rebels of Heishan, was greatly surprised. He never expected that Cao Cao could deal with Gongsun Zan so quickly.

Yijing was the residence of Gongsun Zan, how could it be captured in just one or two days? But looking at the victory report sent by Cao Cao overnight, Yuan Shao could not help but believe it.

Guo Tu, a strategist and chief clerk under Yuan Shao, once advised Yuan Shao to sit idly by and watch Cao Cao and Gongsun Zan fight to the death. However, Yuan Shao angrily rebuked him, saying, "They came to help me. If I treat them like this, wouldn't the world laugh at me, Yuan Shao, for repaying kindness with enmity?"

Meanwhile, Yuan Shao's advisor, Tian Feng, hesitated several times before finally shaking his head and retreating: "Ji Province has just been pacified, and You Province has just been acquired. It would be extremely unwise to antagonize Cao Cao!"

When Cao Cao broke through Gongsun Zan's Jieqiao camp, Yuan Shao also wanted to send troops to join Cao Cao. Unfortunately, Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans was very troublesome. Taking advantage of Yuan Shao's carelessness, he led his troops to launch a surprise attack on Yuan Shao and burned countless grains in Yuan Shao's army.

Faced with the constant reports of victory from Cao Cao, Yuan Shao was furious. He transferred Yan Liang and Wen Chou from Ye City in Ji Province, appointed Qu Yi as commander, and these two generals as vanguard to suppress the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans led by Zhang Yan.

At the end of September in the second year of Zhongping, Yuan Shao and Zhang Yan of Heishan met at Chaoge.

The Black Mountain Yellow Turbans were different from ordinary bandits. It is reasonable to say that they could be compared with the White Wave Yellow Turbans who occupied Chang'an.

Yuan Shao ordered Yan Liang and Wen Chou to launch a fierce attack for more than ten days, but they were unable to break through.

At that time, there was a man named Tao Sheng among the Yellow Turban rebels of Black Mountain. He called himself "General Who Pacifies the Han" and was captured alive by Tian Feng, a subordinate of Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao explained the benefits to him and made a promise, thus winning him over. However, he still ordered him to return to the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Black Mountain as a spy.

In early October of the second year of Zhongping, Zhang Yan, the leader of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Heishan, led his troops to launch a surprise attack on Yuan Shao. That night, Tao Sheng secretly ordered his confidant to inform Yuan Shao.

Upon receiving this report, Tian Feng, the governor of Ji Province under Yuan Shao, set up an ambush, resulting in Zhang Yan's crushing defeat, leaving only a dozen or so horsemen to flee in panic.

After Zhang Yan's defeat, the morale of the Yellow Turbans in Black Mountain plummeted. Tao Sheng then secretly ordered his confidants to spread rumors, causing panic among the Yellow Turban army in Black Mountain.

In mid-October of the second year of Zhongping, Yuan Shao besieged the Black Mountain Army in Cangyan Valley of Luchang Mountain in Chaoge for five days. With the help of Tao Sheng, a traitor among the Yellow Turbans of Black Mountain, he achieved a great victory over Zhang Yan through a coordinated attack from within and without.

Subsequently, Yuan Shao massacred his garrison, indiscriminately killing innocent people, with tens of thousands dying.

Afterwards, Yuan Shao appointed Tao Sheng as General of Jianyi to recognize his merits.

Having occupied both Ji and You provinces, the Black Mountain Yellow Turban Rebellion, which had wreaked havoc for so long, finally came to an end. More than 200,000 Black Mountain Yellow Turbans and more than 400,000 anxious family members were scattered and incorporated into various places by Yuan Shao.

At the same time, following Tian Feng's strategy, Yuan Shao implemented a system of collective punishment: if one person fled, ten households would be slaughtered; if one household fled, an entire village would be slaughtered.

Under strict orders, the valiant Black Mountain Yellow Turbans dared not act recklessly again.

As for Zhang Yan, the leader of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Black Mountain, after his defeat, he went into hiding, gathered more than 10,000 loyal followers, left Ji Province, and went to Bing Province, where he repeatedly defeated Yuan Shao's troops who were trying to suppress him.

In the years that followed, Yuan Shao controlled the four provinces of Ji, Qing, You, and Bing, and commanded hundreds of thousands of troops. His ambition grew, and he also turned against Cao Cao. When the two fought at Guandu, Zhang Yan was persuaded by Jiang Zhe to lead 50,000 soldiers to aid Cao Cao.

Well, getting back to the main topic, Yuan Shao had just dealt with the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans when he suddenly received news that Cao Cao had captured Yijing.

This was outrageous! Yuan Shao immediately set off with Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and eight hundred cavalrymen, heading towards Yijing under cover of night. Along the way, he kept considering how much benefit he should offer Cao Cao to satisfy both himself and Cao Cao—as long as it wasn't...

It is said that in the Youzhou horse farm, there are still more than 10,000 fine horses left behind by Gongsun Zan, but they have never been trained...

While Yuan Shao was in a state of great anxiety, what was Jiang Zhe doing? Oh, he was looking at these horses!

A horse ranch a hundred miles outside Yijing City...

"Wow!" Jiang Zhe glanced into the distance and saw a herd of horses in the racecourse. Judging from their appearance, they must all be top-quality horses.

Since it was a top-quality horse, Jiang Zhe was somewhat tempted. Looking at Cao Cao, who was equally tempted, he chuckled.

Cao Cao's eye twitched. Knowing Jiang Zhe's character well, how could he not know what Jiang Zhe would say?

As expected, Jiang Zhe slowly said, "What fine horses... more than ten thousand..."

Cao Cao was also itching to get rid of Jiang Zhe, but not wanting to be laughed at, he finally let out a heavy hum after a long while, "Hmm!"

Jiang Zhe glanced at Cao Cao strangely, noticing the longing in his eyes, and slowly smiled, "If we could obtain these ten thousand fine horses and pacify the world... tsk tsk!"

"..." Cao Cao scratched his head, struggling internally, and hesitated before saying, "How about I discuss this with Yuan Shao? We've sacrificed so many soldiers to help him; wouldn't it be fair to give us half of this?"

"Huh?" Jiang Zhe said speechlessly after hearing Cao Cao's words, "Half? What about the other five thousand horses?"

"The other five thousand horses are naturally... naturally..." Cao Cao stammered for a long time but couldn't come up with anything.

If it were five or fifty horses, Cao Cao wouldn't say a word. Even if it were five hundred, he wouldn't hesitate for a moment. But faced with the temptation of five thousand warhorses...

With a chuckle, Jiang Zhe tempted, "We'll keep it all for ourselves!"

"Okay... cough! I mean I need to think about it carefully..."

Jiang Zhe shook his head helplessly and said, "I'm still considering..." Before he could finish speaking, a Cao soldier rushed over and kowtowed deeply.

"Report! Governor Yuan of Ji Province wishes to see our lord!"

Cao Cao's heart skipped a beat, and he asked in a deep voice, "Where...is he right now?"

"My lord, Lord Yuan has led a thousand cavalrymen and arrived under cover of darkness. He is currently in Yijing."

Cao Cao and Jiang Zhe exchanged a glance, then looked at the warhorses in the distance, their hearts filled with hesitation.

Jiang Zhe smiled and shook his head, then said to the messenger, "Go back and inform Yuan Shao that... that Mengde and I are currently inspecting the wounded and injured soldiers in the army, and will arrive in a moment!"

The messenger glanced at Cao Cao, who nodded, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Yes, sir! Then I'll head back now!" With that, he spurred his horse and rode away.

"Benchu ​​came in such a hurry, presumably for these reasons... Alas!" Cao Cao sighed.

Jiang Zhe squatted on the ground, reached out and plucked a withered blade of grass, then stood up and said calmly, "Mengde, two tigers cannot share one mountain. You and Yuan Shao will have a battle sooner or later!"

Cao Cao remained silent for a long time before sighing and saying, "Yes, I know! But I didn't expect this day to come so soon..."

"Hmph!" Jiang Zhe snorted lightly and muttered, "Does Mengde know why I wrote to you, urging you, Yuan Shao, to attack Gongsun Zan!"

Cao Cao looked taken aback, and after a long pause, said, "It's not about those three thousand... Uh, sorry, sorry, I misspoke, haha, please don't take offense, Shouyi!"

Jiang Zhe rolled his eyes at Cao Cao speechlessly and said in a deep voice, "Even if we don't help Yuan Shao, he can still pacify Gongsun Zan, it will just take a lot of time!"

Cao Cao looked at Jiang Zhe with suspicion, quietly waiting for what was to come.

Looking south, Jiang Zhe slowly said, "Mengde, your ambition is to pacify the world and eliminate strife, while I can only do what I can..."

"Ha!" Cao Cao waved his hand and laughed loudly, "Unless one upholds righteousness, I, Cao Cao, shall not enter Yijing!"

Jiang Zhe shook his head, looked at Cao Cao and said, "The so-called thing within my power is to do my best to ensure that the people of the world have a place to live in peace. In this way, it is similar to your ambition... Some time ago, the Yellow Turbans were in chaos, so what about now? It is the warlords who are in chaos!"

"..." Cao Cao was startled, but forced a smile and said, "Then can I, Cao Cao, also be considered a warlord?"

"In this way, all the warlords in the world will be our enemies. Perhaps Mengde has some doubts in his heart about why I should help Yuan Shao? To tell you the truth, Mengde, this battle is for training! Your troops are of varying quality, and the battlefield is the best test, where the fittest survive... Those who survive this battle will be the backbone of our army in the future!"

This made Cao Cao's face freeze for a moment.

"Furthermore, Zhe never cared about those three or four thousand warhorses from the beginning. What I wanted was all the warhorses in Youzhou... Unfortunately, to my surprise, there are far too few warhorses..."

"That's still not enough?" Cao Cao muttered to himself with a strange expression.

"Ten thousand horses it is!" Jiang Zhe said in a deep voice. "If we don't take them, wouldn't we be watching Yuan Shao recruit them for his own use? Knowing we'll be enemies in the future, wouldn't that be unwise? Besides..." He glanced at Cao Cao furtively and said softly, "I discussed this with Fengxiao and Zhicai earlier, and I presume... they've already quietly transported the money, grain, warhorses, and supplies from the occupied areas to Xuchang..."

"..." Cao Cao was greatly shocked. After a long while, he pointed at Jiang Zhe with his finger, looking both amused and exasperated.

"It's better to strengthen yourself than to weaken others. After this battle, Mengde can take advantage of Yuan Shao's inability to expand outwards, first seize Xuzhou, then Guanzhong, and then attack Jingzhou in the south... Ahem, that's for later. Now, let me ask you..." Jiang Zhe said in a deep voice, "Do you want these ten thousand warhorses or not?"

Cao Cao hesitated, glancing at Jiang Zhe. Seeing no smile on his face, he nodded and said emphatically, "I want it!"

"Good!" Jiang Zhe clapped his hands and laughed. "In that case, I'll leave the rest to you. Mengde, please, we'll go and meet Yuan Shao, the Grand Duke of the Four Gates!"

"Shouyi, please!" Cao Cao nodded, walked a few steps alongside Jiang Zhe, then suddenly frowned and asked in confusion, "Then... then how will I explain this matter to Yuan Shao?"

Jiang Zhe smiled faintly and said softly, "Leave everything to me. Mengde just needs to put on a worried expression!"

"This..." Cao Cao was taken aback, then smiled wryly, thinking to himself, "When has Cao Mengde ever had a time when he is frowning?"

"Oh, right..." After taking a few steps, Jiang Zhe stopped, turned to look at Cao Cao beside him, coughed, and said, "My lord, may we first make an agreement..."

Cao Cao abruptly stopped, looking at Jiang Zhe with a mixture of surprise and delight, and said repeatedly, "My lord... what agreement? What agreement? No, no, no, as long as Shouyi says it, I will agree to it!"

"really?"

"I, Cao Mengde, keep my word! Shouyi, you can speak with confidence!" "Very well then, our agreement is..." Jiang Zhe smiled faintly, rubbing his hands awkwardly, and said, "We all get the benefits, but you take the blame..."

Cao Cao: "..."

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