The Yellow River is rolling, and a new tomb is isolated to the east.
The army stood along the river, looking at a group of lazy and cheerful troops on the other side. The autumn wind is bleak, blowing the flags and flying, hunting and hunting.
Cao Cao, who was dressed in precious armor, dismounted from his horse, held a green steel sword in his hand, and walked slowly with the leaves of his armor fluttering. At forty-five years old, he is no longer young. Under the strong pressure of survival, his hair is gray and his skin is loose, showing his age.
Stopping in front of the tombstone in the tomb, looking at Yuan Shao's name written on it, Lao Cao asked with a smile: "Brother Benchu, are you okay?"
Yuan Shao must feel very bad inside the tomb, he knew...
After a while, some of his subordinates came over with paper money, and Cao Cao just squatted there and burned the paper for Yuan Shao.
Of course he knew why Yuan Shao wanted to die. If it were him, he would have to die.
Originally, his old Cao was the younger brother who had been following Yuan Shao and waving flags and shouting. Even a few years ago, he was still a force dependent on Yuan Shao and had to obey Yuan Shao's orders. For Yuan Shao, it was a huge humiliation to surrender to his men and survive.
Furthermore, Yuan Shao had not lost all the people's support, nor had his entire army been completely defeated. At least he still had 10,000 to 20,000 troops. If he really surrendered to Cao Cao and survived, he really didn't dare to accept it, and there might be civil strife by then. The reason why we stopped fighting is because we can’t win if we fight, we can’t run, and we will die sooner or later. There is really no need to fight useless battles.
In addition, Yuan Shu has not yet been defeated, and there are still forces resisting. If Yuan Shao plays some role in the war with Yuan Shu and rebels like Ma Teng, wouldn't he, Lao Cao, be unlucky?
So no matter what, it would be better for Yuan Shao to die. This is something that everyone knows very well. With no way out and death imminent, Yuan Shao did not lack the courage to die, which naturally led to the current situation.
Yuan Shao was not alone in his death, there were many loyal people who committed suicide. After they buried Yuan Shao, they jumped into the river very simply. Of course, many people survived and basically surrendered to Cao Cao. Whether they will work hard in the future is another matter.
However, Yuan Shao's sons could not escape. They were all captured and are waiting for Cao Cao's disposal in Luoyang City.
After paying homage to Yuan Shao, Lao Cao held the green steel sword on his waist and walked slowly to the river. The autumn wind rolled up his red cloak and yellow sand, making him squint.
His eyes were tightly locked on the group of figures opposite him. Although his eyes were no longer very good, he certainly knew very well that they were Wang Yan's army, waiting for Wang Yan's order. As long as he gave the order, they would cross the river. And strike.
A group of civil and military personnel were also beside Lao Cao. As he looked across the way, they only felt strong pressure.
To make a simple comparison, Wang Yan only dispatched more than 100,000 soldiers and horses, and many of these more than 100,000 soldiers and horses were captured prisoners. Such an army defeated Yuan Shao in less than a year. Arrived in Henan. They were equally matched with Yuan Shao, but they fought back and forth for three years. There is no need to say more about the difference.
Xun Yu said: "My lord, I just learned from the courtiers in the city that Wang Yan has sent troops to cross the river and pass through Qingzhou. He has been in Liangzhou and the grassland for three years. The weather is good, there is no disaster, and there is enough food and fodder. Now that he has crossed the river to Qingzhou, I want to come to Liangzhou and Bingzhou, and soon I will also enter Sili and Linhan Valley."
Cao Cao stroked his beard and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter. Looking at the king's words and deeds, he focused on people's livelihood and ruled one area after another. If I don't attack, they will never attack me. Our strategy has been decided. Yuan Shao is dead and Henan is gone. Yes, we have decided to abandon Henan and go down to Jiangnan. If we abandon the land in Henan, Wang Yan will cultivate it for several years and then go down to Jiangnan to attack me, so we still have time.
Waiting for some preparations, the people who moved to Henan in the spring will cross the river to destroy Yuan Shu, swallow up Liu Biao, and subjugate Liu Bei. Then they will enter Yizhou and capture Hanzhong Jianjianmen. By relying on the danger of the river to follow the king's words, they may not have no chance of winning. "
He had just won a battle and killed Yuan Shao, who was the most powerful man in the past. Although Lao Cao's confidence was not overwhelming, the good situation still gave him some confidence to fight Wang Yan. When he spoke, he was quite high-spirited.
The civil servants and generals beside them also looked very confident and shouted very fiercely, just like those who were the main war faction under Yuan Shao back then, as if the king's words were not enough.
The group of people expressed their feelings by the river for a while, relaxing their tense spirits due to the two-year war, and then left the river and headed for Luoyang.
There are still many things waiting for them to do, such as Liu Xie's problems, courtiers' problems, Yuan Shao's old ministry, and so on...
It was a winter rain in Danyang. Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, Jian Yong and others quickly walked to Liu Bei's mansion and found Liu Bei who was warming wine and drinking.
He cupped his hands, saluted and said, "My lord, Yuan Shu is here to envoy, and he wants to form an alliance with me to resist Cao Cao's crossing the river south."
"Sit down and talk."
Liu Bei pointed to the opposite side of the table. After the two sat down, he poured them wine again, which was also strong wine from General Wang's rule.
Although it is said to be a strong liquor, it is actually not very strong. It is only about 40 degrees. It is a serious sorghum liquor that you will not get drunk after drinking. It is definitely brewed artificially using ancient methods. Medicine also made medicinal wines, which were quite popular. But after all, the food consumed is only so much brewed every year. It is more precious and the price is still relatively expensive. Of course Liu Bei could afford it and was quite willing to spend it.
After taking a sip of wine, the burning sensation in his chest and abdomen subsided, Liu Bei asked: "What do Zizhong, Gongyou, and Xianhe think?"
Mi Zhu put down the wine bottle: "My lord, Yuan Shao has been defeated and Cao Cao has occupied Henan. The king has said that it will be difficult to stop him and he will go south. Yuan Shu is weak and weak, and he still supports me in the war. If I still ally with Cao Cao to attack Yuan Shu, then Yuan Shu will We will perish. How can we fight against Cao Cao at that time? The south of the Yangtze River is so big that there may be no place for us to establish ourselves.
Therefore, now that Yuan Shu invites me to form an alliance, it is inevitable for us to join forces to fight against Cao. This is still not enough. We must unite with Liu Biao of Jingzhou and gather the strength of our three families to fight against Cao Cao. "
Jian Yong was different from the others who were sitting upright. He had one leg curled up and one leg upright, with his hands behind his back to support his body, which was a bit cool.
He said: "Yuan Shao's defeat was due to his connections with the courtiers and the defection of his noble family to Cao Cao. We all know the truth about Liu Biao. The power is controlled by the Cai family and others, and I am afraid that Cao Cao has been secretly connected. Yuan Shu was defeated repeatedly in battles, lost Danyang, and retreated to Henan Zhang, we have lost the ambition of being a wealthy family. If our three families form an alliance to fight against Cao, they will definitely be incompatible with each other, and it may be difficult to resist Cao."
"It's hard to do this, but you have to do it."
Sun Qian was not young yet. He stroked his beard with a wrinkled face and said, "Cao Cao gathered Yuan Shao's remnant army. There are more than 200,000 troops. Moreover, Cao Cao has always had strategies, and there are many strategists under his command who can conquer." He is a fierce general who is good at fighting, and he also occupies the ferry, and there is no shortage of warships. If the three families do not gather their strength, it will be difficult to resist. Regardless of whether they are allied with Yuan Shu and Liu Biao, the current plan is to seize the ferry while Cao Cao is reorganizing Henan. Don't let Cao Cao cross the river easily."
Liu Bei nodded and said, "That's all we have to do. Let the second and third brothers return to the army and attack Cao Cao's ferry along the river."
This ferry was the result of the brothers Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao. It was Yuan Shu who held the line in the south of the Yangtze River, and Yuan Shao was there to contain it. This only allowed Cao Cao to occupy the ferry.
In fact, in the past, Lao Cao once occupied a large area in Yuzhang and Danyang. Later, Yuan Shao went to war with Cao Cao, and Liu Biao was involved. Cao Cao had to withdraw most of his forces, leaving only the ferry and some surrounding areas. The remaining land was reoccupied by Yuan Shu, and later Liu Bei conquered most of Danyang.
Sun Qian responded, stood up and started writing military orders.
After looking at him, Jian Yong changed to sit cross-legged, took a sip of wine, and said, "I recently heard that the fleet sent by Wang Yan in the past to search for immortal grains has returned. The newspaper reported what the sergeant saw, and it was also reported overseas. The land is flat and vast, all fertile farmland. Lord, if things don't work out, we may go to sea. If things don't work out, we can also go south to Jiaozhi. It's not a bad idea for us to build a country outside the territory.
Han Sui wanted to attack Guishuang, but Wang Yan even prepared troops and did not send troops to pursue him. If we go outside the territory, Wang Yan will definitely ignore us and give us soldiers and armor to help us achieve our goals. "
Mi Zhu smiled and waved his hands: "My lord has known each other for a long time, and even served under his command. Wang Yan had already spoken to my lord beforehand. If his army comes to attack, and my lord does not resist, we will not do anything that is harmful to the people." If you tell me, you will all survive. With Wang Yan's big heart, Lu Bu can still lead a guard by himself, so he will not treat us badly."
Hearing Mi Zhu's words, Liu Bei also nodded with a smile: "I was determined to help the Han Dynasty, but now it seems that it has already existed in name only. If we can't rejuvenate the Yanhan, it will be useless for us to build a country outside the region. How about helping Wang Yan and rejuvenating China." "
After expressing his feelings, Liu Bei did not talk about running away from the territory. He changed the subject: "The thing I just mentioned about going to sea to find immortals happened to be when I was working for Wang Yan. That morning..."
Liu Bei actually told stories from many years ago, which showed that he was in a very relaxed mood.
In fact, at this point, Liu Bei has nothing to be nervous about. It is no longer the situation ten years ago. At that time, Wang Yan was still shrinking in Liaodong and Yuan Shao was still arrogant.
Now that Yuan Shao is dead, Cao Cao is afraid of Wang Yan and is bent on fighting south. The alliance between the three of them will inevitably lead to various conflicts, and even Cao Cao may not be able to defeat him. It is only a matter of time before Wang Yan unifies the north north of the Yangtze River. Moreover, there are enough warships to go overseas. In fact, Jiang Dian is not that indestructible, and it can be sailed directly to the coastal areas to land.
Liu Bei knew very well that Wang Yan's army was very powerful. With 10,000 people coming over, it would be easy to defend a place. Moreover, Wang Yan attaches great importance to the construction of the logistics system, and when it comes to fighting, there will be an endless supply.
So he knew very well that ninety-nine percent of it was success. Even if he were allowed to dominate Jiangnan, he was unwilling to compete with Wang Yan now, because it was destined to be useless resistance. This is very disappointing, but relatively, it also makes people feel relaxed. It's so contradictory, so natural, it's the relief of giving up completely.
As for the remaining one percent possibility of failure, it is that Wang Yan died suddenly, the entire army was unaccustomed to the climate and was annihilated in one breath, a meteorite hit Wang Yan's head, the whole territory was in drought, and there was no harvest, and so on. Only when things happen that rule can the situation be reversed. But these are almost impossible.
He understood best. After all, he was not as good as Wang Yan, but he could achieve where he was today with the help of these two counselors and two good brothers and generals. Wang Yan is much kinder to the people than he is. When the time comes to attack Jiangnan, it will definitely not be soldiers from Northeast China and Youzhou, but soldiers from Henan, in order to adapt to the discomfort of the climate. When there are real soldiers from Jiangnan under his command, Jiangnan's soldiers will sweep everywhere and they will be unable to resist them.
Even recently, he has been thinking about whether to surrender to Wang Yan directly. Then he will change from a decision-maker to an executor easily. It will be sooner or later anyway.
However, he still has no real intention to give up and plans to give it another try. It's just that the disappointment is greater than the hope, so now I don't worry about it all the time...
At the same time, Wang Yan also received news about the battle in Henan, and learned that Yuan Shao's army was defeated because of Ma Teng's betrayal, and Yuan Shao committed suicide and was buried by the Yellow River.
He wasn't very surprised. Even if Ma Teng didn't betray him, Yuan Shao couldn't beat Cao Cao. There was still some gap between the two sides. The simplest one is that there are not enough wise generals, which will lead to some delays in the war and affect the direction of the war to a certain extent. If the two sides don't decide the winner this year, it will end up with Cao Cao taking advantage, because they can't fight anymore and the food and fodder are not enough to support consumption.
At that time, Cao Cao will attack Yuan Shu desperately, run away from Jiangnan, and then cut off Yuan Shao's other routes. Because after counting the time, Wang Yan had been stable for several years, so it was time to take action. There is no time for them to fight another two-year war, and the result will be that both Cao Cao and Yuan Shao are finished.
Ma Teng's rebellion was actually due to many reasons. Because Ma Teng was a royalist, he participated in the Yidai Zhao incident, and also pointed out Liu Bei's involvement. Later, he went to Beijing and was killed by Cao Cao.
Of course, in real history, Ma Teng was also an ambitious man. His death was said to be because Ma Chao cheated on his father. At first, Lao Cao did not want to kill Ma Teng. It was when Ma Teng was in Beijing that Ma Chao mobilized troops and killed Ma Teng. …
Now Ma Teng is a royalist, and the emperor comes out of the wolf's den and into the tiger's mouth. Yuan Shao didn't have a good attitude towards the emperor or courtiers, and he would kill two people even if nothing happened. This made Liu Xie and his court officials particularly unstable, so they must have connected Ma Teng and Cao Cao to defeat Yuan Shao.
In other words, they chose Cao Cao.
But in fact, what they didn't know was that Lao Cao was unreliable.
When Lao Cao was young, he was also a staunch loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, running to save the Han Dynasty, and he was also a person who did not like powerful people who destroyed the law and order. People like Yi Yin and Huo Guang who had the ability to depose the emperor but firmly upheld the orthodoxy were the old people. Cao's example.
But little by little, Lao Cao's mentality changed. After all, only those with strong soldiers and horses are worthy of being emperor, but it is he who has strong soldiers and horses, not the emperor who is nothing. Furthermore, when it comes to his part, it is not his decision. He represents the common interests of many people, and it is not up to him.
But even so, Lao Cao was still the king of Wei until his death and never proclaimed himself emperor. After all, the situation is the same. His son Cao Pi has proclaimed himself emperor, so there must be no problem for him to proclaim himself emperor.
Judging from the current situation, Lao Cao must be doing it for himself. But the effect of Liu Xie's hand is different. After all, there is Wang Yan, a great rebel who wants to conquer the world, and Wang Yan's political line of killing wealthy families is there. Therefore, the emperor's legitimacy is important for uniting other princes and wealthy families. Speaking of which, it’s quite easy to use.
As for how the situation will develop, it will take time to give the answer...
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