"What do you think of this?" After Xu Shu finished speaking, He Sian asked.
"At this moment, Cao Cao is surrounded by dangers. There is Ma Chao in the west, Yuan Shao in the north, Yuan Shu in the south, and Liu Bei in the east. No matter how you look at it, Cao Cao should stabilize Liu Bei first and not attack rashly. Ren feels that Cao Cao's troops are mostly for deterrence. !" Zhang Ren spoke first.
"Yes, I also think that what General Zhang said is reasonable." Wu Yi opened his mouth to agree with Zhang Ren.
"I do think that Cao Cao may attack!" Fazheng said unexpectedly.
Seeing everyone watching, Fazheng cleared his throat and continued: "First of all, let's start with the situation of the forces around Cao Cao. Ma Chao's self-protection is not enough, and it is impossible to attack Cao Cao proactively. After Yuan Shu became emperor, there were great internal conflicts, and he was as powerless as Ma Chao. To send troops, Yuan Shao had just fought against Gongsun Zan and was already running low on food and grass. Sending troops before the autumn harvest would shake his foundation. As for Liu Bei, he had just taken over Xuzhou. If he did not eliminate it while its foundation was unstable, it would be difficult for him to do anything in the future. It’s getting harder!”
"But if Cao Cao really attacks Liu Bei directly, will Yuan Shao really sit back and ignore it and let it grow bigger?" Wu Yi asked with a frown.
"The general thinks it's very possible!" Everyone looked for reputation, only to see Zhang Yan step out from the crowd and continue: "Feiyan has been in Hebei for many years, and she knows Yuan Shao well. Although this man is a powerful man in the world, he has the biggest shortcoming..."
...
Hebei, Yecheng
"My lord, this opportunity is not to be missed. If we send troops now, we will surely win in one fell swoop. I am willing to lead the troops to fight on my lord's behalf!"
"Shen Pei, what do you mean by this? Don't you know the situation in Hebei at this moment? Youzhou has been initially decided to leave a large number of manpower behind. If we send troops rashly at this time, once there is a change in Youzhou, it will be difficult for us to take care of it. , wouldn’t this great situation be wasted?”
"Hmph!" Before waiting for the judge to refute, Tian Feng snorted coldly, stepped forward, pointed to the opposite side and shouted: "Feng Ji, Feng Yuan Tu, you despicable villain, don't talk nonsense, Cao Cao's thieves are gathering their troops, Of course we need to take action. If we don't take advantage of this opportunity to send troops, and one day Cao's thieves will wipe out Liu Bei and the Second Young Master one by one, it will be even more difficult if we think about conquering Cao in the south."
"Yuan Hao (the nickname of Tian Feng) is wrong. Cao Cao's thieves are insidious and cunning. Are you sure that Cao thieves will really attack Xuzhou? What if they set a trap and wait to ambush our Hebei army?"
"Guo Tuxiu is so arrogant. Who doesn't know that your Guo family and Feng family have invested a lot of resources in Youzhou? Aren't they afraid that once the war starts, their family's interests will be damaged?"
"Jushou! Stop spitting blood!"
Yuan Shao, who was at the top of the list, watched his counselors quarreling and spitting, and couldn't help but lower his head and rub his temples. Whenever there was a big event, these people would always argue with each other, which gave Yuan Shao a headache!
"Hmph!" Yuan Shao snorted coldly and walked away. Seeing this, a group of people led by Feng Ji and Guo Tu couldn't help but cynicized Tian Feng again! The latter was so angry that he clenched his fists and trembled all over!
"Brother Yuan Hao, why should you be angry with such despicable people?" Jushou came over, patted Tian Feng on the shoulder, shook his head and consoled him.
"Hey, I'm not angry with Guo and Feng. I'm angry with my lord for being indecisive and indecisive when things happen! How to face the Cao thieves and King Hongnong in the future? It's better to just defend along the river and defend this corner of Hebei. !" Tian Feng said angrily.
"Yuan Hao, be careful!" Jushou was frightened and hurriedly stopped Tian Feng from continuing. He looked around nervously and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no one was paying attention!
"Thank you, brother Yuan Fang, for reminding me. It's Feng who was confused by those despicable people! Let's go, Feng will be the host, and we'll get drunk and rest!" Tian Feng calmed down quickly after being stopped by Ju Shou, and after saying that, he pulled Ju Shou Go outside.
Not long after the two left, a middle-aged scribe with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks and a goatee on his chin turned out from behind the pillar, looked at the direction Tian Feng and the others were leaving, a strange smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and then left towards Yuan Shao Trotted away in the direction!
…
Chang'an - Assembly Hall
Similar to Yuan Shao's situation, two different factions gradually evolved in Ma Chao's forces. Ma Dai and Pang De, who originally disliked each other, had surprisingly consistent attitudes when facing the Xiongnu, and firmly opposed the Xiongnu's entry into the territory of the Han Dynasty. , not even those who take the initiative to seek refuge.
Zhang Xiu, on the other hand, did not have such profound national interests. Under Zhang Xiu's ambiguous attitude and Lou Gui's secret suggestion, Ma Chao, who was already rebellious, quickly agreed with the latter's opinion.
As the number of small and medium-sized Xiongnu tribes in Liangzhou increased, Ma, Pang, and Zhang Xiu gradually became incompatible with each other. Perhaps because they were afraid that Zhang Xiu's desire for revenge would lead the Huns to attack Cao Cao, Ma Dai even volunteered to guard Tongguan.
At this moment, there were constant quarrels in the conference hall.
"Why not? As the saying goes, the winner is the prince and the loser is the bandit. We take the opportunity to attack Xuchang. If we can welcome Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty back, wouldn't we be able to follow the example of Cao Cao and Dong Zhuo, and also threaten the emperor to order the princes?"
"Youwei is confused! Don't be dazzled by hatred. Not to mention whether the current Emperor Xian can command anyone, let's talk about how we are compared to Grand Master Dong back then? Grand Master Dong was reduced to nothing, let alone us? And once he is surrendered, If the outside world knows that we are involved with the Xiongnu, we will definitely become the public enemy of the world!
We are trying to survive in the cracks now. If King Hongnong, Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao didn't all have their own concerns, it would be easy for one party to come out to deal with us! Pang De said earnestly.
'It's true that the time has not come...what a pity, hey'
Lou Gui sighed in his heart, then took a step forward, clasped his fists and said loudly: "Gui... also agrees with Ling Ming's statement!"
Hearing this, everyone in the room fell silent, and Pang De also looked at Lou Gui in surprise. After all, Lou Gui's previous suggestions were quite radical!
Seemingly seeing everyone's doubts, Lou Gui shook his head and said slowly: "The main reason why Gui proposed to lure some unwilling Xiongnu from small and medium-sized tribes into our Liangzhou is simply because our Liangzhou is weak and...
Sorry for the disrespect, but the main reason why the general is able to occupy nearly two states is because of his weak strength! There is no need to elaborate on the rationale.
If the general takes advantage of Xuchang's emptiness and rashly sends troops, not to mention whether he can defeat Cao Cao, even if he wins and successfully captures Cao Cao, what's the use? Without the support of the princes in the court, we will be targeted by the public, and if the identity of the Huns soldiers is accidentally exposed, the general may also fall into a situation of eternal disaster, and the gains outweigh the losses! It is better to wait and see what happens and wait until the time is right before making a decision! "
At this moment, Ma Chao also calmed down and slowly closed his eyes.
'How unfair is this world? He was unparalleled in bravery, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers under his command, and even owned two states. However, because he did not have a good background, the wealthy families looked down upon him. King Hongnong raised his arms, and the people also brought their families to fight with each other. They defected to each other, even Dong Bai...'
Thinking of the charming and charming figure he had glimpsed back then, Ma Chao felt a pain in his heart, and a feeling of exhaustion suddenly surged into his heart and lingered.
'Mr. Dong Taishi back then... must have gone through the same thing as me... No matter how hard he worked, no matter how successful he was, no one recognized him...'
Ma Chao waved his hand and walked out of the hall quietly.
…
Xuzhou-Xiapi
Diannong captain Chen Deng was about to leave the house and go to the procuratorate, but he was stopped by someone. Chen Deng turned around and found that it was Mi Fang of the Mi family!
The Chen family was a powerful family in Xuzhou. Chen Deng and his father Chen Gui had been highly regarded during Tao Qian's lifetime. After Tao Qian's death, Liu Bei showed his respect for the Chen family and Chen Deng presided over all succession ceremonies.
As for Mi Fang who called him out, although the Mi family behind him was just a merchant's family and was far less prominent than Chen Deng's family, no one in Xuzhou or even the whole world dared to look down upon it because the Mi family was rich and very powerful. money! For example, the Mi family is as rich as a second horse!
There are two most outstanding members of the younger generation of the Mi family. One is named Mi Zhu. Not only is he good at business, he is also quite proficient in handling government affairs. During Tao Qian's period, he appointed him as a special agent, and the other is the one in front of him. Although Mi Fang is not as smart as her brother Mi Zhu, she is bold and good at communication. She can be said to have friends from all over Xuzhou!
Facing Mi Fang, Chen Deng naturally did not dare to neglect. Although Liu Bei had just summoned everyone to go to the procuratorate to discuss matters, Chen Deng was still dragged into the Chen Mansion by Mi Fang.
After retreating, Chen Deng asked helplessly: "Zifang (Mi Fang's nickname), please tell me quickly if you have anything to do. Mr. Zhou Mu is still waiting for discussion at the Procuratorate!"
"Yuanlong (Chen Deng's nickname) is not an outsider, so Fang said it bluntly. It's just that what I said today can come out of my mouth and into your ears. Yuanlong must not spread it!"
Seeing Chen Deng nodding in agreement, Mi Fang looked around cautiously, then lowered her voice and said, "What does Yuan Long think about Cao Cao gathering an army to attack Xuzhou?"
Hearing this, Chen Deng frowned and asked tentatively: "I wonder what Zifang means by this?"
Mi Fang stamped her feet, gritted her teeth and said, "Hey, I won't play charades with Yuan Long anymore. To be honest with Yuan Long, I heard a rumor that Cao Cao's massive attack was due to one thing - the Clothes Order. ! Many people think that the Lord just needs to hand over this thing directly, and some radicals even think that it is better for the new governor Liu Bei to be handed over directly to Cao Cao, so as to avoid the situation of close combat with Cao Cao."
"Absurd! Extremely stupid!" Chen Deng couldn't help but yell! Then he looked at Mi Fang and said sternly: "Zifang is also a smart man. It is obvious why he should not allow others to snore next to the bed. Cao Cao's so-called clothing and belt edict, in Deng's view, is just an excuse. Its real goal is... It’s me, Xuzhou! To put it bluntly, whether I am Xuzhou or Yuan Shu’s Yangzhou, they are both a thorn in Cao Cao’s side and a thorn in his flesh, and they must be pulled out within the past two or three years! Otherwise, Cao Cao will not be able to face it. With the vigorous Hebei Army, Zifang no longer has to think about anything else. At this time, we, Xuzhou and Xuande Gong (Liu Bei) are one and inseparable!"
Mi Fang breathed a long sigh of relief, and then said: "In this case, Fang is relieved. Let's go, Fang will go with you to meet the governor!" The two of them walked out of Chen's house one after another, got on the carriage, and galloped towards the Procuratorate. !
