"Dongjun!"
Yang Ling said slowly.
"Going to Dongjun? Why is that?"
Cao Cao's eyes widened, his expression full of confusion.
Qiao Maogang, the prefect of Dongjun, was killed by Liu Dai, and all his troops were recruited by Liu Dai.
It won't be long before Dongjun will also be annexed by Liu Dai.
At this juncture, if you go to Dongjun, you will probably have a conflict with Liu Dai.
Moreover, fighting is the same as Go, there is a saying that the golden horns are silver-edged and the grass belly is the same.
Dongjun is located in the central area of the Han Dynasty. To the west is Hanoi County under the jurisdiction of Zhang Yang, to the north is Jizhou occupied by Yuan Shao, to the east is Qingzhou where Kong Rong is located, and to the south is Liu Dai's power.
Not only are there enemies on all sides, there are also Qiao Mao's remaining forces inside.
In such a dangerous situation, it is really unwise to choose Dongjun as the foundation.
Facing Cao Cao's inquiry, Yang Ling smiled calmly and said,
"Don't be impatient, Mr. Cao. Please listen to me slowly."
"Dongjun has an advantageous geographical location and developed transportation. It can go north to Jizhou, south to Yanzhou and Yuzhou, to the west to Sili Prefecture, and to the east to Qingzhou."
"Chenliu is adjacent to Dongjun, and its governor Zhang Miao is good with Cao Gong, so they can communicate with each other."
What Yang Ling said are naturally superficial factors.
Cao Cao in history developed patiently after entering Dongjun.
After the Yellow Turbans from Qingzhou rushed to Yanzhou and killed Liu Dai, he was welcomed as the governor by Yanzhou officials. After defeating the Yellow Turbans, he successfully gained a foothold.
"But under what name should we enter East County?"
Cao Cao touched his chin and said doubtfully.
If he forced his way into Dongjun, he would probably clash with Liu Dai immediately.
Liu Dai, as the father-in-law of a state, has strong soldiers and horses and strong strength.
With the remaining troops in Cao Cao's hands, he was unable to compete with them.
"It's easy to say. Duke Cao just needs to ask Yuan Benchu for help and ask him to go to the court and appoint you as the prefect of Dongjun."
"With his support, Liu Daiming doesn't dare to do anything to Duke Cao."
Yang Ling smiled.
Although after the battle against Dong Zhuo, the princes no longer paid attention to the imperial court.
But in the final analysis, everyone is still a Hanchen in name only.
There must be an official document from the court to be legitimate.
After hearing Yang Ling's suggestion, Cao Cao couldn't help but smile bitterly and said,
"Although I had a good relationship with Yuan Benchu in the early years, that was before."
"How is it possible for him to stand up for me and support me now?"
Adults don’t talk about friendship, they only look at the pros and cons.
Without any profit motive, Yuan Shao would not be able to stand up for Cao Cao.
"That's what I said, but what if Duke Cao gave him the Imperial Seal?"
Yang Ling smiled mysteriously.
"The Imperial Seal?!"
Cao Cao was slightly startled, and then he saw Yang Ling take out the vermilion wooden box from his arms.
After opening it, I saw a small jade seal lying quietly inside.
It’s the imperial seal!
"Sir, this... isn't this in the hands of the emperor? Why is it here?"
Cao Cao's eyes widened and he looked at Yang Ling in disbelief.
"A few days ago, Zilong and I led the troops to put out the fire in Luoyang City. We accidentally found the imperial seal in a dry well, but we didn't have time to tell Duke Cao."
Yang Ling explained.
Cao Cao didn't speak, he just stared at the imperial seal.
This is the jade seal that symbolizes the power of the emperor. Only by obtaining it can one be an orthodox and legitimate king.
If you leave the jade seal yourself, wouldn't you be able to...
Thinking of this, Cao Cao's eyes were filled with enthusiasm, excitement, and greed!
Yang Ling naturally noticed his look and quickly reminded,
"Every man is innocent, but he is guilty of carrying a jade."
"Mr. Cao, in the final analysis, this jade seal is just a dead thing. If you don't have absolute strength, leaving it behind is nothing more than a hidden danger!"
Only then did Cao Cao wake up.
He looked away with difficulty, took a deep breath, and then forced a smile and said,
"Sir, what you said is absolutely correct. Do you want me to give this to Yuan Shao?"
"That's right. This thing left in our hands is nothing more than worthless."
Yang Ling nodded and said,
"You can give this to Yuan Shao in exchange for his strong support!"
"With his support, we can gain a firm foothold in East County!"
Cao Cao's eyes lit up, he pondered for a moment and said,
"Okay, just do as you say!"
…
In Yuan Shao's military camp.
"Haha, why is Meng De so free today?"
Yuan Shao greeted Cao Cao to sit down with a smile.
"Yesterday, I led my army to pursue Dong Zhuo, but was defeated miserably. I felt depressed, so I came to see Brother Benchu today to relieve my depression."
Cao Cao sighed.
Hearing this, a flash of disapproval flashed in Yuan Shao's eyes, and a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.
All the princes are unwilling to continue to send troops, but you are still like a stupid young man who foolishly pursued Dong Zhuo.
If you don’t defeat, who will defeat?
"Victory and defeat are common matters for military strategists. Mengde does not need to take it seriously."
Yuan Shao said softly and calmly.
"What Brother Benchu said is absolutely true."
Cao Cao nodded and said sincerely,
"To be honest, I came to see Brother Benchu today because I hope you can lend a helping hand."
Yuan Shao frowned, then relaxed his brows and said with a wry smile,
"Meng De, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that I'm in a difficult situation now. Why don't you stop asking others for help?"
Cao Cao was not angry at being rebuffed, but looked around and whispered,
"Actually, in addition to asking Brother Benchu for help today, I also have another treasure to offer."
"Oh? What baby is this?"
Yuan Shao said a little casually.
The fourth and third son of the Yuan family, now he has occupied Jizhou and has great strength. What kind of treasure has he not seen?
"Brother Benchu, please take a look."
Cao Cao stood up as he spoke, took out a jade seal from his arms, and handed it to Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shao glanced disapprovingly.
But just this glance made him stand up suddenly!
"This...is this the national jade seal?!"
Yuan Shao's expression changed drastically, and Yang Jing couldn't believe him.
"How come this thing is in your hands?"
"To be honest, my soldiers accidentally obtained this object when they were putting out a fire in Luoyang City a few days ago."
Cao Cao explained,
"After much thought, it is most appropriate to leave such an important thing to Brother Benchu for safekeeping!"
Yuan Shao's expression was gloomy and uncertain, with a strange light shining in his eyes.
His ability to develop to where he is today is indispensable for his strong family background, but his personal abilities are also part of it.
After this crusade against Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao realized that the power of the powerful man was approaching, and he became ambitious!
Cao Cao presented the imperial seal today. For Yuan Shao, it can be said that it is not a big temptation!
After being silent for a long time, Yuan Shaocai pretended to smile calmly and said,
"What Meng De said is absolutely true! Let me keep such a valuable thing for the time being."
"When the Emperor is welcomed back from Thief Dong in the future, then this thing will be returned to the Emperor!"
As expected, as his teacher said, Yuan Shao could not resist the temptation of passing on the imperial seal.
Cao Cao thought to himself and said with a smile on his face,
"So good!"
