A sudden light rain fell in the sky outside Haixi City. The farmers rushed out of the thatched huts, raised their heads in surprise, and laughed happily at the sky.
Spring rain is as precious as oil. It has not rained in the fields since winter. It is almost the time of spring plowing and it is already quite dry.
Now that the long drought has returned, the dry land has regained its vitality, and people are pouring into the fields to sow seeds.
The warm spring day turned slightly cold, and a wisp of cool wind swept across the fields and blew into Haixi City. It came to the window of the small building and got in, but it still could not dissipate the warmth in the small building.
Yuan Xi faced the coolness that hit his face with some raindrops, and looked up at the sky that was still covered with clouds. He thought of how many people were like him in the land thousands of miles below the sky. Looking at the sky at this time, how many of them were there? Someone you know well?
History has undergone an irreversible deviation. From the beginning to the outcome of the Battle of Xuzhou, Yuan Xi can no longer predict and control it. Even his life was once on the verge of life and death.
This made him a little depressed, but at the same time, he was delighted that his subordinates all reacted as quickly as possible at almost the same time, and everyone turned the tide and saved the situation.
After all, as the lord, there is still a big gap between him and Cao Cao, so he can only rely on them to continue.
The biggest gain from this battle is that Yuan Xi finally used his own safety to win an excuse for Jizhou. How should the decision be made there?
In Ye City, Yuan Shang knelt down in front of Yuan Shao, while Yuan Shao read the secret letter sent by Yuan Xi from Xuzhou for a long time without speaking.
The next few counselors also looked solemn and considered their words in their hearts.
Without him, because the conflict in Xuzhou far exceeded the limit that the Yuan family could accept, and was close to civil strife.
Liu Bei had already surrendered to the Yuan family, although Jizhou did not support him much, and Liu Bei often followed Jizhou's orders and disobeyed them.
For example, when Jizhou asked him to send troops to Dongwuyang to besiege Zang Hong a few days ago, Liu Bei kept finding various excuses to shirk it. Finally, until Yuan Xi came forward and persuaded Zang Hong to surrender, the matter came to an end, and Liu Bei never sent troops.
Although the counselors in Jizhou knew that what they were doing was not kind, Zang Hong had a very good reputation in the world, and anyone who participated in the siege of him would have an unjust reputation. Therefore, Liu Bei cherished his wings and delayed the dispatch of troops. It's human nature.
However, it is an indisputable fact that Liu Bei prevaricated and shied away from Yuan's orders, and he had a strong tail that could not be lost. Some counselors also suggested finding ways to restrict Liu Bei to prevent him from becoming the second Cao Cao.
The Yuan family's advisers have always been against each other. Some people want to suppress Liu Bei, and some people are bound to oppose it. They say that if they take action against Liu Bei, it will greatly damage the name of the Yuan family's benevolence and the loss will not be worth the loss.
In the end, the two sides argued for a long time, but no result was reached, so they had to put the matter on hold for the time being.
Unexpectedly, Jizhou was still limited to verbal arguments over various unstable factors, but Cao Cao had already made actions that no one could predict!
This not only violated a taboo, but also touched the bottom line of the Yuan family. No matter how dishonest Liu Bei was, he was still dependent on the Yuan family. If he wanted to take action, it would be the Yuan family who would do it. Where would he get the turn of Cao Cao, who was regarded as the Yuan family's eagle dog?
And the situation got out of control later. Cao Jun not only completely defeated Liu Bei, but also brazenly attacked the Youzhou Army stationed in Xuzhou!
After the first battle, both sides suffered heavy casualties, but their subsequent statements were extremely vague.
Cao Cao sent an urgent message to Yuan Shao, saying that he only had a personal vendetta against Liu Bei, and that the capture of Xiapi in Pengcheng was just revenge for the past.
As for the several battles that broke out in Xuzhou, Cao Cao explained that he thought they were Liu Bei's soldiers, and he didn't know about the others. He didn't realize there was a misunderstanding until the end, and then he immediately withdrew his troops.
Everyone was well aware of this obvious lie, and Yuan Shao also sneered in his heart, because the letter sent by Yuan Xi almost at the same time made it very clear that Cao Cao was targeting Yuan Xi's Guangling and even Yuan Xi's army this time. Me!
Moreover, Yuan Xi also said in the letter that Cao Cao's army in Donghai County pretended to be Taishan bandits to fish in troubled waters, intending to frame Yuan Tan and drive a wedge between the Yuan family's children. Obviously, Cao Cao was openly declaring war on the Yuan family!
The letter also said that after the battle with Yuan Xi, Cao Cao's vitality was severely damaged and his available troops were greatly reduced. It was a good time to cut him off!
Therefore, Yuan Xi suggested that Yuan Shao immediately mobilize the power of the four states and send troops south to Yanzhou to attack and destroy Cao Cao!
This idea was so radical that except for Tian Feng, Yuan Shao's counselors more or less disagreed.
The obvious reason was that he was from Wuming. After all, Cao Cao was still an ally of Yuan Shao.
Although Yuan Xi's letter said that what Cao Cao did was tantamount to rebellion, these were all one-sided words. If he wanted to openly attack Cao Cao, he needed a more high-sounding reason.
And even if they want to send troops, they cannot be mobilized within a few months. Jizhou has been recuperating since the battle of Yijing where Gongsun Zan was defeated. As soon as he recovered, he fought the Battle of Black Mountain.
With Yuan Shang's investment regardless of human life, although Heishan was captured, the losses of the Jizhou army were also quite heavy. According to the estimates of the counselors, Jizhou would not be able to return to the level before the Battle of Yijing in less than two or three years.
Nowadays, the Jizhou Army seems to be strong, but in fact, it has suffered a lot of losses in terms of food and armaments. After all, in the several battles in Montenegro, too much military food and soldiers were wasted. Although there are pretensions from the outside, those who know the inside story are all Knowing that Jizhou cannot launch a war immediately
Therefore, Yuan Xi's current demand for an all-out attack on Cao Cao is considered by most counselors to be a blind and reckless move. With insufficient troops and food supplies, crossing the Yellow River to attack Cao Cao's hinterland is really not a safe strategy.
Yuan Shang thought about it for a while, expressed everyone's concerns, and finally said: "Now that spring plowing is approaching, it is really not a good time. Xianyi was too impulsive this time. This battle can be completely avoided."
Everyone thought that this was just a joke. According to the fierce tiger's temper, he was beaten to his base camp. Do you really expect him to swallow his anger?
Xun Chen stroked his beard and said: "Although Cao Cao made a mistake in the attack, he now occupies Xia Pi and is able to resist Yuan Shu. Why not use him to attack Yuan Shu. After both sides suffer losses, then force him to withdraw from Xia Pi." Pi?"
As soon as these words came out, a counselor immediately agreed, and Shen Pei also said: "Master Xianyi's idea is indeed too risky. Crossing the Yellow River to attack Yanzhou, it is extremely difficult to guarantee the food route. If it fails, it will be difficult to survive. Retreat, if the main force is severely damaged by then, the offensive and defensive momentum will be different."
"Now that the emperor occupies four states, Cao Cao can only occupy two states. Time is on our side. The top priority is to regain strength as soon as possible. There is no need to give up our advantage and take risks."
"And if you don't prepare well and launch troops rashly, you will ruin the good situation."
Tian Feng sneered and mocked: "Jizhou is not ready, so is Cao Cao ready?"
"Now that Cao Cao is stationing troops in Xiapi, it is the time when the rear is weak and empty. If Jizhou goes directly to Taishan County and then to Pengcheng, it can cut off his retreat!"
"If we wait until they have established a foothold in Xiapi and opened up the passage between Yuzhou and Yanzhou, they will be able to recruit troops in the two states and recover their strength quickly. If they fight again then, it will cost several times the price."
"I would like to ask everyone here, is it really more cost-effective to start a war than it is now?"
Everyone was silent, because they all knew that unlike the policy adopted by the Yuan family in Jizhou, the conscription under Cao Cao's rule was simply to pull people and leave without considering the issue of subsequent development at all.
If you win the battle, you will have more territory and food and population. If you lose, you will have nothing. Of course, all the soldiers you recruited will die, so you don't have to worry about anything.
Under this style of play, although many people died, the expansion was also rapid. In just a few years, Cao Cao had occupied most of Yanzhou and Sili, as well as parts of Yuzhou and Xuzhou. His power expanded too fast, and he had far surpassed Jizhou. What the counselors had expected!
So when Tian Feng mentioned this matter, no one could refute it for a while.
Tian Feng took the opportunity to say: "Now that Cao Cao has welcomed the Emperor, he has begun to control the Emperor's court. The decrees issued are all planned by him, but now Jizhou cannot intervene. It is equivalent to using the name of the Emperor to suppress us. If this continues, We will only become more passive!"
Xu You, who had already returned, rolled his eyes a few times and said, "What Yuan Hao said is wrong."
"Cao Cao is now dealing with Yuan Jiujiu, who is the real enemy of Jizhou."
"If you fall out now, I'm afraid the world will blame Yuan for being unjust."
Tian Feng became angry and said angrily: "Why, Yuan Jiujiu is also a member of the Yuan family. The two Yuans are fighting over family affairs. Now in order to calm down the family affairs, do they want to indulge the wanton outsiders in causing trouble?"
"Is it more important to eliminate foreign aggression or to quell the Yuan family's internal disputes?"
As soon as these words came out, Xu You was secretly happy. Tian Feng couldn't stand being provoked, so he really fell into the trap.
Needless to say, of course it is important to settle down first. After all, brothers have to divide the family property!
As expected, Yuan Shao coughed and said, "My child is ill and I have no time to think about it. I will think about it when I go back and make a decision. That's how it will be today."
(End of chapter)
